Jeff Himler stories, Page 140
Derry Township bridge detour to begin in June
Motorists will have to detour around a section of Bergman Road in Derry Township beginning in June, as PennDOT works to replace a bridge across McGee Run. The detour is expected to last throughout the construction season, with access maintained for local traffic only within 500 feet of either end...
Plum teacher vies with 5 incumbents in Greater Latrobe School Board race
Five incumbents and a challenger are seeking primary nominations Tuesday for five seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board. Challenger David Vitula, a teacher at Plum Borough School District, appears on both party ballots, as do incumbents Susan Mains, Eric Hauser, Conrad Lazor and Merle Musick. Incumbent Dr. Michael Zorch...
Airport board eyes Palmer bridge, Rostraver restroom
Work should begin soon to install a new passenger bridge at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and extend utility lines for a new restroom at Rostraver Airport. The Westmoreland County Airport Authority awarded a $106,145 contract to Arcon Contracting for laying water and sewer lines to serve a new modular restroom...
Packsaddle Paddle features Conemaugh River trip, picnic
Those who’d like to try a recreational trip down the Conemaugh River but don’t want to wait for the annual Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers Sojourn next month may want to sign up for the May 25 Packsaddle Gap Paddle and Picnic. The fifth annual kayaking paddle is scheduled to begin at 9...
Greater Latrobe School Board eyes 1-mill tax hike
Taxes would go up next year in the Greater Latrobe School District if the school board passes a tentative 2019-20 budget that cleared a first hurdle this week. The board is considering a tax hike to 82.25 mills — one mill higher than this year — to help pay for...
Police: Indiana County nursery worker foils attempted holdup
An employee disarmed a man who attempted to hold up an Indiana County nursery with an unloaded gun that the man stole from a nearby home, state police said. Justin S. Ludwig, 37, of Warren, is charged with robbery, attempted theft and terroristic threats in the confrontation Wednesday afternoon at...
Pittsburgh ranks as 16th fittest city in U.S.
Good work … or should we say good workout, Pittsburgh. The Steel City ranked as the 16th fittest major U.S. city, according to the 2019 American Fitness Index released this week by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. Pittsburgh rose markedly in the rankings from last...
Greater Latrobe invites community to take part in superintendent search discussion
The Greater Latrobe School District invites the community to attend a focus group discussion Monday as part of its superintendent search. The meeting is set for 6-8:30 p.m. in the Senior High School Center for Student Creativity. It will be led by Tom Templeton of Templeton Advantage, a Perry County-based...
Authority to replace leak-prone Pleasant Unity sewer
Unity Township Municipal Authority is moving forward with plans to replace a leak-prone sanitary sewer main in Pleasant Unity and to extend sewage service to two businesses on Donohoe Road. The authority Wednesday opened bids for the Pleasant Unity project, including an apparent low figure of $201,127 submitted by McKeesport...
Greater Latrobe students rise to challenge of creating, solving escape rooms
A team of Greater Latrobe Senior High students last week had to retrieve fake IDs that had been stolen from them. Another group of sophomores enrolled in Renee Stallings’ academic English 2 course had to defeat a dragon — actually, a donkey-shaped pinata. Ending a months-long class project, the teams...
Michael Gray will remain as Latrobe’s city manager
Michael Gray became Latrobe’s city manager on Monday, after holding down the position on an interim basis since March 25. Council voted unanimously to keep Gray in the new role, setting aside plans to search for additional candidates from outside the city staff. “We had talked about doing a search,”...
Westmoreland panel to discuss concussions and student mental health
An athlete who breaks a limb likely will be fitted with a cast that makes recovery visible to all. Getting past the lingering effects of a concussion or other traumatic brain injuries often doesn’t include a prop that makes the process as outwardly apparent. “A brain injury is a silent,...
Indiana jazz, blues fest expands with kickoff concert
Pittsburgh-based jazz and funk bassist Dwayne Dolphin and blues singer and multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Collier will headline the Delaney Chevrolet Westsylvania Jazz and Blues Festival May 25 in downtown Indiana. Entering its sixth year, the free music festival has expanded to include a pop-up vendor’s market, children’s activities and a May...
Glass City Swing Band to kick off Derry Area summer concerts
A series of five Friday evening concerts featuring a variety of performers is planned this summer at the Derry Area School District Foundation Amphitheater. The amphitheater is located near the district’s Grandview Elementary School, off Route 982 north of the Derry Township village of Bradenville. All concerts begin at 6:30...
Cheerleaders will take over Latrobe basketball game to help animal groups
High school students from Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley will face off for a good cause May 17 in a role-reversal basketball game in the Greater Latrobe Senior High main gym. For the “Playing for Paws” game, cheerleaders will become players and players will serve as cheerleaders. Doors open at...
Saint Vincent College plans tours for prospective students
Saint Vincent College will hold Get Acquainted Days for prospective students and their families on June 15, July 20 and Aug. 17. Each day features a series of short talks on academics, admission procedures, financial aid and college life at Saint Vincent. The program includes a tour of the campus...
Summer concerts slated at Champion Lakes
Champion Lakes Golf Club in Fairfield Township is offering a summer concert series Saturday evenings on the patio overlooking its golf course. All ages are admitted for free to the two-hour events, which begin at 7 p.m. except as noted. An outside bar will be open for purchase of food...
Penn-Trafford teacher, coach, inspired young athletes
Pat Cortazzo flipped a coin with another teacher to decide who would coach the Trafford High School football team and who would coach basketball. Cortazzo, who loved football and was a quarterback at Geneva College, “lost” and accepted the basketball position, according to his son, Sam. It turned out to...
Unity adds $105K to public works garage project, awaits new trusses
Unity Township Supervisors this week approved more than $105,000 in extra construction on the township’s replacement public works garage. But major work on the building was on hold pending replacement of roof trusses that collapsed in two stages after they were installed last month. The building is being erected on...
Derry Area School Board eyes 2.8-mill tax hike
Kevin Liberoni was the sole school board member to vote against Derry Area School District’s tentative 2019-20 budget of just under $37.7 million, citing opposition to a proposal to raise property taxes to 90.6 mills. That 2.8-mill hike would cost the average residential property owner an additional $34.16. “Somebody has...
Derry music students, parents urge district to replace retiring choral teacher
Derry Area School Board members are considering raising taxes by 2.8 mills in the district’s pending 2019-20 budget, but not for money to replace two retiring music and English teachers or to fill a part-time art position. Eight music students and a few adults voiced their opposition at Thursday’s school...
Miniature Ligonier Valley Rail Road featured in model train tourVideo
The Ligonier Valley Rail Road is rolling over the track once more — in railroad historian and hobbyist Bob Stutzman’s Latrobe basement. The original railroad operated from 1877 to 1952, hauling freight and passengers 16 miles between Ligonier and Latrobe. Stutzman’s scaled-down version, featuring O-gauge cars that are 1⁄48 as...
World War II vet gets belated diploma from Derry Area High SchoolVideo
Pete and Kace Sabedra walked together across the Derry Area Middle School stage Wednesday. Kace, who will graduate from the district’s high school May 31, received the World Language Honor Society award for Spanish at the school’s annual awards ceremony. His grandfather, Pete, 91, received the equivalent of a lifetime...
Fighting invasive species topic of woodlands walk
Owners looking to restore woodlands affected by invasive plant species or deer can pick up some tips from an expert during a May 16 program in Hempfield. Mike DiRinaldo, a natural resource program specialist with the Bureau of State Parks, will lead the 6 p.m. program sponsored by the Westmoreland...
New Alexandria demolition derbies benefit those in need
Competitors and spectators revved up for some motorized mayhem will get their wish when the New Alexandria Lions Club’s demolition derbies return for another season, beginning Saturday . The derbies have been an annual tradition since the 1970s at the Lions Arena, at 1874 Lions Club Road, off Route 119...
