Jeff Himler stories, Page 124
Next Interstate 70 project will add 3 roundabouts at Madison exit
PennDOT’s ongoing Interstate 70 improvements are expected to continue next year, with revamping of the Madison and Yukon exits. Construction could begin as early as February and is expected to continue through September 2022, according to PennDOT District 12 officials. Submitting a proposal of about $92.9 million, Trumbull Corp. is...
Greensburg synagogue lights menorah to mark HanukkahVideo
The Jewish Festival of Lights, or Hanukkah, began Sunday evening and continues through Dec. 30. Greensburg’s Congregation Emanu-El Israel, which is a center for Jewish activities in central Westmoreland County, observed a festival tradition by lighting two electric candles on a menorah at sunset Monday at its North Main Street...
Amtrak: Latrobe station upgrade could begin in 2020
Latrobe appears to be on track for some major improvements to its Amtrak passenger station, with construction eyed for a possible 2020 start date. Amtrak discussed the proposed improvements, meant to better serve passengers with disabilities, in an interview with the Tribune-Review nearly two years ago. Latrobe officials were encouraged...
Police probe carjacking at The Waterworks mall near Aspinwall
Pittsburgh police are investigating a carjacking reported Saturday morning at The Waterworks mall. A man told police he was sleeping inside his vehicle at about 8:40 a.m., while his wife was inside a store, when a male suspect opened the door, pulled him out and drove away. No one was...
Officials identify man killed in exchange of fire while fleeing from Wilkinsburg police
A Wilkinsburg man was fatally shot by a police officer after firing at Wilkinsburg police during a foot chase early Sunday. Romir Talley, 24, died at 1:16 a.m. in the 900 block of Wilkinsburg’s Center Street, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Allegheny County Police are investigating the...
Staycation: Hikers, hunters, campers can enjoy wild times at Forbes State ForestVideo
Forbes State Forest provides some of the best spots for enjoying the Laurel Highlands’ wild flora, fauna and scenery. Boasting plenty of highlights for visitors, the forest covers roughly 60,000 acres spread across more than a dozen tracts of land in Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties. Forbes State Forest annually...
2 trucks collide head-on, killing Somerset man
A Somerset man was fatally injured Thursday when the truck he was driving collided head-on with another in Somerset County. Walter E. Herring, 72, was pronounced dead at the scene in Jefferson Township, according to state police. Police said the other driver, Mark A. Furman, 60, of Lavale, Md., was...
Super Saturday brings holiday shoppers out in droves at Westmoreland Mall
The last Saturday before Christmas, typically the biggest shopping day of the year, was expected to attract nearly 148 million consumers online and at brick-and-mortar stores this year. The National Retail Federation projected that increase over last year’s Super Saturday turnout of about 134 million because of this year’s abbreviated...
Hempfield man suffers burns in fire that destroyed garage
A Hempfield man suffered minor burns to his hands while attempting to remove equipment from his burning garage Saturday morning, firefighters said. The block building, which contained woodworking equipment, was a total loss, according to Midway-St. Clair Fire Chief Rich Kepple. A township fire investigator will look into the cause...
Greater Latrobe School Board promotes Robin Pynos as second assistant superintendent
Greater Latrobe School Board has promoted Robin Pynos to a new assistant superintendent position, as the latest step in realigning the district’s central administrative staff. The board this week approved a five-year term for Pynos as assistant superintendent for curriculum, technology and instruction as she resigned from her previous role...
Greater Latrobe School Board to honor 2.7-mill cap on potential tax hike
Greater Latrobe School Board has agreed to a ceiling for any property tax increase it may approve for the 2020-21 school year. The board this week passed a resolution pledging to stay within the 2.71-mill maximum — the equivalent of a 3.3% increase, determined by a state index, in accordance...
State grants fund traffic light upgrades in Salem, Latrobe
State traffic safety grants announced this week will improve a signal at routes 22 and 819 in Salem and will provide flashing signs to warn motorists of a reduced speed limit next to Latrobe Elementary School. The grants of $120,000 to Salem Township and $122,000 to the City of Latrobe...
Unity considers changing residential zone near airport, reducing minimum lot sizes
Unity Township officials are considering changing the residential zoning classification of about 20 properties along a stretch of Route 981 near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to give owners more flexibility in developing the lots. Solicitor Gary Falatovich said township supervisors likely won’t act on the proposed revision until February...
Saint Vincent College will take comment on dining hall expansion
Saint Vincent College officials on Thursday will discuss the planned development of a Student Life and Hospitality Hub, including the dining hall where the Pittsburgh Steelers eat during training camp on the Unity campus. The meeting, which will include a public comment period, begins at 9 a.m. in Room 2B,...
Unity couple looks to expand pierogi business with Route 981 plant
A Unity couple has drawn upon a shared Polish heritage to grow a thriving business making pierogies for restaurants and fundraisers. The next step Jan Rawecki and Terry Smith-Rawecki are planning is to move production of Gosia’s Pierogies from their expanded Pauline Drive garage to a larger plant they intend...
Mt. Pleasant man endured missile crisis, mining accident, shared lifelong love of golf
Skilled golfer John J. Konieczny Jr. continued to play the “game of kings” while stationed with the Navy in Norfolk, Va., in the early 1960s. He also played a part in one of the deadliest games in history — the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis that threatened nuclear conflict between...
Ligonier Valley coat distribution slated at YMCA
Ligonier-area residents who are lacking warm winter outerwear are invited to stop at the Ligonier Valley YMCA Sunday to check out garments that have been donated through the second annual Ligonier Valley Coat Drive. According to organizers of the drive, anyone who needs a coat is welcome to stop at...
Youngstown contractor new Latrobe public works director
A local native whose company has handled tasks for gas and oil companies, railroads and the Westmoreland County Airport Authority will take on a new assignment next week, for the city of Latrobe. Scott A. Wajdic of Youngstown is scheduled to begin work Monday as Latrobe’s new public works director....
New sign caps recent improvements at North Huntingdon nature preserve
Volunteers from Jeannette’s Elliott Group lent a hand this week as the Westmoreland Land Trust installed an updated sign at the entrance of its nature preserve along Ardara Road in North Huntingdon. The sign joins other recent improvements at the 59-acre Otto and Magdalene Ackermann Nature Preserve that were the...
Youngstown, Whitney-Hostetter firefighters propose merger
Firefighters from Youngstown Borough and the nearby Whitney-Hostetter department often respond together to emergency calls. Under a proposed merger, they soon could be heading to other emergencies as a single volunteer company. Unity Township Supervisors this week passed a resolution supporting the merger, which was sought by the firefighters. “They...
Stahlstown man watches childhood tree light up Rockefeller Center for NYC holiday tradition
When Mitch Schultz Jr. watched a rainbow of lights bring a holiday glow to this year’s Christmas tree at New York City’s Rockefeller Center, it added a stunning final chapter to his family’s 60-year history with a Norway spruce. “I trimmed it tons of times as it was growing,” said...
History program focuses on Latrobe-area churches
The Latrobe Area Historical Society will usher out the year with an encore presentation of a program highlighting the many facets of the town’s faith community. The slide show “Holy Latrobe: The Historic Houses of Worship” will be screened at 9:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the society headquarters, 416...
Latrobe hires patrolman, promotes K-9 officerVideo
Latrobe police shored up their ranks by hiring new patrolman Matthew DeChicchis and promoting K9 Officer Robert Derk to sergeant. Most recently employed with the police department in Johnstown, DeChicchis “came out heads and tails above everybody else” in Latrobe’s civil service hiring process, Latrobe Police Chief John Sleasman said...
Blue Angels jets slated to fly when Westmoreland airshow returns in 2021
The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow should be flying high once more in 2021 — after taking hiatus next year — with a return of the Blue Angels Navy jet team as the chief attraction. Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo received word Tuesday that the popular jet demonstration...
Latrobe firefighters leave council meeting without reason for their suspensionsVideo
Firefighters who are under suspension at Latrobe Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company No. 1 say they haven’t been told why. “We were suspended without cause, without reason,” Nico Giovannagelo, captain of the Goodwill Hose Company, said of himself and six other firefighters. “We do not know why we were suspended,...
