Jeff Himler stories, Page 112
Car-truck crash claims 1 in Pitcairn
A 28-year-old man was killed when his sedan collided with a utility truck Wednesday in Pitcairn. According to Allegheny County Police, who are helping to investigate the crash, the man was driving in the 300 block of Broadway Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. when his Mazda 6 crossed the center...
Kennywood, Sandcastle to begin delayed seasons on Friday
Kennywood Park is scheduled to open to visitors on Friday, July 10 after its season start was delayed twice because of the covid-19 pandemic. Season pass-holders will be able to visit beginning Friday and others may visit beginning on Monday, July 13, park officials said. Sandcastle Waterpark will be open...
WCCC casino dealer courses to begin in August
Westmoreland County Community College is set to offer training courses for table games dealers beginning in August. The Dealer School courses are sponsored by Live! Casino, which expects to open its new casino late this year at the former Bon-Ton location at Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. Instruction is slated to...
Allegheny County will allow outdoor dining beginning Friday, Rivers Casino allowed to reopen
Outdoor dining at Allegheny County restaurants and bars will be allowed beginning Friday according to revised covid-19 restrictions issued by the county Health Department. Also, Rivers Casino will be permitted to reopen. Indoor dining and alcohol consumption will continue to be banned at restaurants and bars under the new two-week...
North Huntingdon Double Wide restaurant reopens with limited capacity, menu
A North Huntingdon restaurant that’s been closed for more than three months reopened Tuesday with the help of federal covid-19 funding. Co-owner Steve Zumoff said he hopes to keep it open, at least for the near future, although he expects the eatery will be squeezed later this week by new...
Man flown to hospital after SUV crashes into tree in Indiana County
A man was flown to a Monroeville hospital after his sport utility vehicle crashed Tuesday morning in Indiana County. The wreck happened before 9:45 a.m. on Route 286 in Conemaugh Township, about a mile east of Clarksburg. Crews had to free the man from his Ford Escape, which was totaled...
Big Brothers Big Sisters’ bowling fundraiser moves to Westmoreland park
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region is headed outdoors for this year’s annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake fundraising event. Outdoor bowling, food, music and a corn hole tournament will be among the featured activities at the event, set for 1 to 4 p.m. July 26 at Pavilion No....
Kovach named to top executive post in PennDOT District 12
Longtime PennDOT District 12 official William Kovach is now the top district executive for the four-county engineering district based in Uniontown. Kovach succeeds Joseph Szczur, who retired on June 26 after serving as district executive since March 2004. In his new role, Kovach will oversee PennDOT operations in Westmoreland, Fayette,...
Southern covid-19 hot spots continue to draw local air passengers
Officials in Allegheny County have linked local covid-19 cases with travel to infection hot spots such as Myrtle Beach. That doesn’t seem to have deterred passengers from booking area flights to the South Carolina beach mecca or to other destinations in Florida, where cases also have been on the rise....
Outdoor attractions pushed as Pittsburgh region’s tourism industry copes with covid-19Video
Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands is known for outdoor activities in scenic settings. Such outings have taken on an even greater appeal for tourists amid the social distancing guidelines of the covid-19 pandemic. During the health crisis, families and friends “really want to stay together as a close group,” said Ann...
Hempfield road to close for work on railroad crossing
A section of Keystone Road in Hempfield will close beginning Wednesday for maintenance of a railroad crossing. Crews from Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad are scheduled to begin work at 8:30 a.m. The closure, between Eckman Way and Huff Avenue, is expected to continue until 3:30 p.m. Aug. 3. PennDOT has designated...
3 workers test positive for covid-19 at Penn Hills Shop ‘n Save
Three employees at the Penn Hills Shop ‘n Save supermarket tested positive for covid-19 infections Tuesday and Wednesday, according to store officials. A representative said the store remains open for business while the staff has stepped up sanitizing procedures that already were in place. The three employees are quarantined at...
Greater Latrobe approves 1-year contract extension for service employees
Greater Latrobe School Board approved a one-year contract extension with 67 service employees as the district sets a goal of returning to in-school instruction this fall. District business administrator Dan Watson said the extension continues terms in effect during the final year of a three-year labor agreement that expired on...
Pittsburgh SWAT team assists police in standoff with man barricaded in apartment
Pittsburgh police called a SWAT team for assistance Wednesday evening as they negotiated the surrender of a man who barricaded himself in his apartment and threatened to harm himself. Police responded just after 6 p.m. to the apartment in the 400 block of South Fairmount Street in the city’s Friendship...
Organizers cancel Fort Ligonier Days, plan virtual version of festival
The Fort Ligonier Days Board canceled its traditional fall festival, but plans are underway to hold a virtual version. The annual festival, which was scheduled for Oct. 9-11, typically brings thousands of visitors to Ligonier to view a parade, enjoy food and music, browse among vendors and attend battle re-enactments...
Rostraver road to close Monday for slide repairs, remain closed through end of month
A section of Route 201 in Rostraver will be closed beginning Monday while PennDOT crews complete slide repairs. The road will be closed beginning at 6 a.m. between Route 136 and Pollack Run Road. A marked detour will be in place using Routes 136 and 51. Work is expected to...
Greater Latrobe aims for in-person classes to resume this fallVideo
Greater Latrobe School District is planning for students in grades K-12 to return full-time to classrooms when the fall semester begins. In case unpredictable pandemic conditions thwart that goal, district officials developed a hybrid plan that would see students alternating between classroom attendance and online instruction at home. Students completed...
Greater Latrobe OKs 2% tax hike, realigns administrators
Property owners in the Greater Latrobe School District will see a 2% hike in real estate taxes for the coming school year as the district balances a $57 million budget in the face of revenues that have taken a hit during the covid-19 pandemic. The school board on Tuesday approved...
FEMA grant funds protective gear for firefighters, ambulance crews in Western Pa.
Eighteen fire departments and emergency medical service organizations in Westmoreland County will receive personal protective equipment through funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. All told, the FEMA grant of nearly $875,000, coordinated by the Nanty Glo Fire Department in Cambria County, will provide protective gear to 67 first-response agencies...
Hermitage police issue plea, announce DNA probe in 50-year mystery of newborn’s remains
Hermitage police believe they can identify the parents of a newborn girl whose remains were found 50 years ago near a dirt road in Mercer County. They’re also asking the person who left the baby off Lynnwood Drive all those years ago to come forward and explain what motivated that...
Pittsburgh man charged in fatal 2019 shooting in Larimer
Pittsburgh police have arrested a Pittsburgh man for fatally shooting another man last year in Larimer. Isaiah Evans, 22, of the city’s East End, is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Daniel Carpenter, 42, of Pittsburgh. The shooting happened on March 17, 2019, near the intersection of Shetland...
Memorial Mass set for Pittsburgh Catholics who died during covid-19 pandemic
Bishop David A. Zubik will offer a memorial Mass Sunday morning for all Catholics in the Pittsburgh Diocese who have died during the covid-19 pandemic. The Mass will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. and can be viewed online. Many who died during the spread of the virus did not have...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit captures $200K Mellon grant to boost virtual learning
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will use a $200,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to expand and enhance virtual learning for children age 3 through grade 8 and their families. The intermediate unit’s Learning Equitable Accessibility Network project is among 37 proposals that were granted a total of $5.25...
State awards $49K for environmental education in Allegheny County
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Friday announced the award of more than $49,000 in environmental education grants for six programs in Allegheny County. The grants are included in about $434,000 in state funding approved for organizations in 28 counties and are derived from a fund generated by setting...
Grants offered to small businesses in Pennsylvania, including travel industry
Industry experts predict U.S. travel this summer will experience a 15% dip compared to last year. This news comes as support grows for additional federal stimulus assistance to help the travel industry, one of the economic sectors hardest hit during the covid-19 pandemic, according to a national survey. Regionally, officials...
