Patrick Varine stories, Page 90
Greensburg Salem Middle School prepares to stage ‘Frozen Jr.’Video
Conveying emotion from a high school stage out into the audience is already a tricky task. When your head is trapped inside a snowman’s mouth, it can be even trickier. “The way the head is can make it tough,” said LeTrey Derry, 13, who will play living snowman Olaf in...
Excela kicks off aid campaign with Ukrainian-inspired menu
Krystyna Lewczenko couldn’t be more proud of her nieces. Hailing from Wroclaw in the southwest of Poland, Lewczenko said they recently drove all the way to the Ukrainian border to help take in some of the women and children fleeing the country, as Russia’s invasion continues taking lives and displacing...
Book challenges are becoming more frequent, driven in part by social media
The time, thought and effort that English teachers and librarians put into their work is not random, says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director for the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “They have college degrees, they care very deeply about the work they do, and to suggest that the objections of...
Murrysville Alzheimer’s educator publishes children’s book about dementia
During her time as director of a memory-care facility in Rhode Island, former teacher Doreen Putnam began to notice the children who were coming to visit residents whose cognition had been affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “They really didn’t understand what was happening to their grandma or grandpa,” Putnam...
Pittsburgh Foundation awards $215K through Exposure Artist program
Deavron Dailey can’t decide what he loves more — his hometown of Detroit, or his home for the past 13 years, Pittsburgh. The similarities and contrasts between the two industrial cities have informed much of Dailey’s recent artwork, and a $20,000 grant from The Pittsburgh Foundation’s Exposure Artist Program will...
Trade group requests $294M increase in senior funding in Pa., citing Medicaid underfundingVideo
A trade association representing more than 370 senior housing, health care and community service providers in Pennsylvania are calling for state lawmakers to approve a $294 million increase in nursing home funding. The request comes on the heels of a report commissioned by LeadingAge PA showing that Pennsylvania nursing homes...
Murrysville: Book sale donations, trail bridge closure, hot chocolate hike, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW collecting for community book sale The Murrysville American Association of University Women is collecting donations of gently used books starting April 1 for the group’s used book sale on partnership with the Murrysville Community Library. The sale will take place May...
Allegheny Health Network’s Monroeville surgery center earns patient safety award
Allegheny Health Network’s Monroeville Ambulatory Surgery Center has been recognized with a 2022 safety award by the Patient Safety Authority, an independent state agency which collects reports of patient safety events from Pennsylvania health care facilities. Pennsylvania is the only state that requires health care facilities to report all incidents...
Blairsville woman sentenced following decade-long tax, mail fraud scheme
A Blairsville woman was sentenced to over six years in federal prison on charges of mail and tax fraud, after Indiana County prosecutors say she stole more than $500,000 from her employer over the course of a decade. Sandra J. Doak, 64, of Blairsville, was sentenced to 42 months in...
Caliente Pizza looks to add another award to its collection at International Pizza ExpoVideo
When Nick Bogacz of Pine Township returned from his first trip to the International Pizza Expo in Parma, Italy in 2015, he was reinvigorated. “I saw how culinary-inspired it was,” said Bogacz, owner of the Caliente Pizza chain in the Pittsburgh area. “When I came back, I managed to convince...
State awards grants to Monroeville-area emergency service providers
When a 10-year-old used pumper fire truck still costs about $170,000, a grant for $15,000 might not seem like a lot. But it means plenty to local fire companies, according to Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company No. 4 Chief Logan Stadler. “These grants are extremely beneficial,” Stadler said. “It helps us...
Beaver County men sentenced in related cocaine distribution cases
Two Beaver County men were in federal court Monday in separate-but-related cases of cocaine distribution in western Pennsylvania. Cadee Akins Sr., 49, of Monaca, pleaded guilty to a charge of cocaine possession with intent to distribute. Court records indicate Akins distributed five or more kilograms of cocaine between November 2017...
Franklin Regional ‘pauses’ teaching of novel about Iranian Revolution after complaints
Franklin Regional School District is “pausing” use of a novel in a freshman honors English course after school board members asked administrators to review its use amid concerns from some residents in the district. “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel about growing up as a 10-year-old girl amidst the Iranian Revolution...
Students from 8 school districts compete at Saint Vincent’s Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition
Nineteen teams of students from eight school districts in Western Pennsylvania were hoping to keep things “al dente” Monday night at the 15th annual Pasta Bridge Engineering Competition, held at Saint Vincent College. That wasn’t the case for one of three Norwin students teams. “We had some issues with the...
Pennsylvania to receive ‘hundreds of millions’ to help fund rural internet expansion
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey recently said Pennsylvania will receive more than $20 million to expand broadband and high-speed internet access in the Southern Alleghenies region. It is part of a number of efforts statewide to extend high-speed internet in a more equitable way. Last summer, the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate...
Delmont officials headed to court over eminent-domain request for sewage project
A Westmoreland County judge has ordered an evidentiary hearing as Delmont officials continue trying to condemn land in neighboring Salem Township, where they are planning a multi-million-dollar sewage project over the objections of the property owners. Delmont is invoking eminent domain in order to obtain a permanent easement on Salem...
Franklin Regional officials start repurposing stately Newlonsburg Elementary building
To say Newlonsburg Elementary School has quite a bit of history is probably an understatement. “Our finance director’s grandmother graduated in this building, back when it was Franklin Township High School,” said Superintendent Gennaro Piraino, sitting in his office in the new administrative center, which has been relocated to the...
Kittanning police seek man who escaped custody following arrest
Kittanning police are searching for a Manorville man who escaped police custody on Thursday. Dalton K. Mull, 28, was initially arrested Thursday night on charges of burglary, terroristic threats and simple assault. While in custody, Mull escaped from the back of a police cruiser. He is wanted on the above...
Poetry pop-up event to generate buzz for 1st Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books
For Danielle Obisie-Orlu, words are life. “They’re what people use to create, to destroy and to connect,” said Obisie-Orlu, 20, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh who is the City of Asylum Allegheny County Poet Laureate for 2021-2022. “If you know how to form them and use them, you...
Missing Cambria County teen believed to be in Pittsburgh area, police say
State police said they believe a Cambria County teen who left his home in October may be in the Pittsburgh area. Troopers are continuing their search for Jase W. Spiridigliozzi, 16, who voluntarily left his home in Reade Township the night of Oct. 24 and has not returned home since....
Murrysville area: FRAA opening day, glass recycling dates, Bible study group, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Athletic association sets opening day for April 23 The Franklin Regional Athletic Association will host its 2022 opening day April 23 at Murrysville Community Park. Opening ceremonies will take place at noon in the park, 4056 Wiestertown Road in Murrysville. Team practices...
Invisible Man Brewing secures enough Girl Scout cookies to host brew pairing event
Cookies and milk are a classic combination. Kids love them. Santa loves them. Cookies and beer? Not quite as common. Despite supply-chain issues that have affected the delivery of Girl Scout cookies in some parts of the country, the annual treats will be paired with several local beers, courtesy of...
1 dead following crash in North Versailles
A 59-year-old man died of injuries following a two-vehicle crash in North Versailles on Wednesday night. Emergency officials responded to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Congress Street at 10:52 p.m. where a Dodge Caravan with two passengers struck a Ford Explorer with a single male driver. All three people...
Derry Township home destroyed by early-morning fire
A Derry Township home was gutted by a fire early Thursday morning. Emergency crews were called to the 1500 block of High Street near its intersection with Route 982 shortly after 1:30 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. No one was home at the time, according to Tribune-Review...
Ohio woman embezzled $2.1M from Beaver credit union to buy 4-wheelers, farm animals, FBI says
An Ohio woman sentenced in January on charges of embezzling more than $2 million from a Beaver credit union spent much of it on agricultural purchases, including attempting to start a pig farm, federal investigators said. Stacey Shaw of Salem, Ohio, was sentenced to more than four years in prison...
