Patrick Varine stories, Page 134
Murrysville company will help test systems for lunar lander
In the summer of 2021, Pittsburgh tech company Astrobotic plans to launch an unmanned lunar landing mission after being awarded a contract by NASA. But before that can happen, someone needs to make sure all of the lander’s systems are functioning correctly and working in concert with one another. That’s...
McKeesport homicide suspect arrested by U.S. marshals in Chicago
U.S. marshals have arrested a woman accused of killing a 29-year-old Pittsburgh woman last month in McKeesport. Gabrielle Parker, 33, of McKeesport, was arrested Wednesday in Chicago, according to U.S. Marshal Michael Baughman. Parker is charged with homicide following an early morning shooting June 18 in the 500 block of...
Murrysville approves ordinance regulating 5G cell towers
Murrysville Council has approved an ordinance regulating small-wireless facilities, the infrastructure necessary to bring 5G service to the area. 5G is the fifth generation of cellular service, which companies began rolling out in 2019. The Federal Communications Commission in 2018 set out a timeline requiring towns to make space available...
Franklin Regional plans 2-phase graduation ceremony for Friday
Franklin Regional seniors will get an opportunity to walk onto the Panther Stadium field as part of a two-phase graduation ceremony set for Friday evening in Murrysville. The first ceremony, scheduled to start at 5 p.m., will be for students whose last name begins with A through K. A second...
Pennsylvania hopes to encourage 10,000 landowners to create stream-side buffersVideo
The riparian buffer at the headwaters of Steele’s Run in Murrysville mostly offers aesthetic benefits. But, each year, its physical value will continue to grow as it protects the cold-water fishery stream from erosion, provides shade, cools the stream and offers a habitat for native wildlife. Officials with the state’s...
Former Pa. senator sentenced to prison for child pornography possession
A former state senator from Lebanon County was sentenced to one to two years in prison for possessing child pornography and related offenses, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday. Mike Folmer was charged in September 2019 after an online tip led investigators to discover images of child pornography on...
Movers: Murrysville AAUW names new officers for 2020-21
The Murrysville Area chapter of AAUW announced its executive board for 2020-21. Janet Sutton will serve as president, Diane Conway will continue as programs vice-president, Carol Gezon will continue as finance officer, Laura Livingston will serve as membership vice-president and Diane Kaufmann will serve as secretary. Outgoing officers include Celine...
Connellsville chamber cancels ‘Savor the Avenue’
The Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce will cancel the Savor the Avenue “Celebrating the Jewel of the Yough” event originally scheduled for Aug. 6, due to ongoing public health risks associated with covid-19. “The safety and health of our guests and restaurant staff comes first,” chamber officials wrote in a...
Pennsylvania offers grants to help preserve, inventory historical records
As an Export councilwoman and a member of the borough’s historical society, Melanie Litz has access to a treasure trove of the town’s history. She has handwritten letters of interest for council seats when the borough’s independent government was being formed in 1911. She has council’s original handwritten book of...
Murrysville man builds period-appropriate Export mine cart replica using actual wheelsVideo
About three decades ago, Greensburg attorney Wes Long discovered a set of mine cart wheels on his property along Kemerer Hollow Road, near the former Skelly mine. Long had the wheels sandblasted and cleaned up, and held onto them as a piece of local history. Now, those wheels are part...
Nonprofit has recruited 31,000 volunteers willing to undergo human challenge covid-19 vaccination trial
A grassroots group of scientists and researchers has brought together more than 31,000 volunteers worldwide — including from Western Pennsylvania — who are willing to take part in a human challenge trial to test potential covid-19 vaccines. A human challenge trial in this case would involve participants being administered a...
Murrysville Meals on Wheels seeking volunteers for kitchen, delivery service
The covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on Murrysville Meals on Wheels, though it has been out of precaution rather than infection. “Because of the crisis, we lost about a third of our volunteers,” said program coordinator Lynn Staab. Murrysville Meals on Wheels typically draws from a pool of about...
Tennis nonprofit delays racket giveaway following regional covid-19 uptickVideo
Anup Nadesan and Joseph Bonfiglio started their tennis nonprofit, My Ground Strokes, about a year ago, and they were getting ready for a summer full of activity just as the covid-19 pandemic began ramping up. In April, Nadesan decided to bake nut bread and distribute it to front-line health care...
Butler man sentenced to 6 years in federal prison on drug, weapon charges
A Butler man has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison after a conviction on federal drug and weapons laws, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Wednesday. Brandon “Bopp” Morris, 35, of Butler, according to court documents, provided three “bricks” of heroin and an ounce of crack cocaine to...
Apple ‘n Arts plans to scale back fall festival
While a final decision has not been made yet, organizers for the annual Apple ’n Arts Festival are considering paring it back to an apple cider drive-thru this year due to the covid-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving health and safety guidelines associated with it. Festival officials on Tuesday night laid...
Gibson officials offer reward for return of ‘Golden Era’ shipping ledger
Members of the Gibson company are launching a global search for a missing shipping ledger from 1959-’60, the time period which saw the company produce some of the most sought-after guitars in the world. And they’re willing to award $59,000 cash for its safe return. The 1959-’60 ledger disappeared from...
State police seek whereabouts of woman last seen at Unity airport
State police continue to seek the whereabouts of an intellectually disabled Hempfield woman last seen at the Arnold Palmer Airport in Unity over Memorial Day weekend. Alexandra Cycyk, 26, was last seen at the airport boarding a bus for Pittsburgh on May 25. She is 5-foot-1-inch tall and 125 pounds...
Murrysville likely to need new revenue sources by 2022 to maintain current service levels
About a year ago, Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim Morrison said that while he did not see the need for a tax increase in the next five years, “creating a balanced budget without one is posing a bigger challenge each year.” The municipality has gone 13 years without a hike in...
Penn-Trafford 7U team captures tournament title
The Penn-Trafford 7U All-Star Team came out on top during a tournament held June 26-28 in Penn Township. The team was crowned champions following a 10-run-rule victory over Canon-McMillan, 15-5. The team is led by head coach Mike Cardamone and coaches Mike Simpson and Jason Stewart....
Penn-Trafford student wins top spot in Daughters of the American Revolution state essay contest
Penn-Trafford student Kari Ann Leventopoulos is the statewide winner in the Daughters of the American Revolution’s 2020 American History Essay Contest. Leventopoulos, 14, was named the eighth-grade winner of the Phoebe Bayard Chapter’s local contest and, at an award luncheon, she learned she also won the top spot in the...
Pittsburgh-area musicians find new ways to stage live music amid covid-19 restrictions
When Pittsburgh’s nightlife scene shut down amid the covid-19 quarantine, hundreds of live performances were shelved. In the quarantine’s early days, livestreaming was a primary mode of musical communication, with bands setting up “virtual tip jars” through services such as PayPal and Venmo. And while there is still plenty of...
Franklin Regional looks to unify online learning with Schoology system
Google Classroom and a patchwork of other educational tools helped Franklin Regional staff and students through the final months of a hectic school year. But district administrators are looking to bring all of those tools into the same shed for students who may be learning from home in the coming...
Murrysville Woman’s Club awards $7,750 in scholarships
The Murrysville Woman’s Club awarded $7,750 in annual scholarships to Westmoreland County women seeking to further their education. The club on July 8 presented scholarships to Heather Lake of New Alexandria, Bobbi McVay of Greensburg and Jenna Maroadi of North Huntingdon. The club, which marked its 100th anniversary in 2020,...
Franklin Regional athletic director: Prepping for fall sports ‘an uphill battle’
A meeting is planned next week between regional and state high school sports officials and athletic directors “to discuss possible alternatives, like moving fall sports to the spring season and thinking outside the box in ways we haven’t before,” Franklin Regional Athletics Director Zach Kessler said. Kessler called the challenges...
Franklin Regional school board approves reopening, health-and-safety plans
Franklin Regional school board members have a plan for reopening school in the fall with proper health and safety measures in place. “We see this as our starting point,” said Jennifer DiFulvio, special services supervisor. “Now that we have this plan, we need to figure out as an administrative team...
