Patrick Varine stories, Page 156
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...
Local sci-fi, horror authors to participate in panel discussion in Monroeville
Visitors to the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Monroeville later this month may find themselves immersed in a world where women have leeches for arms, intergalactic mercenary werewolves fly through space beating people up and aliens wink at passers-by in bars with names like The Pickled Quasar. But it’s not...
Export burnishing its image with trail opening, downtown projects
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas had what he considered a good problem when he stopped by the Export Borough council meeting on Tuesday night. “It’s really great to pull into Export and not be able to find a place to park,” Kopas said. With a freshly paved Washington Avenue alongside...
Pa. marijuana grower urges regulation for disclosure of vaping ingredients
In the wake of national concern over illness linked to vaping, one Pennsylvania medical marijuana company is making sure users, in their catchphrase, “know it before you blow it.” Clinton County-based Terrapin Pennsylvania has disclosed all of the ingredients in its vaporizing products at DemandCleanVapes.com, and called on state lawmakers...
Export will bring back former engineer to help implement DEP’s consent orderVideo
Export officials voted in 2017 to largely part ways with Latrobe engineering firm Gibson-Thomas, opting to share engineering services with neighboring Murrysville. But, as the borough begins implementing the consent agreement hammered out over the summer between the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority, Export, Murrysville and others, they will bring...
Westmoreland Conservation District marks 70th anniversary
In 1949, a group formed with the idea of working with conservation-minded organizations, companies and residents to protect Westmoreland County’s abundant natural resources. Seventy years later, the Westmoreland Conservation District and its partners have had a hand in improving the water quality in hundreds of miles of streams, returning forests...
Baldwin native will perform with Navy jazz ensemble in HempfieldVideo
As part of the Navy’s signature outreach program, Baldwin native Shawn Purcell will have a chance to perform in the Pittsburgh area for the second time as a member of the U.S. Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble. The group will play an Oct. 23 concert at Hempfield Area High School....
Mt. Pleasant man enjoyed picking bluegrass
Homer Emerick enjoyed fishing in Wills Creek in Somerset County, but there wasn’t much that made him happier than sitting down with an acoustic instrument, a few friends, and doing a bit of picking. “His thing was always music,” said his son Scott Emerick of Kecksburg. “He had a violin,...
New Murrysville voting precincts approvedVideo
Murrysville voters in the Newlonsburg and Sardis precincts will likely be standing in long lines on election day this November. The good news? It will be the last time. On Monday morning, Westmoreland County Judge Chris Scherer approved a redistricting plan that will split the massive precincts — which have...
Murrysville council to take public comment on fracking well application
After four months of testimony from officials seeking to bring the first fracking well into Murrysville, residents will soon have a chance to give their opinions. The public hearing for the Titan well pad, proposed by Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration — which recently announced a name change to Olympus...
Some Pucketa Creek residents remain frustrated with FTMSA sewage solution
What began as a possible solution for a handful of property owners living with failing septic systems along the Pucketa Creek border with Washington Township has led to a potential financial hardship for some of their neighbors. Their initial source of frustration was a years-long delay in getting access to...
‘Scottie Pride’ returns as community relishes Southmoreland’s undefeated football seasonVideo
The last time the Southmoreland Scotties made the WPIAL playoffs, the Pittsburgh Pirates were World Series champions. That was in 1979. Today, the Scotties (5-0) are the highest-scoring team in the WPIAL Class 2A Century Conference — and they’ve already clinched their first playoff berth in four decades. “Everyone’s really...
CROP Walk marks 40 years in Murrysville, helping feed the hungry
Roger Schneider moved to Murrysville in 2000 from Pittsburgh, where he previously helped organize an annual CROP Walk, an acronym for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. When he arrived, he found a local CROP Walk had been established for more than two decades, dedicated to raising money for the less...
Trail Life troop will be recognized for work at ‘forgotten’ Salem cemeteryVideo
Tucked away on Mark Drive, just south of Delmont in Salem Township, is a cemetery that dates back to the Revolutionary War. And thanks to the efforts of Trail Life USA Troop 2717, the Lessig Riddle Cemetery — named for the former owners of the farm in that area and...
Fallen Rostraver firefighter will be honored at national memorial
Michael Godzak joined the Rostraver Township Volunteer Fire Department as a junior member at 12 years old. For the next 47 years, the Belle Vernon native rose through its ranks, serving a stint as chief for nine years in the 1980s and early ’90s. On April 29, 2018, Godzak was...
Murrysville church will mark bicentennial in 2020Video
Pastor Joseph Hedden Jr. drove past the house of worship he knew as “Hill’s Church” for years before discovering its true name is much longer: the Emmanuel Reformed United Church of Christ. “I didn’t know it was called anything other than ‘Hill’s Church,’” Hedden said. What Hedden knows now, after...
Westmoreland Choral Society will hold ‘Technicolor’ coat drive
Westmoreland Choral Society members are hoping Joseph’s “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” can help provide coats for others as well. The society’s Oct. 4 concert, which features music from the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, will kick off a partnership between the society, the Community Clothes Closet in New Kensington...
E.C. Cruisers show off vintage cars to benefit county children’s bureau
The E.C. Cruisers have been showing off vintage cars and trucks for a quarter-century, raising money in the process for the Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau Christmas fund. This year’s show, held Sept. 15 at the Delmont Volunteer Fire Department, saw a record 180 registered cars and a bump in the...
Perryopolis doctor charged with swapping pills for sex
A Perryopolis family doctor is charged with 28 counts of swapping opioid medication for sexual favors, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Emilio Ramon Navarro, 58, of Coal Center was indicted on 29 charges, according to a Justice Department news release. Between April 2018 and April 2019, Navarro unlawfully dispensed...
Rye whiskey with Pennsylvania roots raises nearly $20,000 at auctions
Century-old bottles of rare Western Pennsylvania rye whiskey are making a few organizations very happy this week, and it’s not just the buzz from throwing back a couple shots. Bottles distilled in 1909 and 1911 were auctioned off within days of one another this week, with one fetching $14,000 to...
New director takes the helm at Penn Area LibraryVideo
Jessica Beichler sees a lot of opportunity for growth at the Penn Area Library, where she began serving as director Sept. 3, following the retirement of Dorene Miller. “I like the community here,” said the Trafford resident, who previously served as director. “There are people moving into the community who...
