Patrick Varine stories, Page 24
Ralph’s Army Surplus in Monroeville set to shut its doors
While much of Monroeville changed around it, Ralph’s Army Surplus store has been a mainstay on William Penn Highway for nearly seven decades. Founded by Ralph Bonn in 1955, the one-story building offers all manner of Army surplus gear including sleeping bags, canteens, hand warmers, camo gear, mess kits and...
Morning Roundup: 2 injured when car crashes into Washington County fire station
Here are a few news items for Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024: 2 injured in Washington County crash Two women were transported to local hospitals after their vehicle crashed into a Washington County fire station on Saturday. Shortly before noon on Saturday, first responders were called to the Richeyville Volunteer Fire...
East Deer woman charged with bringing unlicensed gun to airport
Allegheny County Police have charged an East Deer woman with bringing an unpermitted handgun to the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. Lynda R. Lee, 61, of Creighton, East Deer, was going through the U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday morning when officers noticed the...
Fire volunteers from multiple towns respond to Logans Ferry Heights fire
A house fire Friday night on Zandona Street in Plum prompted a large response from fire companies in neighboring communities. The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on the 700 block of Zandona in the borough’s Logans Ferry Heights neighborhood. Logans Ferry Heights Fire Chief Stephen Marsh said the...
New Kensington, surrounding fire companies undergo training drill at county housing apartments
Fire drills aren’t just for school students. For the men and women who fight fires on a regular basis, a drill is a chance to test out the logistics of their department’s response, to see what does and doesn’t work and to find out how to adjust emergency procedures. Members...
U.S. customs officers seize 3,000 counterfeit Gibson guitarsVideo
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Saturday announced the largest seizure ever of counterfeit Gibson electric guitars. Working with U.S. Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, agents recently seized more than 3,000 counterfeit guitars at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest seaport complex. The...
Victim in critical condition after Strip District shooting
Pittsburgh Police have charged a man with attempted homicide after they say he shot another man early Friday morning in the city’s Strip District neighborhood. Police were called to the 1100 block of Penn Avenue around 2:15 a.m. for reports of a man brandishing a weapon and threatening people inside...
Opus 2 Orchestra marks 70th anniversary with music from its founder
Next month, Evan Reichenfeld will continue a musical tradition that began in the late 1930s, when his great-grandfather Eugene emigrated to the United States from his native Hungary. Reichenfeld, 28, a middle school music teacher in the Woodland Hills School District, took over a few years ago as conductor for...
Murrysville family revives father’s homemade haunted house tradition
Anna Moore loves Halloween. The 16-year-old Murrysville resident’s family has thrown large Halloween parties since she was small. But what really interested her were stories about the homemade haunted house her father Michael used to build when he was her age. “I’d seen the old pictures and it was really...
Murrysville area: Holiday events, Alzheimer’s program and more
Holiday events • Export Light Up Night will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 outside the Export Fire Department at the corner of Washington and Lincoln avenues. The evening will include a fish fry at the Export Moose from 3-8 p.m., a dance performance by DeStella Dance Centre, live...
Monroeville area: Steel City Con, Alzheimer’s program, Symphony East holiday luncheon, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Holiday cookie sale at Cross Roads church Cross Roads Presbyterian Church, 2310 Haymaker Road, Monroeville, will hold its annual holiday cookie sale Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. until sellout. For $15, patrons can purchase an empty box and walk through...
Yough water level remains low after relatively dry summer, fall
The lack of rainfall statewide has created some unique circumstances. Seawater in the Delaware River. Exposure of a Fayette County bridge not seen in 30 years. And a rare opportunity to haul tires and trash from the Youghiogheny River in Westmoreland County. In April, the Youghiogheny River was 14 feet...
Online store pops up selling unlicensed Franklin Regional merchandise
The reaction to Franklin Regional School District’s announcement that school-branded merchandise would be consolidated under a single vendor was swift and harsh. Negative criticism came from groups across the district that purchase branded merch for athletes, clubs, fundraisers and more. Parents and boosters aired concerns about not being able to...
Monroeville council denies controversial development project at former airport site
Monroeville council has denied an application for a controversial development bordering the town’s Garden City neighborhood. The proposal to build 95 homes on 47 acres off Logans Ferry Road at the site of the former Pittsburgh-Monroeville Airport has been met with criticism and resistance from neighbors over the past few...
Pitcairn officials look to improve recreation areas in advance of connector trail
As the groundwork continues to be laid for a connector between the Great Allegheny Passage and the Westmoreland Heritage trails, Pitcairn officials want to pave the way for what they hope will be an economic driver for the borough. “The bike trail is supposed to come through Pitcairn and our...
Latrobe woman charged in 2023 Johnstown bar owner’s death
A Latrobe woman is charged with killing a Johnstown restaurant owner in 2023. Police said Tami Shafer, 54, asked another person to call 911 on Feb. 20, 2023, to report that Lance Ross, owner of the now-closed Freight Station bar and restaurant, had fallen down a set of stairs, according...
Morning Roundup: Bell Acres police seek man impersonating officer; T riders face closure
Here are some news items from Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Police seek person impersonating officer Bell Acres Police are investigating reports from Wednesday of an elderly man posing as a police officer. Police were told the incident originated just outside the town, when a suspect began following the victim in...
Murrysville area: Holiday events, Symphony East luncheon and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Holiday events • Export Light Up Night will take place at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 outside the Export Fire Department at the corner of Washington and Lincoln avenues. The evening will include a fish fry at the Export Moose from 3-8 p.m.,...
Monroeville area: Tree lighting, toy drive and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Symphony East holiday luncheon The public is invited to the annual Symphony East “Sounds of Joy” holiday luncheon, set for 11:45 a.m. Dec. 2 at the Lamplighter Restaurant on Route 22. A buffet luncheon will be served at 11:45 a.m....
Cranberry police seek information on pedestrian hit-and-run crash
Cranberry Police are seeking information about a hit-and-run crash early Wednesday morning that left a man in serious condition. Township police were called to a crash involving a pedestrian shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday on the southbound side of Franklin Road. A 28-year-old man was walking south near the intersection...
Sheriffs arrest fugitive with warrants in multiple Pa. counties
A woman with multiple warrants in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties was taken into custody Wednesday by Allegheny County Sheriff’s deputies. Carley L. Johnson, 27, who lists addresses in Irwin and Pittsburgh, has been a fugitive since April 2023, when she failed to appear in Westmoreland County district court on robbery...
Morning Roundup: Police rein in runaway horse; postal worker pleads guilty to stealing $6M in checks
Here are news items for Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024: Police return runaway horse Pittsburgh police in Zone 1 were chasing an unexpected suspect Wednesday — a runaway horse. Around 1:30 p.m., officers responded to a report of an escaped horse near Brighton Road and Harbison Avenue near the city’s Riverview...
Human relations commission seeks additional feedback on harassment, bullying guidelines
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is seeking feedback as it develops guidelines to address bullying and harassment in schools. The commission released an initial draft of proposed guidelines on Aug. 8. “In August we received more than 70 public comments on our harassment in education guidance,” said commission Executive Director...
Pedestrian struck, killed by vehicle in Forest Hills
A pedestrian has died after being struck by a car late Tuesday night in Forest Hills, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said an adult male was struck shortly before 10 p.m. near the intersection of Ardmore Boulevard and Sumner Avenue. The pedestrian, who police have not identified, was taken...
Morning Roundup: McKeesport teacher’s aide charged with assaulting special-needs student
Here are some news items for Wednesday, Nov. 13. McKeesport teacher’s aide charged with assault A teacher’s aide at Francis McClure Elementary School in White Oak has been charged with assaulting a 5-year-old special-needs student. Allegheny County Police were assigned to investigate a ChildLine report about an incident that allegedly...

