Jeff Himler stories, Page 118
Greensburg Diocese to broadcast, stream Divine Mercy service
Bishop Edward C. Malesic of the Greensburg Diocese will lead a Divine Mercy service that will be broadcast and streamed Sunday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Faith During Crisis: Lord, Have Mercy!” will be aired at 2 p.m. on WTAE-TV and will be available immediately afterward on the diocese’s...
Latrobe OKs new stormwater fee, but delays collection
Latrobe property owners will be asked to pay a new stormwater management fee, but not just yet. City council this week voted to create a new department to take charge of state-mandated stormwater management efforts, including reducing the flow of sediments into Loyalhanna Creek. It also established an annual supporting...
Arnold Palmer runway widening begins, despite rain
Rainy weather didn’t stop contractors from starting work Monday on a project that will give pilots a bigger target when they land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. General contractor Golden Triangle Construction began stockpiling stone that will be used this year as it widens the runway from 100 feet to...
4th Port Authority employee tests positive for covid-19
A fourth Port Authority worker has tested positive for covid-19, authority officials said Friday. The bus driver, who has been on light duty since Feb. 12 and works out of the East Liberty garage, self-reported the test result, according to the authority. The employee is at home after last working...
Police: 15-year-old in stolen car crashes during chase, 2 injured
Police say a 15-year-old boy driving a stolen car led police on a chase Friday morning that ended when he crashed into an SUV in Richland Township, injuring its elderly driver. The boy and a 64-year-old woman, who was one of two occupants in the SUV, were both listed in...
Derry Area grad among USS Roosevelt sailors in quarantine
Rachel Beck got good news early this week: She is among at least 3,170 Navy personnel assigned to the USS Theodore Roosevelt who have tested negative for coronavirus infection. Beck, 24, who is a 2017 Derry Area High School graduate, was evacuated from the aircraft carrier to a house in...
Jumonville’s towering cross a ‘beacon of hope’ for 7 decades atop Fayette ridgeVideo
Heather Withrow was drawn to the Cross of Christ in the 1990s. Towering 60 feet atop Dunbar’s Knob, at the highest point above the affiliated Jumonville Camp and Conference Center, the shining white cross can be seen from miles away, including from Route 40. Withrow discovered her favorite view of...
Unity is on board with proposed property tax deadline extensionVideo
Pennsylvania lawmakers may empower municipalities to extend payment deadlines for local property taxes by several months, and the Unity Township Supervisors hope they’ll do just that. With the coronavirus-triggered economic slowdown placing residents under financial stress, the supervisors voted this week to provisionally extend the deadline for early payment of...
Ligonier Valley Historical Society accepting orders for native plant sale
Home gardeners who are looking forward to adding new plants to their flower beds might consider some of the native varieties being offered by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society. The Laughlintown-based society’s native plant sale is being held in partnership with nearby Penguin Court, a preserve of the Brandywine Conservancy....
‘Happy’ 90-year-old dances down Hempfield Manor hallwaysVideo
A walker now might help Sarah “Dolly” Ponchak with her balance, but she still doesn’t miss a beat. To prove it, staff at Hempfield Manor — where Ponchak lives — recently danced down the nursing home hallways with the 90-year-old. Her family and others posted a video posted on the...
Greater Latrobe cancels prom, plans summertime event for seniors
Greater Latrobe students will have to make do without a high school prom this year. But district officials hope a proposed summertime “Senior Spectacular” will give members of the Class of 2020 a similar celebratory experience. “We hope it’s going to be a very memorable event,” said district Superintendent Georgia...
Excela medical officer, Sen. Casey to take part in coronavirus ‘tele-town hall’
Sen. Bob Casey will host a discussion with Western Pennsylvania residents about the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday , in the first of a series of “tele-town halls” planned across the state. The 6 p.m. event is targeted for residents of Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Greene, Fayette, Washington, Beaver, Lawrence, Butler, Indiana,...
Gov. Wolf: Fly state flags at half-staff to honor covid-19 victims
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday ordered all state flags on Pennsylvania public buildings and grounds flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. “Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to covid-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die,” Wolf said as the state saw the largest single-day...
Parkway West westbound lanes reopen after Findlay crash involving wrong-way driver
Parkway West westbound lanes reopened to traffic after 11:30 p.m. Friday, following a wreck between the Moon Business Loop and the McClaren Road interchanges, according to PennDOT. Findlay Township Police confirmed that two vehicles were involved in a wrong-way crash. Westbound traffic was temporarily detoured via the Moon Business Loop...
Palmer postmark available for items mailed to Latrobe postmaster
The Latrobe post office is offering a postmark cancellation honoring late local golfing legend Arnold Palmer. The April 3 postmark will be available for 30 days, according to the Postal Service. It features Palmer’s trademark umbrella logo. The postmark offer arrives a month after post offices in Latrobe and elsewhere...
Teen hospitalized after shooting in Penn Hills
A teenage boy who was walking from Pittsburgh was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Friday in Penn Hills, police said. The boy was shot once in the buttocks with a small-caliber weapon at about 5:30 p.m. while he was walking in the 200 block...
Westmoreland dome display a tribute to those fighting covid-19 pandemic
Westmoreland County is shining a light on the efforts of all those engaged in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. County officials on Friday began a nightly light display on the courthouse dome in Greensburg. Friday’s lights of red, white and blue are meant to honor county employees, residents and...
Officials release image of suspect in Grove City bank robbery
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who robbed the Citizens Bank in Grove City. The FBI’s Pittsburgh Division and Grove City police have released a surveillance image of the suspect — a white man weighing about 180 pounds and standing between 5 feet 8 inches...
Closed businesses take slice out of Pennsylvania Lottery sales
The nonessential business closures ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf last month are cutting into Pennsylvania Lottery sales, which could mean less money for programs that benefit older residents. According to lottery officials, preliminary indications are sales for traditional scratch-off and draw games have dropped off by about 25% since many...
Coronavirus crisis postpones Latrobe’s Rabbit Race, closes playgrounds
Latrobe’s 20th annual Rabbit Race 5K won’t happen Saturday morning. With Pennsylvanians under a state order to stay at home except for essential needs until at least April 30, the fundraising race at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium is tentatively rescheduled for May 16. The new deadline to register online for the...
Unity supervisors extend curtailed operations, mull meeting format amid covid-19 pandemicVideo
The Unity Township supervisors have extended through the end of June a disaster declaration upholding their decision to curtail operations and access at the township building. The declaration was extended for 90 days on Wednesday to encourage social distancing and help protect against the local spread of coronavirus infections. Just...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward helps set table for Latrobe police officers
Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is among supporters who have stepped up to make sure Latrobe police officers are well-fed as they continue law enforcement efforts during the coronavirus crisis. On Friday , the Pittsburgh native and recent Pro Bowl participant had 12 meals of fish, pierogies and haluski delivered...
Greater Latrobe changes meal schedule, grading system during coronavirus closure
Greater Latrobe School District has changed its student meal distribution schedule and grading process as the statewide coronavirus-driven closure of schools continues indefinitely. The district consolidated distribution of Grab-and-Go meals for students from every weekday to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while schools remain closed. Multiple meals will be provided from...
Covid-19 pandemic provides ‘haunting’ parallel to deadly 1918 global flu infectionsVideo
Hauntingly similar. A little more than a century after a global influenza epidemic that cut a deadly path across Western Pennsylvania, that’s how Thomas Soltis describes the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading rapidly through much of Pennsylvania — having already killed 34 people in the state and more than 30,000...
Monroeville lab looks to help fill gap in covid-19 testingVideo
A Monroeville lab that handles molecular and genetic testing has ramped up to offer testing for covid-19, beginning with senior citizens and staff working at care facilities it services. MHS Labs began testing patient samples on Thursday and had completed a few dozen tests by midday Friday, said Sean Waters,...
