Patrick Varine stories, Page 74
Brother, sister will showcase Murrysville church’s new organ
Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church will fill with music today, thanks to a new digital Allen GX335 GeniSys series organ church officials have installed. The church’s music director and organist, Becky Gard of West Mifflin, will be joined by her brother, Patrick Gard, who is the music director and organist for St....
Forbes Hospital adds hospice, palliative care wing in Monroeville
As the health system that would become Forbes Hospital began growing in the 1970s, following the merger of Wilkinsburg’s Columbia Hospital and Pittsburgh Hospital in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood, it had a dedicated hospice facility. “Over the years, that shifted to a floor at West Penn Hospital, and eventually...
Mt. Pleasant rocker Andy Davis wins Male Entertainer of the Year at independent music awards
As an independent artist, Andy Davis of Mt. Pleasant doesn’t have a major record label backing his work, and the money that goes into his music career comes mostly out of his own pockets. “To be able to do that, and continue to see things progress, is really unbelievable,” Davis...
Schake family can trace roots back to Hill’s Church founding in Murrysville
The Emmanuel Reformed United Church of Christ in Murrysville often goes by the much shorter moniker of Hill’s Church. But where did the nickname originate? On Oct. 23, more than 100 people who can trace their lineage back to one of the men who donated the land for the church...
Murrysville area: Veterans Day events, ‘Girl’s Night Out,’ more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Items must be emailed two weeks in advance to make the deadline for the Star. Veterans Day activities The White Valley AMVETS, Delmont VFW and Murrysville and Export American Legions will partner to host Veterans Day activities throughout the community. Events include:...
Murrysville Council wants parks and recreation board to evaluate amphitheater project
Murrysville officials will seek a recommendation from their parks and recreation board before making a decision on the future of the $1.8 million amphitheater project at Murrysville Community Park. Last month, municipal council members considered surveying residents on their thoughts about the project, which would see a performance amphitheater installed...
Youngwood Sportsmen’s turkey shoot to benefit local families, food bank
Like their neighbors, members of the Youngwood Sportsmen’s Association see how quickly food costs are rising. “There are a lot of people struggling, and we were sitting around thinking about what we could do to help,” association President Ed Sadler said. With 1,700 members, there were plenty of options, and...
‘Grabbing cats’: Small rescues run on limited resources, volunteers
Despite being a three-person volunteer organization, members of the Jeannette nonprofit Furry Felines snapped immediately into action when they were alerted to an animal hoarding case, with more than 60 cats and kittens living in unsanitary conditions. “We had no time to prepare for the situation at all. We got...
Export to notify 55 property owners of lateral sewer line issues
Export officials will notify 55 property owners who must correct issues identified in smoke-and-dye testing of lateral lines mandated by the borough’s consent agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to have the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority send the letters. “I’d like to...
Great Allegheny Passage in Baldwin Boro closed to fix persistent ponding
For the past eight years, Friends of the Riverfront have dealt with a persistent drainage problem along a segment of the Three Rivers Heritage and Great Allegheny Passage trails in Baldwin Borough. Starting on Halloween, the organization closed the trail on either side of the roughly 20-yard section where water...
Blairsville’s Black Ridge will host album release party in BlawnoxVideo
Even if they don’t know the band by name, Pittsburgh sports fans are probably familiar with Blairsville rockers Black Ridge. Their songs, “New Day” and “Celebration” have been featured regularly during televised Pirates and Penguins games, and the tune “You’ll Never Stop This Machine” was used during the 2021-‘22 NHL...
What doors will open in the next season of ‘House of the Dragon’?
When Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon Meleys busted through the floor of the Dragonpit, casually murdering hundreds of civilians during an escape from captivity at the hands of Team Green, I was not...
‘Punching Out Parkinson’s’ gala will include dancing, amateur boxing
Rich Mushinsky has seen firsthand the positive effect that boxing workouts can produce in people affected by mental and physical disabilities. Mushinsky is the owner of Fit 4 Boxing Club, with gyms in Murrysville and Hampton’s Allison Park neighborhood. In addition to serving as a workout location, both gyms also...
Difficulty paying rent expected to be revealed again through community survey
In order for nonprofit groups such as the Westmoreland Community Action Agency to respond to the needs of county residents, they need a firm handle on what those needs are. “If someone says they live in New Kensington and they’re having to travel 20 minutes for child care, we know...
Super-sized spookiness: Halloween displays go big for fun, and for charity
Considering how many Halloween decorations Susie and Delbert Long of Latrobe have already put up, you could forgive Delbert for thinking he could sneak a werewolf past his wife — even if it is a dozen feet tall. “That’s Zeke,” he said with a laugh, waving his arms to get...
Why are we fascinated by serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer?
When it comes to the most popular Netflix shows, only the latest season of “Stranger Things” can claim to be more widely watched than “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” which racked up more than 701 million hours watched since its initial release Sept. 21. Producer Ryan Murphy’s docu-drama about the...
Police: Man in stable condition following North Side shooting
A man is in stable condition after being shot Friday evening on Pittsburgh’s North Side, police said. Police and medics were called to the 500 block of East Ohio Street around 7:20 p.m. They arrived to find a man who had been shot in the leg. Pittsburgh EMS transported him...
Post-Gazette, Butler Eagle granted temporary injunction against striking union members
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Butler Eagle officials have been granted a preliminary injunction against five unions involved in the P-G strike, after accusing them of throwing projectiles at company vehicles, puncturing vehicle tires and threatening employees and vendors. Post-Gazette employees belonging to unions representing production, distribution and advertising workers went on...
Pittsburgh’s character comes out in local filmmakers’ festival shorts
When Lily Ragheb of Washington, D.C., and her husband, Ahmed, a native of Cairo, Egypt, moved to Pittsburgh in 2019, they barely had time to get acquainted with the city before the covid-19 pandemic shut most of it down. As they began to talk walks and explore Lawrenceville and the...
Lys Scott’s ‘Squashed Dreams & Broken Wings’ charts rapper’s journey of self-discoveryVideo
Lys Scott had quite a birthday this year. Scott, a first-generation Thai-American who identifies as queer, turned 32 on Oct. 24 — the same day that she released her debut album “Squashed Dreams & Broken Wings.” After losing a restaurant job as the covid-19 pandemic ramped up in 2020, Scott...
Man in stable condition following Perry South shooting
One person was in stable condition following a shooting Thursday in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, police said. Pittsburgh police were called to the 2000 block of Maple Avenue in Perry South around 6:15 p.m. after receiving a ShotSpotter alerted that detected seven shots fired. They arrived to find a man...
Murrysville area: ‘Polar Express’ reading, used book sale, walk-a-thon, more
Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Events must be submitted two weeks in advance in order to make the Star’s deadline. Marathon swimmer will give library presentation Franklin Regional graduate and “Oceans Seven” marathon swimmer Darren Miller will be the featured speaker at a Nov. 15 presentation at...
New ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ trailer brings Kang into focusVideo
First, the great news: Bill Murray is a character in the new “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” film. This is reason to rejoice, regardless of who he’s playing or the size of his role. The other great news is that Kang the Conqueror — or one of his many multi-verse...
Murrysville officials want resident feedback on proceeding with amphitheater project
Murrysville officials will take a second survey of residents as they consider whether to proceed with an amphitheater project at Murrysville Community Park. “We’re at a very different place now than we were during the original survey,” Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns said at last week’s council meeting. A pre-pandemic plan...
Murrysville duck race benefits boat racing team of breast-cancer survivorsVideo
Ducks swimming in Turtle Creek are not that uncommon. More than 700 of them all in one group, though? That doesn’t happen much. Members of the Pittsburgh Hearts of Steel breast cancer support group and boat-racing team were hosting a duck-race fundraiser Sunday afternoon at Duff Park in Murrysville. “It’s...
