Art in Bloom is the subject of the next Westmoreland Community Connections, Sunday at 7am and 11pm on WHJB. Claire Ertl, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Westmoreland Museum of American Art is Jennifer Miele's guest on WHJB.

Supporters of the Penn State New Kensington campus and local officials were present last night for a rally to keep the school open. The Trib reports that a dozen speakers expressed their opinions last night at the event at New Kensington City Hall. Penn State said they would close branch campuses in two years due to ...

One person was hospitalized as first responders put out a fire at the home of a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher in Derry Township this morning. WTAE-TV reports the fire was reported just after midnight at a home in the 2500 block of Raymond Street. The fire started in the back of the home and moved towards the front. Ev...

Some parks improvements are on the way in North Huntingdon Township. Local officials are investing over 100-thousand dollars to make some upgrades at Oak Hollow Park and at Indian Lake Park. This includes heavy-duty trash cans, security cameras, drinking fountains, and playground equipment. Some of the projects are ...

A woman was shot in the wrist outside a private club in Monessen early Thursday morning. The Trib reports that the shooting was reported at 1:30 AM outside the facility on Knox Avenue. The victim was shot in the wrist, and she was taken to Penn Highlands Mon Valley hospital before being flown to a Pittsburgh-area hos...

Hempfield Township supervisors are set to vote next week on a management takeover of Grapeville Volunteer Fire Company. The department is the latest one to seek non-chartered status with the township. If the request is approved, the township will handle the finances for the fire company while volunteers will remain o...

A memorial observance was held last night to honor the four children and father who were killed one year ago in a fire in Jeannette. The Trib reports that on March 20, 2024, 27-year-old Tyler King and his four children were killed in the fire at their home on Guy Street. Last night's vigil was held at the West Jeanet...

Fire crews were called out early this morning to a house fire in Monessen. WTAE-TV reports that the initial dispatch was made around 3:00 this morning for a home in the 1500 block of Jones Street. No one was hurt in the fire. No word yet on how the fire started.

Westmoreland County officials confirmed on Tuesday that talks are underway for a project that could see over 300 human services employees move to the site of the county housing authority's former headquarters in Hempfield. The Trib reports that employees have been working at various locations including multiple office...

A power plant in Indiana County is scheduled to be demolished on Saturday. A news release issued yesterday from Homer City Redevelopment LLC said that the iconic smokestacks will be imploded at 7:30 Saturday morning, weather permitting. All access areas to the blast zone, including hiking trails, ATV paths and roads ...

Two people are in custody after allegedly selling a quarter pound of crystal meth to an undercover officer. The Trib reports that John Finegan of Johnstown made the transaction with the officer on Monday while Jennifer Deparasis, also of Johnstown, helped in setting up the deal. The two are being held on bail, and pr...

A South Greensburg woman was sentenced to two years of probation for assaulting a nursing home resident in 2022. The Trib reports that 57-year-old Donna Flock pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count of striking, shoving, kicking and making threats against an elderly resident at Newhaven Court at Lindwood in Hempfi...

A former school employee in Westmoreland County is facing criminal charges for allegedly showing teen boys nude photos of herself. Various counts, including one felony, have been filed against 39-year-old Samantha Jamison. Investigators say Jamison was working at the Outside In School and was escorting a male residen...

The interim Pennsylvania Consumer Advocate will stay in the role on a permanent basis. Darryl Lawrence has been officially nominated to be the new Consumer Advocate by Attorney General Dave Sunday. Lawrence has served as the interim Consumer Advocate since January, when his predecessor Patrick Cicero resigned after a...

A Dominican Republic judge is ruling in favor of an American linked to the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student. Sudiksha Konanki has been missing for nearly two weeks, after she was last seen near her hotel walking with Joshua Riibe of Iowa. Riibe has been held in the Dominican Republic since her disa...

A rally is being planned to support the Penn State New Kensington campus. The Trib reports that New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo along with other appointed and elected officials will take part in the event to show the importance the branch campus has on the community. Penn State had announced that branch campuses could...

Idlewild and Soakzone, Kennywood and Sandcastle have new owners. WTAE-TV reports that Herschend Entertainment has purchased Palace Entertainment's US Amusement Parks. The deal was announced yesterday by Herschend and Parques Reunidos, the parent company of Palace entertainment. No immediate changes to day-to-day ope...

Westmoreland County Housing Authority officials said yesterday that federal budget cuts will unlikely have no impact on local services. The Trib reports that the authority receives about $24 million annually from the federal government to operate the public housing program, pay for capital improvements and fund vouche...

Three municipalities are asking a county judge to formally dissolve the Crabtree Municipal Authority. The Trib reports that lawyers for Hempfield, Salem and Unity townships made the request to disband the authority that has been dormant for several years. It was formed in 2004 to try to build a public sewer system to...

The Pennsylvania House is once again looking to ban hair discrimination. The State House of Representatives passed the CROWN Act on Monday for the second-straight legislative session. The bill would prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles commonly associated with race, including tightly coiled or curled hair, cor...

A Seniors for Safe Driving class is planned in Latrobe next month. It is happening at Adams Memorial Library on April 14th. The course is approved by PennDOT and open to motorists who are at least 55 years old. Participants can get a five-percent discount on auto insurance. For details and to register visit www.sen...

PennDOT has announced some lane restrictions for I-70 for today and tomorrow. Traffic will be reduced by one lane in both directions between exit 49 to Smithton and Exits 46 A&B for Route 51 in Rostraver Township. Geronimo Painting will be conducting containment work on the Matthew Smelser Memorial Bridge. The c...

Time is running out for a person holding on to a $2.6 million lottery ticket. Lottery officials said the winning Cash 5 ticket was purchased on May 8th of last year at the Shop 'n' Save in Murrysville, and it hit the jackpot for over $2.6 million. It matched all five numbers drawn, which were 14-22-33-35-38. Lottery...

A home was destroyed in Cook Township on Monday. The Trib reports that fire crews were called out at 10 AM to a home on Hauger-Hood Road. The home is a total loss. The family living in the house was able to escape without injury. Tanker trucks from Westmoreland and Somerset counties were needed to supply water to t...

Four confirmed tornadoes touched down in Indiana and Westmoreland Counties on Sunday as part of the strong storms that rolled through the area. The National Weather Service out of Pittsburgh reported that the EF-1 storms hit Donegal, Wilpen and an area near Ligonier in Westmoreland County and Josephine in Indiana Coun...

A former New Kensington man was sentenced in Federal Court this morning for federal firearms charges. Acting US Attorney Tony Moretti said in a statement that 19-year-old Steyun Sarduy was one of the two involved in a smash-and-grab robbery at RC Firearms in January of last year. He and co-conspirator Michael Guin us...

There were less traffic accidents in Pennsylvania last year. That's according to a study by Insurify, which says the accident rate in the commonwealth declined by almost 15-percent compared to 2023. However, the website said the Keystone State still had the 18th-highest rate in 2024. Insurify used its database of al...

PennDOT is continuing to set aside dedicated windows of time at drivers license centers throughout the state to help folks who need to acquire a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or photo ID. The IDs will be required to be shown -- starting May 7th -- by anyone who wants to board a domestic commercial flight. Region...

A New Derry man reported missing last month was found dead on Friday. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said that a search and rescue team found 63-year-old John Dofollo around 11:30 AM in a tributary of the Conemaugh River near Westinghouse Road in Derry Township. The cause and manner of death remain under inve...

Greensburg is looking for easements on 22 properties to alleviate flooding concerns in the Northmont section of the city. The Trib reports that letters were sent out in late February to property owners who would be affected by a proposed flood control project for a stream along Glenview Avenue.The proposal involves th...

Workers in Historic Hanna's Town are working on rebuilding a two-story log cabin. The Trib reports that the "log skyscraper" will feature a first floor that is over ten feet tall. The project is being overseen by Andrew Lallemand of Lallemand Construction out of Altoona, along with help from several volunte...

A man is accused of stealing multiple guns and credit cards from a local home. The Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office alleges that 33-year-old Bobby Bryer went to a Hempfield Township home back in October posing as a tree trimmer and was offering his services, but was declined. He reportedly then came back...

Strong winds and heavy storms ripped through western Pennsylvania yesterday. 90 mile an hour wind gusts were reported yesterday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, along with hail about the size of a golf ball. As of this morning, West Penn Power reports that over 5000 of its customers remain without power, with the m...

From the US National Weather Service Tornado Watch issued until 4 PM. Multiple lines of showers and storms will move east across the area this morning and afternoon. The primary threat is damaging wind gusts and possibly a few tornadoes. Have a plan in place to seek shelter if a storm approaches.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Irwin will continue providing an American Sign Language interpreter this Lent. This service provides the opportunity to welcome the deaf community to worship, be it in person or online. Reverand John Smaligo of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Irwin is the guest on this week's Westmorel...

Police are releasing more information about a child who was struck by a vehicle and seriously injured Wednesday afternoon in Butler. A police investigation has determined that a six-year-old, who has significant disabilities and is known to the department, darted out into the road. He was struck by a vehicle and suff...

A vehicle ended up on the roof of a building following a crash in White Oak this morning. The crash happened a little before 5:45 a.m. in the area of Bridgeview Street. Forty-five minutes later, emergency responders were still trying to free the person who was trapped inside the vehicle. There was no initial word on...

Several speakers will explore the impact of artificial intelligence from business and education to aviation and healthcare during an AI: Industry Insights conference at St. Vincent College. Today is the deadline to register for the event, set for Saturday March 22 at the Fred Rogers Center on the college campus in Uni...

A Greensburg man is behind bars after city police say he directed a racial slur at a student who was standing at a school bus stop Thursday morning. Witnesses told investigators 44-year-old Troy Michael Konieczny wielded a fire poker that had 3 knives attached to the end of it and was running around on West Otterman S...

No Democratic candidates have filed to run for Westmoreland County row offices this year, further weakening a political brand that dominated the area just 2 decades ago. 2 Republican incumbents, newly appointed register of wills John Wian and first term coroner Tim Carson face opposition this spring's Republican prima...

Former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell was found liable by an Ohio jury Wednesday to pay millions in damages for rape and sexual assault against a family member. He was ordered to pay $25 million after a family member alleged Bell had abused her for years. Court documents said the woman alleged the abuse took place...

A child was struck by a vehicle in Butler yesterday afternoon and had to be taken to a Pittsburgh area hospital via helicopter. According to the Butler City Police Department, they were called to the 900 block of West Jefferson Street for a reported crash around 3:30 p.m. Once they arrived, they found a young boy had ...

Authorities have named a person of interest in their investigation of the disappearance of University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki in the Dominican Republic. Joshua Ribe, a U.S. citizen who was vacationing in Punta Cana at the same time Konanki was visiting on spring break may have been the last one to have ...

A former McKeesport police captain has been charged with stealing more than $260,000 from the department's evidence room. 54 year old Christopher Halaszynski was charged Wednesday with theft and receiving stolen property and immediately waived his case to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. He was released on $50,00...

22 contractors want a piece of the SCI Greensburg prison demolition. The Trib reports bids were opened Wednesday afternoon and revealed a wide range of price estimates to remove hazardous material from the empty buildings and tear them down. The township bought the former state prison off Route 119 between Greensburg ...

The Greensburg Salem School Board will only livestream its voting meetings, following the board's vote last night, 6-3 in favor of reducing its livestreaming to one of its two monthly meetings. This is the first time the board has established a policy for livestreaming meetings, a practice that came about during the co...

A truck driver struck two pedestrians on Philadelphia Street in Indiana Borough Tuesday morning, killing one. Indiana Borough police said a driver from Alliance Properties Group in Connellsville was making a left turn from North Ninth Street onto Philadelphia and hit 68-year-old John Reeger Clarksburg. He and his wife...

A bill is under consideration in the State House that would establish a program within the Pennsylvania health department to pay off medical debt balances that have been sent to collections. A Penn State study of nearly 22 hundred first-time Pennsylvania moms with private insurance found 8.3% had childbirth bills sent...

Allegheny County medical examiner personnel were called to the scene of a fire and explosion in the 300 block of College Street in Penn Hills yesterday afternoon. Neighbors reported hearing two booms, and the back of the home was engulfed in flames. That home is a total loss. Officials said that one person who was in...

The owners at Pleasant Lane Farms feel like the Ligonier Country Market is penalizing them for being too successful. According to organizers at the nonprofit market, the Unity-based dairy farm and cheese-making operation is too big to participate in the seasonal weekly farmers market and craft vendor area, which attra...