Jeff Himler stories, Page 16
Bellevue crash kills 2 drivers, injures 2 others; authorities ID 1 driver
Two men were killed when the vehicles they were driving crashed early Sunday on Ohio River Boulevard in Bellevue, according to Allegheny County police. The men were found dead at the scene by first responders, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified one of the drivers as Israel...
Former Jehovah’s Witnesses member convicted of raping child in Butler County
A Butler County man has been convicted of raping a pre-teen child as a result of a statewide grand jury investigation of members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. A Butler County jury on Friday found Shaun Sheffer, 46, of Harmony guilty of three counts each of rape and indecent assault,...
Paid Unity fire duty crews get go-ahead after successful 6-month trial
Firefighters from the Lloydsville and Crabtree stations in Unity had a head start last year when they answered a weekday call for a car crash on Donohoe Road. “We had a crew out the door within 30 seconds, they were on the scene within three minutes, and they had the...
Ligonier Valley Police Commission to ‘start from square one’ in naming citizen member
Ligonier Valley residents will have to wait until at least Feb. 11 to learn who will represent Ligonier Township as a citizen member on the police commission. The Ligonier Valley Police Commission’s vote in December to reappoint Scott Gongaware as the citizen member was ruled invalid by a Westmoreland County...
Mondays mean volunteering at hospital for 99-year-old Greensburg woman
A maintenance worker at the former Jeannette District Memorial Hospital was confused when he saw Rosemary Kindelan’s familiar face in the building on a Friday. “He threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s Monday,’ ” Kindelan recalled. Kindelan, who turned 99 on Dec. 27,...
Judge rules appointment to Ligonier Valley Police Commission invalid
Ligonier Township resident Scott Gongaware’s recent reappointment as a citizen member of the Ligonier Valley Police Commission was invalid, according to Westmoreland County Judge Harry Smail Jr. Smail on Monday barred Gongaware from participating in Tuesday’s meeting of the regional police commission as the judge granted a preliminary injunction on...
Unity proposes guidelines for ATV trails, limiting solar farms to conservation zone
Potential solar farms would be confined to the eastern edge of Unity, in the vicinity of Chestnut Ridge, under a zoning ordinance amendment proposed by township officials. If approved, the change wouldn’t affect the existing case of Joseph Stas and GreenKey Solar, whose plan to develop a solar panel array...
Independence Health looks to cut losses, crunch data to improve bottom line, patient care as 3rd year begins
Independence Health cut its operating losses by close to 50% in 2024, but those losses remain in the eight-figure range, prompting leaders of the regional health system to further reduce expenses. Excela and Butler health systems combined in 2023 to create a third, albeit smaller, health care giant in a...
Mt. Pleasant woman gets up to nearly 2 years in jail for theft of $50K from band boosters
A Mt. Pleasant woman has been sentenced to serve time in the Indiana County Jail for stealing more than $50,000 from a high school band boosters group. Lara Lee Brown, 57, pleaded guilty to the thefts, which state police said occurred from 2019 through 2022 while she was treasurer of...
About $500K of work to fill Unity sinkhole nearly complete
Crews have pumped more than 3,300 cubic yards of grout into an abandoned mine void to stabilize a section of a Unity property where a local woman fell into a sinkhole and died. With recent snow blanketing the ground at Monday’s Union restaurant, work to restore a cordoned-off area behind...
Pete Buttigieg to return to Pittsburgh as Transportation secretary role nears end
Pete Buttigieg will visit the Pittsburgh area on Friday in one of his final trips as U.S. Transportation secretary. Buttigieg is slated to make several stops to highlight transportation resources that have received federal support under the Biden administration. Buttigieg is expected to tour Pittsburgh’s three rivers, including the Emsworth...
Latrobe’s Adelphoi to double capacity at charter school; expansion set for summer debut
Latrobe’s Adelphoi expects to debut an expansion of its Ketterer Charter School in June, more than doubling its capacity to provide instruction for area students who face emotional, behavioral or academic challenges. Construction is underway on two additions to the 45,000-square-foot school that is chartered by the Greater Latrobe School...
Attempted homicide added to Mt. Pleasant man’s charges in truck chase, shooting
A Mt. Pleasant motorist accused of chasing another driver and shooting at his vehicle had his day in court delayed Wednesday as state police refiled the charges against him, adding attempted homicide. Paul A. Caletri III, 30, also is charged with aggravated and simple assault, criminal mischief, reckless driving and...
Ligonier Township supervisor suing Ligonier Valley Police joins force oversight board
A man who is suing the Ligonier Valley Police and has approved litigation against the commission that oversees the force is now serving on that same commission. Erik Ross, who has taken over as chairman of the Ligonier Township supervisors, has replaced Stephanie Verna as a representative of the supervisors...
Latrobe eyes rules for smoke shops, convenience stores, sites with gaming devices
Latrobe is considering an ordinance that would set operating restrictions and establish permitted zones for smoke and vape shops and neighborhood convenience stores. A second proposed ordinance would set guidelines for establishments operating gaming devices. While gaming devices offering players payouts have been proliferating among businesses and clubs in Latrobe,...
Retired Seton Hill organist, instructor gets honorary degree from university
Edgar Highberger’s lifelong love of the organ continues to bring him joy in listening to the playing of many of the former students he guided as an associate professor of music at Seton Hill University. That legacy, along with his contributions in his hometown of Greensburg and in Westmoreland County...
Hempfield man uses gaming platform to support local charitable causes
Jacob Hixson is due to get a nose ring and a tattoo. The Hempfield man agreed to undergo those body modifications if followers and subscribers of his online gaming livestreams helped him raise $10,000 during his recent 24-hour holiday charity campaign. “We surpassed that goal within the first hour,” Hixson...
Latrobe’s settlement with retiring former police dog handler includes $100K in payments
Latrobe will pay newly retired police Sgt. Robert Derk roughly $100,000 to cover unused benefits and to settle labor-related claims he’s filed against the city, including disputed overtime pay for his role as the city’s police dog handler. The settlement also resolves a grievance he filed over his loss of...
