Jeff Himler stories, Page 30
Latrobe condemns 2 Ligonier Street rental properties
Latrobe officials have condemned two renter-occupied houses on Ligonier Street they say pose a health and safety hazard. City code enforcement officer Dan Weimer said Tuesday he’d learned that occupants of two apartments at 1207 Ligonier St. and of a three-story home at 1522 Ligonier St. have made arrangements to...
Rick Sebak to stir ‘Kennywood Memories’ for Greater Latrobe audience in benefit
Whether it was the thrill of riding the Thunderbolt roller coaster or the tasty treat of gobbling down Potato Patch french fries, many area residents can recall favorite moments of their childhood spent at Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh. Rick Sebak, longtime producer of documentaries for WQED and PBS, will revive...
Greater Latrobe logs on with esports club program
It’s game on at Greater Latrobe Senior High. “I’ve been playing since I was old enough to remember,” Jesse Simonovitch said of the Super Smash Bros. video game he plays competitively as part of a new esports club organized this year at the school in Unity. The senior wants to...
Road projects to trigger monthlong detour in Mt. Pleasant Township, lane restrictions near Donegal
Road projects set to begin on Monday, April 22 will result in a detour on Boyer Road in Mt. Pleasant Township and lane restrictions on Route 711 in the Donegal and Stahlstown areas, according to PennDOT. Boyer Road is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Monday between Hecla Road and...
Local Holocaust survivors’ stories counter rising trend in antisemitism
Voices from the past that keep alive the horrors of the 20th century Holocaust carry an urgency today. Those voices are demanding increased attention through programs based in Southwestern Pennsylvania and New York, even as the current tragedies of the Israel-Hamas conflict reverberate around the world and antisemitic incidents continue...
Hempfield man accused of seeking to pay to have his sister murdered
A Hempfield man is charged with attempting to hire someone to kill his sister, apparently motivated by a proposed change in the family estate. Westmoreland County detectives and sheriff’s deputies arrested Peter John Cute, 63, Friday afternoon after he met with a man that Cute allegedly offered to pay to...
Beaver County man gets 10-year prison term for severe abuse of disabled residents
A Beaver County man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison Friday in Pittsburgh on federal hate crime charges stemming from severe abuse of disabled residents he was responsible for assisting at an in-patient health care facility in the county. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan imposed the...
Car crashes into Washington County reservoir; McMurray driver killed
A McMurray woman was killed Friday morning when the vehicle she was driving crashed and sank into a reservoir in Washington County, officials said. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco identified the driver as 44-year-old Jessica L. Williams. Williams was driving South on Sherwood Drive in Peters Township after 12:30 a.m....
Fairfield farm to host 2nd Ag Appreciation Day
Extended evening hours will offer more time on Saturday for visitors to take in the animals, machinery and products at the second annual Agricultural Appreciation Day hosted by Matson Farm in Fairfield. “We expanded the hours to see if that suits more people,” said Connie Matson, who owns the beef...
Tours of Hempfield manufacturer can lead to jobs for area high school students
Seven of 11 area high school students who toured Hempfield’s General Carbide complex Wednesday are looking to come back to work there. “To see these kids coming in and getting excited about manufacturing is pretty amazing,” said Mona Pappafava-Ray, CEO of the maker of finished tooling, wear parts and components....
Federal investigators in Pittsburgh help shut down Russian-linked online scams that affected over 1 million people
Federal officials in Pittsburgh announced Thursday they’ve seized four web domains with Russian ties that were used to steal the personal information of more than 1 million victims in spoofing scams. Among the victims were two elderly Pittsburgh-area residents. According to court documents, one of those victims lost a total...
Westmoreland County OKs $244K for demolition projects in Arnold, Jeannette, Derry, Monessen
Westmoreland County is taking bites out of blight in five communities. The county commissioners this month approved spending up to $244,000 from Westmoreland’s Act 152 Demolition Fund to raze rundown buildings on four properties in Arnold, three in Jeannette, two in Derry Township and one each in Derry Borough and...
Derry Area weighs first renovations at high school complex in decades
It’s been more than 30 years since the last major renovation at the Derry Area high school complex. That may change in the next couple of years, but the question remains: How much work needs to be done? Most people who took a school district survey support heating, air conditioning...
Greater Latrobe School Board will lose $48K in annual tax revenue to settle assessment appeal with Latrobe Specialty Metals
Greater Latrobe School District will lose more than $48,000 in tax revenue each year because it agreed to reduce Latrobe Specialty Metals assessed property value. The school board this week approved the settlement of a 2021 assessment appeal filed by the company that makes specialty metals and alloys and is...
Harry Potter party, film screening in Irwin to benefit Latrobe 4th of July Celebration
The Lamp Theatre will be transformed into a local branch of Hogwarts on Sunday when the downtown Irwin venue plays host to a Harry Potter-themed party and film screening. Doors open at 1 p.m. for the family-friendly event, followed by a 2 p.m. showtime for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s...
Spring legacy exhibit set to open at Saint Vincent College’s McCarl Coverlet Gallery
Visitors to the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College will find a thread of creativity stretching back to an earlier era in American decorative arts. Located on the center’s first floor, the Foster and Muriel McCarl Coverlet Gallery will debut its new spring exhibit, “An American Legacy: The Brian...
3 medevac helicopters respond to crash near Twin Lakes Park; 4 people taken to hospitals
Four people were injured Sunday evening after the vehicle they were traveling in crashed into a tree and overturned along Twin Lakes Road in Unity. One motorist was thrown from their vehicle and three others had to be freed by emergency crews, according to Tom Schultheis, emergency management coordinator for...
PennDOT work to trigger road closures in Ligonier Township, Rostraver
Portions of Route 259 in Ligonier Township and Lenity School Road in Rostraver are scheduled to close Monday morning for PennDOT road and bridge projects. Route 259 is set to close beginning at 7 a.m. between Austraw Road and McCurdy Trail while PennDOT crews replace a cross pipe over a...
Police, New Alexandria officials investigate $88K in missing borough funds
State police are investigating after $88,000 went missing from New Alexandria’s coffers. The probe comes after borough council in March fired Chuck Ferry from his role as secretary-treasurer. Ferry could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, the small municipality of about 400 people is tightening its belt as it copes...
Westmoreland Redevelopment Authority considers infrastructure for vacant Derry site
More than halfway into a six-month contingent agreement to sell a former Derry Borough industrial site, the Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority may install internal roads and utilities to help lay the groundwork for attracting new occupants. “If we were able to sell the property and the developer was going to...
Westmoreland County OKs $1M increase to contract for rebuilt courthouse garage
The Westmoreland County Commissioners on Thursday agreed to pay a $1 million increase, making the new price $8 million, for the recent demolition and reconstruction of the county courthouse plaza and the parking garage underneath it. The increase resulted from several unanticipated work items and costs that exceeded the original...
Bricks fall from Uniontown building, triggering street closure, detour
A section of Morgantown Street in Uniontown was closed to traffic on Thursday, April 11 after bricks fell from a vacant building. No injuries were reported when the bricks fell shortly before 1:45 p.m. at Nos. 12 and 14 Morgantown St., according to a Fayette County 911 supervisor. The bricks...
Ligonier Valley Police Commission receives proposal for new station location; anonymous donor would foot $1.8 million of the bill
The Ligonier Valley Police Commission is mulling a proposal for a new $2 million police station that apparently would be funded largely through a donation. Ligonier Township resident Greg Sullenberger, who said he is a former state trooper, presented a general proposal for constructing a new police station near the...
Monessen pair charged in theft of credit cards while man was preaching at Smithton church
Two Monessen residents are accused of stealing a lay worship leader’s wallet while he was leading services at a Smithon church. “It was kind of a wake-up call for us,” said Hope Memorial Lutheran Church Pastor Becky Dittenhafer. The theft was reported March 10 and on Tuesday state police filed...
Latrobe hires 2 police officers, OKs purchase of new handguns
Latrobe bolstered its police ranks Monday by hiring two new officers. Joining the force and increasing the number of patrol officers to nine will be David Antal, a 2013 Kiski Area School District graduate, and Brady Sherback, a 2018 Greater Latrobe School District alumnus. Antal will be joining the Latrobe...
