Jeff Himler stories, Page 123
Derry Township proposes stormwater pond on tech center land
Derry Township plans to buy a section of property from the Eastern Westmoreland County Career and Technology Center to develop a stormwater retention pond. The pond is the first of three the township supervisors have proposed to help control storm runoff that has contributed to flooding in recent years. “It’s...
Greater Latrobe School District locks in natural gas savings for 3 years
Greater Latrobe School District locked in a partial price for natural gas that will save the district thousands of dollars over three years. The school board this week approved an agreement with Direct Energy to supply 30% of the district’s gas needs from Sept. 1, 2020, through Aug. 31, 2023....
Alleged hazing incident in Greater Latrobe Junior High wrestling program under investigation
Greater Latrobe School District and state police are investigating an alleged hazing incident involving the junior high wrestling team. Superintendent Georgia Teppert said Tuesday she couldn’t comment on specifics of the investigation because of student privacy and personnel issues. The district is “taking all appropriate actions necessary,” has met with...
Youngwood shelter animals get helping hand via MLK Day of ServiceVideo
Allyson Bitner doesn’t have pets at her Hempfield home, but she understands the value of volunteering at a local animal shelter — for the helpers as well as the rescued felines, canines and other critters. “It’s very therapeutic to just pet a cat and pet a dog,” said Bitner, 15,...
Westmoreland Cleanways closes recycling center pending planned move
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling has closed its Unity recycling center until it moves to a proposed new location in the township, near Pleasant Unity. In the meantime, local residents have other options for recycling items such as paper and appliances containing Freon, but there are no nearby substitutes for the...
Excela Latrobe introduces improved surgical robotVideo
Students from Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley school districts joined other local residents Friday in trying out the controls of an improved surgical robot introduced during an open house at Excela Latrobe Hospital. Seventeen Excela surgeons use the robot and one like it at Excela Westmoreland Hospital to perform precision...
Dollar General considers new store in Unity
A new Dollar General store could be coming to Route 30 in Unity. Next week, the township zoning hearing board is scheduled to hear from developers of the store proposed along the eastbound lanes of the highway at Smith’s Hill Road, just east of Beatty Crossroads. At 6 p.m. Jan....
Police: Man shot in back while leaving Pittsburgh bar
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting near the Woods Run section of the city that sent a victim to a local hospital early Thursday. The male victim, who walked into the hospital about 1 a.m., told Zone 1 officers he was leaving a bar in the 2600 block of California...
Cathy Sarraf joins Greater Latrobe School Board as appointee
Unity resident Cathy Sarraf finished just out of the running in November’s election of five Greater Latrobe school directors, but she joined the board this week as an appointed member. With Eric Hauser absent, the school board voted 6-1 Tuesday to appoint Sarraf to serve the two years remaining in...
Latrobe chamber offers group tour of Ireland
A journey of discovery from Westmoreland County to the Emerald Isle is less than a year away, in the first-ever foreign travel package offered by the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. There is no limit to the number of chamber and community members who can sign on for...
Game Commission honors Latrobe student for bringing help to entangled deer
A Greater Latrobe ninth-grader’s sharp eyes and caring response helped free a white-tailed deer trapped in Unity this past fall. Pennsylvania Game Commission officers surprised Parker Williams on Friday when they arrived at her school and presented her with a certificate, recognizing the initiative she took on Nov. 4 to...
Broadband connectivity study, survey eyed for Westmoreland, nearby countiesVideo
Officials from Westmoreland and seven neighboring counties are studying a proposal for local governing entities to step up and invest in infrastructure needed to expand or enhance broadband connectivity in underserved areas. Virginia-based consultant Design Nine is preparing a survey for the Regional Broadband Task Force to gauge how residents...
Passengers up 3% last year at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport saw a 3% increase in its passenger total last year while preparing for runway improvements that officials say could open the door for more commercial flights. The combined number of passengers boarding and disembarking from Spirit Airlines flights at the Unity airport in 2019 increased by...
Latrobe Historical Society to revisit centennial through archival film
Rock ‘n roll had its first major impact about 65 years ago, with the release of the Elvis Presley single “That’s All Right (Mama).” Also in 1954, doctors began a mass trial vaccination of children against polio and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. That...
Solar co-op schedules Westmoreland meetings, seeks members
A nonprofit that organized solar power co-ops in Allegheny and more than a half dozen other Western Pennsylvania counties scheduled three informational sessions for prospective members of a similar co-op that is forming in Westmoreland County. Solar United Neighbors of Pennsylvania set the first meeting for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at...
Westmoreland Cleanways eyes move to larger Unity recycling center
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling in 2019 collected more than 2 million pounds of televisions and other electronics along with 6,000 tires. This year, the Unity Township-based nonprofit should be able to handle an even larger volume. A planned move to a new drop-off recycling center near Pleasant Unity will increase...
Ligonier Township committee to consider plan for reopening Ligonier Beach
The shuttered Ligonier Beach could open to the public once more this summer, but visitors shouldn’t plan on bringing their swim trunks just yet. Ligonier Township in November bought the landmark swimming pool and restaurant along Route 30 just east of Ligonier from Sherry and Steven Kozar, for $230,000. This...
Mayor: Grant documentation concerns triggered Latrobe fire company suspensionsVideo
Seven members of Latrobe Volunteer Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company 1, who were suspended in December, reportedly have been reinstated. But members of the company still had questions this week for city officials, who told them that the fire department — not Latrobe Council — needs to solve its internal...
Unity OKs 3% wage hike, seeks emergency coordinator
Unity Township supervisors approved a 3% wage hike for most township workers and are searching for a new emergency management coordinator. At their reorganization meeting this week, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union employees. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work...
Borings for bridge project slated on Route 906 in Rostraver
Motorists may encounter changing traffic patterns in the Rostraver community of Webster beginning this week, while boring is under way on a section of Route 906. According to PennDOT, workers will be completing geotechnical borings between Mechanics and Kline streets to prepare for a bridge replacement. The work is expected...
3 female authors will discuss their writing, friendship in Seton Hill program
Three bestselling female authors who hail from the West Coast will discuss their writing and today’s publishing industry during a presentation Tuesday at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “An Evening with Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron and Sophie Littlefield” is set for 7 p.m. in the Carol Reichgut Concert Hall at...
PennDOT work to restrict southbound traffic at Route 51 and I-70
Motorists should be prepared for potential traffic delays Tuesday on Route 51 in Rostraver as crews complete preliminary field work for proposed reconstruction of the highway’s interchange with I-70. According to PennDOT, southbound traffic on Route 51, in the area near I-70 and Finley Road, will be restricted to one...
Brothers to address Westmoreland Woodlands group on Chestnut Ridge raptor count
Western Pennsylvania’s ridges can serve as superhighways for birds of prey migrating north each spring and south when fall arrives. Two Fayette County brothers have established that Chestnut Ridge, the western-most of those ridges, provides just such a route. At a Thursday presentation of the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association, they’ll...
National Science Fiction Day celebrates Asimov, speculative literature
With “The Rise of Skywalker,” the latest “Star Wars” sequel, currently blasting the competition at the box office, science fiction films are enjoying as high a profile as ever since the original movie in the franchise debuted in 1977. Today, fans of the genre are encouraged to take a deeper...
Latrobe rec program’s Comedy Night to include catered meal
An evening of stand-up routines and catered edibles is planned for the 16th Annual Comedy Night presented by Latrobe-Greater Latrobe School District Parks & Recreation. Set for Jan. 25, the event will feature a lineup of Pittsburgh-area comedians, to be announced. Doors will open at 6 p.m. at Huber Hall,...
