Jeff Himler stories, Page 100

Coronavirus concerns have prompted the Westmoreland Museum of American Art to close its doors to the public beginning Saturday and continuing through the end of March. The decision was triggered by Gov. Wolf’s order on Friday closing all Pennsylvania schools for 10 business days. “We believe this decision is in...

Discord continues to flare in the Latrobe Fire Department. After several months of strife, city officials agreed to look into an attempt by some firefighters to oust Chief John Brasile. Mayor Rosie Wolford said a council committee would investigate any written documentation firefighters produce that might establish a “just cause”...

Unity is one step closer to being home to the second Walmart location in Pennsylvania to sell beer and wine. Township supervisors have approved a restaurant liquor license transfer for the Colony Lane store off Route 30, which now must be greenlighted by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Walmart hopes...

A Unity Township bridge that has been closed for the better part of a year because of safety concerns will remain so, under a new agreement the township supervisors reached with Norfolk Southern Railway. Norfolk Southern has agreed to pay for removing the bridge that once carried Buffenmeyer Road over...

As coronavirus cases continue to grow in eastern Pennsylvania and other areas of the country, school officials across Westmoreland County are preparing plans for how to educate students in a worst-case scenario. Principals in Greater Latrobe School District planned to meet Friday with their staffs to discuss plans for responding...

The Westmoreland Airport Authority plans to conduct the first marketing study of its two airports, hiring a separate consultant for each. Authority officials cited the impact of coronavirus concerns on the air travel industry and planned runway widening at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport as changing conditions that could affect...

Travelers driving to the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport soon will be able to park closer to the terminal — for a fee. Airport officials plan to offer “preferred overnight parking” in the day parking lot directly in front of the terminal, charging $10 per day for the prime spots. They’re...

Flames can damage a wooded area when they run wild and unchecked. But one that is controlled can benefit an ecosystem. Jesse Kreye, an assistant research professor of fire and natural resources management at Penn State University, will explain the positive impact of prescribed fire Thursday March 19 at the...

Bushy Run Battlefield, the Penn Township site of a 1763 British victory over Native American foes, held a Charter Day celebration Sunday. Visitors mingled with reenactors in period garb while taking free tours of the battlefield visitor center. Musket drills and children’s crafts also were featured. The event marked the...

A Pittsburgh woman is charged with aggravated assault for allegedly stabbing her brother during a domestic dispute late Saturday in Knoxville. Pittsburgh police were called shortly before midnight to the scene in the 200 block of Wilbur Street, where they arrested Jaquelia Stevens, 25. According to police, her brother had...

The goal of most high schools is to have students graduate with skills that prepare them for success in life. One indication the school is making good on that intention is its building-level performance score — which is used to evaluate teachers and principals under Pennsylvania’s Educator Effectiveness System (Act...

Teachers at Sheridan Terrace Elementary in the Norwin School District provided customized reading instruction for students and reached out to their families to reinforce educational goals. Those strategies paid off, as Sheridan led all elementary schools in Westmoreland County in 2019, based on state-calculated building-level scores. Sheridan achieved 93 out...

Trafford Middle School used a flexible grouping approach to teach students last year, helping it to the top overall state performance score — 85.3 — among middle and junior high schools in Westmoreland County. Penn Middle School, also in Penn-Trafford School District, came in second with a score of 81.1...

Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are preparing for the potential arrival of coronavirus by offering protective measures to workers and arranging for more intensive cleansing of the terminal building. As cases of infection with the potentially deadly virus have expanded from China to Europe, the United States and other...

The Westmoreland Airpark could soon gain another large steel building. The Unity Township Planning Commission approved extra acreage for one lot in the 210-acre industrial park. The commission on Tuesday approved a subdivision that will allow lot along Bayhill Road, near Route 981, to be expanded from 6.5 acres to...

Belle Vernon Area teachers put the district on notice that they intend to strike beginning March 13 if officials haven’t agreed on a new labor contract by then. According to President Daneen Watson, a Spanish teacher with 20 years of service, the Belle Vernon Area Education Association has been in...

The Roaring ’20s of a century past will meet the 2020s during a retro dinner dance March 7 at Ferrante’s Lakeview in Hempfield. Those attending are encouraged to dress in Prohibition-era attire while enjoying a buffet dinner and dancing to the sounds of the Wally Gingers Orchestra. The event is...

Wednesday will be a banner day for fans of professional golf and for those who have a connection to Latrobe. One of the town’s favorite sons — the late Arnold Palmer, known as “The King” of the Game of Kings — will be recognized with a “Forever” First Class U.S....

Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Greensburg Salem Distinguished Alumni banquet has been tentatively rescheduled for June 18, 2020. A Vietnam veteran who assists today’s wounded warriors, a consultant for nonprofits who advocates for people with physical challenges and a late Greensburg pediatrician who cared for young patients...