Politics

SMITHTON, Pa. — Close to 19,000 people packed into Cunningham Family Farm in Smithton for Luke Bryan's Farm Tour 2024, and the energy was electric. There was a lot of traffic, but even more excitement all for Bryan, a country music superstar. "I am so excited. I’ve never seen...

Somerset County, PA — Pennsylvania Turnpike officials say they are looking to construct a 1000-foot-wide gash into the Allegheny Mountain as a part of the Allegheny Mountain Realignment Project. They say this new alignment will improve access and mobility for the region. Turnpike officials say this project is currently...

Donegal Township residents are still upset with supervisors that laid off the township road crew. Supervisors Jim Bauer and Ed Shingle would not respond to resident inquiries about what plans are in place to replace the road crew especially now that winter is only weeks away. Shingle did state at the end of the meeting to a reporter that the road crew was merely laid off and could be called back into service. Otherwise, no other plans were announced. Related to the layoffs, Ed Marson got into an altercation with Shingle at the layoff meeting when he asked Shingle about a project at his house Shingle agreed to have completed. According to Marson, Shingle tried to exit the conversation aggressively, running into Marson’s wife. Supervisor Chairman Jim Bauer stood up for Shingle stating that it was Marson’s wife that initiated the contact. Former Supervisor Douglas Teagarden requested that the board of supervisors resign immediately. He intimated that supervisors may not be forthcoming on all pertinent information. Bauer stated that the request is a regular occurrence. Supervisors did pass a resolution indicating that residents that are on the local water and sewage service are to register with the township to receive push notifications regarding township emergencies. Supervisors had no answer to a question of what residents were to do should they opt not to receive the push notifications. Supervisors will meet on October 15 for their agenda meeting.

BELL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — 9/27/24 UPDATE:. A spokesperson for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County said operations are back online at the George R. Sweeney Water Treatment Plant. They said a variable frequency drive caught fire but they have backup motors and pumps in the event of something like...

With the increase in solar power farm projects in Westmoreland County, Sewickley Township is among the latest municipalities in Westmoreland County to pass or consider passing an ordinance regulating the use of solar power for homes and commercial use. “We wanted to have something in place to protect people,” said...

Beginning on Saturday, over 60 vendors joined in Johnstown to celebrate everything paranormal at the Western PA Cryptid and Supernatural Expo. Organizers explained that this is the second year they’ve held the event. They said that Johnstown has a large community of people interested in the paranormal. “I think...

PennDOT's Westmoreland County maintenance team prepares for a busy week starting September 30. According to the latest update by PennDOT, Maintenance Manager Dave Forkey and his crew are set to initiate various road maintenance operations, with base repairs on Route 66 in Washington Township and a significant box culvert replacement set to close Route 4089 (Hulton Road) in Allegheny Township, redirecting traffic via a well-posted detour.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — State Representative Jim Rigby (R-Cambria/Somerset) announced a “Senior Safe Driving” course, which will be held in October. The course, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 31, will run from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Solomon Run Fire Hall (176 Mt. Airy Drive, Johnstown). The PennDOT-approved driving course is designed for seniors […]

A part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike will close overnight this weekend for crews to remove a part of a former bridge in Westmoreland County.

The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has released the first foliage map of the season. If you plan on going out to see the changing leaves, experts suggesting doing it sooner than later this season.

Several citizens attended the Aug. 27 Westmoreland County commissioners’ public meeting, requesting expert-recommended paper ballot use instead of voting machines. In March 2024, after studying paper ballot and voting machine security for 20 years, Princeton’s Dr. Andrew Appel and two additional cybersecurity experts testified before the Pennsylvania Senate regarding voting machine security vulnerability: “Some voting machines encode the votes on the printed ballot using a barcode. … The voter has no way of knowing whether the barcode correctly records the candidates they chose.”

SOMERSET, Pa. (WTAJ) — The PA Turnpike Commission hosted a public meeting Wednesday night at the Somerset Church of the Brethren to update the community on where the Allegheny Mountain Realignment Project stands. Right now the project is still in the preliminary planning stage and will be until 2028. Then it will enter the final […]

Latrobe council is expected to consider a carrot-and-stick combination of measures to help curb blight in the city. The carrot is a proposed real estate tax abatement meant to encourage owners to make improvements to blighted properties. The stick is a registration system, with fees and potential fines, that could help hold owners accountable for vacant, abandoned structures.

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Greater Johnstown Water Authority is gearing up for a $21 million effort to remove lead pipes from its water system, officials announced. In the coming weeks, letters will be sent to residents, notifying them of the status of their private lines and public connections, according to WTAJ media partners at […]

CAMBRIA COUNTY — A local Eagle Scout’s project provides new features to the Lorain/Stoneycreek hiking trails in Johnstown. Community members celebrated the enhanced hiking trails during a dedication ceremony for Patrick Litzinger of Troop 2025 Wednesday evening. Litzinger recently completed his Eagle Scout project, which included the construction...

The United Way of the Southern Alleghenies brought members of the public together Thursday to discuss an important topic. Thursday was their first-ever Early Childhood and Family Well-Being forum. Early childhood educators, preschool teachers and community leaders gathered at Penn Highlands Community College to talk about how they can support...

Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis touted health care policies pursued by the Biden-Harris administration and Democratic members of Congress during a Friday stop in Greensburg. Davis met with local officials and patients at the Westmoreland County Labor Council headquarters at One Northgate Square as patients Diana Steck and Lisa Gephart...

The Westmoreland County leaders who gathered this week in Unity to sign a pledge to do their part to remove 25 billion pieces of litter across the country used the event itself as an example of waste reduction. Food offered to those who attended Thursday’s event was served on reusable...

Laurel: To feeding information. People can get a lot of things at a food bank. You might expect vegetables, canned goods and pasta. But breast cancer screenings are rarely on the menu. That changed this week when state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, partnered in Allegheny and Westmoreland...