Patrick Varine stories, Page 97
Drug money seizures help fund simulated weapons training for Indiana County police
Money seized during drug arrests in Indiana County is being used to help train police at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and throughout the county using realistic scenario-based training. About $6,000 in funding was used to purchase equipment from the Simunition FX company, including 10 Glock pistols, four patrol rifle conversions...
Personal collection of Westmoreland Glass Co.’s head decorator will be up for auction
Whenever someone in Kathy Brown’s family had a birthday or special occasion, she knew Uncle Ernie would have a special, hand-painted piece of glass for them. “When my cousin got married, he created something for everyone’s place setting,” said Brown, a Mt. Pleasant resident. “He painted a very special vase...
Taco fundraiser, library programs, more in the Murrysville area
Taco fundraiser will benefit FR marching band Residents can support the Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band by ordering a Moe’s Taco Kit before Jan. 21. The kits are $40 and include 12 soft tortillas, two proteins, lettuce, cheese, pico de gallo, rice, black beans, sour cream, a bowl of queso,...
Delmont Police receive $30,000 donation for new vehicle
The Delmont Police Department received a sizable donation that will allow them to pay off one vehicle and lease a new one. The donor, who Chief T.J. Klobucar did not name, gave $30,000. That will allow the borough to pay the remaining cost on an existing Dodge Durango and lease...
Pittsburgh fighter will compete for IBA Super Featherweight title in Harmar
Pittsburgh junior lightweight Matt “Sweet Child” Conway will go up against a Philadelphia fighter for the IBA super featherweight championship title in the 130-pound division on Jan. 15, as another full night of boxing returns to the Pittsburgh Shrine Center in Harmar. “We have some fighters on this card from...
Pittsburgh police: Lincoln-Lemington man faces 2 felony counts of animal cruelty
Pittsburgh police have charged a Lincoln-Lemington man with felony animal cruelty after discovering an emaciated, tick-infested dog outside his home. Police responded to a complaint on Nov. 20 on the 1600 block of Broadhead Street, where they said they found an emaciated female dog with untreated wounds, bald spots and...
Westmoreland County, Latrobe nonprofit set to begin 2nd round of federal rental assistance
Since the covid-19 pandemic began, the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program has helped more than 1,000 Westmoreland County families struggling with rent or utilities to remain in their homes. On Monday, the second round of the $25 billion program for renters and landlords is getting underway, and local partner Union...
Pennsylvania Farm Show’s butter sculpture highlights state’s dairy farmersVideo
The Pennsylvania Farm Show, which runs through Jan. 15 in Harrisburg, highlights the importance of the state’s agriculture industry. And one of the largest segments of that industry is dairy products. So it only makes sense that the show’s massive annual butter sculpture, commissioned by the show and sponsored by...
Murrysville artist’s silk-screened quilts on exhibit throughout Pittsburgh
Murrysville artist Patty Kennedy-Zafred can remember seeing the heartbreaking photographs shot by Lewis Hine in the early 1900s, documenting working conditions for juveniles for the National Child Labor Committee. “It was just really compelling, especially photos of those boys in the mines,” said Kennedy-Zafred, 70, of Murrysville, a fiber and...
Pittsburgh mother’s milk bank seeking additional donors
Thanks to the efforts of nearly 2,000 carefully screened volunteer donors, the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank distributed its 1 millionth ounce of pasteurized human donor milk since its establishment in 2016. Pasteurized donor human milk provides critical nutrients and immunological support for medically fragile babies, and is used regularly in...
Report: Pittsburgh on short-list for potential 2024 Republican National Convention sites
Could Pittsburgh potentially host the next Republican National Convention? The city is on the GOP national committee’s shortlist for 2024, according to a report in Politico.com, along with Milwaukee, Nashville and Salt Lake City. “We always welcome commerce in the City of Pittsburgh, whether it’s filling our hotel rooms or...
2 years into covid-19, WCCC professor to discuss similarities with 1918 pandemic
At the outset of the covid-19 pandemic, when Tom Soltis spoke with the Tribune-Review about the similarities to its 1918 pandemic predecessor, he used an adjective that generated some negative feedback. “When I saw it beginning, I said the similarities were ‘haunting,’ ” said Soltis, a Westmoreland County Community College professor....
Allegheny Township artist’s work featured at Murrysville library gallery
Peter Cehily has been drawing since he was a child, influenced and taught by his older brother, Gregg, and his aunt, Julie. In the early 2000s, the Allegheny Township resident returned to it and took classes at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside. After one of his paintings...
Turnpike reopens following crash Thursday night
The eastbound side of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was back open around 11 p.m., following a crash that shut down multiple lanes Thursday night. The crash was reported shortly before 10 p.m. just west of the Pittsburgh/Monroeville exit. 911 officials said three lanes of the Turnpike were closed as crews worked...
Coraopolis man charged with attempted bus stop kidnapping
Police have charged a 40-year-old Coraopolis man with attempting to kidnap a 9-year-old Cornell Elementary student on Thursday morning. William Goring, 40, is charged with attempted kidnapping, attempting to interfere with custody of a child, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Police said Goring approached a young girl at...
PennDOT lifts speed limit restriction on major roads
Speed limit restrictions were lifted Friday morning after a snowy, slippery night across Western Pennsylvania. The reductions were put in place Thursday night and PennDOT urged motorists to avoid unnecessary travel as crews cleared major roads in the area. Around 7 a.m. Friday, the restrictions ended on Interstates 70 and...
Allegheny County courts suspend jury trials for January amid dramatic spike in covid-19 cases
Owing to the recent dramatic increase in covid-19 cases in Allegheny County, the county’s Court of Common Pleas ordered that no jury trials will take place for the remainder of the month in any division. Beginning Dec. 23, daily positive case counts for Allegheny County began outpacing its worst previous...
Murrysville Democrats hold vigil on anniversary of attack on Capitol, call for federal voting lawVideo
On the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Bill Hohlweg of Murrysville said he’s disturbed by the lack of acknowledgement, particularly by the Republican political class, about what happened in Washington, D.C. “To me it was a disgrace,” Hohlweg said. Murrysville Export Democratic Club President...
Export business owners get together to help promote the borough
Over the past several years, Export Borough has undergone a bit of a revitalization. Several once-empty storefronts along its downtown are occupied, and borough officials working with the Junior Hall Trust and the Export Historical Society have capitalized on the addition of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail by relocating Export’s war...
Murrysville: Parks challenge, Christmas tree recycling and more
Submit news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Recreation department hosts ‘12 for 12’ parks challenge The Murrysville Recreation Department is again issuing its “12 for 12” challenge to residents alongside the Westmoreland Conservancy, encouraging the public to explore 12 miles of parks, reserves and trails, log their miles and...
‘Monticello Lights’ raises more than $20,000 for Delmont VFD and Project Bundle UpVideo
Delmont Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Kline didn’t pull any punches when asked about his annual budget. “The budget is whatever I’m able to raise,” Kline said. “We have two gun bashes each year, but we’ve lost a lot of events to covid, and we don’t receive borough money.” That...
Franklin Regional FRobotics team gets back into gear with new workspace
The Franklin Regional FRobotics team was watching its robot undergo its inspection, one of the last steps before competing at the March 2020 robotics competition in New York. And that was when competition organizers sent everyone home as covid-19 shutdowns began in earnest across the state’s schools. So when the...
Vomit-fumed ‘Bradford’ pear tree lands on Pa. noxious weeds list, with sales to be banned
As an urban landscaping option, a certain ornamental, flowering pear tree might be nice and compact — even with a bit of an odorous downside. After some unfortunate cross-breeding between varieties, however, it now finds itself in the crosshairs of Pennsylvania horticulture officials. Callery pear, scientifically known as Pyrus calleryana...
Meet Kai Vigna of Harrison City — Allegheny Health Network’s 1st baby born in 2022
When Crissy Torres checked into Forbes Hospital in Monroeville, she certainly wasn’t expecting to be holding the first baby born in 2022 in the Allegheny Health Network. That’s because she initially checked into the hospital four days ago. But at 1:56 a.m. on New Year’s Day — and after labor...
Westmoreland residents ring in 2022 with pork, sauerkraut and cautious optimism
A cautious optimism about the coming year was on full display among some of the people waiting in line for a New Year’s Day meal at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Mt. Pleasant Township. “Happy new year,” one man wished another. The response came back quickly: “I hope it is.”...
