Dan Speicher stories
Calves injured in Pa. Turnpike crash recovering at Murrysville vet clinicVideo
Four calves are making a recovery at Allegheny Equine in Murrysville after the trailer they were traveling in overturned while exiting the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Tuesday at the Irwin interchange. “We had four that were a bit dehydrated and needed some supportive care,” said Dr. Alexis Baney, a veterinarian for...
Walking for health inside the mallVideo
Rain and cold temperatures Thursday didn’t stop nearly 300 people from participating in the Excela Health Mall Walkers event. Started nine years ago, the event is held on the fourth Thursday of each month for a health education presentation, screenings, a light breakfast and walking. For 65-year-old Mike Setmire of...
Greensburg jeweler plays with art every dayVideo
A tiny air hammer hums while Greensburg jeweler Brian Nicklaus sits at his work bench inside the Pawn and Jewelry Exchange along East Pittsburgh Street, playing with his art. What started as a hobby in middle school became a job in high school and a business in college. “The Duquesne...
Forbes Trail Trout Unlimited talks flies, fishing during weekly tying circleVideo
For many fisherman, winter’s cold means it is time to put away the gear until next season. For nearly a dozen fly fishermen from the Forbes Trail chapter of Trout Unlimited, however, winter is the perfect time to get together, share a meal and spend a few hours each week...
Beating away the day: WCCC uses drum circle to help students handle stressVideo
The sound of drums on Tuesday echoed through the recently renovated Student Achievement Center at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood. Students gathered for the monthly drum circle and worked together to beat away the stress of the semester. “It’s meant to help them learn to work together, to collaborate...
Phish jams out at Petersen Events Center
Phish rolled into Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center on Wednesday for its seven-date Fall Tour. The rock band, formed in 1983 on the campus of the University of Vermont, performed its massive catalog of songs to the delight of the crowd. Phish kicked off the show with “555,” “AC/DC Bag” and...
Greensburg Turkey Trot hosts largest race with more than 2,500 runners
More than 2,500 runners gathered outside of the Westmoreland County Courthouse Thursday for the 28th Annual Greensburg Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. The yearly event was the largest in the history of the race, and race director Carol Palcic expected the runners to raise nearly $30,000 for local charities. This year...
Photo gallery: Fox hunting returns to Ligonier Township this weekend
The opening day of fox hunting season is Saturday for Rolling Rock Hunt, which will host a Blessing of the Hounds and a joint meet with Sewickley and Chagrin hunts at Blandings in Ligonier Township. A landowner appreciation BBQ Bluegrass party will be held afterward at Stonehenge Lodge in Donegal...
Behind the scenes with ‘The Lion King’Video
“The Lion King” made its’ debut at the Benedum Center on Wednesday night. On Friday, the Trib got to go behind the scenes of the hit musical to speak with actress Nia Holloway who plays Nala, along with puppet master Michael Reilly, and actor Spencer Plachy, who performs as Scar....
Thousands turn out for Pittsburgh’s Labor Day Parade
The threat of rain didn’t slow Pittsburgh’s 38th annual Labor Day parade. Thousands turned out for the the parade, which is billed as the largest Labor Day parade in the country. Governor Tom Wolf, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro marched at the head of the parade...
Judging, entertainment kicks off the Westmoreland Fair
The Westmoreland Fair kicked off Friday morning in Mount Pleasant Township with a team of more than 25 judges working together to select the best out of more than 8,400 “inside” entries, which includes foods, crafts and even wine and beer. Over the course of five hours, judges worked with...
Russian song and dance ensemble Barynya visits Ligonier Valley LibraryVideo
Mikhail Smirnov was playing music in a Russian restaurant in Long Island, N.Y., in 1991 when a dancer came in and asked for a job. The owner told Smirnov and the musicians to play dance music for her. The first dance they performed together was the folk dance Barynya. Since...
Historic Hanna’s Town wraps up kids’ summer camp, ushers in Civil War encampmentVideo
Six students from Westmoreland County finished Revolutionary Kids Summer Camp at Historic Hanna’s Town in Hempfield, just in time for this weekend’s Civil War encampment and re-enactment. On the last day of of camp, students were treated to a blacksmith demonstration by Rex Baughman of Hempfield. He started off by...
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix hits bucolic Westmoreland County roadsVideo
Members of the Greater Pittsburgh MG Club and Western Pennsylvania Triumph Association hit the roads in Westmoreland County on Thursday for the annual Countryside Tour as part of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, which will be held this weekend. The Countryside Tour, which started in 2012, left the Ramada Inn...
Celebrate summer — Go Skateboard DayVideo
Started in 2004 by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, Go Skateboard Day — June 21 — celebrates the summer solstice by encouraging skaters to make their favorite sport a top priority. Started in the late 1940s as a way for surfers to enjoy days without waves, skateboarding has more...
Unity’s Nature’s Grove Farm offers pasture-raised chicken through CSAVideo
Andy Vlcek didn’t grow up planning on farming. His father died in 2010. A few years after, around 2012, Vlcek moved home to help his mother maintain Nature’s Grove Farm, their small family operation in Unity. He and his mom, Nancy, spent the next few years selling eggs and micro-greens...
Three Rivers Arts Festival is underwayVideo
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicked off Friday in Pittsburgh. The annual arts extravaganza includes 10 days of free live music, theater, dance and gallery exhibitions and an artist market featuring more than 300 artists from around the country. Here are some images and a video from the...
Greensburg boys get surprise reunion with Air National Guard father
It was all tears and shock when brothers Liam and Connor Gallagher turned around Friday at Aquinas Academy in Greensburg and saw their father. Patrick Gallagher, a master sergeant in the Air National Guard, walked out of the school kitchen. Gallagher had been deployed for six of the last nine...
Westmoreland seniors continue to test their mettle at annual games
The 2019 Westmoreland County Senior Games got underway last week for the 36th year. Activities will run through Friday at Mammoth Park and other locations. The theme is “Bring a Friend for Fun and Fitness.” Anyone age 50 or older can participate. The goal of the annual event, coordinated by...
Greensburg Salem High School prom 2019
Greensburg Salem High School had its prom Friday night. Here is a photo gallery of the highlights from the grand march....
West Newton Avenue of Flags on display for 25th year
Volunteers on Friday helped assemble the 25th annual West Newton Cemetery Avenue of Flags, a Memorial Day tradition. More than 350 full-sized flags are given by a family member in honor of a local veteran who has passed away. About 40 students from the Yough High School student council, along...
Ligonier native spends summers in Yellowstone National ParkVideo
Leslie Giesey doesn’t remember when she first traveled to Yellowstone National Park with her family, but she knows she was young, and knows she went fishing for wild trout that fill the streams. Now, decades later, she returns each summer to work as a nurse and spend her free time...
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg celebrates President Sharon SmithVideo
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg students, faculty and staff gathered this week for a surprise celebration for retiring school President Sharon Smith, who has held office since 2007. Greeted by the campus mascot, Bruiser the Bobcat, Smith was led into the dining hall to meet cheering friends, family members and...
Rolling Rock Hunt to host Hunter Pace in LigonierVideo
Rolling Rock Hunt plans to host a May 18 hunter pace that it hopes will become an annual event at a farm off of Route 711 in Ligonier Township. A group including huntsman Sam Clifton, Stewart Burkland and a small crew of volunteers, has been working to build a three-...
Jeannette elementary celebrates publication of first graders’ books
Family, students and cookies gathered Friday at Jeannette McKee Elementary School for a book release party. They celebrated “It Snowed Valentines,” a self-published book written and illustrated by 18 first grade students of reading teacher Lou Anne Gansor. Each child sat up front and read their story before showing off...
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