Jeff Himler stories, Page 109
Grant adds water tank, litter carrier to Bradenville firefighters’ all-terrain vehicleVideo
Bradenville firefighters respond to an average of at least 20 brush fires per year on Derry Ridge. Recent improvements to their utility task vehicle mean they’ll have more water and other resources at hand when they’re called to the next emergency on the Derry Township ridge. A $12,500 grant from...
Volunteers give Trafford fence a makeover
A handful of volunteers answered the Trafford Business Association’s call for helping hands Saturday morning at 427 Cavitt Ave. In a little more than four hours, they brightened up the block by improving a fence on the property of Klassy Bar and Grill. The ad hoc work crew cut and...
Greensburg Salem administrator to take on principal role at Mountain View Elementary
Greater Latrobe School Board looked to neighboring Greensburg Salem School District to fill a vacant elementary principal slot. The board on Tuesday agreed to hire Lindsay Scarpo, associate principal at Greensburg Salem’s Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary, to serve as the new principal of Greater Latrobe’s Mountain View Elementary. Scarpo, who...
Greater Latrobe secondary students to begin fall with partial online instruction in revised plan
Greater Latrobe’s latest fall instructional plan calls for elementary students to return to their classrooms five days per week while secondary students will begin the academic year under a hybrid model that will provide just two days per week of in-person learning. The school board approved the plan Tuesday. Originally,...
Latrobe centenarian surprised with birthday paradeVideo
Audrey Spangler found several birthday surprises waiting for her Monday evening when she stepped outside her apartment at Laurel Highlands Village, an independent senior living community in Latrobe. Family and friends geared up to celebrate the Philadelphia native’s 100th birthday in a big way, despite pandemic-related restrictions on social activities....
State grants will help update water, sewer lines in Ligonier, Mt. Pleasant townships
Ligonier and Mt. Pleasant townships will receive state grants totaling about $760,000 for water and sewer improvements. The three grants, awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority, were announced Monday. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will receive $302,430 to extend a water line to 19 households in Ligonier Township. The...
Derry VFW taking donations for flagpole at Veterans Memorial Bridge
Derry Borough soon may have a new patriotic landmark, with the help of local veterans and the public. The town’s Chestnut Ridge Veterans of Foreign Wars post is accepting donations toward installation of a U.S. flag and pole alongside the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The flag will be flown atop a...
Head trauma reported in Lower Burrell motorcycle crash
Emergency crews were dispatched to assist a victim with heavy head trauma following an accident involving a motorcycle Friday night in Lower Burrell. The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. on Greensburg Road. It temporarily shut down traffic on a section of the road between Dutchman Run Road and...
Pittsburgh girl struck by vehicle at Route 28 exit ramp in Harmar
A 16-year-old Pittsburgh girl was airlifted by medical helicopter to an area hospital after being struck by a vehicle Friday afternoon on Hite Road in Harmar. The incident was reported shortly before 4 p.m. at the southbound off-ramp of Route 28 at Hite Road. Harmar Township Police Chief Jason Domaratz....
Unity to hold special meeting regarding backyard chickens
Unity supervisors will hold a special meeting Thursday regarding whether backyard chickens should be allowed in residential areas and on any properties of less than 2 acres. The supervisors agreed to schedule the informational session — set for 6 p.m. in the pavilion behind the township building — after dozens...
Potential covid-19 exposure closes Compass Inn Museum, cancels militia re-enactment
The Compass Inn Museum in Laughlintown and the adjacent Ligonier Valley Historical Society headquarters are closed for two weeks because an employee may have been exposed to the coronavirus. The precautionary closure will be in effect through Aug. 28. The employee did not come into contact with museum visitors since...
Unity Township lobby to reopen soon, with renovation nearing end
Soon residents will be able once more to enter the Unity Township office building during business hours, as renovation of the lobby is nearing completion. “Hopefully, within the next week, we’re going to have the renovations done and the building will be open for people to come in,” according to...
Unity postpones debate on backyard chickens, cites pandemic restrictions
Unity residents were told to wait Thursday when they tried to give the township supervisors their two cents on a local debate about backyard chicken regulations. On the advice of Solicitor Gary Falatovich, the supervisors declined to take comments about chickens at their regular monthly meeting. They deferred discussion on...
Unity family appeals backyard chicken violation, want birds classified as petsVideo
Kristin Kuhns and her husband, Jeff, say the chickens they keep in their Unity backyard provide their family with companionship as well as eggs, and they want township officials to ease up on regulation of the birds. After a neighbor in the Lawson Heights neighborhood complained about the Kuhnses’ 20...
Volunteers sought for spruce-up Saturday at Trafford restaurant
The Trafford Business Association is asking volunteers to lend a hand Saturday morning with a beautification project at a local restaurant that is in transition. Association President Larry George plans to cut and install cedar boards to put a new face on a chain link fence fronting an unused section...
Authority OKs $5.8M in contracts for Arnold Palmer airport terminal, runway expansions
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority is moving ahead with interior and exterior improvements at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, at a cost of about $5.8 million. The authority this week awarded contracts for expanding the passenger holding room and for continuing widening and strengthening of the runway at the Unity airport....
Latrobe delays vote on underpass rehabilitation
Rehabilitation of Latrobe’s railroad underpasses will have to wait a few weeks longer, as city council this week tabled awarding bids for the project. City manager Mike Gray suggested council act on three contracts — for concrete repairs, painting and electrical work — during a special meeting to be held...
Militia encampment planned at Compass Inn Museum
Editor’s Note: This event has been canceled. The Compass Inn Museum and Ligonier Valley Historical Society headquarters are closed as a precaution for two weeks, through Aug. 28, because of an employee’s potential exposure to the coronavirus. A local re-enactment group that portrays a Revolutionary War-era militia unit and working...
Latrobe looks to update zoning, tackle blight
Latrobe is seeking outside help to update city zoning regulations that have been in place for more than a decade. City Council this week agreed to work with nonprofit Scenic Pittsburgh to review Latrobe’s 2006 zoning ordinance and identify any sections that need to be revised. The review is in...
Some community yard sales proceed, others are scrapped, amid pandemic concerns
Treasure-seekers can expect plenty of room to maneuver on Friday when they check out the used household items Barbara Phillips will be offering for sale at her Derry Borough home. Given the importance of social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic, Phillips said, “I’m trying to make sure my walkways are...
Virtual banana split fest takes shape; participants sought
Plans for a pie-eating contest and art activities are firming up as Latrobe prepares for its first virtual banana split festival. With less than a month until this year’s online edition of the annual Great American Banana Split Celebration, set for National Banana Split Day on Aug. 25, the Greater...
Forbes State Forest interns clear trails, put finishing touch on arboretumVideo
When Jeff Ashley of Bala Cynwyd arrived at the Forbes State Forest office in Laughlintown, he quickly gravitated to an informational kiosk just installed by a group of college interns. “That’s exactly what we wanted to happen,” said Ed Callahan, district forester at the office. “We’re hopeful that people will...
Shoe drive meant to help small businesses in Latrobe area, developing countries
Surplus or outgrown footwear may find a second life while supporting businesses in the Latrobe area and abroad. The Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is collecting gently worn or new shoes in a drive to raise money for chamber programs and services while offering opportunities for micro-business entrepreneurs...
Pandemic prompts shortened Sept. 11 program at Flight 93 National Memorial
The annual Sept. 11 observance at Somerset County’s Flight 93 National Memorial will be abbreviated this year as park officials look to limit in-person attendance at the event because of covid-19 guidelines. The event will be shown virtually, as will other programs sponsored by the memorial Friends group. In past...
Latrobe interfaith service group sees growth in clients, volunteers during pandemicVideo
Latrobe-based Laurel Faith in Action is seeing increased demand for its free services to older residents during the covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately, it’s also increased its network of volunteers. “This pandemic has really made us more busy,” said Taylor Kilmer, the organization’s marketing director. “We are getting an influx of people...
