Jeff Himler stories, Page 100
Ligonier Valley classrooms to see part-time return of remaining students
All Ligonier Valley students in grades 7-12 will be able to return to a hybrid instructional model, beginning Tuesday. District officials decided to make the move — to a weekly mix of in-classroom and at-home lessons — following two consecutive weeks when covid-19 transmission rates in Westmoreland County were at...
Ticket sales slated for outdoor Soup’s On! in Ligonier
Ligonier’s annual Soup’s On! sampling of local fare is set to return next month — with a new venue, the town’s central Diamond Park. The 2020 Soup’s On! event, during which attendees would have visited individual eateries, was postponed and eventually cancelled because of restrictions related to the covid-19 pandemic....
Greater Latrobe, Deer Lakes among area schools lauded for computer science diversity
Several area schools are among a little more than 1,100 nationwide being recognized for helping to promote interest in computer science among female students. Greater Latrobe, Deer Lakes and East Allegheny high schools and Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy are among 22 public schools in Pennsylvania that have received the...
House fire claims woman’s life in Washington, Pa.
A 75-year-old Washington County woman died Friday night in a fire at her home in the City of Washington, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. Karen E. Campbell, 75, died in her Central Avenue home, where the fire was reported at about 9:30 p.m., a county 911 dispatch supervisor...
No one injured in partial collapse of vacant Rostraver warehouse
No one was injured in the partial collapse of a warehouse building late Friday afternoon along Tyrol Boulevard in Rostraver. Township police and firefighters responded when a portion of the structure gave way at about 4:45 p.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The warehouse is considered to...
Police safely locate Pittsburgh man missing since Feb. 6
Pittsburgh police have located a missing man last seen in Homewood on Feb. 6. George Booker, 51, of Pittsburgh, is considered at-risk, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson. Police annnounced that Booker had been safely located shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning....
Unity officials eye comprehensive plan update, handicapped access for recreation
Unity officials are set to improve access to a walking trail as they look to address the need for handicap-accessible recreation as part of the township’s comprehensive plan update. Supervisors learned Thursday township engineer Dan Schmitt is preparing trail project documents for review by county officials. “We expect within the...
Zoning change clears way for housing on Unity portion of former Valley Green golf course
Unity supervisors have granted a zoning change that helps clear the way for a proposed residential development on a portion of the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club. The supervisors Thursday approved a shift from an agricultural zone to a suburban residential zone for the 116-acre section of the...
Lincoln Highway museum to have free admission Friday, seeks donations for new roof
The Lincoln Highway Experience is celebrating Lincoln’s birthday with free admission on Friday. At the same time, the nonprofit that runs the transportation-oriented Route 30 museum is seeking contributions toward a roof replacement for the oldest section, a stone house dating from 1815. It’s time to update the Unity museum’s...
Latrobe eyes signs to help keep brewery traffic on course
Latrobe city officials are working with City Brewing to curb off-course truck traffic headed to and from the company’s Latrobe plant. It’s unclear how that traffic could be affected by the recent announced loss of Iron City Beer production at the plant. Latrobe Public Works Director Scott Wajdic told city...
Arnold Palmer airport 5-year plan envisions possible terminal expansion, added fire truck
A five-year plan for continued development of Arnold Palmer Regional Airport proposes additions to firefighting and snow removal equipment and renovation of the control tower. Officials also envision a further expansion of the terminal building — a move that could be justified if the Unity airport were to land a...
Latrobe looks to soften bite of new stormwater fee in cases of hardship
After fielding an outpouring of calls from residents, Latrobe officials are looking for ways to soften the impact a new stormwater management fee might have on property owners experiencing hardships. “We’ve received a lot of calls from people who have either lost their job or are on a fixed income,”...
Latrobe considers county offer to inventory blighted propertiesVideo
Latrobe is considering a partnership with Westmoreland County to inventory blighted properties, if city officials can get assistance in paying for the project. According to Mayor Rosie Wolford, county staff would walk areas of the city to note dilapidated buildings, assess the extent of deterioration and determine what might be...
Property tax assessment cut of 28% eyed in proposed Unity Plaza settlement
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering a settlement that would reduce the property tax assessment for Unity Plaza. The settlement would cut the proposed tax assessment for the retail center by 28%, from $600,000 to $432,000, for 2020 and 2021. The plaza, located at routes 30 and 981 in Unity,...
Derry Area School Board probes member Sean Kemmerer’s compliance with policy
A Derry Area school board member is under scrutiny by his elected colleagues. The board voted 8-1 this week to have its solicitor investigate whether Sean Kemmerer has violated board policy and confidentiality. The board moved to have solicitor Ned Nakles investigate Kemmerer’s conduct “to collect information bearing on the...
2nd gun spotted this year at Pittsburgh International Airport checkpoint
A Beaver County man with a loaded handgun was stopped Thursday at the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport, but Allegheny County police determined he’d inadvertently left the weapon in an inner coat pocket. County police said they don’t expect to charge the Aliquippa man, who had a concealed...
Air, water concerns voiced over proposed South Huntingdon coal refuse reclamation
Nearby residents and environmentalists are worried a proposed project to reclaim coal refuse in South Huntingdon could negatively impact local water and air quality. They aired their concerns this week at a virtual meeting about Robindale Energy Services’ plan to remove usable fuel from the Soberdash coal refuse pile on...
Mushers, dog teams make the most of Laurel Mountain snowVideo
Ari Allen doesn’t particularly like being out in the freezing cold on a winter’s day. But her team of Siberian huskies and one Alaskan husky does. “I love my dogs. That’s probably the only motivation that would get me outside in this kind of weather,” the Hempfield resident said this...
Greater Latrobe to welcome secondary students back to full-time classroom instructionVideo
Greater Latrobe School District will expand in-person instruction on Monday , opening classrooms five days per week to secondary students as well as to elementary students, who already have that option. The school board approved the move 7-2 Tuesday after administrators cited declining covid-19 cases locally and the fact that...
VA Pittsburgh Health Care sets covid vaccine clinic for senior veterans
The VA Pittsburgh Health Care System is offering a walk-in covid-19 vaccine clinic for eligible senior veterans Saturday at its University Drive campus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but requested arrival times are broken up based on the first letter of each veteran’s last...
Dollar General opens new store on Route 30 in Unity
Dollar General has opened a new store in Unity on Route 30 — becoming the retail chain’s third location along a 7-mile stretch of the highway. The new store, located at the intersection of Smith’s Hill Road, is situated between plaza-based Dollar General stores at the Latrobe 30 Shoppes, farther...
Nonperishables sought for Derry, Franklin Regional ‘souper bowl’ food collections
Derry churches and a Franklin Regional elementary school are among local organizations taking part in food drives timed in conjunction with the culminating contest of the NFL season. A Souper Bowl of Caring collection will take place noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Derry First United Methodist Church on...
Pandemic causes Catholic churches to modify Ash Wednesday services
Covid-19 pandemic precautions have prompted area Catholic parishes to modify procedures for Ash Wednesday. The Diocese of Greensburg announced celebrants at its churches in Westmoreland, Armstrong, Fayette and Indiana counties will eliminate direct contact with parishioners during the services, to help protect the health of those attending. Similar changes will...
Retired Larimer minister served church, community
Claudia Papenmeier grew up attending St. John’s United Church of Christ in Larimer, and she remained active in the church well into her 70s. Mrs. Papenmeier met her husband, Arthur, at the church, where he served as a pastor in the 1950s. It was a role that she herself took...
Lawrenceville crash sends driver, pedestrians to hospital
Pittsburgh police are investigating the cause of a vehicle-pedestrian crash Saturday evening in Lawrenceville that sent three people to the hospital. Reported at about 6 p.m. by Pittsburgh Public Safety officials, the crash happened on Stanton Avenue, near Butler Street, and involved two pedestrians. First responders found a female victim...
