Jeff Himler stories, Page 73
Compass Inn goes rogue — blacksmiths and ‘scoundrels’ featured at Laughlintown site
Visitors to Laughlintown’s Compass Inn Museum will find a gathering of blacksmiths on Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. , as many as 25 area blacksmiths will be demonstrating their skills on the grounds of the historic Route 30 inn, which has been restored to its prime 1830s appearance....
Greensburg to unveil new public works garage with tours, fire department display
Greensburg’s public works staff moved into a new garage in March. The public will be invited inside to tour the nearly 13,000-square-foot facility at 520 Urania Ave. during an open house from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. While adults might be curious to see the results of the roughly $1.7...
Greensburg Salem searches again for business manager, OKs maintenance, custodial contract
The Greensburg Salem School Board last week approved a new three-year contract with maintenance and custodial workers extending through June 2024. The board also agreed to search for two new central office administrators, including a replacement for business manager Joan Wehner, who has resigned to accept a similar post at...
New conservation easement protects Loyalhanna headwaters in Cook
A new conservation easement obtained by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has added close to 300 acres in Cook Township to nearly 27,000 acres the nonprofit conservation organization has protected in the Ligonier Valley. The easement covers 289 acres of privately owned forested property along Chestnut Ridge. The property includes more...
Greensburg Salem School Board looks to hold line on taxes, continue free high school meals
Greensburg Salem School Board is expected to vote Wednesday on a proposed 2022-23 district budget that would support about $49.1 million in planned expenses without raising taxes. To cover that spending, which reflects a 2% increase from this school year, the district might have to pull more than $658,000 from...
Bridge replacement project will close I-70 off-ramp in Rostraver
Work related to replacement of a bridge overpass will affect traffic on eastbound Interstate 70 in Rostraver beginning Monday. The eastbound off-ramp is set to close at 8 p.m. at the Arnold City exit and will remain closed until 6 a.m. on the following Thursday, depending on weather conditions. PennDOT...
Greater Latrobe hopes to avoid potential 1-mill school tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board is eyeing a proposed 2022-23 budget of more than $61.5 million that could require a 1-mill tax increase to cover a funding shortfall. But district officials have indicated they may be able to reduce or eliminate that potential tax hike if school subsidy increases proposed by...
Latrobe city manager resigns for 2nd time, accepting private sector job
Michael Gray is resigning a second time from his role as Latrobe’s city manager. Gray confirmed Thursday in an email statement that the change is effective May 20. “My decision to resign was voluntary as I was offered employment in the private sector,” Gray said. “I will be assisting the...
John Fetterman brings bid for U.S. Senate to Greensburg as primary nears
John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor and a leading Democratic candidate for a U.S. Senate seat, made his ultimate goal clear when he spoke to an informal gathering of about 130 people Tuesday evening in Greensburg. During a meet-and-greet campaign stop on the patio of El Diablo Brewing Co. & Wood-Fired...
Latrobe Council OKs public works union contract, raises
A dozen Latrobe City workers who are members of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 629 will receive annual pay hikes of 4.25% under a new three-year contract approved unanimously by city council. Beginning July 1, the agreement covers seven public works employees and additional clerical staff....
PennDOT filling mine void to repair Route 981 dip near Latrobe
Work is underway to repair a large dip in the surface of Route 981 just south of Latrobe that has caused motorists to hit their brakes for more than a year. According to PennDOT officials, mine subsidence caused a section of the road to settle, resulting in an uneven ride...
Rising covid cases prompt 3-day closure of Pittsburgh CAPA 6-12
Students at Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Creative And Performing Arts 6-12 will switch to remote learning for three days because of rising covid-19 cases at the magnet school. The closure of the school on Ninth Street, in the city’s Cultural District, was triggered when positive covid cases climbed to 38 on...
Officials: 17-year-old boy killed in shooting that wounded 2 others in Pittsburgh’s Allentown
A Pittsburgh teen has died in a shooting that wounded two other people Monday evening in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood, according to authorities. Isaiah Dennis Anderson was pronounced dead at the scene in the 700 block of East Warrington Avenue, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Two others were...
Latrobe group’s winery gathering combines female empowerment, community philanthropy
A Latrobe-based group of women have made it their mission to support other women and local organizations that benefit women and children. Since forming in 2019, SHE — which stands for Sophisticated, Humble, Empowered — has raised money and donated materials toward a shelter for victims of sexual assault and...
Route 981 improvement project triggers nighttime closures in Mt. Pleasant Township
A section of Route 981 in Mt. Pleasant Township will be subject to weeknight closures as work proceeds to update the road as part of PennDOT’s Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. Beginning on Monday, the road will be closed to traffic between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday evenings through...
Families can get an early start on rides this weekend at Idlewild
Seekers of family fun and thrills can get an earlier start this year at Idlewild and SoakZone. The traditional Idlewild section of the amusement park on Route 30 in Ligonier Township will open for its 145th season on Saturday, two weeks earlier than usual. Weekend operations are scheduled through May...
Hollidaysburg man found with loaded handgun at Arnold Palmer Airport checkpoint
Authorities caught a man trying to board a flight with a loaded gun Thursday morning at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. It was the first gun found this year at the security checkpoint of the airport in Unity. Transportation Security Administration officers stopped a man from Hollidaysburg, Blair County, who had...
Latin music, Mexican treats await during downtown Latrobe’s Fiesta Fourth
If you can’t wait until Cinco de Mayo, the merchants of downtown Latrobe are offering a Fiesta Fourth from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday. It’s a South of the Border twist to the business district’s monthly Shop Hop events, when participating retailers stay open later than usual with special offers...
Belle Vernon man held for court on murder charge in New Year’s Day shooting
Rostraver District Judge Charles Christner cited testimony from Anthony Hairston’s girlfriend Monday when he held the Belle Vernon man for court on a first-degree murder charge stemming from a fatal New Year’s Day shooting in Rostraver Township. Township police say Hairston, 26, fired a gun that fatally wounded 59-year-old Holly...
Tiny tractors add interest to annual farm equipment show in East HuntingdonVideo
Activities for Sunday’s final day of the annual Hammer-In and Plow Days in East Huntingdon were scaled back as sporadic rainstorms moved through the area. Tractors and other machinery gathered for the event by the Fort Allen Antique Farm Equipment Association mostly remained silent after plowing and parading the previous...
3-car crash on Pa. Turnpike in Penn Township sends 1 to hospital
One person was taken by ambulance to a local hospital after a three-car wreck Sunday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Penn Township, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The crash was reported at about 9:15 a.m. in the westbound lanes of the turnpike at mile marker 61,...
Shooting at bar in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood sends 3 to hospital
Three people were in stable condition after a shooting late Saturday at a bar in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood, according to a city Public Safety spokeswoman. The shooting was reported at 11:45 p.m. at Zano’s Pub House in the 3800 block of Acorn Street. An initial investigation by city police revealed...
Police: Suspect in custody after domestic dispute leads to fatal Hill District stabbing
A female suspect is in custody after a stabbing left a male victim dead early Sunday in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, according to city police. Police said Angela Stewart, 34, was charged with homicide and is being held at the Allegheny County Jail. The stabbing was reported shortly after 4 a.m....
High school senior, local kids have hand in Greensburg’s new ‘butterfly’ art
A kaleidoscope of multicolored butterflies brightened the day for many who visited Greensburg’s Art in the Alley on Saturday. The newest in a variety of outdoor art pieces exhibited along Wilcox Way, next to The Palace Theatre, the butterfly display was installed in time for Saturday’s townwide Arts Walk event...
2 injured in Unity crash involving motorcycles
A crash involving two motorcycles Saturday in Unity sent two people to area hospitals, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor. The wreck was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Marguerite Road near Cougar Lane. One person was taken by ambulance for treatment and the other was flown by...
