Patrick Varine stories, Page 154
Tax credits will help Indiana County demolitions, renovations
Tax credits for two redevelopment projects in Indiana County will pave the way for public space and a renovated community center. A $56,250 tax credit will go to the Friends of Blairsville Communities group for the demolition of the G.C. Murphy building at the corner of Market and Stewart streets...
Hempfield volunteer fair recruits quite the hype man: Andrew McCutchenVideo
When you’re trying to get your first-ever student volunteer fair off the ground, it’s always helpful to have good collaborators, people who can get others excited for the event. Landing former Pittsburgh Pirate Andrew McCutchen as a spokesman, for example, is a pretty good way to draw attention to Hempfield...
Penn Middle Drama students will stage ‘A Christmas Story’
This holiday season at Penn Middle School, not one but two Ralphies will be at risk of shooting their eye out with that Red Ryder air rifle. Students at the school will stage the classic holiday tale of “A Christmas Story,” and interest in the play was so strong that...
Rewind Reuse Center in Export aims to turn odds and ends into arts and craftsVideo
Val Paulisick of Murrysville is a maker. She sees a box full of paper scraps and odds and ends, and begins imagining the possibilities. “I want to save things from ending up in the landfill,” she said. She wants others to do the same, which is why she opened the...
Murrysville receives nearly $300K grant to help fund amphitheater at community park
The plan to continue developing Murrysville Community Park got a shot in the arm on Friday with the announcement of a sizable grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The municipality will receive $299,800 for the development of an amphitheater, parking area, pedestrian walkway and more at the park off...
Penn-Trafford students prepare to air ‘Wishes for Warriors’ telethonVideo
Penn-Trafford High School’s third annual Make-a-Wish telethon has already granted one child’s wish, even though it won’t be broadcast until Dec. 19. “We have already raised more than $5,000 in less than two weeks,” said Steve Vinton, high school video production teacher. “Last year we raised $60,000 and granted 13...
Hempfield’s World of Values packs 10,000 meals for the hungryVideo
Each year at its two annual trade shows, Nationwide Marketing Group officials challenge their network of independent retailers to pack as many meals as possible for delivery to hungry children around the country and world. This year, in partnership with No Child Hungry and as part of the National Week...
HUD: Homeless veteran numbers drop this year in Pennsylvania
Veteran homelessness in Pennsylvania dropped by nearly 13% in 2019, according to the annual Homeless Assessment Report by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Those numbers mirror the national trend, which HUD officials say continues to decline. “In Pennsylvania, we’ve made great strides over the years in our efforts...
Mt. Pleasant nurse loved volunteering, telling a great story
Patricia Miller wanted to take care of others, whether it was her medical career, volunteering at the local food bank or caring for her mother. “She went to school at Westmoreland County Community College and wanted to be a nurse because she had seen the love and care our family...
Norwin Play It Forward Fund plans 10th annual ‘Wind-Up, Wine Down’ event
The Ziemski family of North Huntingdon has good reason to give back to their community. “When we were young and our kids were in school, my husband lost his job and someone anonymously paid the balance of our children’s parochial school tuition,” said Paula Ziemski. “We never found out who...
Pitt researcher’s work featured by U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
A University of Pittsburgh researcher was featured in a U.S. Patent & Trademark Office report for patenting a robotic strong arm that can help wheelchair users grab items. Rory Cooper, who was recognized earlier this year by the office with a trading card created to honor U.S. inventors, holds more...
Grants to fund hillside stabilization, demolition in Pitcairn, Wilmerding
About $400,000 in state grants will be put toward projects in Pitcairn and Wilmerding, state Rep. Brandon Markosek announced on Tuesday. The state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund will commit $300,000 to road repairs and slope stabilization along Hillside Avenue in Pitcairn, between Broadway Boulevard and Elm Street. An additional $100,000 from...
Seton Hill welcomes survivors at Kristallnacht interfaith remembranceVideo
For Walter Jacob, Nov. 8, 1938, was largely a day like any other. He was 8 and living in Augsburg, one of Germany’s oldest cities. That night, he walked to the nearby synagogue, where his father was the rabbi, and took a peek inside. “I didn’t realize that it would...
Region ties record low temperature
The greater Pittsburgh area tied its record low temperature on Tuesday night. “We’re calling for a low tonight of somewhere in the low to mid teens,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Matthew Kramer. “The Nov. 12 record low for the Pittsburgh area is 17 degrees. If we hit that before...
Trafford marks park’s 100th anniversary on Veterans DayVideo
More than 100 years ago in Trafford, on Nov. 11, 1918, Charles Bolam and his wife Mary heard the peal of bells — a ringing that signaled the end of World War I. The Bolams had two boys, Edward and Norman, serving overseas. Edward was in an ambulance company, and...
Murrysville consumer advocate among honorees at state dinner
A Murrysville woman was among those honored at a recent state dinner with Gov. Tom Wolf. Mary Bach, a nationally recognized consumer advocate, was one of 30 people recognized for their efforts and achievements in Pennsylvania. Bach has more than four decades of independent consumer advocacy, civic activism and volunteer...
Trafford officials to mark war memorial’s centennial on Veterans Day
Trafford residents were ready to celebrate Veterans Day before it was even a national holiday. “They billed it as an all-day event on Nov. 11, 1919, but the planners were thinking it would be declared a holiday and people would have the day off,” said local historian Andrew Capets. “That...
Mt. Pleasant woman, 102, among veterans honored at Penguins gameVideo
Melva Simon didn’t just get to see her first Pittsburgh Penguins game in person on Saturday night. She was a guest of honor. Simon, 102, of Mt. Pleasant was among a group of veterans to whom the Penguins paid tribute throughout the evening in advance of the Veterans Day holiday...
Police: Fayette couple found with psychedelic mushrooms, 54 marijuana plants
A Fayette County couple faces multiple felony charges after state police say they discovered marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms in their home during a child welfare check. Jason A. Nicholson, 37, and Melisa D. Nicholson, 40, both of Everson, were each charged with four counts of drug possession as well as...
Sisters displaced by Latrobe house fire
Two sisters were displaced after fire ravaged a house on Avenue D in Latrobe during the early hours of Saturday morning. Latrobe fire Chief John Brasile said with the help of the state police fire marshal, crews were able to track the ignition source to an overloaded junction box in...
Watch for a ‘squatch: Conference on the Unexplained kicks off in HempfieldVideo
Glenn Adkins of Ohio has been obsessed with finding Bigfoot since the fourth grade. “I saw the old movie ‘Sasquatch,’ a real old, cheesy ’70s movie, and from that point on I wanted to do it,” he said. Adkins and a partner from the Ohio Squatch Project have a booth...
AMVETS, American Legion, VFW host honor roll ceremonies for Veterans DayVideo
Michael Jackson of Export, a retired first lieutenant with the U.S. Army Special Forces, was quick to distinguish Veterans Day from its sibling holiday, Memorial Day. “It’s about service today,” Jackson said at an early Veterans Day ceremony Saturday morning at the Frank Kapusta American Legion post in Export. “We...
Hempfield train derailment halts Pittsburgh-Harrisburg Amtrak serviceVideo
Amtrak will not provide passenger rail service on Saturday between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg due to Friday’s multi-train derailment in Hempfield, according to a company spokeswoman. Three Norfolk Southern Corp. freight trains were involved in the derailment, which happened about three miles east of Greensburg. The crash derailed 50 shipping containers,...
‘Mini grant’ program for local watershed groups accepting applications
The teachers and students that Wendy Kedzierski works with through Allegheny College’s Creek Connections program are now able to keep a much more accurate eye on water quality in local streams, thanks to a partnership between local conservationists and the energy industry. The water monitoring kits were purchased through a...
Incumbents hold steady in Penn Township, Penn-Trafford elections
Incumbents held steady in contested races for Penn Township commissioner, while it was smooth sailing for school board candidates in the general election. First Ward Republican incumbent Jeffrey Shula came away with a commanding win, taking 71.6% of 862 votes over Democratic challenger Bill Leonard. Incumbent Republican Lisa Rose Zaucha...
