Jeff Himler stories, Page 87
Man charged with arson in fire at Beechview gas station
A Pittsburgh man is accused of setting fire to a fuel pump Monday at a gas station in the city’s Beechview neighborhood. City police and firefighters responded to the fire reported in the 900 block of Saw Mill Run Boulevard. When they arrived, they found the flames had been extinguished,...
Drainage work to restrict traffic in Youngwood, cause detour in Mt. Pleasant Township
Traffic restrictions will start Wednesday as crews work to make drainage-related improvements in Youngwood and a detour on Route 982 in Mt. Pleasant Township. Work on Route 982 was to have started this week but has been delayed until 6 a.m. Sept. 27. In Youngwood, a section of Depot Street,...
Casino trainees look to deal themselves in on new career
Mark Hult believes dealing cards to casino patrons will be a good deal for him. The 21-year-old Salem resident is among a dozen prospective dealers learning blackjack techniques under the tutelage of Trinity Savage, a four-year veteran dealer from Canonsburg who works as a floor supervisor at Live! Casino Pittsburgh...
Greater Latrobe eyes elementary security camera upgrades
Greater Latrobe School Board on Tuesday will consider spending about $120,000 to upgrade surveillance cameras at two district elementary schools. The board is looking to add a combined 86 cameras, two video recorder servers and supporting equipment at the Baggaley and Mountain View elementary campuses, based on cost quotes totaling...
Airport authority adjusts contracts for Arnold Palmer runway upgrade, eyes taxiway work
Westmoreland County Airport Authority has wrapped up contracts for widening and strengthening the runway at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport while looking ahead to taxiway adjustments in the spring. Final change orders, for quantity adjustments, brought Golden Triangle Construction’s contract, for the second phase of the runway project, to slightly more...
PennDOT to hold job fairs in Westmoreland, region for hiring winter crews
Officials in PennDOT District 12 are looking to stock up on seasonal snowplow drivers and mechanics to avoid a labor shortage when winter arrives. A series of job fairs is planned at each of the district’s four county offices. Each will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The...
Civilian Conservation Corps legacy lives on in state parks
America’s 20th-century “tree army” brought generations of citizens closer to nature’s wonders while enduring the nation’s greatest economic plight. If the political winds are favorable, new recruits might get the chance to repeat that effort during the current health crisis. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and the National Wildlife Federation...
Greensburg Salem business manager leaving for job with Mt. Pleasant schools
Greensburg Salem School Board is looking to fill two positions at the district’s central administration office, with the pending departure of its business manager J.R. Dzurica. The board meanwhile is considering candidates for superintendent as Ken Bissell, the coordinator of secondary education, fills in as acting superintendent. Dzurica also serves...
Word ‘militia’ may have triggered Facebook to freeze Westmoreland Historical Society page
A group whose mission is to preserve and promote Westmoreland County’s historic resources has had its Facebook page shut down, possibly triggered by the non-political use of the word “militia” in reference to local reenactors. Staff at the Westmoreland Historical Society are baffled and frustrated after Facebook accounts for the...
PennDOT pipe replacement will trigger detour in Mt. Pleasant Township
A section of Route 982 in Mt. Pleasant Township will be closed for more than a month while PennDOT replaces a drainage pipe. The closure, which is set to begin at 6 a.m. Monday, will affect the portion of Route 982 from Route 130 south to Tall Pine Road. It...
Opponents urge Greensburg Salem School Board to take stance against mask mandateVideo
Greensburg Salem residents opposed to the state’s school mask mandate repeated their call this week for the school board to defy it. They also questioned the need for a signature from a doctor instead of a parent when a family seeks to have a child exempted from masking inside school...
PennDOT earns plaudits for Ohiopyle State Park access improvements
Recent improvements meant to provide easier access to Ohiopyle State Park earned top marks from transportation industry officials. PennDOT received a regional America’s Transportation Award for its $12.8 million Ohiopyle Multimodal Gateway project. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) presented the award, recognizing Pennsylvania’s transportation department...
Arnold Palmer airport offers PreCheck appointments, saw fewer passengers in August
Passengers who want to sign up for the Transportation Security Administration PreCheck program can make an appointment to enroll through Friday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. Those enrolled in the program can bypass some of the time-consuming steps at...
Loyalhanna village residents find peace decades after coal played out
If you turn off Route 981 just south of Saltsburg, at the sign for the Hoover Stone Quarry, you soon will wind up in the hamlet of Moween. Tucked into a bend of the Conemaugh River, the curiously named village is the relatively isolated home of commercial contractor Tuscano-Maher Roofing...
Latrobe Council postpones meeting following covid outbreak at municipal building
A covid-19 outbreak among workers at the Latrobe municipal building prompted city council to postpone its voting meeting that was scheduled on Sept. 13. Deputy Mayor Eric Bartels said the meeting was postponed as a precautionary measure and will be conducted on Sept. 27, with the regularly scheduled agenda preparation...
PennDOT’s Westmoreland work plan includes bridge maintenance, slide repairs, patching
PennDOT is conducting the following work on roads in Westmoreland County this week, weather permitting: • Bridge maintenance will take place on Yukon Road in Sewickley Township. • Slide repairs will take place on Guffey Road in North Huntingdon Township. • Base repairs will take place on Route 66 in...
Unity proposes memorial for Vietnam veterans, naming tribute for late retired worker
Unity Township’s supervisors want to create a memorial dedicated to Vietnam veterans, and they’re planning to reach out to local veterans from that era to help in planning the monument. They also intend to honor a particular Vietnam veteran and retired township maintenance man, the late Robert Evancho, by re-dedicating...
Unity takes shot at larger grant for proposed fishing pier
Unity is pursuing a new direction in its search for funding of a proposed handicapped-accessible fishing pier on the township lake. The supervisors originally applied in May 2020 for a $58,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program. This week, they agreed...
Art displays add appeal to Latrobe’s monthly Shop Hop
Inclement weather this week postponed Latrobe’s dedication of its recent downtown improvements, but town merchants pressed on with an event intended to attract patrons and promote local artists. The combined inaugural Art Walk and monthly Shop Hop allowed visitors to 10 downtown businesses to hunt for bargains while checking out...
Fireworks display planned Saturday night in Unity
A local businessman is planning a public fireworks display Saturday night in Unity. Marcus Wisneski’s show, “Here Comes the Boom,” is set for about 8:30 p.m. at Latrobe Speedway, during a break in the Night of Thunder dirt track racing. “We want to shoot off before they do their feature...
Greensburg Salem postpones meeting after audience members defy mask requirement
The Greensburg Salem School Board meeting this week ended before it began. The board postponed its voting meeting until Sept. 15 after several people attending Wednesday refused to don required masks. Board President Ron Mellinger Jr. told the crowd of about 40 gathered in the middle school auditorium that the...
Indiana’s Appalachian fest combines music, contests, remembrance of sacrifice, success
The Northern Appalachian Folk Festival will return to downtown Indiana Thursday through Saturday with live music, vendors, workshops, children’s activities and storytelling and fiddle contests. On Saturday, there will be a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks and honoring two Indiana County residents who were killed...
Virtual Westmoreland historic tour highlights vanished buildings
Westmoreland County Historical Society is preparing for its second Historic House Tour that will have a virtual format. This time around, participants in the annual tour will explore structures that are “Gone But Not Forgotten.” The featured buildings include the Mountain View Inn, which was a longtime landmark along Route...
Unity woman employs pageant title, awareness group to help fellow concussion sufferers
When vision care assistant Jayden Moffa helps patients at Willowbrook Eye Care Associates, she can empathize with them from personal experience. Vision therapy helped the Unity resident overcome two concussions she suffered beginning in 2014, while she was a student at Greater Latrobe Senior High. As she worked through the...
Greater Latrobe, Greensburg Salem to comply with Pennsylvania’s K-12 mask mandate
Students, staff and visitors entering Greater Latrobe and Greensburg Salem school buildings will be required to wear face coverings beginning Tuesday. In a letter posted on the Greater Latrobe website, Superintendent Georgia Teppert said that district will make a change from its recent mask-optional health and safety plan and will...
