Patrick Varine stories, Page 93
Needs vary this time of year at Western Pa. charity thrift stores
At the Goodwill store in the Hollywood Square shopping plaza just off Route 22 in Salem, things have been busy the past few months. “We have way more business here than we did in the Murrysville location,” said assistant manager Jenny Desport. Part of it, she said, is due to...
Export train station will open on weekends; formal dedication planned for summer festival
While its formal dedication will take place this summer, the Export train station will be opening its doors to the public on the weekends. Built to replicate the borough’s former station, the building will house local history, with the Export Historical Society creating rotating displays and holding its monthly meetings...
Juneteenth celebration will expand to Market Square, feature voting-rights forum
War is coming to Pittsburgh this summer. But it’s not the kind with tanks and guns — it’s the kind with guitars and drums. Legendary funk-soul band War will headline the 2022 Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Homecoming Celebration, announced this week for June 17-19. And while last year’s Juneteenth celebration at...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials move ahead with short Export extension
Getting across Route 66 remains the key challenge to its completion, but the plan this year is to get the Westmoreland Heritage Trail about 700 feet closer to Delmont. Export council this week gave the go-ahead for trail officials to move forward with extending the western half of the trail...
Greensburg diocese excited by 20% bump in Catholic school enrollment
Despite the past two years being hampered by the covid-19 pandemic, officials at the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg are encouraged by other trends that have emerged over the past 24 months — namely, a 20% bump in Catholic school enrollment across the diocese. “I think that’s outstanding,” said Bishop Larry...
Natrona Heights native Jimmer Podrasky releases 1st Rave-Ups album in 3 decadesVideo
Having left the Alle-Kiski Valley behind in the early 1980s, Natrona Heights, Harrison, native Jimmer Podrasky doesn’t miss the weather headed Pittsburgh’s way this weekend. “It’s been 40 years since I’ve driven in that kind of weather, and it still haunts me,” said Podrasky, 64, now a Los Angeles resident....
Murrysville area: ‘Sweetheart’ hike, scholarships, library programs, more
Recreation department hosts “Sweetheart Hot Chocolate Hike” on Valentine’s Day The Murrysville Recreation Department will host a “Sweetheart Hot Chocolate Hike” at 10 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. The hike will take place on the trails at Pleasant Valley Park, 2557 Pleasant Valley Road. The wooded hike includes slopes...
Arden Courts resident in Monroeville celebrates 100th birthday
Clara Hendy has her good days and bad days. Like other residents at Arden Courts assisted living facility in Monroeville, her memory is not what it used to be. Her son Neel had to remind her that Thursday is her birthday. Not just that, though — it is her 100th...
Parkway West bridge reopens in Rosslyn Farms after being struck
The bridge carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road to the inbound side of the Parkway West has reopened after a vehicle struck it on Wednesday afternoon. PennDOT officials announced via their Twitter feed that the structure carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road to eastbound I-376 was closed shortly after 6 p.m. while...
Winter storm warning issued for Pittsburgh region as massive weather system moves across U.S.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for a cold front expected to bring the dreaded “wintry mix” of snow and sleet to the Pittsburgh region Thursday. Freezing rain is expected to begin in Pittsburgh by 4 p.m. and in points east by 6 p.m. on Thursday,...
On hold with Excela? A Pittsburgh man wrote that songVideo
Most telephone callers waiting on hold with the Excela health system are likely preoccupied with something other than the music they hear. Even so, they may find themselves lightly tapping their feet to the plaintive acoustic guitar and plucky overtones of “Excela Theme,” a song written specifically for the Westmoreland-based...
Murrysville area: Water quality presentation, ‘Boomers and Beyond’ speaker series, meetings, more
Intergenerational faith discussion set for Feb. 8 The “Boomers and Beyond” speaker series at Mother of Sorrows Church in Murrysville continues at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 8 with “That’s Not How I Raised Them,” a discussion on intergenerational differences in the way faith is practiced. The discussion will be led by...
Homeowners get their turn at covid relief funds
Last year, state officials were able to channel federal covid-19 relief funding to Pennsylvania renters in need of financial assistance. Starting Tuesday, they will look to provide similar relief for homeowners. “As Pennsylvania continues to manage out of the covid-19 pandemic, we continue to make key investments in areas where...
Greensburg band to provide Groundhog Day music in Gobbler’s Knob
Greensburg’s Derek Woods Band will provide the musical backdrop for this year’s Groundhog Day festivities Feb. 2 at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney. And if the past is any indication, Woods and his band members had better start layering their clothes now. “The sets we played were limited to about 10...
‘Book of Boba Fett’ writes a great chapter, but it’s someone else’s story
NOTE: Spoilers ahead through Wednesday’s episode of “Book of Boba Fett” and the first two seasons of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. Let’s be clear: I love “The Mandalorian.” It’s a great series, and I can’t wait for the third season. So I was a bit surprised when this week’s episode...
‘Kentucky rifle’ enthusiasts head to Salem for annual Historic Arms Show
Modern rifles might be easier to use, more streamlined in their design and more accurate. But you won’t find any at the 24th annual Historic Arms Show this weekend at the Lamplighter in Salem. Organized by the Old Westmoreland Rifles group’s Collectors Show Association, the show will take place Friday...
‘Book of Boba Fett’ is the ‘Star Wars’ universe fans deserve
A long time ago, in a Gilpin Township home far, far away, I discovered the “extended Star Wars universe” after being enthralled by the original film trilogy. It came in the form of “Tales from Jabba’s Palace,” an anthology of stories that delved into the lives of the weird creatures,...
Newly elected Franklin Regional school board member resigns
The Franklin Regional school board this week unanimously accepted the resignation of recently-seated school director Michael Corcetti, who was not present. He is resigning for personal and family reasons. The board also appointed Vince Azzolina to fill Corcetti’s seat, voting 5-3. Both Azzolina and George App submitted letters of interest....
R.K. Mellon Foundation invests $3.39 million in companies’ ‘social impact’ pitches
For working families, time is a scarce resource. Hours that might otherwise be devoted to leading a healthier lifestyle, or making that annual doctor’s appointment, get shunted aside when life gets in the way. But Allister Chang and Courtney Bragg noticed that many of those working families, particularly in low-income...
Fists fly at ‘Winter Mayhem’ boxing card in Harmar
In the perpetual cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the City of Brotherly Love came out on top over the weekend, as Philly boxer Avery Sparrow bested the Steel City’s Matt “Sweet Child” Conway to win the International Boxing Association Super Featherweight and Pennsylvania state title. Sparrow (11-3, 4 KOs)...
Wireless companies ending 3G service, starting with AT&T
Cathy Gates was doing just fine with a flip phone, but she got rid of it when she was given a 3G smartphone at work. “Later on, about four or five years ago, I got my own, a similar phone, but recently I started having problems with it,” said Gates,...
Fossil of early mammal relative named for longtime Carnegie Museum of Natural History paleontologist
A new fossil species of an early mammal relative has been named for the man who helped discover its location, David S Berman, paleontologist and former curator of vertebrate paleontology at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The fossil, Shashajaia bermani, is from a bone bed co-discovered by Berman in...
Pa. state prison visits suspended amid covid-19 surge, staffing shortages
Citing the impact of the latest covid-19 surge on staffing, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections will suspend in-person visits at all state prisons beginning Thursday through Feb. 28. “Staffing levels have been significantly impacted throughout the winter months by the same uptick in covid-19 cases that our communities are experiencing,”...
Delmont Diggers group to hold ‘seed swap’ at library
Louisa Fordyce of Loyalhanna is interested in attracting pollinators, both to her own garden and to the perennial pollinator garden maintained by the Delmont Public Library. So she was very excited to learn about tithonia, an annual plant also called the Mexican sunflower. “It comes in all different shades of...
Greensburg woman hand-paints Marine Corps tribute on ‘World of Wheels’ motorcycle
Building a custom motorcycle is one thing. Building one that honors one’s brothers in arms is another. At the 60th annual World of Wheels custom car show this weekend at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Todd Keyser of Ligonier is showing off his custom Harley, hand-painted with reminders of...
