Jeff Himler stories, Page 79
Police: Hit-and-run crash critically injures Latrobe woman
Police are looking for a hit-and-run driver who struck and critically injured a pedestrian Saturday in Derry Township. A man was driving east on Harrison Avenue, near the Union Mission, just before 6 p.m. when his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup struck a woman who was walking along the berm, state...
Tamburitzans display flare with folk dances in GreensburgVideo
Swords flashed and scarves twirled Sunday as the Tamburitzans presented a Georgian folk dance in Greensburg. Their touring show, “Symbols: The Awakening,” also features tradition-based songs and dances from several Eastern European and Nordic countries, as well as from Italy. The Georgian dance, featuring clashing swords and acrobatic leaps, highlights...
Hot Topic closes Pittsburgh Mills store
The Hot Topic store at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills welcomed customers for a final day of shopping before permanently closing on Sunday. The closure was announced Jan. 14 on the store’s Facebook page. According to the announcement, the store was not conducting “any deep sales or all-must-go sale and...
Indiana County woman reported missing in Kiski Township is found safe
A woman reported missing early Sunday in Kiski Township, Armstrong County, was found safe more than eight hours later in Indiana County. According to township police, Robin Bohannon, 36, who lives in the Clymer area, was considered endangered when she was reported missing about 1:30 a.m. She left a residence...
Pittsburgh police: Woman dead after being struck by a vehicle, man shot
Police investigating a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood Sunday morning found a female victim who was pronounced dead after being struck by a vehicle. At a Sunoco station in nearby Esplen, a male victim with a gunshot wound to the head told officers he’d been shot in Sheraden. He was...
Cold temperatures, Ligonier Diamond provide perfect setting for icy menagerie
Visitors flocked to Ligonier on Saturday to admire a pair of giant chickens and 59 other figures sculpted from ice. After a bone-chilling night, temperatures rose into the 30s by mid-morning, making ideal conditions for viewing the town’s 31st annual Ice Fest. Although the sun was out in full force...
Blaze at Penn Hills apartments displaces dozens, donations being accepted
Dozens of residents were displaced by a fire early Saturday at the Rodi Arms apartments in Penn Hills. Officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV no one was injured in the blaze that began as a kitchen fire shortly after midnight and spread to the attic of the three-story building in...
2nd handgun found in just over a week at Pittsburgh International Airport
Allegheny County police confiscated a loaded handgun found in a passenger’s possession Saturday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport’s main security checkpoint. Transportation Security Administration officers spotted the 9mm handgun just before 6 a.m. in a backpack belonging to a 23-year-old man, according to police. The man had a valid concealed...
Victim identified in fatal Avalon shooting, Hopewell man charged with homicide
Allegheny County police have arrested a Hopewell man in the shooting death of a man early Saturday in Avalon. Samuel Lee Tolfa, 32, is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, burglary, carrying a firearm without a license and fleeing police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Jorden...
Charter Oak garbage complaints prompt request for hauling contract in Unity
Unity supervisors are being asked to consider contracting with a single garbage hauler to serve the township — an idea that has not been popular with residents in the past. The request comes from Chris Buchheit, a board member with the Charter Oak Civic Association. He told the supervisors at...
Report cites water quality issues in hundreds of miles of Allegheny, Westmoreland waterways
Sections of Loyalhanna Creek and several of its tributaries, as well as some streams in Salem, are among bodies of water in Westmoreland County that are considered impaired for various uses, according to a new statewide integrated water quality report from the Department of Environmental Protection. In neighboring Allegheny County,...
Vigil to honor Westmoreland pandemic victims, front line workers
A prayer vigil is planned at 6 p.m. Friday outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse to remember county residents who died from covid-19 and to honor front line workers in the pandemic. “Too many in our community were suffering before the pandemic, and now our needs are even more urgent,” said...
Greater Latrobe OKs 3.57-mill tax hike cap, locks in natural gas savings
The Greater Latrobe School Board has agreed to cap any potential property tax hike for 2022-23 to no more than 3.57 mills, the maximum amount as determined by a state-calculated inflation-based index. School directors this week also locked in an expected $22,000 savings on the future price of natural gas....
State police: 3 people injured after shooting at Butler County mall
Three people were injured in a shooting incident Tuesday evening at Clearview Mall in Butler County, state police said. First responders were dispatched to the mall just before 6:15 p.m. after multiple shots were fired during an altercation in the parking lot of the Rural King store in Center Township,...
Unity considers expanding property tax rebate for all senior citizens
Supervisors in Unity are considering expanding the township’s senior citizen property tax rebate program to include all residents 65 or older. The supervisors last week on Thursday agreed to have Solicitor Gary Falatovich research the possibility that was suggested by board Chairman Mike O’Barto. The township initiated a real estate...
Greensburg Salem seeks new administrator to boost outreach, web presence
Greensburg Salem is looking to revamp and expand a central administrative post to enhance the district’s online presence and local outreach. The school board has agreed to advertise for the new position of associate administrator to the superintendent and community outreach, with a starting salary not to exceed $72,000. Greensburg...
Community Options plan for 2nd group home in Unity draws concern from residents
A local administrator of a nonprofit who wants to house up to two special needs clients in a home on McClellan Drive in Unity drew plenty of questions Tuesday from neighbors and from township zoning board members. They voiced concerns about safety and the impact the facility would have on...
Proposal would cap potential Greater Latrobe tax hike at 3.57 mills
Greater Latrobe School Board is considering placing a cap of 3.57 mills on any district property tax increase it could consider for 2022-23. Business administrator Dan Watson has recommended the board adopt a resolution at its Tuesday meeting to signify it will stay within that maximum figure, in accordance with...
Latrobe’s City Brewery adds warehouse space, jobs at RIDC Westmoreland
City Brewery has signed a five-year lease for a warehouse and distribution site at RIDC Westmoreland, where it expects to add 50 to 60 jobs. Those positions will be in addition to 250 at the City Brewery plant in Latrobe, according to company officials. The move to the East Huntingdon...
Salem teen displays 4-H leadership, square dancing skills at Pennsylvania Farm Show
Pennsylvania’s 4-H program has broadened Olivia Jumper’s horizons throughout her childhood. Now, as president of the 4-H State Council, the Salem teen is dedicated to making others aware of the program’s benefits. That included delivering a speech during last weekend’s opening of the Pennsylvania Farm Show. “I talked about how...
Former Ligonier Borough building set for auction block; firefighters plan to bid
Those who attend the Jan. 29 auction of the former Ligonier borough building on Fairfield Street can expect to see members of Ligonier Volunteer Hose Company No. 1 on hand. “Our hope at this point is to try to buy the building at that auction,” Ligonier fire Chief Corey Blystone...
Police: Student causes disturbance, lockdown at Indiana Area Senior High
An Indiana Area Senior High student’s rampage caused a brief lockdown of the school Wednesday and is expected to result in charges, according to state police in Indiana County. Police said patrol units responded shortly after 12:30 p.m. to a report of a 17-year-old girl engaging in “repeated tumultuous behavior”...
Cheeses made in Unity honored with 2 Pennsylvania Farm Show ribbons
Pleasant Lane Farms’ quark variety was one of the big cheeses at this year’s Pennsylvania Farm Show, garnering a first-place ribbon in this weekend’s competition. The spreadable cheese produced in the Unity dairy farm’s creamery was judged best in the soft cheese category on Saturday. Pleasant Lane’s Gouda took second-place...
PennDOT looks to start major projects on I-70, Route 981 in Westmoreland
The latest in a series of interchange improvements along Interstate 70 and a long-discussed upgrade of the Route 981 corridor north of Mt. Pleasant are among major projects PennDOT plans to tackle in Westmoreland County this year. Officials with Uniontown-based PennDOT District 12 said they expect to move forward with...
Greensburg Salem officials see shift to smaller enrollment class as a plus for district athletics
Greensburg Salem’s Golden Lions will compete against teams from schools with smaller enrollments beginning next fall, a move down that school officials say should be a good one for district athletics. Greensburg Salem will drop from Class 4A to 3A in football, Class 6A to 4A in boys basketball and...

