Patrick Varine stories, Page 18
Cheesemaker claims the Ligonier Country Market is penalizing it because it’s too successful
The owners at Pleasant Lane Farms feel like they’re being penalized by a local food and craft market for being a successful small business. According to organizers at the nonprofit Ligonier Country Market, the Unity-based dairy farm and cheese-making operation is too big to participate in the seasonal weekly farmers...
United Way, Shop’n Save host annual charity shopping spree in Greensburg
Megan Loughner of Hempfield helped collect more than $800 worth of groceries for the Welcome Home Shelter in Greensburg as she raced the aisles of the Charley Family Shop ’n Save in Greensburg on Tuesday morning. Loughner, global sourcing manager for Kennametal in Unity, was chosen for the annual United...
Murrysville elevates in-house staff to community development director
Murrysville Council has named municipal engineer technician Emily Mallisee as the new director for community development. “She’s been with us in an engineering role, but she’s been handling some things on the development side,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said. “As you know, we haven’t had a community development director...
Murrysville area: Play auditions, modern media discussion and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. AAUW speaker discusses modern media The Murrysville chapter of the American Association of University Women will welcome guest speaker Andrew Conte at its March 13 meeting, 10 a.m. at the Murrysville Community Library. Conte is the director at Point Park University’s Center...
2.3M birds culled in Pa. this year as flu spreads in commercial, backyard flocks
Ken Pounds has a coop full of turkeys, and with justifiable concerns about bird flu, that’s all he wants in there. No flies if he can help it. Definitely no people who don’t need to be there. And certainly no other birds. “The biggest thing you can do is have...
Murrysville mobile home park residents left without consistent water since January
Betty Pusateri has taken just one shower in her home since Jan. 20. Melanie Leggens has been able to take three. “My sister lives in Delmont, but I’m not driving out there every day to take a shower,” Leggens said. “I have a bucket of water and a bar of...
Derry farmer joins board of directors at food-centered nonprofit
Derry Township farmer Rick Ebert has joined the board of directors at Food21, a Pittsburgh-area nonprofit that works to create sustainable jobs, economic opportunity and access to nutrition by converting undervalued community assets into food-centered ventures. The group has partnered with the Larimer Consensus Group to renovate the gymnasium of...
2 men found dead in Butler County house
Two were men found dead Wednesday evening inside a Washington Township home in Butler County, Pennsylvania State Police said. Authorities said the two were found in a home along Swope Road, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Emergency officials said the residence tested negative for carbon monoxide, and troopers are...
TribLive Taste Test: Jack Link’s Dr. Pepper beef jerkyVideo
Dr. Pepper and dried beef… two great tastes that taste great together? Let’s find out. Thanks to my 12-year-old son — who will apparently try soda-flavored beef, but not just a regular hamburger — the TribLive Taste Test team has once again reconvened to try out Jack Link’s Dr. Pepper-inspired...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in early morning Plum fire
Here are a few news items for Friday, Feb. 28: No injuries reported in Plum fire No injuries were reported in a fire early Friday morning in Plum’s Renton neighborhood. Four fire companies responded to a home on the 200 block of Plum Street at 3:48 a.m., according to Renton...
Murrysville area: ‘Brass from the Bluff,’ woman’s club spring fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Woman’s Club spring fundraiser The Murrysville Woman’s Club will host its annual spring fundraising event at 10 a.m. March 29. It will be at The Lamplighter, 6566 William Penn Highway in Salem. Tickets are $35, and all proceeds benefit the club’s community...
Morning Roundup: No injuries reported in Etna fire; Glassport man charged in McKeesport shooting
Here are some news items for Thursday, Feb. 27: No injuries reported in Etna fire Multiple fire companies quickly knocked down a fire reported late Wednesday night in the wall of an Etna home. Fire crews were called to the unit block of Ann Street just after 10 p.m. They...
Local competitors prepare for USA Dance National Ballroom championships, held in Pittsburgh
Sitting in a Murrysville restaurant on a chilly Wednesday in February, John and Deana Foley’s heads occasionally sway to the pop music on the radio. But if a tango or a foxtrot were to start up, John would have to battle the urge to don a topcoat and tails, sweep...
‘Anything Goes’ features humor, entries from the Great American Songbook
The Franklin Regional Senior High School auditorium will transport its audience back to the days of the Golden Age of Hollywood, big-band music and the end of prohibition in its spring musical. The high school’s Theatre Guild will stage “Anything Goes” on Feb. 27-28 and March 1-2, presenting a madcap...
Monroeville area: Library trivia, gospel performance, Gateway musical, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. ‘Good as New’ book sale The 30th annual “Good as New” book sale will be held March 21-23 at Monroeville United Methodist Church, 219 Center Road. A variety of fiction, nonfiction and children’s books will be available. Gently used puzzles...
Morning Roundup: Tractor-trailer fire closes Parkway West; delivery driver shot at in North Braddock
Here are some news items for Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025: Trailer fire shuts down Parkway West Four fire companies responded to a vehicle fire late Tuesday night that shut down a section of the Parkway West (Interstate 376). The fire, in the cab of a tractor-trailer in the westbound lanes,...
Monroeville Giant Eagle recalls bread
Giant Eagle officials have issued a voluntary recall of multi-grain sourdough bread sold at its Monroeville store on Monroeville Boulevard. A limited amount of bread, sold at the store’s bakery, was incorrectly labeled as “multi-grain Tuscany,” resulting in an undeclared sesame allergen being potentially present. It was discovered during a...
Police: Man dies in Route 28 crash after appearing to jump from moving vehicle
A man who police believe jumped from a moving vehicle was struck and killed along Route 28 in a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday morning. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Connell Nihei, 50, of Pittsburgh. The crash near Etna was reported shortly before 7 a.m., according to...
Morning roundup: McKeesport shooting victim identified; crews battle Murrysville fire
Here are a few news items for the morning of Feb. 25, 2025: McKeesport cemetery shooting victim ID’d Police have identified the body of a man found shot to death last week in a McKeesport cemetery. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified Daniel Anthony Smith, 21, of Duquesne as...
Morning Roundup: Crews battle fire in Port Vue; 2 injured in Whitehall crash
Here are some overnight and early-morning new items for Monday, Feb. 24: Port Vue home damaged in fire A fire in Port Vue caused heavy damage to a home Sunday on the 1000 block of Alquin Street. The fire was reported shortly before noon. Port Vue Fire Chief Brandon Hale...
Butler author considers William Trent among ‘founding fathers of Pittsburgh’
William Trent is not necessarily a name that would come up in the typical American history class. But Butler native, historian and author Jason Cherry knows better. He knows Trent was considered one of the most influential backcountry merchants of the 18th century and was among the men who cast...
Franklin Regional kicks off 4th annual Kids of Steel program with over 250 studentsVideo
This month, Franklin Regional staff held a tug-of-war contest with students. It was part of the kickoff for the fourth annual Kids of Steel program at the district’s intermediate school. Kids of Steel was conceived by P3R, the nonprofit organization that manages the marathon and some 15 other running events...
From farmland to Miracle Mile: Monroeville poised for change as it marks 75 years
N. Michael Marie had a front-row seat as Monroeville grew from a farming community into the hub of activity that it is today. Marie, 72, is the owner of Nick Marie’s Esta Esta, the restaurant his parents, Nick and Helen Marie, opened in 1955. Marie grew up above the space...
How pet blood donors are saving lives
Usually, when someone’s pet is in the veterinary hospital, it’s a stressful time — something is wrong, and it’s gone beyond the usual vet visit. But on Feb. 15 at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Ohio Township, Ashleah Stone wasn’t worried at all about her 7-year-old greyhound, J.B. That’s because J.B....
Murrysville woman accused of falsely reporting the same diamond went missing twice
A Murrysville woman has been charged with attempted insurance fraud after investigators say she was paid to replace a lost diamond, found it but did not report it to her insurance company, then filed another claim that she’d lost it a few months later. Rachel DeSoto-Jackson, 36, of Murrysville was...
