Patrick Varine stories, Page 59
21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic set for Salem’s Fairview Park
Historic Fairview Park, just outside Delmont in Salem, will host its 21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 19. Bring a picnic basket, coolers, blankets and lawn chairs for an afternoon including old-fashioned games for children and adults of all ages. Pets and alcohol are not...
Greensburg promotes new detective sergeant, hires new officer
Greensburg city officials promoted one member of their police department and hired a new one Monday night. Detective Justin Scalzo was promoted to the rank of detective sergeant, and council voted to hire Jonathan Stevenson as the department’s newest officer. Both moves came by unanimous vote. Scalzo has been with...
Penn State Master Gardeners to host open house in Hempfield
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Westmoreland County will host a July 15 open house at the Donohoe Demo Gardens in Hempfield. Master gardeners will be on hand to give tours; share techniques; and discuss native plants, composting and how to attract monarchs and other pollinators from 10 a.m. to...
Seton Hill, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield students perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall
The last time Mark Boyle was onstage at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall, an alarm on his cell phone accidentally went off mid-performance. When Boyle was invited back to conduct a performance as part of MidAmerica Productions’ 40th season staging shows at Carnegie Hall, he wasn’t going to let...
Murrysville area: Picnic at Historic Fairview Park, live music, upcoming meetings and more
21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic at Fairview Park Historic Fairview Park, just outside Delmont in Salem, will host its 21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 19. Bring a picnic basket, coolers, blankets and lawn chairs for an afternoon including old-fashioned games for children and adults...
Soapy suds fill Levin Furniture fountain in Monroeville
Levin Furniture & Mattress employees arrived at their Monroeville location Thursday morning to find a giant mountain of soap spilling out of the waterfall which adorns the front of their property on Route 22. “People sabotaged it overnight and threw four bottles of Dawn dish liquid into it,” said Levin...
‘Boomers & Beyond’ series to feature diabetes expert
Certified diabetes care and education specialist Susan Balog will present “Diabetes: Prevalence and Control” at the next Boomers & Beyond speaker series. It will be at noon Tuesday at Mother of Sorrows Social Hall, 4202 Old William Penn Highway in Murrysville. Balog will discuss warning signs for diabetes, prevention and...
Independence unveils new physical therapy equipment thanks to Shop’n Save owner
“Ray rides again.” It’s not just the motto that Charley Family Shop ’n Save owner Ray Charley uses to describe his return to biking, after a 2020 cycling accident shattered his pelvis and left him unable to walk for five months. It’s the result of his physical therapy and his...
Murrysville police charge house cleaner with additional jewelry thefts
A Murrysville woman who owns and operates a cleaning service faces additional allegations that she stole expensive jewelry from homes where she worked. Holly L. Simpson, 48, was charged in late May with theft and receiving stolen property after police investigated reports that she had taken chains, rings and bracelets...
Ligonier Township man charged with 25 counts of possessing child pornography
A Ligonier Township man was arrested late last week and charged with 25 counts of child pornography possession and five counts of sharing child pornography, after a police investigation led to the seizure of computers at his home, according to court records. Members of the state attorney general’s Child Predator...
Monroeville native steps into new role as Pennsylvania fire commissioner
The state’s new fire commissioner is stepping into his role just in time for fireworks season. The state Senate unanimously confirmed Monroeville native Thomas Cook last week to lead the development and operation of Pennsylvania’s emergency service training program and support the state’s 2,400 fire departments and personnel. Cook, a...
Cleats and call-ups: Today’s Pirates earned their stripes with the Curve
ALTOONA — Over the years, Altoona Curve fans have gotten a chance to see talent like Gerrit Cole, Andrew McCutchen, Endy Rodriguez and, recently, Oneil Cruz before they got called up to play for the Pirates. Henry Davis, who began the season with Altoona before moving on to the Pirates’...
Altoona Curve’s PNG Field is just like the big leagues — only more affordableVideo
ALTOONA — Taking the family to a Pittsburgh Pirates game can be a costly endeavor. From tickets to parking to meals and snacks inside the stadium, the price tag can run into the triple digits in short order. Less than two hours away, baseball fans can buy any ticket at...
Pittsburgh Pirates’ minor-league affiliate Altoona Curve offers idyllic baseball settingVideo
ALTOONA — A couple of hours before first pitch, it’s easy to see the appeal of PNG Field, home of the Altoona Curve. On a gorgeous June afternoon under clear skies, the Allegheny Mountains rise south of the Blair County ballpark, which is bookended by wooded hillsides. Over the right-fielder’s...
Scottdale Concert Band kicks off season with back-to-back performances
The Scottdale Concert Band will perform at 7 p.m. July 8 and 9 in Scottdale and Ligonier to kick off it upcoming summer concert series. The band was formed in 1981, and in 2021 reorganized as a nonprofit organization which can apply for grants and accept donations. The concerts will...
Monessen man dies in Washington County crash
A Monessen man died of injuries after he crashed Thursday night just off Route 43 in California, according to Washington County Coroner Tim Warco. Eric A. Moore, 56, was exiting Route 43 onto Malden Road just before 8:30 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and traveled down an...
Export Historical Society speaker will focus on firearms in U.S. historyVideo
Each year on the Fourth of July, Scott Duff of Export takes some time away from the cookout, fireworks and talking with friends and family to reflect on one of the muskets in his extensive firearms collection. It is a well-used Model 1763 Charleville flintlock musket from the Revolutionary War...
Murrysville will use $2 million to clean mine drainage in Lyons Run watershed
Throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, old mines channel water tainted with heavy metals such as iron and aluminum into creeks and streams, killing aquatic life and disrupting the food chain. Murrysville officials have secured $2 million in grants to address three mine-water sources within the Lyons Run watershed. Lyons Run flows south...
‘It’s unhealthy for everyone’: Lingering wildfire smoke affects more than just at-risk groups
Air quality advisories in response to lingering smoke from Canadian wildfires have focused on at-risk groups — young children, the elderly and people with existing pulmonary and heart issues. But, on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Pirates delayed the start of an early afternoon game by 45 minutes while they reviewed weather...
Murrysville area: Intro to fishing program, ‘Pioneer For a Day,’ live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Intro to fishing program in Murrysville The Murrysville Recreation Department and Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission will host an “Intro to Fishing” program at 10 a.m. July 13 at the Townsend Park Pond. There is no cost to attend. Participants can learn...
Rostraver man arrested after 7-hour standoff with state police
A Rostraver man who police said assaulted his father and stole his revolver was arrested after barricading himself inside his home for nearly seven hours Wednesday. State troopers responded to Columbus Street in Belle Vernon just before 1 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a theft and assault. The father...
‘June Boötid’ meteor shower will peak in Pittsburgh area tonight
The annual June Boötid meteor shower will stick around until July 2, but its peak — and the best chance to catch a glimpse — will be tonight. In the Pittsburgh area, the shower will be visible from dusk well into the night. But what is it, and why is...
Hot day for hot rods at the Veterans Anything With Wheels car showVideo
Trisha Cavanaugh didn’t build a 1972 Chevy Vega with a 6-liter, all-aluminum LS engine and a power-glide transmission to haul it around in a trailer. “I built it to be a car I could drive on the street, and I take it to Keystone Raceway,” said Cavanaugh, a White Oak...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival nears half-century mark
The slate that Deb and Fred Rost use as a canvas for their artwork comes from Vermont — but they don’t have to go nearly that far to sell it. The Latrobe residents have been bringing products from their Stenciled Slates business to the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival for...
Police: 2 in critical condition after Homewood shooting
Two men were transported in critical condition from a shooting early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, according to police. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert just before 5 a.m. on the 7000 block of Kelly Street, where they found two male victims. Medics transported one man who police said...
