Patrick Varine stories, Page 149
Murrysville window-screen company will appear on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ in JanuaryVideo
Joe Altieri was taking a huge risk when he decided to leave his job in the window industry to start up FlexScreen, a Murrysville company that provides removable, flexible window screens. Now he has a chance to have a professional investor share that risk. Altieri, a Plum resident, will appear...
Monroeville man, woman charged in Murrysville liquor thefts
A Monroeville man and woman were charged with taking more than $400 in alcohol from a Murrysville Fine Wine & Good Spirits store around Thanksgiving. Kevin Livsey, 55, and Tiffany Springer-Livsey, 47, are accused by police of thefts on Nov. 25, 27 and 29 from the store in the Blue...
Murrysville dentist greeted everyone he passed
Dr. Ross Miller truly embodied the notion of a family dental practice. “When he started as a dentist in Murrysville, he asked his sister to be the receptionist,” said his daughter, Cheryl Schoone, of Pine Township. “She quit her job and started there, and then when one of his younger...
Franklin Regional’s annual telethon benefits UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care FundVideo
It’s always busy during a class change at Franklin Regional Senior High School, but on Friday the hallways were especially jam-packed, as students and staff put on the school’s annual telethon fundraiser. Student organizations lined the hallway walls as media production students shot live segments outside the auditorium. Onstage, students...
Murrysville celebrates with ‘Santa at Sardis’
It was a little bit of a soggy celebration, but Murrysville officials’ decision to move its annual holiday event to Sardis Park was a success. The line was long and steady leading to Santa’s cabin on Dec. 7, as children and parents visited craft tables, nonprofits and dashed around Sardis...
Yough student earns national title at Florida dog-diving championshipVideo
It was 25 degrees in Mt. Pleasant Township on Thursday, but that didn’t stop a German short-haired pointer from going muzzle and paw first into a pool to retrieve one of his favorite toys. Caesar was at Rustic Lodge Diving Dogs, and thankfully inside the organization’s heated training center on...
‘Dangerous’ snow squall leaves behind slick roads, minor crashes in Southwestern Pa.
A squall that blanketed Southwestern Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon — leaving roads slick and myriad minor car crashes and disabled vehicles in its wake — was akin to a summer thunderstorm, just one full of snow instead of rain, said meteorologist Matthew Kramer of the National Weather Service. “You can...
Former state rep will present ‘The State of Education in Pennsylvania’ in Murrysville
As education experts in Pennsylvania go, it’s tough to top Ron Cowell. In addition to 24 years as a state representative with 12 years on the House Committee on Education, Cowell has been president and executive director for the Education Policy and Leadership Center in Harrisburg since 1999. He has...
TribLive Test: Squeak natural cleaning productsVideo
This week, our TribLive Taste Test, well, it doesn’t involve any tasting. If it did, we’d probably be testing the effectiveness of our local emergency room staff, since this week’s test was on all-natural cleaning products from Squeak. The Squeak line of products was created by a mother of three...
Game commission: Reducing deer population not likely to stem spread of Lyme disease
For Ryan Johnson, Pennsylvania’s white-tailed deer are more than just a potentially dangerous nuisance. “Deer in Pennsylvania are playing a huge part in ruining lives and costing people major money through accidents and disease,” said Johnson, of Norvelt. “Lyme disease is a big deal and doesn’t get the attention it...
Franklin Regional telethon has raised more than $139,000 over the years
When local viewers watch this year’s Franklin Regional Holiday Telethon, they will see four compelling reasons to consider donating to this year’s beneficiary, the UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund. “We have documentary segments on four (Franklin Regional) families who have been helped through the Free Care Fund,” said high...
Scottdale man dedicated to family, Penn Line Service career
When people thought about Penn Line Service, they frequently thought about Franklin Lynn, according to his daughter, Jeanne Kiss of Greensburg. “That’s what he did,” Kiss said. Mr. Lynn worked nearly six decades for the Scottdale company, starting in 1953 and working his way to management and later becoming a...
Study: Americans will spend more than $5.5B on Christmas trees in 2019
Martins Christmas Tree Farm is getting a bigger share of more than $5.5 billion Americans will spend on Christmas trees, and the Rostraver business has been a victim of its own success. “Last year was our best year,” said owner Brad Martin, who recently took the farm over after his...
Murrysville man fell in love with the great outdoors
Whether it was his career as a railroad engineer, hunting moose and grizzly bears in Alaska, or running Wilson’s Nursery in Murrysville, Bill Wilson wanted to be outside. That love of the outdoors also led him to his wife of 64 years, Marie (Rosenbayger) Wilson. “There was an archery place...
Franklin Regional school board won’t delay construction on Sloan intermediate building
Construction of the new Sloan intermediate school in the Franklin Regional School District will continue after three of the four new school board members were unable to muster enough support to suspend work for a month. “Many of us ran for this position because people in the community were questioning...
Delmont moves ahead with Shields Farm log cabin repairs
Delmont officials will spend about $2,500 on white pine logs for the Shields Farm cabin on East Pittsburgh Street, and members of the Delmont Visionary Committee are hoping their research can help locate a trust to fund the cabin’s maintenance. Committee member AnnaMarie Stackiewicz said she found minutes from the...
Delmont adopts balanced 2020 budget with no tax hike
Delmont officials adopted a $1.25 million 2020 budget that holds the line on property taxes. The budget calls for $1,250,374 in both revenues and expenditures. Council members also adopted a resolution that will be forwarded to state officials, noting that the borough will not increase property taxes. They will remain...
Small fire at senior high rise in Scottdale forces brief evacuationsVideo
Some residents of the Scottdale Manor senior citizen high rise along Pearl Street were briefly evacuated from their apartments Tuesday night because of smoke from a small fire in the building. No serious injuries were reported in the fire but several residents were taken to a hospital for evaluation, according...
Ellsworth company announces 2020 electronics recycling dates
A permanent electronics recycling facility in eastern Washington County announced its 2020 dates for accepting items, most of which will be collected at no charge. The JVS Environmental site at 1 American Way in Ellsworth will replace the monthly electronics collection program previously staged at the Washington County Fairgrounds and...
Salem tattoo shop plans coat, shoe giveawayVideo
Dante Wiley Jr. knows how tough it can get for needy children during the holidays. “I didn’t have much growing up,” said Wiley, a Jeannette resident and general manager/part-owner at BullyInk tattoo parlor in Salem Plaza along Route 22. “I know how it feels. I know what it’s like to...
Here’s a list of upcoming holiday events in the greater Murrysville area
Here are some of the holiday-themed events coming up in the Star’s coverage area. Do you have a holiday event coming up? Email staff writer Patrick Varine at pvarine@tribweb.com. • The Masterworks Concert Chorale will present “Christmas In Germany,” a choral concert featuring Beethoven’s “Mass in C,” on Dec. 14...
‘Princess Bride’ star Cary Elwes to be part of Pittsburgh-area Q&A, film screeningVideo
There’s a shortage of perfect Q&A’s in this world, and it would be a pity to miss the one coming to Pittsburgh in April. Actor Cary Elwes will bring “As You Wish: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes” to Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall on April 3, participating in a...
Murrysville council, Olympus Energy continue working out possible fracking well conditions
A vote on Murrysville’s first fracking well will be postponed one more month, after council members and company officials were unable to agree on the list of conditions imposed on the drilling firm. Truck access to the Titan well pad site, transportation of water to the site, and the time...
Westmoreland talent fills out Laurel Ballet’s annual ‘Nutcracker’ production
Although “The Nutcracker” is perfect family Christmas entertainment, surprisingly it was not a hit when it was first performed in Russia in 1892. But when it did finally catch on more than 50 years ago, it quickly became a ubiquitous part of the holiday season. It’s now the most frequently-seen...
Delmont council to take a closer look at future of Shields Farm cabin
Before spending more money on the Shields Farm cabin on East Pittsburgh Street, Delmont officials want to decide what exactly the cabin’s future will be. “It’s open one weekend a year,” said Councilman Bill Marx, who recently met with officials from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, which deeded the...
