Patrick Varine stories, Page 134
Moon teen wins national songwriting competitionVideo
Maleena Dominick had already written a song about how she felt losing the last few months of her senior year at Moon Area High School to the covid-19 shutdown. So when the 18-year-old heard about the “Living in a Covid World”-themed Robbie’s Hope Foundation songwriting contest, she immediately entered. Dominick’s...
Export planning to host annual borough festival in August
Export officials are planning to hold the borough’s annual Ethnic Food and Music Festival on Aug. 15 in hopes that the covid-19 pandemic will subside in time to host the annual event with proper health and safety guidelines in place. “We can move forward with planning without a lot of...
Station House 7 in Delmont home to weekly food truck afternoons
It could be some time before Jodi Colella is able to host the full-sized wedding receptions, graduation parties and baby showers she’d like to at Station House 7 on Greensburg Street in Delmont. But while she waits for covid-19 health and safety restrictions to ease, she is looking to bring...
Power outage affects 30-block area in East End neighborhoods
A cable failure resulting in a pole fire caused a power outage Monday evening affecting a 30-block area in some of Pittsburgh’s East End neighborhoods, according to Allegheny County officials. Duquesne Light spokeswoman Hollie Geitner said about 1,700 Lawrenceville customers were without power, after fire crews responded shortly after 4...
Trafford library will reopen July 13
The Trafford Community Public Library will reopen July 13 with new health and safety guidelines in place for patrons. The library’s new hours will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and 3-7 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. Patrons must wear masks unless they have...
Wet spring, hot start to summer has corn farmers concernedVideo
Farmer John Greenawalt of Sewickley Township just saved his early sweet corn crop, and he’s hoping the recent hot, dry weather will move on so he can get the most from his current one. “This corn that we just picked, it went through five frosts,” Greenawalt said. “It really wasn’t...
Hampton Township manufacturer adds clear-front masks to PPE products
In April, business owner Rose Morris began taking the medical-grade fabric her company, Abram’s Nation, typically uses to create safety beds and began using it to create machine-washable fabric masks. The Hampton Township company ended up donating more than 1,000 of the masks to local nonprofits, groups and businesses. But...
Murrysville officials look at updating zoning to promote growth
Murrysville officials may look at updating their zoning laws to promote growth and provide housing opportunities for older residents looking to downsize. “I think that, generally, the philosophy in the past has been to have developers extend utility lines, have bigger lots, and I don’t want to say we were...
Richard King Mellon Foundation adds $10 million to its earlier $15 million commitment for covid-19 issues
The Richard King Mellon Foundation plans to add another $10 million to its earlier $15 million covid-19 response grant package, officials announced Thursday. The $25 million total commitment includes a new $2.5 million higher-education initiative, aimed at helping area colleges and universities safely reopen in the fall. “Education always is...
Kennywood, Sandcastle postpone openings
Kennywood and Sandcastle will postpone a planned reopening Monday, park officials announced Thursday. Allegheny County officials announced additional restrictions on businesses and public gatherings amid a weeklong spike in covid-19 cases. “While we are looking forward to the start of our summer season, we understand the reasoning behind the recent...
Delmont rec board reschedules first ‘Movies in the Park’ for July 11Video
Due to weather concerns, the Delmont Recreation Board will shift its first “Movies in the Park” series of the summer to July 11, with the addition of live music. It will be at 6 p.m. at Newhouse Park, featuring music from The Phisbins. Food will be available to purchase at...
Philadelphia men arrested in connection with Indiana County home invasion
Two additional suspects were charged in connection with a June 23 home invasion in White Township, according to state police. Police said Spencer M. Hayes, 19, and Frank J. Williams IV, 20, both of Philadelphia, were charged Tuesday with robbery, criminal conspiracy, terroristic threats, theft and related charges following a...
New Delmont library building on schedule for December completionVideo
Delmont Library Board member Dave Weber is hoping to have quite a Christmas present for patrons, shooting for Dec. 23 as the move-in date for the new library building off School Street. “It’s going very well,” said Weber on Tuesday as crews from Kacin Companies in Murrysville worked on the...
Kelly-Strayhorn Theater partners with East Liberty arts organizations for virtual fundraiserVideo
The only tax dollars many music and performance venues get are from amusement taxes levied on ticket sales, but that money has dried up since the halls have sat empty since mid-March. Before the pandemic, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty was partnering with restaurants in the neighborhood to host...
Mellon Foundation grant aims to add low-cost Wi-Fi to high-need communities
As covid-19 cases increase in southwestern Pennsylvania, educators are just one of the groups struggling to see what their future may look like. School districts across the nation are looking at the myriad forms that fall classes could take, and it is just one of the areas R.K. Mellon Foundation...
Westmoreland County reports 20 new coronavirus cases
Westmoreland County on Monday reported 20 new covid-19 cases and no additional deaths, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The countywide case total is now 640, with 38 deaths. There have been no reported coronavirus deaths in the county since May 18. Of the total number of covid-19 cases...
Pennsylvania reports 492 new coronavirus cases, 8 new deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Monday reported 492 new coronavirus cases and eight new deaths. That brings the statewide total to 85,988 cases and 6,614 deaths. The state considers 2,414 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are...
Public input sought on state’s 2.2 million acres of forest land
State officials are asking Pennsylvanians to weigh in via a survey on plans for the roughly 2.2 million acres of land that make up its state forests. “As the department moves forward in developing a new strategic plan, those who appreciate, work in or recreate in Pennsylvania’s forests have a...
Allegheny Health Network announces mobile covid-19 testing sites for next week
Allegheny Health Network’s mobile covid-19 testing unit will be in Pittsburgh’s Hill District and Hazelwood neighborhoods, Clairton and Duquesne next week. AHN personnel will operate the testing vehicle from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: • June 29: Pittsburgh Housing Authority, 2435 Chauncey Drive in the Hill...
Murrysville-area student news for the week of June 22
• Delaney Bortz, Brianna Fait, Paige Kaye, Alexis Salvio and Kayleigh Ventrone of Delmont; Autumn Alko, Kelsey Fritz, Kathleen Kimmich, Zachary Recklein and Kaylin Sundin of Export; and Joseph Constantin, Makenna Grieco, Emma Jakiela, Lindsey Lamagna, Nicole Lamagna and Alexandra Zorzi of Murrysville were named to the spring 2020 dean’s...
State police association supports reform legislation passed by Pa. House, Senate
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association on Wednesday issued a statement supporting police-reform legislation passed by the state House and Senate. “As troopers, we believe our Call of Honor is nothing less than a sacred oath. Every trooper must memorize it. In particular, it includes this line: ‘It is my duty...
Police seeking Finleyville woman on escape charge
State police are seeking a Finleyville woman who on Tuesday left the Renewal Community Corrections Center in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood without authorization. Police said Linsey R. Williams, 32, of Finleyville, signed out of the center, and upon her return was not able to clear the center’s metal detector. She then...
Sheetz employee in Ohio Twp. tests positive for covid-19
An employee at a Sheetz location in Ohio Township has tested positive for covid-19, company officials announced Wednesday night. An employee from the store at 1910 Mt. Nebo Road tested positive. The employee has not worked at the store since June 17, according to Sheetz spokesman Nick Ruffner. “According to...
Food banks still operating in ’emergency mode,’ seeing increased demand in Western Pa.
While mile-long lines of cars outside the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank are not the norm these days, the need to provide food to struggling families in Southwestern Pennsylvania remains. “We’ve been in response mode to the crisis for the last three months, and we continue to see a higher...
Grant helps Greensburg nonprofit continue ‘Feeding the Spirit’ through summer
Members from the nonprofit group Feeding the Spirit are used to sitting down with nearly 100 people each week for their annual free meal at Otterbein United Methodist Church in Greensburg. Since the covid-19 pandemic began, that hasn’t been an option — but it didn’t stop the nonprofit’s members, who...
