Jeff Himler stories, Page 119
Deceased man found along trail in Youngwood
State police are investigating the discovery of a man’s body along the Five Star Trail behind the Shop ‘n Save supermarket in Youngwood Thursday afternoon. The man was discovered at about 3 p.m., and the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office was called to the scene, according to a Westmoreland County Department...
Arnold Palmer airport eyes coronavirus stimulus package for assist with taxiway project
Westmoreland County’s Arnold Palmer Regional Airport soon could be a landing strip for federal cash freed up through coronavirus recovery funding. A $2 trillion federal stimulus package includes $10 billion designated for airports, according to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s office. Officials at the Unity airport hope that new pool of...
Freeport Area reports high school coronavirus case
A member of the Freeport Area High School community has tested positive for infection with the coronavirus, according to the school district. Superintendent Ian Magness reported the case in a letter to district families and residents posted Wednesday on the district website. Magness said that “the person in question was...
Resident of Loyalhanna Care Center tests positive for coronavirus
A woman who is a long-term resident of the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township is among the Westmoreland County residents who have tested positive for covid-19. Kelly Pynos, administrator of the skilled nursing facility, said the woman exhibited symptoms on Monday and was transferred to a local hospital. Pynos...
Coronavirus restrictions set back plans for Ligonier Beach reopening
Ligonier Township’s wish to reopen at least a portion of the shuttered Ligonier Beach likely won’t come true before next year , as coronavirus precautions have curtailed township operations. Township Manager Terry Carcella previously expressed hope that pavilions could be offered for rent this summer while supervisors consider additional options...
Ligonier Valley’s ‘Oz’ adds extra song, roles to familiar musical fantasyVideo
Editor’s note: Due to the coronovirus pandemic, high school musicals have been postponed. Ligonier Valley High School’s musical production of “The Wizard of Oz” will offer plenty of familiar reference points for those who have grown up cherishing the classic MGM film of L. Frank Baum’s fantasy. “We’re doing the...
Expected coronavirus impact prompts Latrobe to table storm water fee, staffing move
Expected economic hardship related to coronavirus-driven business closures has prompted Latrobe Council to delay action on proposed storm water management staffing moves and a related annual fee for property owners. Council had planned at a special meeting Monday to create a city department and managerial post to oversee state-mandated efforts...
Pennsylvania income tax deadline moved to mid-July, following IRS lead
Pennsylvania residents will have longer to file their 2019 state income tax returns, matching the new July 15 filing deadline for federal returns. The later deadlines, moved from April 15, are meant to help people cope with the upheavals triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. “This is a necessary step that...
Rescue founder’s passion for matching pets with new homes knows no boundsVideo
Pamela Hoebeck loves to play with Peanut, a rescue cat, but she is hoping he’ll soon have someone to give him care and attention on a permanent basis. Hoebeck, 60, has been fostering the year-old cat at her Penn Township home since he was found as a stray about four...
Latrobe to reopen transfer station Monday
Beginning Monday, Latrobe will reopen its solid waste transfer station to the public for recycling and to city residents for purchase of garbage stickers. The station was closed at the beginning of the week because of coronavirus concerns — as was the city municipal building on Jefferson Street, which will...
Coronavirus risk turns annual Iwaniec run/walk in Unity into a virtual race
This year’s TakeOff Race still will raise money to provide breathalyzers for law enforcement officers. It just won’t take place at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Concern about the health risks of a large gathering of people, as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, has prompted organizers with the Trooper Iwaniec Memorial...
National Park Service closes Western Pennsylvania visitor centers
The National Park Service on Tuesday closed visitor centers at its Western Pennsylvania sites until further notice to promote social distancing as part of coronavirus-related precautions. Restrooms and trails remain open to the public at all locations, including Friendship Hill National Historic Site. The following features also are open: •...
First responders offered free meals at Arnold Palmer airport amid coronavirus precautionsVideo
Some businesses and organizations have shut down or curtailed operations as part of Pennsylvania’s coronavirus precautions, but that’s not the case for police, paramedics and firefighters. So, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority joined forces with DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse to help on-duty first responders get access to meals during the suspension...
Allegheny suspends poll-worker training, limits trips for seniors at Kane centers
Allegheny County officials on Monday announced several changes in county government operations related to the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Elections The county’s Elections Division is suspending all poll-worker training and all public voting system demonstrations at libraries through March 27. Voting system demonstrations will continue 8:30 a.m. to 4:30...
Pittsburgh Diocese postpones sacraments, limits attendance at weddings, funerals
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has postponed or cancelled some sacraments, cancelled all parish events and ordered limited attendance at weddings and funerals because of coronavirus concerns. According to a directive issued Monday by Bishop David Zubik, until further notice, attendance at all weddings and funerals conducted under diocesan auspices should...
‘Nonessential’ business owners grin and bear state-ordered closure
Owner Melanie McCoy hopes she’ll be able to bounce back from closing her Hempfield beauty salon for two weeks, beginning Tuesday. But, she admits, she’s scared as she joins other area “nonessential” establishments that will be idled as part of a statewide closure of such businesses Gov. Tom Wolf ordered...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art closes for rest of March, citing coronavirus concerns
Coronavirus concerns have prompted the Westmoreland Museum of American Art to close its doors to the public beginning Saturday and continuing through the end of March. The decision was triggered by Gov. Wolf’s order on Friday closing all Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days. “We believe this decision is in...
Latrobe officials nix attempt to replace fire chief, open to investigation
Discord continues to flare in the Latrobe Fire Department. After several months of strife, city officials agreed to look into an attempt by some firefighters to oust Chief John Brasile. Mayor Rosie Wolford said a council committee would investigate any written documentation firefighters produce that might establish a “just cause”...
Unity OKs liquor license for Walmart alcohol sales; store remodeling planned
Unity is one step closer to being home to the second Walmart location in Pennsylvania to sell beer and wine. Township supervisors have approved a restaurant liquor license transfer for the Colony Lane store off Route 30, which now must be greenlighted by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Walmart hopes...
Unity bridge closure to become permanent with PUC approval
A Unity Township bridge that has been closed for the better part of a year because of safety concerns will remain so, under a new agreement the township supervisors reached with Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay for removing the bridge that once carried Buffenmeyer Road over...
Westmoreland County schools planning for worst-case coronavirus scenario
As coronavirus cases continue to grow in eastern Pennsylvania and other areas of the country, school officials across Westmoreland County are preparing plans for how to educate students in a worst-case scenario. Principals in Greater Latrobe School District planned to meet Friday with their staffs to discuss plans for responding...
Westmoreland Airport Authority eyes marketing study as coronavirus looms, runway upgrade nears
The Westmoreland Airport Authority plans to conduct the first marketing study of its two airports, hiring a separate consultant for each. Authority officials cited the impact of coronavirus concerns on the air travel industry and planned runway widening at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport as changing conditions that could affect...
Arnold Palmer airport to introduce paid ‘premium’ parking option
Travelers driving to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport soon will be able to park closer to the terminal — for a fee. Airport officials plan to offer “preferred overnight parking” in the day parking lot directly in front of the terminal, charging $10 per day for the prime spots. They’re...
Greensburg Salem teams sweep pasta bridge competition at Saint VincentVideo
Greensburg Salem School District swept the top three spots in Monday’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition at Saint Vincent College. Juniors Adam Nichols, 16, and Kevin Burkhardt, 17, both of Salem Township, took first-place honors when their model bridge, crafted from various types of pasta and glue, stood up...
Expert will explain benefits of controlled burning for Westmoreland woodlands group
Flames can damage a wooded area when they run wild and unchecked. But one that is controlled can benefit an ecosystem. Jesse Kreye, an assistant research professor of fire and natural resources management at Penn State University, will explain the positive impact of prescribed fire Thursday March 19 at the...
