Jeff Himler stories, Page 122
Latrobe presentation will focus on skin cancer
Skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States, will be the topic of an informational program Wednesday in Latrobe. The 6 p.m. presentation by Dr. Melissa Pugliano-Mauro, residency program director in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Dermatology, is part of an ongoing series of health-related...
Unity eyes zoning changes for windmills, barns, Route 981 development
Nine additional properties along Route 981 near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are being targeted for rezoning from a residential classification to a regional commercial designation, as Unity Township looks to amend its zoning ordinance to support more development opportunities near the airport. The nine parcels, stretching northeast from the...
WCCC to train dealers for new Hempfield casino
When visitors try their luck playing blackjack at the new casino under construction at Westmoreland Mall, chances are they will compete against dealers trained by Westmoreland County Community College. College trustees have approved a letter of intent to offer instructional courses for casino dealers in partnership with the Maryland-based company...
PennDOT sets open house for Route 981 improvements north of Mt. Pleasant
PennDOT officials hope to begin improving Route 981 north of Mt. Pleasant in spring 2021. A final design for the project’s first, southernmost section will be unveiled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday during an open house in the Mt. Pleasant Area High School cafeteria, 271 State St. “We’ve pretty...
Unity zoning board grants variances for proposed Dollar General storeVideo
PennTex Ventures received local zoning variances for building a new Dollar General store in Unity, but plans for motorists to access the proposed discount outlet at eastbound Route 30 and Smith’s Hill Road must pass muster with PennDOT. The Unity Township Zoning Hearing Board this week voted 4-1 in favor...
Unity officials clear way for new Westmoreland Cleanways recycling center
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling’s plan to relocate its recycling operations to a property near Pleasant Unity received the go-ahead Tuesday. After tabling the matter earlier in January, Unity Township supervisors approved a final site plan for the new recycling center, with a landscaping modification that includes planting a border of...
Latrobe police to greet residents at art center
The Latrobe Police Department has established a tradition of inviting area residents to learn more about the work of its officers and other emergency responders during the annual National Night Out event, held the first Tuesday in August. On Feb. 5, the department will try a new morning outreach effort:...
Latrobe eyes higher fees at waste transfer station, end of downtown water line work
People soon could pay more to dump municipal waste at Latrobe’s solid waste transfer station. Under a proposed revision to the rate structure, the minimum charge for municipal waste dumped at the station along Mission Road would jump from $12.50 to $14 for 200 pounds or less. The per-ton rate...
Arnold Palmer airport security guard fails alcohol test
A security guard was sent home Friday night after failing an alcohol test at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said the guard failed an alcohol breath test he was administered after one of two other guards who were on duty noticed indications of...
WCCC approves sale of former Latrobe center to Arizona firm
Westmoreland County Community College’s former Laurel Education Center may soon have a new owner after sitting idle for more than four years. WCCC trustees this month agreed to sell the shuttered Latrobe building to SimonCRE, a commercial real estate development firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz., for $410,000. That’s $10,000 more...
County network brings broadband service to Westmoreland libraries
Patrons connecting to the internet at many Westmoreland County libraries may have noticed a marked improvement in download speed in recent months — and for good reason. Beginning in July and ending this month, 16 community libraries gradually gained fiber-optic broadband service through a project initiated by the Westmoreland Library...
Teen in stable condition following Wilkins Township shooting
A 17-year-old boy is in stable condition Saturday morning after a shooting Friday night in Wilkins Township. Police responded to the 100 block of Ivy Street at 8:47 p.m. Jan. 24 and discovered the teen with a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and lower right abdomen. Allegheny County detectives...
Recalled ground beef may contain plastic
Amity Packing Company has recalled 2,020 pounds of raw ground beef that may be contaminated with plastic. Labeled for Pre Brands, the 1-pound, vacuum-packed packages of 95% lean ground beef were produced on Jan. 6 by the Chicago-based company and were distributed to retailers in nine states including Pennsylvania, Ohio,...
Financing plan eyed for potential $5.8M Eastern Westmoreland tech center renovation
Administrators at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center are taking the next step toward a proposed renovation of the 43-year-old building — by working on a plan to pay for the project, which could cost more than $5.8 million. The center’s Joint Operating Committee this week authorized administrative staff to...
Shoppers return to Delmont Walmart following gas leak
The Delmont Walmart store was temporarily evacuated shortly after 5:30 p.m. Friday as area firefighters investigated an odor of natural gas. Crews traced the odor to a small leak in a gas line that supplies a roof heating unit near the store’s pharmacy, Forbes Road Fire Chief Bob Rosatti said....
‘The City of Falling Angels’ is subject of next One Westmoreland book discussion
A fire that consumed an historic Venetian performance venue sparked the creation of an atmospheric tale featured in the latest edition of the Westmoreland Library Network’s One Book, One Westmoreland book discussion program. Area residents are invited to stop at one of several county libraries to pick up a copy...
Unity supervisors to consider recycling center plans at Tuesday meeting
Unity Township supervisors will consider plans for a recycling center near Pleasant Unity at a special meeting on Tuesday. Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling ended recycling at its headquarters along Route 30 in Unity, at Innovative Park, as it pursues a planned move of the operations to a larger facility along...
Derry Township proposes stormwater pond on tech center land
Derry Township plans to buy a section of property from the Eastern Westmoreland County Career and Technology Center to develop a stormwater retention pond. The pond is the first of three the township supervisors have proposed to help control storm runoff that has contributed to flooding in recent years. “It’s...
Greater Latrobe School District locks in natural gas savings for 3 years
Greater Latrobe School District locked in a partial price for natural gas that will save the district thousands of dollars over three years. The school board this week approved an agreement with Direct Energy to supply 30% of the district’s gas needs from Sept. 1, 2020, through Aug. 31, 2023....
Alleged hazing incident in Greater Latrobe Junior High wrestling program under investigation
Greater Latrobe School District and state police are investigating an alleged hazing incident involving the junior high wrestling team. Superintendent Georgia Teppert said Tuesday she couldn’t comment on specifics of the investigation because of student privacy and personnel issues. The district is “taking all appropriate actions necessary,” has met with...
Youngwood shelter animals get helping hand via MLK Day of ServiceVideo
Allyson Bitner doesn’t have pets at her Hempfield home, but she understands the value of volunteering at a local animal shelter — for the helpers as well as the rescued felines, canines and other critters. “It’s very therapeutic to just pet a cat and pet a dog,” said Bitner, 15,...
Westmoreland Cleanways closes recycling center pending planned move
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling has closed its Unity recycling center until it moves to a proposed new location in the township, near Pleasant Unity. In the meantime, local residents have other options for recycling items such as paper and appliances containing Freon, but there are no nearby substitutes for the...
Excela Latrobe introduces improved surgical robotVideo
Students from Greater Latrobe and Ligonier Valley school districts joined other local residents Friday in trying out the controls of an improved surgical robot introduced during an open house at Excela Latrobe Hospital. Seventeen Excela surgeons use the robot and one like it at Excela Westmoreland Hospital to perform precision...
Dollar General considers new store in Unity
A new Dollar General store could be coming to Route 30 in Unity. Next week, the township zoning hearing board is scheduled to hear from developers of the store proposed along the eastbound lanes of the highway at Smith’s Hill Road, just east of Beatty Crossroads. At 6 p.m. Jan....
Police: Man shot in back while leaving Pittsburgh bar
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting near the Woods Run section of the city that sent a victim to a local hospital early Thursday. The male victim, who walked into the hospital about 1 a.m., told Zone 1 officers he was leaving a bar in the 2600 block of California...
