Patrick Varine stories, Page 66
Murrysville area: Craft fair, author talk, garden-club scholarships and more
Email news briefs an event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Craft fair at Murrysville library The Murrysville Community Library will host a May 6 craft fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include handmade jewelry, home decor, candles, wreaths, knitted and crocheted items, wood crafts, coffee, chocolates and more. Some...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will host first education fair in Youngwood
Belle Vernon Area School District Superintendent Kenneth Williams is looking for a few good men and women interested in education. And he is hardly alone. “School districts have been struggling with finding high-caliber candidates to fill positions for quite some time,” Williams said. With that in mind, the Westmoreland Intermediate...
Stotler Drive residents ask for help with trees on Delmont property
Delmont Borough didn’t have possession of a property near Newhouse Park for long before issues began to arise. Actually, it was more than likely the wind that arose, bringing down a few trees on property west of Stotler Drive that brought out several neighbors to borough council’s meeting Tuesday night....
Baldwin police seek information on suspicious series of brush fires
Baldwin Borough Police suspect that a half-dozen brush fires reported in rapid succession on Tuesday may have been intentionally set. “We responded to a total of six scenes within minutes of each other,” police said in a post to the department’s Facebook page. Police are asking residents with outdoor-facing cameras...
State police seek suspect in Hempfield break-in
State police are seeking information about a man who was caught on camera breaking into a Hempfield home March 30. The male suspect forced his way into a Nash Street home just after 8 p.m., smashing in a side door and taking a Hewlett Packard 15-inch laptop computer and money,...
Westmoreland roller derby team finds new home in Salem
Six months ago, the women of the WestCo Roller Derby team were getting ready to mark their 10th anniversary and play their first game since 2019 when it was unexpectedly canceled at the last minute. “It was an emotional blow to us, but we’re a resilient team,” said WestCo President...
‘Perseverance’ tells story of Squirrel Hill jeweler’s journey from Holocaust camps to U.S.
During his nearly four decades at the G&S Jewelry Store in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Melvin Goldman created custom jewelry. But the shiny pieces belied Goldman’s much-darker journey to reach the United States. His story will be told onstage Saturday and Sunday at the New Hazlett Theater, when “Perseverance” opens....
There are plenty of rabbit songs for your Easter playlistVideo
The Easter Bunny is hopping all across the world today, inexplicably leaving eggs behind despite being a mammal. There are also plenty of songs about rabbits to pad out your Easter playlist for today’s holiday get-together. Here are just a few. “Rabbit in a Log” (Trad.) This traditional folk tune,...
Hometown hero: Export veteran spent eight months as a prisoner of war during World War II
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities. Theodore Lattanzio 1924-2001, Export At most other times in history, Export native Ted Lattanzio...
Easter Bunny takes to the air to deliver Easter eggs to event in Murrysville
An aerial payload of hundreds of colorful Easter eggs were dropped from a helicopter during the first ever “Helicopter Easter Egg Drop” at Bella Terra Stables in Murrysville. Also planned were egg spoon races, sack races, other games and entertainment for kids. The unique skyward egg hunt event was organized...
Pysanky takes practice at Greensburg art workshopVideo
Spring Cassidy of North Huntingdon is pretty sure she’s just going to buy a standard egg dye kit from the store next year. “This is not easy,” said Cassidy, as she worked to create a delicate design on her egg using a traditional Ukrainian kistka, a short wooden dowel rod...
Duquesne man arrested after fleeing traffic stop, crashing into another driver
A Duquesne man faces a host of charges after police say he fled a traffic stop Thursday night and crashed into another driver, sending his car off the ground and spinning in the air. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Duquesne police pulled over a driver they said was switching lanes...
Pittsburgh Public Schools files suit against social-media companies
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have filed a federal lawsuit against multiple international social media companies, accusing them of fomenting “an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by (their) addictive and dangerous social media platforms.” The school district filed the suit April 6 against Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), Meta Payments, Siculus,...
2 injured, 1 critically, in Hazelwood and Beltzhoover shootings
Two people were injured, with one in critical condition, following two separate shootings late Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood and Beltzhoover neighborhoods, according to police. Police responded to a shots-fired call just before 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of Boggs and Warrington avenues in Beltzhoover. They arrived to find a...
Longtime firefighter, paramedic named Murrysville Volunteer of the Year
Rick O’Mahony of Murrysville answered his first emergency call in 1964. “You can do the math,” he said. “I’ve been in it ever since.” O’Mahony was named the Murrysville Volunteer of the Year at Wednesday’s council meeting. He is a longtime paramedic, firefighter with Murrysville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1,...
Murrysville Council approves WetGo car wash on Route 22
Murrysville officials approved construction of a WetGo car wash, which will replace the former Standard Bank on Route 22. Giant Eagle officials have expanded their presence in the municipality’s business corridor in recent years, adding a GetGo gas station and upgrading the grocery store to a Market District. In addition...
Murrysville area: FR musical highlights, art show, girls’ computer camp and more
Submit news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Symphony East hosts Franklin Regional musical highlights The Symphony East will present an April 17 program of highlights from Franklin Regional Senior High School’s production of “Grease.” It will be at 1 p.m. at the Lamplighter, 6566 William Penn Highway in Salem....
State approves $485,000 grant for downtown upgrades in Export
Export officials didn’t get the $1.95 million they were hoping for, but a state grant for about $485,000 will go a long way toward realizing a project to unify its downtown features and establish a central community space. The original concept plan, dubbed “Heritage Square” in 2021, used newly designed...
For winners, Pennsylvania’s liquor lottery is worth the time, money
Back in 2018, David Falcheck of Scranton got the notification he was waiting for — he was among a small group of winners chosen from thousands of lottery entries for the chance to buy a 12-year-old bottle of Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon. “It was excellent,” Falcheck said of...
Annual Jack Sedlak Community Clean-Up set for April 29 in Monroeville
Last year, Joe Sedlak said he couldn’t remember when the roadside litter in Monroeville was so bad. And while winter in the Pittsburgh area has been mild in temperature and precipitation, the wind has been another story. “A lot of people seem to think the wind we’ve had the last...
1 injured as car goes over hillside at Linton Middle School in Penn Hills
One person was injured Tuesday when their car rolled down a hill onto the sidelines of the athletic field at Linton Middle School in Penn Hills, according to firefighters. Penn Hills No. 7 was among three fire companies that responded along with police and EMS to the single-car crash, which...
‘Air’ follows Trafford native’s pursuit of Michael Jordan for NikeVideo
Most people won’t get a chance to see a movie made about their lives — much less see themselves portrayed by A-list Hollywood leading man Matt Damon. Trafford native John “Sonny” Vaccaro is about to get both. “Air: Courting a Legend” premieres Wednesday in theaters nationwide. Directed by Ben Affleck,...
Murrysville continues park updates; gaga ball pit planned at Kovalczik Park
The children’s game gaga ball is becoming more popular with Murrysville recreation officials, who are looking to partner with local Boy Scouts to install a second arena for the game at a local community park. “In 2022, a local Scout installed the gaga ball pit at Murrysville Community Park for...
Turtle Creek man arrested after allegedly dragging police officer last year
A Turtle Creek man accused of dragging a Whitehall police officer more than 200 feet with his car was arrested Friday by Allegheny County police after being wanted for nearly a year. Alphonso Francis, 28, was charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and a firearms violation, and has been wanted...
Swift-moving fire engulfs building in Leechburg
No injuries were reported in a swift-moving fire at a commercial structure in Leechburg on Friday. The blaze at Metco Supply Inc., 81 Kiski Ave., was reported just after 5 p.m. Leechburg Volunteer Fire Co. Chief John Foster said it took longer than he was hoping to attack the fire....
