Jeff Himler stories, Page 133
Free photo workshop planned for high school students at Hanna’s Town
Area high school students can brush up on photography skills during a two-day workshop later this month at Historic Hanna’s Town. Led by Westmoreland Photographers Society President Brian Kloock, the workshop will provide a hands-on learning experience focused on creating, processing and exhibiting photographs. The Westmoreland Photographers Society, will present...
Route 31 shift will allow eastbound traffic to bypass intersection at Donegal
PennDOT plans Monday to shift motorists onto a new Route 31 alignment at Donegal that features an improved intersection at Route 711, with a new traffic signal and turning lanes. The new continuous “T” intersection will allow those driving east on Route 31 to continue unimpeded, using a through lane...
Latrobe Night Out opens eyes to local policing methods, impaired driving hazardsVideo
Latrobe-area residents took a ride on a Fatal Vision roadster and saw how a K-9 officer takes a bite out of crime Tuesday evening at a National Night Out outreach event organized by the city’s police department. Firefighting equipment also was on display, as well as Army vehicles and a...
Inmate charged with attempted murder of state troopers during Indiana County transport
An inmate at Indiana County’s Pine Grove state prison is charged with attempting to kill two state troopers when he seized a gun from one of the troopers and fired it twice as they were driving him back to the prison from a district court hearing. In addition to two...
Re-enactors to fire cannon, display frontier skills at Compass Inn
Visitors to historic Compass Inn this month will see demonstrations of past frontier skills representing such 18th-century trades as the gunsmith, blacksmith and midwife. Members of Proctor’s Militia, a local re-enactment group that portrays a Revolutionary War-era militia unit of the same name, will camp at the restored 1799 Laughlintown...
‘Gentle giant’ was workplace mentor, life of the party
At age 65, Bill Marszalek could still easily bench press more than 200 pounds. A weightlifter from his teens who stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall, he cut an imposing figure. But, for those who knew him, his jovial personality, winning smile and concern for others are what really made...
West Penn Power Fund grant supports energy efficiency in Saint Vincent library expansion
A $75,000 grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund will help Saint Vincent College include energy-efficient initiatives in the renovation and expansion of its library while educating students and the community about those measures. The $22 million project that is underway at the Dale P. Latimer Library includes...
Teens team up to tackle summer projects at state parksVideo
Teen workers fastened into place a line of 2x6 planks, completing a narrow strip of new bridge decking just as a man arrived to walk his trail bike over the span across Keystone State Park’s Davis Run. The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps crew of eight, based in Greensburg, combined efforts to...
Latrobe’s Steelers Fest attracts fans from afar for trophy shots, team-related funVideo
Big Ben and JuJu were among the attractions for fans with tickets to the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Most who came Friday afternoon, for related Steelers Fest activities in an adjacent field, made a bee line for the team’s half dozen Lombardi trophies on display....
Firefighters free ducklings from Unity storm drain
The Lloydsville Volunteer Fire Department came to the rescue Thursday morning when some ducklings fell through a storm drain and became trapped near Wimmerton Lake in Unity Township. “All in all, nine ducklings were safely rescued and reunited with their mother … who was anxiously (and noisily) awaiting their rescue!”...
Eddie Bauer, Disney infant sleepers recalled
Two more models of inclined infant sleepers have been recalled because of safety concerns. Dorel Juvenile Group USA has recalled about 24,000 0f its Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Bassinet and its Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet sleepers in conjunction with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. While no injuries...
Greensburg family event will offer activities, essentials for kids in need
Families and children in need will be offered some essential items at no charge Aug. 9 at Courthouse Square in downtown Greensburg. Latrobe-based Faith Forward Ministries will distribute the items and provide other family-oriented resources and children’s activities during the Community Supporting Family event, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m....
Pennsylvania Turnpike section will close overnight in Westmoreland County
The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed in both directions overnight between the interchanges at Monroeville and New Stanton. The stretch will be closed from about 11 p.m. Wednesday until 5 a.m. Thursday to allow for emergency removal of a sign structure at milepost 56.9, turnpike officials said. Motorists still will...
Ligonier’s Diamond Park cited as ‘Great Public Space’
Ligonier’s rejuvenated Diamond Park is a “Great Public Space,” according to the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Planning Association. The recently renovated park at the heart of the borough was recognized in the Public Space category of the organization’s 2019 Great Places in Pennsylvania program. The awards recognize sites that...
North Huntingdon slide repair, Smithton rail crossing upgrade prompt detours
PennDOT plans to close a section of Route 993 in North Huntingdon to repair a landslide and a segment of Route 981 in Smithton for replacement of a railroad crossing. The North Huntingdon closure is set to begin Aug. 8 and is expected to continue through late September. While Plum...
Loyalhanna Conservation Corps expands Laurel Ridge trail for hikers, rescue crewsVideo
Ligonier Township native Josh Fitz has spent many summers camping with his family in nearby Forbes State Forest. The 20-year-old West Virginia University student, who is focusing his studies on global environmental change, returned to the forest this summer for work instead of leisure — helping to improve hiking trails...
Underground scans help peel back history at Laughlintown’s Compass InnVideo
The Ligonier Valley Historical Society is taking a downward glance in order to look back in time at its historic Compass Inn Museum in Ligonier Township. A team from local Markosky Engineering visited last week with devices to scan below the ground beside and behind the restored 1799 stagecoach stop...
Saint Vincent monk was skilled mechanic, leading firefighter
Equipment breakdowns weren’t a problem for Brother Stephen Nazaruk. The Benedictine monk took charge in 1981 of the machine shop serving his community at Saint Vincent Archabbey and Saint Vincent College, and he continued to be involved at the shop on the Unity campus well into his 80s. “He had...
Seton Hill names new dorm after Sisters of Charity
Students arriving at Seton Hill University for fall classes will find a new residence hall named for the religious order that founded the institution. The Sisters of Charity Residence Hall, opening in August, will boost the Greensburg university’s on-campus housing from 800 to 945 beds. The three-story building, which features...
Police look for missing McKeesport man considered to be endangered
McKeesport police are searching for a local man with reported “severe mental health issues” who has been missing since 7 a.m. Thursday. Charles Devon Surratt, 40, of 1719 Sumac St., moved to McKeesport four months ago, city police said. He is black, 5 feet, 10 inches tall and is “considered...
Murder-suicide ruled in shootings that claimed 85-year-old Irwin couple
An 85-year-old man fatally shot his 85-year-old wife at their Irwin home Wednesday or Thursday before shooting himself in a murder-suicide, according to authorities. Joan I. Agnew died of multiple gunshot wounds, and Thomas I. Agnew died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at their Highland Avenue residence,...
Police charge Indiana grandmother, believe 1-year-old ingested THC from her vaping pen
An Indiana County woman is charged with endangering the welfare of children after police believe her 1-year-old grandson ingested a psychoactive substance from a vaping device while under her care. State police said the boy was in the care of Leann Louise Goss, 38, of Indiana, in a home on...
Maryland man pleads guilty to abducting, raping Somerset County girl in 1999
A Maryland man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to abducting and raping a 10-year-old Somerset County girl in 1999. Timothy D. Nelson Jr., 50, of Cumberland, Md., entered the plea before U.S. District Judge Kim R. Gibson in Johnstown on charges of kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse of a...
Historical society presents slide show depicting Latrobe scenes from the 1950s
The Latrobe Area Historical Society will offer two screenings of its newly revised slide show, “Latrobe: The Fabulous 50s,” on Friday and Saturday. Doors open at 9 a.m. each day at the society headquarters, 416 Weldon St., Latrobe, and the show starts at 9:30 a.m. Ice cream sundaes will be...
United Way needs 500 volunteers for regional Day of Caring
United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Westmoreland Region office in Greensburg is looking to recruit 500 volunteers for its 17th annual Day of Caring. Slated for Sept. 13, the event connects volunteers with projects benefiting communities and nonprofit and civic groups in Westmoreland and Fayette counties and southern Armstrong County. Volunteers...
