Murrysville Star category, Page 70
Western Pennsylvania residents look to preserve region’s mining historyVideo
On an unusually warm day in what would normally be the dead of winter, melting snow perfectly illustrated why an old Pittsburgh Coal Co. mine in Fayette County is now called “The Ruins.” “Nature takes a backseat to industry, but it always wins out in the long term,” said Rachel...
Murrysville area: Art show, library programs, wellness checks, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Franklin Regional fined for chemical discharge The Franklin Regional School District recently paid a $7,000 fine to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, after mop water containing floor finish and floor-finish stripper was poured down a janitorial sink connected to the stormwater...
Franklin Township sewage authority finalizing system-wide flow model as part of state consent order
The Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority is wrapping up work on a flow model of its entire system, the next milestone in its consent order with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The authority has been conducting smoke-and-dye testing for illegal connections as well as video inspection of all its...
Commonwealth Court denies Murrysville Watch Committee’s appeal of fracking ordinance
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court this week denied the Murrysville Watch Committee’s appeal of its failed challenge to Murrysville’s fracking ordinance. Initially filed as a challenge to the Murrysville Zoning Hearing Board, which upheld the ordinance on unconventional gas well drilling, appeals at the county (2020) and now state level (2021) have...
Westmoreland Senior Spotlight: Franklin Regional’s Owen Holm
School, swimming, homework, sleep, repeat. This is the life of senior Franklin Regional swimmer Owen Holm. “One weakness I have is pushing through all the tiredness, all the exhaustion,” Holm said. Holm definitely hasn’t shown it in the pool, being a part of a relay team that earned a PIAA...
Franklin Regional standout Caden Smith seeking college football fit
Franklin Regional standout senior Caden Smith, a terrific three-sport athlete, wants to play football in college. Many consider him a Division I prospect, and some schools have inquired. But the 6-foot-4 wide receiver and safety doesn’t have any offers — yet. He was hoping to commit by national signing day,...
Franklin Regional motivated to make Penguins Cup run
When the Franklin Regional hockey team plays a game, the Panthers do so with a chip on their shoulder. The 2021 Panthers reached the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League Penguins Cup championship game in Class 2A, but lost to Baldwin. “Every time we play a game, we talk about that game,”...
Gateway boys knock Franklin Regional out of playoffs
Gateway came to Murrysville on Friday night and spoiled Franklin Regional’s night on multiple levels. The Gators ruined the Panthers’ senior night and knocked them out of the WPIAL boys basketball playoffs for the first time in seven years with a 57-36 victory in a Section 3-5A game. Franklin Regional...
Export lowers fee, inspection requirements in landlord licensing ordinance
Export officials ended 2021 by tightening up the borough’s ordinances regarding rental properties, particularly instituting a $100 annual license that landlords must acquire along with mandatory inspections. Initially proposed as a $200 annual fee in the 2022 budget, council ultimately settled on a version that cut the fee price in...
Delmont moves ahead with infrastructure-related projects
Delmont officials are moving ahead with multiple infrastructure-related projects, including progress on two state consent orders aimed at addressing storm water and sewage issues in the borough. As part of the consent order Delmont entered into along with the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority and its client communities, public works...
Franklin Regional alum Spencer Lee part of clue on ‘Jeopardy!’
Spencer Lee already has a Wikipedia page, his own clothing line and a fan following that stretches from Murrysville to Des Moines, Iowa — and beyond. He is a well-known figure in college wrestling. But the Iowa sensation’s popularity has reached new heights. The Franklin Regional graduate was part of...
Murrysville area: ‘Egg my Yard,’ meetings and more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. “Egg My Yard” registration opens Feb. 21 Murrysville residents seeking to have their yards “egged” this Easter by the recreation department can begin signing up on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. Department members will hide candy-filled plastic eggs for a “family-sized” egg...
Delmont appoints councilman to fill vacated seat
Chris Bigley moved to Delmont eight years ago for its small-town charm and historical significance. As a resident, he’s attended events like the Apple’n Arts Festival and the Delmont Pilgrimage with his family, and wanted an opportunity to give back. He now has that chance for at least the next...
Delmont mayor breaks 3-3 deadlock in appointing new council member
Delmont Mayor Alyce Urban is empowered to break a tie vote, if one should come up at a council meeting. But in six years, she hasn’t been called on to do so. Tuesday night, she had to do it twice in order to fill the seat vacated by her husband,...
Asbestos issues drive up costs for demolition of Franklin Regional elementary
The bulk of Franklin Regional School District’s capital plan for the coming school year is demolishing the former Heritage Elementary School, although the cost has gone up substantially after asbestos was discovered in the building. A little less than half of the $2.25 million capital budget for the 2022-23 school...
Needs vary this time of year at Western Pa. charity thrift stores
At the Goodwill store in the Hollywood Square shopping plaza just off Route 22 in Salem, things have been busy the past few months. “We have way more business here than we did in the Murrysville location,” said assistant manager Jenny Desport. Part of it, she said, is due to...
Franklin Regional swim teams top competitive field to win county titles
The Franklin Regional swimming teams flexed their muscles Jan. 29 and returned to Murrysville after the Westmoreland County Coaches’ Association meet with team titles and numerous winners in tow. The boys shared the title with Hempfield, while the girls were the top Class 3A team. “It was a little surprising...
Franklin Regional notebook: Playoffs around corner for hockey team
The Franklin Regional hockey team was gearing up for its final four games of the season as the Panthers build toward another PIHL Class 2A playoff run. The Panthers were narrowly trailing Armstrong in the East Division. Both teams were 12-2, but Armstrong’s one overtime loss had the River Hawks...
Former Wilkinsburg doctor gets 6 months of home detention in federal drug, fraud case
A doctor who spent his career caring for the underserved in Wilkinsburg will serve six months of home detention and three years of probation. Yee Chung Ho, 72, of Murrysville, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer. Ho pleaded guilty on Nov. 9 to three counts of...
Export train station will open on weekends; formal dedication planned for summer festival
While its formal dedication will take place this summer, the Export train station will be opening its doors to the public on the weekends. Built to replicate the borough’s former station, the building will house local history, with the Export Historical Society creating rotating displays and holding its monthly meetings...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials move ahead with short Export extension
Getting across Route 66 remains the key challenge to its completion, but the plan this year is to get the Westmoreland Heritage Trail about 700 feet closer to Delmont. Export council this week gave the go-ahead for trail officials to move forward with extending the western half of the trail...
Murrysville area: ‘Sweetheart’ hike, scholarships, library programs, more
Recreation department hosts “Sweetheart Hot Chocolate Hike” on Valentine’s Day The Murrysville Recreation Department will host a “Sweetheart Hot Chocolate Hike” at 10 a.m. on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. The hike will take place on the trails at Pleasant Valley Park, 2557 Pleasant Valley Road. The wooded hike includes slopes...
Franklin Regional dominates Latrobe in boys basketball rematch
How does a team lose by seven on the road and win by 32 at home against the same opponent? “Our guys worked their butts off defensively,” said Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed, whose Panthers split their season series with Latrobe in a big way, rolling to a 68-36 victory...
Murrysville vocalist will parody Pat Benatar song at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog DayVideo
A Pittsburgh band fronted by a Murrysville singer will play their parody of Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day. The band No More Daisies is one of two finalists selected Sunday for the “Gobbler’s Knob Got Talent” competition. They will play at...
Murrysville area: Water quality presentation, ‘Boomers and Beyond’ speaker series, meetings, more
Intergenerational faith discussion set for Feb. 8 The “Boomers and Beyond” speaker series at Mother of Sorrows Church in Murrysville continues at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 8 with “That’s Not How I Raised Them,” a discussion on intergenerational differences in the way faith is practiced. The discussion will be led by...
