Jeff Himler stories, Page 41
Greensburg councilman suggests 2024 budget with no tax hike, delay in capital spending decision
Greensburg Council’s accounts and finance director is recommending the city consider a bare-bones 2024 budget that would hold taxes steady, while waiting until spring to decide what capital projects to pursue. Councilman Randy Finfrock, in an early budget discussion this week, said Greensburg could be looking at a reduction next...
Changes eyed for Pittsburgh Street entrance to proposed new Greensburg Sheetz
A left-turn lane for traffic entering from the westbound lane of East Pittsburgh Street and elimination of left turns onto the street are among changes Sheetz is planning at its proposed Davis Center plaza store in Greensburg. Project representatives this week presented land development and subdivision plans for the proposed...
PennDOT to reveal updated plans for interchange upgrade along I-70 in Rostraver
PennDOT officials are finalizing plans for improvement of the Arnold City interchange on Interstate 70 in Rostraver and are ready to share project details with the public. The plans will be displayed during an open house session from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the Rostraver Central fire...
Mt. Pleasant Township man accused of stabbing elderly mother
A man accused of stabbing his elderly mother multiple times while she slept in their Mt. Pleasant Township home early Tuesday told authorities he thought she was a Nazi war criminal, according to court documents. Kort Noel Eckman, 45, was placed in the Westmoreland County Jail awaiting arraignment Tuesday on...
Greensburg hopes to raze shuttered parking garage by Westmoreland Hospital
Greensburg officials have a plan in place for demolishing the city’s shuttered J. Edward Hutchinson Parking Garage, but the state’s blessing is needed. The garage has been closed for about two years, since the city determined it wasn’t worth the projected cost of more than $2 million to extend the...
Greensburg Salem Education Foundation seeks $50K in donations to match alumnus’ gift
Donations to the Greensburg Salem Education Foundation will have double the impact in the coming months. Each contribution to the endowment fund will be matched by the family of Bill Lendl, a 1980 graduate and entrepreneur who was honored earlier this year as a distinguished alumnus. Up to $50,000 will...
Tarentum quilter gives Greensburg audience code to Underground Railroad patterns
Ethel Hayden grew up in West Leechburg seated around a quilting frame with her siblings. They stitched together pieces of cloth, practicing the fabric craft passed down from her mother and grandmother. “That was my mom’s babysitter,” said Hayden, 88, of Tarentum. “She kept a quilting frame up all year...
Peruvian national charged with issuing hoax bomb threats to schools, synagogues in Pa., 4 other states
A Peruvian national is charged with sending more than 150 hoax bomb threats in September to schools, synagogues and other institutions across Pennsylvania and four other states. Federal authorities allege that Eddie Manuel Nunez Santos, 33, sent the threats via email or online contact forms between Sept. 15 and 22,...
Liberty Tree poplar with historic roots to be dedicated at Historic Hanna’s Town
The seeds of an independent nation, planted during the Revolutionary War, are bearing new fruit at sites including Hempfield’s Historic Hanna’s Town, as the United States prepares to mark its 250th birthday. The public is invited to the historic site at 809 Forbes Trail Road at 4:30 p.m. Sunday as...
Greensburg cafe to offer visits with adoptable cats, honor late supporter, Ashley Kertes
Among causes the late Ashley Kertes of Greensburg supported was a local nonprofit that rescues, fosters and completes adoptions of cats in need of good homes. The former Greensburg Community Development Corp. executive director and Greensburg Salem School District administrator will be remembered Saturday when Greensburg’s Cattfeinated Cat Cafe names...
Chili tasting, bonfire, rally prep Greensburg Salem fans for Homecoming game
Residents of Greensburg Salem School District added some spice to their evening Wednesday as they sampled entries in an inaugural chili cook-off, part of the annual pre-homecoming festival and bonfire at the high school. The chili offerings included recipes from amateur chefs as well as dishes prepared by professionals in...
Art show, blood drive part of Pitt-Greensburg Blue & Gold activities
Members of the public are invited to enjoy a showcase of regional art and are encouraged to roll up their sleeves to give the gift of life during the annual Blue & Gold Celebration this week at the Pitt-Greensburg campus. The American Red Cross will conduct a public blood drive...
Greensburg’s College Connect highlights area schools during September Night Market
Institutions of higher learning in and around Greensburg will be showcased Thursday during the third annual College Connect in the city. Set for 5:30 to 9 p.m., the free event will coincide with September’s Greensburg Night Market, an array of vendors and musical entertainment stretching along South Pennsylvania Avenue between...
Registration open for 32nd annual Greensburg Turkey Trot
Halloween is still several weeks away, but it’s not too early to start making plans for Thanksgiving Day. About 2,300 people started last year’s turkey day by running or walking in Greensburg’s 5K Turkey Trot. With registration now open, organizers are hoping to attract the same or more participants for...
‘Hometown hero’: Longtime Jeannette police officer, Marine veteran known for work ethic, fairness
(Editor’s note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities.) Ray C. Leydig Hempfield 1944-2020 A veteran of the Marine Corps, Ray C. Leydig...
Route 30 traffic disruptions expected during demolition of Hempfield bridge
Traffic on Route 30 in Hempfield will be halted intermittently overnight beginning Monday, Sept. 25 as crews from contractor Charles J. Merlo demolish the old bridge that carried East Pittsburgh Street over the highway. Traffic will be stopped for up to 15 minutes at a time, as needed, between 8...
No charges to be filed in Pittsburgh teen’s stabbing death, Allegheny County DA says
No charges are to be filed in the July 27 stabbing death of a Pittsburgh teen in the city, Allegheny County officials have determined. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office told Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV that no charges will be filed in the death of 17-year-old Brandon Thomas in Schenley...
Work nearly finished on reconfigured Route 119 in Youngwood; safety upgrades a priority
The end is within sight for motorists in Youngwood, now that PennDOT has completed all but the finishing touches on its $23.5 million reconstruction of the Route 119 corridor through the borough. The arrival of the covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 disrupted work on the road, which has...
Chili cook-off to spice up Greensburg Salem pre-Homecoming bonfire, festival
The Greensburg Salem community is invited to warm up in advance of the school district’s Homecoming game by sampling some locally made chili and attending a festival and bonfire on Sept. 27. The event will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the gravel parking lot at the high...
Priest, Notre Dame political science instructor will discuss civility, peaceful relations at Seton Hill
A priest, political science instructor and official at the University of Notre Dame will speak on the need for civility and peaceful relations during an October visit to Seton Hill University in Greensburg. The Rev. Robert A. Dowd’s public lecture, “Breaking Cycles of Violence: Toward a More Civil and Sustainable...
DAR to honor Arthur St. Clair, wife, daughter with ceremonies in Greensburg, Ligonier
Westmoreland County was less than a year old when a daughter, Louisa, was born to one of the county’s first prominent citizens, Revolutionary War leader Gen. Arthur St. Clair, and his wife, the former Phoebe Bayard. Recognizing the couple’s important contribution to American independence, the Daughters of the American Revolution...
Zilli set to retire as Greensburg Salem High School principal at year’s end
When David Zilli rings in 2024, he’ll be ringing in a new chapter in his life. Zilli is set to retire Dec. 31 as Greensburg Salem High School principal, wrapping up a 35-year career in education. “I’ve had an incredible career,” said Zilli, who grew up in South Greensburg and...
Man robs First National Bank in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood
No one was injured when a man robbed a Pittsburgh bank Tuesday afternoon, city police said. The man, possibly in his 60s, took an unknown amount of cash from First National Bank in the 400 block of East North Avenue, in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood, according to police. Police...
Pittsburgh police probe armed home invasion in Bedford Dwellings
Pittsburgh police are investigating a home invasion reported early Monday in the city’s Bedford Dwellings complex. Police responded at about 12:15 a.m. to a home in the 900 block of Memory Lane. Police didn’t provide a description of a suspect who kicked in the front door and demanded money from...
Greensburg seeks more than $500K in gaming revenue for City Hall repairs, vehicles
Greensburg is hoping to tap into state gambling revenue to fund improvements to City Hall and to add new police and public works vehicles. City officials also have expressed interest in seeking state funding that could be used to include green technology in an update of the roof on the...
