Jeff Himler stories, Page 144
Saint Vincent-Harvard education partnership to focus on adult-child interactions
The Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College is working with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education to promote adult-child relationships in early learning. The new three-year collaboration continues a partnership between Dana Winters, assistant professor of child and family studies at Saint Vincent, and Junlei Li, former co-director of...
Photos sought for 2020 Ligonier chamber calendar
The Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce is looking for scenic shots from the eastern end of Westmoreland County, to include in the organization’s 2020 calendar. Photos are needed to represent each of the four seasons, but they must be submitted by April 22. They must be of recognizable locations in...
Longtime Latrobe hardware store to close as owner retires
Like many customers, Alex Cairns has mixed feelings about the impending closure of Petrosky’s Pro Hardware in Latrobe. “I just wish them a happy retirement,” Cairns, of Ligonier Township, said as he shopped the retirement/closing sale over the weekend. “That should be good for them. Then I’m sad because it’s...
New Otter Trot 5K series features 6 trail races
The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy is encouraging people to welcome spring’s return by signing up for its new Otter Trot series of 5K races along regional trails. The six races, spaced over as many months, “seemed like a fun way to get people to explore the trails in the area,” while...
Volunteers needed for Loyalhanna Watershed litter cleanup
The Loyalhanna Watershed Association is looking for volunteers to clean litter from roadsides near Ligonier and Latrobe. The 14th annual spring cleanup, planned to cover more than 50 miles of roads, is set for 9 a.m. to noon April 27. The association wants to sign up volunteers by April 15....
Study recommends Latrobe Elementary crosswalks, but no new stop signs
Crosswalks, not new stop signs, are in order to improve safety near the new Latrobe Elementary School, a traffic study found. Consultant Gibson-Thomas Engineering completed the preliminary study for Latrobe officials to address city and school district concerns about the safety of children walking to and from the school. The...
Latrobe names Gray interim city manager
Michael Gray, Latrobe’s public works director, will serve as interim city manager while council members search for a permanent hire. On Monday, council named Gray to the interim position. He will not receive extra compensation. Gray, 40, of Unity, welcomed the challenge of simultaneously handling two roles for the city,...
Greensburg Catholic schoolteacher was keen on Irish heritage
St. Patrick’s Day was one of Mary McCloskey’s favorite times of the year. The holiday allowed her to share her love of her Irish heritage with the elementary students she taught for nearly four decades at what is now Greensburg’s Catholic Aquinas Academy. “She would make a big fuss in...
Officials: IUPatty’s police incidents down from 2018, but still plentiful
Overall police incidents during the annual IUPatty’s weekend, 7 a.m. Thursday through 7 a.m. Sunday, were down compared to last year, according to officials tracking the incidents in central Indiana County. The boisterous, three-day celebration thrown by students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is not sanctioned by the university and...
Man cut while escaping Plum apartment fire Saturday
A man suffered cuts while escaping from a Saturday evening fire that damaged his Plum apartment. The man broke out a front window of his first-floor apartment and cut his hands on the glass while climbing through to safety, according to Holiday Park Fire Chief James Sims. The man was...
Boy shot, man injured during scuffle at Washington County cinemas
A boy and a man were treated and released at area hospitals after being involved in an altercation late Saturday that resulted in the boy being shot in the leg at a Washington County movie theater. The man, from Greene County, whom police didn’t identify, suffered unspecified injuries in the...
Saturday morning fire displaces Monessen family
Fire officials say children playing with matches sparked a Saturday morning blaze that heavily damaged a Monessen home, displacing the family that lives there. No charges will be filed because of the young age of the children, according to Monessen Fire Department Station 1 Chief Chris Rhome. No one was...
Gunshots fired into Monroeville office of Rosfeld’s lawyer
Someone shot as many as eight bullets late Friday at the Monroeville office of Patrick Thomassey, the defense attorney for former East Pittsburgh police Officer Michael Rosfeld, police said. No suspects have been identified. Monroeville police are seeking information on an unknown vehicle neighbors heard driving away from the James...
North Huntingdon fire temporarily closes section of Route 30
A section of Route 30 was closed in both directions for about an hour Saturday morning as firefighters battled a blaze at a North Huntingdon auto dealership. According to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher, the fire was reported at 7:16 a.m. in an attic at an auto dealership at 13460...
Unity egg hunt registration under way
Unity Township’s annual Easter egg hunt will take place, rain or shine, at 10 a.m. April 6 at the township municipal building on Beatty County Road. Children age 10 or younger are invited to bring their baskets and take part in the hunt. Refreshments and a visit with the Easter...
Arnold Palmer airport eyes 2 millionth passenger, gets extra South Carolina flights
Westmoreland County officials are celebrating the arrival of the 2 millionth Spirit Airlines passenger at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, expected this month. The low-cost carrier has provided the only commercial flight service at the Unity airport since 2011. As of Feb. 28, the number of incoming and outbound passengers since...
Bridge project will close East Huntingdon road
A section of Chaintown Road (Route 3002) in East Huntingdon will be closed, between Catalina Farm and Loucks roads, while PennDOT crews replace a bridge with a precast box culvert. Work on the project is set to begin April 1 and is expected to wrap up by mid-June. A marked...
Rockwood woman ejected, killed in Somerset crash
A Rockwood woman died of blunt force trauma after being thrown from a pickup truck Monday evening in Somerset County, state police said. Authorities on Tuesday didn’t release the name of the 32-year-old victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene in Northampton Township. According to police, the crash occurred...
Greater Latrobe superintendent to retire in JulyVideo
Judith Swigart, after seeing Greater Latrobe School District through its first new school construction project in more than four decades, is preparing to retire as the district superintendent this summer. The school board Tuesday accepted Swigart’s resignation, for retirement, effective July 31. Swigart, 61, of Unity, said it’s time for...
Legion history program rescheduled in Derry
Retired Navy officer Bob MacPherson will present “The American Legion at 100” at 1 p.m. April 6 at Derry’s Caldwell Memorial Library. The presentation, rescheduled from March 7, draws upon historical records and newspaper accounts to tell the story of the veterans organization — beginning with its founding a century...
Workshops to inform parents about student vaping ‘epidemic’
Use of e-cigarettes, also known as vaping, has exploded among teens, so the Greater Latrobe School District is partnering with Breathe Pennsylvania to bring parents up to speed on the phenomenon officials say is putting students’ health at risk. The Cranberry-based nonprofit that focuses on lung health awareness will present...
Ligonier chamber plans annual dinner, awards
“Renaissance Year in the Valley” will be the program topic for the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 69th annual dinner, set for March 28 at The Cedars at Antiochian Village, along Route 711 six miles north of Ligonier. This celebration of chamber members, neighbors and the local business community will...
Navy veteran tended plants, stray cats
Donald Hisker had a passion for plants. The Greensburg native grew everything from tomatoes and cucumbers to petunias and irises, and he freely shared the bounty of his backyard garden as well as the benefit of his horticultural know-how. “He always had to have his tomato plants,” said his son,...
Police: Missing Blairsville woman found safe
A Blairsville woman who had been reported missing since early March has been located and is safe, state police in Indiana County said Tuesday. Jodi K. Leary, 44, a Blairsville native, was reported missing by her family Friday. Police said she’d last been seen by a family friend March 3...
Pipe trades apprentices to compete at Latrobe Industrial Park
Beginning tradespeople from across the state will converge in the Latrobe area this week for the annual Pennsylvania Pipe Trades Apprentice Contest. Hosted by the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Local Union 354, the contest will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday , at...
