LATEST NEWS
5 things to do in Westmoreland: May 3-5
May the Fourth be with you! Here are some things to do this weekend in Westmoreland County. On Sunday, several museums in the Ligonier Valley will be opening their doors to visitors for free. Participating museums include the Compass Inn Museum, Fort Ligonier, the Ligonier Valley Rail Road Museum, Lincoln...
PSP: Indiana County man led police on chase, caught with drugs
INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Blairsville man was arrested after leading troopers on a vehicle and foot pursuit and was then caught with a large amount of suspected methamphetamine. Jacob Isaiah Hankinson, 24, was charged with a felony count of manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture and deliver after he was allegedly […]
Former Pittsburgh-area volunteer firefighter accused of arson gets 6-12 years after pleading guilty
GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) -- A former Arnold volunteer firefighter was sentenced to at least six years in prison after pleading guilty to arson charges, prosecutors announced. Former Arnold Volunteer Engine Co. #2 firefighter Andrew Bischof admitted to intentionally setting four fires in Arnold and New Kensington last fall while h, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said. Prosecutors told the judge that Bischof put his fellow firefighters in harm's way and jeopardized the safety of the community he vowed to protect. He pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated arson and risking catastrophe and was sentenced to six to 12 years at a state...
Nothing can be done about Pittsburgh-area hoarder house, leaders say
PLUM, Pa. (KDKA) — A hoarding situation has escaped the walls of a home in Plum Borough, spilling outside for the whole neighborhood to see. Various items have been piling up on the property of the homeowner on Shelbourne Drive in Plum"The property is an absolute mess," neighbor Tom DeMarco said.The front door of the home is blocked with items and the driveway is filled all the way out to the road with items that include chairs, carpet rolls, a busted TV and an exercise bike. "It's an eyesore," neighbor Debbie Wilson said. "Disgusting to look at. I keep the front blinds...
Residents of Plum neighborhood hopeful outside cleanup is start of help for hoarder
Residents of a Plum community are hopeful the cleanup outside a hoarded house Thursday is the start of getting the woman who lives there the help they say she needs. Residents of Plum’s Edgemeade neighborhood say it was about two years ago that the hoard inside retired school teacher Janice Stemler’s house began spilling out onto the lawn and driveway of her home on Shelbourne Drive.
Hempfield man's 'nonstop criminal activity' nets 3- to 6-year prison sentence
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to six years in prison for a series of crimes that included an assault against a police officer, two high-speed chases and possession of cocaine in his cell at the Westmoreland County jail. As Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday, his...
Rabkin Gardens is Tarentum's hidden gem
When Michael Rabkin purchased the 1890s 2nd Ward Public School Building in Tarentum to house his medical practice, the view was less than inspiring. “There was a hideous termite-infested shack that my office overlooked,” said Rabkin, a Brooklyn native and retired skin pathologist. “I figured I could spend the...
3 Pittsburgh-area boroughs welcome new Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A new era is about to get started in three local boroughs. The Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department's new chief and several new officers were sworn in as the first members of the new force on Thursday night.The hope here is this new police force will make all the communities it serves safer. The new department will cover Rankin, East Pittsburgh and North Braddock, and all the officers will be full-time.Many have looked forward to this day for decades. These officers comprise the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department.They are joined by a new chief, Derrick...
Deer Lakes Middle School provides gaming club to build skills, friendships
For gamers like Deer Lakes seventh grader Lucas Channel, a school club dedicated to Super Smash Bros. and Minecraft sounded like a dream come true. “I love this club,” Channel said. “It’s a bit of time after school where you get to play in a nice surrounding.”
Video shows car speed through intersection during police pursuit of Pittsburgh man on Route 22
Nina Hamm was driving Wednesday through the intersection of Cline Hollow Road and Route 22 in Murrysville after a stop at the Milkshake Factory when another car sped through a red light, missing her vehicle by inches. Hamm, 30, of Murrysville, said she was driving slower than usual, enjoying her...
Longtime Westmoreland prison staffer hired as new deputy warden
The Westmoreland County Prison Board on Thursday promoted a longtime staffer to serve as the facility’s new deputy warden for security. The board hired Robert Fagan to the position previously held by the jail’s new warden, who was hired in February. Fagan, 46, of South Huntingdon, was initially...
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