Patrick Varine stories, Page 45
Pittsburgh engineering firm settles pay discrimination allegations with U.S. Labor Department
An international engineering and consulting firm with roots in Beaver County has entered into a settlement to resolve allegations of pay discrimination against female employees. Michael Baker International, headquartered in Pittsburgh, agreed to pay more than $120,000 in back wages and interest, after a routine compliance review by the U.S....
Pitt Ohio donates semi-tractor truck to Monroeville vo-tech school
Officials from the Pitt Ohio trucking company donated a 2018 semi-tractor truck to students and staff at Forbes Road Career & Technology Center in Monroeville on Jan. 30. Pitt Ohio Vice President of Fleet Services and Vehicle Maintenance Taki Darakos said he views the donation as more of an investment....
Hempfield ice cream stand adds drive-thru, plans to open year-round
The owners at Tastyland in Hempfield are looking to keep the taste going year-round. They’re building a drive-thru at the ice cream and food stand, which has operated in the past on a seasonal basis. “We’ve owned it now for about three years and have had a lot of crazy...
Franklin Regional board, residents debate proposal termed ‘stealth Buddhism’ by former board member
An emotional wellness curriculum given initial approval in Franklin Regional School District was described by a former school board member as “stealth Buddhism” during a recent debate over whether the district should use it. It’s called Mind Up, and it aims to help strengthen students’ ability to regulate emotion, focus...
Iconic Volkswagen ‘bug on a pole’ will remain at new Murrysville Auto Sales location
Michael Pampena of Murrysville still uses the Volkswagen “bug on a pole” on Route 66 in Salem to navigate and give directions. Now, it marks the new entrance to his business. Pampena and his wife, Tia, relocated Murrysville Auto Sales to the former Excel Auto Body on Route 66, and...
Beaver Falls man comes 90 minutes shy of world record to build Star Wars LegoVideo
Jonathan Wagner doesn’t like to talk about his “dark period” with Legos. “A lot of people in the Steel City Lego User Group went through it,” he said. “Usually around early adulthood, most people kind of just forget about Legos.” In the late 1990s, Lego began releasing kits for its...
Philips Respironics suspends U.S. sales of CPAP, other breathing machines
In the wake of a disastrous recall involving defective sound-dampening foam in several of its breathing machines, Philips Respironics announced Monday that it was suspending sales of its continuous positive airway pressure — or CPAP — machines in the United States. The decision comes as part of a consent decree...
What’s that?: Hempfield man’s ‘solar garden’ catches the eye of passers-by
Editor’s note ‘What’s That?’ is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@triblive.com. Jeffry Meyer spent his career as an engineer, which didn’t leave a lot of time for gardening. So when he retired and...
Retired Pitt-Greensburg professor starts nonprofit theater group
Stephen Schrum’s goal is to direct 100 plays. He’s at 88. And while that wasn’t the sole reason behind his decision to form a local theater company, it certainly was a motivating factor for the Latrobe resident, who retired in 2022 after 17 years of teaching theater arts at the...
Gerald McGinnis, Respironics founder who invented CPAP machine, dies at 89
Thanks to Gerald McGinnis, millions of people across the world can breathe easier. The international businessman and founder of Respironics, which created the first machine to treat sleep apnea, died Thursday. He was 89. McGinnis was born in 1934 in Ottawa, Ill. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering...
Bell Township road to close indefinitely on Monday for landslide removal
A section of Nelson Road in Bell Township will close starting Monday as PennDOT crews address deteriorating slide conditions. Nelson will be closed between Route 380 and Whitesell Street. There is currently no reopening date, and PennDOT officials are awaiting approval to announce an official detour route. Drivers can check...
PennDOT continues working to address flooded Ligonier Township road
A small section of Route 381 in Ligonier Township remained closed Friday night due to flooding, PennDOT officials said. Route 381 between Rolling Rock Lane and Route 30 continues to be affected by recent rainfall and now snow melt. Next door in Derry Township, a section of Sleep Hollow Causeway...
U.S. Steel settles lawsuit over 2018 fire, power outages in 2019, 2022
U.S. Steel officials have entered into a consent decree with the Allegheny County Health Department and two environmental groups to address a 2018 fire at its Clairton facility that crippled the plant’s pollution controls and caused power outages at the plant in 2019 and 2022. The agreement will include nearly...
Perry Mason, Abraham Lincoln inspired Charles Conway as lawyer, Export-area district judge
Charles Conway’s retirement didn’t last long. After nearly a quarter-century on the bench as magistrate in Export, Conway retired last month. But he’s already had the gavel back in his hand as he filled in for his successor, Judi Petrush, during part of last week. “When I was a kid,...
Murrysville area: Social media series, MMA fights, comedy-night fundraiser and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Church program explores social media Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church staff will host a series focused on the impact of social media, beginning Feb. 19. It will take place at 5:45 p.m. on Monday evenings through March 25, using Sadie Robertson Huff’s book, “Who...
Monroeville-area events: Kindergarten registration, blue light bulb sales, more
Here are briefs from the Times Express coverage area. Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Blue light bulb sales support Monroeville police Monroeville officials are selling blue light bulbs and proceeds will benefit the Monroeville Police Benevolent Fund. The Blue Light Project will offer the bulbs for $10...
Suspect in shooting near Arnold Palmer airport in Unity ordered to stand trial
A Lancaster man was ordered Monday to stand trial on charges that he shot at a box truck driver last month in Unity. Tyler J. Mieczkowski, 22, faces charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, fleeing from police and reckless endangerment, court records show. Police said Mieczkowski fired several shots into...
Goodwill YouthWorks program aims to help address truck, bus driver shortage
Charles Burke still gets emails asking if he’s interested in trucking jobs, even though he’s been semi-retired and driving a bus for the Penn Hills School District for several years now. “Bonuses are going up and up as places are looking for people to do commercial truck driving,” said Burke,...
Westinghouse volunteers set $43K donation record through ‘Feed the Hungry’ program
Retirees and former employees of the Westinghouse corporation who want to commit to volunteer service can join the Service Uniting Retired Employees nonprofit, or SURE group, which has been cultivating community service projects for more than three decades. SURE’s latest “Feed the Hungry” campaign marked its 10th year, and donors...
Unity baker nearly makes semifinal round in Cake Boss’s ‘Greatest Baker’ contest
When Mary Ellen Raneri of Unity started helping her mother with Facebook livestreams of her cooking, she certainly wasn’t expecting the page to rack up nearly 70,000 fans. And she definitely wasn’t expecting those fans to help her make all the way to the quarterfinals of “The Greatest Baker,” a...
Murrysville area: Comedy night fundraiser, Mardi Gras celebration, library tax help and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Comedy night will benefit trail projects An evening of stand-up comedy next month will benefit Westmoreland Heritage Trail and Five Star Trail projects. It will be from 6-10 p.m. Feb. 10 at Colton Hall, 3100 Blocks Road in Penn Township’s Claridge neighborhood....
Monroeville area: Watershed session, upcoming public meetings
Here are news briefs from the Monroeville and Pitcairn area: Watershed meeting The community is invited to the first “visioning” session for the Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities, set for 6-8 p.m. Jan. 25 in Monroeville. The meeting will feature a presentation by May Torpey, sustainability coordinator for citizen...
$1.8 million winning lottery ticket sold in Murrysville
Pennsylvania Lottery officials will stop in Murrysville Friday morning to present a $1.8 million check to a recent Cash 5 winner. Highway foreman Dennis O’Neill, 55, of Monroeville, purchased the winning ticket on New Year’s Eve at the Murrysville Shop’n Save. O’Neill told lottery officials he plans to continue working...
Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce reschedules annual prayer breakfast
Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce officials will reschedule their annual prayer breakfast following predictions of snow accumulation on its original date of Friday morning. It has been moved to Friday, Feb. 23 at Stratigos Banquet Centre in North Huntingdon. “We understand that rescheduling may pose challenges for the many who were...
3 men, including an ex-police detective, plead guilty to manufacturing ‘hit kits’ using untraceable ghost guns
A Bedford County man is the third person to plead guilty to involvement in the manufacturing and sale of “hit kits,” consisting of an untraceable “ghost gun” built from synthetic plastic polymer, along with a threaded barrel, silencer, ammunition and latex gloves. Wayne Farabaugh, 55, of New Paris, pleaded guilty...
