Jeff Himler stories, Page 101
Latrobe officials debate fee for garbage bag stickers; quarterly collection rate set to rise
Latrobe Council is considering a 2% increase in residential rates for household trash collection, but city officials are divided on whether to also raise the cost of stickers required for garbage bags. Council is expected on Feb. 8 to vote on a revised schedule of various city fees, including the...
Latrobe bond refinancing could help repair parking garage, replace trash compactor
Latrobe is considering refinancing a 2016 bond issue to take advantage of low interest rates and possibly help pay for capital projects at the city’s parking garage and solid waste transfer station. City council is expected to begin the refinancing process by selecting a bond counsel and underwriter at a...
Pennsylvania sets early start, statewide schedule for trout season
Pennsylvania’s trout season will open earlier than usual this year, and statewide, on April 3. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission on Monday set the opening date and also approved a single statewide Mentored Youth Trout Day on March 27. As a result of the consolidation, separate regional mentored youth...
Ligonier Valley Historical Society’s first online auction features Valentine’s Day theme
Staff at the Ligonier Valley Historical Society are hoping bidders will love the organization’s “Spread the Love” online auction. The society’s first venture into online bidding, the Valentine’s Day-themed auction will run Jan. 30 to Feb. 13 and is meant to help make up for a traditional in-person Christmas fundraising...
Officials anticipate work on new Route 30 GetGo store in Unity
Work could begin soon on a new, expanded GetGo convenience store in Unity, according to local officials. Unity Township Municipal Authority has approved a developer’s agreement covering sewer construction related to the store planned at Route 30 and Giffin Drive. The project will include construction of a sewer line extending...
Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation delays Comedy Night, Daddy-Daughter Dance
Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation has pushed back dates for its annual Comedy Night and Daddy-Daughter Dance amid the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. The 17th annual Comedy Night, which had been slated for Saturday, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27 at Huber Hall in Latrobe. The second annual dance also has...
Volunteers to provide free tax prep for older, disabled residents in Westmoreland
Older residents and those who have a lower income or disability can turn to a program organized by Westmoreland County Community College if they need help preparing a simple income tax return. The free assistance will be available by appointment only, beginning Monday, Feb. 15, at five locations in the...
Latrobe sewage rate hike could add to Unity authority customer bills in 2022
Unity Township Municipal Authority will pay more for sewage it sends to Latrobe for treatment. The authority expects it will be able to handle that unanticipated expense this year, but it could affect a rate hike being eyed for Unity customers in 2022. Like other customers whose sewage is treated...
Unity zoning panel clears way for alignment shop, affirms U-Haul use of plaza lot
The Unity Township Zoning Hearing Board cleared the way for a proposed vehicle alignment shop in Pleasant Unity while upholding U-Haul’s use of its outdoor space at Mountain Laurel Plaza. The board on Wednesday approved owner Jason Mignogna’s request to use the former Pleasant Unity VFW social hall site for...
Greater Latrobe OKs 5-year compensation plan for administrators
Greater Latrobe School Board approved a five-year extension of its wage-and-benefit plan for most of the district’s administrators. The Act 93 compensation plan, passed at this week’s board meeting, runs through the 2025-26 school year and covers 15 administrators across various departments and schools. In accordance with state law, the...
Farm show provides latest win for youth rabbit competitor from AcmeVideo
Krista Skovira is having a “hoppy” new year with her win at the state farm show rabbit competition. The 14-year-old Acme girl topped the junior division this month in the rabbit skill-a-thon during the virtual show. Skovira showed rabbits with success at past regional, state and national events, sometimes competing...
Greater Latrobe students to return to classrooms beginning MondayVideo
Greater Latrobe students will be able to return to the classroom beginning Monday, after more than a month of full-time remote learning. The school board voted Tuesday to allow elementary students to return to school five days per week. Students in grades 7-11 may resume a hybrid model, with half...
Ligonier Valley school staff get covid vaccine; doses pending for Greater Latrobe teachers, staff
Greater Latrobe School District expects to have the majority of its staff receive the first dose of the Moderna covid-19 vaccine before the end of January. Meanwhile, neighboring Ligonier Valley School District confirmed the better part of its staff already has been vaccinated against the virus that has disrupted in-person...
Jamison Farm to close, ending 35-year run of supplying lamb to top restaurantsVideo
John and Sukey Jamison are bidding farewell to the business they’ve enjoyed for 35 years at their farm in Unity. The couple is phasing out their highly regarded Jamison Farm line of grass-fed lamb products, a decision prompted in part by the covid-19 pandemic. “We had been thinking about retirement...
Rankin shooting sends father, son to hospitals
Allegheny County Police are investigating a double shooting in Rankin on Thursday night that sent a father and son to area hospitals. The 55-year-old father was in stable condition, but the 17-year-old son was in critical condition, according to police. The shooting in Hawkins Village was reported to 911 at...
Boardman, Ohio man dies after being pulled from the Ohio River
An Ohio man died Thursday after initially being rescued from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh. The victim, Daniel Jacobsen, 35, of Boardman, was pronounced dead at 4:20 p.m. at Allegheny General Hospital, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. He was spotted in the river shortly after 1 p.m....
North Huntingdon restaurant defies closure ordered by state for covid-19 rule violation
A North Huntingdon restaurant was open for business Thursday despite an order to close over alleged violation of state rules meant to mitigate the spread of covid-19. “We’ve been reported because people don’t have the mask,” Cenacolo Restaurant owner Steve Salvi said, referring to the face coverings the state requires...
Derry Area set to resume classroom instruction next week, cites online concerns
Derry Area School District will end a month of full remote instruction Tuesday, when in-person lessons once more will be offered to elementary students five days per week. A switch to online learning in the district started Dec. 7. Students at the middle and high schools may opt for a...
Greater Latrobe to consider 3.11-mill cap on potential 2021-22 tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board on Tuesday will consider capping any potential 2021-22 property tax increase at 3.11 mills. If the district agrees to stay within that maximum number, it can forgo approving an early preliminary budget for the coming fiscal year, in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Act 1 of 2006, also...
Greater Latrobe continues remote learning through Jan. 22
All Greater Latrobe students will continue to receive full-time remote instruction at least through Jan. 22, as district officials review covid-19 infection levels in Westmoreland County. Whether the district changes that instructional model to include any in-person learning for students will depend on the school board’s decision at its meeting...
Developer seeks to construct homes on closed golf course at Unity-Hempfield border
Unity officials have set in motion a proposed zoning change for the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club that would set the stage for a new housing development. Meanwhile, neighboring residents are concerned about the effect the development might have on Township Line Run, a stream that flows toward...
Spirit Airlines holds off on resuming flights from Arnold Palmer airport to Ft. Myers
Passengers flying from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport may be limited to Orlando as a destination for the immediate future, part of the continuing hit air travel is taking from the covid-19 pandemic. While Spirit Airlines flights from the Unity airport to Myrtle Beach, S.C., are expected to resume Feb. 12,...
Donations sought to leverage grant for 9/11 National Memorial Trail
A $100,000 foundation grant could help planners move forward with development of the 9/11 National Memorial Trail. First, they’ll have to collect half that amount in other matching donations. The September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance wants to raise $50,000 by June 30, to leverage the challenge grant offered by...
Cupid’s Chase charity race in Latrobe adds virtual option
The annual Cupid’s Chase charity race that benefits people with special needs is set for Feb. 13, beginning at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. This year’s event also will have a virtual option, as organizers hope to draw more participants during the covid-19 pandemic. Last year’s foot race attracted about 75 participants....
Nearly $1M in state grants will address mine drainage, stormwater in WestmorelandVideo
The Turtle Creek Watershed stretches across 147 square miles, straddling Westmoreland and Allegheny counties. With the support of a state grant, the 50-year-old watershed association plans to assess the many areas where abandoned mine discharges pollute the creek and its tributaries, to help qualify for additional funds to clean up...
