Patrick Varine stories, Page 156
Murrysville woman named Big Brothers Big Sisters executive director
On Sept. 24, Juniper Grill in Murrysville will host a guest bartender night, where Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region will tend bar and all tips will go to support the group’s mission of mentoring children in Western Pennsylvania. One of those guest bartenders will be the group’s...
Judge denies appeal of Franklin Regional’s ‘elementary campus’ projectVideo
The Sloan Project Concerned Citizens group has maintained throughout its appeal of Franklin Regional’s Sloan “elementary campus” project that Murrysville officials did not go far enough in imposing conditions on the project. Paramount to the group’s appeal was its contention the Sardis/Crowfoot roads area was not suited for the increased...
Learn to preserve fresh food at Penn State Extension’s canning seminar
Tony Thomas’ grandfather kept a small garden behind the house Thomas and his wife bought a couple years ago, in Pittsburgh’s Morningside neighborhood. After a season spent amending the soil, tilling it and laying down compost, he and his wife have a backyard vegetable and flower garden bursting at the...
Export councilman completes 2,500-mile Cross Country ChaseVideo
Joe Ferri’s 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle made it the full 2,500 miles of the Cross Country Chase, from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to Key West, Fla., in 10 days. Along the way, Ferri and fellow riders — including several other members of the Allegheny Mountain Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle...
‘Goat-scapers’ will bring their appetite to Pitt’s Greensburg campusVideo
Western Pennsylvania’s cutest landscapers will soon be back at work in Westmoreland County. Two herds of goats from Allegheny Goatscape will begin clearing hillsides at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg on Sept. 24. The herds — shepherded by their “guard donkeys,” Hobo and Diamond — will clear weeds and...
Eastern Pa. city joins Pittsburgh, Sharpsburg in banning wild-animal acts
Following in the footsteps of two Allegheny County communities, Whitemarsh Township officials in eastern Pennsylvania voted to ban wild and exotic animal circus acts last week. The move comes after similar bans enacted in both Pittsburgh and Sharpsburg, and will affect the town of Plymouth Meeting in Whitemarsh, where the...
Some Delmont residents unhappy with hauling service
Topics vary at monthly Delmont council meetings, but one topic has come up fairly consistently over the past year or so: complaints about trash service, provided in the borough by Republic Services. “Everything that we signed onto as part of this contract has gone away,” said resident Randy Otto, who...
Murrysville golf course will host fundraiser for Great Pyrenees clubVideo
Janice Trzeciak of Penn Hills was only planning to foster Jasmine, a big, adorable Great Pyrenees dog, until she could find the animal a permanent home. But one day when Trzeciak went to meet with a potential “forever family,” she discovered that she just wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Jasmine...
Historical society celebrates Northern Turnpike’s bicentennial
The Murrysville Historical Preservation Society will host its annual Heritage Festival on Sept. 21, and this year’s festival will mark the 200th anniversary of the Northern Turnpike. Tribune-Review archives contain quite a lot of information about the roadway’s history, and local historians have published a wealth of material about it....
Overholt Rye whiskey, once owned by Mellon family, to be auctioned in Kentucky
Someone next week will have a shot at buying a historic bottle of whiskey distilled in Westmoreland County that typically fetches more than $1,000 a shot, on the rare occasion it can be found. On Thursday, a 1909 bottle of Overholt Rye whiskey — passed down through the Mellon family...
Greensburg man loved all things sports
If it involved sports, chances are good that Eugene Burke of Greensburg was interested. Over the years, Burke served as an assistant athletic director at the former North Union High School, ran an undergraduate basketball tournament in the late 1960s and early ’70s, and was a PIAA referee from the...
Bear Hollow the latest Murrysville park to see updates, improvements
Murrysville Community Park may have gotten most of the attention this summer thanks to its brand new splash park and playground, but municipal recreation officials don’t want residents to forget about the other parks in town. “We’ve taken a park each year and outlined what needs to be updated and...
Connellsville earns ‘scenic achievement’ award from Pittsburgh groupVideo
Connellsville’s reputation is that of a post-industrial town, and as the former “coal and coke capital” of the United States. But city officials looking to pay homage to its history — while also casting an eye to the future — are being recognized for their efforts. The city will receive...
Resonance Music and Arts Festival relocates to Slippery Rock in 6th yearVideo
What happens when you gather more than 40 bands steeped in funk, electronica, jam, rock fusion and more? You get the sixth annual Resonance Music and Arts Festival, set for Sept. 19-22, which this year will move to a new location at Coopers Lake Campground in Slippery Rock. “We’re really...
State rep will host concealed-carry seminar in Fayette County
Kim Stolfer, president of Firearms Owners Against Crime, wants Pennsylvania residents to know “not just the law but also the moral and ethical duties when it comes to carrying a firearm.” Stolfer will discuss those duties, as well as talk about Pennsylvania’s concealed-carry laws and permitting, at a free seminar...
World’s largest U.S. flag will come to Derry this weekendVideo
Impulse purchases will many times include little things like snacks, a pack of gum or a random item unexpectedly on sale. But when Unity’s Ted Dorfman makes an impulse buy, he goes big: he bought the world’s largest American flag, a 400-foot-long behemoth that weighs 7 tons and requires its...
Delmont committee mulling options for bringing Heritage Trail spur into borough
After working with Indiana University of Pennsylvania students on possible routes to close a gap in the Westmoreland Heritage Trail between Export and Delmont, members of the Delmont Visionary Committee are turning their focus to a potential trail spur leading into Delmont. “However the trail comes to the borough, it’s...
Sales of Tröegs beer will fund Appalachian forest preservationVideo
Proceeds from the sale of a beer brewed in central Pennsylvania will help preserve a 185-mile swath of forested Appalachian mountains in that part of the state. On Monday, Hershey-based Tröegs Independent Brewing released its Trail Day Pale Ale. Proceeds from sales of the dry-hopped ale will be placed in...
VA will host town-hall meeting with veterans in Hempfield
Earlier this summer, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System officials met with veterans at a series of town-hall-style meetings in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Fayette and Belmont (Ohio) counties, to seek their input on the VA and how it can be improved. “We heard questions and comments on urgent-care options, emergency department...
TribLive Taste Test: Frozen Garden Green SmoothiesVideo
Some people prefer Greek yogurt in their smoothies. Some people pack their full of peanut butter protein powder and almond milk. The folks at Frozen Garden have opted for nothing but nature: they sent over nine varieties of their Green Smoothie line, full of fresh-frozen ingredients that only need to...
Westmoreland Conservancy will open Murrysville trail for people with mobility issuesVideo
Rob Malley’s older brother was an avid hunter and fisherman who loved being in the woods while he was growing up. “He was in an accident, became a quadriplegic, and all of that was kind of closed to him,” said Malley, a member of the Westmoreland Conservancy’s board of directors...
Here’s 5 things to do in the Murrysville area this weekendVideo
You don’t need to wander far to get lost in Murrysville. In fact, you only need to journey as far as Gearhard Farms on Saltsburg Road. The 250-year-old farm, which is older than America itself, is also celebrating two decades of its corn maze, which will be open through October....
New Florence professor had a deep love of model railroads
When Merwin Weed built a train layout, he didn’t mess around — and there was no such thing as a miniature train layout. “That was always a passion for him and his brother,” Bonnie Chovanec, of Blairsville, said of her father. “They shared a bedroom, and they built a train...
Export councilman sets out on 2,500-mile antique motorcycle race
It’s a good thing Joe Ferri is handy with a wrench and knowledgeable about his 1947 Indian Chief motorcycle. Because the Export councilman is on his own should it break down during the Cross Country Chase, a 10-day, 2,500-mile antique cycle rally from Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to Key West,...
Is Netflix’s awesome ‘Dark Crystal’ series too intense for audiences?Video
Earlier this summer, a local recreation board was kicking off its summer outdoor movie series with a showing of “The Goonies.” When the rec board chairman mentioned that it was a PG-rated movie, I raised my hand to remind him “that’s a 1985 PG rating, don’t forget. They let a...
