By Lois Thomson 

The life of a dedicated, hard-working mother is being honored in the form of a grant to benefit female students in Monessen. The family of Stella Stachura Sowal has established a scholarship through Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) to revere their mother's strong work ethic.

At the March 9 Monessen City Council Meeting, Mayor Matt Shorraw honored several local heroes by issuing them letters of Commendation.  Seven letters were issued to firefighters and police officers that helped save the lives of two Monessen residents at a late-night fire in February.  Shorraw said that “if it weren’t for these brave first responders, the couple would not have made it out of the home alive.” Read more...

By Lois Thomson

The term "win-win situation" perfectly describes what the Private Industry Council is doing to help high school students and young adults obtain jobs. Alec Italiano, Director of Workforce and Economic Development for PIC, explained about the program that finds jobs for youth in Westmoreland and Fayette Counties by pairing them with local companies, and paying them $10 an hour for 240 hours' worth of work.

It has been a long year not being able to visit with oved ones in person, but beginning March 25, the residents who live at the Residence at Hilltop, a personal care community in Carroll Township (Washington County), will be able to reach out and touch their loved ones in person once again. The staff at the Residence is scheduling visitation from 9 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Two loved ones may schedule a one hour visit at a time. Read more...