Jeff Himler stories, Page 86
North Huntingdon church offers blessings for pets, support for animal rescue groups
The Rev. Brenda Barnes gave kisses, and got some, after delivering her Sunday sermon. The pastor applied a kiss, as well as anointing oil, to animals that were cooperative, as she conducted the annual Blessing of the Pets from noon to 2 p.m. at the pavilion of New Hope Presbyterian...
Hit-and-run crash in East Pittsburgh results in driver’s death
A hit-and-run crash Saturday in East Pittsburgh left a Monroeville man dead, state police said. James Haberfield, 72, was pronounced dead at about 4:45 p.m. at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The crash occurred shortly before 4 p.m. as Haberfield was driving south...
Police arrest suspect in death of woman found in Beaver County field
State police arrested a Beaver Falls man in the death of a woman whose body was found Wednesday in Beaver County. Police charged John Westley Johnson Jr., 68, with criminal homicide in the death of Sharon Benyo, 46, of Beaver Falls. Benyo’s body was discovered Wednesday morning in an open...
Land Trust road ramble will give motorists scenic tour through Westmoreland
Area motorists who want to explore the county’s scenic byways will have that opportunity during the upcoming Westmoreland Ramble road rally. Organized by the Westmoreland Land Trust, Sunday’s event will raise money for the nonprofit as well as raising awareness of the properties it protects for their cultural, historical, ecological,...
Agencies stress awareness of domestic violence, offer help to victims in Westmoreland
Area residents who find they’ve become the target of domestic violence or other abusive behavior don’t need to suffer in silence. Westmoreland County’s Blackburn Center operates a 24-hour hotline (888-832-2272) that provides crisis counseling to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and other types of violence and crime. “Anyone can...
Fort Ligonier Days draws crowds for parade, crafts, food, historyVideo
Keith Hall lives in Wexford, and his family hails from the Derry area. But his heart belongs to Ligonier — at least during the latter town’s annual Fort Ligonier Days festival. Hall staked out a prominent spot along Saturday’s festival parade route. He sported a green-and-purple kilt, representing his Scottish...
Duquesne shooting sends man to hospital
Allegheny County Police are investigating a shooting late on Friday that left a man injured in Duquesne. Just before 11:30 p.m., county 911 dispatchers were notified of shots fired in the 0 to 100 block of Miller Avenue . First responders learned shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday that an 18-year-old...
Greensburg Salem adds 2 elementary teachers, expands instructional assist for students
Greensburg Salem School Board has added to its elementary faculty to reduce class sizes for kindergartners. The district also is looking to expand instructional staff who provide extra assistance to struggling students. The board hired three elementary teachers this week. Two were faculty additions prompted by large kindergarten classes at...
Auction slated for Ligonier Beach items; demolition of 2 buildings planned
Memorabilia and furnishings from the shuttered Ligonier Beach swimming pool and restaurant will go on the auction block Oct. 23 in preparation for plans to demolish two structures there and clear the way for revitalization of the Ligonier Township landmark. Mark Ferry Auctioneers of Unity will conduct the 9 a.m....
Pittsburgh police: Man, 85, found safe after reported missing in Sheraden
Pittsburgh police said a man reported missing on Tuesday has been found and is safe. The police department’s Special Victims Unit had been searching for Peter Jackson, 85, after he was last seen in the city’s Sheraden neighborhood....
‘Person of interest’ in custody as California Borough police investigate shooting
Police in California Borough are investigating a report of shots fired Wednesday morning near the corner of Union and Third streets, about a half-dozen blocks from the California University of Pennsylvania campus. According to Twitter alerts by campus police no injuries were reported in the incident, which began at about...
Fort Ligonier Days back in force with parade, period reenactments, spirits and wine tasting
Fort Ligonier Days returns this weekend with a full schedule of activities including a parade Saturday, craft and food booths, musical entertainment and battle reenactments. The nonprofit organization that operates the festival in Ligonier expects the annual event to rebound after pandemic restrictions resulted in last year’s scaled-back version —...
Indiana County spans rededicated to honor 14th Quartermaster’s Clark, 3 others killed in action
Indiana County motorists who travel on Route 56, between Armagh and Brush Valley, now know they are crossing the Blacklick Creek on the Specialist Beverly S. Clark Memorial Bridge. State officials on Tuesday dedicated the span — formerly known as the Buena Vista Bridge — to the East Wheatfield Township...
Greensburg bishop to bless ‘Raccoon Whisperer’s’ furry friends
A group of ring-tailed rascals that have enjoyed handouts from a Canadian man will experience a different kind of grace on Monday. Bishop Larry J. Kulick of the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, is set to make a Facebook appearance, blessing the furry co-stars of James Blackwood’s YouTube show, “Raccoon Whisperer.”...
Seton Hill sisters’ online stories provide window into regional history, Catholic women’s livesVideo
Sister Francis Louise Honeychuck helped her mother clean a casket factory in Scottdale and watched over the two youngest of her five siblings after her father died in the 1918 flu pandemic, just before she turned 4. “I recall picking up oodles of straight pins off the chairs, floor, anywhere,”...
Duquesne man arrested after seizure of suspected fentanyl, ‘ghost gun’ from his home
Allegheny County Police arrested a Duquesne man Friday after seizing 33 bricks of suspected fentanyl from his residence. Rashaad Fitzgerald, 29, is charged with possession of a controlled substanceand possession with intent to deliver. Police also charged him with endangering the welfare of children, tampering with evidence and firearms violations....
West Penn Trail Triathlon returns with combo of paddling, biking, running near Saltsburg
Paddlers, runners and bicyclists are gearing up for the annual Conemaugh Valley Conservancy West Penn Trail Triathlon, set to return on Oct. 9. Now in its eighth year, the event attracted about 170 participants in 2019 and has at least 100 registered for the upcoming edition, including residents from neighboring...
Pitt-Greensburg 2020 grads to return for belated in-person commencement
Members of the Pitt-Greensburg Class of 2020 had a virtual graduation ceremony last year because of pandemic restrictions. Some of them will be taking advantage of an opportunity to return to the Hempfield campus for an in-person commencement ceremony on Saturday , in conjunction with the annual Homecoming Blue and...
PennDOT eyes construction on 1st section of Laurel Valley project, displays plans for another
PennDOT is preparing to begin work on the southern section of the Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project, between Mt. Pleasant and Norvelt. Meanwhile, the public will have a chance to view and comment on plans for the next section of the project — extending from Norvelt north to a point...
Power outage closes Baggaley Elementary Wednesday
A power outage forced the closure of Baggaley Elementary School in Unity on Wednesday. The school experienced a partial outage overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, which caused the utility company to “de-energize the power line and knock out power to the entire building” just before 7 a.m., according to Mike...
Final beams arrive for Latrobe’s Brewery Bridge; both lanes could be open in December
Latrobe’s Brewery Bridge is on track to fully reopen to traffic in December after the final beams arrived this week . 28 for rehabilitating the county-owned span on North Ligonier Street. Throughout construction, which began in April, traffic across the bridge over Loyalhanna Creek has been one-way northbound. That has...
Proposed Latrobe zoning update would address signs, include land-use table
Latrobe City is considering updates to sections of its zoning regulations to make them more accessible and to include provisions for potential new land uses, such as electric-car charging stations. Councilman Ralph Jenko, who served on a committee charged with recommending the updates, said they will be reviewed by the...
Electronics manufacturer unveils expanded footprint at Westmoreland Innovation Center
A growing electronics manufacturing firm settled into a newly expanded facility in Westmoreland County. Area officials joined Intervala executives Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark completion of the company’s 217,000-square-foot location at the RIDC Westmoreland Innovation Center near New Stanton. Intervala President and CEO Teresa Huber said the expansion...
State trooper charged with assault, resisting arrest in Washington County
A trooper assigned to the state police barracks in Belle Vernon was charged with aggravated assault following a disturbance call Monday morning in Claysville, Washington County. In addition to the second-degree felony assault charge, Trooper Dustin Schumacher, 30, of Claysville, is charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and disorderly...
Shoeboxes stuffed with gifts headed from Westmoreland to needy kids around the worldVideo
A simple comb, a gift from someone in another country, gave Alex Nsengimana something to hold onto in 1995 as a 7-year-old orphan in war-torn Rwanda. “It was the very first time I ever received a gift in my life,” he said. “On the one side it had a little...
