Jeff Himler stories, Page 113

Unity resident Cathy Sarraf finished just out of the running in November’s election of five Greater Latrobe school directors, but she joined the board this week as an appointed member. With Eric Hauser absent, the school board voted 6-1 Tuesday to appoint Sarraf to serve the two years remaining in...

A journey of discovery from Westmoreland County to the Emerald Isle is less than a year away, in the first-ever foreign travel package offered by the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. There is no limit to the number of chamber and community members who can sign on for...

A Greater Latrobe ninth-grader’s sharp eyes and caring response helped free a white-tailed deer trapped in Unity this past fall. Pennsylvania Game Commission officers surprised Parker Williams on Friday when they arrived at her school and presented her with a certificate, recognizing the initiative she took on Nov. 4 to...

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport saw a 3% increase in its passenger total last year while preparing for runway improvements that officials say could open the door for more commercial flights. The combined number of passengers boarding and disembarking from Spirit Airlines flights at the Unity airport in 2019 increased by...

Rock ‘n roll had its first major impact about 65 years ago, with the release of the Elvis Presley single “That’s All Right (Mama).” Also in 1954, doctors began a mass trial vaccination of children against polio and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. That...

A nonprofit that organized solar power co-ops in Allegheny and more than a half dozen other Western Pennsylvania counties scheduled three informational sessions for prospective members of a similar co-op that is forming in Westmoreland County. Solar United Neighbors of Pennsylvania set the first meeting for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at...

Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling in 2019 collected more than 2 million pounds of televisions and other electronics along with 6,000 tires. This year, the Unity Township-based nonprofit should be able to handle an even larger volume. A planned move to a new drop-off recycling center near Pleasant Unity will increase...

The shuttered Ligonier Beach could open to the public once more this summer, but visitors shouldn’t plan on bringing their swim trunks just yet. Ligonier Township in November bought the landmark swimming pool and restaurant along Route 30 just east of Ligonier from Sherry and Steven Kozar, for $230,000. This...

Unity Township supervisors approved a 3% wage hike for most township workers and are searching for a new emergency management coordinator. At their reorganization meeting this week, the supervisors approved the pay increase for two non-union employees. That hike matches the raise recently approved for 23 union members who work...

Motorists may encounter changing traffic patterns in the Rostraver community of Webster beginning this week, while boring is under way on a section of Route 906. According to PennDOT, workers will be completing geotechnical borings between Mechanics and Kline streets to prepare for a bridge replacement. The work is expected...

Three bestselling female authors who hail from the West Coast will discuss their writing and today’s publishing industry during a presentation Tuesday at Seton Hill University in Greensburg. “An Evening with Juliet Blackwell, Rachael Herron and Sophie Littlefield” is set for 7 p.m. in the Carol Reichgut Concert Hall at...

Motorists should be prepared for potential traffic delays Tuesday on Route 51 in Rostraver as crews complete preliminary field work for proposed reconstruction of the highway’s interchange with I-70. According to PennDOT, southbound traffic on Route 51, in the area near I-70 and Finley Road, will be restricted to one...

Western Pennsylvania’s ridges can serve as superhighways for birds of prey migrating north each spring and south when fall arrives. Two Fayette County brothers have established that Chestnut Ridge, the western-most of those ridges, provides just such a route. At a Thursday presentation of the Westmoreland Woodlands Improvement Association, they’ll...

With “The Rise of Skywalker,” the latest “Star Wars” sequel, currently blasting the competition at the box office, science fiction films are enjoying as high a profile as ever since the original movie in the franchise debuted in 1977. Today, fans of the genre are encouraged to take a deeper...

An evening of stand-up routines and catered edibles is planned for the 16th Annual Comedy Night presented by Latrobe-Greater Latrobe School District Parks & Recreation. Set for Jan. 25, the event will feature a lineup of Pittsburgh-area comedians, to be announced. Doors will open at 6 p.m. at Huber Hall,...

Margaree Pertle was strong in her commitment to causes that benefited others, including the fight against cancer. Pertle, who founded the Norwin Relay for Life 15 years ago, took part in the yearly fundraising walk around the Norwin Knights track in North Huntingdon to raise money for cancer research —...

Greensburg-based MedCare Equipment Company is expanding its service area and adding about 20 employees through a new affiliation with Somerset Med Services. On Wednesday, the Greensburg firm, which provides home medical equipment and respiratory therapy services in affiliation with the local Excela Health health care system, is set to conclude...

Frances Kintigh could play everything from a Bach cantata to a Scott Joplin rag on her baby grand piano, but the hymns she provided accompaniment for were her favorite form of musical expression. “She loved the songs of the church,” said her daughter, Patricia Kintigh. “Wonderful Words of Life” was...

As the 2019 holiday season winds down, Latrobe officials are looking to add more sparkle to the city’s downtown displays next year. The city placed seasonally themed banners on decorative lamp posts recently installed along downtown streets in a cooperative effort with the Latrobe Community Revitalization Program. But Mayor Rosie...

Scottdale native Bill Bair frequently carried an attache case in the early 1950s, but the documents he bore weren’t business files. Often they were important military papers entrusted to him as an assistant to Korean War officers. Though he enlisted in the Navy in 1948, Bair usually traveled aboard airplanes...

Sidonia Peruzzi had an independent spirit and a drive that was seemingly boundless. “She was a very energetic person,” said daughter Victoria Waugaman of Hempfield. “She had more stamina than I do.” In her 80s, Mrs. Peruzzi was no longer able to drive her yellow Volkswagen Beetle, but that didn’t...

Those attending Westmoreland’s 2020 State of the County luncheon will have an opportunity to hear from and question the three county commissioners on issues of interest to the business community. The annual event will be held at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 9 at the Ramada by Wyndham Greensburg Hotel and Conference...