Jeff Himler stories, Page 75
PennDOT plans I-70 closure in Speers, lane restrictions farther east
Work on the Interstate 70 corridor will detour motorists in Washington County and restrict traffic to the east in Westmoreland County. A full closure of I-70 in both directions in Speers is scheduled Thursday and Friday, beginning at 8 p.m. each day and continuing until 6 a.m. the following morning....
Imperial woman accused of assaulting 1-year-old girl in bathtub
An Imperial woman is accused of endangering the welfare of two young girls in her care and assaulting one of them, her 1-year-old daughter. The alleged assault occurred March 25 in a Robinson hotel room where Rainelle Wolfe, 21, of Imperial, was staying with the 1-year-old child and a 15-year-old...
McKnight Road reopens after closure for vehicle-pedestrian crash in Ross
A pedestrian was in critical condition after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday evening in Ross Township. The crash happened just after 8 p.m. in the 4500 block of McKnight Road, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. The supervisor said one person was taken from the scene by ambulance...
Jacobs Creek Watershed group plans tire, trail cleanups, wetland walks
The Jacobs Creek Watershed Association is partnering with American Architectural Salvage and Bridgestone Tires on Saturday, April 9 in an effort to clean up and properly dispose of scrap tires that are a significant source of pollution in the watershed. Signs will direct those participating in the cleanup to a...
Westmoreland tire cleanup targets West Nile virus; volunteers needed
Volunteers are needed to help with a special discount tire recycling event set for Saturday, April 9 at Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling. Conducted through a partnership with the Westmoreland Conservation District’s West Nile virus program, the event is intended to help clean up scrap tires that can collect standing water...
$1M scratch-off lottery ticket sold at Lower Burrell store
A Lower Burrell shopper is $1 million richer after purchasing a winning scratch-off lottery ticket at a local supermarket. Pennsylvania Lottery officials said Friday the $1,000,000 Cash King ticket was sold at the Community Supermarket in the Hillcrest Shopping Center off of Leechburg Road. $1 million is the top prize...
Latrobe police set event to help with license plate replacement, medication disposal
Latrobe police next month will help motorists replace illegible vehicle license plates and to collect unused, expired medications. There is no cost to take part in the event, which is slated for 9 a.m. to noon April 9 in the city municipal building, at Jefferson and Main streets. Police Chief...
Latrobe ordinance update sparks debate over guidelines for motorized wheelchairs
Latrobe officials could lump motorized wheelchairs and scooters into a new ordinance that was designed to govern the use of bicycles and skateboards in the city. The move would be part of a proposed ordinance update that would make provisions for wheeled devices that aren’t mentioned while eliminating an outdated...
Interns sought for Forbes State Forest conservation tasks
Students who will be heading to or returning to college next fall may want to consider a summer internship that gets them out into the field — or, rather, into the forest. Applications are being accepted through April 30 for Youth Conservation Corps internships in Forbes State Forest. A joint...
Indianapolis collector traces 1850s Bible to prominent Westmoreland family
Before the internet opened up new avenues for genealogical research, Bibles once were a prime repository for families intent on preserving their history. One such tome, dating from the 1850s, has provided an Indianapolis-area man an intriguing link to the Southwestern Pennsylvania region where he was raised. Pittsburgh native Chris...
Westmoreland Historical Society offers trip through time to explore local trolley legacyVideo
West Penn Railways Co. was a major provider of public transit over trolley lines in Westmoreland County and surrounding areas, from 1917 until the company’s demise in 1952. Fans of local history and past transportation modes can take a figurative trip back through time on those now-gone lines by attending...
Seton Hill to host signing of book collecting writings of Holocaust scholar
The writings of late Holocaust scholar Eva Fleischner, and a collection of her essays recently published by Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, will be the focus of an April 6 book signing. The public is invited to the 4 p.m. event in Cecilian Hall on the...
Students from Bangladesh, Poland find common ground during exchange stay in Hempfield
As Russian missiles devastate Ukraine, people around the world are yearning for the day when peace will return to Eastern Europe. A hemisphere away, in Hempfield, two young men from disparate countries and cultures have achieved more than just peaceful coexistence. Mansib Rahman, 18, of Bangladesh and Bartosz “Bartek” Zielinski,...
Medal of Honor Day focuses on service members awarded for valor in battle
The Medal of Honor is the United States’ highest award for military valor, and American presidents have presented more than 3,500 of them since the medal was established in 1862. In 1990, Congress designated March 25 as National Medal of Honor Day to recognize the medal recipients, many of whom...
Idlewild sets earlier park opening day, boosts pay for seasonal work
Officials at Ligonier Township’s Idlewild and SoakZone have some good news for fans of the family amusement park as well as those interested in working at the attraction. Responding in part to heightened public interest in picnic reservations, the park will open May 7 — two weekends earlier than previously...
Police: Shooting in Rankin sends man to hospital with leg wound
Allegheny County police are investigating a Thursday-morning shooting in Rankin that sent a man to an area hospital. County 911 dispatchers were notified of the shooting just before 7:30 a.m. in the 400 block of Antisbury Street. First responders found a man with a gunshot wound to a leg, police...
Latrobe library’s Wee Read combines early learning with tunes, tales
Nine preschoolers and their doting adult caretakers braved Wednesday’s rainy weather for a warm reception awaiting them at Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe. It was the second week for the library to return to an in-person format for its Wee Read program, after offering a pandemic-forced virtual version of the...
Unity gears up for spring cleanup with added drop-off locations, seeks volunteers
Last year’s spring cleanup in Unity cleared away 40 large bins of trash from yards and roadsides in the community, and township officials hope to dispose of even more unsightly debris when they repeat the event April 30. This year, there will be expanded locations in township neighborhoods for the...
Keystone Park among state rec sites hoping to tap pandemic funds; new park office planned
A new solar-powered office and visitor center, a major wish-list item at Keystone State Park, is among long-desired upgrades officials hope to bring about by tapping federal pandemic recovery funds. Cindy Adams Dunn, state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources secretary, stopped by Tuesday to assess needs at the Derry...
City Brewery, union locals OK new 4-year contract, end brief Latrobe strike
Union locals over the weekend ratified a new labor agreement with City Brewery in Latrobe, ending a brief strike. The four-year contract with CBC Latrobe Acquisition was approved by 78% of the members of IUE-CWA Locals 22 and 144 during the Saturday vote, according to the respective local presidents, Bill...
Latrobe invests $231K to repair waste compactor, looks to improve parking garage
Latrobe Council this week awarded a $231,000 bid for repairing a compactor at the city’s solid waste transfer station — and the sooner the work is done, the better. The city is seeking additional bids for improvements in and around its municipal parking garage. The aging compactor, which is used...
Greater Latrobe administrative overhaul names 3 staffers assistants to superintendent
Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a restructuring of the district’s central administrative staff that will increase responsibilities — and, eventually, pay levels — for four employees. Those pay increases, expected to total about $30,000 next school year, raised concerns for Andrew Repko, the sole board member to vote...
Pittsburgh police search for missing Homewood woman with dementia
Pittsburgh police are asking for the public’s help in their search for a missing city woman who suffers from dementia. Queenie Kirkland, 89, left her home on Thomas Boulevard at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighs 117 pounds and has brown eyes and...
Robber shoots store employee at Edgewood market
A man was shot during an armed robbery Tuesday afternoon at an Edgewood market, according to Allegheny County police. The robbery was reported just before 1:30 p.m. at the Edgewood Avenue Express in the 200 block of Edgewood Avenue. Police said a suspect entered the store, brandished a handgun and...
18th-century life displayed during Pennsylvania Charter Day at Bushy Run Battlefield
A British victory in the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run helped to prevent a takeover of Fort Pitt, the fortification that would grow into Pennsylvania’s major western city — Pittsburgh. Putting that historic event into context, the Bushy Run Battlefield site in Penn Township welcomed visitors Sunday to learn how...
