Jeff Himler stories, Page 150
Severe weather in 2018 leads to increased Latrobe fire calls
Latrobe firefighters responded to a near record 1,018 alarms in 2018 — second only to a record 1,101 calls the volunteer department answered in 2004. “We got through it, but I hope it slows down a little,” fire Chief John Brasile said of last year’s emergency volume. In each of...
Greater Latrobe eyes 2.36-mill cap on potential tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering setting a 2.36-mill cap on a potential property tax increase for the 2019-20 school year. That maximum hike, which would raise an estimated $802,400 in additional revenue for the district, is in line with an adjusted 2.9 percent Act 1 index limit determined by...
Woodlands group offers tour of Champion wood mill
The Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association is sponsoring a field trip Saturday to a wood mill in Champion that turns lumber into handles for landscaping and gardening tools. The tour of the Ames Companies’ mill begins at 9 a.m. at 135 Roaring Run Road. It is expected to last about 90...
Latrobe OKs 26 percent hike in garbage fees, hears union drivers’ concerns
Latrobe residents will see their quarterly garbage collection bills increase by $15, or an average of 26 percent, this year under a new five-year contract between the city and its refuse hauler, Republic Services. With Mayor Rosie Wolford absent, city council Monday voted 6-0 in favor of the agreement, which...
Monroeville man sought for allegedly stealing car in Indiana County
State police are looking for a Monroeville man charged with stealing a car in Indiana County. Police allege Dakar Allen Jones, 46, took a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am coupe from a Blairsville woman at about 5 a.m. June 3, outside the Eat’n Park restaurant on Oakland Avenue in White Township....
Rostraver crash sends 3 to area hospitals
Three motorists were taken at area hospitals for treatment following a two-vehicle collision Sunday on Route 51 in Rostraver Township. The crash happened around 12:45 p.m. in the southbound lanes of the highway, near Willowbrook Plaza. Two patients were taken by ambulance to a local hospital. A third was taken...
Millsboro lumber store considered total loss in Saturday fire
Firefighters suspect a wood-burner heating system may have sparked a blaze that destroyed the main retail building of Millsboro Lumber and Hardware Saturday afternoon in Washington County. No one was injured. The East Bethlehem Township business was evacuated when an employee reported the fire at about 2 p.m., East Bethlehem...
State police are looking for suspect in Somerset County bar break-in
State police are looking for a suspect who took money and alcoholic beverages during a break-in early Thursday at a bar in Boswell, Somerset County. An unidentified white male suspect entered a rear window between 2:50 and 3 a.m. at Merchants Restaurant and Lounge, 325 Main St., broke into a...
‘Blurted’ comment about Rose prompted failed contempt charge against Rosfeld attorney
Prosecutors failed in an attempt to have the attorney defending the former East Pittsburgh police officer charged in the shooting death of Antwon Rose II held in contempt of court, unsuccessfully arguing that the attorney violated a court gag order by “blurting” out information about Rose at a Dec. 20...
Acme horse team pulls out heavyweight win at Pa. Farm Show
The Brown Brothers team of Mt. Pleasant Township brought plenty of horse power to the Pennsylvania Farm Show last week, winning the heavyweight horse pulling contest with equine siblings Chip and Charlie in harness. Chip and Charlie, a pair of Belgian draft horses, beat nine other teams Tuesday to take...
5 people displaced by Thursday morning fire that spread to attic of Greensburg home
Five people were displaced by a fire that damaged the second-floor bedroom and attic of a house in the 500 block of Mt. Pleasant Street, Greensburg fire Chief Tom Bell said. Firefighters from multiple companies battled the blaze into early Thursday morning as it spread from the bedroom to the...
Unabomber, Boston Marathon bomber attorney to represent Tree of Life shooting defendant
A prominent San Diego attorney who has represented such high-profile defendants as the Boston Marathon bomber and the Unabomber has been named to help lead the defense team for the man accused of fatally shooting 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Judy Clarke, of the...
Daisyfield sausage recalled, may contain rubber
An Ohio company is recalling about 1,719 pounds of Daisyfield brand raw pork sausage products that may be contaminated with rubber. J. H. Routh Packing Co. of Sandusky issued the recall for seven varieties of the ground sausage products that were produced from Jan. 1 through Friday and were distributed...
Troopers say Indiana County woman missing for a week discovered ‘safe’
State police in Indiana said an Indiana County woman who was reported missing by her family since Jan. 3 was discovered safe Thursday. According to police, Megan Sue Durand, 35, was last seen at about 4 p.m. Jan. 3 at a residence on Red Street in the village of Iselin...
Wider runway, 2 millionth passenger eyed at Arnold Palmer airport in 2019
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport expects to reach a milestone in 2019: serving its two millionth passenger since February 2011, when Spirit Airlines became the facility’s sole commercial carrier. Officials at the Unity airport also plan to widen the runway as preparations proceed for installing a second passenger boarding bridge. The...
Contractor: Water line relocation nearing end on Route 981 in LatrobeVideo
Ligonier Construction crews hope to wrap up water line relocation work on Latrobe’s Lloyd Avenue during the week of Jan. 14, weather permitting. The contractor has been working, on and off, since November — restricting daytime traffic to a single, alternating lane on a section of Lloyd south of Unity...
Warhawk fighter plane joins World War II program at Westmoreland air show
A restored Air Force P-40 Warhawk fighter plane will join the high-flying spectacle May 25-26 at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. The World War II-era aircraft will be featured in the “Tora! Tora! Tora!” program during the 2019 Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow. The plane and the program...
Navy veteran had a knack for fixing things
Gerald Dempsey Sr. knew how to keep things running — at work, at home and aboard a Navy destroyer. Mr. Dempsey worked for more than 42 years at the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock, keeping controls for the steel plant’s powerhouse in working order before retiring in the late 1980s....
Storm prompts vehicle, speed restrictions on northern interstates
Predictions of ice-coated roadways late Monday and early Tuesday have prompted officials to reduce the speed limit and temporarily ban motorcycles and some trucks on interstates in Pennsylvania’s northern tier. Between 11 p.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday, traffic restrictions will be in place on:Interstate 80, east of the junction...
Veteran music instructor looks to career coda, choral reunion during final year at Derry Area
When Melody Vigo retires from teaching music this spring, her song will be far from over. It will reverberate in the lives of generations of Derry Area School District students she helped launch on their own musical journeys. Music instructors “go into this profession because we love music,” said Vigo,...
Greensburg girl earns PA Farm Show fashion honors
Emily Jumper, 17, of Greensburg took Best in Show honors Saturday in the 4-H Fashion with a Flair competition at the 103rd Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. Jumper topped the field wearing her pink formal-wear dress with a wrap and trumpet skirt she made from a matching rainbow-patterned fabric. She...
Steel City Comedy Tour headed for Donegal center
The Steel City Comedy Tour will arrive Jan. 19 at the Donegal Event Center. Sponsored by the Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company of Stahlstown, the show will begin at 8 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. at 113 Community Center Lane, Jones Mills. Tickets cost $25 per person or $45...
Pittsburgh energy forum will address carbon-reduction strategies
Strategies for reducing carbon emissions, and checking the worst effects of climate change, will be the topic of a Jan. 29 public forum at Pittsburgh’s Energy Innovation Center. Three panelists will address, “The future of energy: Can we get to zero carbon?” from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. at 1435 Bedford...
Traffic on Sewickley Township road restricted by landslide
A section of Guffey Road in Sewickley Township has been reduced to a single lane of traffic because of a landslide. PennDOT officials Thursday announced the restriction, between Turner Valley and Mickanin roads, and advised that traffic will be controlled by stop signs until the problem is addressed. The curving...
Senior socials slated in Pleasant Unity
Unity Township is continuing its monthly senior socials in 2019. Weather permitting, the events will be held at 2 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Country Cafe, 2082 State Route 130, Pleasant Unity. Senior citizens are invited for an afternoon of free bingo, door prizes and refreshments,...
