Patrick Varine stories, Page 179
Fencing classes start Jan. 29 in Murrysville
En garde! A Plum couple will begin their annual fencing classes at the end of the month in neighboring Murrysville. Deb Theriault and her husband, David, have been fencers for more than four decades now. They have taught the art for more than 35 years, and their classes will begin...
Criminal justice reform advocate will speak at Pitt-Greensburg
Criminal justice reform advocate and author Shaka Senghor will be the featured speaker Jan. 23 at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Senghor is a best-selling author and award recipient for his work in advocating for prison reform and addressing the negative effects of the prison-industrial complex. He is also...
Murrysville library welcomes new director Emma BeaverVideo
Emma Beaver will never forget her elementary school librarian. “She worked tirelessly to promote reading,” said Beaver, who took over as director at the Murrysville Community Library on Jan. 14. “It didn’t matter whether you liked reading; it was about bettering your life.” Beaver, 32, of Uniontown comes to Murrysville...
Export welcomes new councilman Vince Harding
Vince Harding is the newest Export Borough councilman. Harding was sworn in at council’s Jan. 8 meeting. He replaces Ed Persin, who resigned halfway through his first full term in November. Harding will serve through 2019, and a two-year term will appear on the next primary election ballot. Patrick Varine...
Franklin Regional’s Piraino recognized as Pa. superintendent of the yearVideo
It was only fitting for Gennaro Piraino to be sitting at Saint Vincent College as he received recognition as the Pennsylvania School Administrator Association’s 2019 Superintendent of the Year. Originally slated for Harrisburg, poor weather moved the recognition luncheon to the Unity school, just a few miles from Piraino’s hometown...
New Medic One garage will bring all its equipment under one roof
Murrysville Medic One officials need a little more room, not for themselves but for their vehicles. The nonprofit emergency service took out a loan to build a new $500,000 garage behind its existing facility off Sardis Road. “Since the last addition to the Medic One building about 15 years ago,...
Clarion named Pa.’s River of the Year by public vote
The Clarion River, a tributary of the Allegheny, has been voted Pennsylvania’s 2019 River of the Year. The public was invited to vote online, choosing from among four waterways nominated across the state. Results were announced jointly on Wednesday by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the...
‘Dining to Donate’ will raise funds for Murrysville library programs
Reading the Applebee’s menu — and ordering from it — on Jan. 22 will help keep local residents reading books and enjoying programs at the Murrysville Community Library. Applebee’s on William Penn Highway will donate 15 percent of sales from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to the library as part...
Blackburn Center, Murrysville library to host program on human trafficking
It might be hard to imagine that something like human trafficking goes on in Westmoreland County. But human trafficking cases do not always involve international intrigue, with mysterious shipping containers hiding women who will be delivered into the hands of U.S. sex traffickers. Sometimes they are much simpler, though no...
’80s cover band Velveeta will headline Penn-Trafford baseball fundraiser
The Penn-Trafford 12U All-Star Baseball Team is looking to do some fundraising, and they’ve discovered a particularly “cheesy” way to do it. A Feb. 16 concert by 1980s cover band Velveeta will be at 7 p.m. in the Harrison City Volunteer Fire Department’s Harrison Room, 1010 Mill Street in Irwin....
Pittsburgh-area meteorologists track potential for mega-snowfall
KDKA Meteorologist Ron Smiley typically takes to Twitter early each week to share a social media video of the seven-day snow forecast. About 3 a.m. Monday, he was a little hesitant. “I almost don’t even want to do it because of how big these totals are that are coming in,”...
Joy Riders program will provide bike rides to people with limited mobilityVideo
As soon as Karen Primm of Smithton saw the video — about an Australian man who designed a tandem bicycle with a wheelchair in the front, so that his disabled wife could go out on rides with him — she knew she needed to bring something similar to Pittsburgh. Luckily...
Murrysville council will vote on petition to redistrict voter precincts
Murrysville council this week will consider lending its support for a petition to redistrict municipal voting precincts. Long voting lines during the past two elections have caught municipal officials’ attention, and they are looking at working with the county to make some changes. All seven of Murrysville’s precincts contain more...
Fracking back on Murrysville’s agenda in the coming weeks
Two of Murrysville’s board and commissions will have fracking issues back on the agenda in the coming weeks, beginning Tuesday night. The Murrysville Planning Commission will host a 7 p.m. public workshop on the Titan well pad application, proposed by Canonsburg driller Huntley & Huntley. The Titan well pad is...
Mt. Pleasant woman traveled abroad, helped travelers at home
When her husband was being shifted around the world during his time as an Air Force radar operator, Adeline Newell got used to traveling. After they returned home, she was the one helping travelers during two decades as a Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collector, mostly at the Donegal interchange. “She worked...
Franklin Regional Youth Lacrosse opens spring 2019 registration
Training for Franklin Regional Youth Lacrosse’s spring 2019 season begins Jan. 26, and sign-ups are open. Sign-ups are critical for planning the coming season, officials said, as it gives them an idea of how many players will be available for each team and how many must be recruited to have...
Murrysville, state forestry service will partner on backyard sustainability workshop
When state forestry officials piloted a 2018 workshop showing people how to maximize the natural use of their property, they were impressed with the results. “We had a great turnout with more than 200 people at Butler County Community College,” service forester Celine Colbert said. “The feedback we got was...
Navy band will host live webcast of ‘Jazz Origins’ performance
The United States Navy Band Commodores jazz ensemble, which marks its 50th anniversary in 2019, will present “Jazz Origins,” the second episode of the band’s “Origins” series in a live webcast on Jan. 22. A jazz combo will explore multiple styles including ragtime, Harlem stride, blues, second-line, Dixieland and others...
South Butler schools will be in ‘modified lockdown’ on Friday
A student’s threat against the South Butler County School District led to what district officials called a “modified lockdown” last Monday, Jan. 7. With rumors still circulating through the community, Superintendent David Foley announced in a Jan. 10 letter posted to the district’s website that the district will implement a...
Mining could cause section of I-70 ‘to settle about 2 to 5 feet in some areas’
At some point in 2019, PennDOT officials expect parts of Interstate 70 could sink up to five feet between the West Virginia line and the Claysville interchange in Washington County due to longwall mining. “When longwall mining occurs, the interstate can be expected to settle about two to five feet...
DEP must take a closer look at air-quality permits for Mariner East processing facility
The processing equipment designed to handle natural gas liquids from Sunoco’s Mariner East pipelines was unlawfully issued an air-quality permit, according to the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board. The board ruled on Wednesday that the state’s Department of Environmental Protection erred in assessing multiple projects at Sunoco’s Marcus Hook, Pa., facility...
Mt. Lebanon photographer finds warmth, humanity on trip to Cuba
Photographer Jay Kuntz of Mt. Lebanon was curious about what he viewed as “the chaotic relationship between the U.S. and Cuba,” and decided to use that as the inspiration for a photo essay. The result of that trip is Kuntz’s “Portraiture of Cuba: Character & Emotions” gallery, which will be...
Irwin police officer loved sports, especially racquetball
Chances are good that if you hurt yourself horsing around in Irwin Park during the 1960s and ’70s, you went to John O’Connell’s house to call your parents. And if your injury was a little more serious, it was probably Mr. O’Connell who took you to the emergency room. “We...
Bluegrass pickers converge on Butler for annual January Ice Jam festivalVideo
For the past 21 years, the second weekend of January has meant one thing to western Pennsylvania bluegrass fans. It meant a pilgrimage to Butler for the annual January Ice Jam, where 25 bluegrass bands from the region will gather along with thousands of fans and fellow pickers at the...
Netflix: What if Carmen Sandiego was a thief who only stole from other thieves?Video
Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? And when the heck did she become one of the good guys? Those are the questions that a brand-new Netflix series, based on the 1980s educational video game and subsequent television game show, aims to answer. Premiering Jan. 18, the animated series will...
