Patrick Varine stories, Page 131
Projects, big and small, help to revitalize Export
When Export lost its post office in 2008, more than 200 people packed a public meeting to appeal for its return, which never happened. It was largely seen as a bad sign for the small Westmoreland County borough, which was once home to Thomas Mellon, father of industrial giant and...
Feds terminate ventilator contract with Philips Respironics that had drawn criticism
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently terminated multiple contracts to add ventilators to the country’s Strategic National Stockpile. And, while federal health officials say they now have enough ventilators to meet maximum national capacity in a crisis, one of the terminated contracts — awarded to Philips Respironics,...
Penn State looks to fix acid mine drainage, recover rare earth metalsVideo
When it comes to a solution for the acid mine drainage that has degraded more than 5,500 miles of Pennsylvania streams, money most often is the biggest problem. “A lack of resources to address historic mining’s lasting impacts on the commonwealth’s land and water is one of the biggest challenges...
Upcoming events in Murrysville Star coverage area
Rec department hosting kickball, Wiffle ball The Murrysville Recreation Department is hosting weekly kickball and Wiffle ball games at Kovalczik Park on Koval Court just outside Delmont. Kickball games will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesdays from Sept. 8 to Oct. 13. Wiffle ball will be at 6 p.m., Thursdays...
State grant will pay for dredging of Turtle Creek, Dirty Camp Run in Pitcairn
A $100,000 state grant will help clear vegetation and sediment from an Allegheny County stretch of Turtle Creek and one of its tributaries, helping to safeguard the lives and property of citizens in the watershed. The state’s H2O Program, which provides grants for drinking water, sanitary sewer, flood control and...
Allegheny-Fayette labor council will host emergency food distribution, part of ‘Weekend of Service’
With Pittsburgh’s annual Labor Day parade canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council will instead organize a “Weekend of Service,” beginning with emergency food distribution in Uptown Pittsburgh on Friday. “While we can’t have our usual Labor Day celebrations, this year, we are embracing this opportunity...
Busy Beaver will move into former AMC Theatre in Salem Township
While the AMC Theatre location in Salem recently closed its doors, it won’t be long before the property is once again busy as a beaver. Busy Beaver, that is. The home improvement retailer officially announced plans to open its 25th story at the Hollywood Squares shopping plaza off Route 22...
Route 30 eastbound reopens following 4-car crash
Eastbound Route 30 has reopened near the Eastgate Shopping Center in Hempfield, following a reported 4-car crash on Wednesday afternoon. According to emergency dispatchers, two of the three eastbound lanes closed for a time. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m. and they were open again by 5:30. Additional information...
Monroeville urgent care center offers antigen covid test results in 20 minutes
Dr. John Kolonich of Monroeville thinks people need to be talking much more about covid-19 testing, and that those doing the testing should be talking much more to their patients. “No test is 100% sensitive,” said Kolonich, a physician with iCare Urgent Care on Route 22 in Monroeville. “I think...
Murrysville earns conservation partnership award for 2020Video
When Emily Mallisee first joined the Municipality of Murrysville as an engineering technician, one of the first projects she worked on was creating a riparian buffer along the headwaters of Steele’s Run. Steele’s Run is one of two high-quality watersheds in the town — Haymaker’s Run is the other —...
Attorney general sues Philadelphia company, alleges price-gouging on hand sanitizer
More than 5,000 Pennsylvania residents had reported price hikes in essential products during the covid-19 pandemic as of early June, and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit against a Philadelphia company accused of charging nearly $76 for a small bottle of hand sanitizer during the height of the...
Franklin Regional band will boogie in place at disco-themed halftime show
New Franklin Regional Senior High School Band Director Larry Silvestri thought the toughest part of his new position would be answering thousands of questions from band members. “When I was assistant director, I could walk down the hall with no problem,” Silvestri said with a laugh. “Now all I do...
Pa. Turnpike stretch will close early Sunday morning for bridge work in Plum
The Pennsylvania Turnpike will be closed between the Allegheny Valley (Exit 48) and Pittsburgh (Exit 57) interchanges from midnight through 5 a.m. on Sunday. Drivers will not be permitted to continue through the area after 11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29. The five-hour closure is necessary so work crews can...
Pittsburgh police: 14-year-old boy grazed in Sheraden shooting
Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting Friday evening in Sheraden that left a teen wounded, in stable condition. Officers responded to a SpotSpotter alert for more than a dozen shots fired around 6:15 p.m. on the 3000 block of Landis Street, where they found a 14-year-old boy who’d suffered a...
PennDOT to close Ekastown Road in Buffalo Township on Wednesday for pipe replacement
Ekastown Road in Buffalo Township will close during the day Wednesday, Sept. 2, PennDOT officials announced . The closures, from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will allow work crews to replace a failing pipe by Palko’s Tavern, between Obringer Lane and Fleming Road. A posted detour will take motorists to...
PennDOT postpones Route 28 restrictions between Millvale, Highland Park Bridge that were set for weekend
Nighttime roadwork on Route 28 that was set for the weekend has been postponed. PennDOT had scheduled work between the Millvale and the Highland Park Bridge interchanges, but it has been postponed as the result of rain that is forecast. The work is part of an $11.5 million improvement project,...
Power back on for most, but not all, after heavy storm damage; New Ken area still affected
Duquesne Light and West Penn Power are continuing to make progress restoring power to several thousand customers throughout the region after heavy storms and high winds knocked out power to more than 40,000 on Thursday evening. Duquesne Light reported about 1,900 customers still without power as of 10 p.m. Friday...
Power still out for some in region after storms slam Southwestern Pa.Video
An evening of high winds and strong rain downed trees and wires across Southwestern Pennsylvania on Thursday, knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the region. “We had a good line along the (storm) boundary that produced a lot of wind,” said John Darnley, observation program leader...
Fayette County priest charged with sexually assaulting 11-year-old boy
A 65-year-old priest who worked in Fayette County is charged with the sexual assault of an 11-year-old altar boy in the early 2000s. Father Andrew M. Kawecki of Scottdale faces two counts of indecent assault and one count of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse in connection with a series of incidents...
Murrysville-Export Rotary marks 75 years of ‘Service Above Self’
Lane Neff can remember making orchid corsages for her father and his fellow Murrysville-Export Rotarians during the Easter season. She remembers her father buying buckets worth of golf balls for its hole-in-one fundraisers, and she remembers when several club members took out personal loans to create Haymaker Park in the...
Murrysville equine center hosts meditation sessions with horsesVideo
After two decades of serving as manager for nearly 60 horses at the Rock Creek Park Horse Center in Washington, D.C., it would seem like managing four horses would be a breeze for Amber Power. “I had 45 people on staff at Rock Creek Park,” the Murrysville resident said as...
Pair of alligators stolen from White Township pet store
Stealing alligators is not for the faint of heart, especially when it’s a 6-foot female and a 4-foot male. State police, nonetheless, are seeking information about the pair, stolen Aug. 8 from an outdoor enclosure at Pearce’s Pet Place in White Township, Indiana County. The reptiles, valued at about $2,000...
President of Private Industry Council of Westmoreland-Fayette stepping down
Longtime Private Industry Council of Westmoreland-Fayette President and CEO Tim Yurcisin will step down this fall after 21 years in the role and nearly four decades with the PIC. Yurcisin has helped shepherd the nonprofit corporation from a $10 million budget when he took over to a $23 million budget...
Early Pittsburgh punk band Little Wretches release album recorded in 2001Video
When Robert Wagner got into the music business, he didn’t know how to hook up a microphone. He hadn’t even been to a live concert. But he knew it was something he wanted to continue for the rest of his life. “I know some of these people are going get...
Sardis Road reopens in Murrysville following crash near municipal buildingVideo
Emergency crews transported a female patient from the scene of a one-car crash late Friday morning on Sardis Road in Murrysville. The crash, which was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. near the Murrysville municipal building, involved an SUV which struck the guard rail before getting stuck on it, according to...
