Patrick Varine stories, Page 161
Periodical cicadas perform ‘natural pruning’ on trees across Western Pennsylvania
Drive through nearly any part of rural Western Pennsylvania and it won’t take long to notice: little clumps of dead leaves at the ends of certain tree branches. Fall hasn’t arrived early. The phenomenon is called “flagging” and is the work of the periodical cicadas from Brood VIII, who emerged...
Police plan to crack down on aggressive driving in Western Pa.Video
Risk is a daily, accepted feature of the job for Murrysville police Officer Ryan Auvil. But that doesn’t make it any less frightening when a tractor-trailer driver fails to move into an adjacent lane — to “steer clear,” according to current state law — as Auvil is writing a ticket...
Export man enjoyed traveling, fishing and family
One of Dawn Lingafelt’s strongest memories about her father Ronald revolves around his love of fishing. “I remember him dragging us out of bed at 6 a.m. to dig worms out of the yard and put them in a coffee can before we’d go fishing,” Lingafelt said. Fishing was Mr....
Derry teacher in the running for $100,000 ‘Tools for Schools’ award from Harbor Freight
Two Pennsylvania teachers, including one from Derry, are in the running to receive up to $100,000 for their high schools’ skilled-trade programs. Roy Campbell, an agriculture mechanics teacher at Derry Area High School, along with Robert Brightbill, a construction teacher at Dauphin County Technical School in Harrisburg, are semifinalists in...
Astronomy association will host ‘star party’ in Murrysville
The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will host a “star party” at 8:30 p.m., July 28 at Murrysville Community Park. There will be a short presentation on stargazing and the universe. Afterward, guests will be able to view the sky through association members’ telescopes. Jupiter and Saturn will be visible,...
Westmoreland Fair ‘the only place we have to showcase our products and educate people’Video
Pennsylvania’s top industry is still agriculture, but that’s little consolation to farmer and Westmoreland Fair President Craig Lash. “This fair is the only place we have to showcase our products and educate people about where their food comes from,” Lash said. Lash, the sixth generation of his family to go...
Sen. Bob Casey to host live-stream hearing on robocall fraud targeting seniors
Delaware County Sheriff Jerry Sanders knows all too well how sophisticated robocallers and phone scammers are becoming. This spring, con artists began “spoofing” the sheriff’s office phone number to try to scam local residents. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton and the ranking member of the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging,...
Proper diagnosis of tick-borne disease can cost in pain as well as payment
Greg Shogan of Monroeville estimated he underwent 20 brain scans to try and diagnose a series of strange ailments, which ultimately resulted in a diagnosis of Lyme disease. While early detection can generally result in positive treatment, Shogan had gone years without meaningful medical intervention. Shogan isn’t sure how much...
Murrysville soccer association accepting fall registrations
The Murrysville Area Soccer Association (MASA) is taking registrations for the 2019 fall season. Boys and girls with birth dates in 2015 and earlier are eligible to participate. MASA offers both in-house programs and a travel program. The in-house program is run by Doug Phillips and includes U-6 (under 6)...
Youth chorus group will host ‘Summer Singers’ camp in August
The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus will host its annual “Summer Singers” day camp Aug. 5-9 at the Pittsburgh Opera headquarters in the city’s Strip District neighborhood. The camp is for children ages 7-10, and will teach fundamental vocal skills along with hosting fun activities and special guests. Children are encouraged to...
Joy Riders kick off biking program at Cedar Creek Park for people with limited mobilityVideo
Carol Storez of West Newton gets out of the house often enough. But at 87 years old, she’s not exactly ready to hop on a Huffy and pedal around Cedar Creek Park in Rostraver. “I can’t ride a bike myself anymore,” she said. Now she doesn’t have to: Storez was...
State police prepare to host Sunny Day Camp for children, adults with special needs
The state police’s annual Camp Cadet summer program offers children a chance to meet and interact with law enforcement. A few years ago, a trooper in the Lancaster area decided that opportunity should also extend to children and adults with special needs or disabilities, and the Sunny Day Camp program...
Fairfield man worked long hard hours, but always made time for family
Many of A.J. Liberoni’s childhood memories of her father, William Williams, are of how hard he worked to provide for his family. “He ran a bulldozer at the Conemaugh Generating Station, and he’s run it in freezing temperatures so he could provide for us,” said Liberoni, a Latrobe resident. “He...
Westmoreland food bank seeks to expand ‘senior food box’ programVideo
Hunger-Free Pennsylvania Executive Director Sheila Christopher is happy 1,300 Westmoreland County seniors take advantage of the food boxes available each month through the group’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program, or CSFP. Unfortunately, it represents only 10% of the county’s eligible seniors, and Christopher, along with county food bank CEO Jennifer Miller,...
FBI seeks leads in 1994 murders of Beaver County girl, 2nd from Ohio
A quarter-century has not abated the FBI’s desire to find out who killed Sarah Boehm and Kathryn Menendez and left their bodies in an Ohio park. Boehm was 14 when she was last seen alive leaving her Rochester Township home in Beaver County on July 14, 1994. Her body was...
Dump truck overturns in Rostraver
One person was reported injured Friday after a dump truck overturned on Tyrol Boulevard in Rostraver. The crash, which was reported at 6:45 a.m. at 200 Tyrol Boulevard, according to Westmoreland County 911 dispatchers, included a fuel spill as well. A post on the Rostraver-West Newton Emergency Services Facebook page...
Irwin woman receives national award for infection prevention efforts
Terri Lee Roberts of Irwin has made infection prevention her life’s work, and that work was honored recently with the 2019 Heroes of Infection Prevention Award for Education, presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. Roberts is a senior infection preventionist at the Patient Safety Authority...
Vendor applications for Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival due next week
Organizers for the Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival are accepting vendor applications through July 15. The festival will be Aug. 17, noon to 8 p.m. along Washington Avenue in the borough. Vendor applications are available at ExportPennsylvania.com. The cost is $50, and can be made payable to the Export...
Another Pittsburgh GBK gang member sentenced on drug distribution charges
A Pittsburgh-area gang member was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison on drug distribution charges, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said on Tuesday. Brett Rodgers, 33, of Pittsburgh, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months after pleading guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack...
Penn-Trafford grad will join Shinedown onstage at KeyBank PavilionVideo
When hard rock band Shinedown takes the stage Wednesday at KeyBank Pavilion, Penn-Trafford High School alumni from the late ’90s and early 2000s will see a familiar face onstage. Josh Sturm of Murrysville, a 2000 Penn-Trafford graduate, will join the band onstage after a brief stint filling in for bassist...
Heinz Field to host job fair for veterans, spouses
A job fair for Pittsburgh-area veterans will be held July 11 at Heinz Field on the city’s North Shore. The free event for veterans, military spouses, transitioning military, reservists and National Guard members will include more than 50 employers. The event, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., is hosted by...
Duo from renowned Russian dance troupe will perform in DelmontVideo
World-renowned Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya will bring two of its members to Delmont on Aug. 2. The free performance will be at 6 p.m. at St. John the Baptist de la Salle Chuch, 497 Athena Drive. It is being presented through a grant from the Westmoreland County Bureau...
Greensburg nurse ‘was always a friend to the underdog’
Carmella Neil helped found a church in Delmont, played violin, cared for thousands of people during her nursing career and made two trips to China in her 70s and 80s. “She was pure love, she was fair and she was always a friend to the underdog,” said her son, David...
Deutschtown Music Festival brings more than 300 bands to 30 venues on North SideVideo
It might seem that, after six years of organizing the Deutschtown Music Festival, the logistics would get easier. But when more than 300 bands and 30-some venues are involved, it’s always a challenge, according to organizer Ben Soltesz. “It keeps getting bigger,” said Soltesz, 46, of Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood....
Export officials keep busy with projects throughout borough
A ribbon-cutting for the next phase of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail is officially scheduled for the Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival on Aug. 17, council member said recently. But the trail isn’t the only improvement project happening in the borough this summer. Council ran down a list of projects...
