Westmoreland County commissioners are appointing an interim public defender. James Spriestersbach was hired last month to lead the public defender's office but has suffered a medical emergency that has left him unable to work at this time. Michael Garofalo has been named as acting public defender -- in theory -- unti...

As the United States enters its fifth week in the war with Iran, gas prices are surging across Pennsylvania and the United States. According to Triple A, average gas prices were at $3.94 per gallon on Monday in the Keystone State. The national average is now at $3.99 per gallon. Westmoreland County's average is at $...

Hempfield School District will move forward with a long-awaited high school renovation. The Trib reports that bids for the project were approved last night. Those bids came in about $30 million under budget. Work is expected to begin June 1 and wrap up by June 2029.A two-story addition on the front of the school, co...

Two more people have been charged in connection with a shooting last year in Monessen that injured one person. The Trib reports that 27-year-old Brendon Rennen of Pittsburgh was arraigned last week on attempted homicide, conspiracy and other crimes City police said he was shot in an exchange of gunfire with Jay Din R....

A Penn Township man remains in jail on charges related to an incident that left a neighbor with a fractured skull and brain bleed. The Trib reports that attorneys for Jake Stepansky asked that his client be released on nominal bond. He was charged with aggravated assault and other crimes connected with the incident w...

Authorities say a Trafford man is recovering from several stab wounds after being attacked by his step-son. Officers arrested Timothy Rosario who was found Saturday night standing on Westmoreland Road holding a large stick over his head. The victim was found nearby with apparent stab wounds to his head, stomach and s...

State Police will be out in full force on the Pennsylvania Turnpike next month. The Turnpike Commission says troopers will be cracking down on aggressive driving and people driving with a suspended registration because they haven't paid their tolls. Vehicles are referred for registration suspension if they have at le...

A Penn Township couple faces charges related to the abandonment of a puppy. KDKA-TV reports that in January, police were called out to a home along Route 130 after a landlord called for a welfare check worried about flooding coming from inside the home and the residents, Michael Albright and Heather Dunlap, reportedly...

A local nonprofit is looking to share residents' cost of living concerns with leaders in Westmoreland County. The group Voices of Westmoreland conducted a survey of nearly 470 citizens, asking them what kinds of expenses worry them the most. Over half of the respondents said they worry every day or frequently about h...

A North Huntingdon woman faces charges after she reportedly took off all her clothes and fought someone inside the White Oak Giant Eagle on Thursday. Counts including assault and indecent exposure have been filed against 53-year-old Tammy Canut. Authorities say Canut was found inside a Giant Eagle on Lincoln Way in W...

A Westmoreland County Judge has ruled that a 16 year-old homicide cold case can move forward. The Trib reports that Judge Tim Krieger denied the motion requesting charges of murder and burglary be dropped for 55-year-old Charles Earl Ream, saying that charges were not filed too late. Ream was charged nearly three yea...

A No Kings rally in Greensburg drew 3700 participants on Saturday. The Trib reports the anti-Trump rally was held on Saturday as part of a day of nationwide protests. The featured speaker was former Democrat Representative Conor Lamb who criticized the President's handling of the war in Iran and those who supported t...

Fire crews were called out Sunday morning to a duplex along McCargo Street in New Kensington. KDKA-TV reports that the call went out just before 8:00 AM. Both families were able to get out safely. The fire started at the back of the building. State Police Fire marshals are still investigating to try and find a caus...

Three projects in New Kensington will receive a total of $186,000 from tax revenue from Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County. The Trib reports the projects include the Girl Scout Little House by Valley High School, which will receive $25,000 for construction and restoration; Peoples Library, which will recei...

The number of first time filings for unemployment are decreasing across Pennsylvania. That's according to the U.S. Department of Labor, which says for the week ending March 21st, there were over 89-hundred first time filings in the state, which is nearly 500 less filings than the week prior. Nationally, the number of...

The man accused of killing the owner of Mogie's Pub in late 2023 will return to Westmoreland County Jail to await his murder trial. The Trib reports that Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani on Thursday denied a defense request for 47-year-old Nathan Salem to remain in Torrance State Hospital, where he has r...

Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said during yesterday's County Commissioners meeting that he will deploy his deputies to protect US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and provide crowd control for operations in the county, despite claims from commissioners that the agreement he signed last year was ...

Two Westmoreland County women charged with stealing $4 million estate from the former head of Greensburg Beverage are pleading guilty and will be liquidating assets to facilitate the plea.deal. The Trib reports that Lisa Valesky of Jeannette and Angela Valesky of Murrysville were charged last year with theft, conspira...

Three Western PA men have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping, carjacking, robbery and other crimes. The Trib reports the federal indictment names 25-year-old Armoni Burton of Greensburg along with Ausaun Porter of Pittsburgh and Laurence Strothers Jr. of West Mifflin in connection with crim...

President Trump is mulling using the National Guard at airports across the nation as the TSA staffing crisis continues. TSA employees are not being paid during the ongoing partial government shutdown and hundreds have already quit their jobs. At the urging of President Trump, ICE agents were deployed at a number of a...

President Trump says Iran and the U.S. are definitely talking to end the war, but that the Iranians are afraid to say it. Speaking to a crowd at a Republican fundraiser Wednesday night, Trump said that Tehran wants to make a deal, but they aren't admitting it because the people the U.S. is talking with are afraid they...

Former First Lady Jill Biden was in Harrisburg yesterday to celebrate Women's History Month. Biden took part in a discussion at the Whitaker Center on the contributions women have made in Pennsylvania. She was joined by current Pennsylvania First Lady Lori Shapiro and former Pennsylvania First Ladies Michele Ridge an...

While Hempfield Township has not received any proposals for a data center, they have modified their zoning laws in preparation for them. The Trib reports that the new zoning regulations would allow data centers only in industrial zones. There are 57 data centers proposed in Pennsylvania according to the Track Data Ce...

Jeannette City School District will use a new transportation service at the start of next year. The Trib reports that the school board earlier this month approved a contract with Myers Transportation that will run through 2031 and will save the district at least $43,000. First Student currently provides busing for th...

Gambling tax revenue is funding a couple of unique police vehicle purchases in Westmoreland County. Over one-million dollars generated by gambling at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield Township is being paid out as public safety and infrastructure grants this month. The North Belle Vernon Police Department is using ...

More details have been released on the death of four Yough students over the weekend. The Trib reports that Felicity Martini, Rocco Zugai, Brady Hunker and Kylee Korber were killed when the car Zugai was driving hit a tree on Derr Road and caught fire. The preliminary investigation showed speed likely was a factor in...

Some classrooms at Greater Latrobe Junior High will be closed due to a sprinkler leak. The Trib reports that a sprinkler system valve failure resulted in a significant leak that affected eight classrooms. The leak is not connected with the current roofing project. Students and teachers who normally use the classroom...

A former Derry Borough woman was sentenced Tuesday to serve up to two years in prison for having sexual relations with a teenage boy. The Trib reports that 34-year-old Kristen Locher, now of Cambria County, pleaded guilty last summer to felony counts of statuatory sexual assault, corruption of minors and a weapons off...

The Pennsylvania House is passing a measure that would set up a statewide increase in minimum wage. House Bill 2189 passed with bipartisan support in a 104-to-95 vote yesterday. The legislation would have the statewide minimum wage raised in increments from $7.25 to $15 by 2029, with annual cost-of-living adjustments...

The River Valley School Board last night accepted the retirement of Superintendent Philip Martell. At last night's meeting, board president Rick Harper said that Martell's decisions were rooted in a students first mentality. Martell will step down after six years of service as the district's superintendent. He previ...

Officials in Lower Burrell will upgrade its Rodgers Drive stormwater system to address flooding concerns and to improve pedestrian safety. The Trib reports that The upgrades will include installing 225 feet of stormwater pipe and two new inlets. It also will include 200 feet of cured-in-place-pipe lining. Bidding fo...

A state house bill inspired by a recent case involving pet cremation is on its way to the senate. The Trib reports that House Bill 1750, the companion animal cremation consumer protection act, would increase transparency in pet cremation bookkeeping by requiring providers to detail services, including private and comm...

Ligonier Township officials are looking for volunteers to help clean up the site of the former Ligonier Beach. The Trib reports they're hoping to have volunteers clean up the site on April 11th, one day after two companies have committed to helping to do heavy work there. Township officials want to turn the site into...

A partial closure of Valley Green Drive will start Monday. The Trib reports that the road will be replaced as developers continue to build houses at the former Valley Green Golf and Country Club. Motorists will not be able to use the connector to get between Brinkerton and Albrights Lake roads during the closure.. Th...

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is looking for people to play victims in an upcoming emergency drill. The drill will be held May 6th at 6:00 PM at the airport in Latrobe. Participants will play the role of a disaster victim as part of a realistic full-scale emergency response exercise. All participants should wear ol...

Markwayne Mullin will be sworn in at the White House today as the new Department of Homeland Security Secretary. The Senate voted 54-45 Monday to confirm the Oklahoma Republican Senator to replace Kristi Noem, who was fired by President Trump earlier this month and appointed as Special Envoy for The Shield of the Amer...

A new study is revealing the favorite Easter candy in Pennsylvania. Online research site Innerbody has compiled listings of preferred spring holiday treats for every state in the nation using data from Google Trends. The most popular Easter candy in the Keystone State is Peeps, according to the report. Peeps came in...

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now at airports across the country, including at Pittsburgh International Airport. In a social media post over the weekend, President Trump said ICE would be sent in to help TSA agents who've been working without pay during the partial government shutdown. They've been c...

No injuries are being reported after a car crashed into a home in Westmoreland County. The incident happened Monday morning on Heritage Drive in Unity Township, when an SUV crashed through several mailboxes and somehow ended up sideways inside the garage of a home. There has been no word on the cause of the crash or ...

A Lower Burrell man was ordered to serve up to three years in prison for charges connected with a high speed chase. The Trib reports that 36-year-old Charles Stitt pleaded guilty in January to nine counts connected with the incident on June 14th of last year where he blocked a woman from driving away from his home wit...

The Westmoreland County Transit Authority will operate bus service into Pittsburgh during the NFL Draft. The Trib reports that plans are being worked on to reconfigure the timing of commuter routes into Pittsburgh during the first two days of the Draft. The authority operates five daily commuter routes to Pittsburgh,...

Bids for a renovation project at the Hempfield High School have come in lower than expected. The Trib reports that the base bid for the project was expected to be nearly $150 million. The board is expected to approve bids totaling $119 million. The main part of the project will be a two-story addition on the front o...

Students at Roy A. Hunt Elementary in New Kensington are now stocked up on supplies thanks to the Adopt-A-School program. The Education Partnership makes materials available to schools across Southwestern Pennsylvania through the initiative. Each student at Hunt Elementary got a bag filled with notebooks, colored pen...

The strong storms once again knocked out power for some in Westmoreland County. West Penn Power officials say that 934 of its customers are without power this morning due to strong winds blowing tree limbs and power lines down. For many, power is expected to be restored this morning.

Arnold's police force will now have body cameras. The Trib reports that the township will split the cost of the cameras with the Westmoreland County DA's office over the next three years. Mayor Shannon Santucci said that it will help settle legal disputes of force and how people are treated during interactions. Foot...

Two shootings were reported during IUPatty's celebrations on Saturday. Police in Indiana Borough say the first shooting happened in the area of School Street and West Avenue as someone fired fire shots in the air then got in a car and drove off. 22-year-old Tymere Johnson of Clairton was identified as the shooter and...

The former Ligonier Valley Police Chief will head to trial on bribery and drug charges. The Trib reports that former chief John Berger faces several counts connected with a grand jury investigation into incidents that go back to 2023. During the preliminary hearing, prosecutors brought up 43-year-old Michael Hootman ...

Four Yough High School Students died in a car crash early Saturday morning. The Trib reports that 18-year-old Rocco Zugai, 15-year-olds Brady Hunker and Felicity Martini and 16-year-old Kylee Korber were identified by the Westmoreland County Coroner late Sunday night. Coroner John Ackerman said that one car hit a tre...

It's a wonderful time to start planning a spring getaway in the Laurel Highlands, from brewery tours to wine tastings, hikes to bikes, and mountains to valleys, our friends at GO Laurel Highlands have the scoop on what's happening this spring! Listen to Westmoreland Community Connections with host Jennifer Miele, Sunda...

A Pennsylvania lawmaker is proposing a bill that would ban smoke and vape shops near schools. State Representative Ben Waxman's bill would ban new smoke shops within 500 feet of K-12 schools, daycares and other youth-focused spaces in order to make it difficult for kids to access such materials. It was referred to th...