Patrick Varine stories, Page 137
Delmont Public Library will reopen June 1 with social distancing restrictions in placeVideo
“What?!? It’s a real book?!?” Delmont librarian Denni Grassel’s humorous exclamation in a video posted to YouTube (watch the video below) was the official signal that the Delmont Public Library will be reopening on June 1, with some new procedures in place. Among the new guidelines: • Only 25 people...
DEP will host virtual meetings to take public comment on air pollution regulation related to fracking
Pennsylvania environmental officials will host three virtual meetings to take public comment on proposed state regulations aimed at reducing air pollution from unconventional natural gas drilling operations. The draft regulation would require additional controls at fracking sites and related infrastructure like compressor stations. Department of Environmental Protection officials estimated that,...
Southbound Route 119 reopened in East Huntingdon following 2-vehicle crash
Route 119 is partially closed in East Huntingdon Township following a crash involving a PennDOT truck, Westmoreland County emergency officials said. The southbound lanes of Route 119 are closed near its intersection with Routes 981 and 31 following a crash reported shortly before 11 a.m. The crash involved a PennDOT...
Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics to hold virtual open houseVideo
Aircraft maintenance has been an essential service throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with planes delivering critical supplies across the world. Officials from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics will host a virtual open house Saturday to encourage potential students to consider it as a career. “May 30 will be an all-new experience...
Carnegie Museum partners with TikTok to bring education to social media platformVideo
It started with a snail joke. But making light of mollusks has quickly led to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s TikTok channel gaining nearly 150,000 followers since January, and the museum is partnering with the burgeoning social-media platform to bring users more educational content. The museum received a grant,...
Police say Latrobe man fled after car chase without clothes on
State police are seeking a Latrobe man they say led them on a chase and then fled the scene without his clothes on. State policein at Greensburg are seeking John Mekic, 34, of Latrobe in connection with a report of a man undressing in his car on Andrew Lane in...
West Mifflin man convicted of stealing $250,000 in taxpayer money
A former subcontractor at the Bettis Atomic Energy Laboratory in West Mifflin was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being convicted of stealing $250,000 in taxpayer money, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Wednesday. Robert Lazur, 31, was working for BWXT Technical Services Group performing a subcontract at the...
9 Westmoreland locations will provide free meals through summer food program
Nine sites in Westmoreland County will serve free meals to children this summer through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. Administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania children received more than 4.5 million meals in 2019 from approximately 2,400 food program sites, with $13.5 million in...
North Huntingdon historian seeks volunteers to help digitize WWI burial records
Andrew Capets’ initial interest in World War I was finding out more about his grandfather’s unit, the 313th Machine Gun Battalion. That research led the North Huntingdon resident and amateur historian to write “Good War, Great Men,” which focused on his grandfather’s battalion and its exploits, including fighting in the...
Western Pa. sees another hotter-than-normal Memorial Day
This year marked the second consecutive Memorial Day where Western Pennsylvanians have roasted, with hotter-than-average temperatures expected to hang around until the end of the week, according to the National Weather Service. “We’ve got this area of high pressure, basically right over us,” said meteorologist John Darnley. “It’s creating a...
Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cincinnati job fair for veterans goes virtual
More than 30 companies and schools will participate in a virtual job fair for veterans in the Pittsburgh, Detroit and Cincinnati areas this week. Hosted by nonprofit DAV and RecruitMilitary, the free virtual event, set for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdayis open to all members of the military community,...
Pitt-Greensburg’s SITREP program helps veterans transition to collegeVideo
You wouldn’t expect a veteran to be intimidated by the prospect of attending college, given the rigors of military life and the stress of active-duty service. But it happened to Jacob Snyder of Murrysville, and he sees it frequently when talking with incoming student-veterans at the University of Pittsburgh at...
Court denies appeal of Murrysville’s fracking ordinance
A local citizen group’s challenge of Murrysville’s unconventional drilling ordinance has been struck down in court. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Harry F. Smail denied an appeal by the Murrysville Watch Committee, which challenged an earlier decision by the Murrysville Zoning Hearing Board. Smail pointed to a November 2019...
Student art projects for local seniors a ‘two-fer’ for Franklin Regional art teacherVideo
Franklin Regional High School art teacher Lori Mozina found a way to brighten the days of residents at two local senior homes in addition to getting her students their required community service hours. National Art Honors Society members, along with a large group of high school art students, created photos,...
Delmont, Murrysville farmers markets will open with some restrictions this season
Annual farmers markets in Delmont and Murrysville will open in June, but with some special measures in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. • In Delmont, the market will be open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning June 13, and will add a curbside pickup...
Memorial Day ceremonies shortened this year in Murrysville, Delmont, Export
Memorial Day will be a bit more low-key than in previous years for residents in Murrysville, Export and Delmont, due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. “They will be very limited this year, with the roll call and no speakers, and we’ll be keeping to social...
Andy Davis Band will livestream charity concert to benefit Westmoreland County Food BankVideo
Country-rock group the Andy Davis Band will perform a livestreamed show Friday night, the proceeds from which will benefit the Westmoreland County Food Bank and two local theaters. “It’s going to be a live show with six different camera angles,” said Davis’ wife Victoria. “We’re following all the guidelines by...
Pennsylvania joins pilot program allowing SNAP users to buy groceries online
Pennsylvania will participate in a pilot program allowing recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to purchase their groceries online through participating retailers. “Many people have been purchasing groceries online to facilitate social distancing, but SNAP recipients were not able to do so due to federal restrictions on...
Newlonsburg reconfigures year-end celebration for fifth graders
Fifth graders at Newlonsburg Elementary in Murrysville typically get a warm send-off as they leave for summer vacation and prepare to enter the middle school. “On the last day of school, we do sort of an indoor parade,” Principal Tina Gillen said. “Students and staff line the hallways, and fifth...
Forbes State Forest cave closures to continue
With no direct knowledge of whether the coronavirus can infect or sicken North American wildlife, including bats, the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will continue the ongoing closure of three caves in the Forbes State Forest. Lemon Hole and Coon caves in Westmoreland County, and Barton Cave in...
Belle Vernon Area School District, teachers’ union ratify new five-year deal
Belle Vernon Area School District and its teachers’ union have ratified a new five-year contract after more than a year of negotiations, including two eight-hour sessions mere days before schools statewide were shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new contract is retroactive to July 1, 2019, and runs through...
Penn-Trafford video students snag awards, adjust to producing amid pandemicVideo
The students who create Penn-Trafford TV, the school district’s in-house television broadcasts, brought home 16 nominations and six awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Mid-Atlantic Region High School Production Awards. Both are school records. But there was barely any time to enjoy their success before schools...
Delmont Library volunteers host ‘Grab and Grow’ garden kit distribution
The Delmont Public Library’s volunteers the Delmont Diggers were already looking at alternate plans for 2020, since the new library is being built where their butterfly garden once stood. “We’d planned to do container gardens around the library, but when covid-19 happened, we weren’t even able to do that,” said...
Construction manager: Franklin Regional elementary project keeping pace despite delay
The general manager for Franklin Regional’s Sloan elementary campus construction and renovation is confident that contractors will be able to keep pace with the project’s original timeline, despite a roughly month-long setback at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “The only areas we’re trying to keep a close eye on,...
Greensburg diocese to begin in-person Mass on June 1
The seating and the passing of peace may look a little different but, beginning June 1, Catholic churches in the Diocese of Greensburg will celebrate Mass — in person. Diocesan officials announced Monday that parishes can once again begin public Mass. Parishioners will be required to wear masks and remain...
