Murrysville Star category, Page 120
Westmoreland green phase: No temp checks at courthouse, offices opening
Westmoreland County is moving to green status on Friday, meaning courthouse visitors won’t need a temperature check to enter, and some restrictions on access to row offices will be lifted. Gov. Wolf announced last week that Westmoreland would be joining other counties in southwestern Pennsylvania in moving from the yellow...
Murrysville man accused of possessing child porn
A 45-year-old Murrysville man is accused by state police of downloading dozens of images of child pornography to his home computer. Daniel E. Bozym Jr. is charged with 28 counts of possession of child pornography and single counts of possessing photographs of a child performing a sex act and criminal...
Delmont Public Library will reopen June 1 with social distancing restrictions in placeVideo
“What?!? It’s a real book?!?” Delmont librarian Denni Grassel’s humorous exclamation in a video posted to YouTube (watch the video below) was the official signal that the Delmont Public Library will be reopening on June 1, with some new procedures in place. Among the new guidelines: • Only 25 people...
Lower Burrell man identified as motorcyclist who died in Murrysville crash
A motorcyclist died Wednesday when his vehicle collided with a car along Route 380, about one-quarter mile west of the Route 366 intersection in northern Murrysville, police said. The Westmoreland County coroner’s office identified the motorcyclist as Gregg A. Leipertz Jr., 24, of Lower Burrell. Leipertz was pronounced dead at...
Court denies appeal of Murrysville’s fracking ordinance
A local citizen group’s challenge of Murrysville’s unconventional drilling ordinance has been struck down in court. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Harry F. Smail denied an appeal by the Murrysville Watch Committee, which challenged an earlier decision by the Murrysville Zoning Hearing Board. Smail pointed to a November 2019...
Student art projects for local seniors a ‘two-fer’ for Franklin Regional art teacherVideo
Franklin Regional High School art teacher Lori Mozina found a way to brighten the days of residents at two local senior homes in addition to getting her students their required community service hours. National Art Honors Society members, along with a large group of high school art students, created photos,...
Delmont, Murrysville farmers markets will open with some restrictions this season
Annual farmers markets in Delmont and Murrysville will open in June, but with some special measures in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. • In Delmont, the market will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning June 13, and will add a curbside pickup...
Memorial Day ceremonies shortened this year in Murrysville, Delmont, Export
Memorial Day will be a bit more low-key than in previous years for residents in Murrysville, Export and Delmont, due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “They will be very limited this year, with the roll call and no speakers, and we’ll be keeping to social...
Newlonsburg reconfigures year-end celebration for fifth graders
Fifth graders at Newlonsburg Elementary in Murrysville typically get a warm send-off as they leave for summer vacation and prepare to enter the middle school. “On the last day of school, we do sort of an indoor parade,” Principal Tina Gillen said. “Students and staff line the hallways, and fifth...
Delmont Library volunteers host ‘Grab and Grow’ garden kit distribution
The Delmont Public Library’s volunteers the Delmont Diggers were already looking at alternate plans for 2020, since the new library is being built where their butterfly garden once stood. “We’d planned to do container gardens around the library, but when covid-19 happened, we weren’t even able to do that,” said...
Construction manager: Franklin Regional elementary project keeping pace despite delay
The general manager for Franklin Regional’s Sloan elementary campus construction and renovation is confident that contractors will be able to keep pace with the project’s original timeline, despite a roughly month-long setback at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “The only areas we’re trying to keep a close eye on,...
White-tail deer fawn whines for mother on Murrysville webcamVideo
A rite of spring is the birth of hundreds of thousands of white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania with most fawn born within a week of Memorial Day, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. It’s not surprising that wildlife webcams in Murrysville captured footage of what looks to be a newly born...
Delmont takes first steps toward reopening
With Westmoreland County shifting into the state-designated “yellow phase” with regard to the covid-19 pandemic, Delmont officials are taking steps to slowly reopen the borough. “With the county moving into yellow status as of Friday, I think you can reopen the office if that’s your desire, with the CDC social...
Delmont extends discount period for borough tax payments
Delmont council extended the discount period for residents to pay real estate taxes, but also found out this week that their financial position is relatively strong amid the economic fallout from the covid-19 pandemic. Council unanimously approved a resolution extending the 2% discount period through Aug. 31. Taxes will then...
Westmoreland municipal authority approves data backup, readies for construction season
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County will spend about $151,000 on backup services for its electronic data and get started on projects as restrictions on construction work have been lifted. The authority board approved a three-year lease Wednesday with TCF for equipment services and software that will allow the authority...
Franklin Regional plans drive-thru ‘Celebration of Our Seniors’ on original commencement date
Franklin Regional School District officials have a couple of tentative dates for the Class of 2020’s commencement ceremony but, whether they work out or not, administrators want to recognize their senior students. Franklin Regional Senior High School will host a “Celebration of Our Seniors” at 6 p.m. June 5, the...
Route 22 construction in Monroeville, Murrysville delayed by pandemic
The construction project that started along Route 22 in Monroeville and Murrysville last year will be prolonged because of delays caused by the covid-19 pandemic, said a PennDOT spokesman. The $11 million project from the I-76 interchange in Monroeville to the Westmoreland County border in Murrysville began May 10, 2019....
Longtime Franklin Regional band director to retire this yearVideo
When Kevin Pollock was hired as the Franklin Regional high school band director, he found himself in a brand-new position with a week before summer band camp rehearsals began. “With so little time to plan and prepare, we fell back on a patriotic show theme I’d used at two previous...
Here’s how Murrysville’s new voter precincts break down
When the Pennsylvania primary arrives next month, several thousand Murrysville voters will find themselves part of two new precincts, and figuring out which can be tricky. The Newlonsburg and Sardis precincts — the two biggest in Westmoreland County — were broken into four parts. Murrysville political committee members were hoping...
Redstone staff in Murrysville arranges 100th birthday parade for 2 residentsVideo
For the staff at Redstone Highlands senior community in Murrysville, the simple act of throwing a 100th birthday party for residents is a complicated affair these days. “It’s been challenging, just to make sure I’m crossing all my T’s and dotting all my I’s,” said Redstone Care Partner Megan Henninger,...
Delmont fire company plans mini-parade through borough to honor moms
Fire department volunteers are among the first responders in their communities, and with Mother’s Day coming up on Sunday, Delmont librarian Denni Grassel approached members of the borough fire department with an idea. “She mentioned that moms are kind of like the ‘first responders’ of the household,” Delmont Fire Chief...
Franklin Regional librarians start home-delivery service for students
What’s a school librarian to do with no students in the buildings? Take the books to the kids, of course. “Our theory was: they’re staring at a screen all day, and when we offered them the possibility of checking out e-books, the thought was ‘Oh, more screen time,’” said Franklin...
Murrysville begins leaf collections, lifts burn ban
Spring leaf and yard waste collection will kick off this weekend in Murrysville. Republic Services will collect leaf and yard waste left at the curb the night before May 9 and 16. To schedule a pickup, call Republic at 877-788-9400. For those with a fire pit or burn barrel, the...
Murrysville community adult scholarships still accepting applications
The form education may take in the next few months remains up in the air, but community organizations are still seeking applicants for scholarships: • The Murrysville-Export Rotary Club has extended the application deadline for its Westmoreland County Community College scholarship through May 15. Applications will be accepted from graduating...
Murrysville Council OKs hauling route adjustment for Sloan ‘elementary campus’ project
Murrysville Council granted the Franklin Regional School District’s request to allow trucks leaving the Sloan Elementary construction project to use Crowfoot Road as they haul material off-site. Project engineer John Frydrych of Civil & Environmental Consultants said the request was needed as a result of a 16-foot grade spanning the...
