Jeff Himler stories, Page 18
Greater Latrobe superintendent to step down, cites need to focus on health, family
Superintendent Mike Porembka is preparing to step away from Greater Latrobe, the school district where he has worked for more than 25 years. Porembka announced his plan to resign to school board members during an executive session after the board’s Tuesday meeting and followed that with a letter to the...
Despite 8% increase in spending, 2025 Westmoreland budget avoids tax hike
Despite a projected 8% increase in spending next year, Westmoreland County commissioners aren’t planning on a tax hike in 2025. The commissioners Thursday approved a tentative budget of $412 million that keeps the tax rate the same, but uses money from its reserves to cover a nearly $32 million projected...
Defense questions DNA evidence, proposed death penalty in New Ken case of father accused of killing son
Attorneys for a Brackenridge man accused of murdering his 9-year-old son in New Kensington argued Wednesday in Westmoreland County Court that homicide charges against their client should be dropped, as they took issue with DNA and other evidence prosecutors have indicated links him to the crime. Public defenders Wayne McGrew...
New contract includes 2.4% annual raises for Greater Latrobe teachers
Greater Latrobe teachers will receive annual pay raises under a new five-year contract approved this week by both the union and the school board. Running through July 31, 2029, the new labor agreement provides an average annual pay hike of 2.43% for teachers who are at the top rung of...
Unity seeks state funding to help replace poor-rated Monastery Drive bridge
Unity supervisors are setting their sights on a bridge on Monastery Drive as the next candidate for replacement in the township’s ongoing effort to update its infrastructure. The supervisors estimate the Monastery Drive bridge project will cost approximately $1.2 million. They’ve applied for about $1 million of that amount through...
Splash pad planned for Latrobe’s public swimming pool
Patrons will have a new way to get wet at Rogers McFeely Memorial Pool when the outdoor Latrobe swimming venue adds a splash pad. Plans are to install the new feature by the 2026 swim season, replacing a little-used baby pool, said Craig Shevchik, executive director of Greater Latrobe Parks...
As garbage rates surge, Latrobe looks to join municipalities that collect their own trash
Latrobe residents were facing a quarterly rate hike of up to 40% if the city approved a new contract with a garbage hauler. But city leaders say they may be able to keep costs under control if the city instead begins picking up household refuse and recyclable items in 2026...
Westmoreland airport officials maintain hope after Spirit Airlines bankruptcy filing
Westmoreland County officials are hopeful a stronger Spirit Airlines will emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is able to reverse a cutback in the commercial carrier’s flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. With that in mind, the county airport authority is restoring reservation desk staffing it had curtailed at the...
Family of 4 gets new Greensburg home for the holidays, with help from Habitat for Humanity
Holly Kunicki is looking forward to gathering her three kids for a night of home entertainment now that they’re set to move into their own new home in Greensburg. “We’ll probably have a movie night in the living room. We have a three-bedroom apartment now, so this is a lot...
Suspect charged in shooting, robbery of 70-year-old man in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood
Police have arrested a Pittsburgh man in a shooting that left an elderly man critically injured Wednesday in the city’s Larimer neighborhood. Rawvil Yamil Brito Chirinos, 25, is accused of shooting a 70-year-old man in the stomach and stealing his wedding ring and some cash outside Corner View Nursing and...
Ligonier Valley eyes high school ventilation project, to rebid ball field upgrade
Ligonier Valley School District’s plan to replace outdated high school ventilation units is getting a state funding boost, though not as much as project planners sought. Meanwhile, the district is rethinking its design for updating the school’s baseball field after an initial round of bids were rejected as too costly....
Doubling real estate transfer tax could generate $150K in Latrobe in proposed 2025 budget
Latrobe may double its real estate transfer tax as part of a tentative $7.4 million 2025 budget. But it will leave the property tax rate unchanged. City officials also are debating a possible increase next year in fees that apply to mechanical devices, including games of chance, while Latrobe’s police...
Latrobe Turkey Trot marks 30 years; party to follow
Racers who power through Latrobe’s Turkey Trot 5K course Thanksgiving morning can look forward to a treat after they cross the finish line. The race, open to runners or walkers, begins at 9 a.m. Nov. 28 at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium. Marking its 30th anniversary, the event includes an after party...
Derry Township firefighters update lighting gear with LED equipment
Derry Township firefighters will have a better view of the emergency situations they encounter after purchasing a new set of lights. Chief Mark Piantine said Derry Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 of Bradenville was able to replace two failing tripod lights, upgrade others for its fleet of fire trucks...
‘You have to catch it while you can’: People flock to Great Crossings Bridge despite safety risks
People aren’t heeding a warning that it isn’t safe to walk atop the Great Crossings Bridge at Youghiogheny River Lake. The 206-year-old bridge is exposed because of the dry spell, and there’s been a steady stream of sightseers who flocked to — and past — the bridge’s Somerset County entrance...
Mt. Pleasant’s doughboy monument to mark 100 years after multiple collision comebacks
Monday will mark a century since Mt. Pleasant first had a doughboy memorial statue keeping watch high over Main Street — although the figure passersby see today is not quite that old. “We are on the fifth rendition of the statue,” said Rick Meason, president of the Mt. Pleasant Area...
Charleroi fire sends woman to hospital, displaces 6 from 2 apartments
A Charleroi woman was flown to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh for medical treatment Thursday night after first responders rescued her from a fire in her apartment. Five adults and one child were displaced from two apartments after fire broke out before 6:30 p.m. in a 2 1/2-story building in...
State Attorney General’s Office says no legal opinion offered on controversial Mt. Pleasant parade entry
A Mt. Pleasant Borough report that last week’s controversial politically-themed entry in the community Halloween parade fell short of a hate crime was not based on a legal opinion provided by the state attorney general’s staff, according to a spokesman for that state office. Borough Solicitor Les Mlakar said at...
Greensburg Hempfield Area Library will take budget hit as Southwest Greensburg repeals tax
Word that the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library is set to lose thousands of dollars in annual revenue was not welcome news for patrons who visited the Greensburg library Wednesday afternoon. The previous day, voters in Southwest Greensburg approved a referendum repealing a 1-mill portion of the borough’s 28-mill property tax...
Westmoreland mail-in vote numbers down from 2020
There were fewer people voting by mail this year in Westmoreland County, compared to the last presidential election. Westmoreland elections bureau Director Greg McCloskey said more than 55,100 mail-in packets were received from voters as of 8 p.m. Tuesday. There were about 59,500 mail-ins in 2020. Still, McCloskey said, because...
Taxes would jump 11.4% under proposed Mt. Pleasant budget
Mt. Pleasant council is proposing an 11.4% property tax hike but still will need to draw money from the borough’s reserve fund to help support a tentative 2025 budget of about $1.5 million. With the 2 mill hike, to 19.5 mills, the borough would plan to draw almost $9,500 from...
Controversial Mt. Pleasant Halloween parade entry not a hate crime, officials say
An entry in Mt. Pleasant’s annual Halloween parade that disturbed many people with an apparent depiction of Democratic Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris handcuffed and tethered to a golf cart did not rise to the legal definition of a hate crime, according to borough officials. Borough Solicitor Leslie...
Derry Township bridge rated in ‘poor’ condition, slated for PennDOT deck repairs
A bridge that is rated in “poor” condition is scheduled for repairs next year near the northern Derry Township community of Torrance. PennDOT said plans for fixing the bridge that carries Torrance Road over McGee Run are nearing completion, with bids for the project to be let in December. According...
Southwest Greensburg voters to consider repeal of 1-mill library tax upheld in 2022 referendum
Southwest Greensburg residents on Tuesday will decide whether 1 mill of the borough’s real estate tax will continue to help fund the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library. Southwest Greensburg Council says the roughly $15,000 generated by 1 mill of the town’s 28-mill tax can be better spent on borough needs. The...
Fort Ligonier DAR marks site of little-known Fort Preservation
The nation’s 250th birthday is less than two years away, and the Fort Ligonier chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is ready for the major milestone. As its commitment to the America250 celebration campaign, the Ligonier-based DAR group has drawn public attention to the little-known Fort Preservation, a...
