Patrick Varine stories, Page 28

Members of a family that just moved to the Franklin Regional School District from overseas might not have the confidence to get up at a school board meeting and ask a question. But get a few of those families together for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, and conversations start...

Jill Cooper thought there was a lot of energy swirling around at the 2016 Republican National Convention during Donald Trump’s initial candidacy for president. That was before attending this week’s convention in Milwaukee. “The energy was off the charts,” said the state representative from Murrysville, who attended the convention as...

Delmont officials are always looking for additional volunteers to help with the borough’s annual Delmont Daze celebration. This year is no different. The Delmont Daze committee will host its final organizational meeting before the festival at 6 p.m. July 22 at the borough building, 77 Greensburg Street. “We’re very excited...

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Pizza party fundraiser The Delmont Public Library will host a pizza fundraiser from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 10. Families will be able to purchase a pizza and two beers for $30. Pizza will be provided by the nearby Fox’s Pizza Den, and the...

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Backpack giveaway, more Christian Life Church, in conjunction with The Well Corporation of PA, will hold its fourth annual backpack giveaway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on August 10 at the Trafford church, 900 7th Street. This event is...

Franklin Regional Intermediate School science teacher Brienne May thought she understood the problem micro-plastics posed to the environment. Then she took a look through the lens of a microscope, at what appeared to be a completely empty petri dish full of water from Lake Erie. “I saw a rainbow of...

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Monroeville Chorus seeks new voices Monroeville Chorus, formed in 1953, is seeking new adult members who love to sing, spread joy and happiness. No audition is necessary, and all voice ranges are welcome. The group performs for community events and...

A cast member from the former hit Lifetime reality series “Dance Moms” was charged with driving under the influence after a crash in Murrysville. Christina M. Lukasiak, 47, of Mars was charged following a June 27 crash on Logan Ferry Road near Remaley Road, according to court records. Police said...

Allegheny County Police are investigating a stabbing in Penn Hills that left a teenager in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. Police were called about 4:40 p.m. to the 1100 block of Hamil Road, where they located a teenage male who had been stabbed multiple times. He was taken to an area...

A new chaperone policy at the four pools operated by Allegheny County that goes into effect Tuesday is an effort to increase safety and create a more enjoyable experience everyone, officials said in a Facebook post. The policy comes on the heels of a similar one enacted at the Highland...

The death of a Westmoreland County man following an early July arrest on public drunkenness charges is being investigated as a homicide, Allegheny County police said Monday. West Mifflin Police arrested the 31-year-old man, whom police did not identify, around 3 a.m. July 5 after they responded to a report...

More than 850 West Penn Power customers were without electricity as of 8:45 p.m. Monday, after strong isolated storms moved through the area damaging utility poles and downing trees. A sizable area of Penn Township between Harrison City-Export Road and the Pennsylvania Turnpike was affected by the outage, according to...

The Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its regulations to allow a licensed adult hunter to bring more than one novice along. Through the commission’s mentored hunting program, children or adults are guided by a mentor, an experienced, licensed hunter who teaches the basics of hunting and gun safety. The program...

A Hampton man pleaded guilty to four counts of securities fraud after prosecutors charged him with engaging in 160 trades of Dick’s Sporting Goods stock after receiving insider information from a company employee. Frank T. Poerio Jr., 62, made the transactions between August 2019 and May 2021, U.S. Attorney Eric...

Delmont officials awarded $1.34 million of sewage work on Tuesday, one of the major steps in addressing a state consent order to curtail sewage overflows. The work will include the installation of a sewage interceptor on Christy Road, as well as the relocation of a force main on property in...

Delmont Daze committee meeting The organizing committee for the annual Delmont Daze borough celebration will meet at 6 p.m. July 22 at the borough building, 77 Greensburg Street. Anyone interested in volunteering or helping with the festival is invited to attend. Delmont Daze will be held from 11 a.m. to...

Miss Independence Diana Novak was named Miss Independence 2024 and Ava Cook the runner-up at the annual Miss Independence awards lunch­eon on June 15. Miss Independence and her court rode on the Independence Day float in Monroeville’s July 4 parade. This is the contest’s 60th year. Online giving event for...

The Gateway School Board adopted a final 2024-25 budget in June that includes a 1.21 mill increase in property tax rates. Expenditures in the $94.8 million budget are down just under $1.4 million from the 2023-24 budget. Millage will increase from 22.8507 to 24.0684 mills. Under the new rate, a...

Last year, Delmont Pilgrimage organizers expanded their annual event to include one specifically for children, and the only problem they encountered was a self-imposed limit on ticket sales. That will change in 2024, when the Pilgrimage Jr. will expand to offer 400 tickets for families to experience a kid-centered re-telling...

Latrobe rapper Sean Lewandowski, who goes by the moniker Sean Ski, spent his spring playing Canadian venues with fellow MC Chris Webby on his “Last Wednesday” tour. And after a couple more shows, he’ll get a chance to headline his first Pittsburgh performance in August. “After I do two shows...

An annual car show this weekend will raise money for Franklin Regional student scholarships, in memory of 2021 Panther graduate Damian Bearley, who died in a 2021 car crash in Derry Township. The fourth Long Live Damian Bearley Car Show will be from 3-7 p.m. Saturday at the Cook Township...

When it comes to whiskey, creeks often figure into their monikers. Knob Creek. Rowan’s Creek. Corner Creek. But Vince Mangini of Crabtree didn’t grow up swimming in creeks; he grew up swimming in the “crik.” The popular Western Pennsylvania term for a small stream makes a humorous appearance in “Crabtree...

Blessing of the pets Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church will hold a pet blessing service from 10 to 11 a.m. on July 7. The service will be held under tents in the courtyard of the church, 1622 James St During the service, each pet will be blessed by a minister. The...

Emergency crews have been called to the scene of a fire in Pittsburgh’s California-Kirkbride neighborhood. Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 8:30 p.m. to a house near the intersection of St. Ives and Lamont streets on the North Side. An Allegheny County 911 supervisor said no injuries had been reported as...