Patrick Varine stories, Page 37
Pittsburgh man charged in mini-mart armed robbery
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in the May 26 armed robbery of a convenience store. Jamill Roberts, 18, of the city’s Middle Hill neighborhood, was charged in connection with the robbery of the Samba Minimart on Bedford Avenue, according to court records. Police said he is one of two...
Missing Pittsburgh man found dead in Ohio River near McKees Rocks
A 24-year-old man’s body was found in the Ohio River early Friday morning, about a week after he had been reported missing. Pittsburgh police announced May 24 that detectives were looking for Mohamed Elhadi Mohamed, who was last seen May 22 in Pittsburgh’s Central Northside neighborhood. Police were called to...
Murrysville area: Glass recycling, bingo and more
Rewind Reuse Center summer mini-camps The Rewind Reuse Center in Export will host a series of summer mini-camps for children who have completed grades 1-6. The registration fee is $5 per child, per session. Each session will have 16 students with a waitlist. The sessions will be: • June 18...
Tastyland plans 2nd location in former Monroeville bicycle shop
The owners of Tastyland on Route 66 north of Greensburg are nearing completion on an expansion and renovation at the longtime summer roadside attraction. This week, they announced that expansion will include a second location in Monroeville. “We were talking about doing a fast-casual location, something like a Chipotle or...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in Youngwood fire; teens charged in vehicle thefts
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 30: 1 injured in Youngwood fire One person was taken to the hospital after a fire broke out early Thursday morning at a home along Silvis Farm Road, according to Westmoreland County emergency officials. The fire was...
From Apollo to Mt. Lebanon to Blawnox to Ligonier, bluegrass has a home in Western Pa.Video
Mt. Lebanon’s John Mackin got his first taste of bluegrass music as a young boy in the mid-1950s. Mackin, 74, recalled listening to two women sing “Foggy River” as a man accompanied them on fiddle inside a barn on a Monroeville farm. The farm is long gone, having given way...
2 men charged with stealing more than $4,000 in groceries from Giant Eagle
Police are looking for two men who have been charged with stealing more than $4,000 in groceries from the Giant Eagle grocery store in Glenshaw, according to police. Arrest warrants were issued late last week for Sergio Lombardo, 30, of Pittsburgh and Benjamin Coghe, 30, of Pittsburgh, charged with retail...
Pa.’s fracking wastewater could be a reliable source of lithium, study says
Newly published research by a University of Pittsburgh doctorate student estimates that up to 40% of the lithium needed in the U.S. could be extracted from wastewater created by unconventional drilling operations in Pennsylvania. Most batteries used in technology — like smartwatches and electric cars — are made with lithium,...
Police say West Wilmerding fire chief choked fellow firefighter
West Wilmerding’s fire chief faces a court date on assault charges, after police say he choked another firefighter during an emergency call in May. James R. Pusey, 33, of North Versailles was charged Tuesday with simple assault and misdemeanor terroristic threats. According to a criminal complaint, West Wilmerding was one...
Clairton man killed by train
A Clairton man has died of injuries he sustained when he was struck by a train Tuesday evening, according to the Allegheny County coroner’s office. Richard Knox, 63, was struck by a train shortly before 7 p.m. along the 1200 block of North State Street. He was taken to the...
Morning Roundup: Grand jury charges Cranberry man in cruise ship strangling
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 29: Cranberry man charged in cruise ship assault A Cranberry man has been charged in federal court with strangling another person while aboard a cruise ship. A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh indicted Quintin Owens, 27, of...
Off-duty trooper accused of entering Connellsville home, assaulting resident
An off-duty state trooper from the Uniontown barracks is accused of forcing his way into a Connellsville home and assaulting a man, according to state police. James T. Stevenson Jr., 29, of Connellsville, was charged Tuesday with felony aggravated assault and trespassing. According to a criminal complaint, Stevenson arrived at...
Game commission partners with Maryland Zoo to boost Allegheny wood rat population
State game commission officials think Pennsylvania could use a few more rats. But not the kind that would cause a restaurant to fail its health inspection. The rodent in question is the Allegheny wood rat, and it mostly prefers a nice big pile of rocks to a commercial kitchen. “These...
Westmoreland clay target shooting clubs prepare for state tournament in Elysburg
Madi Gavrish is in her first year with Penn-Trafford’s target shooting team, but she’s been destroying clay pigeons for the past two years. “I’ve shot for 4-H since seventh grade,” said Gavrish, who is preparing along with members of her own team and several others in the region for the...
Police charge Pittsburgh man with Reserve bank robbery
A Pittsburgh man has been charged in connection with a May 16 bank robbery in Reserve, according to Allegheny County Police. Detectives had been investigating a robbery at Dollar Bank on Mount Troy Road. Through multiple surveillance videos, images of the suspect fleeing the bank and witness interviews, police were...
New traffic signals set to launch at Routes 286 and 380 in Murrysville
Temporary traffic signals are being installed where Route 380 and Golden Mile Highway meet, but the permanent improvements proposed for the intersection have a Murrysville family upset. Canonsburg-based Olympus Energy is funding traffic improvements as part of its Hermes fracking well pad project, being constructed nearby on the Murrysville/Plum border....
‘Music of the Heart’ showcases nonprofit’s music therapy clients
Katie Harrill has seen what music can do for people’s social and emotional states. As the supervisor of the Creative Arts Program and one of many music therapists at Wesley Family Services, Harrill has extensively worked with clients across various developmental stages. Despite the program’s inception 23 years ago, she...
‘Quiet Epidemic’ delves into chronic Lyme disease
Pennsylvania has had the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in Lyme disease cases for 11 of the past 13 years. The tick-borne illness can be difficult to diagnose, and the vice president for the PA Lyme Disease Network said multiple mild winters are not going to help. “We continue...
Murrysville area: Trail poker run, theatre guild scholarships, glass recycling and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Theatre guild students earn scholarships Senior members of the Franklin Regional Theatre Guild were presented recently with $500 scholarships. Crew member Emie Ayres plans to attend Penn State University; actor Charlotte Pokol will attend the University of Tennessee; crew member Mary Taddonio...
Monroeville area: Plant sale, history speaker series, music camp, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Plant sale on June 2 The Garden Club of Monroeville will hold its annual plant sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 2. It will be in Pavilion 1 at Monroeville Community Park West, 2399 Tilbrook Road. Annuals, vegetables,...
Forbes Road students take cybersecurity presentation to national business competition
This time last year, Forbes Road Career & Technology Center teacher George Karnbauer was keeping an eye on three of his students as they gave a cybersecurity presentation, making sure to jump in if he felt like something needed clarified or explained. Last month, Karnbauer sat in the audience as...
Development featuring $2M homes proposed near Murrysville Community Park
Murrysville council is considering a developer’s proposal to build 24 luxury homes with an average price of about $2 million just south of Wiestertown and Hilty roads. Paul Fischione initially approached the municipality with a request to rezone about 55 acres near Murrysville Community Park to create 28 large single-family...
Murrysville mulls options to fix weight-reduced bridge on Old William Penn Highway
Murrysville council appears to be leaning toward closing part of Old William Penn Highway this summer in order to repair a small bridge that has been subject to two weight restrictions in recent years. The bridge carrying Old William Penn over Turtle Creek, just west of Export, had its weight...
Seattle homebuilder offers home kits based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural principles
For the right price, you can stay in one of several homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, situated in Mt. Pleasant Township’s Polymath Park. But if you are so inclined, you could also have a similar design of your very own. Seattle-based Lindal Cedar Homes offers a line of Wright-inspired...
Summerhill residents question second-phase development in Murrysville
Several residents of the Summerhill neighborhood in Murrysville questioned whether it was appropriate to build an additional 61 townhomes in a development served by private roads. “My main concern is safety, especially those coming in and out onto Logan Ferry Road,” said Denise Gibson, one of a group of residents...
