Jeff Himler stories, Page 138
Historical society slide show portrays Latrobe roots of children’s TV host Fred Rogers
A glimpse back at Latrobe in the 1950s provides a sense of how the town looked as native son Fred Rogers completed his undergraduate college studies and started to make his mark on the world of television broadcasting. People attending Mister Rogers Family Day in Latrobe on Saturday will get...
Latrobe’s Mister Rogers Family Day expands with car cruise, pony rides
Adults who grew up watching episodes of Latrobe native Fred Rogers’ children’s television series and kids who are fans of the animated Daniel Tiger character that carries on that tradition will find something of interest at Saturday’s fourth-annual Mister Rogers Family Day. “It’s a tremendous tribute to Fred, a great...
Family scavenger hunt, fishing program offered at Twin Lakes Park
Two all-ages activities this weekend will kick off summer environmental programs at Westmoreland County Parks. A free Family Night Scavenger Walk is set for 8:30 to 10:30 p.m Friday at Twin Lakes Park. Space is limited for the walk, which will challenge participants to look and listen for wildlife. A...
Latrobe Elementary contractor sues district administrator, consultants over withheld money
The general contractor who built Latrobe Elementary School is suing a school district administrator and consultants for more than $1.6 million to recoup money it says was withheld due to delays. The $24.8 million school that houses about 700 students in grades K-6 opened Dec. 4. It was to have...
Donegal Township bridge replacement will cause summer detour
PennDOT plans to close a section of Route 381 beginning Wednesday to replace a bridge over Indian Creek in Donegal Township. The road will be closed between Veterans Lane and Route 31, with traffic detoured along routes 31, 711 and 130. Work on the bridge is part of a $2.4...
Household hazardous waste collection slated at Westmoreland Cleanways
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling will host a household hazardous waste collection June 29 at its Unity recycling center. ECS&R, a hazardous waste contractor from Crawford County, is conducting the event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 113 Innovative Lane, just off Route 30. Contact ECS&R at 1-866-815-0016 for pricing...
Smithton fair will feature Chris Higbee concert, celebrate Legion centennial
Smithton’s American Legion and volunteer fire department are joining forces to put on a community street fair July 13 that will feature a free concert by local country artist Chris Higbee. The outdoor concert, tentatively set for 7:30 p.m., is part of an enhanced fair the two organizations are planning...
PennDOT honors 2 Uniontown employees for excellence
Two staff members at PennDOT’s District 12 headquarters in Uniontown were among 30 recipients of the department’s annual Star of Excellence awards presented Monday in Harrisburg. Uniontown residents Gary V. Ferrari Jr., senior civil engineer supervisor, and Jay Ofsanik, safety press officer, were among PennDOT employees from across the state...
Westmoreland library programs explore history, future of space travel
It’s been a half century since man first stepped foot on the moon. To celebrate the July 20 anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, several Westmoreland County libraries will host a free presentation highlighting the history of air and space travel while looking ahead to exciting developments on the...
Everson man dies after sawing injury at Latrobe workplace
An Everson man died in a Pittsburgh hospital Friday after being injured while working with a table saw at a Latrobe company. Eugene Martinosky, 62, was taken to UPMC, where he died Friday, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The cause of death has not been released. The...
Environmental concerns shared at Greensburg’s Green Gathering
Concern about diminished recycling options was among issues that brought about 20 people to an informal Sunday meeting of a Greensburg-based citizens environmental group. Chaired by educator Paula Purnell of Greensburg, the Greensburg Group of 10 held its first Green Gathering networking session at Major Stokes restaurant in the city....
Art, animals share spotlight during Greensburg museum’s Community Day
Westmoreland Museum of American Art welcomed the public to enjoy bakery pies and bluegrass music Sunday in the latest of its Community Day events, held the first Sunday of each month at the Greensburg fine arts showcase. Those who attended also could explore a petting zoo and ride a mechanical...
Mammoth Park in Mt. Pleasant perfect setting for annual family festivalVideo
Mammoth Fest is “really the best of both worlds” for Melissa Bushik of Irwin. She attended Sunday’s annual family oriented festival at Westmoreland County’s Mammoth Park with her daughter, Parker, as she has for many years. “You get all the carnival stuff, and you get to be around nature,” Bushik...
Police: Bethel Park crash that injured 4 was driver’s attempt to kill girlfriend
A Finleyville man is accused of attempting to kill his girlfriend by wrecking his pickup truck into another vehicle Thursday in Bethel Park. Jeffrey Dezardo, 27, fled on foot from the crash, which injured his girlfriend and two occupants of the other vehicle, Bethel Park police said. Dezardo’s truck flipped...
Hempfield National Guard drill delivers goods to local charities
Thirty recent recruits with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard detachment in Hempfield completed a march with a mission Saturday. Packing most of it on their backs, the young men and women delivered more than an estimated 1,200 pounds of non-perishable items to the Saint Vincent College campus in Unity for...
Police arrest McKeesport man in Swissvale shooting that killed 1, injured 2
Allegheny County Police have charged a McKeesport man in a shooting Saturday in Swissvale that killed a man and sent two other people to area hospitals. According to court documents, Charlton Mitchell, 21, is charged with homicide and related charges. The shooting was reported at about 1:45 a.m. in the...
Indiana County man charged after gun seized at Palmer airport checkpoint
An Indiana County man was arrested on a weapons offense after he was stopped from bringing a loaded handgun and a knife onto a flight Thursday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. Transportation Security Administration officers detected the weapons — a folding knife and a .380-caliber handgun — in...
New Latrobe Banana Split Princess to be picked
Piper Anke is preparing to end her one-year reign as the first Banana Split Princess for Latrobe. Anke, a 13-year-old from Derry who has experience in public speaking, was appointed to the role in a last-minute addition to the 2018 Great American Banana Split Celebration. She’ll conclude her responsibilities Sunday...
Town Hall participants brainstorm ideas for a Green New Deal in Westmoreland
Local proponents of the envisioned economic transformation dubbed the Green New Deal argue that regional jobs tied to the fossil fuel industry can be replaced with ones that are focused on environmentally friendly energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind and solar power. That was one of the ideas discussed Wednesday...
Latrobe gets temporary help with bulk refuse collection
Latrobe will pay Allied Republic to help collect bulk refuse while the city waits for a truck to arrive so it can do the chore itself. City council approved a non-exclusive, temporary agreement through the end of the year for Allied Republic’s on-call, roll-off truck services to assist Latrobe’s refuse...
Former ‘Dance Moms’ studio wants to relocate to Carbone’s building in Unity Township
Appolonia Leake is hoping to move her dance studio from Penn Hills to a portion of the former Carbone’s Restaurant in Crabtree if the Unity Township supervisors approve. Lou Demosky, Leake’s mother and business manager for the studio, said they’d been looking to make a move for about nine months...
Crews extinguish Derry Township trailer fire
Remnants of a Derry Township mobile home caught fire Tuesday as a crew worked to demolish it. Owner George Nuttall, who lives next to the property on Chestnut Ridge Road near Route 217, said workers took a break from cutting part of the trailer’s metal frame before the fire started...
Unity Army veteran: Talking helps war trauma survivorsVideo
Thomas Abraham knows intimately about the psychological costs of war. As a young man, the Unity veteran led even younger men, many still in their teens, while serving as a captain in the Army’s 173rd Airborne Battalion in Vietnam. After the West Point graduate was transferred within the battalion, “most...
Officials: 2 tornadoes hit Saturday in Indiana County
Two tornadoes touched down in Indiana County over the weekend, damaging a home and uprooting trees, the National Weather Service confirmed Monday. Meteorologists said a tornado with a wind speed of up to 90 mph touched down just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday along High Rise Drive in Burrell Township. It...
Braddock’s Battlefield museum gets boost from Fort Ligonier
The Battle of the Monongahela has become known to many as “Braddock’s Defeat.” British Gen. Edward Braddock failed in his 1755 campaign to wrest Fort Duquesne — the future site of Pittsburgh — from French forces. He was mortally wounded, and his forces routed in the July 9 battle with...
