Jeff Himler stories

Ligonier Township is proposing to refurbish a bridge on Harvey Road while it seeks a state permit to replace a bridge on Ramsey Road that’s been closed for more than a year. The township supervisors also want to improve the township’s last remaining section of dirt-and-gravel road, a portion of...

A federal court could decide whether customers of Ligonier Pharmacy and several additional locations operated by Martella’s Pharmacies can have in-network insurance coverage through Highmark or UPMC Health Plan when they fill their prescriptions. A Pittsburgh law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of customers against those insurers...

Voters in Greater Latrobe School District have eight candidates to choose from to fill four school board seats in the Nov. 4 municipal election. The field is split evenly between incumbents and newcomers — but some have aligned themselves into two separate campaigns, each including three candidates. Campaigning together are...

Six candidates are vying in the Nov. 4 election for a quartet of four-year seats on the Ligonier Valley School Board. Two other hopefuls — John Fitchwell, selected by Republican Party leaders, and Maureen Ittig, chosen by the Democratic Party — are facing off for a two-year seat. The winner...

Allegheny County Police have charged a Latrobe man with a firearms violation after a handgun was discovered in his carry-on bag Wednesday morning at Pittsburgh International Airport. Police identified the passenger as 51-year-old John Frye. They determined he did not possess a valid concealed carry permit. Transportation Security Administration officers...

Allegheny County Police have charged a Wilmerding teen in the fatal shooting of two other teens on June 26 in Pitcairn. Jamon Brookins, 16, is charged as an adult with two counts of criminal homicide and a felony robbery count. Police said Brookins, then 15, fired multiple times at Tyrant...

Last year’s Halloween parade in Mt. Pleasant Borough brought the small community of 4,250 people plenty of publicity, but not in the way officials would have liked. This year, organizers promised to be extra vigilant about parade participants to avoid a repeat appearance of a controversial entry like one last...

Ligonier Township Supervisors unanimously approved a permit for a proposed solar farm on Springer Road on the condition that developer SunVest Solar agrees to plant a buffer and coordinates with first responders on handling any emergencies that may occur at the site. “This is the first step of many, but...

Motorists will encounter a single-lane restriction beginning Monday on a section of Route 982 in Derry Township. Flaggers will control traffic between McCullough and Barchesky roads while PennDOT crews replace a pipe. The work will be underway on weekdays through mid-November, depending on weather conditions. Project managers abandoned an initial...

Christine Marquis wasn’t expecting to run for mayor of Latrobe, but she accepted the Democratic nomination for the post after supporters waged a successful primary write-in campaign on her behalf. On Nov. 4, Marquis will face off against Republican incumbent Eric Bartels. Bartels is seeking his second term as mayor,...

Traffic has been reduced to a single lane on Crawford Lane Bridge in Rostraver. Temporary traffic signals have been installed at each end of the bridge, on Crawford Lane and Finley Road, to guide traffic over the span that crosses above Interstate 70. The lane restriction is slated to continue...

Amy Smidga says if she doesn’t receive her monthly SNAP benefit for purchasing food in November, it could sabotage her efforts to control her diabetes. “I get SNAP of $265,” she said. “It’s going to hurt me because it does help with what I need. Without the SNAP benefit, it’s...

Crews from the neighboring Marguerite and Dryridge fire departments in Unity are dispatched together on the vast majority of their emergency calls. If all goes as planned, by next year, they’ll be responding as one department. The top line officers for the two departments say the intended merger makes sense...

Profit-sharing and attendance are on the rise at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ annual Friday Night Lights practice at Greater Latrobe School District’s Memorial Stadium. This year’s Aug. 1 event generated a profit of more than $109,000, according to district Athletic Director Tyler Gustafson. Of that amount, $71,000 will be shared among...

Repairs and a ramp change will cause traffic restrictions on sections of Interstate 70 in Rostraver this week. Rolling single-lane restrictions will take place 8 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday for traffic traveling in both directions between Exits 44 (Arnold City) and 49 (Smithton). According to PennDOT, this will...

Greater Latrobe School District is moving forward with a $12 million bond issue to help finance capital projects, including the junior high roof replacement and an update of the Memorial Stadium track. The move was approved this month by both the school board and the related school authority, which will...

A proposed letter from the Ligonier Valley Police Commission to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is being called a “slap in the face” to the officers on the force. The police commission this week discussed sending the letter to ask whether local criminal charges are planned stemming from a...

Drivers heading north on Route 119 in Hempfield will encounter daytime lane restrictions beginning Thursday while work is underway on the bridge carrying the highway over the Pennsylvania Turnpike. According to PennDOT, a northbound single-lane restriction will be in place from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. between Technology Drive and...

Eastbound motorists on Route 30 in Hempfield will be subject to a nightly single-lane restriction beginning Monday, Oct. 13 as a PennDOT contractor works on the Route 130 bridge over the highway. The traffic restriction will be in place from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. between the eastbound exit ramp...

There’s too much going on during Fort Ligonier Days for the Kuhns family of Derry Township to take it all in during one visit. Ian and Amber Kuhns and Ian’s mother, Stacey Kuhns of Greensburg, focused on browsing among the 200 vendors to purchase gifts and sample food Friday, the...

Fort Ligonier Days is one of the most successful annual festivals in Westmoreland County. It’s also a powerful economic engine. “The foot traffic into our store is tenfold, maybe even more,” said Jan Mikan, owner of The Cat’s Meow gift boutique and Hidden Valley Antiques on Ligonier’s West Main Street....

Southmoreland’s Russ Grimm Field is brighter this year, with new LED lights and artificial turf, and so are the prospects of the Scotties football team. With a 7-0 record heading into Friday night’s showdown with visiting rival Mt. Pleasant Area, the team is riding high on a new wave of...

As many as 60,000 people are expected to pack Ligonier’s Main Street on Saturday morning to watch the parade that is a central feature of the town’s Fort Ligonier Days festival. Those who remain on hand later that day, after more than 200 crafter and food vendor booths close, will...

A Penn Township dental office is joining ranks with similar practices in multiple states this week to provide free care to military veterans and service members. It’s the first year for the Pearl Dentistry office to participate in Freedom Day USA, a program founded in 2013 by a West Virginia...

The Pittsburgh police’s Collision Investigation Unit responded Tuesday night to the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood after a man was found dead along Route 28. Police said they received reports at about 7:30 p.m. of a man who may have fallen in the road near the Chestnut Street exit. First responders...