Patrick Varine stories, Page 106
Export’s annual Ethnic & Food Festival set for Aug. 21
Export officials are making plans for the borough’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival, set for Aug. 21 throughout the downtown area. Washington Avenue will close late in the evening on Aug. 20 to allow vendors to stage booths and bring in equipment, and to construct the main performance stage...
Woman in critical condition following Manchester shooting
A woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being shot Tuesday evening in the city’s Manchester neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers from Zone 1 responded to a report of shots fired along Bidwell Street near Pennsylvania Avenue around 6:15 p.m., and arrived to find a woman...
Blairsville woman pleads guilty to embezzling nearly $600K from Indiana doctor’s office
A Blairsville woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that she embezzled nearly $600,000 from the Burrell Township doctor’s office where she worked, according to acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman. Sandra Jo Doak, 63, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing false income tax returns before U.S. District Judge...
Stream bank stabilization work closes Westmoreland Heritage Trail near TraffordVideo
It’s been a fairly dry summer in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Yet when the rain has come, it has tended to come as part of heavy storms dumping a lot of water all at once. Every time it has done so, Westmoreland Heritage Trail volunteers including Doug Webster would worry about the...
Durand Jones & the Indications bring new, disco-inflected album to Lawrenceville concertVideo
Durand Jones & the Indications just keep getting smoother. The R&B group recently released its third album, “Private Space,” which takes its gritty soul sound and sands down the edges until it becomes something more akin the disco-inflected sound of late ’70s Curtis Mayfield. “One of the biggest things I’ve...
Monroeville promoter plans amateur, pro boxing cards at Murrysville SportZone
Monroeville boxing promoter Derek Gionta had just put on a successful evening of fights in March 2020, and planned to continue cards in larger Pittsburgh-area venues. Then the covid-19 pandemic hit. Sports in general went by the wayside, to make no mention of a full-contact sport like boxing. “I stepped...
Franklin Regional leaves masking decision up to parents, students
Franklin Regional students will have the choice of whether or not to wear masks when the 2021-22 school year begins on Aug. 23, based on the health and safety plan approved by school directors earlier this week. The school board adopted the plan by an 8-0 vote — director Jane...
Export looks to unify downtown projects, local improvements, trail
Over the past several years, Export officials have been undertaking projects aimed at revitalizing the 110-year-old borough. They range from Eagle Scout flower planters to the relocation of the borough veterans’ memorial to the nearly complete construction on a replica of the old Export train station, built by Kacin Companies...
Laurel Highlands baseball coach DeBerry dies following stomach cancer diagnosis
A few years ago, Scott DeBerry of Uniontown needed a French drain around his home, but there really wasn’t room to bring a backhoe in to do the digging. “He hand-dug the whole perimeter. That was an incredible amount of work for one person,” said Shawn Bernarding of Dormont. “He’s...
PA CareerLink will host an outdoor job fair Aug. 12 in Hempfield
With employers across a variety of industries in search of workers, PA CareerLink Westmoreland County will host an Aug. 12 job fair. “Employers in this region are really in need of workers,” said Janice Albright, administrator for PA Career Link Westmoreland County. “We’ve been open for quite a while, but...
Murrysville woman hosts pop-up American Sign Language classes
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...
News and briefs in the Murrysville area for the week of Aug. 5, 2021
Pittsburgh ballet dancers come to Delmont library The Delmont Public Library will host an Aug. 20 “Alice in Wonderland” program by members of the Pittsburgh Ballet. The interactive dance program is for children in preschool through fifth grade. There is no cost, but registration is required. There is a limit...
YWCA Westmoreland’s new executive director hits the ground running
When Carol Palcic of Southwest Greensburg met her new co-workers at the YWCA, she felt like she’d hit the jackpot. “The volunteers, the board and staff have all been tremendous,” said Palcic, who came on board as executive director for the YWCA Westmoreland County in early June and was officially...
Butcher’s block from burned-down Spaghetti & Steak House gets new lifeVideo
When the Spaghetti & Steak House in Murrysville burned down in mid-May, owner Monica Meehan was fairly certain there was nothing left. “One of our waitresses called in the middle of the night, because her boyfriend had a scanner and heard it was happening,” Meehan said. But, as she began...
Murrysville native returns from Broadway for Civic Light Opera’s 75th anniversary performance
Singing and performing have been part of Manu Narayan’s life since he was 5 years old, taking singing lessons from Greensburg instructor Nancy Burke. That led the Murrysville native to be part of local children’s performing groups, roles at Apple Hill Playhouse and Greensburg Civic Theater, and then auditions at...
TribLive Taste Test: Limited-Edition Kit KatsVideo
Are Kit Kats our first choice when stealing from our children’s Halloween stash? Not usually. But perhaps some of these limited-edition flavors will change our minds! In addition to the traditional chocolate Kit Kat (always have to have a baseline), we tried two of the Duo flavors (mint-and-chocolate and mocha-and-chocolate)...
Mixed-breed owners celebrate doggie diversity for National Mutt Day
Growing up on a Wisconsin farm, Kate Manka of Murrysville said her family always preferred mutts. “They just have an overall better disposition,” Manka said. “I had a mutt in Chicago from my brother’s farm – the mother was a springer spaniel-Labrador mix and the father was a border collie....
Pittsburgh Technology Council, nonprofit will offer session on local tech apprenticeships
Members of the Pittsburgh Technology Council and nonprofit partner FortyX80 will host an informational session Friday in Monessen to discuss a new apprenticeship program focused on information technology. The session will introduce attendees to Apprenti PGH, which is modeled on a program first launched in Seattle by the Washington Technology...
News and events in the greater Murrysville area for the week of July 28
Here are just some of the news and events taking place in the Star’s coverage area in the coming weeks. To submit items, email pvarine@triblive.com. Murrysville drug take-back yields 82 pounds of pills Nineteen police departments from across the county — including Murrysville — recently took prescription pills gathered over...
Franklin Regional hosts meet-and-greets, open houses for incoming students
As part of the Franklin Regional transition program for community preschoolers, district officials held an outdoor StoryWalk, featuring the beloved storybook character, Pete the Cat. The event was held on three evenings at the newly renovated Franklin Regional Primary School, the former Sloan Elementary, to accommodate all registered students and...
2 hospitalized after Route 30 crash in North Huntingdon
Two people were taken by ambulance after being injured in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday night in North Huntingdon, according to county emergency officials. Eastbound Route 30 was partially closed for just under an hour after the crash, which was reported at 8:48 p.m. A Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said two...
Body of missing Stowe woman found
The death of a 64-year-old Stowe Township woman, reported missing July 28 after family members had not seen or heard from her in three days, is under investigation by the county coroner. Allegheny County Police were seeking information last week on the whereabouts of Patricia Moran, 64. She was last...
Brackenridge man pleads guilty to $101,000 federal credit union robbery
A Brackenridge man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a July 2019 robbery of more than $100,000 from the Allegheny-Ludlum Brackenridge Federal Credit Union. Thomas George, 66, pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery, according to acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Kaufman. According to court records, on July 10, 2019,...
Delmont Recreation Board reschedules Family Fun Night for July 31
The Delmont Recreation Board will host another Family Fun Night beginning at 5 p.m., July 31 at Newhouse Park. The evening will begin with live music by the Phisbins, with food from the Premiere Pizza and refreshments from Yellow Bridge and White Valley Distillery. Guests are asked to bring a...
Route 136 bridge reopens in West Newton following 2-car crash
The Route 136 bridge over the Youghiogheny River was closed for a little over an hour Tuesday night, following a head-on collision between two vehicles in West Newton, according to emergency officials. A Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said occupants of both vehicles were trapped following the crash, which was reported...
