Jeff Himler stories, Page 121
$285M Westmoreland transportation investment proposed for next 4 years
Advancing technology allows more people to bridge distances through electronic connections. But traveling from one point to another remains a fact of life for most when it comes to working, buying household essentials, receiving health care and pursuing recreation. That’s why plenty of resources continue to be devoted to improving...
Latrobe Lions Club cancels dementia presentation
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Latrobe Lions Club has announced that a presentation on dementia it was co-sponsoring with the Latrobe Area Historical Society has been cancelled. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia among older adults, is the sixth leading cause of death in the...
Laughlintown workshop to outline remedies for storm-damaged driveways
The past two water-logged years, when the Pittsburgh region experienced up to 20 inches more precipitation than the annual average of 37.66 inches, have left many unpaved driveways and lanes washed out and filled with ruts. The Westmoreland Conservation District and Brandywine Conservancy are joining forces to offer some solutions...
Unity supervisors retain former state senator Regola to lobby for grants
Unity officials are turning to a former Pennsylvania senator for help in landing state funding for proposed improvement projects. Supervisors this week hired Robert Regola of Hempfield to lobby on behalf of township grant requests in Harrisburg. Regola, who offers additional services in government affairs and business development through his...
Game Commission member, sportsmen rep clash over Saturday start to deer seasonVideo
Three months after deer hunters took to the woods on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the first time in decades, many are still taking aim at a plan to make the change permanent. The Pennsylvania Game Commission on April 7 is expected to vote on finalizing the proposal. The public...
Educators invited to join Latrobe discussion of problems faced by children born into addiction
Latrobe-based Angel Arms, a program that offers support for children born into addiction and their families, is inviting area educators to take part in a roundtable discussion about the learning issues such children can face, and possible solutions. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Feb. 27 in the offices...
Latrobe elementary students get a kick out of Russian dance programVideo
Students at Latrobe Elementary School enjoyed the strains of the balalaika and high-kicking booted dancers as the Russian ensemble Barynya visited for two performances Wednesday afternoon. Founder and Moscow native Mikhail Smirnov brought along three other members of his New York City-based troupe to introduce the children to a sampling...
Agreements on 2 Unity property assessments add $38K to Greater Latrobe coffers
Greater Latrobe School Board has approved retroactive tax settlements for two commercial properties along Route 30 in Unity that will increase the district’s tax revenue by about $38,000. The board this week voted unanimously in favor of the settlements. One ends the district’s appeal of the assessed value of a...
Greater Latrobe agrees to pay contractor $831K to settle elementary construction claims
Greater Latrobe School District will pay Nello Construction $831,000 to settle the general contractor’s claim for money it says the district still owes for construction of Latrobe Elementary School. Both the school board and the Greater Latrobe School Authority, which owns the building, approved the settlement. The agreement ended a...
Spirit Airlines to move operational control center to Tennessee
Spirit Airlines plans to move its operational control center from Miramar, Fla., to Tennessee by early 2021. The airline said the move will involve the transfer of more than 240 jobs at the center, which controls the operations of more than 650 daily flights, including those serving passengers at Pittsburgh...
Westmoreland Historical Society hosts open house for potential volunteers
The Westmoreland Historical Society is looking for volunteers and is inviting those who may be interested in helping out to attend an open house at the society’s headquarters, at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield. The session is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 29 in the History Education...
Pitt-Greensburg will feature readings by pair of Western Pennsylvania authors
Trafford resident Dave Newman and Greene County native Sarah Elaine Smith will read from their works of fiction as part of the Written/Spoken Series on Thursday on the Pitt-Greensburg campus. The program, which is free to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in Powers Hall, Room 100. A book sale...
Officials will review Ligonier Beach renovation costs, solicit public input
The public will have an opportunity to weigh in on plans for reviving the shuttered Ligonier Beach entertainment site during two planned meetings, including one this week. The sessions are set for Wednesday and March 25, each beginning at 7 p.m., in the Fort Ligonier history education center at 200...
Ligonier-area workshop will address farmland preservation
Protecting farmers and farmland will be the focus of a Feb. 25 workshop at the Loyalhanna Watershed Association’s Nimick Family Education Center, along Old Lincoln Highway just west of Ligonier. Scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the workshop is being organized by the watershed group with the Westmoreland County...
Derry Area elementary gets 2nd annual nod for top student achievement, growth
Derry Area School District’s Grandview Elementary School, for the second year in a row, scored top points with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Division of Federal Programs. Officials recently named Grandview among 94 Distinguished Title I schools in Pennsylvania for 2019, an honor the school also received in 2018. According...
Ligonier Country Market branches out with monthly evening vendors
Ligonier Country Market’s popular Saturday morning array of food and artisan vendor booths is expanding this year — to include a monthly evening market. Partnering with the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce, the market will offer about 40 produce and processed food vendors from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on...
Unity eyes ordinance changes to target blighted properties, storm water discharges
Unity supervisors are looking to step up enforcement of the township’s building and property ordinance to clean up unkempt parcels causing blight in some neighborhoods. The supervisors at their March meeting are expected to consider an ordinance amendment that would allow code enforcement staff to cite and fine property owners...
Lloydsville Fire Department officer steps into Unity Township emergency management roleVideo
A longtime member and officer of the Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department is the new emergency management coordinator for Unity Township. The township supervisors on Thursday appointed Tom Schultheis Jr. to the coordinator post. Schultheis is the water rescue lieutenant for his fire department, Pete Tenerowicz, who had served as the...
Derry awaits new police dog, training to continue program
A four-footed crime-fighter should once again be patrolling the streets of Derry, if all goes as planned. Derry Police Chief Randy Glick is hoping to drive to Washington, D.C., next week and return with his newest police dog partner — a 9-month-old Malinois pup that is to be flown in...
Greater Latrobe math scores on rise in 7th grade, need boost in other gradesVideo
Greater Latrobe Junior High ranked third out of 20 Westmoreland County middle schools last year, based on students’ state academic assessment results and attendance. Students outperformed state average achievement levels in 2018-19, but district administrators say they’re focusing on more than just standardized test results as they prepare local youth...
Latrobe looks to curb misrouted downtown truck traffic
Latrobe’s public works crew plans to install signs to guide large trucks properly through key downtown intersections to help protect from damage to traffic signals and curbs that soon will be upgraded there. Public works Director Scott Wajdic told city council this week that PennDOT has approved signs that will...
Greater Latrobe School District eyes $30K reduction in electric bill
Greater Latrobe School District expects to slash $30,000 from its annual electric bill if it locks in a price now for 2021-22. The school board, at its Feb. 18 meeting, will consider a one year electricity procurement agreement with Direct Energy, setting a rate of slightly more than 3.7 cents...
Latrobe police schedule 2 more community outreach events
The success of Latrobe Police Department’s inaugural meet-and-greet session in early February prompted two follow-up community outreach dates in the weeks ahead. On Feb. 28, children attending Latrobe Elementary School will have the opportunity to “Lunch with a Cop,” when city officers will share a meal with the school’s 680-some...
Michael Gray returns as Latrobe city manager following successor’s resignation
The tenure of the mayor’s cousin serving as Latrobe city manager didn’t last beyond the honeymoon. City council this week officially accepted the resignation of John Antinori, who served less than three months after the board unanimously hired him in November. On Monday, council again voted unanimously — this time...
Hempfield baby first to benefit from breathing aid, donated milk at Greensburg hospitalVideo
Newborn Ayla Wirth’s arrival early Tuesday and continued presence at Excela Westmoreland Hospital was a blessing for her parents and a major advance on more than one front for the Greensburg facility’s Special Care Nursery. Ayla weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces when she was delivered just before 5 a.m. —...
