Patrick Varine stories, Page 7
Why a stream near Monroeville Mall is glowing bright blue
In the valley below Monroeville Mall, a small stream that starts in Penn Hills winds its way downhill alongside Stotler Road, before breaking southeast and following the road that bears its name, Thompson Run. As the stream nears a bridge carrying Thompson Run Road over top, the water has an...
Monroeville area: Old William Penn closure, fall book sale, Heritage Day and more
Old William Penn closure Old William Penn Highway between Duff Road and Evergreen Drive will be closed through the end of September as work crews demolish the existing Parkway East bridge over the road, PennDOT officials announced. Traffic will be detoured. East of the closure, drivers will turn north onto...
Vigil for Franklin Regional student set at Murrysville church
A candlelight vigil is planned Thursday night in memory of Tayson Foltz, the Franklin Regional student who was found dead outside the senior high school last weekend. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. Family members said in...
Route 22 side streets in Murrysville will close for signal-control repairs
Drivers in Murrysville will be detoured briefly on Friday, as work crews repair a traffic signal control box that was damaged in a crash where Manor and Mellon roads meet Route 22. Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said crews will begin repairs around 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. The work is...
Suspect in rigged lawn mower explosion in Salem arrested in Indiana County
A Westmoreland County man charged with rigging a lawn mower to explode has been arrested in Indiana County. James Sever, 54, of New Alexandria was taken into custody early Tuesday evening, according to state police. An off-duty trooper reported seeing Sever about 7 p.m. along Hoodlebug Trail in Center Township....
Greensburg Civic Theatre kicks off 74th season with ‘Seussical’
If the “Seussical” musical was a person, it would surely be related to Mallory Grantz’s Monroeville family. “This is the fifth time in our family that one or more of us has been involved in ‘Seussical,’” said Grantz, 39, who will direct a production of the show to kick off...
Wilkins man sentenced in connection with fatal 2024 North Versailles crash
A Wilkins man has been sentenced to less than a week in jail for his role in a fatal crash in early 2024. Aaron J. Butler, 21, was sentenced last week to three to six days in jail after entering a guilty plea in connection with the April 7, 2024,...
Franklin Regional has counseling options in place after student suicide
Flowers were left at the entrance to Franklin Regional Senior High School on Monday, a gesture of sympathy after a student committed suicide behind the school early Sunday morning. Franklin Regional officials said resources from Westmoreland County Behavioral Health as well as the University of Pittsburgh’s youth counseling service will...
Toypalooza show heads to larger venue at Monroeville Convention Center
Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. In the arts and entertainment industry, it leads to all kinds of things from film sequels and reboots to band reunions to the relaunch of once-beloved products. For D&E Collectibles owner Bobby Eisel, it has led to the steady growth of Toypalooza, the annual vendor...
Acid mine water treatment plant project gets $2M boost from state grant
An acid mine water remediation project, first pitched to Murrysville officials three years ago, has received $2 million in support from the state Department of Environmental Protection. As part of more than $5 million in mine-related grant funding, the department awarded $2.1 million for the Murrysville Area Watershed Association to...
Time running out to claim federal tax credits on energy-efficient improvements
Chad Warhold, owner of plumbing, heating and air conditioning company Warhold Mechanicals in North Huntingdon, is expecting to add some last-minute jobs to his calendar between now and the end of the year. That’s because in addition to tax credits for solar energy installation, tax credits for homeowners who upgrade...
Murrysville area: Art show, band community night and more
Email news briefs and email listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Rotary Oktoberfest The Murrysville-Export Rotary Club will host its annual Oktoberfest German festival from 3-8 p.m. Sept. 20 at White Valley Park. The afternoon will include German food, beer and wine, pizza, barbecue and refreshments, live music by The Kosmix, therapy horses...
New grant, same goal: Monroeville officials to expand Saunders Station trailhead area
Monroeville officials will pivot from planning a new Valley Park bridge to expanding the Saunders Station access area for the Westmoreland Heritage Trail. “We accepted a grant to build a new bridge over Turtle Creek, and the feasibility of that is beyond the original scope of the project,” Graziani said...
Monroeville area: Arts council concerts, Heritage Day, bingo and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bkikel@triblive.com. Fall book sale The Monroeville Public Library will host a fall book sale Sept. 19 and 20. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at the library, 4000 Gateway Campus Boulevard in Monroeville. Purchase a...
‘Gear for Deer’ seeks to boost the number of 1st-time hunters
Pennsylvania hunting license sales peaked in the early 1980s. Since then, there have been ebbs and flows, but overall the state has seen a slow, fairly steady decline in the number of licenses issued, according to data from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Two members of the Youngwood Sportsmen’s Association are...
Murrysville area: Symphony East, Blessing of the Pets and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Symphony East season kicks off Symphony East will kick off its 64th season on Sept. 15 with a 1 p.m. performance by the Johnstown Symphony Brass Quintet, which includes two trumpets, a French horn, trombone and tuba. The program will cross a...
Reggae band, florists team up to draw attention to suicide prevention in Latrobe
Kayla Palmer knows the pain of losing a loved one to suicide, and knows the good work done by groups like Ray of Hope, Westmoreland County’s suicide awareness and prevention task force. “I thought it would be great to allow people to donate to a group of Ray of Hope...
Monroeville area: East End Kids auditions, mini golf fundraiser, 9/11 ceremony, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bkikel@triblive.com. East End Kids auditions The East End Kids teen song and dance ensemble will hold auditions for new members from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sept. 7 at DeStella Dance Studio in Export. Auditions are open to youth entering grades 6-12....
Turtle Creek Connector trail moves into design phase
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Friends of the Riverfront nonprofits have moved into the design and engineering phase for the Turtle Creek Connector, a trail that will make its way through several towns in the upper Monongahela River corridor. “We’re not funded for construction at the moment, but we’re looking...
New developer makes another go at Murrysville car wash
If the application for Drake’s Car Wash looked familiar to Murrysville council, that’s because they’ve seen nearly all of it before. Council approved a plan a few years ago for Tommy’s Car Wash on the same spot, the former Choice Auto property on Route 22 near School Road. Tommy’s is...
Western Pa. towns under DEP sewage consent order request extension
More than $5 million has been spent since 2019 to improve the sewage system that serves tens of thousands of customers in western Westmoreland and a small slice of Allegheny counties. The improvements are mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection through a 2019 consent order. Now, the Franklin...
Murrysville speaker will discuss history of the Lincoln HighwayVideo
The American Association of University Women will host a presentation Sept. 11 about the history of the Lincoln Highway, the first cross-country road in the U.S. Brian Butko, director of publications for the Sen. John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, will present “Greetings From the Lincoln Highway” at 10 a.m....
Murrysville group readies for Historic Homesteading Day
The Murrysville Historical Preservation Society has a strong desire to live up to its name. “It’s great to show people these types of hands-on activities, historical domestic crafts that were necessary for everyday living back in the 1800s,” said Sandy Knepper of Murrysville, as she gently carded wool using a...
Theater group to present reading of Holocaust play
StoryZ Theatre will launch its new season with a staged reading of “The Happiest Man On Earth” by Mark St. Germain, inspired by the best-selling memoir of Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku. Jaku recounts his journey as a young Jewish boy in Nazi Germany, his survival at the Auschwitz death camp...
Murrysville area: Art show submissions, Medicare presentation and more
Email news briefs and email listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Art submissions sought The Murrysville Woman’s Club is seeking entries for its annual art show, set for Oct. 10-11 at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville. Experienced, amateur and student artists are invited to enter. Pieces can be paint, fiber, mixed media, sculpture and...
