Patrick Varine stories, Page 85
Norwin grad adds color, detail to the world of Pixar’s upcoming ‘Lightyear’Video
A scratch on a box. A tiny oil leak on the side of a spaceship. The telltale signs a concrete floor has seen plenty of wear and tear over time. Those are just a few of the subliminal details 2015 Norwin High School graduate Alyssa Minko has added to the...
Penn-Trafford video class brings home a half-dozen student Emmy awardsVideo
Video production students at Penn-Trafford High School are finishing the year with a bang. Students from the class brought home National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences High School Student Production awards in six different categories in the Mid-Atlantic region on Thursday, including winning “Best Newscast” four of the past...
Monroeville VA clinic expected to serve up to 10,000 veterans annually
Veterans Affairs officials are certainly proud of the work done at their flagship hospital in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. But they’re also well aware of the drawbacks elderly veterans face when walking up the aptly-named “Cardiac Hill” to their appointments. “There are a lot of steep hills, and in bad weather...
Why do some of my ice cubes have a little tiny spike on them?
Every once in a while, you may pull an ice cube tray out of the freezer and see that one of those cubes has a strange little spike on it that appears to be defying gravity. And the phenomenon that creates those spikes could be the sole reason for life...
Kerber’s in North Huntingdon included in state’s annual Scooped Ice Cream Trail
June is National Dairy Month, and state officials are celebrating by asking residents to indulge in one of Pennsylvania’s most popular dairy products: ice cream. Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development were joined by Gov. Tom Wolf in announcing the 30 creameries that make up the...
Researchers seek volunteers to gather, report firefly data this summer
When Ryan Reed, a resource program specialist with the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, was taking wildlife courses at college in the 1990s, one of his professors accused certain animals of getting all the attention. “He called them ‘charismatic mega-fauna’ — bears, deer, elk, those types of animals,”...
Murrysville area: Free craft workshop, Giant Eagle remodeling, more
Email news briefs for the Star to reporter Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. Murrysville Giant Eagle to close for remodeling The Murrysville Giant Eagle on Old William Penn Highway will close beginning July 9 for remodeling to become one of the chain’s Market District locations. The store also recently acquired a...
Delmont Historical Preservation Society to host Living History Day in June
With a couple years’ preparation under their belts, members of the Delmont Historical Preservation Society are ready to host their first Living History Day on June 25. “We want to show people everyday living skills from back then,” said Delmont Historical Society President Vicki Walters. “When Delmont was Salem Crossroads,...
Export business owners spar with Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials over short extensionVideo
Using leftover state grant money to extend the Westmoreland Heritage Trail by 750 feet east in Export seemed like an easy decision for council members when it was proposed. That is no longer the case. “Westmoreland Coal Co. got hundreds of thousands of tons of coal through there, and now...
Longtime Murrysville hardware store closes its doors
Last Friday, the back room at John Meier & Sons Hardware in Murrsyville probably looked very similar to its early days — an extended family gathering around the table for lunch, before heading back out for one more afternoon at the store. In the 1970s, it wasn’t unusual for Sue...
Murrysville speaker series will focus on Pittsburgh’s sports history
Coaches are quick to explain that sports can help teach a young person about life. And it’s not just a clichéd path to motivation. “We talk about sports at the Heinz History Center in the way you’d expect, but also about its importance to understanding history,” said chief historian Anne...
Congratulations to the Franklin Regional Class of 2022
Franklin Regional High School held its Commencement ceremonies Graduating students proceed to the stadium field during the procession for the Class of 2022 commencement ceremony on Friday....
Former Alabama man sentenced to 15 years on sex trafficking charges
A man accused of bringing a woman from Alabama to Pittsburgh to prostitute her was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison on Thursday, according to U.S. Department of Justice officials. Anthony Juskowich, 23, who was living in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood at the time of his arrest, brought the victim...
FBI: Emsworth man charged after arranging to meet undercover agent he thought was 14
An Emsworth man is facing federal charges after engaging an FBI agent he believed was a 14-year-old girl with sexual advances, photos and videos. Thomas Kastory, 31, of Emsworth, was charged with knowingly attempting to persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity. There were a series of text and...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials prepare for annual herbicide application
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials will delay applying herbicide to the woods along the trail until after a festival this weekend. “We posted signs last Friday to perhaps do the spraying this week,” said trail president Stan Rudge. “But our maintenance chairman had forgotten about the Trail Towns Festival happening, so...
Murrysville area: Chalk art, Delmont community dinner, library programs, more
Email news briefs for the Star to reporter Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. Chalk art festival in Delmont (CANCELED) The Delmont Visionary Committee will host a Chalk Art Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 11 at the Shields Farm...
Murrysville promotes new police captain, detective-sergeantVideo
Tom Kusinsky has averaged about seven years between promotions at the Murrysville Police Department since joining it in the spring of 2005, working his way up the ranks from a patrolman to his promotion this week as captain and second-in-command of the department. “And now I’ve got about seven years...
Pittsburgh police: 2 stabbed in Arlington Heights, 1 in critical condition
One person is in critical condition and another in stable condition following a stabbing incident Thursday night in Pittsburgh’s Arlington Heights neighborhood, city police said. Officers were called to the 3000 block of Arlington Avenue near Cordell Place just before 9:45 p.m., for a report that two people had been...
Monessen superintendent charged with indecent exposure, open lewdness
The superintendent for the Monessen School District was charged with indecent exposure and open lewdness after police say she was discovered in a state of undress with a man in the parking lot of a county-owned apartment complex. Charleroi Regional Police were called to the Nathan Goff Jr. Apartments on...
MacPherson named new chief of staff for Westmoreland Commissioner Chew
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew’s chief of staff Heather Cordial is leaving her post for a position with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Chew announced on Sunday that Cordial will be replaced by Bob MacPherson of Sewickley. “Heather always had a smile in the commissioners’ suite, and she’ll be...
What’s That: The concrete remains of an old lumber mill in GreensburgVideo
Behind Offutt Field in Greensburg, a walk along South Urania Avenue offers an unencumbered view of the football game, along a long stretch of unusually thick concrete that runs for several hundred feet along the road. As it approaches what is now MB Bride, the concrete wall is broken up...
Safety issues persist at Westmoreland Heritage Trail crossing in Murrysville
Every few months — but especially as winter rolls over into spring and warmer weather — a particular topic pops up in Murrysville-area social media posts and comment threads: the areas where the Westmoreland Heritage Trail crosses major roads. “Somebody is going to die sooner rather than later,” said Diana...
Riderless horse marks Memorial Day ceremonies in North HuntingdonVideo
For the past two years, Memorial Day ceremonies at the Penn Lincoln Memorial Park in North Huntingdon have included a “riderless horse,” with military boots facing backward in the bootstraps, a tribute to soldiers lost over the years. One of those soldiers was Army Signal Corps member Daniel Tomko, who...
State police: Mercer County cold case closed after 4 decades
Pennsylvania state police say modern DNA testing and genealogy methods allowed them to close a 42-year-old Mercer County cold case and provide closure to the victim’s family. The remains of Edwin Rodriguez, of Chicago, Ill., discovered in 1980 in Wolf Creek Township, were positively identified and returned to his family,...
Girl, 12, in critical condition after being struck by vehicle in South Huntingdon
A 12-year-old girl is in critical condition after being hit by a car Saturday night while riding a hoverboard in South Huntingdon. Emergency responders were called to the intersection of Sixth and Osborne streets just after 7:15 p.m. Police said the girl was riding a hoverboard with a kart buggy...
