Patrick Varine stories, Page 118
‘Hoping for surprise’: Pitt professor’s spectroscopy technique part of search for life on Mars with Perseverance roverVideo
When Sanford Asher interviewed to join the University of Pittsburgh chemistry faculty in 1979, he gave a presentation on a piece of research he planned to conduct if hired. Asher was working on something called ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, which uses UV light to excite molecules as a way to determine...
Franklin Regional Junior Olympics team qualifies 12 wrestlers for state championships next week
When the Franklin Regional Junior Olympic wrestling team walks onto the floor April 1 for the state championships, it will do so with more wrestlers than any other school in its region. In the KeyStone State Southwest Qualifier, held March 22-23 in Monroeville, FR’s team qualified a dozen wrestlers, and...
Greensburg Diocese to broadcast Easter Sunday Mass, livestream Holy Week
The Diocese of Greensburg will broadcast and livestream its Easter Sunday Mass and will stream Holy Week liturgies for those unable to attend due to physical limitations, age and illness. Easter Mass will be at 10 a.m. April 4, broadcast on the Pittsburgh CW (check local listings) and on 106.7...
Murrysville-Export-Delmont covid figures tallied for the week of March 23, 2021
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 1,306 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March 2020. Of those positive results, 64 cases were reported in the past seven days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...
Covid cases force Penn-Trafford High School closure on Friday
After being notified of its 10th positive covid-19 case in the past 14 days, Penn-Trafford High School will be closed Friday through the weekend, reopening Monday, March 29. During that time there will be no extracurricular activities for students, district officials said in a Thursday letter to district families. State...
Signature Dishes: Homemade spaghetti at Murrysville’s Spaghetti & Steak HouseVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally-owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. As soon as her cook arrives on Thursday afternoons, Monica Meehan heads to the back room in her kitchen at Spaghetti...
Murrysville, Export, Delmont trash contracts all set to expire this year
Murrysville officials are developing bid documents for the town’s next trash and recycling contract and are looking to keep costs down while still maintaining a similar level of service. “We’ll be meeting with Export (officials) and Republic (Services) this week to discuss any issues they’ve had during the term of...
Penn Area Library director stepping downVideo
Jessica Beichler will look back fondly on her time as Penn Area Library’s director, but it won’t be without a little regret, even if they were beyond her control. “We had a lot of grand plans before the pandemic hit,” said Beichler, who will leave the library post March 24...
Former Tokyo Massage in Murrysville will become new home for dental practice
“Have you ever seen so much pink?” Rick Rivardo asked during a tour of the former Tokyo Massage parlor. Rivardo and his wife, Lisa, are moving his dental practice from Golden Mile Highway in Monroeville to the top of Route 22 in eastern Murrysville, off Buena Vista Drive. Lisa Rivardo...
Life during covid: Windber woman offers helping hand in a variety of ways
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Donna LaMonaca is no stranger to helping others. A little less than a year ago, as the covid-19 pandemic ramped up across the world, the Windber resident...
Murrysville officials battle misperceptions about earned-income tax discussion
Murrysville officials are fighting a battle of perception — or in many cases, they say, misperception — regarding consideration of raising their share of the earned-income tax, a 1% levy split between the municipality and the Franklin Regional School District. The first misperception is that the school district and municipality...
Murrysville native recruits fellow MIT students, others to battle social isolation among seniorsVideo
Bhav Jain, 19, of Murrysville knows how he felt during the early stages of covid, forced to return home from his freshman year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn from home. But even now, back in Boston to finish up his sophomore year, Jain is still thinking the...
Charges filed/police blotter in Murrysville area for the week of March 15, 2021
Charges filed Charges filed with Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Kayla L. Brinker, 27, of Manor with simple assault and harassment following incidents...
Man, boy injured in shooting in Stowe Township
A man and a boy were shot Friday afternoon in Stowe Township, according to police. First responders were called to the 800 block of Eighth Street around 3:15 p.m. and found the man shot in the leg and the juvenile with a minor arm injury, the result of an apparent...
Ruffs Dale bassoonist, 17, earns Friday Evening Music Club’s Gardner Scholarship
Until Walter Vinoski was 11, he couldn’t have told you what a bassoon even was. Now the 17-year-old Yough senior is the Friday Evening Music Club’s 2021 Mildred Gardner Scholarship Competition winner, earning $1,000 through this year’s virtual competition. He is a member of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra and...
Murrysville-area events for the week of March 15, 2021
Here are news briefs and event listings for the Murrysville Star’s coverage area. Submit items to pvarine@triblive.com. Auditions scheduled for inclusive play Auditions for “Just Keep Swimming,” an adaptation of the Disney/Pixar story “Finding Nemo,” will take place March 26-28 through Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for actors of...
Delmont library officials seeking donations to provide universal access to Outdoor Learning Center
Delmont Public Library officials want anyone and everyone to be able to enjoy their Outdoor Learning Center, slated to open June 5. And, while it is already set to include solar bird baths, bird houses and the reestablishment of the library’s outdoor butterfly garden, a fundraising campaign is underway to...
Murrysville council may open the door for its 1st tax hike since 2007
Murrysville officials could be on the path to raise taxes for the first time since 2007. Council this week gave the OK to advertise an ordinance that would empower it to raise the local share of the earned income tax by up to 0.5%. Currently, a 1% earned income tax...
Delmont resident to bring ‘mini’ food pantry to borough parklet
Delmont resident Ed Washburn isn’t sure if there is a need in the borough for a free food pantry, but if there is, he wants to ensure it will be available. Washburn secured borough council’s permission to place a miniature food pantry in the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street....
Murrysville chooses consultant to design amphitheater space
Murrysville officials will move forward with plans for a grant-funded amphitheater at their community park, using two Pittsburgh-area consultants to plan the space’s design. “We narrowed it down to four consultants,” said recreation Director Carly Greene. “We didn’t leave the table bloody, but we had some intense discussions about which...
Murrysville-Export-Delmont covid figures tallied for the week of March 15, 2021
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 1,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March 2020. Of those positive results, 41 cases were reported in the past 14 days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...
Duff family’s roots extend across Western Pennsylvania
The roots of the Duff family tree extend across much of Western Pennsylvania, including to Murrysville, where the surname should ring a bell as the namesake of the municipality’s first park. Duff Park was acquired by the municipality in 1968, and was originally formed from three parcels totaling about 143...
TribLive Sniff Test: Scents from the Demeter Fragrance LibraryVideo
Today on the TribLive Taste Test, it’s actually the TribLive Sniff Test, as we sample fragrances — some of which are, shall we say, quite a ways off the beaten path — from the Demeter Fragrance Library. We’ll try to guess what each one is, and decide whether it’s something...
Franklin Regional’s ‘Into the Woods’ cast preps for pared-down productionVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School students will present their spring musical, Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” to a much smaller audience than usual due to health and safety restrictions. But the cast is still hard at work preparing for the show. “Into the Woods” will run March 11-14 in the...
Rosedale Tech to host weekly ‘Women in the Trades’ events throughout March
Greensburg native Melody Carranza found herself frustrated after opting for a career in the medical field. “Once I realized that wasn’t for me, I started looking at other options,” Carranza said. Similarly, Raelee Nicholson of Charleroi was “in the process of following a traditional four-year path with offers to multiple...
