Murrysville Star category, Page 127
Police: Delmont man claimed to be a firefighter as he tried to rob house
A Delmont man remained in jail Monday after police say he tried to rob a house over the weekend while identifying himself as a firefighter and medical personnel. Charles Beiter, 33, is accused of forcibly entering a Mt. Pleasant home Saturday evening. He admitted to police that his plan was...
Murrysville council approves 1st fracking well
The first signs residents will see to indicate that a horizontal-drilling Marcellus shale well has been approved in Murrysville is probably not what they expected: road improvements. Before work gets going on Olympus Energy’s Titan well — which received Murrysville council’s approval for conditional-use and site plan applications in late...
Export council pushes back monthly meeting time
Export council will meet 30 minutes earlier beginning in February. Council voted unanimously Monday to move its monthly meeting back to 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Councilman James Mahinske was not present. Meetings are held at the borough building, 5823 Washington Ave. In other borough business:...
Inclusive theater to hold January auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater group for actors of all ability levels, will host auditions for two upcoming productions. • Auditions for “Once On This Island Jr.,” for actors ages 5 to 18, will be Jan. 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway, and...
Historical society receives $10K gift to help relocate military monumentVideo
The Export Historical Society has a good jump on relocating Export’s veteran monument, thanks to a $10,000 gift from former borough resident Gary Wuslich. “He noticed that the memorial was a little bit hard to see or recognize unless you knew where it was,” said borough councilwoman and historical society...
Plum businessman hooks investor on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’
He got a deal. Plum’s Joe Altieri appeared on the ABC show “Shark Tank” on Sunday night, seeking an investment for his Murrysville window screen company, FlexScreen. After making his pitch and fielding questions from the show’s five “shark” investors, Altieri, 43, considered offers from Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner and...
Helltown Brewing to host Tecmo Super Bowl tournament in Murrysville
For Dave Samuelson, tasting room manager at Helltown Brewing, the Sega Genesis console represented the apex of his video-game playing days, and one of the games Samuelson remembers playing best is Tecmo Super Bowl. “It was the first (football) game that had the real players,” said Samuelson, 45. “It had...
Franklin Regional superintendent to be keynote speaker at chamber prayer breakfast
Gennaro Piraino, superintendent of the Franklin Regional School District, will give the keynote address at the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce’s annual prayer breakfast on Jan. 31. Piraino is the Superintendent of the Year as chosen by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators. The breakfast will mark the 45th year...
State rep Bob Brooks files for reelection in House’s 54th District
State representative and former Murrysville mayor Bob Brooks filed for reelection in the House’s 54th District. He will host a petition signing kick-off event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 28 in Murrysville. “When I ran for state representative two years ago, I pledged to focus on people, not politics,...
Undecking the halls: How long do you leave your holiday decorations up?
When Shawn O’Mahony was growing up, it wasn’t unusual for his mother to let the Christmas tree stick around until Easter. That tradition didn’t carry over to her son. “When I decorated, the decorations were down before the new year,” said O’Mahony, a Penn Hills resident. “I like to start...
Sloan teachers, students move into first fully renovated classroom wing
When Sloan Elementary School teacher Janine Mickel attended a meeting with VEBH, the architects spearheading the design of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, she was told they “planned to bring the outdoors into the classroom.” Standing in a freshly renovated wing of the building that is complete and occupied by...
Murrysville webcam catches deer giving ground to wild turkeysVideo
A webcam recently captured a herd of deer relinquishing its ground to a group of invading wild turkeys in Murrysville. PixCams of Murrysville has 13 wildlife webcams, including ones monitoring the Pittsburgh bald eagles nest in Hays, elk in Benezette and wooded areas in places such as Murrysville. In the...
Murrysville window-screen company will appear on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ in JanuaryVideo
Joe Altieri was taking a huge risk when he decided to leave his job in the window industry to start up FlexScreen, a Murrysville company that provides removable, flexible window screens. Now he has a chance to have a professional investor share that risk. Altieri, a Plum resident, will appear...
Export fire destroys garage, damages home, sends firefighter for medical care
A family of four was displaced and a firefighter was transported by ambulance when a Monday afternoon blaze destroyed an Export garage and extensively damaged an adjoining home. The blaze was reported just before 1:30 p.m. on Arthur Street. The garage was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, according to...
Monroeville man, woman charged in Murrysville liquor thefts
A Monroeville man and woman were charged with taking more than $400 in alcohol from a Murrysville Fine Wine & Good Spirits store around Thanksgiving. Kevin Livsey, 55, and Tiffany Springer-Livsey, 47, are accused by police of thefts on Nov. 25, 27 and 29 from the store in the Blue...
Franklin Regional’s annual telethon benefits UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care FundVideo
It’s always busy during a class change at Franklin Regional Senior High School, but on Friday the hallways were especially jam-packed, as students and staff put on the school’s annual telethon fundraiser. Student organizations lined the hallway walls as media production students shot live segments outside the auditorium. Onstage, students...
Murrysville celebrates with ‘Santa at Sardis’
It was a little bit of a soggy celebration, but Murrysville officials’ decision to move its annual holiday event to Sardis Park was a success. The line was long and steady leading to Santa’s cabin on Dec. 7, as children and parents visited craft tables, nonprofits and dashed around Sardis...
Former state rep will present ‘The State of Education in Pennsylvania’ in Murrysville
As education experts in Pennsylvania go, it’s tough to top Ron Cowell. In addition to 24 years as a state representative with 12 years on the House Committee on Education, Cowell has been president and executive director for the Education Policy and Leadership Center in Harrisburg since 1999. He has...
Traffic stop, videos help police ID suspect in Murrysville, Penn Township thefts
A traffic stop in Murrysville led to the arrest of a suspect in multiple vehicle break-ins in several communities. Murrysville police Detective John Devlin stopped a damaged Nissan SUV for alleged equipment violations Nov. 22. It was identical to the SUV seen at the area of the vehicle break-ins: a...
Franklin Regional telethon has raised more than $139,000 over the years
When local viewers watch this year’s Franklin Regional Holiday Telethon, they will see four compelling reasons to consider donating to this year’s beneficiary, the UPMC Children’s Hospital Free Care Fund. “We have documentary segments on four (Franklin Regional) families who have been helped through the Free Care Fund,” said high...
Franklin Regional school board won’t delay construction on Sloan intermediate building
Construction of the new Sloan intermediate school in the Franklin Regional School District will continue after three of the four new school board members were unable to muster enough support to suspend work for a month. “Many of us ran for this position because people in the community were questioning...
Delmont moves ahead with Shields Farm log cabin repairs
Delmont officials will spend about $2,500 on white pine logs for the Shields Farm cabin on East Pittsburgh Street, and members of the Delmont Visionary Committee are hoping their research can help locate a trust to fund the cabin’s maintenance. Committee member AnnaMarie Stackiewicz said she found minutes from the...
Delmont adopts balanced 2020 budget with no tax hike
Delmont officials adopted a $1.25 million 2020 budget that holds the line on property taxes. The budget calls for $1,250,374 in both revenues and expenditures. Council members also adopted a resolution that will be forwarded to state officials, noting that the borough will not increase property taxes. They will remain...
Salem tattoo shop plans coat, shoe giveawayVideo
Dante Wiley Jr. knows how tough it can get for needy children during the holidays. “I didn’t have much growing up,” said Wiley, a Jeannette resident and general manager/part-owner at BullyInk tattoo parlor in Salem Plaza along Route 22. “I know how it feels. I know what it’s like to...
Here’s a list of upcoming holiday events in the greater Murrysville area
Here are some of the holiday-themed events coming up in the Star’s coverage area. Do you have a holiday event coming up? Email staff writer Patrick Varine at pvarine@tribweb.com. • The Masterworks Concert Chorale will present “Christmas In Germany,” a choral concert featuring Beethoven’s “Mass in C,” on Dec. 14...
