Jeff Himler stories, Page 8
New Latrobe city manager hired, $120K starting salary set
Greensburg resident Susan Trout is set to take on a familiar role in a new community after Latrobe council voted unanimously this week to hire her as its new city manager. Mayor Eric Bartels said Trout’s long experience in municipal government, including a past stint as Greensburg’s city administrator, made...
Monroeville police arrest driver, say child was in his lap while he led officers on high-speed chase
A Penn Hills man was arrested on child endangerment and other charges Monday after police say he led them on a high-speed chase through part of Allegheny County while holding a 2-year-old boy on his lap. Monroeville police said Daniel S. Chisolm, 40, reached speeds of up to 70 mph...
Traffic to begin using partially completed interchange revamp at Route 51, I-70
Traffic that crosses over Interstate 70 on Route 51 will switch to a new pattern beginning Tuesday morning, as PennDOT partially opens the new diverging diamond interchange under construction there in Rostraver. Route 51 traffic will continue to flow in a single lane each northbound and southbound, but those lanes...
Work begins to revamp Ligonier Valley baseball field; high school fitness addition approved
Work is underway on a revamp and improvement of the Ligonier Valley High School baseball field as the district prepares for a fitness center addition to the school. The orientation of the field will be turned by about 90 degrees, bringing home plate closer to the high school building, according...
Detours to begin during work on culvert in Ligonier Township, Sutersville rail crossing
Traffic detours will begin Monday in Sutersville and Tuesday in Ligonier Township as crews in the respective municipalities work on railroad crossing maintenance and replacement of a culvert. Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday and continuing through late Friday, First Street in Sutersville will be closed between First and Third avenues...
Researchers zero in on site where George Washington had brush with friendly fire, unveil artifacts
Four years of digging for artifacts in the Ligonier area have shed new light on a little-known “friendly fire” incident in George Washington’s military career and have put what turned out to be a pivotal episode in the French and Indian War on firmer ground. “We found it. I’m confident...
Derry’s Fulton House gets a ‘new’ floor that’s older than the building itself
Visitors who step inside Derry Township’s restored 1817 Fulton House will be walking on a piece of history that is old, but also new. When the floor of the former inn’s rear room started to deteriorate, the Derry Area Historical Society that is headquartered there was able to replace it...
Mexican national pleads guilty to ‘Kingpin’ role in drug ring linked to New Kensington
A Mexican national pleaded guilty this week in Pittsburgh federal court to charges related to a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy. Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza, 55, who was illegally residing in Phoenix, Ariz., is one of 35 people charged in an indictment unsealed in January 2024 in a conspiracy...
Massive turbine blade slices into Bradenville business, ties up traffic in Derry Township
A giant blade destined for a wind turbine pierced the wall of a Derry Township business Tuesday morning when the trucker hauling the oversize load was unable to navigate a sharp, 90-degree turn on Route 982. “I was standing there, and the next thing you know it was in my...
Palmer airport terminal expansion takes off with July arrival of steel beams
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Tuesday marked the first milestone in construction of a $28 million terminal expansion, with about a third of the project’s initial phase in place. Completion of the first of three phases is slated for April of next year, according to Scott Kunselman, engineer...
Unity developments: Animal clinic opens expanded veterinary practice; bank, coffee shop on horizon
Lakeview Animal Clinic welcomed pets and their owners to its new, expanded Unity building June 30. It’s the culmination of five years of planning and nearly a year of construction. The 7,200-square-foot clinic on Monastery Drive is directly downhill from the practice’s previous location. “Capacity is the biggest change,” said...
Ligonier Valley begins superintendent search, OKs extended leave for retiring Tim Kantor
Ligonier Valley School District officials are beginning a search for a new superintendent as Tim Kantor, who has held the top administrative post since 2021, prepares to retire with a new title and a yearlong extension of his medical leave. The school board has agreed to pay Peter Emery D’Arcangelo...
PennDOT to repair slide in Hempfield, extend Route 982 detour in Mt. Pleasant Township
Motorists in Hempfield will encounter a single-lane restriction on a section of Donohoe Road beginning Monday. Temporary signals will control alternating traffic while crews complete a slide repair between Georges Station Road and Autumn Lane, in the vicinity of the National Guard office. Work on the PennDOT project is expected...
Derry reduces summer schedule, hikes lifeguard pay, receives donations to help keep pool open
Derry Community Pool is moving forward with its summer season, but with a reduced schedule. After a shortage of lifeguards caused borough officials to close the public swimming pool several days in late June, Derry Council on Tuesday agreed to trim back the facility’s schedule to six days each week...
Christy Boyd, candidate in Ligonier Valley School Board race, appointed by court to temporary seat on panel
Christy Boyd is joining the Ligonier Valley School Board as an appointee four months in advance of appearing on the Nov. 4 ballot for election to the panel. Westmoreland County’s eight judges on Tuesday agreed to name Boyd to a temporary post on the board. She will serve through the...
Alysia Longwell appointed to vacant Derry Area School Board seat
Alysia Longwell, a Derry Area parent and college instructor, has joined the district school board — at least temporarily. The school board on Monday unanimously appointed Longwell, the sole applicant, to fill a board seat vacated by the June 3 resignation of veteran School Director Kevin Liberoni. Longwell, who lives...
Route 30 crash hot spots a concern for motorists, property owners, police, PennDOT
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Route 30 crash hot spots a concern for motorists, property owners, police, PennDOT
A note left on the door of their new Hempfield home 21 years ago was the first sign of trouble for Kristie Harvey’s family. It was from a young driver, admitting to having hit a perimeter wall on Harvey’s lot just off the Cedar Street exit of Route 30. It...
18th-century artifacts get room with a view at Fort Ligonier Museum
A place for everything and everything in its place applies equally to spontoons and shards. Thanks to a new climate-controlled collections storage room in the basement of Fort Ligonier Museum, Meghan Budinger will have separate compartments to safely archive the former iron and brass weapon — a type of personal...
Latrobe appoints Long Island native with building code experience to fill council vacancy
A retiree whose work experience includes examining building plans and completing code reviews is now a new member of Latrobe’s city council. Council members voted unanimously this week to appoint Lenor Rivera to serve on the panel through December 2027. She will complete the term of William Yuhaniak, who cited...
Mama Duck, duckling inflatables set to pump up crowds at Idlewild and SoakZone
Jase Wiarda occasionally calls a company with a pressure washer to give his rubber duck a bath. “It’s a weird phone call to make,” he said. “People think it’s a prank.” That is, until they realize their services are being sought to clean the “World’s Largest Rubber Duck” — a...
Route 30 eastbound reopens after multi-vehicle crash shut it down for hours in Southwest Greensburg
Route 30 eastbound reopened near the Route 119 interchange after a crash early Thursday evening shut it down for hours. The 5:30 p.m. wreck involved multiple vehicles, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. Southwest Greensburg firefighters reported in a social media post that the crash involved a tri-axle truck...
Lifeguard staffing shortage prompts planned, unplanned closures of Derry Community Pool
Temperatures soaring into the 90s drove plenty of people to the Derry Community Pool on Sunday — but it proved to be too many for the limited number of lifeguards available, prompting an unexpected premature closure of the facility in mid-afternoon. Normally, the pool, owned by Derry Borough, is open...
PennDOT concrete work to restrict overnight, weekend traffic on I-70 in Westmoreland
Single-lane restrictions will be in effect beginning Monday on a stretch of Interstate 70 in Rostraver and South Huntingdon townships and during several weekends, beginning this weekend, on a segment of the interstate in North Belle Vernon and Rostraver. PennDOT said concrete pavement work will trigger overnight restrictions from 7...
Greater Latrobe OKs junior high roof replacement, high school track resurfacing
Work to replace the leaking roof at Greater Latrobe Junior High will begin this summer and is expected to wrap up during the summer of 2026. The school board this week awarded the roof contract to Island Contracting, which submitted a low base bid of about $6.2 million. That’s about...
