Patrick Varine stories, Page 91
Murrysville teen heads to eastern regional skiing championships in Vermont
The competition generated by sibling rivalry means that following in your big brother’s or sister’s footsteps isn’t always appealing. But for Becket Pottinger of Murrysville, whose older siblings were both competitive skiers, it’s motivation. “Watching the way they ski, hearing the advice they’ve been given, plus going to almost all...
American wagyu proves popular with Crabtree butcher, though some have beef with price
Gary Bardine isn’t into social-media commenter flame wars. The fourth-generation butcher at Bardine’s Country Smokehouse in Crabtree is into good, quality food — even if it generates a few negative comments on his Facebook page. “I brought some American wagyu in as a gift for my brother,” Bardine said. “He...
Faced with loss of his district, state Rep. Bob Brooks opts not to run for re-election
When the new maps for Pennsylvania’s legislative districts were released, state Rep. Bob Brooks was more than a little disappointed to discover his 54th District was being shifted across the state to the Norristown area. On Thursday, the Murrysville Republican announced he will not seek re-election. “Government has many forces...
Murrysville: Easter pet photos, youth fishing tournament, scholarships, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Easter pet photos session at Heritage Trail The Murrysville Recreation Department will host an Easter pet photos session from 10 a.m. to noon, April 9 at the Westmoreland Heritage Trail visitor center on Route 22. The event is free to attend, but...
Debate continues about teaching ‘Persepolis’ at Franklin Regional schools
Franklin Regional School Board members, administrators and parents on Wednesday continued their discussion about the district’s decision to pause the teaching of “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning graphic novel, in the ninth grade honors English class. District officials said earlier this month that the school board’s curriculum committee wanted to make...
1 dead following Washington County house fire
A Carroll Township man died of injuries suffered during a fire at his home early Thursday morning, according to emergency officials. Firefighters were called to Van Voorhis Lane in Carroll, across the Monongahela River from Monessen, around 5:15 a.m. Thursday morning. Crews from Carroll Township, Bentleyville, Monongahela, New Eagle and...
Fayette County man arrested after charging state police with knives
State police arrested a Perry man they said charged them armed with a pair of large knives on Tuesday. Troopers responded to a residence near Water and First streets in Perry Township, Fayette County, shortly after 1 a.m., for a report of man who had ingested rat poison and threatened...
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...
