Patrick Varine stories, Page 96
Westmoreland Conservancy marks winter solstice with nature hike in Murrysville
Technically speaking, “Tuesday night” began at 4:57 p.m. That was the official time for sundown at the winter solstice — the official start to winter, and the shortest amount of daytime sunlight the region will see in 2021. About 15 participants in the Westmoreland Conservancy’s Winter Solstice Walk, held Tuesday...
Governor orders flags to half-staff in memory of Mt. Pleasant mayor, fire chief
State flags at government buildings across Pennsylvania will fly at half-staff until sunset Wednesday by order of Gov. Tom Wolf, in honor and memory of late Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief Gerald “Jerry” Lucia. He died unexpectedly Dec. 17 and will be buried Wednesday. Lucia had responded to a...
Sharky’s taking donations for holiday meal distribution, aiming to serve 600
Cindy Love of Latrobe can remember delivering a holiday meal to a family in need last year, and the look on a little boy’s face as it arrived. “It really broke my heart,” said Love, a volunteer who helped deliver more than 450 meals cooked by the staff at Sharky’s...
Scottdale farm earns American Dairy Association’s community outreach award
After a local farm was named the American Dairy Association North East’s among its Dairying For Tomorrow award winners in the Community Outreach category, its owners immediately lived up to the title. Maple Bottom Farm, with facilities in Scottdale and Dawson, Fayette County, donated their Dairying For Tomorrow award to...
Delmont police use local instructor for state-mandated harm-reduction training
When Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 59 of 2020 into law, one of its elements was mandatory police officer training to include harm-reduction components such as de-escalation, defensive and control tactics. For Chief T.J. Klobucar of the Delmont Police Department, that was as simple as a quick phone call to...
Franklin Regional multimedia students prepare for 2nd year of ‘Holiday Showcase’ with some live aspectsVideo
Franklin Regional senior Anthony DeFilippo is looking forward to getting back behind the microphone at this year’s Holiday Showcase, which will take the place of the annual telethon for the second year in a row, albeit with a bit more creative freedom than last year. “This year, it will be...
Delmont notes: 2022 budget passes with no tax hike, Eagle project proposed in Newhouse Park
Delmont Council has given its blessing for a local Boy Scout to move forward with his Eagle project, installing a covered picnic table at Newhouse Park. Cody Kuehen of Troop 211 out of Delmont wants to install a table with metal roofing atop an asphalt base at the front of...
Franklin Regional elementary students ready for the holidaysVideo
Students at Franklin Regional Primary and Intermediate schools have had a busy holiday season. From serving snacks for staff to STEAM projects and more, elementary students have been making the most of the new and renovated buildings they returned to this school year. Franklin Regional students will be on winter...
Murrysville adopts 2022 budget, enacts 1st tax increase since 2007
It wasn’t a property tax increase, but Murrysville officials adopted a $9.5 million 2022 budget this week that includes the municipality’s first tax hike of any kind since 2007. The budget includes a projected $1.6 million in additional revenue by way of a bump in the municipality’s share of the...
Future of ‘double-fronted Beetle’ on Route 66 up in the air
With the exception of a few years in the early 2010s, the double-fronted Volkswagen Beetle, painted Hawaiian blue, has been a constant landmark along Route 66 in Salem Township. Created by Excel Auto Body’s original owner, Ed Britz, in 1970, it has been repaired and replaced over the years, and...
Delmont library’s matching fundraiser challenge nears $30,000 goal
Last year, Delmont librarian Denni Grassel and members of the library board got an early Christmas gift, when work on their brand-new building allowed them to start moving in just a few days before the holiday. This year, they are on track for another early visit from St. Nick, in...
Multiple vehicles involved in Connellsville crash
Multiple vehicles including a semi truck were involved in a crash Wednesday night in Connellsville, according to emergency officials. The crash happened shortly before 9 p.m. near the Sheetz gas station at the intersection of West Crawford Avenue and South Eighth Street in Connellsville. Multiple people were transported to area...
3 convicted of scheme to smuggle drugs into federal prisons
Three Pittsburgh-area residents were convicted Wednesday by a federal jury on drug distribution and money-laundering charges in connection with a drug ring operating within the federal prison system, according to U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung. Noah Landfried, 37, of Moon Township; Michel Cercone, 48, of Sewickley; and Anthony Smith, 30, of...
Delmont residents given ‘absolutely no notice’ about stormwater pond project
When Delmont officials started making plans for a stormwater detention pond off of Stotler and Dogwood drives, several Dogwood Drive residents asked to be kept in the loop. But when work began on the project, as part of the borough’s state-mandated pollution reduction plan, Dogwood residents were surprised to see...
Police seek suspect in Homewood armed robbery
Pittsburgh police are seeking information on an armed robbery Tuesday evening at the Family Dollar in Homewood. Officers were called to the Family Dollar on the 8000 block of Frankstown Avenue just before 6 p.m. A female employee said that a man threatened her with a pistol and took roughly...
Penn-Trafford to get annual Make-A-Wish telethon back up and running
In a typical school year, video production students manning the annual Make-A-Wish telethon at Penn-Trafford High School could rely on the experience of the previous year’s class. The expertise of students who already had been through the four-hour live broadcast, with its massive production schedule and little room for error,...
Excela reopens Unity testing center in response to rising covid-19 numbers
In response to the increasing number of covid cases in the region, Excela Health has reopened its testing center at 443 Frye Farm Road in Unity. The center will be staffed from 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and is by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling...
Leechburg schools return to optional, but recommended, masking
Leechburg Area School District will return to its former health and safety plan, making masks optional in schools. The message was conveyed in a letter sent to district families on Friday. This follows the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Dec. 10 decision, which affirmed a lower court ruling that the state’s acting...
Penn Middle Drama Club preps for 1st audience-attended show in 2 years, ‘A Christmas Carol’
Penn Middle Drama Club students are preparing to welcome a live audience for the first time in two years, staging the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 17-18. “We’re super excited about it,” said drama club sponsor and technical director Sharon Wiant. “All of the schools in the...
Bushy Run hosts holiday market in Penn Township
Landon Wells was supposed to be doing some Christmas shopping at the Bushy Run Christmas Market in Penn Township. But the 3-year-old boy was understandably distracted by the model train booth there, which returned after being on hiatus last year. “We’re doing some gift shopping for his mother and father,”...
Train derails in Baldwin; East Carson, River Road closed as clean-up commences
River Road in Baldwin was closed between Glass Run Road and Becks Run Road after a Norfolk Southern train derailed early Sunday morning, according to Baldwin police. Pittsburgh hazmat and police responded to the scene of the derailment, which happened around 4:45 a.m. above East Carson Street in Baldwin, as...
Wind, rain leave pockets of power outages behind in Western Pa.
Saturday’s wind and rain left behind pockets of power outages across the region, and while most of those have been taken care of in Allegheny County, Westmoreland County and areas east are having electricity issues lingering into Sunday. West Penn Power reported around 1,500 customers were still without power by...
It’s a warm, wet, windy day in Western Pa.: Wind advisory set until midnight
Not only is it warm, it’s windy. The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory in effect until midnight tonight for portions of western Pennsylvania, with western winds of 15-25 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. Emergency officials had steady reports of downed trees — and the occasional,...
Customers mourn year-end closure of Schramm Farms in Harrison City
When Sarah Hough’s mother makes applesauce for the holidays, she’s looking for a specific type of apple, and she’s going to Schramm Farms & Orchards in Harrison City to find it. “They’re Lodi apples,” said Hough, a Murrysville resident. “She’s afraid she’s not going to be able to make it...
Westmoreland commissioner continues virtual town-hall meetings Dec. 16
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew will host the sixth in a series of town-hall meetings at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 16. Chew began hosting the online town-hall meetings in October, touching on topics like voter registration and various aspects of the county’s budget. Chew said he wanted to public to...
