Patrick Varine stories, Page 60
Police: Cyclist dies of injuries in North Side shooting
Police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man riding his bicycle along Federal Street Sunday morning on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Police responded to Federal Street at West North Avenue around 7 a.m. and said they found a man who had been shot in the back. He was taken to...
Police: Zelienople man fatally shot 2 women at New Sewickley home
A Zelienople man faces criminal homicide and kidnapping charges, after police said he shot two women with a rifle and barricaded himself inside a New Sewickley house on Saturday afternoon. Police were called to the 400 block of Klein Road around 2 p.m. Saturday. The first officers on scene encountered...
Pittsburgh police seek info on missing Sheraden twins
Pittsburgh Police detectives are seeking information to help locate missing 12-year-old twin brothers who were last seen on Saturday. Police said Kam and Karter Winesickle left their home on Stanhope Street in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood at 5 p.m. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or 412-323-7800....
Pooches parade through downtown Greensburg for ‘Summer in the City’Video
It was a little damp on the paws Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop plenty of dog owners and downtown shoppers from dropping by Greensburg’s Summer in the City celebration at the Pitt-Penn parking lot on South Pennsylvania Avenue. From a doggie photo booth to a dunk tank, the lot...
Turnpike, PennDOT officials expand pollinator habitats, will include Irwin interchange
Pennsylvania Turnpike and state transportation officials are hoping to brighten the roadside, boost the local pollinator population and spark the public’s interest in planting native species for critical pollinating wildlife like bees and butterflies. Officials have overseen more than 40 acres of pilot planting, with an additional 25 acres in...
Franklin Regional adopts 2023-24 budget with 2-mill tax hike
Franklin Regional school directors approved a $66.6 million budget for the 2023-24 school year that includes a 2-mill tax hike. The budget will bring in $66.27 million in projected revenue. In the past few years, district officials have offset budget gaps using money earmarked to fund annual state-mandated increases in...
House near Murrysville’s Pedora Park will be demolished
Murrysville officials have begun the process to try and demolish a long-abandoned property near Pedora Park. Council members voted unanimously to designate the residence at 6283 Old William Penn Highway as a blighted structure. “This isn’t a fixer-upper,” code enforcement officer Nick Ruffner said. The property was posted as being...
Murrysville area: ‘Pioneer for a Day,’ upcoming library programs, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Woman’s club elects new officers The Murrysville Woman’s Club elected its 2023-24 officers during a scholarship luncheon held at the Greensburg Country Club. New officers are President Jan Bollinger, First Vice President Barb Breitenstein, Second Vice President Beverly Bella, Secretary Bonnie Sheridan,...
Murrysville, Plum officials deal with injection well issues
There are multiple injection well operations and appeals of operations in the communities of Plum and neighboring Murrysville. Plum officials are appealing the decision of their own zoning hearing board, which approved a second injection well in the borough. The Sedat injection well has been in operation since late spring...
Injection rejection: Indiana County community pushes back against fracking residue well
When Judy Wanchisn was a few years into her fight to stop operation of a fracking injection well in her neighborhood, several people asked why she didn’t just move. “This is our family homestead,” she said, gesturing to the house and small building adjacent to her home on Sebring Road...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Murrysville
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Trio of Murrysville musicians headed to Portugal with Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra
A.J. Schmidt doesn’t remember why he first chose to take up flute at the end of his third-grade year. But his father does. “He came home at nine years old and said, ‘I can make a sound on it, and it’s pretty,’” said Schmidt’s father Judd, who is getting ready...
Monroeville native to open restaurant, catering business at William Penn Place
When Debbie Hoffner was 16 years old, she started a job in the dietary department at Forbes Regional Hospital. She’s worked in the food-service industry on and off for four decades, and has been told often that she should start her own food business. Next month, with the help of...
Murrysville area: Roller derby, acapella performance, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Roller derby at Palmer Imaging Arena The WestCo Roller Derby team will host its third match of the season at 7 p.m. June 24 at Palmer Imaging Arena in Salem. The team will take on Iron Mountain Roller Derby out of Cumberland,...
Irwin man charged with homicide by vehicle, DUI in connection with fatal ’22 Churchill crash
An Irwin man turned himself in to authorities after he was charged with homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, in connection with a fatal 2022 crash, according to police. Troy Modrak, 28, of Irwin, surrendered to county detectives on Thursday after being charged with homicide by vehicle while...
Delmont awards paving contract for work on Suncrest Drive
Delmont council members awarded a $74,000 contract for paving on Suncrest Drive this summer but opted not to include several additions, citing prohibitive costs for materials. “The pricing this year is at an all-time high,” borough engineer Kevin Brett told council at its June 13 meeting. “Locally, they’re slowing production...
Roller derby team goes up against Maryland squad in Salem
The WestCo Roller Derby team will host its third match of the season at 7 p.m. June 24 at Palmer Imaging Arena in Salem. The team will take on Iron Mountain Roller Derby out of Cumberland, Md. “Both teams have worked hard to rebuild coming out the pandemic. For some...
Delmont library receives $20,000 grant to expand autism services
Delmont Public Library officials will lead a community conversation about autism, and the feedback they receive will be used in conjunction with a $20,000 grant to provide resources and programs for those affected. “This grant requires you to talk with members of the community you’re looking to serve, about what...
Hempfield Area School Board may vote on book-challenge, acquisition policies at next meeting
After nearly 18 months of meetings, debates and changes, Hempfield Area School Board members sent two controversial policies back to their policy committee for additional tweaks. The policies are centered around the purchase of resource materials, with a particular focus on books available in the district’s libraries, and the procedure...
Air Force Thunderbirds return to Westmoreland with new show
For Westmoreland Air Show attendees who caught the Air Force Thunderbirds when they last visited in 2017, the F-16 pilots have some new moves in store. “During 2020, when all of the airshows got canceled, we spent the whole year redesigning our show,” said Maj. Jake Impellizzeri of Cincinnati, who...
Girl Scouts donate sensory board to Murrysville libraryVideo
Descriptions of the Girl Scout Bronze Award encourage participants to find a project that can “make a difference in their community.” For Troop 16380’s Minnoli Bhatt, an idea sprung immediately to mind. “I have a friend at school with intellectual and development disabilities,” said Bhatt, 10, of Murrysville. “He doesn’t...
State museum commission grants will help preserve history at West Overton
It’s possible that part of a Keystone Historic Preservation Grant from the state may go toward repairing an actual keystone, depending on what needs to be fixed at the West Overton Village & Museum in East Huntingdon. Most of the $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission will...
‘The Boxcar Children’ brings long-running children’s book series to Pittsburgh stage
Author Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote the first book in what would become her “Boxcar Children” series in 1924. It would go on to spawn more than 100 books with the plucky children typically solving mysteries. Prime Stage Theatre’s Sprouts program will bring the stories to life on stage as they...
Export officials look toward summer paving, construction projects
Export officials will use part of their allocation of federal pandemic funding to upgrade the borough’s winter salt storage. “We’ve been talking about doing it for years,” said solicitor Wes Long. The borough has just under $45,000 in American Rescue Plan funding, the first half of a proposed two-part federal...
Murrysville area: Garden club scholarships, ninja workshop, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Garden club award scholarships The Murrysville Garden Club awarded its 2023 scholarships at its monthly meeting on May 25. The Hummingbird Award went to Sydney Jackson, a Franklin Regional graduating senior. Jackson was a counselor at Rock Bridge last summer, and she...
