Thanks to Gerald McGinnis, millions of people across the world can breathe easier. The international businessman and founder of Respironics — which created the first machine to treat sleep apnea — died Thursday. He was 89 years old. McGinnis was born in 1934 in Ottawa, Ill. He earned his bachelor’s
Westmoreland Conservancy officials got decent weather but unfortunate cloud cover for their annual winter solstice walk on Thursday evening. The shortest day of the year saw the sun setting at 4:57 p.m. About 16 participants were hoping to see it in spectacular fashion from an observation deck built by a
With the tranquil setting, beautiful horse stables and stately trees, there is plenty to like about the Westmoreland Conservancy’s 10th and newest nature reserve. Conservancy director Shelly Tichy’s favorite part, however, is that the property was already paid for and ready to donate. Tichy and other conservancy members helped officially
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a
Westmoreland Conservancy officials are seeking information about who drove all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes through the Morosini Reserve property in Murrysville, damaging a fragile ecosystem in the process. Sometime between March 24-26, riders entered the property and drove through what is called a vernal pool off the south trail at