Murrysville Star category, Page 128
Murrysville council, Olympus Energy continue working out possible fracking well conditions
A vote on Murrysville’s first fracking well will be postponed one more month, after council members and company officials were unable to agree on the list of conditions imposed on the drilling firm. Truck access to the Titan well pad site, transportation of water to the site, and the time...
Westmoreland talent fills out Laurel Ballet’s annual ‘Nutcracker’ production
Although “The Nutcracker” is perfect family Christmas entertainment, surprisingly it was not a hit when it was first performed in Russia in 1892. But when it did finally catch on more than 50 years ago, it quickly became a ubiquitous part of the holiday season. It’s now the most frequently-seen...
Delmont council to take a closer look at future of Shields Farm cabin
Before spending more money on the Shields Farm cabin on East Pittsburgh Street, Delmont officials want to decide what exactly the cabin’s future will be. “It’s open one weekend a year,” said Councilman Bill Marx, who recently met with officials from the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, which deeded the...
Hills Church in Murrysville will host ‘Christmas in Germany’ concertVideo
Over the summer, Masterworks Concert Chorale Director Snezana Lazich fell in love with a piece by one of her favorite composers. “I found Beethoven’s ‘Mass in C,’ and it has such beautiful moments in it,” Lazich said. The 40 members of the MCC, along with a 15-piece orchestra of local...
Delmont paving program comes in $76,000 under budget
Surprises during the construction process are rarely positive. But a welcome surprise in Delmont helped borough officials save more than $75,000 on their annual roads program. “We anticipated a lot of base repair on (West Pittsburgh Street), but the concrete was actually in excellent condition,” borough engineer Kevin Brett told...
Murrysville Woman’s Club marks 100th anniversary in 2020Video
The Murrysville Woman’s Club “has figured out 50 million ways to raise money,” according to Joy Somers, who has been a member for nearly four decades. Somers’ tenure, however, isn’t even half the time the club has been in existence. Formed in 1920 to educate local women about voting following...
Export seeks grant to help with sewer fixesVideo
There’s no getting around the expensive price tag for sewer fixes in Export, but borough officials are hoping a state grant will help put a significant dent in it. Borough officials have applied for one of the H2O Program grants offered by the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development...
This weekend kicks off holiday events in Murrysville, Export and Delmont
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. • Export Light Up Night will take place at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6 outside the Export Volunteer Fire Department on...
Murrysville group will host Italian Christmas program with tenor Marco FioranteVideo
The American Association of University Women’s Murrysville chapter will host Italian singer Marco Fiorante at its Dec. 12 meeting for a special holiday program. Born in Cellino San Marco in Italy’s Puglia region, Fiorante completed his musical study in “canto lirico” (“opera performance”) at the Conservatorio Tito Schipa in Lecce,...
New Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in Dec. 5
Newly elected Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in at the board’s December meeting. The Dec. 5 meeting is shifted from the traditional Monday time slot because district staff and officials still will be on Thanksgiving break. The meeting will encompass board reorganization as well as both the...
Delmont Scout troop will host open house for girls
Boy Scouts of America Troop 1211 for girls will host a Dec. 2 open house in Delmont for young ladies interested in scouting and developing leadership skills. MaryAnn Fabian, new members coordinator for Troop 1211, said the open house is a good opportunity to not just find potential scouts, but...
Franklin Regional senior earns $20,000 Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award
Franklin Regional senior Emma Martin is the recipient of the Bob Hope Band Scholarship Award, given annually to a band marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and to one of its members. But to keep it a surprise for Martin, her own mother had to essentially become a covert...
Franklin Regional, Butler, Mt. Lebanon receive grants to help needy families
Three school districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Franklin Regional in Westmoreland County, each will receive $2,500 to help local families with needs like clothing, medical and dental care, eyeglasses and prescriptions along with food, shelter and related supplies. The American Association of School Administrators, or AASA, announced the Murrysville school...
Murrysville council works through conditions for town’s first fracking well
If Murrysville approves its first unconventional gas well, expect “some push-back” to several of the roughly 25 conditions officials want to impose, Chief Administrator Jim Morrison warned council members. Among the conditions is one that no water will be transported by truck to the proposed Titan well pad off of...
New Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in Dec. 5
Newly elected Franklin Regional school board members will be sworn in at the board’s December meeting. The Dec. 5 meeting is shifted from the traditional Monday time slot because district staff and officials still will be on Thanksgiving break. The meeting will encompass board reorganization as well as both the...
2 injured in Saltsburg Road crash in Washington TownshipVideo
Saltsburg Road was closed late Friday night near Pfeffer Road in Washington Township after two people were injured in a crash that left one car on its roof. Washington Township police said they believe one of the two cars involved was pulling out from Pfeffer Road into the eastbound lanes...
‘Santa at Sardis’ moves annual holiday celebration to Murrysville’s newest park
Murrysville’s annual “Night of Lights” holiday celebration is a dream for those in attendance, with carols, hot chocolate and visits with Santa. But it was a potential nightmare for public safety officials, attracting thousands and taking place near one of the municipality’s busier intersections, Old William Penn Highway and Sardis...
Franklin Regional band returns to Macy’s parade for the first time since 2009Video
Franklin Regional students Amanda Zegarelli and JoJo Huczko have a name for the piano they will push 2-1/2 miles along New York City streets in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: “Persephone Priscilla Zegarelli Huczko.” “It’s so we can call her by her full name when she misbehaves,” said senior...
Family holds second annual fundraiser for son’s scleroderma nonprofit
Laurie Churma of Washington Township was joined by friends and family Tuesday as they paid tribute to her son Kody and raised money to fund research into the disease that took his life. In less than two years, Kody Churma went from a healthy young man to one who was...
Illinois man’s hacking conspiracy tied to 2016 Franklin Regional cyberattack
An Illinois man was sent to in prison last week for his role in providing access to illegal “booter” services, including one said to have been used in a 2016 hacking attack on the Franklin Regional School District and several other regional computer systems. Sergiy P. Usatyuk, 20, of Orland...
Murrysville teen sets multiple records at powerlifting competition
Weightlifters often pursue “gains” in a variety of categories. For 15-year-old James Swift, of Murrysville, those gains have come at quite a rapid pace. He began working with trainers at Dean’s Fitness on Old William Penn Highway in July 2018. Less than a year later, the Franklin Regional freshman won...
Groundbreaking held for new Delmont library
Delmont native Bill Lendl can remember his father, Milt, placing the first book on the first shelf of the former borough library, on Delmont Street at the time. “My father loved reading, and my family does as well,” Lendl said. That would explain why the Lendls donated about a quarter...
Rewind Reuse Center in Export aims to turn odds and ends into arts and craftsVideo
Val Paulisick of Murrysville is a maker. She sees a box full of paper scraps and odds and ends, and begins imagining the possibilities. “I want to save things from ending up in the landfill,” she said. She wants others to do the same, which is why she opened the...
Murrysville receives nearly $300K grant to help fund amphitheater at community park
The plan to continue developing Murrysville Community Park got a shot in the arm on Friday with the announcement of a sizable grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program. The municipality will receive $299,800 for the development of an amphitheater, parking area, pedestrian walkway and more at the park off...
Murrysville consumer advocate among honorees at state dinner
A Murrysville woman was among those honored at a recent state dinner with Gov. Tom Wolf. Mary Bach, a nationally recognized consumer advocate, was one of 30 people recognized for their efforts and achievements in Pennsylvania. Bach has more than four decades of independent consumer advocacy, civic activism and volunteer...
