Patrick Varine stories, Page 118
Franklin Regional National Science Bowl team advances to national competitionVideo
Last year, Franklin Regional’s National Science Bowl team made it to the semi-final round, finishing in third place after a loss to North Allegheny Cyber School. Last month, the team — including many of the same members as last year — overcame the same opponents, only this time it was...
TribLive Taste Test: At what age is Gouda the greatest?Video
Today the TribLive Taste Test team is headed back to Holland as we try three types of Gouda cheese imported from the Netherlands and aged to various degrees. First up is Gayo Azul’s standard Gouda, followed by two types created by A Dutch Masterpiece: the “Vincent,” aged for 6 months,...
Franklin Regional board members see some savings, possible expense for Sloan elementary project
While Franklin Regional school members were more than happy to get a credit of more than $42,000 in costs related to the Sloan “elementary campus” project, they weren’t so sure about a discounted price for a new ceiling they weren’t planning to install. Mechanical contractors working in the kitchen area...
Route 356 in Allegheny Township reopened after wreck cleared
Route 356 was reopened to traffic shortly before midnight on Monday after being shut down for several hours when a vehicle crashed into a pole. The accident was reported at about 10 p.m. on March 1 in Allegheny Township’s Bagdad neighborhood. The road was closed between White Cloud and Bagdad...
Murrysville-Export-Delmont covid figures tallied for the week of March 1, 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, 18 cases were reported in the past seven days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...
‘Shark Tank’ circles back to highlight Murrysville company’s success story
The home page for Murrysville-based company FlexScreen has a concise message: “The world’s first and only flexible window screen.” It seems like such a simple concept, even company founder Joe Altieri couldn’t believe no one had done it. And his execution of it was so effective that he had multiple...
Murrysville woman finds author’s voice during pandemic with message of inclusion
One evening during the pandemic, Vivian O’Hara of Murrysville went to sleep with a lot weighing on her mind. “On the news they’d showed a story about a little boy, seven years old, who rescued his younger sister from a vicious dog attack,” said O’Hara. “He suffered a lot of...
Delmont resident turns hunting passion into podcast for new sportsmen
George Konetes was looking for a hobby and tradition he could pass down to his kids, as well as a reason to go outside. “I never hunted, but I’d hear people talk about it and it was like this mystical thing I could never get close to,” said Konetes, 35,...
Murrysville-area charges filed: Feb. 25, 2021
Charges recently filed with Export District Judge Charles Conway. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty or pleading guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Christine M. Stasenko, 39, of Apollo, with harassment following a Feb....
TribLive Taste Test: Ukrainian snacksVideo
Nearly eight centuries ago this month, the Mongol-Tatars invaded much of Eastern Europe, including Kievan Rus’, which is now the Ukraine. Is that a good reason to try out some Ukrainian junk food? Sure, why not? One of the final Universal Yums boxes we received was full of snacks from...
Franklin Regional students prepare for ‘Into the Woods’ with a scaled-down audienceVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School students might be performing Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” but when it comes to health and safety, they certainly aren’t out of the woods yet. That means this year’s spring musical attendance will be restricted to the families of cast and crew members. But for...
Irwin restaurant donates lunch for Westmoreland food bank volunteersVideo
Sam Murray believes in giving back. As the covid-19 pandemic got underway, he and his wife began making masks to sell, eventually raising $3,000 for the Westmoreland County Food Bank. Over the past couple months, the owner of Sam’s Salsa in Irwin also has been delivering free lunches to local...
Delmont police to move into borough building’s former library spaceVideo
Delmont’s police officers expected to get their feet wet in terms of law enforcement experience when they joined the borough’s police department. They probably didn’t expect to literally get their feet wet, though. “That’s a problem we’ve been dealing with for probably the last five years,” police Chief T.J. Klobucar...
Covid figures tallied for greater Murrysville area for the week of Feb. 22, 2021
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 1,224 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March 2020. Of those positive results, 16 cases were reported in the past seven days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...
‘Shark Tank’ revisits Murrysville business that came away with a dealVideo
ABC’s “Shark Tank” will swim back to Murrysville to check in with FlexScreen, the window screen company that earned a deal with “shark” Lori Greiner during an early 2020 appearance on the show. Greiner initially offered FlexScreen owner Joe Altieri $800,000, with half in cash and half as a credit...
Pitt students, volunteers create VaccinatePA to connect residents with vaccination infoVideo
The coronavirus vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania has created frustration for state officials and residents alike, with counties creating online registries to help get constituents the information they need and hospitals struggling to minimize wasted vaccine doses. But a group of University of Pittsburgh students, with the help of a couple...
Unchanged since 1947, Pennsylvania’s 814 area will switch over to 10-digit dialing
Most of Western Pennsylvania has had to dial 10 digits to make a phone call for quite some time now. In the greater Pittsburgh area, the 724 area code wasn’t sufficient to keep pace by 2013, and a third code, 878, was added. But for multiple generations living in the...
Murrysville council moves ahead with 1st phase of Wilson Road corporate office park
Murrysville council approved the site plan for development of 18 “luxury villa” duplex units off of Wilson Road, the first part of a proposed corporate office park. Regan Ridge Villas will be developed on just over eight acres near the intersection of Manor and Wilson roads. It is the only...
Murrysville speaker series will explore stock investing, history’s mysteries and life as a Civil War generalVideo
The Murrysville Recreation Department’s spring speaker series will give the public a chance to hear from local historians, a resident who served three presidents as the chief steward aboard Air Force One and the man who won the Civil War for the Union. Well, that last one might not be...
Bethel Park mother featured in national nonprofit’s colorectal cancer awareness campaign
There are more than a million colorectal cancer survivors in the U.S., and telling their stories is one of the most effective ways that Missouri-based nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer has found to make others aware of the importance of cancer screenings. That is why Lynne Ireland-Knight of Bethel Park will...
Murrysville area happenings, Feb. 18, 2021
Here are news briefs and event listings for the Murrysville Star’s coverage area. Submit items to pvarine@triblive.com. Easter drive-thru in Murrysville Murrysville Recreation Department and Murrysville Community Library officials will host a March 26 Easter drive-thru at the municipal building on Sardis Road. From 3:30-5:30 p.m., families can stop by,...
Franklin Regional Unified Club raises more than $1,800 for Special Olympics PAVideo
Franklin Regional School District debuted its unified track team in 2014, part of a Unified Club that brings together students of all abilities under the banner of inclusion and fostering new friendships. The following year, the expanded team finished first in Westmoreland County. More recently, the team has been recognized...
Murrysville officials pleased with second round of proposals for amphitheater project
Murrysville recreation officials will look at a second round of responses on Thursday to their request for a consultant to help conceptualize a park amphitheater project. Council and staff are looking to use a $299,000 state grant to help fund an amphitheater and performance space on 4.5 acres at Murrysville...
State university program would offer free education in exchange for staying in Pennsylvania
When Edinboro University senior Sam Bohen graduates in May, he’ll bring a wealth of knowledge, lifelong friendships and $40,000 in student debt. “Many students are working our way through college by spending our days in class and our nights on the job so that we can afford rent and books,”...
Fresh round of incoming snow brings truck restrictions from PennDOT, Turnpike commission
Following a National Weather Service winter weather advisory of more snow making its way toward Pittsburgh, PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will implement truck restrictions in the early hours of Thursday morning. The NWS issued the advisory shortly before 4 p.m. on Wednesday. It will last through 7 a.m....
