Jeff Himler stories, Page 16
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...
Big Brothers Big Sisters honors strong bonds formed by mentors, youths
Luke Finlay and Jaxon Smartnick may have been born about a quarter of a century apart, but they’re brothers nonetheless. “He’s like the little brother I always wished I had,” Finlay, 32, of Hempfield said of the 8-year-old Greensburg boy he’s mentoring through Greensburg-based Big Brothers Big Sisters of the...
84-year-old Connellsville man killed in fire
An 84-year-old man was killed and six people who lived in neighboring homes were displaced after a Friday morning fire in Connellsville, authorities said. Ronald Veshnesky, was pronounced dead by Fayette County Deputy Coroner Bob Furin. The blaze destroyed one home and damaged two others on the 400 block of...
Morning roundup: Somerset man accused of assaulting pregnant woman; dog found in California porta-potty
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Dec. 27: Somerset County man accused of assaulting pregnant woman A Somerset County man was placed in the county jail on Christmas Eve, charged with assaulting a pregnant woman. The Dec. 19 incident began with a verbal altercation...
Morning roundup: Horse dies in Indiana County barn fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Dec. 26: Horse dies in Indiana County barn fire A horse perished in a barn fire Wednesday morning in Indiana County. Crews from multiple fire departments were called at about 7:30 a.m. to the blaze along Kauffman Road...
79-year-old woman struck, killed in Washington County
A 79-year-old woman was fatally injured when she was struck by a vehicle while crossing Route 19 on Wednesday evening in Peters Township, Washington County. Peters Township police said Thursday morning they were not releasing the name of the woman until family members have been properly notified. The crash occurred...
Former FedEx driver charged with theft after Greensburg-area deliveries go missing
A Greensburg man is charged with stealing a phone that he was supposed to deliver while working for FedEx. State police filed theft-related misdemeanor charges against 29-year-old Mohammad Hat Alshamasin following a sting operation they set up after several Greensburg-area residents reported they didn’t receive electronics Alshamasin was expected to...
Morning Roundup: Beaver County homicide probed; Target theft, threat lead to charges
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 24: Police investigate Beaver County homicide Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver County are seeking the public’s help as they investigate a homicide that occurred Sunday in Aliquippa City. Police said the crime happened in an alley off...
Towering tree returns for Christmas Eve Masses at Saint Vincent Basilica
A 26-foot-tall green-and-white addition to the Saint Vincent Basilica awaits members of the local Catholic parish when they arrive Tuesday evening for 5 p.m. and midnight Christmas Eve Masses. For the first time in several years, a single towering Christmas tree once again will provide a backdrop for the holiday...
Morning Roundup: State trooper struck in roadside assist; plane lands on Beaver County highway
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Dec. 23: State trooper struck during Somerset roadside assist A Pennsylvania State Police trooper was struck and injured Saturday by a passing vehicle while assisting with a disabled vehicle along Route 31 in Somerset County. The trooper was...

