Jeff Himler stories, Page 74
Pony Club, animal rescue team will be showcased at Ligonier Township event
Folks who have developed some horse sense are ready to share it with others Sunday during a season kickoff event for the Rolling Rock Hunt Pony Club. Founded in 1954, the club has about 50 members. It is one of 13 groups that helped establish the United States Pony Clubs...
Former Catholic academy in Unity could see rebirth as nature preserve
It’s been 50 years since Susan Scherff was standing in the grove outside St. Xavier Academy, huddled with the rest of the evacuated students as they watched black smoke billowing from the burning convent and chapel attached to the Catholic school in Unity. “Then it started to rain,” she recalled....
Pittsburgh man charged in October shooting that critically wounded 1 in Lincoln-Lemington
Brandon West, 29, of Pittsburgh is charged in an Oct. 24 shooting that critically wounded a victim in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. West was arrested by the city’s Fugitive Task Force. He is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, robbery, carrying a firearm without a license...
Pittsburgh police seek 15-year-old boy missing since March
Pittsburgh police are asking for the public’s help in their search for an endangered teen missing from the city’s South Side since late March. Brandon Walton Jr., 15, was last seen on March 31 in the city’s Arlington neighborhood, according to police. He is 5 feet, 8 inches tall, weighs...
Greater Latrobe gains $2K in tax settlement, considers bond refinancing
The Greater Latrobe School District will see a slight increase in revenue as a result of settling a property tax appeal. Officials hope to know by May whether refinancing some bonds could produce a substantially larger financial benefit for the district. The school board this week approved a tax appeal...
Greensburg Salem dedicates track complex to late inspirational coach Steve Snider
Coaches Nathan and Matthew Snider were on opposing sides Wednesday, April 20 as their respective teams — the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions and the visiting Hempfield Area Spartans — faced off in a varsity track meet. But before the running and jumping began, the two brothers shared a sense of...
News of Steelers’ return to Saint Vincent given immaculate reception
Briana Tomack’s phone was ringing nonstop Wednesday during her workday as president of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. Many fellow Steelers fans were calling her to celebrate the good news that the NFL team will be back in town this summer. The Steelers announced they will be...
Plant sales at Penguin Court, Compass Inn feature pollinator-friendly native species
Native plants added to area gardens and flower beds tend to require minimal maintenance, and they help support pollinators such as birds, bees and butterflies. A number of varieties of these plants indigenous to Pennsylvania and surrounding states are grown each year at Laughlintown’s Penguin Court preserve and will be...
Car club seeks sign missing from site of historic crash on Route 30 in Somerset County
July 2, 1932, was the beginning of the end for an automobile industry legend. On that day, Frederick Duesenberg, a German immigrant who helped to create the same-named line of early 20th century luxury cars, was involved in a wreck along the Lincoln Highway — modern Route 30 — in...
Greensburg Salem School District projects no tax increase in preliminary 2022-2023 budget
Greensburg Salem school officials are planning to keep taxes steady as part of the district’s preliminary 2022-23 budget. While the board won’t adopt a final budget until June, business manager Joan Wehner said initial indications are expenditures and revenues each will increase to about $48.7 million, up from $48.1 million...
Group seeks racial equality at Greensburg Salem, decries school director’s Facebook post
A newly organized community group in Greensburg Salem School District says it wants to work with the school board to combat racism and racial bias and negative effects of such on students. Several members of CORES (Communities Organizing for Racial Equality in the Schools) additionally aired related concerns at Wednesday’s...
North Huntingdon slide repairs, Penn Township pipe replacement set to detour traffic
Traffic detours are set to begin Monday for PennDOT projects in North Huntingdon and Penn townships. Crews are set to resume slide repairs in North Huntingdon. That work is expected to close a section of Guffey/Turner Valley Road, between Volk and Guffey roads, for up to 10 weeks. The marked...
Greensburg Salem School Board OKs 4-year superintendent contract with Ken Bissell
Greensburg Salem School Board has approved a formal contract with Superintendent Ken Bissell, who has been serving in that role for five months. The contract, approved this week by an 8-1 vote, extends through June 30, 2026. It will automatically renew for an additional year unless the board decides otherwise....
Saint Vincent monks hit sweet spot with handmade hot cross buns
A team of about a dozen Saint Vincent monks were working from early morning into the evening Thursday as they carried out a new tradition at the Benedictine community. Their mission: preparing nearly 1,200 hot cross buns for pickup by customers on Good Friday. The monks have been enjoying the...
Shooting in Homewood South leaves 1 in critical condition
A male victim was in critical condition as a result of a shooting Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood, according to a city Public Safety spokesperson. City police responded at about 6:45 p.m. to the 7300 block of Idlewild Street following a ShotSpotter alert and a call to 911....
Washington County contractor pleads guilty to bilking 16 victims, ordered to pay $400K
A Washington County man has pleaded guilty in Allegheny County Court to bilking 16 Pittsburgh area victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars through uncompleted construction projects and payments owed to subcontractors and suppliers. Daniel Michael Bull, 39, of Washington pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of theft by...
Former Ligonier Township manager joins Latrobe in zoning post
Ligonier Township’s former manager is now on board as the new zoning and code enforcement officer for Latrobe. City council this week unanimously voted to hire Terry Carcella for the open position. “He’s highly qualified,” Mayor Eric Bartels said. “We recognize that he has significant experience.” Three people applied for...
Greater Latrobe eyes $1.5 million in roof projects, data security upgrades
Greater Latrobe School Board on Tuesday will consider about $1.5 million in roof improvements at the junior and senior high schools. Garland/DBS of Cleveland has submitted a proposal to repair leaks in a section of the junior high roof and to replace an older portion of the senior high roof....
Trooper Iwaniec Race combating impaired driving returns to Saint Vincent campus
Runners and walkers will be welcomed back in person this month to the Saint Vincent College campus for the 13th annual Trooper Iwaniec Memorial Race. The TakeOff event at the college in Unity is set for April 23 but was limited to a virtual format the past two years because...
Pittsburgh police: 15-year-old boy safe following search
A 15-year-old boy reported missing Saturday evening in Pittsburgh’s Northview area has been found and is safe, according to city police. Police thanked those who spread the word Tuesday about a search that was on for La’niere Little....
Firefighters douse mattress fire in New Kensington dwelling
No one was hurt in a fire that broke out in the upstairs apartment of a New Kensington home Tuesday night, fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said. The fire, in a building on an alley paralleling the 800 block of Seventh Street, was reported around 10:30 p.m. The fire was...
Fire at U.S. Steel Tower contained to 1st-floor restaurant
No injuries were reported Tuesday evening as Pittsburgh firefighters quickly contained a blaze in a first-floor restaurant at the U.S. Steel Tower Downtown. The fire was reported just after 7:30 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatch supervisor. Flames were contained to Sullivan’s Steakhouse, which opened last fall in...
Greensburg Salem High’s Critter Cruise helps kids get to know diverse speciesVideo
An albino axolotl piqued the curiosity of many a fourth-grader Friday as it rested enigmatically in its tank at Greensburg Salem High School. A type of salamander that originated in Mexico, it was among 20 species of amphibians, reptiles, arachnids, insects, birds, fish and mammals displayed for fourth-graders from adjacent...
Latrobe banana split fest set to return to 3-day format; pageant contestants sought
Organizers of Latrobe’s Great American Banana Split Celebration plan to return to a three-day format this year as they seek entrants for the annual Banana Split Princess Pageant. “We want to bring back everything we had from 2019,” said Briana Tomack, president of the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of...
Greensburg Salem School Board eyes air conditioning additions, locker room upgrade
The Greensburg Salem School Board is considering an update of the district’s high school locker room facilities and bringing air conditioning to classrooms at the middle school and Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary. The board’s April 13 agenda will include a request for quotes for the locker room improvements. “We should...
