Patrick Varine stories, Page 123
Grant-funded retrofits allow stormwater ponds to ‘do more of the heavy lifting’
Getting the most bang for your buck is not just a good operating philosophy, but it also is a good way to attract interest from those doling out grant money. Boosting the efficiency of stormwater detention ponds has translated into nearly $375,000 in grants for the Westmoreland Conservation District, going...
From high school dropout to $3M venture, Derry native launches gamer coaching platformVideo
When Josh Fabian dropped out of high school in Derry and moved out of his parents’ home all before the age of 18, he wasn’t expecting a career in web design to fall into his lap. He certainly wasn’t expecting to be heading up a gamer coaching company that’s attracted...
Greensburg Salem foundation targets hybrid learning needs
Members of the Greensburg Salem Education Foundation were already hard at work raising money for classroom grants before the covid-19 crisis began. That made it easy to pivot a bit and focus their efforts this year on supplying educators with the tools they’d need to teach in a new hybrid...
Covid numbers tallied for Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area
The Penn-Trafford-Jeannette area saw an 8% jump in confirmed covid cases over the past week, with the addition of 107 cases, based on data from the state Department of Health. The health department counted 1,417 confirmed covid cases in the six ZIP codes covering much of the three communities as...
Murrysville-area happenings, Jan. 7 and beyondVideo
Submit news items and event listings by emailing staff writer Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. FR students keep busy over the holiday season From a school-suggested snow-sculpture contest to a virtual “Art-a-Palooza” to elementary students’ strong showing at this year’s “Invention Convention” science competition, Panther students have found new and diverse...
Amerisafe will bring ‘hugging station’ to Redstone Highlands in Murrysville
Last week, Amerisafe Vice President of Consultations Del Kubeldis was at a “hugging station” event at Redstone Highlands in Greensburg — where the company sets up a plastic doorway barrier through which senior residents and their family members can safely interact — when he saw something that truly touched him....
Suspect arrested in connection with North Huntingdon woman’s fatal shooting
Allegheny County sheriffs apprehended an Arlington Heights man on Tuesday who is suspected in the fatal shooting of a North Huntingdon woman in early December. Jerrel Ingram, 32, was wanted on an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in a Dec. 5 shoot-out outside the True Diamonds Night Club, which...
Export council looks at tightening up rental inspections
Export officials want a clearer picture of who’s moving in and out of town, particularly when it comes to rental properties. Borough council on Tuesday asked solicitor Wes Long to bring back language tightening up the requirements for occupancy permits and rental inspections. Council President Barry Delissio said only about...
PWSA donates $250K to nonprofit as part of lead violation settlement
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is following through on a settlement it reached in July to resolve violations of Pennsylvania’s Safe Drinking Water Act. As part of the settlement, PWSA agreed to donate $250,000 to Women for a Healthy Environment, a nonprofit that will use the money to offer free...
Covid numbers tallied for Murrysville-Export-Delmont area
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 933 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March. Of those, 50 cases were reported in the past seven days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three ZIP codes that...
Delmont neighborhood’s decorating fundraiser nets more than $15K for library, Project Bundle UpVideo
After the first night of their holiday decorating fundraiser — one that jammed up traffic along Route 66 for hours last month — the residents of Delmont’s Monticello neighborhood started texting one another to see how the night went. “The sheer total of cars let us know (the total) was...
Food bank student volunteer organizes collection drives of his own in Murrysville
Garrett Deller of Murrysville was volunteering with the Westmoreland County Food Bank through his membership in the Franklin Regional National Honor Society, but the high school junior decided he wanted to take it a step farther. “One of the older volunteers mentioned that donations were down because of the covid...
Study: U.S. covid patients face more mental health issues; Excela Health bracing for uptickVideo
Researchers at the University of Oxford published a study reporting the first large-scale evidence that covid-19 survivors are at increased risk of anxiety or depression. The study looked at electronic health records for 69 million U.S. residents, including more than 62,000 covid-19 cases. In the three months following a positive...
Drivers not using E-ZPass will absorb a 51% PA Turnpike rate hike in 2021
Pennsylvania Turnpike toll increases announced last year will take effect just after midnight Sunday, Jan. 3, and if you’re not using the state’s E-ZPass program, the hike will be a steep one. Over the summer, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved a 6% hike for all E-ZPass rates systemwide, along with...
Penn-Trafford students nominated for National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awardVideo
Last spring, two groups of Penn-Trafford High School video production students tied for first place in the National Academy of Television Arts & Science regional competition. Now, one of those groups will compete for a national NATAS Student Production Award. Junior Emily Coles and 2020 graduate Madison Pleins’ news segment,...
Murrysville-area news and events, Dec. 31 and beyond
Here are some news items and event listings for the Star’s coverage area. Submit an event or local news by emailing staff writer Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. Rotary president will serve as District Governor Murrysville-Export Rotary President John Hartman was chosen by the nominating committee of Rotary District 7305 to...
Boxheart Gallery plans 20th anniversary exhibit in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhoodVideo
Despite a year in which more people likely saw its exhibits online than in-person, Boxheart Gallery in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood is forging ahead with plans for its 20th anniversary in the new year. “We think that artists are extremely important, especially during these changing times,” said gallery owner Nicole Capozzi....
Southbound Route 356 reopens following crash near Allegheny Township shopping plaza
The southbound side of Route 356 reopened around 6:30 p.m. after a two-vehicle crash that overturned a trailer Wednesday afternoon, Westmoreland County emergency officials said. The crash was reported shortly after 4:30 p.m. along Route 356 near Towne Center Drive. The driver of an SUV struck a pick-up truck hauling...
Covid numbers tallied for Murrysville-Export-Delmont area
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 883 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March. Of those, 54 cases were reported in the past seven days, a 61% drop following 141 cases reported last week. The health department on...
Murrysville officials want more input on proposal to allow senior high-rises
A proposal to update Murrysville’s zoning ordinance to accommodate more senior housing options was voted down this month after council received negative feedback from residents. Council has held recent discussions about updating its zoning ordinance to allow senior high-rises in its business districts and senior planned developments in its residential...
Allegheny, Westmoreland provide plenty of places to recycle your Christmas treeVideo
Once Christmas is over, that tree in the living room goes from a way of remembering the holiday to “All right, how are we going to get rid of this thing?” If you live in Allegheny or Westmoreland counties, you don’t have to look far to dispose of your tree...
Southmoreland grad killed in crash ‘brought a different kind of energy to the room’
No matter who is talking about him, one thing is clear about Brandon Peterson — he knew how to brighten anyone’s day. “As soon as he’d walk into a room, he put a smile on everyone’s face,” said Mason Neiderhiser, 16, of Mt. Pleasant. “He was such a good guy.”...
Covid numbers tallied for Penn-Trafford area
The state Department of Health reports there have been 1,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Penn-Trafford area since the start of the pandemic in March. The department on Monday released data on confirmed cases of the virus in the six Penn-Trafford area ZIP codes, showing an increase of 175...
Federal covid relief bill includes ‘Save Our Stages’ funding for independent music venues, promotersVideo
Independent music venue owners across the U.S. got their first good news in quite some time on Monday with the announcement the $900 billion federal covid-19 relief bill will include $15 billion as part of the Save Our Stages Act. If it is signed by President Trump — a move...
Covid numbers for Murrysville-Export-Delmont area jump 20%
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 829 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March. Of those, 141 cases were reported in the past seven days, a jump of more than 20%. The health department on Monday released the...
