Jeff Himler stories, Page 103
Rewards for suspect in McKeesport police shooting total $15K
A combined $15,000 in reward money has been offered for information leading to the apprehension of Koby Lee Francis, the man wanted in the Sunday afternoon shooting of a McKeesport police officer. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced Wednesday it is offering a $10,000 reward for...
Wagging tails join ringing bells for Salvation Army kettle drive in HempfieldVideo
Area owners let the dogs out Wednesday to help attract attention to the Greensburg Salvation Army’s annual red kettle donation drive. Members of the Youngwood Dog Club, accompanied by their public-friendly therapy dogs, volunteered to augment the efforts of kettle bell-ringers at several Hempfield retail locations including Walmart and Macy’s...
Pandemic drives Pittsburgh region’s food insecurity to new heights, reshapes assistance efforts
Food insecurity is an ongoing problem in the Pittsburgh region, made much worse by the covid-19 pandemic. Area food banks have responded by redoubling their efforts while facing new challenges. With pandemic restrictions putting many American breadwinners out of work or reducing their hours, food banks this year have been...
Unity could expand rec program to upgraded playground eyed at Mountain View Elementary
Unity could expand its summer recreation sites to include the Mountain View Elementary playground under an agreement approved Tuesday by the Greater Latrobe School Board. The agreement was made in consideration of the township serving as applicant for a state grant to upgrade play apparatus at the elementary school and...
Greater Latrobe forms health committee amid covid-prompted remote instruction
Greater Latrobe School Board is gaining a health and safety committee as it copes with the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. The board, at a Tuesday meeting that was held virtually, also moved to bolster its school police force while offering an early retirement incentive for veteran instructors. Board member...
Westmoreland Commissioner Gina Cerilli tests positive for covid-19
Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli has tested positive for covid-19, county officials said Tuesday. Cerilli informed the county of her positive test results Tuesday and is following isolation recommendations. Cerilli told the Tribune-Review Tuesday was the second day she experienced symptoms including a “terrible headache” and an elevated temperature. She...
Landmark Unity farmhouse opens as home furnishings storeVideo
A landmark of Westmoreland County’s farming tradition is entering a new chapter as a home furnishings store. Just in time for Christmas shopping and, unfortunately, new pandemic-related restrictions on retailers, Frye Farm Place had a soft opening last week on Frye Farm Road in Unity. Operated by Unity residents Dave...
Latrobe holds line on taxes, eyes shared code enforcement officer
Latrobe Council adopted a $6.5 million budget for 2021 that holds the line on real estate taxes. Though the tax will remain at 21.5 mills, property owners will begin paying a new stormwater management fee. The fee, assessed at $90 per equivalent dwelling unit, is meant to help cover the...
Inmate gets 50-to-100-year sentence for attempted murder of troopers in Indiana County
A 21-year-old man will serve 50 to 100 years in prison for the attempted murder of two state troopers last year while they were driving him back to the state prison in Indiana County. Indiana County President Judge William J. Martin imposed the sentence Monday on Simere Maurice Alford. In...
Penn-Trafford closes middle school, Harrison Park Elementary for the week
Penn Middle School and Harrison Park Elementary in the Penn-Trafford School District will be closed through Friday after students at each school tested positive for the coronavirus. Students will receive remote instruction during that time. Penn-Trafford Superintendent Matthew Harris said Monday the closures are in keeping with covid-19 pandemic guidelines...
Official: Weather may be factor in dip in demand for state heating assistance
Fewer Pennsylvanians have applied so far this year to the state’s home heating assistance program than last year, but the need is still there. As of Wednesday, close to 230,000 people had sought assistance with heating bills through the 2020-21 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. That’s down from the roughly...
Hundreds turn out for Unity’s drive-thru visit with Santa
The Unity supervisors have hosted a community holiday celebration near the township municipal building, complete with a Christmas tree, since 2009. This year, in keeping with pandemic precautions, those attending stayed in their cars, greeted with a wave from Santa before dropping off letters to the jolly old elf and...
Air Force Raptor joins 2021 Westmoreland air show lineup
The Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jet demonstration team is slated to return to Unity for next year’s air show at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Va., the Raptor previously participated in the Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow in 2016. The Raptor provides...
Westmoreland County Blind Association adding kitchen, sensory room for adult clients
Financial contributions leveraged by a state tax credit program will help the Westmoreland County Blind Association renovate part of its South Greensburg center to better meet the needs of the disabled adults it serves. The organization this week was awarded $46,500 through Pennsylvania’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. Three area financial institutions...
Man charged with homicide, robbery in November shooting in Wilkinsburg
Allegheny County Police have arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a fatal November shooting in Wilkinsburg. Elyzah Cecil King-Bradley is charged with criminal homicide in the death of Emanuel Deshawn Johnson, 35, who was found dead inside a vehicle after county police responded to the shooting shortly before 8...
Donora company provides holiday warmth for Elizabeth Township veteranVideo
An act of generosity has left an Elizabeth Township veteran and his family with a warm feeling this holiday season. When the electronic controls failed in Austin Large’s 11-year-old gas furnace, he had to make repeated trips down to the cold basement to manually turn on the vital appliance. He...
Penn Township, Penn Hills will use state grants to update key traffic signals
State grants will help to upgrade traffic signals at intersections in Penn Township and in Penn Hills. PennDOT’s Automated Red Light Enforcement program has awarded $325,000 to Penn Township, to replace an obsolete traffic light at Route 130 and Route 993 (Walnut Street). Penn Hills will use its grant of...
Car rentals relocated, new parking system on the way at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
For the first time, paid parking will be introduced at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport — although plenty of free spaces will remain. A new ticketing system for a preferred parking lot closest to the terminal at the Unity airport could be in place early next year, said Gabe Monzo, executive...
State tax-credit program will help Westmoreland County Food Bank add sprinklers
Money made available through a Pennsylvania tax-credit program will help the Westmoreland County Food Bank install a needed sprinkler system at its warehouse and offices in Salem. The food bank this week was awarded $15,200 through the Neighborhood Assistance Program. The program is providing a tax credit to PNC Bank,...
Stay in the car to see Santa during holiday happenings
Pandemic precautions mean kids may not get to sit on Santa’s lap this year. But there are several area options for families to have a drive-thru encounter with the jolly old elf, in a socially distanced take on the holiday tradition. Unity Instead of its usual Deck the Tree holiday...
Crabtree race organizers run with ‘Ugly Christmas Sweater’ theme
Things are expected to get ugly Dec. 12 in the village of Crabtree. But that’s just fine with Julie Watkins and Kathy Kuhns. They’re organizing the second annual St. Bartholomew Church Ugly Christmas Sweater 5K and 2-Mile Walk for 11 a.m. that day. About 150 participants came from as far...
Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center to begin remote instruction
Students at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center will move to full-time remote instruction on Monday as Westmoreland County has experienced several weeks with a “substantial” level of covid-19 transmission and cases have been on the rise. Full remote instruction also is underway or imminent at the three school districts...
Virtual meeting set to update public on Laurel Valley road project in Unity
PennDOT will hold a virtual meeting this month for the public to review and comment on plans for the northern section of the proposed Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project. The project proposes an alternate, improved alignment for 11 miles of the Route 981 corridor, between Route 819 in Mt. Pleasant...
State loan could help add jobs at industrial park housing former Volkswagen, Sony plants
A state loan of $2.25 million could bring more than 100 new jobs to the RIDC Westmoreland industrial complex near New Stanton. The low-interest loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority to the Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania will help with a proposed $5.6 million renovation. The work...
Sweet, salty treats give shape to Latrobe gingerbread housesVideo
You could try to eat it when the holiday season is over, but it’s really intended solely as eye candy. Making a gingerbread house with all the trimmings has been a decades-long, year-end tradition for Lori Vaglia and her two daughters. This year, the Derry Township resident brushed up her...
