Patrick Varine stories, Page 175
FTMSA: Murrysville-backed bond will save customers $400,000
Murrysville council back a $12 million bond issue by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority as the authority addresses a host of issues with its system and its new chairman said customers can expect another rate hike further down the road. “We know that we’ve got way more than $10...
Medic One officials will present ‘Stop the Bleed’ program focused on early trauma treatmentVideo
When Alex Hribal roamed the halls in 2014 slashing at classmates and district employees with two large knives, first responders acted quickly and were able to ensure no lives were lost. That was due in no small part to the emergency medical equipment they carry for treating trauma, including things...
Murrysville council will consider backing FTMSA’s $12 million bond
Murrysville council on Wednesday night will discuss backing the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority’s $12 million bond issue and accept easements from two local property owners for storm water improvements. FTMSA officials are asking council to back the bond issue, $10 million of which will be used to tackle ongoing...
Murrysville Army vet enjoyed fishing, camaraderie
Ronald Germanoski carried the lessons — and more importantly, the camaraderie — he learned in the Boy Scouts well into manhood. “When he was young, he was in the Boy Scouts, and he dropped out just a few merit badges shy of becoming an Eagle Scout,” said his son Brian,...
Lawrenceville landscape artist will discuss ‘plein air’ painting at ESAL meeting
There’s really no big secret about how Ron Donoughe got into the plein air art movement — he wanted to be a painter, and he also wanted to be outdoors. “It wasn’t a big fad when I started with it in the 1980s,” Donoughe siad. “But there were some painters...
Delmont Farmer’s Market will return to the borough this summer
After spending a summer next door in Salem Township, the Delmont Farmer’s Market is coming back to the borough in 2019. Vendor Amanda Bank told borough council members she and market patron Alice Heasley plan to organize the market in its original location, the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street....
Franklin Regional delays contracts on elementary consolidation project
Franklin Regional school board members did not award contracts Monday for the estimated $54 million construction project to consolidate its elementary schools onto one campus. The agenda for the board’s committee-of-the-whole meeting Feb. 4 listed “awarding of prime contracts for the Sloan Elementary Additions & Alterations Project and the New...
Franklin Regional will replace turf, track for 2019-20 school year
Franklin Regional students will have a freshly-turfed field next school year as part of a $1.78 million district capital improvement plan approved for 2019-20. The $1.2 million project, which includes the football field as well as resurfacing the surrounding track, accounts for the bulk of next year’s capital improvement plan....
Murrysville Woman’s Club plans fashion-show fundraiser for April
The annual Murrysville Woman’s Club Spring Fashion Show fundraiser will take place April 13 at the Lamplighter Restaurant. It will begin at 10 a.m., with a breakfast buffet and fashions from Chico’s in Monroeville, modeled by members of the club. There will also be a wine basket raffle and a...
Afrofuturism Network founder will speak at Pitt-Greensburg this week
“Afrofuturism” may have been coined as a term in the mid-1990s, but its mark can be seen across the spectrum of black culture over the years. Loosely defined as the intersection of African diaspora culture with modern technology, it could be glimpsed in the out-there jazz and space-age costumes employed...
Westmoreland Conservation District will host Q&A sessions Tuesday, Wednesday
Last year, one of the Westmoreland Conservation District’s rain gauges measured 72 inches of total rainfall — far above the typical 40 to 45 inches that the region sees annually. “It really brought home the stormwater issues we have,” said Kathy Hamilton, stormwater technician and landscape architect at the conservation...
Penn-Trafford cheerleaders earn top-10 finish at national competition
The Penn-Trafford high school cheerleading squad made its first-ever trip to the UCA National Competition, held in Florida, and finished among the top 10. Teams from 50 states and several international squads competed, showcasing group stunts and tumbling skills. The Penn-Trafford squad finished 10th in the competition’s Large Varsity Division...
Franklin Regional cheerleaders post top-20 finish at national competition
Franklin Regional varsity cheerleaders returned to the Universal Cheerleaders Association’s National Competition for the first time in the past three seasons this year, and coaches Courtney Shovel and Nikki Ziringer liked the results. “We set a pretty clear goal at the beginning of the season: qualify for nationals,” she said....
Franklin Regional students prepare to stage ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’Video
Last year, as “Young Man with Clipboard” in Franklin Regional’s production of “42nd Street,” junior Jonah Hartman only had one line to worry about: “Yeah.” On the afternoon of Valentine’s Day, he was dangling at the edge of a faux skyscraper window-ledge, pleading with the woman his character loves during...
Somerset police uncover meth lab during child-welfare check on Valentine’s Day
Somerset police discovered a meth lab operation during a child-welfare check on Valentine’s Day. Officers were dispatched to a home on the 400 block of High Street shortly after 3 p.m. on Feb. 14. When they arrived, they noticed several containers on the porch “consistent with what is used in...
Penn Twp. man loved golf, Albanian family roots
Theodore Peshkopia came home one day with a surprising announcement for his wife. “He said he and a partner had bought a 100-acre property in Penn Township,” said Joanne Peshkopia. Considering that Mr. Peshkopia was an elementary school principal at the time, his wife wasn’t sure what to make of...
Franklin Regional school board expected to award Sloan project bids next weekVideo
Franklin Regional school board officials are expected to award bids Monday night for a project that will see the renovation of Sloan Elementary School and the construction of a second elementary building on the Sloan property, off Sardis Road in Murrysville. Bids were opened on Feb. 12 for the project,...
Clarion PennDOT crews recognized for effective, green management of salt stockpiles
A PennDOT District staff in Western Pennsylvania has been recognized for its efforts to effectively manage winter road salt storage and to be environmentally conscious about its application. Crews from PennDOT’s District 10 in Clarion County received five of 55 “Safe and Sustainable Snowfighting” awards from the Florida-based Salt Institute....
Inspiration for ‘Pittsburgh Dad’ video series dies
The inspiration for the Steel City-based YouTube series “Pittsburgh Dad” died on Monday. Greensburg native Curt Wootton announced on the “Pittsburgh Dad” Facebook page on Wednesday that his father, Keith Wootton, passed away earlier in the week. Curt has portrayed the “Pittsburgh Dad” character since 2011 on YouTube, posting videos...
Delmont council holds off on one-way designation for alley
Delmont Council this week tabled until March a decision on whether to designate a small alley as one-way. Shaun Blackham of Delmont, who lives across Spring Alley from Trinity United Church of Christ, said Tuesday he doesn’t understand why it needs to be designated as one-way. “I’ve basically maintained it...
Franklin Regional students create ‘virtual art’ using grant-funded VR consolesVideo
Thanks to a grant from the FR Panther Foundation, Franklin Regional students now have a chance to step inside their artwork. A $6,300 grant from the foundation funded the purchase of two HTC Vive virtual reality consoles, which art teacher Denielle DeSantis is using in her classes. “Prior to this,...
State Rep. Justin Walsh announces candidacy for Westmoreland County judge
State Rep. Justin Walsh this week announced his candidacy for judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Westmoreland County. Walsh, R-Rostraver, touted 22 years of experience as an attorney, legislator and small businessman. He pledged to continue his work protecting local families and their Constitutional rights as judge. “Recent...
Delmont residents look to form ‘visionary committee,’ will meet Wednesday
Several Delmont residents are looking to form a “visionary committee” as they prepare for the arrival of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in the borough. Annamarie Stackiewicz of Delmont said those interested in forming the committee would be meeting for the first time at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Delmont...
Delmont seeks bids for 2019 road program
Delmont officials will seek bids for a 2019 road program that includes parts of West Pittsburgh Street, Stotler Drive, Cupp Way and Greensburg Street. Borough council members voted unanimously to advertise the road program at their Feb. 12 meeting. In order of priority, the sections proposed include: • The remainder...
Dominion plans to reduce methane emissions 50 percent by 2029
Dominion Energy officials on Tuesday announced their intent to reduce methane emissions from their natural-gas infrastructure by 50 percent over the next decade, the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road for a year, or planting 180 million trees. The primary focus will be on reducing and eliminating...
