Renatta Signorini stories, Page 48
Reserve membership considered for Jeannette Fire Department
Jeannette Fire Department may begin accepting reserve members after fire Chief Bill Frye was given the OK by council to modify the rules and regulations. Frye said there are people with firefighter training who work in the city and have expressed interest in helping out the department during calls, as...
Westmoreland police dogs lauded in wake of Philly area’s fugitive arrest
It’s dark, and Westmoreland County Park Police Officer Bill Meyers is looking for a suspect. His police dog, Rico, can sense the right spot to find the person and end the search. “The dog knows he’s there, but I don’t,” Meyers said. Or if someone has rigged up a bomb...
Behind the art: New Deal murals on view at Jeannette post office
(Editor’s note: Behind the Art is a recurring series highlighting artistic works throughout the county.) Two pieces of canvas artwork hang high from a lobby wall at the Jeannette post office. The one on the left, titled “Glass Industry,” depicts the city’s history as a glass-making juggernaut and the piece...
5 Jeannette property owners offer vacant lots to city
Jeannette council accepted the donations of two properties Thursday and are considering options for three more after a rush of property owners recently expressed interest in turning over their land to the city. The donations of 308 and 310 Clay Ave., which is one parcel, and 113 N. Third St....
Missing Saltsburg hunter found dead in Indiana County
A missing Saltsburg-area man was found dead in Indiana County by state police Friday evening. Bryan John Bialas, 45, was reported missing by coworkers on Wednesday after he told them Monday that he planned to go hunting with his two dogs and then didn’t show up for work. State police...
Hempfield man accused of trying to steal tote packed with guns
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of breaking into a township home Thursday and dragging away a plastic tote full of guns before being confronted by the homeowners and running off, according to court papers. Timothy John Luchon, 41, was being held without bail at the Westmoreland County...
Westmoreland sheriff brings back gun safety class geared toward women
A popular gun safety class geared toward women held by the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department is returning for one day only. Sheriff James Albert said because of less available funding, the free Women Take Aim class will only be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Giannilli’s II...
Jeannette poised to create city manager’s post
Jeannette council members are expected to approve an ordinance on Thursday creating a manager position and they may appoint the city clerk/chief fiscal officer to the post. Mayor Curtis Antoniak said council didn’t seek applicants for the position “because we already have our man.” Solicitor Tim Witt said it’s likely...
Jailed Derry area man faces additional assault charges
A former Derry Township man already behind bars for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl was arraigned Wednesday on similar accusations involving girls ages 12, 14, 15 and 16, according to court papers. Christopher R. Fraser, 19, was arrested in four new cases Wednesday involving charges of child rape, solicitation, statutory...
Search for missing Indiana County hunter continues
State police are looking for an Indiana County man who went missing, after telling coworkers he planned to go hunting with his dogs after work on Monday. Bryan J. Bialas, 45, of Conemaugh Township, was reported missing by coworkers on Wednesday. He is known to hunt in the Apollo and...
Former Greensburg woman sentenced in federal bank fraud case
A former Greensburg woman was sentenced last week to 36 months in a federal prison for using the identity of a person she counseled at a Hempfield drug treatment center to get $60,000 in loans, according to federal prosecutors. Nina Marie Barkley, 36, was ordered to spend four years on...
Delmont woman accused of filling dog prescription for hundreds of Xanax pills after pet’s death
A Delmont woman who works as a veterinary technician is accused of attempting to fill a Xanax prescription for her dog four months after it had been euthanized, according to court papers. Agents with the state Attorney General’s Office also said Bobbi Jo Vaia, 38, filled a legitimate Xanax prescription...
Region’s latest mural brings history of South Greensburg to life
The people, places and things that make up the South Greensburg community are being memorialized in bright colors. Artist Raphael Pantalone is tucking the recognizable landmarks from the past and present into his latest mural while adding some personal touches, like the house where he spent about 10 years of...
Pittsburgh man charged after botched phone sale at turnpike plaza in Hempfield
A man was hospitalized after state police said a robber took $650 from him and ran over his foot before fleeing a service plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Hempfield, according to court papers. Kierre D. Williams, 28, of Pittsburgh was arraigned this week and is free on $25,000 unsecured...
Man arrested in Latrobe shooting of friend previously served time in 2015 beating death
A Greensburg man accused of shooting a longtime friend in Latrobe on Sunday previously served jail time in connection with a 2015 fatal beating, according to court records. Malik Crosby, 24, was arraigned Friday on attempted homicide and related charges in the Chestnut Street shooting that police said happened after...
Change in state police academy requirements generates burst in applications
Eliminating the requirement that Pennsylvania State Police cadets have college credits under their belts in order to apply for trooper jobs was met with a burst of applications. State officials said 137 of 297 people who applied in the two days after the announcement last week do not have college...
High-speed chase in Greensburg ends in arrest
A Pittsburgh man who led police on a morning chase in Greensburg and Hempfield is accused of trying to carjack two people at a gas station before a Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy tased him, according to court papers. Police said the chase started when Matthew Allen Armstrong, 36, fled in...
Tri-axle truck overturns on Claypike Road
A section of Claypike Road in Mt. Pleasant Township was shut down for a couple hours Wednesday morning after a tri-axle truck overturned, spilling its load. The one-vehicle crash was reported at 9:20 a.m. in the area of Sheriff’s Lane, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. A section of...
State police in region investigated 153 crashes on Labor Day weekend
State troopers in three local troops were busy during the Labor Day weekend as they investigated five fatalities in four crashes, including ones in Allegheny, Fayette and Westmoreland, according to statistics released by the agency. That amounted to half of the fatalities on the roads statewide that were investigated by...
Westmoreland City man forced off road after chase through neighborhoods
A Westmoreland City man is accused of leading state police on a chase Monday that reached 110 mph, at one point going the wrong way on Route 30, according to court papers. Ricardo S. Monteparte, 57, did not have a valid drivers license, police said. Troopers reported seeing a Jeep...
Penn Township man jailed after attempting to run from police officers
A Penn Township man was jailed without bail Friday after police said he led them on a chase when he didn’t have a valid drivers license. The driving record for Gregg L. Snyder, 59, is so voluminous that township police said they had to request a copy of it from...
Police say New Stanton Manor fire was intentionally set during argument
A Hempfield man is accused by state police of setting a fire in his apartment Sunday morning, prompting the evacuation of the building, according to court papers. Frank M. Starr, 45, is being held at the Westmoreland County Prison on $50,000 bail. Troopers were called to New Stanton Manor at...
Latrobe man killed in vehicle crash
A Latrobe man was killed late Monday when state police said the vehicle in which he was a passenger hit an embankment in Wilkinsburg. Troopers said Michael N. Zappone, 47, was a passenger in a Jeep Cherokee being driven by David A. Whitlatch, 32, of Waynesburg. The SUV was seen...
Watch Penguins’ new video scoreboard come to life
The in-game experience at Pittsburgh Penguins games is about to get bigger. A lot bigger. The team shared on social media a progress video of an enormous new video board that will hang over the ice at PPG Paints Arena, much larger than the one fans have grown accustomed to...
Morning Roundup: Fire destroys vacant Hempfield home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 1: Fire destroys vacant Hempfield home A Hempfield home along Middletown Road was destroyed in a fire early Friday. Firefighters were met around 2 a.m. with heavy flames and smoke centered on the front part of the...
