Murrysville Star category, Page 115
More video hearings could be in store for Westmoreland courts
Members of Westmoreland County’s Prison Board plan to explore an expanded program that allows for additional court hearings by video. Common Pleas President Judge Rita Hathaway and court administrators lobbied the board to buy new equipment that will double the number of hearings conducted remotely to ensure safety of defendants...
‘Mama Mantras’ born from Murrysville woman’s postpartum depression battle
“I am the perfect mother for my family.” That’s just one of the 44 phrases found in a unique deck of cards, known as Mama Mantras, Jessi Wagner developed earlier this year to help moms get through the “baby blues.” Wagner, 30, a Gateway High School graduate who now lives...
President Trump to campaign in Westmoreland County this week
President Donald Trump will make a campaign stop Thursday in Unity, according to his campaign website. Trump is scheduled to speak at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport at 7 p.m. Doors open at 4 p.m. “It’s really exciting to see him coming back into the county, he did so well there....
Franklin Regional band will boogie in place at disco-themed halftime show
New Franklin Regional Senior High School Band Director Larry Silvestri thought the toughest part of his new position would be answering thousands of questions from band members. “When I was assistant director, I could walk down the hall with no problem,” Silvestri said with a laugh. “Now all I do...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 30
Churchill Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency sold property at 2400 Greensburg Pike to Ahmed and Arafat Arafat for $82,500. Estate of Marilyn Fredland Lampl sold property at 149 Thornberry Drive to William Fuller Jr. and Cherylie A Blair Fuller for $189,900. Delmont Ronald Glover sold property at 541 Athena Drive to...
WPIAL volleyball teams grappling with indoor coronavirus safety restrictions
Girls volleyball teams in the WPIAL are beginning to feel like the walls are closing in on them. Volleyball is an outlier in the fall season because it is the only indoor sport, so it is up against tighter covid-19 safety guidelines. The virus, experts say, thrives in enclosed spaces,...
Lower Burrell man awaiting trial in illegal used car scheme avoids return to jail
A Lower Burrell man awaiting trial on 67 criminal counts of using fake identities to sell cars as a licensed dealer avoided having his bond revoked Friday for allegedly “brokering” another car sale last month in Delmont, but was instead admonished by a judge. “From here on out, you are...
Bankruptcy looming for parent company of Westmoreland, Monroeville malls
After months of struggling to regain lost revenues after foot traffic was essentially choked off at malls across the country, mall owner CBL Properties announced a restructuring plan that could lead to a bankruptcy filing in the coming months. The Chattanooga, Tenn.-based company, which owns Monroeville and Westmoreland malls, is...
14 WPIAL players nominated for All-American soccer games
Fourteen WPIAL players have a chance to play in the country’s premier soccer all-star games. The watch list for the 10th High School All-American Game was announced this week and the WPIAL is well-represented, particularly on the girls side with 11 of the 30 nominees from Pennsylvania coming from District...
Video visits for inmates continue at Westmoreland County Prison in Hempfield
Visitation for inmates at the Westmoreland County Prison will be restricted to video only through September under a agreement approved Thursday by county commissioners. Commissioners approved an amendment to its agreement with Global Tel-Link Corp., the private company that operates the telephone system at the jail in Hempfield. Warden John...
Westmoreland Commissioner Kertes criticized for comments at Trump rally in Murrysville
About two dozen Westmoreland County residents criticized county commissioner’s Chairman Sean Kertes Thursday for comments he made during a political rally last weekend they claim denigrated the county’s younger population. “Here you are Sean Kertes, sowing division based on age, economic standing, race and political affiliation. I get it …...
Norwin Elks entertain with 1st annual Summerfest
The first annual Norwin Elks Summerfest featuring live bands on the lawn was held Sunday, Aug. 23 at the Elks lodge, 135 Elks Lane in Manor. Concert-goers seated on blankets and lawn chairs were treated to live afternoon performances by William Dell & the Wee Jams, The Fabulous Gemtones and...
Murrysville-Export Rotary marks 75 years of ‘Service Above Self’
Lane Neff can remember making orchid corsages for her father and his fellow Murrysville-Export Rotarians during the Easter season. She remembers her father buying buckets worth of golf balls for its hole-in-one fundraisers, and she remembers when several club members took out personal loans to create Haymaker Park in the...
Westmoreland transit authority looks to bump up local bus service
A portion of Westmoreland County’s local bus service, slowed because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be restored in September. Westmoreland County Transit Authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said that an informal survey of riders determined an interest in added public transportation for routes around the county. Specifics about which routes...
Inclusive theater troupe will hold holiday-play auditions in September
Auditions for a holiday play by inclusive theater group Acting Up will be at the First Presbyterian Church pavilion, 3202 North Hills Road in Murrysville. It is not an open casting call due to health and safety regulations. All potential participants must call or email to make an audition appointment....
Murrysville equine center hosts meditation sessions with horsesVideo
After two decades of serving as manager for nearly 60 horses at the Rock Creek Park Horse Center in Washington, D.C., it would seem like managing four horses would be a breeze for Amber Power. “I had 45 people on staff at Rock Creek Park,” the Murrysville resident said as...
Sean Parnell, GOP challenger to Conor Lamb, gets high-profile speaking slot at RNCVideo
Murrysville native and former Army Ranger Sean Parnell, the GOP challenger seeking to unseat U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, scored a primetime speaking slot on the first night of the Republican National Convention. Parnell, 39, a former platoon leader in Afghanistan who recently moved from Cranberry to Ohio Township, said he’s...
Technical schools grapple with hands-on learning as classes resume during pandemic
As traditional schools weed through reopening plans that largely include at least some online learning, career and technical centers across the region grapple with how to maintain predominately hands-on classes while keeping students and staff safe. Several of the 16 career and technical centers that cater to high school students...
Murrysville area real estate transactions for the week of Aug. 23
Manor James Martin sold property at 121 Birchwood Way to Brian and Jamie Lehneke for $293,000. Murrysville Barbara Ann Zimmers sold property at Unknown Address to Robert DeTorre Jr. and Tracey Frawley for $194,900. Janet Scarton sold property at 3117 Antheo Ct to Paul and Kathleen Serago for $120,500. Maureen...
Trump supporters rally in Murrysville as Wendy Bell headlines opening of ‘2020 Trump Victory Center’Video
Around 250 people gathered in Murrysville at a car dealership under construction Saturday morning to show their support for the reelection of President Donald Trump and to celebrate the opening of the nearby Murrysville Export Republican Committee’s “2020 Trump Victory Center.” Trump 2020 flags, T-shirts, buttons and signs floated around...
Westmoreland Cleanways rejoins area sites offering electronics recycling
Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling will resume collection of electronics for recycling on Monday at its site near Pleasant Unity, in Unity Township. Electronics such as televisions, computer-related items and printers may be dropped off during the center’s regular operating hours: noon to 5 p.m. Mondays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m....
Passavant Memorial Homes extends extra pay when state rejects bid for aid
Despite not receiving state aid for hazard pay for frontline workers, a McCandless-based nonprofit will give its employees at 140 community group homes across the region an extra $3 an hour until late October — an initiative that will cost the company about $2 million. Passavant Memorial Homes Family of...
Citing pandemic concerns, Greensburg bishop to offer public farewell in a virtual Mass
Citing the ongoing public health threat of the coronavirus, Bishop Edward C. Malesic will make his public farewell to the diocese’s 138,000 Roman Catholics in a virtual Mass. Officials with the Greensburg Diocese said Friday the Mass will be livestreamed at 3 p.m. Aug. 30 from Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in...
Sardis Road reopens in Murrysville following crash near municipal buildingVideo
Emergency crews transported a female patient from the scene of a one-car crash late Friday morning on Sardis Road in Murrysville. The crash, which was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. near the Murrysville municipal building, involved an SUV which struck the guard rail before getting stuck on it, according to...
State hands out $50 million for $3/hour raises for frontline workers
Pennsylvania’s process for determining which companies with frontline workers in the battle against covid-19 will be reimbursed for hiking their workers’ wages by up to $3 an hour through late October has left some health care companies wondering how the decisions were made. “There’s not really a rhyme nor reason”...
