Murrysville Star category, Page 94
Murrysville native recruits fellow MIT students, others to battle social isolation among seniorsVideo
Bhav Jain, 19, of Murrysville knows how he felt during the early stages of covid, forced to return home from his freshman year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn from home. But even now, back in Boston to finish up his sophomore year, Jain is still thinking the...
Charges filed/police blotter in Murrysville area for the week of March 15, 2021
Charges filed Charges filed with Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Kayla L. Brinker, 27, of Manor with simple assault and harassment following incidents...
2 Pitt wrestlers, 2 Franklin Regional grads advance to NCAA finals
A pair of Franklin Regional graduates and a pair of Pitt teammates from WPIAL schools will wrestle for national championships Saturday night. Spencer Lee and Michael Kemerer, both top seeds for Iowa, and Panthers wrestlers Jake Wentzel from South Park and Nino Bonaccorsi from Bethel Park won their semifinal matches...
Female jogger in Murrysville claims man solicited her twice for sex
A Murrysville man was charged by police with stalking this week after a female jogger reported he twice approached her in recent months and solicited her for sex. Mark A. Loesch, 49, was charged via mailed summons with two counts each of stalking and criminal attempt to solicit prostitution by...
Murrysville-area events for the week of March 15, 2021
Here are news briefs and event listings for the Murrysville Star’s coverage area. Submit items to pvarine@triblive.com. Auditions scheduled for inclusive play Auditions for “Just Keep Swimming,” an adaptation of the Disney/Pixar story “Finding Nemo,” will take place March 26-28 through Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for actors of...
Delmont library officials seeking donations to provide universal access to Outdoor Learning Center
Delmont Public Library officials want anyone and everyone to be able to enjoy their Outdoor Learning Center, slated to open June 5. And, while it is already set to include solar bird baths, bird houses and the reestablishment of the library’s outdoor butterfly garden, a fundraising campaign is underway to...
Murrysville council may open the door for its 1st tax hike since 2007
Murrysville officials could be on the path to raise taxes for the first time since 2007. Council this week gave the OK to advertise an ordinance that would empower it to raise the local share of the earned income tax by up to 0.5%. Currently, a 1% earned income tax...
Excela Health to open North Huntingdon vaccine clinic; to give 2K shots daily by appointment
Excela Health is upping its capacity to provide coronavirus vaccine by opening a clinic at an empty building in North Huntingdon. The clinic will begin operations Thursday at the former Galaxy Fitness building near Excela Square at Norwin, Chief Medical Officer Carol Fox said. Staff members will be able to...
Delmont resident to bring ‘mini’ food pantry to borough parklet
Delmont resident Ed Washburn isn’t sure if there is a need in the borough for a free food pantry, but if there is, he wants to ensure it will be available. Washburn secured borough council’s permission to place a miniature food pantry in the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street....
Murrysville chooses consultant to design amphitheater space
Murrysville officials will move forward with plans for a grant-funded amphitheater at their community park, using two Pittsburgh-area consultants to plan the space’s design. “We narrowed it down to four consultants,” said recreation Director Carly Greene. “We didn’t leave the table bloody, but we had some intense discussions about which...
Murrysville-Export-Delmont covid figures tallied for the week of March 15, 2021
The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 1,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March 2020. Of those positive results, 41 cases were reported in the past 14 days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...
Franklin Regional swim team hopes to add to medal haul at PIAAs
Franklin Regional sent a number of swimmers to the medal stand at the WPIAL Class AAA Championships at Upper St. Clair. “I am very happy with our results from WPIALs,” Panthers coach Victor Santoro said. “All three girls relays won medals.” The girls 200-yard freestyle relay finished fifth, the 200-yard...
H.S. boys tennis preview: Teams ‘amped up’ to start season
Last spring was one of loss for high school teams across the state as the covid pandemic caused the PIAA to suspend and ultimately cancel the spring sports season. A renewed optimism abounded throughout the WPIAL one week ago with the start of practices, and good weather enabled boys tennis...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of March 14, 2021
Delmont Estate of Carol Castellano sold property at 6 W Pine St. to Barry and Tammy Kelley for $190,000. Forest Hills John Carretta trustee sold property on Braddock Road to Forest Hills Borough for $10,000. Teri Rogacki sold property at 303 Forest Ridge Drive to Liza Haberstroh for $174,500. Jeffrey...
WPIAL rematches set for PIAA Class AAA lightweight wrestling finals
HERSHEY — Franklin Regional and Waynesburg each advanced two wrestlers to the finals at Saturday’s PIAA Class AAA championships at the Giant Center. Six WPIAL wrestlers will compete in the lightweight (106 to 138 pounds) finals, including all-WPIAL matchups at 132 and 138 pounds. It will be the third consecutive...
Monroeville man dies in Murrysville motorcycle crash
A 24-year-old Monroeville man died Saturday morning of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Murrysville. The Westmoreland County Coroner identified the man as Robert S. Mahan. According to Murrysville police, Mahan was headed south on Sardis Road near Cal-Ken Court about 12:45 a.m. when his motorcycle collided...
Believing key for WPIAL Class AAA wrestlers at PIAA championshipsVideo
Wrestlers who want to win a PIAA championship just can’t rely on their skills. They better believe. That belief starts with hard work in practice — those grueling sessions when you give your best and then some. It carries over into tight matches. Self-belief and executing what you’ve been taught...
Westmoreland County preps for expected $107 million stimulus windfall
Westmoreland County could receive about $107.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan to bolster its budget and fund projects to help recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The allocation is part of the $13.7 billion awarded to Pennsylvania and includes funding for county and local governments, according to a report...
In-person visits at Westmoreland Manor expected to resume soon
Westmoreland Manor could begin in-person visits with residents within weeks even as coronavirus cases continue to pop up among residents and staff at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. Officials said Thursday that one additional case was reported and there are three active coronavirus infections among residents at the 403-bed...
Duff family’s roots extend across Western Pennsylvania
The roots of the Duff family tree extend across much of Western Pennsylvania, including to Murrysville, where the surname should ring a bell as the namesake of the municipality’s first park. Duff Park was acquired by the municipality in 1968, and was originally formed from three parcels totaling about 143...
Program seeks to help Westmoreland seniors who lack technology get coronavirus vaccine appointment
Senior citizens in Westmoreland County who don’t have access to technology to find and schedule coronavirus vaccine appointments are getting some help. The United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania is partnering with Excela Health and others to coordinate and schedule appointments for Westmoreland County’s vulnerable residents 65 and older, said Alyssa...
TribLive Sniff Test: Scents from the Demeter Fragrance LibraryVideo
Today on the TribLive Taste Test, it’s actually the TribLive Sniff Test, as we sample fragrances — some of which are, shall we say, quite a ways off the beaten path — from the Demeter Fragrance Library. We’ll try to guess what each one is, and decide whether it’s something...
Franklin Regional’s ‘Into the Woods’ cast preps for pared-down productionVideo
Franklin Regional Senior High School students will present their spring musical, Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods,” to a much smaller audience than usual due to health and safety restrictions. But the cast is still hard at work preparing for the show. “Into the Woods” will run March 11-14 in the...
Franklin Regional team manager Ben Kimmich is ‘life of the team’Video
Ben Kimmich smiles as the basketball comes to him in the Franklin Regional lay-up line. He takes the ball, dribbles a couple of times, hop-steps and banks in a two-handed shot that he shoves into the air with a grunt, before jogging back to the end of the line. Varsity...
Eastern area real estate transactions for the week of March 7, 2021
Chalfant William Becker sold property at 178 Brighton St. to James and Carol Tessauro for $150,000. Estate of John Boyce sold property at 220 Highland Ave. to PGH Holding LLC for $45,000. Churchill William Dipaolo sold property at 3766 E. Rural Court to Emily Rybinski for $157,000. Delmont Eric Seabury...
