Renatta Signorini stories, Page 14

Playing video games allows Rob Hamilton, Westmoreland County’s director of human services, to disconnect from the stress and anxiety of everyday life. “It challenges my mind differently than maybe my everyday stressors might,” he said. He and licensed professional counselor Steve Kuniak are hoping to create a pilot program for...

The legend of Bigfoot and the storied history of railroads don’t typically have anything in common. In Derry Borough, they do now. Organizers of Derry Railroad Days this year dipped a toe into the mysterious world of Bigfoot’s supposed presence in the area. Festival board member Nathan Bundy said the...

A Donora man was killed in a head-on crash late Saturday in Fayette County, according to state police. Troopers said Quinte Lamar Brown, 26, was driving a Chevrolet Cobalt on Brownsville Road in Jefferson Township just before 11 p.m. when an oncoming Chevrolet Silverado crossed the center line and collided...

For years, Jayne Canose walked in parades around the Scottdale area outfitted in handmade regalia of a different time. On Saturday, she rode, waving a gloved hand at those who lined the streets to watch the parade. Canose was at one time the leader of the Scottdale American Women, also...

A Pittsburgh man was awaiting arraignment Saturday morning on homicide charges in connection with a fatal shooting last week in McKees Rocks. Allegheny County Police said they charged Richard Horne, 28, with the Sept. 14 shooting death of William Hopkins, 34, of Castle Shannon. Hopkins was found on Ella Street...

A woman was killed and two others hurt in a one-vehicle crash overnight on the Parkway West in Pittsburgh, according to state police. Troopers said they believe the driver was impaired. An Infiniti car being driven by Jordan I. Bowyer, 23, of Pitcairn was speeding westbound on the highway around...

A former Greensburg man who is serving a state prison sentence in a violent rape was arraigned Friday on new sexual assault accusations police said involved a 3-year-old child. Justin Owens Hall, 30, who is being held at SCI Smithfield, is accused of sexually assaulting the child at a Penn...

A Sewickley Township man who pleaded guilty this week to charging at his neighbor with a knife will be released from jail to inpatient treatment, according to a court order. Kurtis C. Baker, 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to terroristic threats, criminal mischief and drug possession. He was sentenced to six...

Bids for the demolition of the former SCI Greensburg state prison could be sought by the end of the year. Hempfield officials may have to complete the project in phases, depending on how much funding is awarded, but Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. Executive Director Jason Rigone said he is...

A man authorities expected to arrest in connection with the disappearance of a Ligonier woman died Thursday from self-inflicted knife wounds at their home in Ligonier Borough, according to Westmoreland County Chief Detective Ron Zona. Roger A. Angelo Jr., 47, was found dead around 2 a.m. at the West Vincent...

Updated vaccines for the flu and covid are available, and a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician is encouraging the use of an over-the-counter at-home test that can differentiate between the two viruses. A nasal swab with the at-home test can help those who are ill know what virus they have as...

The intricate, decorative details of The Palace Theatre ticket booth were lost to 10 decades and 15 coats of paint. But now that the layers have been scraped away as part of a large restoration project in preparation for the Greensburg theater’s 100th anniversary, the old-time grandeur is visible once...

Two men were sentenced to identical state prison terms Friday in connection with a Latrobe robbery during which one of them wielded a machete. Codi J. Barger, 30, and Marc A. Barger Jr., 34, both of Latrobe, were sentenced to four to 10 years in a state prison followed by...

A Westmoreland County judge ruled this week that a 16-year-old boy accused in what police described as a violent armed robbery will continue to be prosecuted in adult court. Judge Timothy Krieger wrote in a memorandum that Cayden Essway, 16, of Greensburg, seemed to be disingenuous and self-serving during brief...

The former Rite Aid in Jeannette is up for auction later this month with a starting price of $100,000. City manager Ethan Keedy said he hopes that any bidder does their homework beforehand to know what kind of business the building could support and the condition it is in. He...

State police have an arrest warrant for an Allegheny County woman who is accused of ramming another motorist’s vehicle twice Thursday evening on Route 30 in Greensburg. The driver told investigators he believed the woman was trying to make him crash, according to court papers. Troopers charged Alyssa Catherine Cova,...

A fire in Jeannette that killed five people earlier this year is still under investigation, Police Chief Derek Manley said Friday morning. State police fire marshal Trooper Chet Bell continues to work on his report to identify a cause in the March 20 blaze on Guy Street, Manley said. “We...

Cellphones will be transported across the state so a defense expert can examine them in preparation for a New Kensington death penalty case, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday. The phones, which were seized by investigators as evidence against Jean J. Charles, 42, of Brackenridge, will be transported to Philadelphia...

A former agent with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office is accused of stealing $121,000 from the agency’s North Huntingdon office, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday by Westmoreland County detectives. Brenda D. Sawyer, 61, of North Versailles also is accused of stealing $52,650 from the McKeesport branch of the...

Five priority projects to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Greensburg have been identified as part of an active transportation plan. But the improvements are likely years away. City council is expected to vote on the plan Monday, but some leg work, and funding, will be needed to put...

Kathe Gross is planning a search Sept. 14 in Unity related to the 2018 disappearance of her daughter Cassandra. She declined to say what searchers will be tasked with looking for but asked anyone interested in participating to wear boots and bring bottled water and a metal detector, if they...

A state trooper wrapped a tourniquet around the bleeding leg of a man at Hempfield Towers Sunday after a reported stabbing in an elevator, according to court papers. The wounded man was taken by ambulance to a hospital for treatment, police said. Troopers took Timothy Paul Wetzel, 30, who is...

It’s taken five years of trying for North Irwin firefighters to be awarded a hefty federal grant — $524,000 — for a new fire engine. “They’re very difficult to get,” said fire Chief Glenn Geiger. Now, it’ll likely be another three years before they can get that new truck on...

Turn onto Fosterville Road near Hempfield Area High School on Route 136 and you’ll find yourself among well kept homes in a heavily residential area. The speed limit is 25 mph, but that’s often not followed, said resident Dan Laskey. “They’re going too fast,” he said. There are plenty of...

A week after a Penn Township man pleaded guilty to writing fake prescriptions for thousands of opiate pills, police charged a second man who they said was involved in the scheme. Curtis A. Stewart, 55, of North Huntingdon, was charged Thursday with acquisition by misrepresentation, forgery, identity theft, criminal use...