Patrick Varine stories, Page 34
Outages, downed trees follow fast-moving storms
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...
New rule allows mentor to lead up to 3 novice hunters in Pennsylvania
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...
Hampton man pleads guilty to trading Dick’s Sporting Goods stock using insider information
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 awards $1.34 million sewage project, next step in state consent order
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...
Murrysville area: Delmont Daze, community band concert and more
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...
Monroeville area: Concerts, golf outing, food pantry fundraiser, more
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...
Gateway adopts 2024-25 budget with 1.21 mill tax hike
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...
Delmont Pilgrimage organizers will host ‘Christmas in July’ fundraiser
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 returns from tour, will headline August Hard Rock show
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...
Car show will help fund Franklin Regional scholarships in memory of Murrysville teen
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...
‘House of the Dragon’ is running out of likable charactersVideo
(NOTE: Spoilers ahead for season two of “House of the Dragon” through episode four. Does not contain any book spoilers from “Fire & Blood.”) Once upon a time in the mid-1990s, my father sat down to watch Quentin Tarantino’s seminal 1994 film, “Pulp Fiction.” He has never been a huge...
Crabtree church will have its own bourbon to sell at summer festival
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...
Monroeville area events: Pet blessing, golf outing, more
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...
No injuries reported in North Side house fire
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...
Trump to make Butler County stop shortly before Republican convention
Donald Trump will make a campaign stop in Butler County on Saturday, July 13, according to the former president’s website. Trump will host a 5 p.m. event at the Butler Farm Show grounds, 625 Evans City Road. The farm show, itself, does not take place until August. It will be...
Sharon man charged with 1st-degree murder in the killing, dismemberment of teen
A Sharon man has been charged with killing and dismembering a missing 14-year-old teen. State police charged DaShawn Watkins, 29, of Sharon with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse in connection with the death of Paul Likens Jr., who was initially reported missing on June 25, and was suspected...
Murrysville swears in new police chief, captain
Murrysville has a new police chief and a new police captain. Former Capt. Tom Kusinsky was sworn in Monday to replace retiring Chief Tom Seefeld, and Dave Coleman was promoted replace Kusinsky as the department’s police captain. Seefeld retired after a career spanning more than four decades and multiple police...
Murrysville area: Senior parking passes, memorial bonfire fundraiser, ‘Christmas in July’ and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Garden work party The Delmont Public Library’s “Delmont Diggers” group will host a summer garden weed-and-mulch work party on July 12. Volunteers of all ages are invited to bring garden tools, shovels and gloves if available, to help clean up the library’s...
Learn about the coyote lifestyle at Murrysville Community Park
Coyotes are not out there hunting for your tiny dog, Pennsylvania wildlife experts say. But they are opportunistic predators, and smaller canines are similar enough to the rabbits, squirrels and other small game that coyotes regularly hunt. A Pennsylvania State Game Warden and local wildlife expert will be on hand...
Pa. Senate bill could limit citizens’ ability to make Right-to-Know requests
Six state senators are seeking to place a limit on the number of Right-to-Know requests that citizens can file with government agencies in Pennsylvania. “Numerous entities such as state agencies, municipalities and school boards frequently report that they are overwhelmed by burdensome Right-to-Know Law requests,” said state Sen. Cris Dush,...
Red Cross hoping for at least 190 blood donors at drive in Hempfield
In January, American Red Cross officials declared an emergency blood shortage in the U.S., citing a 20-year all-time low in donors. The Red Cross supplies roughly 40% of the nation’s donated blood and blood components like plasma. Red Cross officials will host a July 15 blood drive at Charter Oak...
Heatwave is good news for some crops, farmers say
At Sacred Gate Farm in Kiski Township, where Lorraine Krezolek and her husband sell pick-your-own blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and more, the only thing the recent heat wave affected was the customer count. “It’s been really great for us,” Krezolek said. “Last year, we dug a 500,000-gallon pond, and we’ve been...
Hometown champ: Monessen honors former world heavyweight boxing champion Michael Moorer
Monessen honored one of its most famous sons on Saturday, recognizing former world heavyweight boxing champion Michael Moorer at the city’s Celebration in Park for his recent induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Moorer, 56, won the light heavyweight title in only his 12th professional fight, and not...
Westmoreland County coroner: Woman identified who died in Lower Burrell porch fire
A woman died after suffering burns in a porch fire Friday night in Lower Burrell, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Carson identified the victim on Saturday as Jennifer Bates, 42, Lower Burrell. Carson said her death was the result of a residential porch fire. Lower Burrell police and...
County police: 2 men’s bodies found in Montour Run Creek, no signs of foul play
As divers were retrieving a man’s body that was reported floating in Montour Run Creek on Friday afternoon in Moon Township, they discovered a second body nearby, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders were dispatched to the creek, which is in the area of the Montour Run Trail just...
