Renatta Signorini stories, Page 42
Jeannette passes budget, holds tax line
Jeannette Council passed the city’s 2024 budget on Tuesday by a 4-1 vote. The budget does not call for a property tax increase, keeping the millage rate at 35.62 mills. Councilwoman Michelle Langdon cast the dissenting vote because she said she felt the earned-income tax should have been lowered. One...
Free-Op Community Store opens in Jeannette, follows pay-what-you-can model
In the first few days of being open, a pay-what-you-can store in Jeannette was already making a difference. Madison Feidner said someone in need of a Christmas tree left with one and others were picking up presents. “This week was so important to me to just have some hours to...
Las Vegas man gets house arrest, probation for gift card scam used at Hempfield, Monroeville and Frazer Sam’s Clubs
A Las Vegas man was sentenced Wednesday to one year of probation for using counterfeit credit cards with stolen bank account information to buy gift cards at Sam’s Club locations in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Hector Ofelio Podio Gutierrez, 31, was ordered by a federal judge in Pittsburgh to spend...
About 500 Penn Township residents will have new voting ward in 2024
New boundaries for Penn Township’s five voting wards are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Judge Harry Smail on Thursday approved an order authorizing the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau to revise and alter the voting districts after a months long process to redraw the boundaries. His ruling came at...
Son of Greensburg-area dentist who murdered wife on safari breaks silence in ‘GMA’ interview
A battle continues in Colorado federal court over the estate of a woman murdered in 2016 on African safari by her husband, a former Greensburg-area dentist. Julian and AnaBianca Rudolph — the children of 57-year-old Bianca — are seeking their inheritance, claiming they are lawfully entitled to life insurance proceeds...
Shrinking resource: Customers heed conservation order but Beaver Run Reservoir continues drop toward record-low level
When Barb Daugherty drives on Story Road to and from her home in Slickville, she often glances over at the Beaver Run Reservoir. The water levels for the last few months have been concerning. “It has been the lowest I have ever seen it,” she said. Daugherty feels the pinch...
7 scammers who victimized Western Pennsylvanians indicted by federal authorities
Seven people have been indicted in a $3 million sweepstakes scam federal authorities said targeted people older than 75 in the western half of Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the country. The money ultimately made it to Jamaica, where it was withdrawn by people who are accused of being part of...
Jeannette groups unite for revitalization effort
Four entities are creating a partnership aimed at revitalizing Jeannette. City council approved a measure Thursday to join the Jeannette Redevelopment Authority, Jeannette Business Association and Jeannette Initiative in creating the partnership. Having the partnership in place will help with applications for assistance from the state Department of Community and...
Jeannette may relax school dress code
Jeannette City School District administrators and board members are looking at relaxing the student dress code, and at least a few parents are praising the possible change. School directors this month suspended the district’s dress and grooming policy, which required students to adhere to more structured clothing, such as polo...
Here’s a gift guide with a Westmoreland County connection
There are potential holiday presents in every spot you look around Westmoreland County. That restaurant or coffee shop down the street probably stock gift cards that would be perfect for a friend or relative. The winery, distillery, meadery or craft brewery you’ve noticed in the neighborhood could provide a liquid...
U.S. Attorney’s office: Jails obligated to ensure access to opioid use medication
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia this week filed a statement of interest in federal court clarifying the obligation of state and local jails to ensure inmates have access to medication used to treat opioid use disorder. The statement was filed less than two weeks after Allegheny County Jail health...
Police arrest Turtle Creek man in connection with robbery at North Huntingdon bank
Investigators believe the man who robbed a North Huntingdon bank on Thursday is also responsible for the Nov. 17 robbery at a First National Bank branch in Hempfield, according to court papers. North Huntingdon police arrested Steven A. Schaffner, 45, of Turtle Creek, in connection with the robbery at KeyBank....
Jeannette contractor accused of bilking $7.2K from church that hired him to demolish house
A Jeannette man is accused of taking $7,200 from a city church to raze a building and never completing the work, according to court papers. An arrest warrant was issued Thursday for Lee E. Dobies, 49, on charges of theft and deceptive business practices filed by Westmoreland County detectives. First...
Jeannette police chief to retire, sergeant promoted
Jeannette officials said goodbye Thursday to the city’s police chief and a councilwoman. Police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. is retiring Jan. 1. Mayor Curtis Antoniak announced Thursday his replacement will be Sgt. Derek Manley. Johnston said he got interested in police work during high school and later was hired as...
Man accused of robbing Homer City bank caught
A Homer City man was arraigned Friday morning and jailed on $250,000 bail in connection with a bank robbery in the borough earlier this week. Dylan Robert Clark Rider, 28, who lives within walking distance of the S&T Bank branch on North Main Street, was spotted Thursday afternoon in Wilkinsburg...
Leechburg inmate, 19, accused of asking girl to expose herself during video call from jail
A man being held at the Westmoreland County jail was arraigned Thursday on child pornography charges after authorities said a 16-year-old girl exposed herself to him during video calls. Dylan Walmsley, 19, of Leechburg has been at the jail since his April arrest on weapons violations stemming from a fatal...
Feds say owner of Pa. snow, ice removal company padded bills; seek forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion
The owner of a Pittsburgh-based snow and ice removal company has been indicted on accusations that he padded customer bills for services that weren’t performed, and authorities are seeking the forfeiture of his Mt. Washington mansion. Charles W. Lantzman, 50, owner of Snow and Ice Management Co. of Pennsylvania, is...
Morning Roundup: Small fire at Norwin football stadium; state police car damages vehicles in traffic stop
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 14: Small fire extinguished at Norwin football stadium A small fire was extinguished Thursday morning in the visitor side concession stand at Norwin School District’s football stadium in North Huntingdon, according to Lauren Steiner, district director of...
Holiday displays appear at Westmoreland courthouse despite resolution passed in 1997
A holiday display outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse on Main Street in Greensburg is something passersby may not have seen in years. A 23-foot Christmas tree and a menorah in a frame were donated and placed last week. Commissioner Sean Kertes said he asked Public Works Director Greg McCloskey to...
After shooting trooper, Damian Bradford gets additional 10 years in killing of Mercer County urologist
A Pittsburgh man formerly of Beaver County will have to spend another 10 years in federal prison for killing a Mercer County urologist in 2005 while having an affair with his wife. The additional time was imposed on Damian Bradford, 42, after a judge determined that he violated his release...
Morning Roundup: Police say woman used Taser on pregnant woman; man shot in Pittsburgh; 73-year-old scammed
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 13: Police say woman used Taser on pregnant woman A Greensburg woman is accused of using a Taser stun gun on a pregnant woman on the stomach Saturday, according to court papers. City police said Lillian G....
3-month-old boy dies in Brighton Heights, police investigating
A 3-month-old boy died Monday at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh after first responders were notified that the infant was in distress in Brighton Heights. Kyrie Robert Mitchell was unresponsive when first responders arrived at the infant’s Davis Avenue home around 8:20 p.m., city police said. Detectives are investigating. The...
Man dies after altercation, shooting in Elliott
A Pittsburgh man died after being shot late Tuesday in the city’s Elliott neighborhood, police said. The man was found with several gunshot wounds around 10:30 p.m. inside a home off Wilna Way in the area of Lorenz Avenue, city police said. He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital, where...
Woman killed in head-on crash in Shaler
Allegheny County Police said a woman was killed late Tuesday when the SUV she was driving crashed into an oncoming pickup in Shaler. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has not identified the woman. The crash was reported just after 10 p.m. on Mt. Royal Boulevard. A preliminary investigation showed...
Man faces more charges after becoming unruly during hearing in Monessen district court
A defendant became unruly this month during a preliminary hearing on drug charges at district court in Monessen, threatening police, an attorney and the judge, according to court papers. City police were called to the courtroom when Judge Wayne Vlasic reported Michael A. Whitfield-Bronson, 36, was causing a disturbance Dec....
