Megan Swift stories, Page 24

In 2018, Sara Belt was told she’d have just five years of cognition remaining after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. She’s beaten the odds by about six months. After participating in four medical trials, Sara, 59, of Unity, has been able to maintain her cognition for the last three...

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is set to acquire property at the end of the runway at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity for $286,400 to accommodate a new roundabout on Route 981. The roundabout is part of the $55.2 million Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement project, intended to upgrade...

Latrobe officials hired a collection agency to recoup unpaid taxes and fees in the city. The resolution passed 5-0 during Monday’s council meeting, and the two-year contract will begin this January. City Manager Terry Carcella said the driving force behind the decision is the amount of money that’s owed to...

Since he started tailgating and purchasing Steelers season tickets in 1997, Jim Carlowski has missed only three home games. Carlowski, 48, of Moon said he usually arrives about four hours before kickoff to maximize his time tailgating. “It’s part of the experience — making the full day of it,” Carlowski...

Thousands of Pittsburgh Steelers fans flocked to the North Shore and tailgating lots Sunday for the team’s season opener at Acrisure Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers. People began trickling in at around 8 a.m., and by 9, the festivities were in full swing, featuring loud pump-up music, food and...

For Madison Davis, the Westmoreland Fair has conflicted with the start of her college classes for the past three years — but it hasn’t stopped her from making the most of her fair experience. Davis, 20, of Dawson, is a junior majoring in nursing at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly...

Michael Ciotti says he’s been going to Italian festivals his whole life Since he was born in the city, it naturally made sense to create the Latrobe Italian Festival soon after opening his local business. The festival returns to Thompson Street this weekend for the second year, honoring the city’s...

Barbara Mance was sitting in her English class at St. Xavier’s Academy on March 16, 1972, when the fire alarm went off. She walked downstairs, assuming it was just another fire drill. She and her classmates were joking that “maybe the old place is finally burning.” Upon arriving outside, they...

The Indiana County Coroner’s Office identified a quarry worker who died after becoming trapped in a limestone hopper on Friday, ruling the death accidental. First responders were called just before 10:30 a.m. to rescue Eric Matthew Komlosky, Sr., 39, of Indiana, who had become trapped at Ridge Limestone, a quarry...

For the first time since 1972, the St. Xavier property off Route 30 in Unity will open its doors once again — this time, as a nature preserve. The 248 acres were home to the former St. Xavier Academy and Convent, which was the oldest institution of the Sisters of...

Latrobe Art Center will host the opening reception for the 14th annual Mister Fred Rogers Fine Arts Juried Exhibition 5-7 p.m Friday. Nearly 50 of the participating artists who created the 75 pieces in the exhibition are expected at the reception. The exhibition will run through Sept. 30. Justin Gunther,...

The Bear Rocks Community Club will host its first 5K this month — an event Lori Rankin said she hopes will draw people together. The Running Bear at the Rocks 5K at 9 a.m. Sept. 30 is a public event and will begin at the site of the community club,...

The Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial will offer a free, virtual education program this September for the National Day of Learning — “Teach to Remember 9/11.” The program is being offered for the first time as part of the evolving 9/11 ceremony at the memorial honoring the 40 passengers...

Seton Hill University’s Harlan Gallery extended entries for its Women Artists 2023 juried exhibition to Wednesday. The exhibition for women artists in all media will run from Oct. 19 until Nov. 17 in the Seton Hill Arts Building. Interested artists can submit up to three works digitally and the entry...

The Bethlehem Project will celebrate its 25th anniversary of fighting homelessness in central Westmoreland County during a gala on Sept. 20 at Rizzo’s Malabar Inn in Crabtree. The last day to purchase tickets is Wednesday. The project is a nonprofit housing ministry of Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parish in Greensburg that...

Bailee Frey says she always knew she wanted to cut hair in some way, and she made it happen when she opened Bailee’s Barbershop in Scottdale when she was just 20 years old. Frey of East Huntingdon opened her barbershop’s doors on Broadway in the borough for the first time...

Latrobe Art Center will host its annual Sip N’ Stroll Art Walk on Wednesday. Attendees can sample wine and cider while supporting local businesses in downtown Latrobe. Michael Tusay, the center’s director, said this will be the third art walk overall but the second one partnering with wineries and cideries....

Donald Goulding Sr. purchased a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket in July at the local corner market — like he does every evening — and wound up with a $1.06 million birthday present. Goulding Sr., 68, of Mammoth, Mt. Pleasant Township, lives about 200 yards from the S&S Corner Market and stopped...

Though Elizabeth Forward is one of many districts returning to school, students’ first day on Thursday was abnormal because renovations are in progress following a fire last winter at the high school. The Feb. 12 blaze destroyed the auditorium, band and choir rooms at Elizabeth Forward High School, forcing the...

For almost 20 years, Laura Ament has been running the bicycle rodeo at the Westmoreland Fair — a tradition she kept up from her father. Though the competition has changed somewhat, Ament, of Unity, said it’s “grown a lot” over the years. As superintendent of the bicycle rodeo, Ament’s job...

Sara Forry had been training her rabbit, Lilly, for five or six years just to complete the lap at the end of her run in Westmoreland Fair’s Rabbit Agility Show on Wednesday night — training that earned her first place. In the competition, six rabbits faced off in a 10-jump...

Square dancing has been an integral part of David Lang’s life since he was a boy. “I (was) probably dancing before I was born because my mother was dancing when she was pregnant with me,” said Lang, 62, of New Stanton. “I guess you could say (my life) kinda revolves...

When the Antique Museum building opened at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township almost 20 years ago, it was barely half as big as it is today, and now, those involved in the project are hoping to make it even bigger. The idea to house and display farm-oriented antiques...

Gracie Trout said she loves showing animals, and on Monday, the calf she showed at the Westmoreland Fair — Jezebel — took home the Junior Champion title. This year was her second year showing, and Gracie, 11, of Tarrs won first in the fall Guernsey calf category, both 4-H and...

For the third year in a row, Logan Family Farms and Pleasant Lane Farms have teamed up to offer a farm-to-fair booth at the Westmoreland Fair, a nine-day event that began Friday and will last until Saturday, Aug. 26. Farm-to-fair means utilizing locally grown produce to serve up fresh food...