Jeff Himler stories, Page 19

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced the death of one of its lifelong residents, 11-year-old gorilla Djembe. Known to the public as Ivan, the Western lowland silver-back gorilla suffered cardiac arrest Wednesday while undergoing a medical procedure at the zoo, officials reported. Zoo officials said Ivan showed no pre-existing conditions,...

A suspect in a McKeesport assault and carjacking crashed on Route 30 in North Versailles on Thursday afternoon after failing to stop for an Allegheny County sheriff’s deputy, according to the sheriff’s office. The deputy took the man into custody after he crashed into a utility pole near Grandview Cemetery,...

Debate about a proposed solar farm in Unity will continue for a fourth session before the township zoning hearing board. Township officials and the developer have hit a hurdle in determining whether the facility will meet requirements that apply to agricultural property. Township Solicitor Gary Falatovich said during Tuesday’s third...

Dry skies, a higher admission price and a more efficient online ticketing system all contributed to $121,000 in revenue being collected from the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice held Aug. 2 in Greater Latrobe School District’s Memorial Stadium. That figure was a $40,000 increase from the previous year’s popular annual...

Temperatures reached an unofficial high of 82 degrees Tuesday at two area airports, about 20 degrees above the normal high but just shy of breaking the record. The 82-degree mark was recorded at both Pittsburgh International Airport and at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, according to Jason Frazier, a...

Greater Latrobe School District has completed replacement of its water-damaged senior high school gym floor about a month earlier than expected. The floor was damaged on a Sunday night in late June when water overflowed from the school’s nearby swimming pool, running under connecting doors and into the gym. Superintendent...

It took years for Ginny Barnett to come to emotional terms with scenes of trauma she encountered in Shanksville and New York City when she responded as a Red Cross volunteer in the wake of 9/11. “The first time I looked at the crash site here, I started to break...

Unity Cemetery’s 250th anniversary is being celebrated this month through artistic impressions and a historical program. There are 32 Revolutionary War veterans buried at the cemetery in Unity. On Saturday, an historical reenactor will be on hand to bring to life the experiences of such local soldiers. Tom Klingensmith, who...

Greater Latrobe School Board is moving forward with an estimated $2.6 million upgrade to the running track and other features at Memorial Stadium, but one board member and at least one parent think the district should delay that investment. Parent Josh Cunningham, who also is a teacher at the nearby...

A Pittsburgh-area woman died after having an allergic reaction to an antibiotic she was given not once, but twice, during surgery to repair a hernia. During the first surgery, the procedure was halted because of the allergic reaction. The second time, the surgeon insisted she get the antibiotic because he...

A couple and their pet dog were rescued by a neighbor when fire broke out in their Unity home Tuesday night. A smoke alarm awakened the pair as they were sleeping on the first floor of their Dos Drive home, according to Tom Schultheis, township emergency management coordinator. Blocked by...

Overnight single-lane restrictions will be in place for several days on a section of Interstate 70 as crews demolish the bridge that used to carry Route 51 over the interstate in Rostraver. The bridge is being replaced by a more complex crossing as part of a $120.7 million project to...

A fire that destroyed a storage barn Saturday afternoon at Westmoreland Equestrian Center in Hempfield left behind a field of hay that is continuing to smolder and smoke, sparking concerns from nearby respiratory-challenged residents. As of Tuesday, it wasn’t clear how much longer the smoldering may continue at the site...

Neighbors remember Thomas Zeller as a somewhat eccentric man who pursued a low-tech lifestyle. Zeller, 71, died Saturday when flames destroyed his Scottdale home. “It’s a sad thing,” Market Street resident Chuck Brownfield said Sunday. “He didn’t really associate with a lot of people, he never bothered anybody.” According to...

A vehicle crashed into a 7-Eleven store in Penn Hills early Sunday and then fled, according to first responders. Penn Hills Fire Company No. 7 reported it was among emergency units called to the scene at 600 Rodi Road shortly after 1 a.m. No one inside the store was injured...

Allegheny County Police are investigating a crash Saturday night in Monroeville that fatally injured a pedestrian. According to the County Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim, Thomas Tate, 48, died shortly after 9:30 p.m. at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville — about a half hour after the crash. Officials didn’t list a...

A Penn Hills man who was shot Oct. 6 in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed late Saturday the death of Malcolm I. Nowlin, 26, in an area hospital following the incident in the 4100 block of Butler Street. The office listed the time...

Fort Ligonier Days pays tribute to the 18th century British outpost that lent its name to the modern town of Ligonier. But, full appreciation of the festival’s origin doesn’t appear to be widespread among those who are drawn to the event, judging from a random sampling Saturday of visitors who...

No horses were harmed Saturday after a stubborn fire broke out about 3 p.m., then ravaged a storage barn at the Westmoreland Equestrian Center in Hempfield. The fire briefly closed a section of Business Route 66 in Hempfield, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The roadway had reopened to traffic...

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home in Wilkins Township early Saturday morning. Officials told TribLive news partner WTAE the fire was reported at about 2:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Greensburg Pike, and there was no indication...

A Beaver County man is charged with attempted homicide in a Friday morning shooting in Pittsburgh that sent another man to Allegheny General Hospital. City police used surveillance video to trace a white Nissan Armada involved in the shooting to Shane Terrance Phillips, 52, of Ambridge, according to a criminal...

The 18th and 21st centuries will intersect in Ligonier this weekend as the town hosts the annual Fort Ligonier Days. The festival’s historical appeal includes reenactors portraying French and Indian War combatants and one of the country’s founding fathers — no, not George Washington. Live entertainment, a parade and vendors...

An Irwin-area Catholic priest who resigned amid questions about how the parishes he led hired a man who had a criminal record has returned to ministry, Greensburg Catholic Bishop Larry J. Kulick said. But the Rev. John Moineau will be moving from his former post at Irwin’s Immaculate Conception and...

A man was taken to a hospital in critical condition after he was shot Friday evening in Baldwin. First responders found the man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the 5400 block of Keeport Drive. The shooting was reported to Allegheny County 911 shortly before 6 p.m. County police detectives...

Kiski Area administrators cautioned families about the disruption “lookalike” weapons can cause in school settings after an airsoft BB gun was confiscated during a Friday afternoon elementary bus run. A driver on a South Primary/Upper Elementary school bus was alerted that a student was in possession of the inoperable gun...