Murrysville Star category, Page 132
Inclusive theater troupe will hold ‘Grinch’ auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for actors of all abilities, will host auditions for a production of “The Grinch,” from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Sept. 14 at First Presbyterian Church in Murrysville. Appoints will be in 30-minute blocks with nine actors per block. Actors should prepare the following: •...
Murrysville officials: Heritage trail users must obey traffic controls
If cyclists using the Westmoreland Heritage Trail want to be treated like cars, they need to act like cars. That was the general sentiment among Murrysville officials after hearing from residents about the safety situation where the trail crosses Trafford Road. “Stop signs are not optional,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim...
Panther Foundation grants include funding for ‘maker space’ in middle-school library
Franklin Regional teachers were awarded $8,500 in grants from the FR Panther Foundation that will fund a video project and a science lab, as well as a creative space in the middle-school library. “We’re taking a look at part of the library and designating an area as a ‘maker space,’”...
Murrysville Council approves excavation plan for ‘poor soil’ on Sloan construction site
Like many of the details surrounding the Franklin Regional School District’s “elementary campus” project, the discovery of poor soil on the Sardis Road property means one thing to those who support the project, and another to those against it. To the project’s engineer, the trucking of 12,000 cubic yards of...
Murrysville adds 1 final ‘Tuesdays at Townsend’ concert to finish season
With a massive playground and splash pad opening at Murrysville Community Park this summer, parks and recreation director Carly Greene wanted to make sure residents didn’t forget about the other parks in the municipality. That’s why Greene is happy to be adding an encore performance to her department’s “Tuesdays at...
Murrysville teen brings home 8 ribbons from Westmoreland Fair
Ian Sunny of Murrysville is on a roll this week at the Westmoreland Fair. And chances are, if he had baked a tray of rolls, he’d have won a ribbon for that, too. Sunny, 16, a junior at Franklin Regional Senior High School, brought home eight ribbons from the fair...
Judge hears arguments in Franklin Regional’s Sloan ‘elementary campus’ appeal case
Judge Harry Smail has a lot to consider in an appeal of Murrysville council’s approval of an “elementary school campus” project for the Franklin Regional School District. Smail heard oral arguments Wednesday in Common Pleas Court from attorneys representing three parties to the appeal — the municipality, school district and...
Franklin Regional opens school year with new website, stadium upgrades
Franklin Regional school officials made upgrades to their football field as well as their website in the run-up to the new school year. Online visitors will see a brand-new, revamped website launched in mid-August with a simplified address: FRSDk12.org. The new site features a revised directory, new teacher pages and...
Franklin Regional OKs $35 million bond sale for Sloan Elementary projectVideo
The Franklin Regional School Board agreed to issue up to $35 million in bonds to fund the bulk of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, the same week that the district will be in court to face a group opposed to the plan. The project includes construction of a new elementary...
One person reported injured in Murrysville accident, dispatchers say
One person was reported injured Monday in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Vincent Hall Road and William Penn Highway in Murrysville, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. The accident occurred at 4:13 p.m., dispatchers said. The injured person had to be extricated from a vehicle that overturned following the...
March for Parks surpasses $1 million in fundraising
The county’s annual March for Parks event has surpassed the $1 million fundraising mark, as residents, businesses and organizations have come together since 2003 to raise money for improvements at places like the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, Mammoth Park and Cedar Creek Park. The 17th annual March for Parks this past...
Delmont dedicates new basketball court
Delmont officials were joined Thursday by Dedicated Nursing Associates President Craig Fusting, along with many of his employees, to dedicate a new basketball court a Newhouse Park. Dedicated Nursing Associates funded the majority of the new court’s cost, and it is emblazoned with their logo and their red and black...
Road realignment, amphitheater are big-ticket items in Murrysville capital improvement plan
Murrysville officials have about $10 million in road projects planned for the next five years, including the next steps in the proposed realignment of the intersection of Sardis Road, Logan Ferry Road and Franklintowne Court. Finance director Diane Heming said $600,000 generated from traffic impact fees has been budgeted to...
Delmont paving program to begin ‘within two to three weeks’
Delmont residents are likely to see road crews in the borough “within two to three weeks” to start the borough’s 2019 paving program, engineer Kevin Brett said at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Borough officials secured a loan of about $292,000 for paving work on West Pittsburgh Street, Stotler Drive and...
DEP consent order aims to identify FTMSA issues by 2022
Delmont Councilman Bill Marx is not happy about signing a consent agreement with no sense of how much it might someday cost the borough. “I’m going to be honest, it’s a bitter pill to swallow to be told that we have to sign onto this without knowing what it’s going...
Export festival marks official opening of Westmoreland Heritage Trail’s 4th phase
The annual Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival often marks the unveiling of something new and positive for the borough. “In the past we had the unveiling of the (restored Turtle Creek Valley Railroad) caboose, and last year we unveiled a mural, so it’s really nice to do a little...
Franklin Regional marching band tickles the ivories for 2019 halftime show
Roll over, Beethoven — the Franklin Regional Panther Marching Band has a few new piano pieces for you. That is the theme behind the band’s 2019 marching show. “’Roll Over Beethoven’ is the theme, and it’s all based on piano-centered pieces,” said senior Lane Kline, one of the drum majors....
Murrysville wreck entraps dump truck driver
Emergency workers pulled a dump truck driver from his truck Wednesday morning after it overturned and blocked a Murrysville road, according to Westmoreland County dispatch. The truck rolled over just off the road at Pleasant Valley Road near Trafford Road around 8 a.m. The man was removed from the truck...
Staycation destination: Westmoreland Heritage Trail
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail offers cyclists a chance to see the county’s natural beauty and rich history, all while getting some exercise. While a section connecting Export and Delmont has yet to be completed — that section presents the difficult problem of how to safely cross Route 66 — with...
Murrysville officials budgeting funds to address storm water damage
As Murrysville officials look at potential capital improvements over the next five years, one issue is starting to consume a larger percentage of the capital budget — damage from storm water. “We lost half of Beighley Road with the storm that came through Plum a couple weeks ago, and we...
‘God’s blessing’: Murrysville family farm predates AmericaVideo
The Murrysville land farmed by Herb Gearhard and his family is older than America. The Gearhard farm, the oldest continuously worked farm in Westmoreland County, dates to the late 1760s, and marks its 250th anniversary this year. On April 3, 1769, Robert Hays paid 45 pounds, two shillings and sixpence...
Driller, public health consultant debate correlation-versus-causation at fracking hearing
Laura Dagley, a medical advocacy coordinator with Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Pennsylvania branch, could not say hydraulic fracturing operations directly cause negative health effects on nearby residents. But she said it is difficult to ignore the strong correlation that many studies have shown between a fracking operation’s arrival and an...
16-year-old earns National Merit Scholarship following freshman year at Carnegie Mellon
For Carnegie Mellon University students in the “Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science” course, it may have taken a little time to adjust to a teaching assistant two years their junior. On the other side of the equation, that 16-year-old teaching assistant, Elena Swecker of Murrysville, was also adjusting to...
Export will target illicit stormwater connections along Italy Road
The next step in Export’s long-term flood control plan is to remove any storm water connections along Italy Road that empty into the borough’s sewage system. And borough officials have to get it done by January 2020. “I think that’s going to be a major issue,” Councilman John Nagoda said....
Halloween Hustle 5K proposes shift from Murrysville to Export
This year’s Halloween Hustle 5K will move from Murrysville to Export. The race is hosted by the East Suburban Trailblazers, an inclusive running club associated with East Suburban Citizen Advocacy. “We’d like to have this year’s 5K on the (Westmoreland) Heritage Trail,” said Trailblazers member Megan Nelson. “Usually, we’ve held...
