Patrick Varine stories, Page 62
Idea for ‘Mister Rogers’-themed Lego set winning support
A man’s childhood memories of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” could lead to the world-famous Latrobe native becoming the subject of his own Lego set this year. When the covid-19 pandemic shut down businesses around the world, it didn’t take long for Matt Smith to begin looking back to his younger days....
Westmoreland Pollinator Partners set sights on boosting local butterfly population
Penn State Extension Master Gardener Deb Christopher wants people to learn what to feed their local monarch butterflies. “Once you know what’s good for the monarchs, you know what’s good for most of the other pollinators,” she said. Christopher is part of the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, a consortium of 26...
Salem gymnastics team racks up first-place finishes in 2022-’23 season
Hannah Gentile has been part of the gymnastics world for most of her life, first as a gymnast and then as a coach. In 2019, she and her fiancee Seth Feroce “decided we wanted to get a little more serious with it,” Gentile said. Less than four years after opening...
Penn-Trafford senior wins third student Emmy for public service announcementVideo
Penn-Trafford High School’s video production students are no strangers to bringing home hardware from awards competitions. They regularly earn nominations and wins at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Student Production Awards. That group includes senior Phelan Newman, who brought back two NATAS Awards from this year’s Mid-Atlantic...
Seven Wonders has SummerSounds organizer wondering if it’s biggest crowd yetVideo
The music of Fleetwood Mac has something that can appeal to almost anyone. From strident rock anthems to poignant break-up songs, anyone who can appreciate a well-constructed tune can find something to like. That — plus a beautiful Friday evening in Greensburg — may help explain why the Fleetwood Mac...
Police: McKeesport teen last seen in late April
McKeesport police are seeking information about a teenage girl last seen by her family in late April. Sade Wheeler, 16, was last seen around 7:40 p.m. April 28, according to a news release. She was reported missing from her Boyd Street home and was last seen wearing a red hooded...
2 patients flown from Salem crash
Two people were flown by medical helicopter following a multi-car crash in Salem, according to Westmoreland emergency officials. Fire and paramedics were called to the intersection of Route 819 and Bowman Road just after 3 p.m. for a two-vehicle crash, according to a Westmoreland 911 supervisor. Landing zones were set...
Forecasters: Early heat wave precedes cooling off this weekend
Summer doesn’t officially arrive for another few weeks, but don’t tell that to the sun. Friday is expected to be the crest of the mini heat wave that’s blanketed the region this week, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Bill Modzelewski. “So far we’re at 87 degrees in Pittsburgh,” Modzelewski...
VA set to open $92 million multi-specialty outpatient clinic in Monroeville
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic behind Monroeville Mall won’t just provide a nearby medical facility for the eastern suburbs — the region of Western Pennsylvania with the highest concentration of veterans. It also will clear congestion on “Cardiac Hill” in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, where VA officials soon...
Export marks Memorial Day with parade
Scouts marching in Export’s 2023 Memorial Day Parade carried with them an American flag which once flew over the USS sanctuary, a hospital ship deployed during the Vietnam War....
Murrysville area: Splash pad opening, youth skills camps, farmers market and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Splash pad opens June 5 The splash pad at Murrysville Community Park will open for the season on June 5. The area includes a splash pad, playgrounds for children ages 2-5 and 5-12, with a zip-line for children ages 5-12, two water...
Write-in votes will shape council races in Export, Delmont
Pending official certification by the Westmoreland County Elections Board, local council races in Export and Delmont will be shaped in at least some way by write-in votes. In Export, where there are three council seats up for election in the fall, incumbent Councilman Joe Ferri ran a write-in campaign. He...
Ohio man found not guilty of attempted homicide in Duquesne Heights shooting
An Ohio man was found not guilty of attempted homicide in connection with a March 2022 shooting in Pittsburgh’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood. Neil A. Toalston, 28, of Alliance was found not guilty following a three-day jury trial last week in Judge Jennifer Satler’s Pittsburgh court. Toalston and his girlfriend were...
North Huntingdon woman battles 2 autoimmune diseases
After finding the correct combination of diet, exercise and holistic medicine, Cara Zanella found a way to live with the rheumatoid arthritis that affected her life for nearly two decades. She was able to do it without the use of medication, but the North Huntingdon woman with a passion for...
Mammoth Fest features arts, food, music
Mammoth Fest will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Mammoth Park in Mount Pleasant Township. Visitors can purchase an all-day pass for $4 which includes unlimited access to carnival rides, a petting zoo, kiddie-train rides, a Nerf obstacle course and a rock-climbing wall. The afternoon will...
Brick Fest Live returns to Monroeville this fall
When Carlajane Donovan and other organizers for the Lego Brick Fest Live event were looking to make a return to in-person events following covid restrictions in 2021, they turned to Monroeville. “We only did nine shows from September 2021 through the end of the year, and the very first one...
Franklin Regional seniors headed to national Future Business Leaders of America competition finals
Franklin Regional students Augusto Butkewitsch and Jacob Toniolo can add three more words to their word-based video game — “Pennsylvania,” “state” and “champions.” The seniors from Murrysville came out on top in the computer games and simulation programs category at the statewide high school competition organized by the Future Business...
Google’s ‘Safety Roadshow’ comes to Franklin Regional
A team from the Google Safety Roadshow talked with Franklin Regional Middle School students about internet safety on Friday. Franklin Regional officials have been emphasizing the concept of “the five C’s” with students — creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication and citizenship. “We want to make sure you’re productive citizens and...
Murrysville area: Art exhibit, chalk festival, wine fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Library exhibition features east-suburb artists East Suburban Artists League will present an exhibition featuring members’ artwork at the Elaine Biondi Gallery Space in Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd., from May 26 through June 20. The public is invited to attend...
Officials identify man found in wooded area in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found Wednesday morning wrapped in a tarp and left in a wooded area. Police were called to the 400 block of Ardary Street in the city’s Garfield neighborhood, where they found a Black man whose body had been...
Shell Appalachia fined $10 million for air quality violations from Beaver County ‘cracker’ plant
Shell Chemicals Appalachia will pay nearly $10 million for air quality violations during the commissioning of its petrochemical plant in Beaver County. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Shell will pay a $4.9 million civil penalty, with 25% going to local communities. Along with $5 million for environmental projects to benefit...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail Community Festival will include poker run
The annual Westmoreland Heritage Trail Community Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 3 in Trafford, and this year will include a poker run. In addition to basket raffles, a DJ, fishing for kids, food vendors, ice cream, face-painting and more, the festival will include a...
Jacobs Creek Watershed Association to host ‘Young Naturalist Camp’
The Jacobs Creek Watershed Association will host a “Young Naturalist Camp” in June at Laurelville Retreat Center in Mount Pleasant Township. The overnight camp will be June 11-13 and is the successor to the association’s “Tot-Time” and “Nature Explorer” day camps for children ages 11 to 13. Programs during the...
‘Creating Connections’ at Westmoreland Museum to be focus of talk in Murrysville
Erica Nuckles, director of learning, engagement and partnerships at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, will be the featured speaker at the next “Boomers and Beyond” speaker series in Murrysville. It will be at 11:30 a.m. June 13 at Mother of Sorrows social hall, 4202 Old William Penn Highway in...
Westmoreland woman wins $1M in ‘Millionaire Maker’ scratch-off game
Pennsylvania Lottery officials will recognize another $1 million winner from Westmoreland County at the Shop’n Save in Latrobe on Wednesday. Diane Babbin will be presented with a commemorative check after winning $1 million the “Millionaire Maker” scratch-off game. Western Pennsylvania has seen a number of sizable lottery winners this spring....
