Jeff Himler stories, Page 76
Unity gears up for spring cleanup with added drop-off locations, seeks volunteers
Last year’s spring cleanup in Unity cleared away 40 large bins of trash from yards and roadsides in the community, and township officials hope to dispose of even more unsightly debris when they repeat the event April 30. This year, there will be expanded locations in township neighborhoods for the...
Keystone Park among state rec sites hoping to tap pandemic funds; new park office planned
A new solar-powered office and visitor center, a major wish-list item at Keystone State Park, is among long-desired upgrades officials hope to bring about by tapping federal pandemic recovery funds. Cindy Adams Dunn, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary, stopped by Tuesday to assess needs at the Derry...
City Brewery, union locals OK new 4-year contract, end brief Latrobe strike
Union locals over the weekend ratified a new labor agreement with City Brewery in Latrobe, ending a brief strike. The four-year contract with CBC Latrobe Acquisition was approved by 78% of the members of IUE-CWA Locals 22 and 144 during the Saturday vote, according to the respective local presidents, Bill...
Latrobe invests $231K to repair waste compactor, looks to improve parking garage
Latrobe Council this week awarded a $231,000 bid for repairing a compactor at the city’s solid waste transfer station — and the sooner the work is done, the better. The city is seeking additional bids for improvements in and around its municipal parking garage. The aging compactor, which is used...
Greater Latrobe administrative overhaul names 3 staffers assistants to superintendent
Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a restructuring of the district’s central administrative staff that will increase responsibilities — and, eventually, pay levels — for four employees. Those pay increases, expected to total about $30,000 next school year, raised concerns for Andrew Repko, the sole board member to vote...
Pittsburgh police search for missing Homewood woman with dementia
Pittsburgh police are asking for the public’s help in their search for a missing city woman who suffers from dementia. Queenie Kirkland, 89, left her home on Thomas Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 117 pounds and has brown eyes and...
Robber shoots store employee at Edgewood market
A man was shot during an armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at an Edgewood market, according to Allegheny County police. The robbery was reported just before 1:30 p.m. at the Edgewood Avenue Express in the 200 block of Edgewood Avenue. Police said a suspect entered the store, brandished a handgun and...
18th-century life displayed during Pennsylvania Charter Day at Bushy Run Battlefield
A British victory in the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run helped to prevent a takeover of Fort Pitt, the fortification that would grow into Pennsylvania’s major western city — Pittsburgh. Putting that historic event into context, the Bushy Run Battlefield site in Penn Township welcomed visitors Sunday to learn how...
Medical examiner identifies man found dead in McKees Rocks
Officials late Sunday identified a man found dead hours earlier in McKees Rocks. The medical examiner’s office identified the man as 22-year-old Anthony Lofton. Authorities learned through a 911 call at about 6:30 a.m. about a body discovered in the 300 block of Derby Alley. According to police, first responders...
Job fairs slated for seasonal work at Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild
Three affiliated amusement parks in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties plan to hold job fairs starting this weekend as they look to hire more than 2,000 seasonal workers for the summer. A job fair is slated from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, for applicants...
Unity seeks $1M grant to replace bridge over Sewickley Creek branch
Unity officials are seeking a $1 million state grant to help replace a township bridge over the North Branch of Sewickley Creek that is rated in poor condition. Though the bridge on Shinsky Road isn’t in imminent danger of falling down, “We want to stay ahead of the curve,” said...
Street entertainers, games, prizes get Irwin visitors primed for St. Patrick’s Day
A late winter storm didn’t stop residents from getting out to enjoy a Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Food and Family Funfest on Saturday afternoon in downtown Irwin. Meadow Golick, 7, stopped at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Hall to get a shamrock and other Irish-related images painted on her hands after...
Pittsburgh police investigate shots fired at occupied car in Bloomfield
Pittsburgh police are investigating shots that were fired Friday night at an occupied vehicle in the city’s Bloomfield neighborhood. No one was injured, but a Toyota Camry was damaged by bullets, police said. Police said they were called to the scene just after 9:15 p.m. to several ShotSpotter alerts in...
Workers treated at scene of Mt. Washington house fire
Several people were treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out Friday night at a house in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood. The fire was reported at about 9:30 p.m. on Ruth Street. A Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman said the house apparently was being worked on by contractors, all of...
Storm drops up to 9 inches of snow in Pittsburgh region, creates road hazards
A late winter storm that began Friday night dumped more than 9 inches of snow in parts of Allegheny County by early Saturday evening, while lesser amounts were recorded in Westmoreland County, according to the National Weather Service. One of the highest snow totals was reported in Moon Township, where...
Greensburg Salem School Board OKs 7-year bus contract, fills 2 administrative posts
Greensburg Salem School District will stay with its current transportation provider for another seven years. The school board this week approved a new contract with DMJ Transportation, setting annual cost increases through the 2028-29 school year. The per-vehicle rate charged by Mt. Pleasant area-based DMJ will increase by 1.5% in...
Greensburg Salem’s use of traditional school holiday names draws dissent
Tradition trumped inclusiveness this week as the Greensburg Salem School Board selected holiday names for use on the district’s 2022-23 school calendar. The board voted 8-1 to use time-honored names for three holidays when students get to stay home: Christmas Break, Easter Break and Columbus Day. The vote came after...
Plaque at Greensburg Salem Middle School will honor late crossing guard
The late Karen McPhail rarely forgot a name or a face in her Greensburg community. “It was unbelievable how she knew everybody,” said Sgt. Donald Sarsfield of the Greensburg Police Department. McPhail worked for the department for 16 years as a crossing guard, spending much of that time helping Greensburg...
Pittsburgh police: No one hurt as man surrenders in Mt. Washington SWAT standoff
A man surrendered to authorities without incident after barricading himself and his family inside a Mt. Washington residence Wednesday evening, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesperson. City police responded shortly before 5:30 p.m. for a reported domestic dispute between the man and a woman in the home in the...
Private plane leaves runway while landing at Allegheny County Airport
No injuries were reported Wednesday morning when a small plane strayed off the runway at the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, according to a county airport authority spokesman. Three people were aboard the private HondaJet aircraft when it went off the runway upon landing at the airport at about...
Closures of westbound I-70 in Rostraver to begin Wednesday for Route 51 bridge repair
Closure of a westbound section of Interstate 70 in Rostraver, for an emergency bridge repair, is slated from 9 p.m. Wednesday through 4 a.m. Thursday. The closure will take effect between Exit 46A and Exit 46B. It was moved back 24 hours from a schedule previously announced by PennDOT. A...
Former assistant with Penn-Trafford championship team named new Latrobe football coach
Ronald Prady has experienced two recent state championship seasons at Penn-Trafford — as an assistant football coach this past fall and as an assistant softball coach in 2019. Fans of the Wildcats are hoping he will continue that winning trend as the new coach of the Latrobe football program. The...
Historical society works to preserve 19th century iron furnace near New Florence
A stone pyramid with steep, angled sides rises 35 feet above a back road just outside New Florence. Though silent now, it was humming with activity in the mid 1800s when it was a vital part of Westmoreland County’s early iron industry. Laurel Hill Furnace, at 114 Wyoming Lane, off...
Proposed artificial intelligence course sparks debate at Greensburg Salem
A proposed seventh-grade course focusing on artificial intelligence is part of Greensburg Salem School District’s effort to fill a gap in computer science-related courses at its middle school. The course was a topic of debate at last week’s school board discussion meeting, with member Emily Miller suggesting seventh graders lack...
Career and Technology Center promotional show visits Greensburg Salem School Board
Emily Miller disassembled a car engine without getting her hands dirty while Brian Conway tried his skills at welding without creating sparks. The two Greensburg Salem School Board members were among district officials this weekwho sampled virtual skill simulations that are part of the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center...
