Renatta Signorini stories, Page 50
With costs expected to keep increasing, Jeannette seeks bids for fire station as it looks for ways to pay for project
Jeannette will begin seeking bids for a new fire station while continuing to look for more funding as fire Chief Bill Frye said he expects the total project cost to be much higher than originally anticipated. The city in 2022 received a $1.2 million grant for the new station through...
$1.7M in Jeannette park improvements underway but tree planting project halted
Tree planting projects in three Jeannette locations have been put on hold while $1.7 million playground and park renovations get underway. Council on Thursday awarded a contract to Franjo Construction of Homestead for installation of playground equipment and other improvements at six city recreational facilities. “We’re ecstatic for that,” said...
Jeannette aims to curb truck traffic on residential streets
Commercial trucks traversing residential neighborhoods in Jeannette are damaging city streets, and officials hope increased education and potentially fines will curb that activity. Sgt. Derek Manley said he intends to start commercial motor vehicle enforcement next month after he wraps up the lengthy certification and training process through state police....
Jeannette man jailed since June 2018 for fatal fire sentenced to probation
A case manager will help a Jeannette man navigate life outside of jail after he was sentenced to two years of probation Friday in connection with a fatal 2018 house fire in Jeannette. Brian Rendon, 38, was set to be released from the Westmoreland County Prison where he has been...
Derry Township man held for court in 16-year-old murder case
During one of their daily meetings to use drugs, Timothy Smartnick said Charles E. Ream told him a secret. They were at a hotel in Monroeville sometime in 2009 or 2010 when Ream said he went to Samantha Lang’s Derry Township home in 2007. Smartnick testified during Ream’s preliminary hearing...
Rankin man jailed in 2 Westmoreland drug cases
An Allegheny County man was arrested Monday because, authorities say, he sold 1,500 stamp bags of drugs to an undercover police officer in North Huntingdon, according to court papers. Damar D. Pearson, 21, of Rankin is being held at the Westmoreland County jail. Investigators with the Westmoreland County Drug Task...
Garbage truck worker jumps out of path of speeding pickup before collision, police say
Two people were hospitalized with serious injuries Friday after a crash involving a garbage truck in Hempfield. State police said a Ford Ranger being driven on Arona Road at 9:30 a.m. by Franklin Klavora, 87, of Irwin was speeding as it approached the garbage truck from behind. A worker on...
I-70 project in Westmoreland lauded for use of technology in site design
A $93 million project along Interstate 70 in Westmoreland County received a regional America’s Transportation Award for its use of technology. The reconstructed interchanges at the Yukon and Madison exits, and 4 miles of highway in between them, used aerial photography rather than traditional on-the-ground surveying and software that modeled...
Tub overflow damages apartments at Pershing Square in Greensburg
A Greensburg man was charged with causing catastrophe after police said he let the water in his bathtub run “for an extended period of time,” flooding his apartment and damaging three other units, according to court papers. Firefighters were called to Pershing Square on West Third Street at 7 a.m....
Washed away: 1 year after devastating flood, life in Unity village of Dorothy is quiet, still undone
One thing seems out of place in Jean Kirkpatrick’s living room — the plug-in wax warmer, wafting the scent of cinnamon apple pie. A message on it scrawled in script — “Hope” — has quite the loaded meaning. It’s been a year since Kirkpatrick was forced out of her Dorothy...
Five Star Trail mural makes its debut
A colorful, welcoming mural on the Five Star Trail came together far faster than artist Zachary Rutter anticipated. It took a little more than two weeks to complete, progress that Rutter attributed to support from volunteers. “We had about a dozen people that were just passionately excited about this project...
3 face charges for illegal deer hunting in Fairfield
Three people are facing felony charges for illegally hunting deer in Fairfield, according to court papers. Investigators with the Pennsylvania Game Commission filed charges against the trio of suspects this week after getting a tip Nov. 22 that they may have been involved with the unlawful taking of a buck...
Penn Hills man charged after undercover drug bust in North Huntingdon
Raw fentanyl and 1,000 fentanyl-laced pills were seized from a Penn Hills man Thursday after an undercover buy-bust in North Huntingdon, according to court papers. Police said they were given permission by Letonio C. Morand, 20, to search his apartment after a confidential informant bought 1,000 stamp bags of suspected...
2 new businesses — bakery, Italian eatery — open in downtown Jeannette
The scent of hard work at two new businesses in Jeannette wafts out the front doors, rising from baked goods and Italian fare. Jennifer Toughlian and David Avolio spent months preparing to open their doors and said this week they were thrilled with the response they’ve received from the community....
Police, PennDOT urge motorists to keep eyes open for motorcycles
Being a motorcycle officer with the Pennsylvania State Police carries a unique set of demands. You have to answer the police radio and keep an eye out for lawbreakers while also staying safe on the road, just like any other motorcyclist. “It was an additional challenge being a motorcycle officer...
2 probation officers hurt after scuffle with Greensburg man
Two Westmoreland County probation officers were hurt Wednesday when they got into a scuffle with a man who they said violated his probation, according to court papers. The probation officers reported to Greensburg police that they visited the Harrison Avenue apartment of Akeem Vance, 39, around 9:30 a.m. Vance, who...
Squatters were cooking canned ravioli over indoor fire at dilapidated Jeannette row house, chief says
Some of the 10 Jeannette properties deemed public nuisances Wednesday have been broken into repeatedly by squatters, but one in particular stood out. The row house at 422 S. Fifth St. has been a “prime spot” for illegal activity, fire Chief Bill Frye said. The property is boarded up and...
Donors to GoFundMe account created by parents of Delmont boy can request refund
Donors to an online fundraiser started by a Delmont couple arrested last week in the death of their 5-year-old adopted son can request refunds, according to a GoFundMe spokesperson. The online fundraiser started by Lauren E. Maloberti, 34, and Jacob N. Maloberti, 33, has been removed from the GoFundMe platform....
Ex-Greensburg police chief waives hearing on theft of evidence charges
Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday, two days before he was scheduled to appear in district court for the proceeding on accusations that he took items from the department’s evidence room. Court records showed Denning, 42, of Delmont waived all five misdemeanor...
Unity man accused of taking $380,000 from relative
A Unity man is accused of stealing $380,000 from a relative for whom he shared power of attorney duties, according to state police. Christopher H. Treasure, 50, is free on $50,000 unsecured bail on a theft charge. He was arraigned last week. He became power of attorney for the Hempfield...
Truck fire affects traffic in Murrysville, Washington Township
Traffic was restricted Tuesday in the area of the Route 366 (Greensburg Road) and Route 380 interchange at the border of Murrysville and Washington Townships after a triaxle truck fire and fuel spill, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor. The triaxle apparently caught fire and a saddle tank ruptured...
Westmoreland coroner turns tragedies into prevention program
After two infants in Westmoreland County died this year following unsafe sleep practices at home, Coroner Tim Carson started searching for a way to prevent more parents from suffering that loss. He landed on Cribs for Kids, a Pittsburgh nonprofit that connects families with free cribs and education classes. “Two...
Attempted homicide charge filed against Monessen man after stabbing at Valley Manor apartments
A Monessen man is facing attempted homicide charges after city police said he stabbed another man Friday evening during an argument at Valley Manor apartments, according to court papers. A witness told police that she and her brother asked Robert W. Varner, 60, to be quiet a few times around...
Gatling gun fires off interest at Historic Hanna’s Town Civil War event
As a young boy, Keith Takacs knew he wanted a Gatling gun. The rapid-fire weapon, a precursor to modern machine guns patented in 1862, looked cool in old cowboy movies. Fast-forward a few decades, and Takacs dropped about $12,000 on one in 2019. “Saw it, wanted it, made it a...
Person freed from ticket booth at Idlewild amusement park after vehicle crash
Firefighters freed a person from a ticket booth Sunday afternoon at Idlewild & SoakZone amusement park after a vehicle crashed into it. A Westmoreland 911 dispatch supervisor said a person in the vehicle had a medical emergency around 2 p.m. at the park in Ligonier Township off Route 30. The...
