Patrick Varine stories, Page 21
Monroeville man sought by Murrysville police
A Monroeville man is wanted on assault and terroristic threat charges stemming from an incident in Murrysville, police said. Travis F. Brown, 37, is accused of violating a protection-from-abuse order by visiting an Oregon Street home on Dec. 21, 2024. A woman who lives at the home told police Brown...
Franklin Regional school board hears concerns about bus safety
A Murrysville resident and a Franklin Regional school board member would like to see the district’s school buses ease up on the gas pedal. “There’s a large group of buses in the morning and afternoon that come down Mamont Road, and they’re moving at a pretty good clip,” said Tom...
Murrysville window company earns 5th business ethics award, unveils diabetes fundraiser
The first time the Better Business Bureau called Energy Swing Windows to let them know they’d won its ethics award, co-owner Betty Rennekamp hung up on them. “She’s a real pit bull, and I mean that in the best possible way,” said Energy Swing Vice President Donnie Darragh. Rennekamp thought...
Franklin Regional cheers on special-needs athletes in annual Clelian Heights game
Franklin Regional Senior High School Principal Ron Suvak loves to see the joy on the faces of Clelian Heights school basketball players during the annual game the Panthers host for the Catholic educational, vocational and residential facility that serves people with developmental disabilities. But even more than that, he loves...
Fee hike for parks, ballfields on the table for Murrysville council
Murrysville officials next month will consider raising fees for groups renting its park pavilions, facilities and athletic fields. “The reality is, costs go up,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said. “That includes things in our everyday lives as well as the cost of municipal government.” Fees for pavilion rentals at...
Murrysville area: Space program, park hikes, comedy fundraisers and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Space program at Murrysville community center The Murrysville Recreation Department will host “Mad Science: Space Phenomena” from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 14 at the Murrysville Community Center at 3091 Carson Avenue. Franklin Regional students do not have school on Feb. 14....
Monroeville area: Library golf, spaghetti dinner fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Library mini golf The Monroeville Public Library will host a miniature golf fundraiser that will turn the library itself into the golf course on Feb. 22, with sessions for all ages and for adults. The all-ages session will take place...
Gateway school board may vote on racial discrimination lawsuit settlement next week
Gateway school board members are mulling whether to pay $50,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by an alum who claims she was not hired as the district’s athletic director because she is in an interracial marriage. The lawsuit, filed in 2021 Korie Morton-Rozier claims she experienced race discrimination...
Monroeville author’s next book highlights Pittsburgh’s memorable sportscasters
Tom Rooney remembers working at Bard’s Dairyland on Pittsburgh’s North Side in the late 1960s, with the Penguins game on in the background. “Ed Conway was the first Penguins announcer, and I’d be at Bard’s, serving customers and trying to figure out what was happening in the game at the...
Cold, flu and covid cases down from last year, but post-holiday spike has arrived
Western Pennsylvania is a little healthier than last year in terms of flu, covid-19 and respiratory virus cases. While the overall figures are down, local health systems said doctors’ offices and hospitals are in the midst of a post-holiday spike in all three. “We’ve definitely seen an uptick, and that’s...
Delmont plans to repave Greensburg Street this year
Delmont officials are considering the best way to move forward with their annual paving program, for which the 2025 goal is repaving Greensburg Street. Borough council members were hoping to also secure a state grant to repave Freeport Street, but it did not come through. Greensburg Street was last paved...
Murrysville authorizes emergency demolition for damaged White Valley garage
Murrysville officials are hoping a White Valley property owner demolishes a fire-damaged garage on their own, but one way or another, it’s coming down. The garage, at the rear of a property on Carolina Street, was heavily damaged in a Jan. 8 fire. Murrysville Council on Wednesday authorized the emergency...
Sheetz creates playable Fortnite map, contest with $25K in prize money
You can already go on a “Sheetz run” in real life and earn points using the convenience chain’s rewards program. But savvy Fortnite players will soon be able to go on a virtual Sheetz run and compete for up to $10,000 in prize money through a custom map in the...
Martin Luther King’s legacy celebrated in Greensburg
Garrett Mock was born decades after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg student says it’s up to people of all ages and races to carry on the civil rights leader’s legacy. “It’s up to us to carry on the...
PennDOT to host virtual meeting on next round of Highland Park Bridge work
The public will get a look at the next phase of improvements to the Highland Park Bridge on Wednesday. PennDOT officials will host a virtual meeting at 5 p.m. to discuss future work plans and traffic restrictions for the project, slated to begin in 2027. The next round of work...
1 dead, 1 in critical condition following Duquesne shooting
A man is dead and a woman in critical condition after being shot early Monday morning in Duquesne, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders were called to the 100 block of Commonwealth Avenue just after 5 a.m., where they found a man and woman who’d been shot. The man...
Morning Roundup: Chimney catches fire in Murrysville
Here are news items for Monday, Jan. 20, 2025: Chimney fire in Murrysville Emergency crews were called to fight a chimney fire Monday morning in Murrysville. Authorities closed a portion of Christy Road shortly after 8:15 a.m. as firefighters worked to douse a chimney fire that had made its way...
1 dead in Rankin house fire
Rankin officials confirmed that a woman died of injuries in a house fire Sunday. First responders were called to a home on Miller Street around 2 p.m., according to TribLive news partner WTAE. A woman found in an upstairs bedroom was taken to a hospital where she later died of...
On eve of Trump inauguration, some immigrants fearful, unsure what to expect over next 4 yearsVideo
All eyes will be on Washington, D.C., on Monday, as Donald Trump is sworn into office as the 47th president of the United States. Pittsburgh immigration attorney Ellen Freeman, however, will be watching for a different reason. “Immigrants feel scared,” she said. Trump made immigration a central theme of his...
Pittsburgh author’s book chronicles her family’s journey with autism
Jennifer Briggs and her husband struggled through their early years as parents. Their daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. She was nonverbal. It was a struggle to ensure she ate enough to stay healthy. “We’d tried lots of therapies, and nothing was working,” said Briggs, 47,...
Writers sought to help fill Latrobe with poems for National Poetry Month
A little less than a year ago, Bobbie Hineline of Latrobe was strolling through the village of Saranac Lake in upstate New York, when she realized every storefront had public-facing placards bearing poetry. “In the Adirondacks, which is a big, big area, there’s a writers’ group that sponsored this project,...
Monessen fire department president charged with unauthorized use of department bank account
A former Monessen volunteer fire department president has been charged with stealing more than $30,000 from the department’s bank account over the past four years, according to city police. Stephen A. Gaydos III, 49, of Monessen, is charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, access device fraud and...
Monroeville area: Catholic schools week, walk with a doc, bingo, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Catholic Schools Week activities Divine Mercy Academy will kick off Catholic Schools Week Jan 27-31 with a student mass at 11 a.m. Jan. 26 at Christ the Divine Shepherd Church, 245 Azalea Drive in Monroeville. An open house will from...
Murrysville area: AAUW member earns national award, nature hikes, Lunar New Year celebration and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW member receives national award Murrysville American Association of University Women member Judith Johnson has been named the 2024 AAUW Named Gift Honoree Award recipient. Johnson has been a member of the Murrysville chapter for more than 50 years, including president in...
Salem continues development review for concrete plant that’s already developed
When a Salem business owner asked if his building could encroach on the township’s established front-yard setback, planning commissioners opted not to make any recommendation and allow the board of supervisors to decide. The reason? The building is already there. It is part of the Daniels Concrete business on Route...
