Patrick Varine stories, Page 133
Franklin Regional pushes back start date, modifies reopening plansVideo
The Franklin Regional School District has modified its plan for the 2020-21 school year and pushed back its start date to Sept. 8 after officials said new state health guidelines made it impossible to properly maintain social distance at its high school. Students up through eighth grade will have three...
USDA: ‘Mystery seeds’ include common plants, herbs but still should not be opened
Scientists have found that the “mystery seeds” being sent to addresses across the country represent at least 14 varieties of plants and herbs, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official said. And while many of them are common — mint, rosemary, sage — federal officials said not to plant them, though...
Franklin Regional campus sees 2nd waterline rupture in 6 months
Franklin Regional facilities manager Jim Heck will seek school board approval later this month to replace a fire hydrant near the district’s high school after a six-inch waterline on the campus recently ruptured, the second line to do so in the past six months. “One was the main waterline to...
Export’s annual summer festival will feature flyover by World War II planes
There will be several unique aspects to this year’s Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival, set for Aug. 15, including something high in the sky. The festival, which will take place just prior to the 75th anniversary of World War II’s end, plans to feature two WWII-era planes that will...
Pittsburgh Concert Chorale partially cancels season, plans virtual performance for Pirates gameVideo
The Pittsburgh Concert Chorale performed selections from Orff’s “Carmina Burana” on March 1. When members gathered March 10 for their first Pops rehearsal, no one knew it would be the last time they’d all be together for the next six months. “Sadly, the very thing that gives our singers and...
Murrysville veteran organizes ‘Vets for Black Lives’ protest Downtown on Sunday
When Aryanna Hunter of Murrysville organized a protest in her hometown to speak out against the police killing of George Floyd, she wasn’t sure what to expect. More than 100 people showed up to the event and marched down Old William Penn Highway. “I was overwhelmed with the turnout,” said...
Murrysville library, recreation department partner on wetlands ‘Storywalk’Video
As Murrysville Community Library staff prepares to reopen the library for appointments on Monday, Aug.3, its members are also thinking about ways to utilize outdoor space and begin hosting in-person programs for patrons, as dictated by health and safety guidelines. One of the first, which patrons can do on their...
Bridge work will close Pa. Turnpike between Allegheny Valley, Pittsburgh exits early Sunday
The placement of beams for the Unity-Trestle Road bridge in Plum will require a five-hour closure of the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s eastbound lanes beginning late Saturday night. The Turnpike will be closed between the Allegheny Valley (Exit 48) in Harmar and Pittsburgh (Exit 57) exit in Monroeville, from 11:49 p.m. on...
Southbound Route 28 restrictions will begin Monday in O’Hara area
Drainage work along southbound Route 28 will begin Monday, Aug. 3, with single-lane restrictions between the Harmar (Exit 11) and RIDC Drive (Exit 10) interchanges. The restrictions will be in place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Aug. 14, as work crews from Allison Park Contractors perform inlet cleaning...
Rich Hill Road section will close Monday for slide repairs in West Deer
Landslide repair work will close a section of Rich Hill Road beginning Monday, Aug. 3, PennDOT officials announced Friday. The landslide occurred between Michael Road/Russellton-Dorseyville Road and Mill Dam Road. Traffic will be detoured along the following route: From north of the slide: • From Michael/Russellton-Dorseyville Road, follow East Union...
Murrysville library will reopen Aug. 3 by appointment only
March 13 turned out to be quite a “Friday the 13th” for new Murrysville Community Library Executive Director Amy Riegner. Having started in January, Riegner had just arrived home from work when she received the news that all state libraries would be closing due to the covid pandemic, with no...
Voice of Westmoreland holds ‘Rally for Black Lives’ in Greensburg’s St. Clair ParkVideo
While Vice President Mike Pence was attending a “Cops for Trump” rally in downtown Greensburg, a half-mile away in St. Clair Park, city resident Arlena Williams was describing the fear she felt recently watching her son get pulled over by police right near her front door. “Our fears are not...
Briefs: Murrysville glass recycling event set for SeptemberVideo
Murrysville officials will partner with Republic Services to host a Sept. 19 glass recycling “pop-up” event at Veterans Field, 4170 Sardis Road. The collection will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and accepted types of glass include all colors of bottles, jars and jugs. Caps, lids and labels are...
Western Pa. residents among those receiving ‘mystery seed’ packets
Shawn O’Mahony of Penn Hills ordered a bunch of seeds online to jump-start his 2020 garden. So, when a couple of packets he didn’t recognize showed up in the spring, it didn’t seem like a big deal. “I received two of them a couple months ago,” O’Mahony said. “They were...
Moon teen’s debut record will be released FridayVideo
After winning a national songwriting competition for a Colorado nonprofit, Moon singer-songwriter Maleena Dominick is preparing to release her first record, “Bruises to Prove It,” on July 31. Dominick, 18, a Moon Area High School graduate this year, said writing the album was an emotional process, and a conversation with...
Penn State Extension plans online series on creating food plots for deer
Hunters who create food plots are not just looking to bring deer to an area with a good food source. They’re also playing a key role in sustainability, helping along the next generation of fawns. Penn State Extension officials will host a four-week webinar series on food plots beginning Wednesday....
Photos: Franklin Regional holds phased commencement ceremony
Franklin Regional seniors from the Class of 2020 got a chance to celebrate their high school education on Friday, July 24, during phased commencement ceremonies at Panther Stadium in Murrysville. Do you have photos from graduation? Submit them to pvarine@triblive.com and we’ll add them to the gallery! Please include a...
Murrysville travel ball teams seeing success in covid-shortened season
When Mike Ruane of the Franklin Regional Haymakers 11U travel ball team hit a walk-off home run to win the Mt. Lebanon 11U-A Tournament on July 26, circumstances would typically dictate a crowd of teammates waiting for him at home plate. The 2020 travel ball season has been anything but...
Murrysville, McCandless ranked among safest towns by security company
Murrysville and McCandless are among the top 50 safest cities in the U.S., according to the latest rankings from home security and safety advisory company SafeWise. Pennsylvania makes the list several times, with seven towns among SafeWise’s top 50 including Buckingham Township (11), Upper Saucon Township (27), Upper Allen Township...
Virtual retreat equips Western Pa. teachers with tools for online education
When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools across the nation, it wasn’t just students and parents who were tossed headlong into a brand-new challenge. Many teachers, counselors and principals faced the same dilemma. “All of a sudden, we found ourselves having to write game plans and blueprints for something that...
Nature education serves as inspiration for Penn Hills womanVideo
During her junior year in high school, Nyjah Cephas said she wouldn’t really have described herself as a “school kid.” But when The Ellis School’s long-standing partnership with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy brought her to Frick Park for a few stewardship days, something clicked. “I could have some experiential learning and...
Penn-Trafford Drama Guild will stream showcase of spring musical tunesVideo
In early March, just a couple of weeks before the curtain was set to rise on the Penn-Trafford Drama Guild’s production of “Footloose,” musical sponsor Jen Haberberger wasn’t thinking about the coronavirus. She certainly wasn’t thinking about using pool noodles to properly social-distance students at rehearsals. “We would’ve started technical...
Medical study is seeking people who may have tick immunity or resistanceVideo
Jason Bobe is looking for a few of what he calls “medical superheroes.” Bobe, an associate professor in the genetics and genome science department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, is part of Mount Sinai’s Resilience Project. It seeks to find people who,...
Indiana scammer to pay refunds for phony NFL, concert tickets
The state Attorney General reached a settlement with an Indiana County business that repeatedly scammed customers by selling phony tickets to NFL games and Pittsburgh-area concerts. The settlement with Ticket Victory of Indiana, owned by Brian Plowcha and operated between 2015-2018, will pay back more than $24,000 in consumer restitution,...
Pa. sees 1st West Nile case of the year in Potter County
Pennsylvania recorded its first probable human case of West Nile Virus this year, according to state health officials. A resident of Potter County was tested for the virus, with samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The state recorded seven cases of West Nile in...
