Jeff Himler stories, Page 133
Historical Society program examines Latrobe’s claims to pro football fame
“Latrobe: Home of Professional Football… or are we?” is the question considered in a themed slide show of images from local gridiron history that will be screened Friday and Saturday by the Latrobe Area Historical Society. Doors open at 9 a.m. each day, and the show begins at 9:30 a.m.,...
Latrobe sets fine for violating city fire pit regulations
Residents who violate Latrobe’s fire pit ordinance will face a $50 fine under an amended version of the law approved at council’s Monday meeting. The fine and related penalty provisions provide some teeth for city police, the city manager or code enforcement officer Ann Powell to enforce restrictions on small...
Latrobe OKs contract with union workers, adds police officerVideo
Latrobe Council approved a new three-year contract with city workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The labor agreement, retroactive to July 1, provides a roughly 3% annual raise for the employees while increasing the amount they pay toward premiums for medical insurance. “It averages...
‘History in motion’: Restored military vehicles to parade in Ligonier, marking centennial convoy
Downtown Ligonier next week will witness a parade that is long on horsepower — mostly of the mechanical kind. Around noon Tuesday, Aug. 13, 60 some restored military vehicles will proceed on East Main Street and circle part of Diamond Park before parking at Fort Ligonier and other nearby lots....
Proposed Sheetz in Unity clears initial zoning hurdle
Plans for a new Sheetz convenience store along Route 30 in Unity cleared an initial hurdle this week when township supervisors approved the development as a conditional use in the business zone bordering the highway. Township Solicitor Gary Falatovich has noted the developer, Skilken Gold Real Estate Development, still must...
Westmoreland Cleanways adds glass to drop-off recycling service
Residents searching for a place to recycle glass can go to the Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling facility in Unity. Cleanways is accepting glass because many community recycling programs and waste haulers no longer accept the material for curbside collection or drop-off in public bins, Executive Director Ellen Keefe announced this...
Township officials: Unity race track to take steps to curb late-night noise
Residents who live near Latrobe Speedway in Unity say late-night stock car races kept them up into the early hours last Sunday. They hope there’s no repeat performance this weekend. Township officials this week said the race track operator has agreed to take steps to curb noise and restrict races...
Bomb threat at Monongahela Valley Hospital temporarily closes entrance road
Carroll Township police are investigating a bomb threat called in to the Monongahela Valley Hospital Thursday night in Monongahela, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor. The threat was reported at 9:08 p.m. Just before midnight, police remained at the scene. According to the supervisor, the main road to the...
Free photo workshop planned for high school students at Hanna’s Town
Area high school students can brush up on photography skills during a two-day workshop later this month at Historic Hanna’s Town. Led by Westmoreland Photographers Society President Brian Kloock, the workshop will provide a hands-on learning experience focused on creating, processing and exhibiting photographs. The Westmoreland Photographers Society, will present...
Route 31 shift will allow eastbound traffic to bypass intersection at Donegal
PennDOT plans Monday to shift motorists onto a new Route 31 alignment at Donegal that features an improved intersection at Route 711, with a new traffic signal and turning lanes. The new continuous “T” intersection will allow those driving east on Route 31 to continue unimpeded, using a through lane...
Latrobe Night Out opens eyes to local policing methods, impaired driving hazardsVideo
Latrobe-area residents took a ride on a Fatal Vision roadster and saw how a K-9 officer takes a bite out of crime Tuesday evening at a National Night Out outreach event organized by the city’s police department. Firefighting equipment also was on display, as well as Army vehicles and a...
Inmate charged with attempted murder of state troopers during Indiana County transport
An inmate at Indiana County’s Pine Grove state prison is charged with attempting to kill two state troopers when he seized a gun from one of the troopers and fired it twice as they were driving him back to the prison from a district court hearing. In addition to two...
Re-enactors to fire cannon, display frontier skills at Compass Inn
Visitors to historic Compass Inn this month will see demonstrations of past frontier skills representing such 18th-century trades as the gunsmith, blacksmith and midwife. Members of Proctor’s Militia, a local re-enactment group that portrays a Revolutionary War-era militia unit of the same name, will camp at the restored 1799 Laughlintown...
‘Gentle giant’ was workplace mentor, life of the party
At age 65, Bill Marszalek could still easily bench press more than 200 pounds. A weightlifter from his teens who stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall, he cut an imposing figure. But, for those who knew him, his jovial personality, winning smile and concern for others are what really made...
West Penn Power Fund grant supports energy efficiency in Saint Vincent library expansion
A $75,000 grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund will help Saint Vincent College include energy-efficient initiatives in the renovation and expansion of its library while educating students and the community about those measures. The $22 million project that is underway at the Dale P. Latimer Library includes...
Teens team up to tackle summer projects at state parksVideo
Teen workers fastened into place a line of 2x6 planks, completing a narrow strip of new bridge decking just as a man arrived to walk his trail bike over the span across Keystone State Park’s Davis Run. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps crew of eight, based in Greensburg, combined efforts to...
Latrobe’s Steelers Fest attracts fans from afar for trophy shots, team-related funVideo
Big Ben and JuJu were among the attractions for fans with tickets to the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Most who came Friday afternoon, for related Steelers Fest activities in an adjacent field, made a bee line for the team’s half dozen Lombardi trophies on display....
Firefighters free ducklings from Unity storm drain
The Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department came to the rescue Thursday morning when some ducklings fell through a storm drain and became trapped near Wimmerton Lake in Unity Township. “All in all, nine ducklings were safely rescued and reunited with their mother … who was anxiously (and noisily) awaiting their rescue!”...
Eddie Bauer, Disney infant sleepers recalled
Two more models of inclined infant sleepers have been recalled because of safety concerns. Dorel Juvenile Group USA has recalled about 24,000 0f its Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Bassinet and its Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet sleepers in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While no injuries...
Greensburg family event will offer activities, essentials for kids in need
Families and children in need will be offered some essential items at no charge Aug. 9 at Courthouse Square in downtown Greensburg. Latrobe-based Faith Forward Ministries will distribute the items and provide other family-oriented resources and children’s activities during the Community Supporting Family event, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m....
Pennsylvania Turnpike section will close overnight in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed in both directions overnight between the interchanges at Monroeville and New Stanton. The stretch will be closed from about 11 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday to allow for emergency removal of a sign structure at milepost 56.9, turnpike officials said. Motorists still will...
Ligonier’s Diamond Park cited as ‘Great Public Space’
Ligonier’s rejuvenated Diamond Park is a “Great Public Space,” according to the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association. The recently renovated park at the heart of the borough was recognized in the Public Space category of the organization’s 2019 Great Places in Pennsylvania program. The awards recognize sites that...
North Huntingdon slide repair, Smithton rail crossing upgrade prompt detours
PennDOT plans to close a section of Route 993 in North Huntingdon to repair a landslide and a segment of Route 981 in Smithton for replacement of a railroad crossing. The North Huntingdon closure is set to begin Aug. 8 and is expected to continue through late September. While Plum...
Loyalhanna Conservation Corps expands Laurel Ridge trail for hikers, rescue crewsVideo
Ligonier Township native Josh Fitz has spent many summers camping with his family in nearby Forbes State Forest. The 20-year-old West Virginia University student, who is focusing his studies on global environmental change, returned to the forest this summer for work instead of leisure — helping to improve hiking trails...
Underground scans help peel back history at Laughlintown’s Compass InnVideo
The Ligonier Valley Historical Society is taking a downward glance in order to look back in time at its historic Compass Inn Museum in Ligonier Township. A team from local Markosky Engineering visited last week with devices to scan below the ground beside and behind the restored 1799 stagecoach stop...
