Patrick Varine stories, Page 40
Police: Copper wire theft suspects left identifying documents, receipt for tools at crime scene
Three Fayette County men were arrested after police said they stole more than 400 feet of telephone line and left behind a court custody notice identifying one of them, along with a receipt for tools that may have been used to remove the lines. State police in Belle Vernon were...
Franklin Regional approves summer artificial intelligence program
Franklin Regional school board members ultimately approved a summer program focused on artificial intelligence after members of its curriculum committee spoke with program organizers about their concerns. Inspirit AI is an eight-session summer program developed and taught by graduates of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Students will...
Monroeville car cruise benefits new charity each month
Car cruises are a staple of summertime in Southwestern Pennsylvania. From antique roadsters to ’60s muscle cars to giant lifted trucks, it’s not odd to pass a field with several hundred freshly washed rides on display. At Papa Rocks Pizza Pub in Monroeville, the cruises have been going for more...
Most farmers don’t mind record-setting April rain
It’s been a soggy April. And it’s about to be the soggiest, according to the National Weather Service. “Prior to today, we’re 0.27 inches away from tying the wettest April on record,” said weather service Meteorologist Fred McMullen on Friday. What that means to local farms is highly dependent on...
Celebrate the ‘stinky rose’ for National Garlic Day on April 19
It stinks so good. There are few culinary scents as unmistakable as garlic. In its raw form, it can have enough bite to rival low-level chili peppers. Roasted, it spreads smooth as butter on a thin slice of toasted baguette. You can even make dessert with it if you have...
Monroeville area: Farmers market, aromatherapy workshop, senior resource fair, more
Email news briefs to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Farmers market begins May 11 The Monroeville Farmers Market will kick off its 2024 season from 9 a.m. to noon May 11 at the Monroeville Mall between Dick’s and Best Buy at 501 Mall Circle Drive. It will take place weekly through mid-November...
Irwin veteran finds balance through martial arts, wants to help other vetsVideo
After nine years as a member of the Marine Corps infantry, Jeric Fry of Irwin felt he was fully prepared to enter civilian life when his oldest son was born. “I got out in 2014, and I kind of assumed I’d be in a good place,” said Fry, 37. “I...
Murrysville area: History talk, plant sale and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Please send events more than a week in advance if possible; the Star goes to deadline Thursday for the issue which will be mailed out the following Thursday. History, art expert at ESAL The East Suburban Artists League will welcome local history...
Delmont Stormwater Authority will discuss mandated improvements
The Delmont Stormwater Authority will meet at 6:30 p.m. May 1 in the borough building at 77 Greensburg Street. State-mandated improvements to the borough’s stormwater infrastructure are outside the borough’s annual budget, and the authority is in the process of initiating a stormwater utility to provide funding for those expenses...
‘Apis’ tells environmental story with a cast of mostly puppets
The last creature on Earth travels through time in order to try and change history in “Apis,” the final production in the New Hazlett Theater’s 11th season of Community Supported Art productions. And who is that last creature? He’s a little blue bee named Bob. And he’s one of several...
Lyons Run acid mine drainage project in Murrysville hits home for Blairsville contractor
Cleaning the acid mine drainage in Murrysville’s Lyons Run is a personal endeavor for Matt Curry, president of Blairsville construction contractor Curry & Kepple. “I grew up on School Road South. I rode my bike back there all the time, and my elementary and middle school buses ran right past,”...
Police: Skeletal remains found in Fayette County
Suspected human remains were found Tuesday in Fayette County, state police said. Authorities said they received information on a missing person and were led to an area near Washington Avenue and Hogsett Lane in North Union, where they discovered the remains. Police said a forensic anthropologist was called to the...
After 70 years, Ferri’s Supermarket in Murrysville to close
Dan Ferri can remember hitchhiking during the early 1960s from his Turtle Creek home to his family’s grocery store in Murrysville, where he and his brother Bill would stock cans at night. “My cousin had a grocery store in Wilkinsburg, and I remember some nights when we’d drive out there,...
Tax Day was just the beginning as some say getting help from IRS is ‘almost impossible’
Don’t tell accountant Mary Jo Armstrong that tax deadline day has passed. She’s still got months of work ahead of her. “We’ve probably had five people who’ve brought things in today,” Armstrong, owner at MJ Cares in Harrison, said Monday morning. In addition to some typical last-minute filings, understaffing at...
Cooper to face Republican challenger in 55th District primary
First-term state legislator Jill Cooper will face a primary challenge from a fellow Murrysville Republican this month. Cooper, 62, elected in 2022, will compete for the 55th District seat against Jamie Lingg, 50, who is in her first term on Murrysville Council. “There’s just some fundamental things that we’re not...
Delmont nonprofit wants to honor local gunsmith, highlight local history through plaques
A gunsmith who helped cement the rifle’s place in American history and two of Delmont’s landmarks will be adorned with plaques from the local historical society, if fundraising plans are successful. Jacob Earnest was born near Greensburg, and as an adult lived in the large brick house that today is...
Rostraver couple’s $1M donation will help complete Westminster College science center
Bill Maurer of Rostraver got the straight to the point when asked about his family’s $1 million donation to Westminster College. “I’m getting old,” he said. “I know there’s a need for all independent colleges as opposed to a state school, and I think it’s appropriate for those who can...
Monroeville insurance agent accused of taking $60K from clients
A Monroeville insurance agent is accused of taking $60,000 from customers by offering services that didn’t exist, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry. Henry announced felony and misdemeanor theft and fraud charges Friday against Chad G. Skena, 47, of Monroeville. Skena, who operates an insurance agency in his name,...
Penn Township commissioners consider updating solar regulations
Penn Township commissioners will consider whether to make some adjustments to the ordinance regulating solar installations later this month. The board of commissioners and staff discussed the possibility of adding language addressing commercial solar installations at the township’s caucus meeting Wednesday, spurred by a proposal for a “solar farm” on...
Monroeville area: Long rifle presentation, Pitcairn Night Market, blood drives, more
Email news briefs to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Speaker will discuss Pa. long rifle’s history The Monroeville Public Library and Historical Society will co-host a presentation on the Pennsylvania long rifle from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 22 at the Elaine Biondi Gallery Space. Presenter Doug Plance will discuss the importance...
Greensburg officials hope to finish repaving popular parking lot by Friday
Greensburg officials will continue work Thursday on the next section of the Helman-Ghrist parking lot on North Main Street, depending on the weather. “This week our objective is to get some of the binder down, then hopefully finish the top by Friday,” said city Public Works Director Tom Bell. “I...
Youngwood woman pleads guilty to fraudulently renting cars in exchange for drugs
A Youngwood woman pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to fraudulently renting cars out of a Monroeville rental car business in exchange for heroin. Jackie Lynn Neubauer, 41, pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and access device fraud in connection with a case originating in December 2022. According to police...
Price tag for Franklin Regional’s Heritage Elementary demolition edges upward
The cost for the demolition of Franklin Regional’s Heritage Elementary School is going up after more asbestos was found that needs to be removed. In 2022, the cost of the project jumped from an estimated $400,000 to more than $1 million following the discovery of asbestos in the original roof...
Honky-Tonk Jukebox host pays homage to ‘Bloomfield Sound’ on new record
Once a month, a historic German singing club in Bloomfield is transformed by cowboy hats, rhinestone jackets and plenty of boots, courtesy of the Honky Tonk Jukebox. The Jukebox is hosted by Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Jon Bindley and his band, Bindley Hardware Co. They play their own songs, cover classic honky-tonk...
Totality plunges Erie, surrounding region into darknessVideo
ERIE — The timing in Erie couldn’t have been better for a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, which shrouded the city in darkness for a few minutes Monday afternoon. A dreary morning gave way to sunshine and clear skies around 2 p.m. as the moon began carving ever-larger chunks out of...
