Patrick Varine stories, Page 48

Murrysville officials will hire a company to clean 2 to 4 miles of Lyons Run, a tributary of nearby Turtle Creek, that is being polluted with acid mine drainage. “It’s a pretty large and exciting project,” said Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico. The project will clean the heavy metals present...

Murrysville woman named club president The International Women’s Club of Monroeville recently introduced Louise Esposito of Murrysville as the club president for the 2023-‘24 year. Esposito has been a member since 1996. Esposito was born in New York. Her mother was Italian and her father was Swiss-French. She grew up...

Franklin Regional teacher Christine Klemstine couldn’t have been more surprised when eighth grader J.T. Esposito performed his audition for the middle school’s fall play. “He had half of the script already memorized,” Klemstine said. “I couldn’t believe it.” Memorizing 20 pages of dialogue is a big enough challenge for an...

Export council members are taking the first steps to reclaim Italy Road from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Over the years, Export has handled winter maintenance of Italy Road within the borough, for which they receive PennDOT funding of about $1,000 per year. Council authorized the winter maintenance agreement at...

Terri Miller of Hempfield remembers watching her father, Carl Masciantonio, directing the Jeannette Community Band from his podium. She can remember watching him onstage playing tuba. And she remembers playing under his direction as a Jeannette student. Those memories will come flooding back Sunday, Oct. 15, when the Jeannette Community...

Long before he beat Evander Holyfield to become the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1994, Michael Moorer would cross the Monongahela River from his home in Monessen to his grandfather’s house in neighboring Charleroi, where he would cut the grass and help plant an annual garden. He can still remember...

A 22-year-old Monongahela man died after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Route 30 early Sunday, Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said. Police said Dominic A. Bottino, 22, of Cedarwood Drive in Monongahela, was walking across a divided section of Route 30 in the area of Dollar Bank shortly...

Pittsburgh Police arrested a South Side man with outstanding warrants after he showed up at a family member’s home. Police were called to the 3200 block of Edwards Way just before 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning. Xuan Sayles, 19, of Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood, was wanted on charges of aggravated...

Tracy Leskey remembers when the brown marmorated stink bug became “explosively invasive” in the early 2010s. “We had significant crop losses, some homeowners had thousands trying to overwinter in their houses,” said Leskey, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Fruit Research Station in West Virginia. Leskey...

Following the annual Garden Party fundraiser, officials at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier Valley are planning several upcoming fall programs. This year’s garden party featured two curated exhibits showcasing local artist J.D. Titzel and antique Bryce Glass, as well as music by Pittsburgh group RML Jazz. Felting...

It’s easier than you might think to find parts for a 1928 Ford Model A. “It’s one of the most popular antique cars out there,” said Ron Giuliana of Irwin, who secured himself one of the few available shady spots at the 11th annual Bushy Run Car Cruise, held Saturday...

Pugs of all shapes and sizes were snuffling, snorting and sending up good-natured barks during Pugfest, held Saturday at the Kingston Veterans & Sportsmens Club in Derry Township. There were tiny, svelte black pugs with long craning necks. There were traditional-colored pugs with, perhaps, no chance of ever enjoying the...

University of Pittsburgh and city police are seeking information about a man who robbed two people early Friday in the city’s Oakland neighborhood. Campus police posted a crime alert to their X (formerly Twitter) account at 1:50 a.m. Friday alerting students to a robbery that occurred on the 300 block...

American Red Cross officials honored a security employee for the Pittsburgh Pirates whose quick thinking helped save a life during his first day on the job this summer. Patrick Benedict was working his first shift as game-day security at PNC Park on June 7 when he noticed a co-worker choking...

A man died after jumping into the Allegheny River early Saturday, and a second man who dove in after him was rescued, according to Pittsburgh police. First responders were called to the Ninth Street Bridge around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday for reports of witnesses who saw a man run from...

Franklin Regional might undertake a student mental health survey that is generating debate about how much a school district should get involved with the issue and to what extent parents should be included in those decisions. School directors recently delved into the issue, with district officials defending a proposed student...

Bonsai tree workshop The Murrysville Community Library, Murrysville Garden Club and municipal recreation department will present “The Ancient Art of Bonsai,” about bonsai tree cultivation, at 6 p.m. Oct. 16. Murrysville resident Dave Metzgar will discuss the history of the art form, what constitutes a bonsai tree and will show...

Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits store is adding some international flavor to the whisky section this month, with several Japanese varieties available at select stores and online. The crown jewel in the group, at least based on price, is an 18-year-0ld Hakushu single-malt peated whisky created to celebrate Suntory...

Officials in Ohiopyle, the small Fayette County borough surrounded by Ohiopyle State Park, estimate they need $650,000 to fix the local sewage treatment plant and make related repairs. State officials say Ohiopyle’s sewage system takes in more wastewater than it can handle. But the town has fewer than 30 permanent...

Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy will have to wait a little longer to say “Damn Right Farewell” to Westmoreland County, after announcing that his Sept. 28 show will be rescheduled to April 7, 2024. “My medical team has advised me to reschedule some of my upcoming shows,” Guy, 87, said...

It’s not just that Lynn Jablonowski didn’t have any boating experience. She was also actually afraid of the water. But she’d overcome breast cancer, and with help from members of the Hearts of Steel dragon boat racing team, she overcame her fear of water, too. Everyone on the Hearts of...

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Registration open for Delmont cyclo-cross race The Delmont Visionary Committee will host its second annual “Hammer the Hills of Delmont” cyclo-cross race. It will be at 9 a.m. Nov. 11 at Shields Farm. The race is a challenging course with wooded trails,...

Throughout September, Westmoreland County residents may have noticed red sand filling in the sidewalk cracks at prominent locations such as Independence Health System hospitals, the county courthouse, local libraries and Seton Hill University. A sign accompanying the bright red sand notes that it is part of the Red Sand Project,...