Jeff Himler stories, Page 139
New Latrobe Banana Split Princess to be picked
Piper Anke is preparing to end her one-year reign as the first Banana Split Princess for Latrobe. Anke, a 13-year-old from Derry who has experience in public speaking, was appointed to the role in a last-minute addition to the 2018 Great American Banana Split Celebration. She’ll conclude her responsibilities Sunday...
Town Hall participants brainstorm ideas for a Green New Deal in Westmoreland
Local proponents of the envisioned economic transformation dubbed the Green New Deal argue that regional jobs tied to the fossil fuel industry can be replaced with ones that are focused on environmentally friendly energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind and solar power. That was one of the ideas discussed Wednesday...
Latrobe gets temporary help with bulk refuse collection
Latrobe will pay Allied Republic to help collect bulk refuse while the city waits for a truck to arrive so it can do the chore itself. City council approved a non-exclusive, temporary agreement through the end of the year for Allied Republic’s on-call, roll-off truck services to assist Latrobe’s refuse...
Former ‘Dance Moms’ studio wants to relocate to Carbone’s building in Unity Township
Appolonia Leake is hoping to move her dance studio from Penn Hills to a portion of the former Carbone’s Restaurant in Crabtree if the Unity Township supervisors approve. Lou Demosky, Leake’s mother and business manager for the studio, said they’d been looking to make a move for about nine months...
Crews extinguish Derry Township trailer fire
Remnants of a Derry Township mobile home caught fire Tuesday as a crew worked to demolish it. Owner George Nuttall, who lives next to the property on Chestnut Ridge Road near Route 217, said workers took a break from cutting part of the trailer’s metal frame before the fire started...
Unity Army veteran: Talking helps war trauma survivorsVideo
Thomas Abraham knows intimately about the psychological costs of war. As a young man, the Unity veteran led even younger men, many still in their teens, while serving as a captain in the Army’s 173rd Airborne Battalion in Vietnam. After the West Point graduate was transferred within the battalion, “most...
Officials: 2 tornadoes hit Saturday in Indiana County
Two tornadoes touched down in Indiana County over the weekend, damaging a home and uprooting trees, the National Weather Service confirmed Monday. Meteorologists said a tornado with a wind speed of up to 90 mph touched down just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday along High Rise Drive in Burrell Township. It...
Braddock’s Battlefield museum gets boost from Fort Ligonier
The Battle of the Monongahela has become known to many as “Braddock’s Defeat.” British Gen. Edward Braddock failed in his 1755 campaign to wrest Fort Duquesne — the future site of Pittsburgh — from French forces. He was mortally wounded, and his forces routed in the July 9 battle with...
Level Green dietitian shared Italian culinary traditions
Food was a passion and a profession for Lisa Ginsburg. A registered dietitian, she made sure those she cared for — including family members — were well fed and hydrated. “When I was in college, I played baseball for Clarion University, and she helped me with my nutrition,” her younger...
Aldi recalls flour for potential E. coli contamination
The Aldi grocery chain has recalled five-pound bags of all-purpose Baker’s Corner flour it sold in Pennsylvania and 10 other states because of possible contamination with E. coli bacteria. The recall applies to all lots of the five-pound flour sacks with any “best if used by” date that bear the...
Memorial Day observances planned
Following are some Memorial Day observances planned in the area: Bovard Monday, 10:30 a.m., ceremony at honor roll next to Bovard Volunteer Fire Company on Jefferson Street; Featured speaker: Retired Greensburg police chief and Vietnam veteran Walter J. “Wally” Lyons Greensburg VFW Post 33 Monday, 11 a.m., ceremony at Westmoreland...
Air show provides economic boost for Westmoreland County
Fans who flock to Westmoreland County’s annual air show this weekend will be taking away memories of thrilling sky-high maneuvers. At the same time, they’ll be giving back — to the local economy. The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport is one of the biggest...
Speed, precision will highlight jet flights at this weekend’s Westmoreland County AirshowVideo
When Air Force Maj. Garret Schmitz spirals in his F-16 jet this weekend above Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, he’ll be completing more than one kind of circle. Schmitz, 33, the new commander of the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., is set to maneuver his fighter...
Eastern Westmoreland tech center to offer free machinist training
Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center wants to reintroduce adult education courses, beginning with a tuition-free machinist training program this summer. The Derry Township technology center is the latest site for the grant-supported Manufacturing 2000 training program, offered in partnership with Pittsburgh’s New Century Careers workforce development organization. June 10...
Pittsburgh firm to study potential Eastern Westmoreland tech center update
Officials at the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center hope by early winter to have a firm idea what needs to be done to bring their 43-year-old building up to date. To get to that point, the Derry Township-based school’s joint operating committee this week voted to pay HHSDR Architects/Engineers...
Pennsylvania Turnpike expects 2.2M vehicles for Memorial Day weekend
Motorists who will be traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike this Memorial Day weekend should be prepared for heavy traffic. Turnpike officials expect more than 2.2 million vehicles will use the toll road from Friday through Monday. That’s a slight increase from last year’s traffic total of about 2.1 million, Turnpike...
Mike O’Barto gets GOP nod in quest to return as Unity supervisor
Unity’s Republican voters Tuesday gave former township supervisor Mike O’Barto a vote of confidence for returning to the role he left less than two years ago. O’Barto believes his 24-year history as a supervisor is a main reason why he led the field of three GOP candidates in a primary...
Greater Latrobe students join International Thespian Society
Greater Latrobe Senior High this week saw 25 of its students inducted into the International Thespian Society. The honor society for theater arts students has enrolled more than 2.3 million members since its founding in 1929. To become a member of the organization, a student must earn 10 points, with...
Penn Township road to close for bridge replacement
A section of Watt Road in Penn Township is set to close the week of June 3 as construction begins on a replacement bridge over Bushy Run. Traffic will be detoured along Harrison City-Export Road, Route 130 and Bushy Run and Gongaware roads. Weather permitting, the bridge should be complete...
Military obstacle course provides ‘Beast’ of a challenge at Westmoreland air show
As pilots take to the sky to test the limits of their planes at this weekend’s Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow, visitors on the ground can test their mettle against “The Beast.” The Air National Guard will present the timed obstacle course Saturday and Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional...
Pollinator Partners showcase gardens to support beneficial insects
Bees get all the buzz when it comes to the important job of pollinating plants that produce the food we eat and the blossoms that brighten our day. But what about butterflies — even beetles and flies? Each of those backyard and garden visitors plays a part in the pollination...
Latrobe summer art camps feature aquatic theme
Latrobe Art Center’s summer camps for kids will focus on water as a unifying theme. The camps, which begin in June, are for children ages 3-13 of all artistic levels and will allow young participants to explore water-based art techniques and create pieces depicting ocean scenes. Each camp runs from...
Greater Latrobe citizens want superintendent with long-term commitment
Larger elementary class sizes and inadequate communication with the public are some of the issues Greater Latrobe School District’s next superintendent should address, according to comments made this week at a public focus group discussion. But most of the 18 people who attended the discussion in the senior high Center...
Latrobe’s Adelphoi celebrates success of former at-risk youths, opens centerVideo
Alex Yawitz, 21, is pursuing a two-year business degree at Westmoreland County Community College with plans to open his own small business. Aayla Beck, 20, is studying fine arts at the college and intends to pursue further university courses in animation or web design. Their futures didn’t seem so bright...
North Huntingdon nurse made lasting impression on hospital staff, patients
Generations of staff and patients at Forbes Hospital came to know the kindness and caring of nurse Joan Saversky — a regard she also showed for others when she wasn’t on duty. “There was a certain loving care she gave to us kids and to all the patients she saw...
