Jeff Himler stories, Page 119
Rescue founder’s passion for matching pets with new homes knows no boundsVideo
Pamela Hoebeck loves to play with Peanut, a rescue cat, but she is hoping he’ll soon have someone to give him care and attention on a permanent basis. Hoebeck, 60, has been fostering the year-old cat at her Penn Township home since he was found as a stray about four...
Latrobe to reopen transfer station Monday
Beginning Monday, Latrobe will reopen its solid waste transfer station to the public for recycling and to city residents for purchase of garbage stickers. The station was closed at the beginning of the week because of coronavirus concerns — as was the city municipal building on Jefferson Street, which will...
Coronavirus risk turns annual Iwaniec run/walk in Unity into a virtual race
This year’s TakeOff Race still will raise money to provide breathalyzers for law enforcement officers. It just won’t take place at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Concern about the health risks of a large gathering of people, as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds, has prompted organizers with the Trooper Iwaniec Memorial...
National Park Service closes Western Pennsylvania visitor centers
The National Park Service on Tuesday closed visitor centers at its Western Pennsylvania sites until further notice to promote social distancing as part of coronavirus-related precautions. Restrooms and trails remain open to the public at all locations, including Friendship Hill National Historic Site. The following features also are open: •...
First responders offered free meals at Arnold Palmer airport amid coronavirus precautionsVideo
Some businesses and organizations have shut down or curtailed operations as part of Pennsylvania’s coronavirus precautions, but that’s not the case for police, paramedics and firefighters. So, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority joined forces with DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse to help on-duty first responders get access to meals during the suspension...
Allegheny suspends poll-worker training, limits trips for seniors at Kane centers
Allegheny County officials on Monday announced several changes in county government operations related to the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Elections The county’s Elections Division is suspending all poll-worker training and all public voting system demonstrations at libraries through March 27. Voting system demonstrations will continue 8:30 a.m. to 4:30...
Pittsburgh Diocese postpones sacraments, limits attendance at weddings, funerals
The Diocese of Pittsburgh has postponed or cancelled some sacraments, cancelled all parish events and ordered limited attendance at weddings and funerals because of coronavirus concerns. According to a directive issued Monday by Bishop David Zubik, until further notice, attendance at all weddings and funerals conducted under diocesan auspices should...
‘Nonessential’ business owners grin and bear state-ordered closure
Owner Melanie McCoy hopes she’ll be able to bounce back from closing her Hempfield beauty salon for two weeks, beginning Tuesday. But, she admits, she’s scared as she joins other area “nonessential” establishments that will be idled as part of a statewide closure of such businesses Gov. Tom Wolf ordered...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art closes for rest of March, citing coronavirus concerns
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...
Latrobe officials nix attempt to replace fire chief, open to investigation
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 OKs liquor license for Walmart alcohol sales; store remodeling planned
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...
Unity bridge closure to become permanent with PUC approval
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...
Westmoreland County schools planning for worst-case coronavirus scenario
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...
Westmoreland Airport Authority eyes marketing study as coronavirus looms, runway upgrade nears
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...
Arnold Palmer airport to introduce paid ‘premium’ parking option
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...
Greensburg Salem teams sweep pasta bridge competition at Saint VincentVideo
Greensburg Salem School District swept the top three spots in Monday’s 14th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition at Saint Vincent College. Juniors Adam Nichols, 16, and Kevin Burkhardt, 17, both of Salem Township, took first-place honors when their model bridge, crafted from various types of pasta and glue, stood up...
Expert will explain benefits of controlled burning for Westmoreland woodlands group
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...
Greater Latrobe’s ‘Mamma Mia!’ blends romance, comedy and classic pop hitsVideo
Editor’s note: Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Greater Latrobe School District has limited attendance at “Mamma Mia!” to two invited people per participant in the musical. Attendees will be asked to identify the cast member they are representing when they arrive at the senior high auditorium. There will be an...
Bushy Run turns back clock to 18th century during Charter Day celebration
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...
Nearly 100 flock to Mazeroski home to be auctioned in HempfieldVideo
Whoever lives next in the house that Bill Mazeroski built will get to hit some of the same balls he did. Billiard balls, that is. The basement pool table is one of the few pieces of furniture that will be included when bids are placed for the Hempfield ranch house...
Pittsburgh woman charged with stabbing brother in Knoxville
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...
2019 H.S. performance score rankings for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Alle-Kiski Valley
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...
Norwin’s Sheridan Terrace grabs top building score among Westmoreland elementaries
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...
Penn-Trafford middle schools claim county lead in building performance results
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...
JROTC walk remembers Bataan, benefits Westmoreland War on Terror monumentVideo
A chill was in the air Saturday morning as about 60 Junior ROTC cadets marched out of Trafford’s B-Y Park. The cold weather didn’t deter the cadets from Norwin, Plum and Pine-Richland school districts, who were on a dual mission as they set off on a 14-mile trek along the...
