Patrick Varine stories, Page 47
Murrysville library to host talk on Pittsburgh’s steel-making history
In the 1880s, the first steel mill was built in Pittsburgh. By the 1950s, the city’s top export had helped power the Industrial Revolution and supplied crucial materials during World War II. But why Pittsburgh? Susie Toman, a docent and educator with nonprofit Rivers of Steel, will explain at a...
Dolly Parton Imagination Library expands Western Pa. footprint
Reading Ready Pittsburgh has a pretty simple goal, according to Executive Director Mary Denison. “We’re just trying to get as many books to as many kids as we can,” she said. So it made perfect sense for the regional nonprofit to partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails free...
Elementary students invited to enter ‘Litter Hawk’ youth award program
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is accepting submissions through the end of January for its annual “Litter Hawk” Youth Award Program. Students in kindergarten through grade 4 are invited to submit a poster, fifth-graders can submit an essay and sixth-graders can submit a video. The theme for this year’s contest is “Open...
Pittsburgh’s autonomous tech will take the stage at annual CES convention in Las Vegas
Autonomous technology in Pittsburgh will be the focus, at least for an afternoon, this week at the world’s largest annual tech event. Members of four Pittsburgh-area companies will step onto a Las Vegas showroom stage Tuesday at the 2024 International CES for a panel discussion on “Building Approachable Autonomous Technology...
Wilmerding receives funding to demolish 3 blighted properties
Wilmerding code officer and Fire Marshal Al Hussey doesn’t have any specific plans for the property at 109 Middle Ave. But he sure was glad to find out the borough would be able to tear it down in the near future. “It’s literally leaning on Angie’s Restaurant next door,” Hussey...
Delmont to purchase choking prevention devices for borough, policeVideo
Delmont officials will equip their borough staff and police department with a device designed to save choking victims. Borough council voted unanimously to approve the purchase of LifeVacs. The device, created in 2016, uses a tight-fitting mask and suction to dislodge an item stuck in a person’s throat. LifeVacs have...
Penn Hills artist takes top visual art spot in ‘Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh’ art contest
Lee Price couldn’t figure out why his Cal U drawing and painting instructor didn’t seem to like him, at least not until the end of the semester. “He said he was hard on me because he saw potential,” said Price, 41, of Penn Hills. Price ended up going into the...
Penn Hills artist takes top visual art spot in ‘Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh’ art contest
Lee Price couldn’t figure out why his Cal U drawing and painting instructor didn’t seem to like him, at least not until the end of the semester. “He said he was hard on me because he saw potential,” said Price, 41, of Penn Hills. Price ended up going into the...
U.S. beer sales decline in 2023, owing to customers’ variety of tastes
Industry leaders say beer could use some love in 2024. Shipments of the long-popular brew in the U.S. fell more than 5% during the first nine months of 2023, according to an industry expert. Worse, Beer Marketer’s Insights, the industry tracker, expects sales overall in 2023 to be at their...
Export officials continue to explore taking back Italy Road from PennDOT
If Export officials ultimately decide to take back control of Italy Road from PennDOT, they will have nearly $200,000 in grant funding available for sewage work. Council President Barry Delissio announced that the borough had been approved for more than $360,000 through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Environmental Development’s...
County police: 1 in custody following McKees Rocks shooting
Allegheny County Police detectives have charged a McKees Rocks man with a shooting that took place Tuesday night in the borough. Police were called to the 700 block of Mary Street at 8:16 p.m., and found a man who had been shot twice, once in the shoulder and again in...
‘Prayer and Perfect Pairings’ combines holiday food traditions, fundraising for Greensburg diocese
Priests in the Greensburg Catholic diocese are on point when it comes to both homilies and homecooking if the annual “Prayer and Perfect Pairings” event is any indication. “It’s a fun adventure and also a great way to help fund our mission here,” said Bishop Larry Kulick, a Leechburg native...
Free tax preparation program seeking volunteers for Western Pa. sites
Jason Werner didn’t know much about taxes when he volunteered to help prepare them for others. The Atlanta native, attending the University of Pittsburgh in pursuit of a finance degree, had worked in high school and done summer jobs. But his parents always did his taxes. “I had no prior...
Chef’s themed dinners in North Huntingdon offer creativity, fun, delicious food
Nick Saxon loves the creativity that the kitchen provides . From his main job as executive chef and beverage director for Braddock’s Rebellion, the restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, to his commercial kitchen, SaxonFood Ink in Prospect, Butler County, Saxon loves nothing more than firing up a...
Victim in fatal Derry Township crash identified; Route 217 reopens
Officials have identified the person who died in a three-vehicle crash Friday afternoon at the intersection of Route 217 and Industrial Boulevard in Derry Township. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson identified the victim as David Leonard, 72, of Derry. Carson said Leonard, traveling in a red Nissan Rogue traveling south...
En garde! Western Pa. clubs explore historical German, Italian fencing
Jon Mullin and Brendan Bailey’s clash is not flashy like an Errol Flynn duel in one of those classic black-and-white swashbuckling films. Then again, flashiness is not a typical feature of effective, real-world sword-fighting. The goal is not to look impressive; the goal is to win the fight. Mullin and...
Dollar General resolves traffic issues in Murrysville store proposal
Murrysville council approved Dollar General’s plans for a store just south of Delmont along Route 66. Again. The project was originally approved in August 2022. “The developer has had some difficulty receiving (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) approvals for some of the sight-line distances and they’ve been working on that,” Murrysville...
U.S. postal inspectors: Don’t fall for counterfeit stampsVideo
While mailing holiday cards and presents to loved ones, there’s a distinct possibility that you were frantically looking for more stamps at some point last week. In fact, you may have been tempted to buy them in bulk, at a discounted rate, through any number of websites or email links....
1 taken to hospital following Pleasant Hills crash
One person was taken to the hospital following a crash Wednesday afternoon on Curry Hollow Road in Pleasant Hills, emergency officials said. First responders were called to Curry Hollow Road near Bliss Drive just after 3 p.m. Wednesday. Crews arrived to find a head-on collision and one person trapped in...
2 tractor trailers involved in Pa. Turnpike crash east of Donegal
Emergency crews responded to a Pennsylvania Turnpike crash involving two tractor trailers Wednesday afternoon, Westmoreland 911 officials said. The crash happened about 4 p.m. in westbound lanes of the turnpike at mile marker 91.2 just east of Donegal. Additional information was not immediately available....
White Township man dies after being struck by truck
A White Township man died of injuries suffered when he was hit by a truck early Wednesday morning. Indiana County Coroner Jerry Overman Jr. said Noah M. Chappell, of Winding Lane in White Township, was riding a bicycle southbound on the 500 block of Old Route 119 North when he...
From novices to experienced musicians, Western Pa.’s open stages offer chance to shine in the spotlight
When Riley Galloway gets up to sing at the weekly acoustic open stage at Yellow Bridge Brewing in Delmont, you’d never know that she’s been playing in public for only a few months. The 16-year-old Irwin resident’s voice fills the space with the confidence of someone who has been performing...
Murrysville, Export, Delmont set 1st meetings of the new year
Murrysville, Export and Delmont will all hold their annual reorganizational meetings and regular monthly meetings on the same night. All three towns will reorganize officers for 2024 and hold their regular business meetings on Tuesday, Jan. 2: • Murrysville will hold its reorganizational meeting and its first of two monthly...
Pa. education bill requires basic financial literacy for high school students
Balancing a checkbook. The basics of taking out a business loan. The impact of a home mortgage. For the average high school student, these don’t sound like exciting concepts. And in adulthood, they don’t get much more exciting. But they are essential. And state legislators want all high school students...
State, federal legislators look to keep AM radio a standard, free feature in vehicles
In recent years, some car manufacturers, including Ford, Tesla and Volkswagen, have quietly proposed removing AM radio from some vehicles. Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters think it’s the tip of a subscription-based iceberg and are hoping recent bipartisan federal legislation can stop it in its tracks. “The best...
