Joe Napsha stories, Page 120
Penn man served community as fire chief
Weslie Wiser grew up in Trafford and served his community, both in the town’s post office and the volunteer fire department, where he rose through the ranks to become chief. “I have never seen a more dedicated individual in the fire department in my time,” said his son, Dennis Wiser...
Sutersville fire chief researches town’s war dead ‘so they won’t be forgotten’
The names of 13 men from Sutersville who never came home from World War I and II are engraved near the top of Sutersville’s Honor Roll that recognizes those who served. A 14th man killed in the Korean War is listed on a separate plaque. Making certain that they will...
Groups hustle across Westmoreland to raise money for clubs through high school football
Pasta, salad, bread and dessert mixed with the efforts of numerous volunteers is a winning recipe for success when it comes to raising money for high school athletics. The Greensburg Salem Football Parents Association has been doing that for years, and this week was no exception. Hundreds of hungry people...
Freight trains, costs are hurdles for increasing Western Pa. Amtrak serviceVideo
If Amtrak added a commuter train into Pittsburgh on the route between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, more than one-half of the passengers would board at the Greensburg Train Station, according to a state official overseeing multimodal transportation. But whether Amtrak is in a position to add another westbound Pennsylvanian train to...
Johnstown man killed in Murrysville crash over weekend
A 30-year-old Johnstown man died over the weekend in a one-vehicle crash along Route 22 in Murrysville, police said. The victim, Eduardo Luis Palmar, was traveling at a high rate of speed in the westbound lanes around midnight Saturday near Rick’s Sports Bar when his 2018 Chevrolet sedan crashed into...
Latrobe man accused of assaulting mother, boy
A 38-year-old Latrobe man has been jailed for allegedly assaulting a woman and injuring her 2-year-old son, police said. Louis Anthony Campbell, of 905 Chestnut St., is accused of causing the boy to sustain a lump on his forehead during an incident at a home in the 1900 block of...
Hearing set on expanding take-out beer, wine for restaurants in Pennsylvania
Diners wanting to buy more beer and wine to-go from a restaurant could do so if a bill to revise the restaurant liquor license rules becomes law. Representatives from the state Liquor Control Board, the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, and Wendell Young, president of the United Food and Commercial...
East Huntingdon cabin destroyed by fire
One person was reported injured in a fire that destroyed an East Huntingdon cabin early Tuesday, a Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety supervisor said. The person, who was not identified, went to Excela Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant for treatment, the public safety supervisor said. A state police fire...
Fire destroys multi-unit Uniontown house
A fire Monday destroyed a turn-of-the-20th century Uniontown house converted into apartments, leaving several residents homeless, a Uniontown fire official said. No one was injured in the fire that destroyed the wood-framed, three-story house at 300 Main St., said Uniontown Fire Department Lt. Scott Conn. Residents from two of the...
Bushy Run Battlefield going to the dogs
Dog owners who love to walk their pets around historic Bushy Run Battlefield along Route 993 in Penn Township will be able to enjoy a dog-centered day at the park Sept. 7. The dog-friendly Paws in the Park will feature a series of activity stations and vendor booths for what...
Westmoreland Fair secretary still loves her job 3 decades later
Marian Parker of North Huntingdon retired from her job as a school bus driver about two decades ago, but has yet to give up the job she really enjoys — secretary at the Westmoreland Fair, which closed Saturday at the fairgrounds near Norvelt. “I just love my job. Even though...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed for allegedly hitting borough cop
A Mt. Pleasant man was jailed Friday for allegedly hitting a borough police officer on the shoulder multiple times last month when the officer was arresting him, police said. Gregory N. Freed, 26, of 114 First St., is accused of hitting Mt. Pleasant Patrolman Timothy Ferree as the officer attempted...
North Huntingdon bans tobacco products from parks, playgrounds
North Huntingdon has joined other communities and school districts in Westmoreland County in banning the use of tobacco products from the township’s public parks, playing fields and playgrounds. The township recently received a certificate for joining the “Young Lungs at Play!” initiative to keep the public play areas free of...
North Huntingdon plans citizen police academy
The North Huntingdon Citizens Police Academy, in which residents view demonstrations by the K-9 unit and crime scene and fire investigators, is proving to be popular with the public. Police Chief Robert Rizzo said Wednesday he expects the class that will begin on Sept. 3 to be filled by the...
Norwin cuts ties with Chinese student exchange program
Norwin has cut ties to an educational firm that brought Chinese students and educators to one of its schools last year. The Norwin School District will terminate its August 2018 agreement with the International Foundation Alliance-EDU Chinese Youth Ambassador Program, which was to send a group of Chinese students to...
Geibel Catholic launching awareness campaign to boost enrollmentVideo
Faced with a drop in enrollment and the challenge of operating a private school in a region with declining demographics, Geibel Catholic Junior-Senior High School officials Monday unveiled a visibility plan for re-branding the school and a social media push to increase awareness of its quality education. “The goal is...
State to hold hearing on rail passenger and freight service in Western Pa.
Riders of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg have long been limited to one morning and one evening train, but a hearing in Altoona on Aug. 28 is expected to explore the possibility of adding another train to the daily schedule. “If we can improve passenger service in western...
Amtrak considers more Pittsburgh-to-Harrisburg trains
Riders of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian train between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg have long been limited to one morning and one evening train, but a hearing in Altoona on Aug. 28 is expected to explore the possibility of adding another train to the daily schedule. “If we can improve passenger service in Western...
North Huntingdon may ask Corps of Engineers to inspect flooded areas
North Huntingdon residents living along Brush Creek near the Irwin border are not optimistic that a tour of the creek by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will lead to any solution to their flooding problems. “I don’t think they are going to do anything,” said Janet Seman, whose Westmoreland...
Irwin family wants to keep pet hensVideo
An Irwin family loves the 10 hens they keep as pets in their backyard so much they want the borough to allow them to keep the animals at their home. Abbe Hood of Cedar Street told borough council Wednesday that their hens — no roosters — are kept strictly as...
Arnold man, Indiana area woman hit with same gunshot after struggle over gun
An Arnold man who was threatening suicide was shot in the shoulder during a struggle with another man over the gun early Saturday morning in Indiana County and a woman was wounded by the same bullet, state police in Indiana said. State police called the shooting an accident. Police did...
Norwin band plants tree in memory of band member
Future generations of Norwin High School band members will have a living memorial to a 15-year-old band member who died last month from injuries he sustained in a fall from a rock outcrop in Somerset County. Amidst tears from Nathan Kanczes’ family members and his fellow bandmates, a paper bark...
West Newton meeting slated on proposed natural gas plant
A Chicago company’s plan to build a 550-megawatt, natural gas-fueled power plant across the Youghiogheny River from the Sutersville area will be discussed Thursday at a public meeting in West Newton. The meeting is designed to raise awareness in the Westmoreland County communities from West Newton to Sutersville about the...
Norwin considers advertising on its website
Norwin School District may use the popularity of its website to make money from digital advertising. The school board is considering hiring Thought Process Enterprises LLC, an Ellwood City marketing company, to place advertisements on a small banner atop the school district’s homepage. Under the proposed agreement, Norwin would receive...
Historic military convoy greeted in Ligonier; part of ‘3,000-mile-long July 4 parade’Video
Watching military vehicles rumble through the Diamond in Ligonier on Tuesday brought back a flood of memories for 91-year-old Albert Lambert, who served in the U.S. Army’s occupation forces in post-World War II Japan. “I enjoyed seeing those vehicles,” said Lambert, a Ligonier resident who served in the Army from...
