Patrick Varine stories, Page 105
Franklin Regional school board meeting postponed to Sept. 20
Franklin Regional school board officials announced the postponement of their monthly committee-of-the-whole meeting scheduled for Monday evening. It will be held prior to the board’s monthly voting meeting, set for 7:30 p.m., Sept. 20 at the Murrysville municipal building, 4100 Sardis Road. Meetings are broadcast live on Comcast local access...
County land trust seeks volunteers to help clean Hempfield farmhouseVideo
The Schwarz farmstead is already a stately sight on a scenic Hempfield hilltop. Now the group that purchased it is seeking volunteers to help do the same for the inside of the farmhouse. As part of the United Way Day of Caring, Westmoreland Land Trust officials will welcome volunteers to...
Goodwill’s Youthworks program seeks young people with career goals
Goodwill’s YouthWorks program is looking to help more people like Teraja Bull work toward — and realize — their career goals. “They helped me get a corporate internship my senior year at college,” said Bull, a Duquesne resident who graduated from Penn State in 2020 with a degree in management...
Heavy rain means taller walls for Murrysville farm’s corn maze
Finding the way out is just the first challenge at Gearhard Farms’ annual corn maze in Murrysville. There are animal cutouts for children to find, and trivia questions for adults about the town and the bicentennial farm family whose members have created, cut and run the corn maze for the...
Agriculture officials urge businesses, residents to be aware of spotted lanternflies
As he was walking in a park near his home on Pittsburgh’s North Side late last month, Joe Dep saw a bug fly past him that immediately caught his attention. “I was in Allegheny Commons Park, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was something I didn’t...
3rd loaded gun this week found at Pittsburgh airport’s security checkpoint
Allegheny County Police do not anticipate filing charges against a man who had a handgun in his carry-on bag Friday evening at the Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon Township. TSA officers observed a loaded .380-caliber Glock in the man’s backpack at the airport’s main security checkpoint shortly after 7 p.m....
9/11 anniversary programs set for Saturday in Plum, Export
Community and veterans’ groups in Plum and Export will host programs Saturday marking the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In Plum, the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Golfers’ Association’s Helping Our Patriots Everywhere organization will host a “Never Forget” memorial on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. It...
Marvel asks the question we’ve been waiting for: ‘What If… Zombies?’
NOTE: Spoilers for the Marvel Cinematic and Disney+ universe up through episode 5 of “What If…” Superheroes and zombies. Do I even need to bother with a sales pitch? The latest installment of Marvel’s newest series asks my favorite question yet: “What if… Zombies?” This story concept has already gotten...
Rally fundraiser for Flight 93 rose garden planned Sunday in Delmont
A revival, rally and fundraiser for the Remember Me Rose Garden near the Flight 93 National Memorial will take place this weekend in Delmont. “We did an event last year at New Alexandria called ‘Stand Up Stand Strong’ in Sanner Park,” said Jeff Hartung of Delmont, founder of the “Let’s...
Murrysville: Scout recruiting night, glass recycling event and more
Scout packs to host recruiting night in Murrysville Scout packs 207 and 213 will hold a recruiting night for children in kindergarten through fifth grade at 7 p.m., Sept. 16 at Emmanuel Reformed United Church of Christ in Murrysville. The event will include a BB gun range for prospective scouts,...
After falling short in primary, Monessen mayor plans write-in campaign
After losing the Democratic primary this spring, incumbent Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw is planning a write-in campaign to seek a second term in office. “I’ve been able to leverage my bipartisan connections at all levels of government in order to secure funding and make our initiatives a reality,” Shorraw said....
TribLive Taste Test: Is there a sugar-free drink mix conspiracy afoot?Video
Today on the TribLive Taste Test, we test a conspiracy theory that three different brands of fruit-punch-flavored, sugar-free drink mix are actually all the same thing. In addition, we also tested a whole slew of other sugar-free drink mixes ranging from a Sunkist mix, made to taste exactly like a...
Voices of Westmoreland, volunteers encourage Reschenthaler to support ‘Build Back Better’ agendaVideo
Soaring income inequality. A lack of home care workers statewide. Green-industry jobs that can keep young families in the area. Those were just a few of the reasons a group of about a dozen people, including representatives from nonprofit Voice of Westmoreland, held a protest outside U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s...
Export officials remove parking-lot paving from state grant application
Export officials will have to resubmit a proposal for state grant funding without plans to repave the borough’s central parking lot. But they aren’t exactly sure why. “This is a multi-modal transportation grant, the same (type of state grant) the county came to us with for our park-and-ride a few...
Mold discovery prompts Monessen officials to move city hall
Monessen officials have voted to relocate the city’s offices after mold was discovered inside a city hall wall and other locations throughout the building, according to Mayor Matt Shorraw. On Aug. 27, Monessen Council voted 4-1 at a special meeting to move city operations from 557 Donner Ave. to the...
Red Sand Project adds new sites to help draw awareness to human traffickingVideo
Members of the Westmoreland County Human Trafficking Task Force are always seeking unique ways to draw attention to the issue they are battling, according to Lynn Mance of Delmont. One of those ways is participating in the Red Sand Project, where volunteers like Mance fill the cracks in a public...
Western Pennsylvania well-represented in ‘Art of the State’ juried exhibition
Art is a deeply personal experience, from the feelings a person gets when viewing a painting to the emotions that started the artist’s brush moving in the first place. For Pamela Cooper of Greensburg, one of the artists whose work will be part of the State Museum of Pennsylvania’s 54th...
Murrysville native ‘truly gained a family’ through Penn State THONVideo
Penn State’s THON initiative — raising money to support the families of children affected by childhood cancer, culminating in a 46-hour dance marathon at the school’s main campus — sounded like a lot of fun to Emily Vannatta of Murrysville. The 2015 Franklin Regional graduate, who now lives in Arkansas,...
Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Labor Day Festival returns to Mt. Pleasant TownshipVideo
Traveling the region selling beef jerky is turning into a fine retirement for Greg and Gayle Tompkins. The husband and wife take Ohio-based Tommy’s Jerky to fairs and food festivals, including the 28th annual Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Labor Day Festival, taking place through Monday at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in...
Medic One invests more than $300,000 in new cardiac equipment
Murrysville Medic One staff operates eight ambulances, four wheelchair vans, four squads, two all-terrain vehicles, seven trailers, an emergency support unit and two boats to support its dive team. In addition, it’s not unusual to see Medic One members and their emergency support unit operating well outside their typical service...
Mixed-use retail, apartments proposed for Route 22 corridor in Murrysville
Murrysville officials are considering the second proposal for upscale housing in the Route 22 corridor in recent months. Chris Hamm of KDH Consulting Engineers this week showed council plans for Kistler Place. It’s a 5,800-square-foot building proposed on 3.6 acres near the intersection of Kistler Road and Route 22. The...
‘United 93’ re-release will benefit Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, AMC Theatres and Universal Pictures will re-release “United 93,” the story of passengers who prevented a third terrorist attack and forced the hijacked plane down in a field near Shanksville. Directed by...
Things get dark for Dr. Strange in Marvel’s ‘What If…’ series
Spoilers ahead for the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe up through Episode 4 of “What If…” There’s a good reason why “The Twilight Zone” came on TV at night. First, if it aired in the morning, the vast majority of the viewing public wouldn’t be around to watch it. But, second,...
Murrysville area: Free movie, recycling event and more
Free barbecue, movie for first responders, veterans The Delmont Recreation Committee will host a free barbecue and movie night for all first responders, veterans and their families at 5 p.m., Sept. 11 at the Kepple Pavilion in Newhouse Park. Refreshments from Yellow Bridge Brewing and White Valley Distillery will be...
Home care turns into a home rescue for hospice aide in MurrysvilleVideo
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
