Patrick Varine stories, Page 70
Westmoreland schools take top spots in Westinghouse Chain Reaction Contraption contest
From marbles to movie tributes, Westmoreland County students made all the right moves when it came to creating a Rube Goldberg-style machine for the annual Westinghouse Chain Reaction Contraption contest. Teams from Hempfield Area and Franklin Regional high schools took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, in the...
Delmont library will host annual seed swap on Feb. 11
Did you grow a tomato in your garden last year that you really loved? If so, it’s easy to keep that crop going by saving seeds from your harvested fruit. Seed savers of all types will be on hand, with everything from fruits to vegetables to native plants and flowers,...
Greensburg Salem bus driver accused of inappropriate communication fired
A bus driver in the Greensburg Salem School District has been fired after being accused of inappropriate communication with students, according to the driver’s employer. DMJ Transportation Safety Coordinator Mark Kraynick said the driver was recently fired after an internal investigation. Greensburg Salem officials said the issue, which began with...
Report: 1 dead, 1 critically injured in Ellwood City shooting
A woman is dead and another person is in critical condition following a shooting late Monday afternoon in Ellwood City, city officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Ellwood City police are investigating the shooting, which took place shortly after 5:15 p.m. Monday along First Street, Mayor Anthony Court told WPXI....
Forecasters say snow to taper off — leaving cold, freezing rain behind
Snow was tapering off throughout the region Tuesday morning after rain turned into a mix of snow and icy glaze in some areas, leaving behind cold temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. “There’s a frontal boundary moving through with some warmer air aloft, and a colder surface temperature,” NWS...
Mon-Fayette Expressway’s next phase will help test innovative road concepts
Paul Metzler of Murrysville isn’t confident that truckers will voluntarily limit their use of “jake brakes” on the stretch of Route 22 situated down the hill from his home in Manordale Farms. “Between the ribbed concrete that the highway is made of and the increase in trucks that all use...
High school robotics teams gear up for a new season of ‘FIRSTs’Video
Franklin Regional Superintendent Gennaro Piraino wanted to know what junior Rory Messersmith considered to be more valuable to his academic future — being a member of the high school’s robotics team, or studying for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests. “I’m not sure if I should answer that,” Messersmith...
Artist lining up sponsors for underpass mural below Route 22 in Murrysville
As she works her way through the design of her largest mural to date, Florida artist and Export native Christina Donahoe is also lining up partners in the project, which would cover a popular spot for graffiti on a William Penn Highway underpass in Murrysville. “I’ve been in touch with...
Westmoreland food bank brings ‘Mobile Market’ to Slickville with free, fresh produce
Thanks to federal American Rescue Plan funding, the Westmoreland County Food Bank is awaiting the delivery of a new produce truck. But they’re not waiting to start Mobile Market events that the truck will help foster. “We decided we didn’t want to wait to get this going, so we’re putting...
Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines
A new state policy may scuttle reenactments of the Battle of Bushy Run. The battle was part of Pontiac’s War, a pan-Native campaign that opposed British settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The British routed members of the Seneca, Cayuga and Lenape nations on Aug. 5-6, 1763. It has been...
Murrysville company FlexScreen begins licensing its technology with automated manufacturing line, wins ‘BIG’ awardVideo
Eight years ago, Joe Altieri was in his Plum garage trying to perfect a new, flexible, easy-to-install window screen. Today, he is the owner of FlexScreen, a multimillion-dollar Murrysville company that earned an investment from “Shark Tank” host Lori Greiner. It opened its seventh manufacturing facility last June in New...
Vendors at Greensburg antiques show share a passion for the past
Jeff Poole’s grandmother would never let him into her china closet. Today, however, Poole is in everyone else’s china closet, as owner of On the Diamond Antiques in Ligonier. An Irwin resident, Poole was watching the snow swirl outside the Greensburg Country Club on Thursday afternoon as he and other...
Murrysville area: Comedy nights, library lectures, Delmont texting service and more
Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Comedy nights to benefit Westmoreland trails, parks, concerts Two evenings of stand-up comedy will benefit Westmoreland County trails as well as the county’s parks and concert series. The first will be 6-10 p.m. Feb. 11 at Colton Hall, 3100 Blocks Road in...
Penn Hills counselor organizes 3rd annual awards ceremony recognizing social workers
As the founder and co-owner of Hand in Hand Counseling Service in Penn Hills, Sharise Nance is familiar with the stress social workers in Western Pennsylvania face at work. Nance said she began to see fellow social workers, mental health therapists and frontline workers struggle with what she called “compassion...
Murrysville Council approves 2nd fracking well operation on Plum border
Murrysville Council last week unanimously approved what will be the municipality’s second unconventional gas drilling operation on a property straddling the border with Plum. Canonsburg-based Olympus Energy is seeking to build the Hermes unconventional gas drilling well on a 147-acre property just southwest of the Rolling Fields Golf Club, on...
Export veteran among five family members to serve during World War II
At one point during World War II, Donna Miller’s grandmother had three sons serving in the military at the same time, part of a group of five family members who served over the course of the war. “My aunt, Esther Schriever was in the Navy, and then there was my...
Murrysville officials continue debate on amphitheater project
When local officials began planning for a possible amphitheater at Murrysville Community Park in 2018, it was in response to a community survey about amenities residents wanted to see. In addition to the amphitheater, they included a playground and splash pad, both of which were installed over the next couple...
Delmont council considers future stormwater fee
Delmont officials have broached the idea of imposing a stormwater fee on residents. “Monroeville has enacted a stormwater fee,” Councilman Stan Cheyne said. “They’ve essentially told residents, you need to pay a fee for the runoff you are contributing to the system.” North Huntingdon officials are in the process of...
Murrysville area: ‘Hot Chocolate Hikes,’ bingo, chamber prayer breakfast, more
Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Murrysville area recreation hikes planned The Murrysville Recreation Department will host two more “Hot Chocolate Hikes” during the winter. The next will a “Sweetheart Hot Chocolate Hike” at 10 a.m. Feb. 14 at the Lillian Kellman Reserve, 3490 Kellman Drive. The second...
Delmont seeks additional land for recreation to offset industrial use at Shield’s Farm
When an underground gas storage facility was installed on a small section of the Shield’s Farm property in the early 1990s, Delmont officials approved it without realizing they were potentially violating the terms under which the farmland was purchased. “Shield’s Farm was acquired many years ago with Project 70 funding...
‘The real McCoy’: Greensburg native appointed acting Pa. attorney general
More than three decades ago, Michelle Henry was walking the halls of Greensburg Salem High School with her classmates. This week, the 53-year-old Greensburg native was named acting Pennsylvania attorney general. After graduating from high school and Allegheny College, Henry headed east to attend the Widener University School of Law,...
Clairton man suspected in deadly Pitcairn shooting arrested
A Clairton man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a fatal shooting Jan. 2 in Pitcairn. Daniel Kelly, 21, of Clairton, faces a homicide charge and weapons violations, the sheriff’s office said. The victim, Nekye Smith, had been shot in the head around 4 p.m. in the 400 block of...
Pa. Resource Council asks amateur photographers to turn their ‘Lens On Litter’
Pennsylvania was home to a half-billion pieces of litter in 2020, and that was just along the roads, according to a survey commissioned by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and PennDOT. That’s disheartening news to Pennsylvania Resource Council Executive Director Darren Spielman, especially since the council’s annual Gene Capaldi...
Time to change antiquated Pa. tax system, municipal league says
In 1965, Lyndon Johnson was president of the United States, the country was involved in a war in Vietnam, and the Fab Four — The Beatles — held what many consider to be the first stadium rock concert in New York City. Without as much fanfare, Pennsylvania leaders that same...
Sociologist sees ‘haunting’ similarities between 20th, 21st century pandemic responses in U.S.
The last time Tom Soltis spoke to the American Association of University Women’s Murrysville chapter, it was during the emergence of the omicron variant of the covid-19 virus. Soltis recently retired after a career teaching sociology and anthropology at Westmoreland County Community College. He also is the author of “An...
