Patrick Varine stories, Page 154
Fairview Park kicks off capital campaign, marks 75th anniversary in 2020
In 1945, a group of black church leaders from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties set out to create a place where they could come together and enjoy themselves. With segregation restricting the places African-Americans could go, the Monongahela Valley Sunday School Association created Fairview Park in Salem Township. At one time,...
Mercury to transit between the Earth, sun in November
The planets will align on Nov. 11 this year. Well, two of them, at least. Mercury will transit between the Earth and the sun on Veteran’s Day this year. “When we have a ‘transit’ of the moon, we call it a solar eclipse,” said Ken Kobus of the Amateur Astronomers...
Penn Hills, Riverview choirs will join Pittsburgh Concert Chorale for ‘Pittsburgh Sings!’
For the eighth year in a row, the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale will be joined by local high school choirs for “Pittsburgh Sings!” This year’s concert, on Sunday, Oct. 27, will feature choirs from the Penn Hills and Riverview school districts. “‘Pittsburgh Sings’ is always a special afternoon of music,” said...
Murrysville Council delays vote on renewing animal-control contract with Hoffman Kennels
Murrysville delayed a vote Wednesday night on the two-year renewal of an animal-control contract with Hoffman Kennels. Gary Hoffman, who owns and operates the Delmont-based business, proposed a $10 hike on individual calls as well as his monthly service fee. Hoffman also proposed reducing the number of days he patrols...
Bedbugs found at Penn Middle School in Penn Township
Bedbugs have been found at Penn Middle School in the Penn-Trafford School District. District officials alerted parents Wednesday that a student was found with bedbugs on their body. No additional bugs were found in the student’s belongings. When a professional exterminator and the district’s maintenance director began searching classrooms frequented...
Monessen man lived a life full of passion for music
When John Paterra of Speers was performing as a vocalist with the Graham Grubb Orchestra, he remembers chatting occasionally with the group’s bass player, Ed Dacko. “He played trombone and later he played bass fiddle,” Paterra said. “He was a character.” Edward Paul Dacko of Monessen died Friday, Oct. 11,...
Classes resume at Westmoreland County Community College’s Murrysville campus
Classes at the Westmoreland County Community College’s Murrysville campus were cancelled through 3 p.m. Tuesday but will resume at 6 p.m., according to the school’s Twitter feed. “Our facilities director has contacted the gas company and to the best of my knowledge they’re on-site looking for a potential leak,” said...
Fish, game commissions warn of spoof license websites
With hunting season ramping up, state Fish and Boat Commission and Game Commission officials are warning anglers and hunters about online scams related to buying a license. Both commissions have received reports of consumers purchasing “licenses” through third-party websites not connected to the state. “Even though consumers didn’t suspect the...
Penn-Trafford senior named finalist at international short-film competitionVideo
When Ryan Mickey of Penn Township was in middle school, he remembers getting together with his cousins during the holidays. “We had our little iPods, and we’d make these little two-minute videos,” Mickey said. The 18-year-old’s early interest in multimedia is paying off: Mickey’s three-minute short film, “Mirror Image,” was...
Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh will premiere Police drummer’s oratorioVideo
Stewart Copeland wasn’t satisfied simply being the drummer for international pop sensations The Police. Following the band’s breakup in the mid-’80s, Copeland went on to compose film and television soundtracks, collaborated in a band with Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Primus’s Les Claypool (the supremely weird Öysterhead project) and recorded music...
Franklin Regional readies for homecoming this FridayVideo
Mid-October means homecoming for many of the high schools in western Pennsylvania. Franklin Regional will celebrate homecoming at its Friday night football game against McKeesport. But first, the district will mark the occasion with its annual homecoming bonfire. This year’s bonfire is set for 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in...
Franklin Regional students balance gore, goofiness with production of ‘Dracula’Video
Franklin Regional Thespians Club students are working to strike a fine balance between the hard-R frights of Francis Ford Coppola’s vision of Dracula and the occasional unintentional camp of the original Bela Lugosi film. It’s not always possible, according to director Richard Sunny. “There are some parts of the script...
Murrysville police, Franklin Regional partner to emphasize school bus safety
Drivers who are too busy or careless to stop for a school bus may find themselves on the wrong end of a pricey traffic ticket later this month. Murrysville police will partner with the Franklin Regional School District to promote National School Bus Safety Week from Oct. 21 to 25....
Plenty of art shows coming to Murrysville this fall
Art enthusiasts will have more than enough places to go in Murrysville during the next month, with art shows and standing exhibits all over the municipality. On Oct. 18 and 19, the Murrysville Woman’s Club will sponsor its annual art show at Redstone Highlands. It will run from 10 a.m....
Murrysville historian, Freeport Theater Festival founder to receive St. Clair Awards
Local historian Charles Hall is one of two recipients of this year’s Arthur St. Clair Historic Preservation Awards, presented by the Westmoreland Historical Society. Hall has documented the history of the Murrysville area through books and articles. His writing has been published by the Murrysville Historical Preservation Society and elsewhere....
Delmont mulls options for Shields Farm cabin
Difficulty finding suitable, period-appropriate lumber and the cost of doing so has Delmont officials considering their options when it comes to the log cabin on East Pittsburgh Street. Borough council has been seeking to replace several old, damaged logs on the cabin for a couple years, but the road has...
Litter of kittens, cat abandoned behind Hempfield shopping center near Route 30Video
A litter of kittens and an adult cat were abandoned during the weekend near a large trash bin in a Hempfield shopping complex. The people accused of leaving the animals behind were caught on camera and investigators are working to learn their identities. The animals were found behind the Greengate...
Traffic-light control box damaged in Murrysville crash
Murrysville police are continuing to advise residents and motorists to avoid the intersection of Route 22 and Berlin Farm Road after a crash on Tuesday damaged a control box containing the operating equipment and power source for the intersection’s traffic light. “It is a very extensive repair,” department officials responded...
Plenty of spooky fun planned for Murrysville, Delmont and Export residents
Looking for some spooky fun this Halloween season? There are plenty of seasonal events taking place in the Star’s coverage area. Here are just a few: • Kings Family Restaurant off of Route 66 in Delmont will host a trunk-or-treat event from 6-7 p.m. on Oct. 21. There is no...
Florists plan to ‘Petal It Forward’ to spread positivityVideo
Generally speaking, the floral industry is invested in making people happy. On Oct. 23, a handful of flower shops in western Pennsylvania will open with the goal of making as many people happy as possible, helping the Society of American Florists to promote “Petal It Forward.” “We’ll give out two...
Carnegie Mellon professor will dive into the ‘dark web’ in Murrysville
For most, the phrase “the dark web” conjures up images of hackers hunched over their computers in a darkened room, making illegal transactions or worse. Officials from the local U.S. Attorney’s office announced the prosecution of two Israeli citizens in May who were charged with facilitating the sale of drugs...
Chili Oktoberfest in Murrysville adds cornbread category
Murrysville Recreation Director Carly Greene is proof that you don’t have to spend months perfecting a chili recipe in order to make a tasty pot of the good stuff for her department’s annual Chili Oktoberfest. “One year we didn’t have enough entries,” she said. “The night before, I went to...
Fracking well hearing wraps up in Murrysville; decision expected in NovemberVideo
After four months of testimony and comments from residents, the public hearing for Murrysville’s first proposed fracking well pad is complete, and council members will likely take a vote at their second November meeting. Both Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration — now doing business as Olympus Energy — and the...
Murrysville baseball trainer partners with Philly bat company to fund cancer researchVideo
Dave Muraco’s initial idea in starting up Grind 24/7 was to give Murrysville baseball players a local place to train and exercise. But when the business opens, he will be doing much more. Through a partnership with a Philadelphia bat company, he will also be raising money for cancer research....
Effort under way to move Export veteran monument to ‘more prominent place’Video
When Gary Wuslich returned to western Pennsylvania for his uncle Brando Sachet’s funeral in December 2018, he began thinking about the veterans’ memorial stationed outside the former American Legion on Kennedy Avenue in Export. “Between my father, my aunts and uncles, I think we have four or five names on...
