Jeff Himler stories, Page 79
Officials: Mattress fire caused evacuation of Pittsburgh’s Roosevelt Arms apartments
A resident smoking in bed resulted in a mattress fire that led to the evacuation late Sunday of the Roosevelt Arms high-rise apartments in Downtown Pittsburgh, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. Reported at around 11:30 p.m., the fire was contained to an apartment on the 10th floor of the 14-floor...
Derry Township looks to complete 1 stormwater pond, open bids for 2nd
Derry Township expects this spring to complete construction of a retention pond next to the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center while planning another nearby to help control flooding along Sulphur Run in the township and neighboring Latrobe. Once completed, the pond near the CTC will take in stormwater from...
2 hopefuls seek appointment to vacant Latrobe Council seat
Latrobe Council will consider filling a vacancy in its ranks at its Feb. 14 meeting. Appointments to standing committees also will be considered, as council looks to organize a special panel to review a study for proposed streamlining of the city fire department. Two men who are involved in other...
Engineering expert: ‘Poor’ ratings don’t mean Westmoreland bridges are unsafeVideo
A collapse is the most dramatic outcome in a bridge’s lifespan. But it’s just the potential worst-case scenario for the 143 state-inspected bridges in Westmoreland County that are rated in poor condition and are likely to need attention sooner or later, if they haven’t already been closed. PennDOT lists a...
Depot Street detour to begin in Youngwood
A key block of Youngwood’s Depot Street will be closed beginning Monday as work continues on reconstructing the Route 119 corridor in the borough. Depot will be closed between Third Street, which carries northbound traffic on Route 119, and Fourth Street, which has the southbound lanes, while crews complete drainage...
Zoning panel clears way for 2nd group home in Unity
Community Options’ plan to open a second group home for special needs residents in Unity has won approval from the township zoning hearing board. The board voted 3-2 Tuesday to grant a special exception for the home designated for up to two residents on McClellan Drive in the Charter Oak...
Pittsburgh man charged with mid-December shooting at Waterworks mall
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in a Dec. 14 shooting that caused panic at The Waterworks mall and damaged an occupied car parked outside Walmart. John Hayden, 21, is charged by Pittsburgh police with aggravated assault, propulsion of missiles, criminal mischief, a firearms violation and two counts each of...
Westmoreland residents capture photo awards in Pa. Parks and Forests Foundation contest
Latrobe resident Clare Kaczmarek’s affinity for area parks is reflected in the photos she takes at the scenic locations. It also has translated into multiple wins in an annual photo contest conducted by the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation. An image Kaczmarek snapped of snow-covered structures and evergreens at Laurel...
Police: Hit-and-run crash critically injures Latrobe woman
Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck and critically injured a pedestrian Saturday in Derry Township. A man was driving east on Harrison Avenue, near the Union Mission, just before 6 p.m. when his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup struck a woman who was walking along the berm, state...
Tamburitzans display flare with folk dances in GreensburgVideo
Swords flashed and scarves twirled Sunday as the Tamburitzans presented a Georgian folk dance in Greensburg. Their touring show, “Symbols: The Awakening,” also features tradition-based songs and dances from several Eastern European and Nordic countries, as well as from Italy. The Georgian dance, featuring clashing swords and acrobatic leaps, highlights...
Hot Topic closes Pittsburgh Mills store
The Hot Topic store at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills welcomed customers for a final day of shopping before permanently closing on Sunday. The closure was announced Jan. 14 on the store’s Facebook page. According to the announcement, the store was not conducting “any deep sales or all-must-go sale and...
Indiana County woman reported missing in Kiski Township is found safe
A woman reported missing early Sunday in Kiski Township, Armstrong County, was found safe more than eight hours later in Indiana County. According to township police, Robin Bohannon, 36, who lives in the Clymer area, was considered endangered when she was reported missing about 1:30 a.m. She left a residence...
Pittsburgh police: Woman dead after being struck by a vehicle, man shot
Police investigating a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood Sunday morning found a female victim who was pronounced dead after being struck by a vehicle. At a Sunoco station in nearby Esplen, a male victim with a gunshot wound to the head told officers he’d been shot in Sheraden. He was...
Cold temperatures, Ligonier Diamond provide perfect setting for icy menagerie
Visitors flocked to Ligonier on Saturday to admire a pair of giant chickens and 59 other figures sculpted from ice. After a bone-chilling night, temperatures rose into the 30s by mid-morning, making ideal conditions for viewing the town’s 31st annual Ice Fest. Although the sun was out in full force...
Blaze at Penn Hills apartments displaces dozens, donations being accepted
Dozens of residents were displaced by a fire early Saturday at the Rodi Arms apartments in Penn Hills. Officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV no one was injured in the blaze that began as a kitchen fire shortly after midnight and spread to the attic of the three-story building in...
2nd handgun found in just over a week at Pittsburgh International Airport
Allegheny County police confiscated a loaded handgun found in a passenger’s possession Saturday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport’s main security checkpoint. Transportation Security Administration officers spotted the 9mm handgun just before 6 a.m. in a backpack belonging to a 23-year-old man, according to police. The man had a valid concealed...
Victim identified in fatal Avalon shooting, Hopewell man charged with homicide
Allegheny County police have arrested a Hopewell man in the shooting death of a man early Saturday in Avalon. Samuel Lee Tolfa, 32, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, carrying a firearm without a license and fleeing police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Jorden...
Charter Oak garbage complaints prompt request for hauling contract in Unity
Unity supervisors are being asked to consider contracting with a single garbage hauler to serve the township — an idea that has not been popular with residents in the past. The request comes from Chris Buchheit, a board member with the Charter Oak Civic Association. He told the supervisors at...
Report cites water quality issues in hundreds of miles of Allegheny, Westmoreland waterways
Sections of Loyalhanna Creek and several of its tributaries, as well as some streams in Salem, are among bodies of water in Westmoreland County that are considered impaired for various uses, according to a new statewide integrated water quality report from the Department of Environmental Protection. In neighboring Allegheny County,...
Vigil to honor Westmoreland pandemic victims, front line workers
A prayer vigil is planned at 6 p.m. Friday outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse to remember county residents who died from covid-19 and to honor front line workers in the pandemic. “Too many in our community were suffering before the pandemic, and now our needs are even more urgent,” said...
Greater Latrobe OKs 3.57-mill tax hike cap, locks in natural gas savings
The Greater Latrobe School Board has agreed to cap any potential property tax hike for 2022-23 to no more than 3.57 mills, the maximum amount as determined by a state-calculated inflation-based index. School directors this week also locked in an expected $22,000 savings on the future price of natural gas....
State police: 3 people injured after shooting at Butler County mall
Three people were injured in a shooting incident Tuesday evening at Clearview Mall in Butler County, state police said. First responders were dispatched to the mall just before 6:15 p.m. after multiple shots were fired during an altercation in the parking lot of the Rural King store in Center Township,...
Unity considers expanding property tax rebate for all senior citizens
Supervisors in Unity are considering expanding the township’s senior citizen property tax rebate program to include all residents 65 or older. The supervisors last week on Thursday agreed to have Solicitor Gary Falatovich research the possibility that was suggested by board Chairman Mike O’Barto. The township initiated a real estate...
Greensburg Salem seeks new administrator to boost outreach, web presence
Greensburg Salem is looking to revamp and expand a central administrative post to enhance the district’s online presence and local outreach. The school board has agreed to advertise for the new position of associate administrator to the superintendent and community outreach, with a starting salary not to exceed $72,000. Greensburg...
Community Options plan for 2nd group home in Unity draws concern from residents
A local administrator of a nonprofit who wants to house up to two special needs clients in a home on McClellan Drive in Unity drew plenty of questions Tuesday from neighbors and from township zoning board members. They voiced concerns about safety and the impact the facility would have on...
