Patrick Varine stories, Page 17
5 Westmoreland teams leave Western Pa. Youth Football League to form their own
Pennsylvania’s largest youth football league got a little smaller this week, as five Westmoreland County teams opted to leave and form a league of their own in the wake of a police investigation. The Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League, in which the Westmoreland teams had been playing, is under scrutiny...
Murrysville area: Blessing of the Bikes, woman’s club scholarships, and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Three Rivers Community Band Festival The 19th annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival will be held from 2-5 p.m. April 5 at Franklin Regional Senior High School in Murrysville. The East Winds Symphonic Band, which founded the festival and is comprised of...
Pennsylvania Lottery awards $1 million winner in Belle Vernon
Pennsylvania Lottery officials presented a commemorative $1 million check on Thursday to a Fayette County woman at the Belle Vernon sports bar where she purchased the ticket. Brittnee Boot purchased the winning “$1,000,000 Winnings” ticket at Foster House II in Belle Vernon. Boot was joined by Foster House II co-owner...
Monroeville area: Sedlak Cleanup Day, free Easter dinner, wine-tasting fundraiser, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Pet walk to benefit rescues planned for Boyce Park The Wildflower Pet Walk, formerly the Friends of Jupiter Pet Walk, will be held April 27 at the Tanglewood Shelter on Pierson Run Road at Boyce Park in Plum and Monroeville....
Monroeville adds 3 new officers, receives recognition from U.S. Secret Service
Monroeville added three new officers to its police force this month, including its first officer fluent in Spanish, bringing the department to 49 officers. Grady Fagan, Michael Ragan and Miguel Armijo were sworn in at council’s March 11 meeting. For the past few decades, all of the officers that have...
Murrysville mobile home park residents’ water service restored
Residents of the Holiday Hills mobile home park in Murrysville are cautiously optimistic after property managers say regular water service was restored. Renters in the park, off Logans Ferry Road, have dealt with inconsistent water pressure — and frequently no water at all — since late January. The private water...
Aggressive plants effective to some, a nuisance to others as growing season begins
The Capets family of Murrysville has a positive relationship with bamboo, a grass native to the Asian continent that grows tall and spreads quickly. They’ve been using it for more than a decade to screen their front yard from nearby traffic on Sardis Road. And it works well, forming a...
Delmont must add a small bit of land to Shields Farm to satisfy federal requirements
Delmont Council is looking at borough properties it can add to Shields Farm in order to mitigate a minor lease that doesn’t comply with federal covenants governing the land’s use. A 1998 1-acre lease for an above-ground gas tank on the former home of the R.J. Fields family farm isn’t...
Westmoreland exhibit explores artist’s talent in capturing Pittsburgh’s steel heyday
Artist Aaron Gorson came to Pittsburgh as a portrait painter in the early 20th century. But a trip to the city’s Bluff neighborhood changed all that. “He looked up the Mon River and saw the spectacular show of the steel mills at night, with lights and flames flaring,” said Maxwell...
Murrysville church will host ‘Orange Heart’ ceremony for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange
Jerry Deible of Murrysville can remember standing on the ground at a Vietnam firebase in the early 1970s, staring up at a massive C-130 airplane passing overhead. He craned his head back and snapped a photo of the plane as liquid streamed down from tanks strapped to its sides. The...
Latrobe teen stirs up success in culinary competition
Asher Jaffre is no slouch in the kitchen, and he comes by it honestly. His parents own two — soon to be three — Jaffre’s restaurants in Westmoreland County. “My dad got me into cooking,” said Jaffre, 17, of Latrobe. “I used to help him bread zucchini when I was...
Murrysville area: Spring cantata choir, library chess tournaments and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Spring cantata concert The Murrysville Cantata Choir will present “Blessed: A Holy Week Journey Through the Beatitudes,” a cantata by composer Joel Raney, on April 13. The newly released cantata presents the life of Christ through the lens of the beatitudes. The...
Parkway East work will close part of Monroeville bridge through mid-summer
A traffic crossover in Monroeville will start March 22 as work begins to demolish and replace the bridge carrying I-376 over Old William Penn Highway in Monroeville. Eastbound I-376 traffic will be routed to the westbound lanes, with prep work starting at 9 p.m. Friday night. The Parkway East will...
Monroeville area: Free Easter dinner, wine-tasting fundraiser, Pitcairn Night Market, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Free Easter dinner A free community Easter dinner will be held from 12:30-3 p.m. April 20 in the Lourdes Center of Christ the Divine Shepherd Parish, 245 Azalea Drive, Monroeville. AHN president to lead association The Hospital and Healthsystem Association...
South Hills nonprofit seeks to recycle, reuse old yard signs
Yard signs are great until they’re not needed anymore. And with most pegged to a particular date, their usefulness is often limited. And whether they’re to advertise an event, tout a political candidate or just draw attention to a personal cause, the same material that helps with weather resistance also...
Pitt Greensburg chorale will perform free concert in MurrysvilleVideo
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg Chorale and Blair Chorale will take part in a free performance in Murrysville. The groups will perform the Duruflé Requiem, composed by Maurice Duruflé, at 5:30 p.m. March 23 at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church in Murrysville. There is no cost to attend. The church is...
As spring nears, Delmont looks to stormwater, sewage projects
As the region thaws out in anticipation of spring, Delmont officials are working on a variety of upcoming borough improvement projects. The main focus of road work this summer will be Greensburg Street, where street committee members are planning to address stormwater issues. “We walked the street on March 5...
Country’s largest screen manufacturer acquires Murrysville’s FlexScreen
A genuine, made-for-TV success story that began in a Plum garage continues to play out in Western Pennsylvania. Murrysville company FlexScreen — manufacturer of the world’s first flexible, easy-to-remove-and-install window screen — is being purchased by Pennsylvania-based RiteScreen, the country’s largest maker of door and window screens. The sale price...
Franklin Regional students ‘discover dairy’ by adopting a Holstein calf
A classroom pet isn’t always a workable scenario for an elementary school teacher. But when that pet can help students learn across several school subjects, the decision is a lot easier. That’s how Brienne May’s fifth-grade science class at Franklin Regional Intermediate School found themselves adopting a 100-pound Holstein calf...
Police investigate alleged financial issues at Pennsylvania’s largest youth football league
The largest youth football league in Pennsylvania is part of a police probe as officers investigate accusations of financial impropriety. Its former president suddenly and unexpectedly resigned this week. The league, which includes 44 organizations and 140 teams across seven counties, is under investigation by the Greene County Regional Police,...
Murrysville area: Library chess tournaments, musical mystery fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Chess tournaments Library chess tournaments are taking place across Westmoreland County this spring. Tournaments will take place at the following dates and locations: • March 15, 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, 237 S. Pennsylvania Avenue in...
Monroeville area: Egg hunt, used book sale, spring craft fair, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Vendors sought for Spring Makers Market Divine Mercy Academy is seeking vendors for its Spring Makers Market, planned from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 26. Vendor fee is $50 and includes one 8 foot table and two chairs....
Monroeville welcomes new assistant manager, looks forward to mall redevelopment plans
Monroeville officials hired an assistant manager who will work alongside municipal manager Alex Graziani. Council hired Makayla Zonfilli-Lang, who was introduced as its February voting meeting. Zonfilli-Lang has a master’s degree from Penn State, graduate and paralegal certification from Duquesne University and an undergraduate degree in political science. She is...
Baldwin-Whitehall will rename district offices to honor former superintendent
Baldwin-Whitehall school directors will rename the district’s administration building to honor longtime superintendent Charles H. Faust, who filled the role from 1986-2004. Current Superintendent Randal Lutz said Faust, a native of Ruffs Dale in Westmoreland County, was fully dedicated to his job at Baldwin-Whitehall, and even recalled seeing Faust sit...
Delmont Recreation group to host chili cook-off fundraiser
The Delmont Recreation Committee is seeking entries for its annual chili cook-off fundraiser, set for noon on March 22 at Yellow Bridge Brewery. There is a $10 donation requested to attend the event. Those entering a chili will have the entry fee waived and will receive two complimentary draft beers....
