Jeff Himler stories, Page 125
Youngstown contractor new Latrobe public works director
A local native whose company has handled tasks for gas and oil companies, railroads and the Westmoreland County Airport Authority will take on a new assignment next week, for the city of Latrobe. Scott A. Wajdic of Youngstown is scheduled to begin work Monday as Latrobe’s new public works director....
New sign caps recent improvements at North Huntingdon nature preserve
Volunteers from Jeannette’s Elliott Group lent a hand this week as the Westmoreland Land Trust installed an updated sign at the entrance of its nature preserve along Ardara Road in North Huntingdon. The sign joins other recent improvements at the 59-acre Otto and Magdalene Ackermann Nature Preserve that were the...
Youngstown, Whitney-Hostetter firefighters propose merger
Firefighters from Youngstown Borough and the nearby Whitney-Hostetter department often respond together to emergency calls. Under a proposed merger, they soon could be heading to other emergencies as a single volunteer company. Unity Township Supervisors this week passed a resolution supporting the merger, which was sought by the firefighters. “They...
Stahlstown man watches childhood tree light up Rockefeller Center for NYC holiday tradition
When Mitch Schultz Jr. watched a rainbow of lights bring a holiday glow to this year’s Christmas tree at New York City’s Rockefeller Center, it added a stunning final chapter to his family’s 60-year history with a Norway spruce. “I trimmed it tons of times as it was growing,” said...
History program focuses on Latrobe-area churches
The Latrobe Area Historical Society will usher out the year with an encore presentation of a program highlighting the many facets of the town’s faith community. The slide show “Holy Latrobe: The Historic Houses of Worship” will be screened at 9:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the society headquarters, 416...
Latrobe hires patrolman, promotes K-9 officerVideo
Latrobe police shored up their ranks by hiring new patrolman Matthew DeChicchis and promoting K9 Officer Robert Derk to sergeant. Most recently employed with the police department in Johnstown, DeChicchis “came out heads and tails above everybody else” in Latrobe’s civil service hiring process, Latrobe Police Chief John Sleasman said...
Blue Angels jets slated to fly when Westmoreland airshow returns in 2021
The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow should be flying high once more in 2021 — after taking hiatus next year — with a return of the Blue Angels Navy jet team as the chief attraction. Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo received word Tuesday that the popular jet demonstration...
Latrobe firefighters leave council meeting without reason for their suspensionsVideo
Firefighters who are under suspension at Latrobe Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company No. 1 say they haven’t been told why. “We were suspended without cause, without reason,” Nico Giovannagelo, captain of the Goodwill Hose Company, said of himself and six other firefighters. “We do not know why we were suspended,...
30 years in: Pennsylvania’s heritage areas boost tourism, local economiesVideo
Over the past three decades, the Pennsylvania Heritage Area Program has grown to cover every corner of the state — and nearly all of the middle, too. It has also matured to pump billions of tourist dollars into local economies each year. Launched in 1989 after a decade of planning,...
Greater Latrobe chooses DMJ Transportation to bus students
Greater Latrobe students who take the bus next school year will be transported by a new carrier, one that will save the district about $1 million. The Greater Latrobe School Board voted 7-0 Thursday to switch to DMJ Transportation Inc. of Mt. Pleasant Township, beginning July 1. Over the life...
River City Brass slated for holiday concert at Greater Latrobe
River City Brass will join forces with student musicians for a holiday concert Dec. 13 at Greater Latrobe Senior High School. Greater Latrobe band and choral students will perform along with members of the Pittsburgh brass band at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium for the Home for the...
Latrobe firefighters suspended, mayor says
Several members of Latrobe Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company No. 1 have been suspended, Mayor Rosie Wolford said Thursday afternoon. Wolford did not reveal the reason for the suspensions or specify the number of firefighters involved. Reversing recent media reports, she said the company’s operations are no longer suspended. The...
Indiana County bridges named for 14th Quartermaster reservist, astronaut candidate
A bridge that connects Westmoreland and Indiana counties has been renamed in honor of a local Army reservist who was killed in an Iraqi missile attack during Operation Desert Storm. Gov. Tom Wolf last week signed legislation designating the Route 56 bridge over the Conemaugh River as the Specialist Beverly...
Unity planning commission OKs mobile home park expansion
More mobile homes could soon arrive along Marguerite Lake Road in Unity. The township planning commission approved 51 additional lots at Hillside Estates mobile home park. UMH Properties of Morgantown, W. Va., plans to add the lots in three phases on a 21-acre section of the development just north of...
Sulphur Run storm water improvements expected to ease Derry Township floodingVideo
Crews this week are restoring a Derry Township intersection after installing larger, updated storm sewers meant to help alleviate flooding along Sulphur Run, near the border of Latrobe. Under a contract with the township, Northrock Construction of St. Marys replaced a large section of aging pipe that carries Sulphur Run...
Service was a way of life for World War II veteran
Carl Ross initially was rejected for World War II service because he had flat feet. But that didn’t deter the 18-year-old New Kensington native. “He just kept trying,” said his daughter, Joyce Andrews. “He tried all the branches, and nobody would take him. Then he went back to the Army...
Bridge inspection will restrict I-70 traffic near Smithton
Motorists driving on Interstate 70 over the Youghiogheny River northwest of Smithton can expect delays Thursday as crews complete a bridge inspection, according to PennDOT. The inspection will trigger right-lane closures on the Smithton High Level Bridge, which carries the interstate across the Youghiogheny River, connecting Rostraver with South Huntingdon...
Police apprehend Indiana County man charged in alleged Black Friday crime spree
State police Tuesday apprehended an Indiana County man accused of stealing a pickup truck from one home and a rifle from a second before allegedly attempting a break-in and armed robbery at two other homes. David P. Dilts Jr., 36, of Penn Run, wanted on more than 30 charges related...
Deadlock delays Greater Latrobe board reorganization, vote on bus contractVideo
Greater Latrobe School Board will hold a special meeting Thursday to reorganize and to act on a new busing contract — items the board didn’t resolve at a scheduled meeting Monday. With Dr. Michael Zorch, Mike O’Barto and newly elected Paul McCommons absent, the six remaining board members were deadlocked...
Indiana County man faces dozen of charges in alleged crime spree
State police are searching for an Indiana County man who they said stole a pickup from one home, a rifle from another and then threatened people at a third home on Friday. Police filed more than 30 charges against David P. Dilts Jr., 36, of Penn Run, including felony counts...
Westmoreland chamber President Chad Amond joins transportation commission
Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chad Amond has a new role to fill, as a member of the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission. The state Senate recently appointed Amond to a six-year term on the 15-member panel, which serves as the board of directors for PennDOT and oversees...
Franklin Regional band’s 3rd appearance in Macy’s parade a holiday high note
Winds may have kept the famous character balloons close to the ground during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, but the 187 members of the Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band were soaring high as they performed for the crowds lining the New York City parade route. “I think everyone...
Communities serve Thanksgiving meals ‘with love,’ fellowshipVideo
Westmoreland County residents who might otherwise spend the fourth Thursday in November alone or with a sparse menu can find a place at a communal table or a friendly knock at their door, thanks to volunteers who focus on the “giving” part of Thanksgiving Day. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in...
Choose-and-cut growers attract traditionalists on quest for ideal Christmas tree
Artificial or real? It’s the classic debate at the start of the Christmas season, pitting those who want the convenience of a tree in a box against those who prefer the authenticity and scent of an actual evergreen. Dedicated traditionalists go even further, seeking a place where they can pick...
Coroner called to ATV-Jeep crash in Donegal Township
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office was called to a section of Route 130 in Donegal Township where an ATV collided with a Jeep on Wednesday evening. Rescuers reported a male patient was unresponsive at the scene of the crash near the intersection of Donegal Lake Road, a Westmoreland County 911...
