Patrick Varine stories, Page 143
Central Wellness Outreach Center: Pennsylvania testing yields 12 more covid-19 cases
Test results from the Central Outreach Wellness Center, released Wednesday afternoon, show 36 cases of covid-19 spread across five Western Pennsylvania counties at sites where it is testing for the coronavirus. That’s up a dozen from Tuesday. Figures are only for the places that Central Outreach is testing. The majority...
Hampton business adds medical masks to its manufacturing listVideo
Rose Morris got a call over the weekend from a friend whose husband owns a Pittsburgh-area hospice. “He was at a point where he was running out of his protective medical equipment and was not able to find more to purchase,” Morris said. Morris owns Abram’s Nation in Hampton ....
Franklin Regional preps to start online instruction on Monday
Franklin Regional officials are preparing for students to resume class as much as possible amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Throughout the shutdown, teams of Franklin Regional administrators, teachers, and support staff have been meeting remotely to create a Continuity of Education Plan that involves online learning for all students,” Superintendent Gennaro...
Leechburg school officials plan pick-up day Thursday for student materials
With Westmoreland and Armstrong counties not yet restricted in terms of travel amid the coronavirus pandemic, Leechburg Area School District officials are asking parents to pick up work packets for students on Thursday. “It is clear that nobody will be returning before April 7,” Superintendent Tiffany Nix wrote in an...
Pittsburgh police respond to Brighton Heights shooting
Pittsburgh Police are investigating a shooting in the city’s Brighton Heights neighborhood. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for multiple shots fired in the area of Brighton Road near Lecky Avenue just before 7:30 p.m., according to public information officer Cara Cruz. Cruz said shortly afterward, a male victim arrive...
Greensburg man killed in Oakland motorcycle crash
A Greensburg man was killed following a crash late Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Timothy Michael Stevens Jr., 21, was driving a motorcycle that broadsided a vehicle at the intersection of Meyran Avenue and Louisa Street, officials said. When Pittsburgh police arrived...
Covid-19 testing at zoo produces 10 additional cases, group says
Testing for covid-19 at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium parking lot on Monday resulted in 10 positive tests, Central Outreach Wellness Center officials announced Tuesday evening. Five positive tests came out of testing in Beaver County. More than 600 people were screened for testing at the Pittsburgh Zoo location,...
Nonprofit solar co-op will host free webinar
The nonprofit Solar United Neighbors co-op is already taking advantage of modern technology when it comes to outfitting their homes with solar panels. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, members of the group will take advantage of some additional technology to conduct free online webinars on converting to solar energy, including one...
Murrysville Garden Club offers annual scholarship
With school districts across Pennsylvania shut down for the time being, it won’t be possible for students to pick up a copy of the Murrysville Garden Club’s annual scholarship application. The scholarship is open to a graduating senior planning to major in a number of fields related to nature and...
Hempfield church pastor apologizes for open services on SundayVideo
The pastor of a Hempfield church apologized Monday after roughly 200 people attended a Sunday service at Word of Life Church, against the advice of government and health officials. “Please believe me when I say it was not out of arrogance or defiance, but solely for the purpose of praying...
Murrysville council moves to online meetings, public will still be able to participate
Some members of Murrysville council were sitting in the audience Wednesday night, in full observance of the recommended social distancing protocols. When they meet next, they’ll be sitting even farther apart, but neither they nor the public will need to worry about social distancing unless someone else is sitting too...
TribLive Taste Test: Flavored PeepsVideo
Easter is just around the corner, and that means children’s Easter baskets will be filled with all manner of candy including the ubiquitous yellow Peeps. This year, however, we managed to find a few Peeps that ventured off the beaten path. We tried sour watermelon, cotton candy and fruit punch-flavored...
Derry Area sends Grandview Elementary staff home as it awaits coronavirus test results
Derry Area School District on Thursday closed Grandview Elementary School to essential workers and others after a family member of a support staff member was tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. “Acting prudently and with an abundance of caution, we have decided to close Grandview Elementary...
New voting-machine demo canceled in MurrysvilleVideo
A late-March hands-on demonstration of Westmoreland County’s new voting machines has been canceled amid the spread of the coronavirus, but voters can still get a digital look at how the machines operate. While the March 28 demonstration in Murrysville will not go forward, county election officials have posted a video...
State Supreme Court temporarily bans residential evictions, reduces state court functions
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that no state officer or officials conduct any residential evictions for failure to pay rent, a loan or similar payment through at least April 3. “This Court is aware that the economic consequences of the covid-19 pandemic may cause individuals to suffer a...
Army Corps announces closure of public facilities in Western Pennsylvania
The Army Corps of Engineers had closed select public facilities at recreational sites throughout Western Pennsylvania. Facilities affected include resource managers’ offices, visitor centers, ranger offices, maintenance offices, campground, picnic, shelter, pavilion and disc golf facilities, playgrounds, fishing areas and piers, and restrooms. “We have been actively monitoring the effect...
Bars, restaurants could be cited, lose liquor license for continuing on-premises service
Bars and restaurants that continue to serve on-premises food and alcohol could be cited and possibly lose their liquor license, the state Liquor Control Board announced. “Medical experts and public health professionals from around the world agree the best step we can take to slow the spread of covid-19 is...
With venues closed, bands turn to live streams to connect with fans
At their live shows, the Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers’ earning potential is typically limited by the size of the venue they’re playing. On the evening of March 14, the Stragglers live-streamed two sets of bluegrass from a band member’s living room that garnered about 20,000 views — and by inserting PayPal...
Band Together Pittsburgh founders earn international Communitas Award for autism programsVideo
Music can be a stabilizing force and an anchor in one’s life. It’s certainly been that for Ron Esser of Frazer Township, whose longstanding love for live music — the blues in particular — led him to become the owner of Moondog’s and the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox. Esser and...
Greensburg Diocese suspends Mass, cancels fish fries amid coronavirus spread
The Diocese of Greensburg has suspended public Masses, canceled Lenten fish fries and modified other church events due to the spread of coronavirus in the region. “Tuesday will be our final day of public Masses until further notice,” diocese officials write in a news release Monday. “Where possible, churches will...
Carmelite nun was handy with a set of carpenter’s tools
When the sisters of Carmel of the Assumption first moved into the Lawson Heights home known as the “Murphy mansion,” they had some difficulty with the particulars of the older building. “The floors in the chapel were crooked and we all got bad knees from kneeling,” said Sister Marie Elizabeth....
Franklin Regional working through plans for meal service, ‘voluntary learning opportunities’
As parents of school-age children scrambled to figure out how to handle two weeks of closed schools, administrators are trying to determine how to handle instruction in the near future. “At this time, the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and schools across Pennsylvania are working through many legal and procedural barriers regarding...
Franklin Regional school board, Murrysville planning commission meetings canceled
Monday’s Franklin Regional school board voting meeting and Tuesday’s Murrysville Planning Commission meeting have been canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. School district officials will communicate and advertise the date for a make-up meeting. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for April 6. School board meetings are...
Murrysville native helps save ‘Restaurants on the Edge’ in Netflix showVideo
Murrysville native Courtney Hazlett hates to see a restaurant with a great location – and a great view – slipping into obscurity. With that in mind, Hazlett’s production company, OutEast Entertainment, created “Restaurants on the Edge,” which debuted in late February on Netflix. On the show, a team of experts...
Western Pa. fish fries serve up precaution as coronavirus concern deepens
From fire halls to churches, organizers of the region’s extremely popular Lenten fish fries are employing a variety of precautions as concern over the spread of the coronavirus continues. “We are certainly stepping up our regular cleaning measures, which we take pretty seriously to begin with,” said Heather Dolhi, administrator...
