Murrysville Star category, Page 4
Franklin Regional notebook: Soccer teams looking to bounce back
The Franklin Regional soccer teams were looking to rebound from section losses that bumped both from the Trib HSSN rankings. The boys (11-2, 5-2) moved into the No. 5 spot in Class 3A for the second time this season but dropped a 1-0 decision to Penn-Trafford. The defeat ended a...
Fiery Franklin Regional boys get revenge against Belle Vernon with resounding win
Franklin Regional had its annual campus bonfire Thursday night. Shortly after the fire department doused the flames, the boys soccer team went out and smoked Belle Vernon. Aidan Alexander and Michael Hillebrand each scored two goals as the fifth-ranked Panthers avenged an earlier loss to the visiting Leopards in dominant...
Late Trafford Elementary teacher prioritized connection with students
Shannon Dornauer recalls how Trafford Elementary School teacher Mike Martinelli knew how to make all of his students feel welcome in his classroom. “I just remember him being very friendly and outgoing. He always made everybody feel very included and comfortable,” said Dornauer, 37, of Latrobe. “Back in elementary school,...
Murrysville family hard at work on ‘Igor’s Fright Shack’
Last year, the Moore family of Murrysville revived “Igor’s Fright Shack,” the homemade haunted house that family patriarch Michael Moore created in his younger years. “My garage still bears the scars from when he started it,” said Moore’s father, Charles. “As a matter of fact, when they decided to start...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 28, 2025
Monroeville Michael Strauss sold property at 2684 Third St. to Luan Castro and Violet Tonelli for $299,900. Lynden Group LLC sold property at 829 Cottonwood Drive to Stephen and Heidi Zupanc for $206,500. Estate of Frank Sabino Jr. sold property at 1341 Foxboro Drive to Ranjan and Naba Godwami for...
New coach looks to rebuild hockey program, culture at Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional hockey has a new coach this season, the program’s third in three seasons. Nathan Connelly, who coached previously at Trinity, Shaler and West Virginia, was hired to replace Brian Bearly, who resigned after the 2024-25 season. Bearly, a Franklin Regional grad, plans to coach an 18U team. Connelly...
Drivers frustrated with improvements at intersection of Golden Mile Highway, Saltsburg Road
The new traffic layout where Route 380 and Golden Mile Highway meet in Murrysville was intended to ease passage for trucks that must cross the highway on their way to a fracking well pad just up the road. And while it might be more accommodating to truck traffic, it appears...
Aven Shirley moves under center, helps lead Kiski Area past Franklin Regional
If Aven Shirley didn’t seem uncomfortable under center Friday night at Richard J. Dilts Field, it was because he already developed many of the skills to do the job. Shirley, a 6-foot-2 senior wide receiver, was far from a fish out of water when he was asked to lead Kiski...
Delmont the latest community to start deer-culling program
Four deer hunters will get a chance to wait for their quarry in the confines of Delmont’s Shields Farm this fall. Council voted to begin a deer management program on the Shields Farm property, 145 acres that belongs to the borough but is technically in Salem. “A couple members of...
Murrysville area: Apple’n Arts, homecoming bonfire and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Apple’n Arts Festival The 2025 Apple’n Arts Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 4 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 5 at Shields Farm in Delmont. It is at Contact Place. Parking is $10 per car....
Penn-Trafford strikes for upset over No. 5 Franklin Regional
Penn-Trafford has taken on a sneaky personality competing in boys soccer Section 3-3A. The Warriors play a physical style and rely on sound, exacting defense to create opportunities. Despite their slightly above .500 record and a high number of unlucky bounces that have stunted them some offensively, they can creep...
Plum keeps rolling with shutout of section foe Franklin Regional
Franklin Regional had a “Gold Out” for Monday’s Section 4-3A girls soccer game. The matchup, however, had more of a purple tint to it. Gianna Revetta and Olivia Bigger scored second-half goals as unbeaten Plum ran its section winning streak to 35 with a 2-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Panthers...
Ohio man pleads guilty in fatal Route 22 crash
An Ohio man pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge for causing a fatal 2023 crash on Route 22 in Salem that killed his 16-year-old passenger. Ricardo Pierre Hardy Jr., 24, was ordered to serve five years of probation, including 18 months of house arrest, after Westmoreland County prosecutors agreed...
Ex-landlord hopes justice is served as man accused of trying to kill him has court appearanceVideo
Seeing the man accused of trying to kill him for the first time in months on Monday, Dave Martin had mixed emotions. Rage was one. Pity was another. “I’ve prayed for the guy and I’ve also been very upset with the guy,” he said. Martin will have at least two...
Murrysville neighbors concerned with lack of progress at multi-phase development
Diane Daugherty of Murrysville has been looking out her back window at a construction site for the past three years. She doesn’t think the developers should be starting a new project until they finish the current one. Daugherty voiced her objection at Murrysville Council’s recent public meeting, speaking against a...
Eastern Pittsburgh suburban real estate transactions for the week of Sept. 21, 2025
ALLEGHENY COUNTY Churchill Pasadena Partners LLC sold property at 261 Churchill Road to Tyler and Sabrina Sofia McCoy for $532,400. Tarek Alsaied sold property at 3336 Longbow Drive to Ali Sinan Saglam and Kelly Lenhart for $400,000. Edgewood David Ryan Lyle Flores sold property at 257 Maple Ave. to Thomas...
With multiple players stepping up, Franklin Regional sets stage for special season
Montour has been the nemesis of the Franklin Regional girls soccer team for the past two seasons. The Panthers fell to the Spartans in overtime in the the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs each of the last two years. But when the Panthers got their revenge Sept....
Backup quarterback helps Gateway rally for victory over Franklin Regional
Gateway coach Don Holl doesn’t quite understand how his Gators football team is doing it, but he’s not about to question the process of back-to-back wins without the team’s star quarterback. With freshman Mayson Mitchell filling in for injured starter Elvis Koutsakis Jr., Gateway continued to rally Friday night from...
Prostitution alleged in Murrysville massage parlor
A Murrysville massage parlor was raided by police Thursday and one woman arrested on prostitution charges, according to court papers. Municipal police had been investigating Asian Garden Spa on Route 22 since May after reading several online reviews of the establishment that indicated sexual acts were being performed by employees....
Franklin Regional community remembers creativity of senior found dead outside schoolVideo
Schoolmates and friends said Tayson Foltz always left them smiling. About 300 candles were lit Thursday evening in memory of the Franklin Regional student, who was found dead outside the school last weekend. Those who shared memories of the high school senior at the vigil at Murrysville’s Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church...
Vigil for Franklin Regional student set at Murrysville church
A candlelight vigil is planned Thursday night in memory of Tayson Foltz, the Franklin Regional student who was found dead outside the senior high school last weekend. The event will be held at 7 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. Family members said in...
Route 22 side streets in Murrysville will close for signal-control repairs
Drivers in Murrysville will be detoured briefly on Friday, as work crews repair a traffic signal control box that was damaged in a crash where Manor and Mellon roads meet Route 22. Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said crews will begin repairs around 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. The work is...
Greensburg Civic Theatre kicks off 74th season with ‘Seussical’
If the “Seussical” musical was a person, it would surely be related to Mallory Grantz’s Monroeville family. “This is the fifth time in our family that one or more of us has been involved in ‘Seussical,’” said Grantz, 39, who will direct a production of the show to kick off...
Franklin Regional has counseling options in place after student suicide
Flowers were left at the entrance to Franklin Regional Senior High School on Monday, a gesture of sympathy after a student committed suicide behind the school early Sunday morning. Franklin Regional officials said resources from Westmoreland County Behavioral Health as well as the University of Pittsburgh’s youth counseling service will...
Acid mine water treatment plant project gets $2M boost from state grant
An acid mine water remediation project, first pitched to Murrysville officials three years ago, has received $2 million in support from the state Department of Environmental Protection. As part of more than $5 million in mine-related grant funding, the department awarded $2.1 million for the Murrysville Area Watershed Association to...
