Patrick Varine stories, Page 69
Delmont seed swap offers variety for backyard gardenersVideo
Darin Kuczek gets a lot of enjoyment out of his backyard garden. “I’m not exactly a ‘hippie-dippy’ guy, but I have a chair out there and after I get done working, a lot of times I’ll just sit for maybe an hour,” the Salem resident said. “I just really enjoy...
‘College Now’ program gives high school students a chance to earn early associate’s degree
When Jacinda Floyd first heard about the “College Now” program at Westmoreland County Community College during her freshman year at Franklin Regional Senior High School, she said she “kind of overlooked it.” “I was thinking, ‘I’m a freshman and have a lot of time to go before college,’” Floyd said....
State approves first Black-owned pre-apprenticeship program in Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute has been approved as the city’s first Black-owned, state-certified pre-apprentice program for the skilled trades. The APRI’s “Breaking the Chains of Poverty” program is designed to help people build the skills necessary to earn a career in the building and construction...
Murrysville area: Poet program, Export Business Group meeting, fashion show and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Delmont library to present Emily Dickinson program Guest Jim Arnold will present “Judge Tenderly of Me,” a program about the life of poet Emily Dickinson. It will be at 4:30 p.m. March 2 at the Delmont Public Library, 77 School Street. The...
Export officials want to better coordinate utility and paving work
Export officials would like their freshly-paved streets to stay in that condition. So, in addition to efforts to coordinate local utility construction with street work, they are also considering an ordinance that strengthens the requirements for restoring streets following utility work. During a discussion about the use of federal grant...
Excess additive in gas lines causes large volume of 911 calls in Murrysville, Export, Delmont
An excess of the additive that gives natural gas its “rotten-egg” smell caused more than 300 calls to Westmoreland County 911 since Tuesday night, reporting an odor of natural gas, according to Peoples Natural Gas officials. Calls began coming in to Westmoreland County 911 around 9 p.m., according to a...
McKees Rocks Bridge to close for pavement marking
The McKees Rocks Bridge will close for three hours Wednesday starting at noon. Traffic will be detoured to the West End Bridge between noon and 3 p.m. Work crews from Brayman Construction and Advantage Steel & Construction will close the bridge in both directions as they perform pavement marking. It’s...
Murrysville consumer advocate wins lawsuit over toilet tissue tax
If you are a cashier, you’d better not overcharge Murrysville resident Mary Bach. She will find out, she will take your store to court — and she likely will win. Bach, 78, recently won a $100 district court judgment against Walgreens in Murrysville after she discovered the store was imposing...
Murrysville council shows reluctance to make development exceptions
In voting down a rezoning request and indicating concerns about a second one, Murrysville council members Wednesday showed a reluctance to carve out exceptions when it comes to development in the municipality. Council first held a discussion about a proposal to re-zone 54.6 acres near Murrysville Community Park from rural-residential...
State grant could help create large, uninterrupted recreation space in Monroeville
There’s still a good bit of fundraising to go, but a grant of more than a half-million dollars has the Allegheny Land Trust halfway toward its goal of acquiring 95 acres of property in Monroeville for conservation. “We’re able to use this grant as the first step for this land...
Murrysville area: Fashion show fundraiser, comedy nights, Delmont library programs and more
Woman’s club to host annual fashion show The Murrysville Woman’s Club will host its annual Spring Fashion Show at 10 a.m. March 25 at the Lamplighter Restaurant in Salem. A breakfast brunch will be followed by the show, featuring Fashions by Marge Predmore. Club members will be hosting a basket...
With a new home, Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books looks to expand in its 2nd year
Last year’s inaugural Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books brought 50 authors, 25 poets and more than 2,000 attendees together to celebrate the magic of literature and poetic prose. This year, with a new location at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in the city’s East Liberty neighborhood, festival organizers are seeking to...
Westmoreland schools take top spots in Westinghouse Chain Reaction Contraption contest
From marbles to movie tributes, Westmoreland County students made all the right moves when it came to creating a Rube Goldberg-style machine for the annual Westinghouse Chain Reaction Contraption contest. Teams from Hempfield Area and Franklin Regional high schools took the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, in the...
Delmont library will host annual seed swap on Feb. 11
Did you grow a tomato in your garden last year that you really loved? If so, it’s easy to keep that crop going by saving seeds from your harvested fruit. Seed savers of all types will be on hand, with everything from fruits to vegetables to native plants and flowers,...
Greensburg Salem bus driver accused of inappropriate communication fired
A bus driver in the Greensburg Salem School District has been fired after being accused of inappropriate communication with students, according to the driver’s employer. DMJ Transportation Safety Coordinator Mark Kraynick said the driver was recently fired after an internal investigation. Greensburg Salem officials said the issue, which began with...
Report: 1 dead, 1 critically injured in Ellwood City shooting
A woman is dead and another person is in critical condition following a shooting late Monday afternoon in Ellwood City, city officials told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. Ellwood City police are investigating the shooting, which took place shortly after 5:15 p.m. Monday along First Street, Mayor Anthony Court told WPXI....
Forecasters say snow to taper off — leaving cold, freezing rain behind
Snow was tapering off throughout the region Tuesday morning after rain turned into a mix of snow and icy glaze in some areas, leaving behind cold temperatures, according to National Weather Service meteorologists. “There’s a frontal boundary moving through with some warmer air aloft, and a colder surface temperature,” NWS...
Mon-Fayette Expressway’s next phase will help test innovative road concepts
Paul Metzler of Murrysville isn’t confident that truckers will voluntarily limit their use of “jake brakes” on the stretch of Route 22 situated down the hill from his home in Manordale Farms. “Between the ribbed concrete that the highway is made of and the increase in trucks that all use...
High school robotics teams gear up for a new season of ‘FIRSTs’Video
Franklin Regional Superintendent Gennaro Piraino wanted to know what junior Rory Messersmith considered to be more valuable to his academic future — being a member of the high school’s robotics team, or studying for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests. “I’m not sure if I should answer that,” Messersmith...
Artist lining up sponsors for underpass mural below Route 22 in Murrysville
As she works her way through the design of her largest mural to date, Florida artist and Export native Christina Donahoe is also lining up partners in the project, which would cover a popular spot for graffiti on a William Penn Highway underpass in Murrysville. “I’ve been in touch with...
Westmoreland food bank brings ‘Mobile Market’ to Slickville with free, fresh produce
Thanks to federal American Rescue Plan funding, the Westmoreland County Food Bank is awaiting the delivery of a new produce truck. But they’re not waiting to start Mobile Market events that the truck will help foster. “We decided we didn’t want to wait to get this going, so we’re putting...
Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines
A new state policy may scuttle reenactments of the Battle of Bushy Run. The battle was part of Pontiac’s War, a pan-Native campaign that opposed British settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains. The British routed members of the Seneca, Cayuga and Lenape nations on Aug. 5-6, 1763. It has been...
Murrysville company FlexScreen begins licensing its technology with automated manufacturing line, wins ‘BIG’ awardVideo
Eight years ago, Joe Altieri was in his Plum garage trying to perfect a new, flexible, easy-to-install window screen. Today, he is the owner of FlexScreen, a multimillion-dollar Murrysville company that earned an investment from “Shark Tank” host Lori Greiner. It opened its seventh manufacturing facility last June in New...
Vendors at Greensburg antiques show share a passion for the past
Jeff Poole’s grandmother would never let him into her china closet. Today, however, Poole is in everyone else’s china closet, as owner of On the Diamond Antiques in Ligonier. An Irwin resident, Poole was watching the snow swirl outside the Greensburg Country Club on Thursday afternoon as he and other...
Murrysville area: Comedy nights, library lectures, Delmont texting service and more
Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Comedy nights to benefit Westmoreland trails, parks, concerts Two evenings of stand-up comedy will benefit Westmoreland County trails as well as the county’s parks and concert series. The first will be 6-10 p.m. Feb. 11 at Colton Hall, 3100 Blocks Road in...
