Jeff Himler stories, Page 91

Recycled scraps from student meals will help grow fresh produce for local food bank recipients in a garden project at Derry Area High School. Spearheaded by members of the school’s Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, the project received a $10,000 sustainability innovation grant sponsored by Coca-Cola. Among close to 2,000 Chick-fil-A academies...

Officials in Latrobe are hoping for a funding assist so they can update aging, patched infrastructure in a small business plaza tucked away next to the municipal parking garage. City manager Michael Gray mentioned the need for renovation at the Courtyard Plaza more than a year ago. Now, he’s recommending...

Idlewild & SoakZone announced it will be open only three days per week for the remainder of the 2020 season. Beginning the final week of July, the Ligonier Township amusement park will be open only Fridays through Sundays. It also will be open on Labor Day, Sept. 7. After a...

The body of a 13-year-old girl who went missing in the Monongahela River on Friday has been found, West Mifflin police said Saturday. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified her as Kristina Rai. The search began at about 6 p.m. Friday when the girl was reported missing in the water...

The Conemaugh Valley Conservancy is planning to make a river access site it owns in Seward more user-friendly. The nonprofit has tapped grant funding for improvements at the property off Fifth Street. It intends to enhance a pathway to the Conemaugh River, establish parking areas and install signage to illustrate...

Greater Latrobe is tops in Westmoreland County and among the best school districts across the state, according to the latest rankings in several categories on Niche.com. The Pittsburgh-based site calculates its rankings based on reviews by students and parents and data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with factors...

The annual Farm-to-Table Harvest Dinner at the Loyalhanna Watershed Farm is changing its format this summer, offering an al fresco and a la carte experience. Past dinners have been served family-style at the farm’s Nimick Family Education Center. Executive Director Susan Huba said covid-19 social distancing guidelines prompted the Loyalhanna...

Dr. Thomas Hower’s nearly 60-year career as a Greensburg chiropractor was a natural fit. He spent his childhood years upstairs from the Main Street office where his similarly named father, a second-generation chiropractor, worked — and where he also would see patients as an adult. “A gentlemen came into the...

Companies in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties will collectively add 32 alternative-fuel vehicles to their fleets with the assistance of state grants. • Noble Environmental, which operates the Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill and County Hauling, received $600,000 from Pennsylvania’s Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant program. It will add eight compressed natural gas garbage...

A state grant literally will help pave the way for a proposed kayak launch and athletic complex along Loyalhanna Creek in Unity. Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation was approved for a $299,200 grant from the state Multimodal Transportation Fund to help construct an access road from Center Drive to the launch...

As summer nears an end, Latrobe will feature entertainment and competitions as well as crown a princess as part of its annual Great American Banana Split Celebration. But this year, because of the covid-19 pandemic, people will visit online on Aug. 25 to enjoy a virtual version of the festival....

Barbara Piasecky of Hempfield was saddened by the news last week that Bishop Edward Malesic is slated to leave the Greensburg diocese to serve in the same role for the larger Catholic community in Cleveland. Initially, she said, “it was a gut punch.” But she was more at peace with...

A Hempfield man died when his motorcycle collided with a sport utility vehicle Saturday night on Route 30 in Irwin. Irwin police said Glenn W. Hauliska Jr., 54, was killed upon impact when his westbound Harley-Davidson motorcycle struck the driver’s side of a Jeep Patriot at about 9 p.m., just...

A Pittsburgh man was killed and another man was wounded in a shooting Saturday night in the city’s Sheraden neighborhood. The slain man was Clarence Thomas IV, 18, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. He was pronounced dead by medics at the scene in the 500 block of...

Bob Full, former Allegheny County emergency services chief and chief deputy director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, died on Friday, according to his family and county officials. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald remembered Full as “a true public servant who dedicated his life to public safety and the protection of...

A Beaver County manufacturing plant was extensively damaged in a Saturday morning fire, while the workers inside were safely evacuated. The five-alarm fire was reported at about 5 a.m. at Sukup Steel Structures in the 300 block of 14th Street in Ambridge, according to a county 911 dispatcher. Ambridge Fire...

The Westmoreland Conservancy’s King Reserve natural area has gained 26 acres through a land swap with the neighboring Crowfoot Rod and Gun Club in Murrysville. Conservancy President Shelly Tichy said the club added 6 acres near its trap range in exchange for 32 acres, which expands the reserve to 122...

PennDOT will conduct a virtual display of plans for a bridge rehabilitation project on Vance Dei Cas Highway in Rostraver. The plans will be posted online at the PennDOT District 12 website from Friday through July 31. Work on the bridge is slated to begin in September, with completion expected...

The ramp for motorists heading from southbound Route 119 to the Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange at New Stanton will be subject to nighttime closures for repairs beginning Wednesday. The nightly closures will be from 7 p.m. to about 6 a.m. and are expected to continue through July 25, depending on weather...

Yough School District will hold a staggered graduation ceremony on Aug. 1 and 2 because of social distancing guidelines during the covid-19 pandemic, according to Superintendent Janet Sardon. Sardon said the 178 members of the Yough Senior High Class of 2020 still will be able to ascend a stage at...

The evolution of Pennsylvania’s road system will be discussed by Jeff Kitsko July 27 at the Lincoln Highway Experience transportation museum in Unity. The program, “Pennsylvania Highways: From Dirt Trails to Concrete Roads,” is set for 7 p.m. at the museum along Route 30 eastbound, southeast of Latrobe. Seating is...