Patrick Varine stories, Page 158
Judge hears arguments in Franklin Regional’s Sloan ‘elementary campus’ appeal case
Judge Harry Smail has a lot to consider in an appeal of Murrysville council’s approval of an “elementary school campus” project for the Franklin Regional School District. Smail heard oral arguments Wednesday in Common Pleas Court from attorneys representing three parties to the appeal — the municipality, school district and...
Franklin Regional opens school year with new website, stadium upgrades
Franklin Regional school officials made upgrades to their football field as well as their website in the run-up to the new school year. Online visitors will see a brand-new, revamped website launched in mid-August with a simplified address: FRSDk12.org. The new site features a revised directory, new teacher pages and...
Scottdale woman ‘got herself involved in every single organization she could’
Vicki Clark of Mt. Pleasant can’t remember her mother ever sitting down to relax. “She would be involved in so much,” Clark said. “She would call every single person in per phone book, she quit her job to babysit our girls. She got herself involved in every single organization she...
Franklin Regional OKs $35 million bond sale for Sloan Elementary projectVideo
The Franklin Regional School Board agreed to issue up to $35 million in bonds to fund the bulk of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, the same week that the district will be in court to face a group opposed to the plan. The project includes construction of a new elementary...
March for Parks surpasses $1 million in fundraising
The county’s annual March for Parks event has surpassed the $1 million fundraising mark, as residents, businesses and organizations have come together since 2003 to raise money for improvements at places like the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, Mammoth Park and Cedar Creek Park. The 17th annual March for Parks this past...
Pittsburgh policeman charged with June hit-and-run on North Shore
A Pittsburgh police officer has been arrested and charged in a June hit-and-run crash on the city’s North Shore that left a cyclist with a concussion. Brian M. Martin, 35, of Pittsburgh’s Westwood neighborhood, was charged Friday with accidents involving death or personal injury, reckless driving and drunken driving. Police...
Delmont dedicates new basketball court
Delmont officials were joined Thursday by Dedicated Nursing Associates President Craig Fusting, along with many of his employees, to dedicate a new basketball court a Newhouse Park. Dedicated Nursing Associates funded the majority of the new court’s cost, and it is emblazoned with their logo and their red and black...
Road realignment, amphitheater are big-ticket items in Murrysville capital improvement plan
Murrysville officials have about $10 million in road projects planned for the next five years, including the next steps in the proposed realignment of the intersection of Sardis Road, Logan Ferry Road and Franklintowne Court. Finance director Diane Heming said $600,000 generated from traffic impact fees has been budgeted to...
3 injured in two-vehicle crash in Mt. Pleasant Township
Three people were injured in a two-vehicle crash early Friday night in Mt. Pleasant Township, county emergency officials said. At least one person was taken by ambulance from the scene of a crash at the intersection of Route 981 and Hecla Road, according to Westmoreland emergency dispatchers. The crash was...
TribLive Taste Test: Frozen Garden Fusion CubesVideo
On today’s TribLive Taste Test, we try out Frozen Garden’s Fusion Cubes. The frozen blend of fruits and herbs can be dropped into a glass of drinking water, where they infuse it with flavors like orange-pineapple-rosemary and strawberry-lemon-basil. You can also drop more than one into a glass, which at...
Former Irwin police officer loved hunting, fishing, family
Mark Garbin can remember his father, Alfred, coming home for lunch and dinner, Irwin police car gleaming and his uniform pressed. “He was always working,” Mark said of his father’s 27 years with the borough police force. “He loved being a police officer and doing the right thing.” Alfred A....
Westmoreland Fair brings rides, revelry and rabbit agilityVideo
It’s easy to tell that Alan Lipscomb works outdoors. Lipscomb’s face glowed with the deep pink of a fading sunburn Thursday morning as he cleaned the lead car of the Dragon Wagon children’s roller coaster on the grounds of the Westmoreland Fair, which opens Friday and runs through Aug. 24....
TribLive Taste Test: Aji White Fantasy & Carolina Reaper peppersVideo
On today’s TribLive Taste Test, we decided to unnecessarily torture ourselves by trying a couple of hot peppers from staff writer Patrick Varine’s home garden. Well, technically we tried one very tasty pepper — the Aji White Fantasy pepper — and then subjected ourselves to a small sliver of hell...
Delmont paving program to begin ‘within two to three weeks’
Delmont residents are likely to see road crews in the borough “within two to three weeks” to start the borough’s 2019 paving program, engineer Kevin Brett said at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Borough officials secured a loan of about $292,000 for paving work on West Pittsburgh Street, Stotler Drive and...
DEP consent order aims to identify FTMSA issues by 2022
Delmont Councilman Bill Marx is not happy about signing a consent agreement with no sense of how much it might someday cost the borough. “I’m going to be honest, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to be told that we have to sign onto this without knowing what it’s going...
Export festival marks official opening of Westmoreland Heritage Trail’s 4th phase
The annual Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival often marks the unveiling of something new and positive for the borough. “In the past we had the unveiling of the (restored Turtle Creek Valley Railroad) caboose, and last year we unveiled a mural, so it’s really nice to do a little...
Franklin Regional marching band tickles the ivories for 2019 halftime show
Roll over, Beethoven — the Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band has a few new piano pieces for you. That is the theme behind the band’s 2019 marching show. “’Roll Over Beethoven’ is the theme, and it’s all based on piano-centered pieces,” said senior Lane Kline, one of the drum majors....
Labor officials: Colorado company violated overtime pay laws in 21 Pa. counties
A Colorado company will pay more than $18,000 in back wages and damages for overtime pay violations in 21 Pennsylvania counties, including Allegheny and Westmoreland, following a federal investigation. U.S. Department of Labor officials announced Tuesday that Huwa Enterprises, an environmental restoration company based in Keenesburg, Colo., violated overtime provisions...
Eddie Murphy to star in Netflix biopic of ‘Dolemite’ creator Rudy Ray Moore
This is the space where I’d normally insert an appropriate and hilarious Dolemite quote to kick off this story. But anyone familiar with Dolemite — the kung-fu-fighting, crass-rhyming pimp character created by actor and blue comedian Rudy Ray Moore in the 1970s — will know that there are no quotes...
World War II vet caddied on same golf course where his father was killed by lightning
Mel Cirincione caddied at the 1935 U.S. Open, on the same Oakmont golf course where his father was killed by a lightning strike only a year earlier. His father Frank was cutting grass on the seventh tee July 20, 1934, when he was struck and knocked 4 feet back from...
Perseids meteor shower peaks this week, with annual show continuing until Aug. 24
There’s really only one big rule when it comes to enjoying the annual Perseids meteor shower, which was expected to peak Monday night into early Tuesday morning but will continue for another couple of weeks. “You have to be looking up,” said Ken Kobus, who has been a member of...
Pitt-Greensburg presentation will focus on ‘going solar’ with a community co-op
“Going solar” — that is to say, creating a solar-powered method for generating a home’s electricity — can be a daunting prospect for the average homeowner. But what if a bunch of the people in your neighborhood were doing it at the same time? That was the driving force behind...
Staycation destination: Westmoreland Heritage Trail
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail offers cyclists a chance to see the county’s natural beauty and rich history, all while getting some exercise. While a section connecting Export and Delmont has yet to be completed — that section presents the difficult problem of how to safely cross Route 66 — with...
Murrysville officials budgeting funds to address storm water damage
As Murrysville officials look at potential capital improvements over the next five years, one issue is starting to consume a larger percentage of the capital budget — damage from storm water. “We lost half of Beighley Road with the storm that came through Plum a couple weeks ago, and we...
‘God’s blessing’: Murrysville family farm predates AmericaVideo
The Murrysville land farmed by Herb Gearhard and his family is older than America. The Gearhard farm, the oldest continuously worked farm in Westmoreland County, dates to the late 1760s, and marks its 250th anniversary this year. On April 3, 1769, Robert Hays paid 45 pounds, two shillings and sixpence...
