Jeff Himler stories, Page 94

A fire that started in a basement garage caused smoke and utility damage in a three-story building in North Belle Vernon on Tuesday night, displacing 10 residents in upstairs apartments. A car that was being repaired caught fire shortly before 9:15 p.m. and was destroyed in the garage at 525...

A 12-year-old Kennedy Township girl sang a song she wrote for her dad and won the hearts of the audience and judges to advance to the next round of “America’s Got Talent” during an audition episode of the TV show that aired Tuesday evening. Ashley Marina Yankello, who drops her...

After eight decades, Valley Dairy is no longer serving meals in downtown Latrobe. The Latrobe-based restaurant chain on Sunday closed its location at Jefferson and Chestnut streets. A company official said that store hasn’t performed up to expectations. Valley Dairy welcomed customers to return for dine-in meals at the Latrobe...

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t come to the Latrobe area for training camp, and they also have canceled their annual summer practice in the city. Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten delivered the bad news for local fans in a tweet on Tuesday, confirming the Steelers “will not be hosting their...

Students at Greater Latrobe School District’s Mountain View Elementary and other children in Unity will benefit if the township lands a grant to update the school’s playground. The township applied for a state grant that would cover 80% of the projected $167,000 cost, according to solicitor Gary Falatovich. He said...

The Gulf Tower is among Pittsburgh landmarks that will be turning red, white and blue Sunday as part of a National Day of Unity event remembering lives lost to the covid-19 pandemic and honoring those working on the front line to keep America advancing during the crisis. One Oxford Centre,...

Construction could begin this summer on a new Dollar General store in Unity after the township supervisors this week granted provisional approval of a final site plan. “We’ll be starting by the end of the summer, hopefully,” said William Owen, assistant vice president of engineering and permitting for PennTex Ventures,...

Traffic will be detoured around a section of West Newton’s Robertson Street next week so CSX crews can perform maintenance on a railroad crossing. Work is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday and is expected to wrap up by 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The street will be closed...

Pittsburgh police have found a man reported missing on Wednesday from the Homewood area. Peter Jackson, 84, was last seen Monday at the Erie Veterans Administration hospital. Jackson was found and is safe, according to police. UPDATE: Peter Jackson has been located and is safe. Thank you for your concerns...

Pittsburgh police on Wednesday released photos of a man suspected of damaging the window of a police tactical support vehicle during May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. The man is suspected of throwing a cinder block through the front passenger window of a Tactical Operations Support truck parked at Washington...

A missing 2-year-old boy was found safe and returned to Pittsburgh, police announced Saturday. Moor Bey had last been seen on June 1 when his father dropped him off to his mother, according to police. Police said they believed the mother, who had local addresses in the Beechview and McKees...

Westmoreland County homeowners and business owners who are interested in going solar have until the end of June to join a local co-op. The deadline for signing on with the Westmoreland County Solar Co-op was extended to June 30 as the area emerges from restrictions related to the covid-19 pandemic....

Work is set to begin Monday on improvements to nine intersections in downtown Latrobe. The $3.4 million PennDOT project will install updated traffic signals along Main and Depot streets where they intersect Jefferson, Ligonier and Alexandria streets, and along Ligonier at the intersections of Weldon, Spring and Chestnut streets. Contractor...

Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are hoping to work on runway improvements — widening and strengthening — simultaneously in September, if funding is approved in time. Meanwhile, Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said Tuesday he’s pleased with how travel at the airport in Unity is taking...

A Derry man was arrested after being caught with a 9 mm handgun in a carry-on bag Sunday at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. Westmoreland County Park Police charged Brandon Edward Emeigh, 31, with prohibited possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a permit. He faces a preliminary hearing...

Latrobe police will begin extra patrols at Westmoreland County Housing Authority facilities in the city this week through an agreement with the authority. Under the agreement, approved Monday by city council, the authority will tap grant funding to pay for the extra coverage at two high-rise buildings on Jefferson Street...

Derry Area Middle School’s Farkleberry Club recently received the Youth Fundraiser Award from the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. The club’s annual campaign, during the fall 2019 semester, raised $5,649.73 for the hospital’s Free Care Fund. The fundraising effort has been a tradition at the school for more than four...

Online surveys will allow residents of Smithton and Scottdale to provide input for potential improvements to support walking, bicycling and other non-motorized modes of transportation in the communities. The surveys, available through June 30 at smithtonboro.us and scottdaleborough.com, will be used in developing an Active Transportation Plan and a Complete...

Many Latrobe recreational facilities operated by the Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation are opening to the public today as the area moves into the relaxed “green” phase of covid-19 restrictions. The Latrobe Farmers Market season will open Tuesday at Legion Keener Park, with precautions in place against potential spread of the...

Maintenance work will disrupt traffic patterns Friday morning on the Elizabeth Bridge and Pittsburgh’s Liberty Bridge, PennDOT said. Weather permitting, the Elizabeth Bridge that carries Route 51 across the Monongahela River will close at 9 a.m. so that crews can replace cables. Traffic will be detoured in both directions during...

The Westmoreland Historical Society is reopening its education center Friday, with new health safeguards in place. Guided tours are set to resume Saturday at the society-operated Historic Hanna’s Town site — a re-creation of the county’s first seat of government and court proceedings, dating from 1773. The popular antiques and...