Jeff Himler stories, Page 94
Lower-flying Blue Angels jets end Westmoreland airshow on high noteVideo
Two days of poor weather prevented organizers from including a planned Navy Leap Frogs parachute jump and a multi-aircraft, cross-county flyover at the 2021 Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow. But conditions improved enough Sunday to permit a low- altitude show by several other acts that had been scratched Saturday, including...
Special events planned as Latrobe Farmers Market season begins
Latrobe Farmers Market opens for a new season Tuesday, with some new vendors on board and plans ahead for special activities. The market will be open — rain or shine — from noon until 4 p.m., through Oct. 12 near the wooden playground at Legion Keener Park. It’s open to...
Pittsburgh police probe Allentown shooting early Sunday
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting in the city’s Allentown neighborhood that wounded a male victim. Police said the victim, who was shot in the leg, was in stable condition when he arrived at a hospital by private means just before 3:45 a.m. Officers later discovered the crime scene outside...
3 males shot early Sunday on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh
Three male victims were reported in stable condition after being shot early Sunday in Pittsburgh’s South Side. City police found one of the victims, who had been shot multiple times in a leg, when they responded just after 2:30 a.m. to the 1700 block of East Carson Street. Officers applied...
Weather curtails Saturday’s Westmoreland airshow; disappointed fans can returnVideo
Mother Nature wasn’t on the side of the Angels, or their fans, Saturday. A low cloud ceiling kept the headlining Navy Blue Angels jet demonstration team from taking to the skies, along with several other aircraft that were slated to appear during the first day of this weekend’s Shop ’n...
Mail, passenger routes, flight instruction helped spur growth at Unity airportVideo
One thing was sure to lure young Bob Downs away from the dinner table. It was when he heard a Stinson mail plane passing above his childhood home on Latrobe’s Irving Avenue, en route to the Latrobe Airport. “I would jump up from the table, dash to the door and...
Navy Leap Frogs plan fall with grace at Westmoreland airshow
Beaver County native Andrew Young and his team members do their best work under a canopy. It just happens to be a collective canopy they form with parachutes while jumping from a height of up to 8,000 feet above the ground. If weather conditions permit, Young, 35, and fellow members...
Blue Angels’ super-sized jets arrive early for drive-in airshow at Arnold Palmer RegionalVideo
Members of the Blue Angels Navy jet demonstration team are “chomping at the bit” to perform high-flying maneuvers for spectators after the covid-19 pandemic scaled back last year’s air show season to less elaborate flyovers. This weekend, they will celebrate their 75th anniversary of thrilling crowds by bringing a full...
Greater Latrobe plan to shift French, German instruction online draws protest
Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a proposed $57.7 million budget for the 2021-22 school year with a recommended 1-mill tax hike. But it was a plan for 2022-23 — the beginning of a gradual phase-out of in-person French and German language instruction at district secondary schools — that...
Photos, ‘resource wall’ highlight region’s attractions at Arnold Palmer airport near Latrobe
No matter when travelers arrive at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, the terminal’s new decor always will be in season. On Tuesday, airport officials and staff of GO Laurel Highlands, the destination marketing organization for Westmoreland, Fayette and Somerset counties, unveiled more than 40 large-scale photographic prints installed inside...
Latrobe officials suspect arson in trash fires
Latrobe fire officials are concerned about a recent string of suspicious blazes. City police are investigating as an arson a fire in the early morning of April 19 that destroyed a shed used by the Latrobe Little League organization at Legion Keener Park and about $4,000 worth of league equipment...
Latrobe eyes study to boost fire department funding, cut costs
Latrobe may hire a consultant to recommend ways the city fire department can increase revenue while cutting costs. Council at its June 14 meeting is expected to consider a study proposal for the department from Fast Attack, a consulting firm headed by Mt. Lebanon Fire Chief Nicholas Sohyda. The firm...
Unity’s return to regional rec board will reduce costs for Latrobe, other members
Latrobe will recognize a cost savings after welcoming neighboring Unity back as a partner in a regional recreation organization. City council this week approved an intergovernmental cooperation agreement that reinstates Unity as a member of the Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation organization after an absence of six years. Township supervisors signed...
Derry Area youth league reclaiming field near New Alexandria for softball, baseball gamesVideo
On a recent Sunday, young ball players were trying out the batting cages at Latimer Field while their younger siblings placed small orange flags to mark gopher holes to be filled in the outfield. Restoration of the neglected youth baseball and softball complex got underway April 30 just outside New...
Teen songwriter from Kennedy collaborates on tune with fellow ‘America’s Got Talent’ alum
Ashley Marina Yankello, a 13-year-old singer-songwriter from Kennedy , is releasing an original song Friday, written and recorded in a collaboration with a fellow “America’s Got Talent” alum. The pop/rock song, “Time to Shine,” features vocals by the local teen, who has dropped her surname for her musical career, and...
No injuries after wires come down on Norwin elementary bus
No one was injured Thursday evening when a tractor-trailer snagged a fiber-optic cable, breaking a utility pole and dropping wires on a Norwin school bus in North Huntingdon, emergency officials said. Irwin Fire Chief Justin Mochar said the truck was turning from Caruthers Lane onto Laurel Avenue around 4:40 p.m....
Fayette man’s rapid control of robotic arm at Pitt lab detailed in ‘Science’
Having the sensation of touch makes quite a difference for Nathan Copeland. The 35-year-old man from Dunbar, Fayette County, lost the sensation and most of the motion in his limbs at 18 when he broke his neck in a car crash. Since 2014, he’s been participating in a study at...
Greensburg Salem OKs proposed no-tax-hike budget without restoring librarians
Greensburg Salem School Board approved a tentative 2021-22 budget that avoids a tax increase while calling for $47 million in spending — but without restoring librarian positions that some residents and at least one board member want included. The budget passed by a 7-1 vote on Wednesday, with Lynna Thomas...
Police: Seward-area Corvette targeted among vehicle thefts in 3 counties
State police are investigating a string of vehicle thefts from three counties, including Westmoreland. Troopers this week searched for a red 2014 Corvette Stingray stolen from the Seward area. It was among three vehicles stolen since Friday night or early Saturday morning in what investigators believe are connected thefts across...
Primary voters narrow field of Greater Latrobe School Board hopefuls from 7 to 5
Five of seven cross-filed candidates received apparent nominations for four seats on the Greater Latrobe School Board, according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s primary. All are Unity residents. Incumbents Heidi Kozar and Cathy Sarraf led the Democratic ticket, with respective vote totals of 1,814 and 1,630 — representing about 21%...
Greater Latrobe bus provider among area recipients getting grants for ‘green’ vehicles
State Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants are helping several area companies and municipal entities add green vehicles to their transportation fleets — including the firm that buses students to Greater Latrobe schools. General Manager Jay Kilpatrick said the $300,000 grant Norvelt-based DMJ Transportation received will help cover the extra investment the...
Jobe leads both party races for Greensburg Salem School Board
Incumbent Lynn Jobe appears to have won a tight eight-way race for four Greensburg Salem School Board nominations on both party ballots, with all of the precincts reporting. Jobe received 1,513 Democratic votes, followed by 1,478 for Sara Deegan, 1,282 for incumbent Lynna Thomas, 960 for Autumn Jevicky, 831 for...
Mylant leads Murphy in GOP balloting for Unity supervisor
Republican voters appeared to favor incumbent John Mylant over challenger Doug Murphy in Tuesday’s primary battle for Unity supervisor. Mylant had about 64% of the vote, with all precincts reporting. He had received 1,929 votes to 1,071 for Murphy, according to unofficial returns. Mylant, 58, is completing his second six-year...
PennDOT plans road closures in Youngwood, Rostraver
Road restrictions and closures are to begin Wednesday in Youngwood and Thursday in Rostraver, according to PennDOT officials. Beginning at 4 a.m. Wednesday and continuing through May 26, crews will pave Route 119 northbound (Third Street) and southbound (Fourth Street), in Youngwood, between Hillis Street and the New Stanton line....
Greensburg Salem looks to draw on fund balance to cover 2021-22 revenue gap
A $1 million operating surplus forecast for Greensburg Salem at the end of the current fiscal year is expected to help the school district avoid a tax increase for 2021-22. But it won’t be enough to avoid dipping into the fund balance to cover next year’s expenses, according to a...
