Patrick Varine stories, Page 99
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...
‘Monticello Lights’ aims to brighten holidays for local charitiesVideo
Delmont firefighters got a sneak peek at the light show on Friday night. In advance of this weekend’s “Monticello Lights” fundraiser, which will raise money for Project Bundle Up and the Delmont Volunteer Fire Department, residents of the Monticello neighborhood took firefighters on a preview tour. From 6-9 p.m. Saturday...
Police seek suspect in robbery of Dollar General in East Huntingdon
State police are seeking information on a suspect who robbed the Dollar General in East Huntingdon on Wednesday. Shortly after 11 a.m., police said someone believed to be on foot robbed the store, on Route 31, while wearing yellow gloves, a tossel cap, mask and hooded sweatshirt. The suspect is...
Murrysville: Christmas tree recycling, holiday library hours, more
Submit news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Rotary plans Christmas tree recycling in January The Murrysville-Export Rotary Club’s annual Christmas tree recycling drop-off will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 8 and 15 at the Windstream parking lot, 4792 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. FR renews...
Some Export landlords unhappy with rental license fee proposal
Several Export rental property owners — including two with seats on borough council — have taken issue with a proposal to charge a $200 annual rental licensing fee as part of the 2022 budget. Mayor Joe Zaccagnini, who owns several rental properties in Export, proposed the fee last month in...
Export officials: Sewage surcharge to remain in place for now
An $8 surcharge on Export sewage customers was only supposed to be in place for a year. Yet, when it came up for a vote in May, council members voted to keep it in place. With bills totaling more than $50,000 coming in related to its ongoing long-term flood control...
Beaver Falls man sentenced to 3 years for lying about gun purchases
A Beaver County man was sentenced Tuesday to just over three years in jail after lying about the purchase of four 9-millimeter pistols, which he gave to two men who’d accompanied him while buying them, according to U.S. Attorney Cindy Chung. Calvin Brady Jr., 25, of Beaver Falls, was sentenced...
Reach Cyber partners with carpenters’ union to offer online carpentry programVideo
In recent years, school districts have made a stronger push to gauge student interest in trade careers, extolling the virtues of the region’s technical schools and the wide-open job market for skilled laborers. In Pennsylvania, one cyber charter school is looking to add some of those elements to its curriculum....
Murrysville area: Essay contest, election results certified, more
Submit news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW welcomes IUP professor as featured speaker The Murrysville branch of the American Association of University Women will welcome Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor Arden Hamer as its guest speaker on Dec. 9. Hamer is a professor in IUP’s Developmental Studies Department,...
Businesses pitch in to help ‘Monticello Lights’ fundraiser in Delmont
Kelly Mazon and her family are running out of extension cords. Meanwhile, up the street, Zack Bruno is four inflatables deep and just getting started. The Mazons and Brunos were just two of many families in Delmont’s Monticello neighborhood busy preparing over Thanksgiving weekend for the “Monticello Lights” decorating competition...
