Jeff Himler stories, Page 118
Ligonier Valley Historical Society accepting orders for native plant sale
Home gardeners who are looking forward to adding new plants to their flower beds might consider some of the native varieties being offered by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society. The Laughlintown-based society’s native plant sale is being held in partnership with nearby Penguin Court, a preserve of the Brandywine Conservancy....
‘Happy’ 90-year-old dances down Hempfield Manor hallwaysVideo
A walker now might help Sarah “Dolly” Ponchak with her balance, but she still doesn’t miss a beat. To prove it, staff at Hempfield Manor — where Ponchak lives — recently danced down the nursing home hallways with the 90-year-old. Her family and others posted a video posted on the...
Greater Latrobe cancels prom, plans summertime event for seniors
Greater Latrobe students will have to make do without a high school prom this year. But district officials hope a proposed summertime “Senior Spectacular” will give members of the Class of 2020 a similar celebratory experience. “We hope it’s going to be a very memorable event,” said district Superintendent Georgia...
Excela medical officer, Sen. Casey to take part in coronavirus ‘tele-town hall’
Sen. Bob Casey will host a discussion with Western Pennsylvania residents about the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday , in the first of a series of “tele-town halls” planned across the state. The 6 p.m. event is targeted for residents of Allegheny, Armstrong, Westmoreland, Greene, Fayette, Washington, Beaver, Lawrence, Butler, Indiana,...
Gov. Wolf: Fly state flags at half-staff to honor covid-19 victims
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday ordered all state flags on Pennsylvania public buildings and grounds flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. “Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to covid-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die,” Wolf said as the state saw the largest single-day...
Parkway West westbound lanes reopen after Findlay crash involving wrong-way driver
Parkway West westbound lanes reopened to traffic after 11:30 p.m. Friday, following a wreck between the Moon Business Loop and the McClaren Road interchanges, according to PennDOT. Findlay Township Police confirmed that two vehicles were involved in a wrong-way crash. Westbound traffic was temporarily detoured via the Moon Business Loop...
Palmer postmark available for items mailed to Latrobe postmaster
The Latrobe post office is offering a postmark cancellation honoring late local golfing legend Arnold Palmer. The April 3 postmark will be available for 30 days, according to the Postal Service. It features Palmer’s trademark umbrella logo. The postmark offer arrives a month after post offices in Latrobe and elsewhere...
Teen hospitalized after shooting in Penn Hills
A teenage boy who was walking from Pittsburgh was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Friday in Penn Hills, police said. The boy was shot once in the buttocks with a small-caliber weapon at about 5:30 p.m. while he was walking in the 200 block...
Westmoreland dome display a tribute to those fighting covid-19 pandemic
Westmoreland County is shining a light on the efforts of all those engaged in the battle against the coronavirus pandemic. County officials on Friday began a nightly light display on the courthouse dome in Greensburg. Friday’s lights of red, white and blue are meant to honor county employees, residents and...
Officials release image of suspect in Grove City bank robbery
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man who robbed the Citizens Bank in Grove City. The FBI’s Pittsburgh Division and Grove City police have released a surveillance image of the suspect — a white man weighing about 180 pounds and standing between 5 feet 8 inches...
Closed businesses take slice out of Pennsylvania Lottery sales
The nonessential business closures ordered by Gov. Tom Wolf last month are cutting into Pennsylvania Lottery sales, which could mean less money for programs that benefit older residents. According to lottery officials, preliminary indications are sales for traditional scratch-off and draw games have dropped off by about 25% since many...
Coronavirus crisis postpones Latrobe’s Rabbit Race, closes playgrounds
Latrobe’s 20th annual Rabbit Race 5K won’t happen Saturday morning. With Pennsylvanians under a state order to stay at home except for essential needs until at least April 30, the fundraising race at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium is tentatively rescheduled for May 16. The new deadline to register online for the...
Unity supervisors extend curtailed operations, mull meeting format amid covid-19 pandemicVideo
The Unity Township supervisors have extended through the end of June a disaster declaration upholding their decision to curtail operations and access at the township building. The declaration was extended for 90 days on Wednesday to encourage social distancing and help protect against the local spread of coronavirus infections. Just...
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward helps set table for Latrobe police officers
Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is among supporters who have stepped up to make sure Latrobe police officers are well-fed as they continue law enforcement efforts during the coronavirus crisis. On Friday , the Pittsburgh native and recent Pro Bowl participant had 12 meals of fish, pierogies and haluski delivered...
Greater Latrobe changes meal schedule, grading system during coronavirus closure
Greater Latrobe School District has changed its student meal distribution schedule and grading process as the statewide coronavirus-driven closure of schools continues indefinitely. The district consolidated distribution of Grab-and-Go meals for students from every weekday to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays while schools remain closed. Multiple meals will be provided from...
Covid-19 pandemic provides ‘haunting’ parallel to deadly 1918 global flu infectionsVideo
Hauntingly similar. A little more than a century after a global influenza epidemic that cut a deadly path across Western Pennsylvania, that’s how Thomas Soltis describes the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading rapidly through much of Pennsylvania — having already killed 34 people in the state and more than 30,000...
Monroeville lab looks to help fill gap in covid-19 testingVideo
A Monroeville lab that handles molecular and genetic testing has ramped up to offer testing for covid-19, beginning with senior citizens and staff working at care facilities it services. MHS Labs began testing patient samples on Thursday and had completed a few dozen tests by midday Friday, said Sean Waters,...
Deceased man found along trail in Youngwood
State police are investigating the discovery of a man’s body along the Five Star Trail behind the Shop ‘n Save supermarket in Youngwood Thursday afternoon. The man was discovered at about 3 p.m., and the Westmoreland County Coroner’s office was called to the scene, according to a Westmoreland County Department...
Arnold Palmer airport eyes coronavirus stimulus package for assist with taxiway project
Westmoreland County’s Arnold Palmer Regional Airport soon could be a landing strip for federal cash freed up through coronavirus recovery funding. A $2 trillion federal stimulus package includes $10 billion designated for airports, according to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s office. Officials at the Unity airport hope that new pool of...
Freeport Area reports high school coronavirus case
A member of the Freeport Area High School community has tested positive for infection with the coronavirus, according to the school district. Superintendent Ian Magness reported the case in a letter to district families and residents posted Wednesday on the district website. Magness said that “the person in question was...
Resident of Loyalhanna Care Center tests positive for coronavirus
A woman who is a long-term resident of the Loyalhanna Care Center in Derry Township is among the Westmoreland County residents who have tested positive for covid-19. Kelly Pynos, administrator of the skilled nursing facility, said the woman exhibited symptoms on Monday and was transferred to a local hospital. Pynos...
Coronavirus restrictions set back plans for Ligonier Beach reopening
Ligonier Township’s wish to reopen at least a portion of the shuttered Ligonier Beach likely won’t come true before next year , as coronavirus precautions have curtailed township operations. Township Manager Terry Carcella previously expressed hope that pavilions could be offered for rent this summer while supervisors consider additional options...
Ligonier Valley’s ‘Oz’ adds extra song, roles to familiar musical fantasyVideo
Editor’s note: Due to the coronovirus pandemic, high school musicals have been postponed. Ligonier Valley High School’s musical production of “The Wizard of Oz” will offer plenty of familiar reference points for those who have grown up cherishing the classic MGM film of L. Frank Baum’s fantasy. “We’re doing the...
Expected coronavirus impact prompts Latrobe to table storm water fee, staffing move
Expected economic hardship related to coronavirus-driven business closures has prompted Latrobe Council to delay action on proposed storm water management staffing moves and a related annual fee for property owners. Council had planned at a special meeting Monday to create a city department and managerial post to oversee state-mandated efforts...
Pennsylvania income tax deadline moved to mid-July, following IRS lead
Pennsylvania residents will have longer to file their 2019 state income tax returns, matching the new July 15 filing deadline for federal returns. The later deadlines, moved from April 15, are meant to help people cope with the upheavals triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. “This is a necessary step that...
