Dan Speicher stories

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

“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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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 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-...