Patrick Varine stories, Page 151
‘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...
Hills Church in Murrysville will host ‘Christmas in Germany’ concertVideo
Over the summer, Masterworks Concert Chorale Director Snezana Lazich fell in love with a piece by one of her favorite composers. “I found Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C,’ and it has such beautiful moments in it,” Lazich said. The 40 members of the MCC, along with a 15-piece orchestra of local...
Penn Township tattoo parlor will host Toys for Tots fundraiser
When Justin Schultz opened his first tattoo shop in downtown Jeannette in 2012, a Toys for Tots representative stopped by right around this time of year to drop off a donation box. “I thought, ‘It’s such a little box,’ so we had the idea to do an annual fundraiser and...
Delmont paving program comes in $76,000 under budget
Surprises during the construction process are rarely positive. But a welcome surprise in Delmont helped borough officials save more than $75,000 on their annual roads program. “We anticipated a lot of base repair on (West Pittsburgh Street), but the concrete was actually in excellent condition,” borough engineer Kevin Brett told...
East Huntingdon radiologist achieved ‘the American dream’
When Benedict Mariano Jr. decided he wanted to pursue the American dream, his whole family worked to help him achieve it. “He was the oldest of six kids, and his father was gone a lot working on a boat, so he was kind of the man of the family,” said...
Murrysville Woman’s Club marks 100th anniversary in 2020Video
The Murrysville Woman’s Club “has figured out 50 million ways to raise money,” according to Joy Somers, who has been a member for nearly four decades. Somers’ tenure, however, isn’t even half the time the club has been in existence. Formed in 1920 to educate local women about voting following...
Export seeks grant to help with sewer fixesVideo
There’s no getting around the expensive price tag for sewer fixes in Export, but borough officials are hoping a state grant will help put a significant dent in it. Borough officials have applied for one of the H2O Program grants offered by the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development...
This weekend kicks off holiday events in Murrysville, Export and Delmont
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. • Export Light Up Night will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 outside the Export Volunteer Fire Department on...
Elliott Group helps county development corp. save $2 million
A domino effect that began with the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp.’s cleanup of the Monsour Hospital site has led to millions in savings, some of which will be put toward improvements at the Jeannette Industrial Park. Using a combination of local, state and federal funding, the Monsour site was...
Highlights from Franklin Regional band’s Macy’s Parade tripVideo
Two years ago, Franklin Regional band students found out they’d be marching in the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Last Thursday, all of the fundraising, preparation and rehearsal was complete, along with the eight-hour bus ride to New York City (well, New Jersey, technically, is where the band’s hotel was...
Murrysville group will host Italian Christmas program with tenor Marco FioranteVideo
The American Association of University Women’s Murrysville chapter will host Italian singer Marco Fiorante at its Dec. 12 meeting for a special holiday program. Born in Cellino San Marco in Italy’s Puglia region, Fiorante completed his musical study in “canto lirico” (“opera performance”) at the Conservatorio Tito Schipa in Lecce,...
New Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in Dec. 5
Newly elected Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in at the board’s December meeting. The Dec. 5 meeting is shifted from the traditional Monday time slot because district staff and officials still will be on Thanksgiving break. The meeting will encompass board reorganization as well as both the...
Penn Township tattoo parlor will host Toys for Tots fundraiser
When Justin Schultz opened his first tattoo shop in downtown Jeannette in 2012, a Toys for Tots representative stopped by right around this time of year to drop off a donation box. “I thought, ‘It’s such a little box,’ so we had the idea to do an annual fundraiser and...
Delmont Scout troop will host open house for girls
Boy Scouts of America Troop 1211 for girls will host a Dec. 2 open house in Delmont for young ladies interested in scouting and developing leadership skills. MaryAnn Fabian, new members coordinator for Troop 1211, said the open house is a good opportunity to not just find potential scouts, but...
North Huntingdon woman was a whiz with numbers
Marion Campbell was a whiz with numbers. “She could total a column of numbers so easily, so she did the book work and managed the finances for the family’s business, Campbell’s Service Center,” said her daughter, Diane Rhodes of North Huntingdon. “She was very devoted to the business. That was...
Warm the holidays with boilo, a favorite of coal miners in eastern Pennsylvania
Earlier this month, HangoverCure.org surveyed 1,000 drinkers and came up with a list of iconic state drinks. The answer in Pennsylvania turned out to be a bit of a mystery, at least on the western side of the state: boilo. So what is it? “Here in the anthracite region, boilo...
‘Tis the season: Pa. alcohol sales spike as holidays approach
It’s the holiday season, and everyone is getting into the spirit — or at the very least, into the spirits store. November and December are far and away the busiest times of the year at Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores. The top single sales day in each of...
Greensburg machinist loved golfing, children
Denise Engler says her father, John Raynor, never got tired of children. “He’d take off work for Halloween so he could give out candy,” said Engler, a Greensburg resident. “If there was a holiday dinner coming up, he’d always ask, ‘Are there kids coming?’ He loved children and went out...
Franklin Regional senior earns $20,000 Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award
Franklin Regional senior Emma Martin is the recipient of the Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award, given annually to a band marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to one of its members. But to keep it a surprise for Martin, her own mother had to essentially become a covert...
Franklin Regional, Butler, Mt. Lebanon receive grants to help needy families
Three school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Franklin Regional in Westmoreland County, each will receive $2,500 to help local families with needs like clothing, medical and dental care, eyeglasses and prescriptions along with food, shelter and related supplies. The American Association of School Administrators, or AASA, announced the Murrysville school...
State police emergency-response team surrounds house in Washington
A state police Special Emergency Response Team entered a home on Hayes Avenue in Washington following a standoff Monday night, according to the Trib’s news partner, WPXI. State police told WPXI that three people suspected of stealing a car fled to the home on Hayes Avenue around 8 p.m. State...
Murrysville council works through conditions for town’s first fracking well
If Murrysville approves its first unconventional gas well, expect “some push-back” to several of the roughly 25 conditions officials want to impose, Chief Administrator Jim Morrison warned council members. Among the conditions is one that no water will be transported by truck to the proposed Titan well pad off of...
