Patrick Varine stories, Page 20
Texas real estate firm takes lead in ‘major redevelopment’ of Monroeville Mall
A Texas-based real estate firm says the 186-acre Monroeville Mall property is well suited for a major redevelopment, and all options are on the table. “I think we’re all aware that the current use isn’t the highest and best use for the property,” said Chris Maguire, CEO of Dallas-based Cypress...
D.C. museum hosts Frank Lloyd Wright’s vision for Southwestern Pennsylvania
Thousands of visitors seek out Fallingwater and Polymath Park in Southwestern Pennsylvania each year to marvel at the works of Frank Lloyd Wright. Why is there such inspiration in this area? Having a wealthy client and patron in Edgar Kaufmann certainly didn’t hurt. And as it turns out, the greater...
SUV that crashed into Penn Hills business suspected to be stolen
A driver crashed a suspected-stolen SUV into a Penn Hills business Sunday morning before fleeing and leaving behind a vehicle that caught fire. Fire crews were called to Pittsburgh Specialty Cabinet near the intersection of Verona and Mt. Carmel roads shortly after 2 a.m., where they found a white Hyundai...
Teen charged with bringing gun onto Shaler school bus; district reviewing safety protocols
Millvale Police have arrested a borough teenager suspect of bringing a semiautomatic gun aboard a Shaler Area School District bus last week, according to Shaler police. Millvale police Chief Tim Komoroski said his department worked closely with their counterparts in Shaler to arrest the 16-year-old, whom they did not identify,...
Western Pennsylvania musicians strive to preserve polka tradition
Chris Bogdon was in first grade in his native Carnegie when he started taking accordion lessons. Steve Novosel, while growing up in Murrysville, took up the instrument at 9 years old. Both were raised in families where polka music was a regular part of the family soundtrack, and both are...
Historical society marks 65th anniversary of Southern lunch-counter protests
Kelton Edmonds doesn’t just know the history of the “Greensboro Four,” the group of Black freshman students at North Carolina Architectural & Technical State College, who staged the first lunch-counter sit-in protest. He got a firsthand account of it from Jibreel Khazan, who was known then as Ezell Blair Jr.,...
Forward Township warehouse fire under investigation
A marina warehouse fire near the Monongahela River Bridge in Forward Township is under investigation. Fire crews were called to the area of Liggett Avenue and Edsel Lane just after 1 a.m. Friday morning, arriving to find a large one-story warehouse with fire coming from the roof. Gallatin Sunnyside VFD...
Longtime physical therapy business in Scottdale sold to regional group
George Hoffman can only speculate about how a new ownership group will run his former business, Scottdale Rehabilitation. But he’s pretty sure about one thing — they won’t be making deals with patients where payment comes in the form of a pie or cake. “My wife used to make fun...
Freeze-thaw cycle wreaks havoc on road surfaces
Greensburg Public Works Director Tom Bell took a good bit of verbal abuse this week about a road he’s not even responsible for maintaining. “Next time, leave your phone number, and I can explain to you why and who maintains that roadway and takes care of those potholes,” Bell wrote...
Hempfield family uses cold to make rainbow blocks for front yard igloo
The Szekely family of Hempfield wasn’t about to miss its second chance at building an igloo. “We tried in 2018, but the weather wasn’t cold enough,” said Marta Szekely, who lives with her husband, Matt, and their children near Hempfield Park. There isn’t much traffic in the Szekelys’ neighborhood, but...
Monroeville area: Library mini golf, Italian buffet, more
Library mini golf The Monroeville Public Library will host a miniature golf fundraiser on Feb. 22, with sessions for all ages and adults only. The all-ages session will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Tickets are $5. Children under 3 are admitted free. Food and beverages will be...
Murrysville area: Free tax prep, book study group and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Free tax preparation AARP is currently taking appointments to help area residents prepare and file their 2024 taxes. Appointments are required in advance for sessions that will take place Feb. 21 and 28, March 14 and 28, and April 11 at the...
Monroeville man sought by Murrysville police
A Monroeville man is wanted on assault and terroristic threat charges stemming from an incident in Murrysville, police said. Travis F. Brown, 37, is accused of violating a protection-from-abuse order by visiting an Oregon Street home on Dec. 21, 2024. A woman who lives at the home told police Brown...
Franklin Regional school board hears concerns about bus safety
A Murrysville resident and a Franklin Regional school board member would like to see the district’s school buses ease up on the gas pedal. “There’s a large group of buses in the morning and afternoon that come down Mamont Road, and they’re moving at a pretty good clip,” said Tom...
Murrysville window company earns 5th business ethics award, unveils diabetes fundraiser
The first time the Better Business Bureau called Energy Swing Windows to let them know they’d won its ethics award, co-owner Betty Rennekamp hung up on them. “She’s a real pit bull, and I mean that in the best possible way,” said Energy Swing Vice President Donnie Darragh. Rennekamp thought...
Franklin Regional cheers on special-needs athletes in annual Clelian Heights game
Franklin Regional Senior High School Principal Ron Suvak loves to see the joy on the faces of Clelian Heights school basketball players during the annual game the Panthers host for the Catholic educational, vocational and residential facility that serves people with developmental disabilities. But even more than that, he loves...
Fee hike for parks, ballfields on the table for Murrysville council
Murrysville officials next month will consider raising fees for groups renting its park pavilions, facilities and athletic fields. “The reality is, costs go up,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said. “That includes things in our everyday lives as well as the cost of municipal government.” Fees for pavilion rentals at...
Murrysville area: Space program, park hikes, comedy fundraisers and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Space program at Murrysville community center The Murrysville Recreation Department will host “Mad Science: Space Phenomena” from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 14 at the Murrysville Community Center at 3091 Carson Avenue. Franklin Regional students do not have school on Feb. 14....
Monroeville area: Library golf, spaghetti dinner fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Library mini golf The Monroeville Public Library will host a miniature golf fundraiser that will turn the library itself into the golf course on Feb. 22, with sessions for all ages and for adults. The all-ages session will take place...
Gateway school board may vote on racial discrimination lawsuit settlement next week
Gateway school board members are mulling whether to pay $50,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by an alum who claims she was not hired as the district’s athletic director because she is in an interracial marriage. The lawsuit, filed in 2021 Korie Morton-Rozier claims she experienced race discrimination...
Monroeville author’s next book highlights Pittsburgh’s memorable sportscasters
Tom Rooney remembers working at Bard’s Dairyland on Pittsburgh’s North Side in the late 1960s, with the Penguins game on in the background. “Ed Conway was the first Penguins announcer, and I’d be at Bard’s, serving customers and trying to figure out what was happening in the game at the...
Cold, flu and covid cases down from last year, but post-holiday spike has arrived
Western Pennsylvania is a little healthier than last year in terms of flu, covid-19 and respiratory virus cases. While the overall figures are down, local health systems said doctors’ offices and hospitals are in the midst of a post-holiday spike in all three. “We’ve definitely seen an uptick, and that’s...
Delmont plans to repave Greensburg Street this year
Delmont officials are considering the best way to move forward with their annual paving program, for which the 2025 goal is repaving Greensburg Street. Borough council members were hoping to also secure a state grant to repave Freeport Street, but it did not come through. Greensburg Street was last paved...
Murrysville authorizes emergency demolition for damaged White Valley garage
Murrysville officials are hoping a White Valley property owner demolishes a fire-damaged garage on their own, but one way or another, it’s coming down. The garage, at the rear of a property on Carolina Street, was heavily damaged in a Jan. 8 fire. Murrysville Council on Wednesday authorized the emergency...
Sheetz creates playable Fortnite map, contest with $25K in prize money
You can already go on a “Sheetz run” in real life and earn points using the convenience chain’s rewards program. But savvy Fortnite players will soon be able to go on a virtual Sheetz run and compete for up to $10,000 in prize money through a custom map in the...
