Patrick Varine stories, Page 147
Concert, vendor show in Jeannette will benefit cancer charity
When Rocco Monteleone of Penn Township was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in December 2018, the outpouring of support was immediate. Friends, neighbors and community members quickly formed Rocco’s Warriors to raise money for the 2-year-old’s treatment, and were devastated when he succumbed to the disease a few months later...
Franklin Regional Junior Olympic team sends 11 wrestlers to state championships
Eighteen members of the Franklin Regional Junior Olympic (JO) wrestling team earned top-four finishes at the recent Area III state qualifier held Feb. 16 at Franklin Regional Senior High School. Six wrestlers earned first-place finishes, Area III champion designations and spots in the 2020 PJW state tournament. Another five earned...
Franklin Regional plans lecture series on hot-button school issues
Franklin Regional officials are reaching out to parents and the community to engage them about hot-button issues facing today’s students: bullying, drugs and pitfalls of social media use. The Franklin Regional Parent and Community Lecture Series kicks off March 11 with an overview of the district’s bullying prevention strategy. It...
Southwest Greensburg woman had heart of gold, killer card-playing instincts
If David and Patrick Leonard got into trouble, they could expect to revisit it later in the week. “My father was a long-distance truck driver,” said David Leonard of Greensburg. “One thing I always remember is, if we got into trouble, my mother took care of it, but you got...
Female students sought for STEM-based ‘Wonder Women Workshop’ at Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional science teachers are looking for female middle-schoolers with enthusiasm for engineering. The first-ever “Wonder Women Workshop” is set for April 2, where participants will engage in STEM-based activities at Franklin Regional Senior High School. It is the first in what science teachers Monica Bruno, Rebecca Connelly and Maureen...
Sloan Elementary students learn about infrastructure, ongoing renovationVideo
Many of the Sloan Elementary fourth-graders asking about the renovation project happening all around them — and the new school that will be built next door in Murrysville — let out an audible sigh of disappointment when they found out the project won’t be complete until the summer of 2021....
Delmont Historical Society looks to the future of the borough’s past
Forming a historical society involves a lot more than just finding a bunch of old photos and collecting them in one place. In fact, as members of the fledgling Delmont Historical Society looked to get their group off the ground, they found themselves initially researching the history of their predecessors,...
Alabaster Performing Arts preps for an ‘Irish Celebration’ in Murrysville and GreensburgVideo
With two sets of Irish grandparents, Gaelic and Celtic music is practically part of Mary McCormack’s genetic make-up. McCormack, a Greensburg resident, is the director for the Alabaster Performing Arts troupe, which marks its 25th anniversary this year. And it’s easy to see why Alabaster’s “Irish Celebration” performances are among...
Joe Rogan will bring ‘Sacred Clown’ stand-up tour to Pittsburgh
America’s most popular podcast host, comedian Joe Rogan, will bring his “Sacred Clown” stand-up comedy tour to Pittsburgh on May 16. Rogan, who has also provided color commentary for Ultimate Fighting Championship fights since 2002, has been a stand-up comedian for the past 25 years, with two albums and six...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit impact grants open to all teachers
In 2019, the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit Foundation for the first time opened their impact grant program to any teacher, rather than just special-education teachers. “We literally threw the rubric out,” said foundation board member Roberta Cook of Murrysville. Cook and others in the foundation liked what they saw when choosing...
Franklin Regional students learn about Panther alum’s ‘augmented reality art’
Christopher Ruane of Murrysville hopes visiting the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg can help inspire Franklin Regional students to pursue a life of creativity. Ruane’s art keeps him busy nowadays, but it wasn’t always that way. “When I was in high school, I grew up in a sports-minded...
Pitt-Greensburg play takes aim at government bureaucracy, small-town corruption
Con men, government inspections, corruption and mistaken identity all cross paths in the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg’s upcoming production of Nikolai Gogol’s “The Government Inspector.” When the postmaster of a small Russian town reads a resident’s mail and begins spreading the word that a government inspector will soon be...
High school musicals on tap in Western Pa.Video
Below are high school musicals planned throughout our region. In the coming weeks, look for stories and photos from a variety of the shows in the Tribune- Review and videos at TribLIVe.com. If the list doesn’t include your school, contact us at tribliving@tribweb.com and we’ll add it. Break a leg!...
South Fayette, Freeport Area, Taylor Allderdice students recognized for anti-opioid videosVideo
Students from three school districts in the region were recognized by the FBI for developing a strong message about confronting Western Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic. South Fayette High School students took first place in the Pittsburgh FBI’s “Heroin Outreach Prevention and Education (HOPE)” public service announcement contest, followed by Freeport Area...
Murrysville marketing firm earns national award for podcast production
A Murrysville marketing agency specializing in engaging the Christian community will receive a National Religious Broadcasters award for producing the weekly “Health, Hope & Inspiration” podcast. Sponsored by the Cancer Treatment Centers of America and produced by Murrysville-based Infinity Concepts, “Health, Hope & Inspiration” was developed to provide information and...
Connellsville man arrested after allegedly fleeing from Bullskin crash
A Connellsville man who skipped out on identity theft and other charges filed last spring was taken into custody following a crash last week in Fayette County. Daniel L. Hoyle, 49, of Connellsville was apprehended after allegedly fleeing on foot from a Feb. 12 crash along Route 119 in Bullskin...
Murrysville will hire consultant to help plan for community-park amphitheater
Murrysville will seek a consultant to help plan for an amphitheater at Murrysville Community Park, and addressing traffic will likely be a high priority. “I know you’re trying to build it up more, but there’s problems with the traffic out there,” said Marlene Campas of Murrysville at a recent council...
Lyme patient hopes to raise awareness through ‘tickmojis’ tracking appVideo
It may seem a little odd to want emojis on your smartphone that depict 10 of the most common varieties of tick in North America. Then again, if you spot one attached to your leg, it’s nice to know you can actually identify it by using Olivia Goodreau’s “tickmojis,” which...
‘March Mayhem’ boxing card in Cheswick will feature local, regional fightersVideo
Local promoter Derek Gionta of Plum is excited to see more boxing events happening in the Steel City. “A friend of mine is doing cards three or four times a year, plus you have the Meadows and the Rivers casinos,” said Gionta, who is promoting a March 7 card, “March...
Connellsville man a ‘staunch volunteer’ who loved local history
If it was about Connellsville, Tom Rusnack was interested. Mr. Rusnack was a life member of the Connellsville VFW and AMVETS, a regular member of the American Legion and the Knights of Columbus, part of the Fayette County Cultural Trust and a board member at the Wesley Health Center. “He...
Union Presbyterian in Murrysville marks 60 years since moving ‘across the street’Video
Donna Doyle remembers watching her father supervise the construction crew that set the steeple on a newly built Union Presbyterian Church in Murrysville in 1959. In March, members of the church will mark their 60th anniversary in that building. As Doyle looks at a photo of that steeple being lowered...
Lesser-known presidential candidate debate slated for March in Chicago
Just because they aren’t on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC all day doesn’t mean they aren’t running for president. As the Democratic National Committee awaits delegate counts to see who will end up running against President Trump this November, 21 lesser-known presidential candidates will take a debate stage next month...
‘Ricky the Oil Man’ of Yukon had lifelong fascination with the petroleum business
Richard Catone was well known as “Ricky the Oil Man.” His reputation even extended to when his daughter Cynthia Sherwin moved into his former childhood home in Yukon. “People used to call all the time trying to pay their bills or with a question for my dad,” she said. The...
Conservancy seeking volunteers to help prune apple trees in Murrysville
Westmoreland Conservancy officials are looking for a few good apples, so they can create a whole bunch more. The metaphorical “few good apples” would be additional volunteers to help with a Feb. 22 apple-tree pruning session at the Conservancy’s Morosini Reserve in southeast Murrysville. “This will be our third time...
Western Pa. libraries prepare for upcoming chess tournamentsVideo
At 12 years old, Sidd Ramineni is understandably a little shy when it comes to discussing his accomplishments. But with a display shelf at his Murrysville home that’s filled with chess trophies, he certainly would have plenty to brag about. “I like the strategy you have to use,” said Sidd,...
