Jeff Himler stories, Page 34
Forbes Road Career and Technology Center to add arboretum
Horticulture students at Forbes Road Career and Technology Center soon will have a living laboratory where they can learn about plants and how to care for them. The Monroeville school, which accepts students from nine area districts, plans to develop an arboretum and botanical garden featuring more than a dozen...
Former Penn Hills man sentenced to more than 24 years for fentanyl trafficking; witness intimidation noted in sentencing
A former Penn Hills man who prosecutors say was involved with a gang trafficking in fentanyl has been sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the 293-month sentence Tuesday on Jamal Knox, 29, in federal court...
Latrobe exhibit to focus on Fred Rogers’ role as helper
Latrobe native Fred Rogers’ efforts to help others is the focus of a month-long exhibit that begins Saturday at the Latrobe Art Center. Presented in partnership with the Fred Rogers Institute at nearby Saint Vincent College, “Fred Rogers: Celebrating A Lifelong Helper” will kick off with an opening event from...
Mainline Pharmacy to close 9 stores, including Harrison City site
Mainline Pharmacy has announced nine of its 11 locations will close in March, including stores in Harrison City and Blairsville. Mainline is among area independent pharmacies that contend payments they receive for many prescription drugs, as determined by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), are far less than the cost of the...
Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade committee names grand marshal, sets contest deadline
A tradition that began more than 150 years ago will continue on March 16 when Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade kicks off at 10 a.m. The parade committee has announced Robert Tierney, a native of County Dublin, Ireland, will serve as grand marshal of this year’s event. Tierney first came...
Greater Latrobe grad takes surgical skills to underserved areas overseas
There was a time, before Dr. Marla Sacks received her 2009 high school diploma from Greater Latrobe, when she was considering a career as a veterinarian. Patients in several countries are grateful that she instead earned a medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine, in the island nation...
Murrysville-based car club charged up about switch to electric cars
Jonathan Belak estimates it costs him about $3 per week to get around in his Tesla Model S. That’s based on the small fraction of his utility bill that results when the retiree plugs in the 2013 model electric vehicle to recharge at his Murrysville home. Belak is president of...
Winter storm dumps 6 or more inches of snow in parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania
Some areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania saw 6 or more inches of snow from Friday evening through Saturday morning, exceeding by a few inches what forecasters had predicted for the winter storm. The heaviest band of snow pushed through southern Allegheny County, after dumping up to 11 inches in areas of...
Uniontown house fire displaces pair, man suffers burns
A man and woman in Uniontown were displaced by an early morning house fire, and the man suffered burns while escaping the flames, according to firefighters. The man was treated at the scene by medics and declined transport for further treatment, according to Uniontown fire Chief Scott Conn. The man...
Monroeville OKs worker pay hikes, anticipates do-over of cracked rec courts
Several categories of Monroeville municipal workers will see pay raises this year under labor agreements approved by council members in February. A new four-year contract running through 2027 will result in annual salary hikes for about 25 employees represented by Pennsylvania Social Services Union, Service Employees International Union Local 668....
New Latrobe police captain is retired state trooper, liaison to school district police force
Latrobe has expanded its police force to include a new captain position and has turned to a nine-year veteran of the department to take on the role. Rob Daerr, who has served as the city’s liaison to the Greater Latrobe School District police force, will be promoted to captain effective...
Vehicle restrictions slated for Pennsylvania routes as Tuesday snowstorm approaches
A section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of New Stanton is among major state roadways that will be subject to traffic restrictions as transportation officials prepare for a winter snowstorm set to pass through the region beginning early on Tuesday. PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission announced restrictions that will go...
Demolition underway at Mt. Pleasant’s fire-gutted McCali Manor; owner regrouping for arts program
A landmark building soon will be gone from Mt. Pleasant Borough’s diamond. Minniefield Demolition Services has begun to raze the historic McCali Manor building that last housed apartments and a former restaurant at Main and Diamond streets. Part of the building is said to date to before the American Revolution,...
Mt. Pleasant, Franklin Regional, Butler seniors score scholarships in annual Saint Vincent competition
High school senior Eli Duvall’s post-secondary plans recently got a boost when he learned he’d earned a full-ride scholarship to attend Saint Vincent College in Unity. Duvall, who attends Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High, has been awarded a scholarship covering four years of tuition, room and board, as the top...
Gibsonia man charged in fatal hit-and-run in McCandless last March
A Gibsonia man has been charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 78-year-old pedestrian last year in McCandless. Karl Vincent Scott, 36, was arraigned Wednesday, Feb. 7, charged by McCandless police with causing an accident involving death or injury. Police say Scott struck Donald Leach of Wexford at about...
Police investigate crash in Washington County that killed McMurray man, Venetia woman
A McMurray man and a Venetia woman died when their vehicles collided Thursday afternoon in Washington County. The motorists were dead at the scene on Route 837 in Carroll Township, according to a report from the county coroner’s office. That office has identified one of the crash victims as Michael...
Longtime staffer named new Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO
New Ligonier Valley YMCA CEO Mike Marinchak has been associated with the organization for more than three decades. “The YMCA has made a tremendous impact on my family and is one of the many reasons I make Ligonier my home,” said Marinchak. “I want to make certain the opportunities provided...
Proposed power line route triggers concerns for residents in Derry, Ligonier townships
Gene Giernacky fears he may lose use of part of his rural 15-acre retirement property in Derry Township, while Mike Adams could face the prospect of seeing the timber he intends to use as a heat source for his neighboring home toppled by a utility company. They were among more...
Derry to consider 2-year pause before revisiting future of disbanded K-9 program
Derry council is expected to consider a two-year moratorium on any revival of the borough’s police dog program, which was disbanded in October following the August euthanization of its police dog, Smoke. In addition to the moratorium, council Tuesday will consider allowing a privately funded memorial stone for Smoke at...
Greater Latrobe student business creates apparel and signs, from design to delivery
Isabella DiCecca has a super-tight deadline on an order to create a T-shirt for a fellow Taylor Swift fan. The Greater Latrobe junior began her week using a laptop to piece together design elements for a shirt celebrating the Feb. 11 Super Bowl appearance of Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs...
Starbucks planned in East Huntingdon
The Starbucks coffee chain is preparing to open a drive-through location in East Huntingdon. Earth-moving has begun at the site along Bessemer Road, between Route 119 and a GetGo convenience store. “Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers,” a company spokesperson said....
Cupid’s Chase 5K set for Latrobe, benefits area adults with disabilities
Participants will have their hearts into running a 5K race set for Saturday in Latrobe. The annual Cupid’s Chase will kick off at 10 a.m. at Memorial Stadium, raising funds for Community Options, a nonprofit that provides support and services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Westmoreland and...
Latrobe merchants plan ‘Sweet Night’ as monthly Shop Hop events resume
Several Latrobe merchants are planning “A Sweet Night Out” for visitors Wednesday evening as the city’s downtown business community begins another year of monthly Shop Hop Night events. Given the relatively mild weather forecast for this first full week of February, with daytime highs moving into the 50s, organizer Emily...
Ligonier Valley police officer to provide security at Ligonier power line meeting
An officer from the Ligonier Valley Police Department will provide security at a public meeting FirstEnergy has set for Wednesday in Ligonier Township. The meeting concerns the utility company’s proposed new power line between Derry and Ligonier. The Ligonier Valley Police Commission on Monday approved an agreement with FirstEnergy to...
Latrobe’s former G.C. Murphy discount store undergoes renovation, poised for rebirth
A central retail space in downtown Latrobe where shoppers used to head decades ago in search of bargains from G.C. Murphy is primed for a new lease on life, thanks to restoration work completed inside and out by a local nonprofit. The unusual L-shaped building, with storefronts on Ligonier and...
