Jeff Himler stories, Page 120

Unity’s Republican voters Tuesday gave former township supervisor Mike O’Barto a vote of confidence for returning to the role he left less than two years ago. O’Barto believes his 24-year history as a supervisor is a main reason why he led the field of three GOP candidates in a primary...

Greater Latrobe Senior High this week saw 25 of its students inducted into the International Thespian Society. The honor society for theater arts students has enrolled more than 2.3 million members since its founding in 1929. To become a member of the organization, a student must earn 10 points, with...

A section of Watt Road in Penn Township is set to close the week of June 3 as construction begins on a replacement bridge over Bushy Run. Traffic will be detoured along Harrison City-Export Road, Route 130 and Bushy Run and Gongaware roads. Weather permitting, the bridge should be complete...

As pilots take to the sky to test the limits of their planes at this weekend’s Shop ‘n Save Westmoreland County Airshow, visitors on the ground can test their mettle against “The Beast.” The Air National Guard will present the timed obstacle course Saturday and Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional...

Bees get all the buzz when it comes to the important job of pollinating plants that produce the food we eat and the blossoms that brighten our day. But what about butterflies — even beetles and flies? Each of those backyard and garden visitors plays a part in the pollination...

Latrobe Art Center’s summer camps for kids will focus on water as a unifying theme. The camps, which begin in June, are for children ages 3-13 of all artistic levels and will allow young participants to explore water-based art techniques and create pieces depicting ocean scenes. Each camp runs from...

Larger elementary class sizes and inadequate communication with the public are some of the issues Greater Latrobe School District’s next superintendent should address, according to comments made this week at a public focus group discussion. But most of the 18 people who attended the discussion in the senior high Center...

Generations of staff and patients at Forbes Hospital came to know the kindness and caring of nurse Joan Saversky — a regard she also showed for others when she wasn’t on duty. “There was a certain loving care she gave to us kids and to all the patients she saw...

Motorists will have to detour around a section of Bergman Road in Derry Township beginning in June, as PennDOT works to replace a bridge across McGee Run. The detour is expected to last throughout the construction season, with access maintained for local traffic only within 500 feet of either end...

Five incumbents and a challenger are seeking primary nominations Tuesday for five seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board. Challenger David Vitula, a teacher at Plum Borough School District, appears on both party ballots, as do incumbents Susan Mains, Eric Hauser, Conrad Lazor and Merle Musick. Incumbent Dr. Michael Zorch...

Work should begin soon to install a new passenger bridge at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and extend utility lines for a new restroom at Rostraver Airport. The Westmoreland County Airport Authority awarded a $106,145 contract to Arcon Contracting for laying water and sewer lines to serve a new modular restroom...

Those who’d like to try a recreational trip down the Conemaugh River but don’t want to wait for the annual Stony-Kiski-Conemaugh Rivers Sojourn next month may want to sign up for the May 25 Packsaddle Gap Paddle and Picnic. The fifth annual kayaking paddle is scheduled to begin at 9...

Taxes would go up next year in the Greater Latrobe School District if the school board passes a tentative 2019-20 budget that cleared a first hurdle this week. The board is considering a tax hike to 82.25 mills — one mill higher than this year — to help pay for...

An employee disarmed a man who attempted to hold up an Indiana County nursery with an unloaded gun that the man stole from a nearby home, state police said. Justin S. Ludwig, 37, of Warren, is charged with robbery, attempted theft and terroristic threats in the confrontation Wednesday afternoon at...

Good work … or should we say good workout, Pittsburgh. The Steel City ranked as the 16th fittest major U.S. city, according to the 2019 American Fitness Index released this week by the American College of Sports Medicine and the Anthem Foundation. Pittsburgh rose markedly in the rankings from last...

The Greater Latrobe School District invites the community to attend a focus group discussion Monday as part of its superintendent search. The meeting is set for 6-8:30 p.m. in the Senior High School Center for Student Creativity. It will be led by Tom Templeton of Templeton Advantage, a Perry County-based...

Unity Township Municipal Authority is moving forward with plans to replace a leak-prone sanitary sewer main in Pleasant Unity and to extend sewage service to two businesses on Donohoe Road. The authority Wednesday opened bids for the Pleasant Unity project, including an apparent low figure of $201,127 submitted by McKeesport...

A team of Greater Latrobe Senior High students last week had to retrieve fake IDs that had been stolen from them. Another group of sophomores enrolled in Renee Stallings’ academic English 2 course had to defeat a dragon — actually, a donkey-shaped pinata. Ending a months-long class project, the teams...

Michael Gray became Latrobe’s city manager on Monday, after holding down the position on an interim basis since March 25. Council voted unanimously to keep Gray in the new role, setting aside plans to search for additional candidates from outside the city staff. “We had talked about doing a search,”...

An athlete who breaks a limb likely will be fitted with a cast that makes recovery visible to all. Getting past the lingering effects of a concussion or other traumatic brain injuries often doesn’t include a prop that makes the process as outwardly apparent. “A brain injury is a silent,...

Pittsburgh-based jazz and funk bassist Dwayne Dolphin and blues singer and multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Collier will headline the Delaney Chevrolet Westsylvania Jazz and Blues Festival May 25 in downtown Indiana. Entering its sixth year, the free music festival has expanded to include a pop-up vendor’s market, children’s activities and a May...

A series of five Friday evening concerts featuring a variety of performers is planned this summer at the Derry Area School District Foundation Amphitheater. The amphitheater is located near the district’s Grandview Elementary School, off Route 982 north of the Derry Township village of Bradenville. All concerts begin at 6:30...

High school students from Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley will face off for a good cause May 17 in a role-reversal basketball game in the Greater Latrobe Senior High main gym. For the “Playing for Paws” game, cheerleaders will become players and players will serve as cheerleaders. Doors open at...

Saint Vincent College will hold Get Acquainted Days for prospective students and their families on June 15, July 20 and Aug. 17. Each day features a series of short talks on academics, admission procedures, financial aid and college life at Saint Vincent. The program includes a tour of the campus...