Patrick Varine stories, Page 147
House passes package boosting human trafficking penaltiesVideo
In the wake of human trafficking cases in Westmoreland and Butler counties, legislation strengthening existing state protections against the illegal practice recently passed in the state House. A bill from Rep. Marci Mustello, R-Butler, would increase penalties for anyone knowingly patronizing a victim and anyone connected to trafficking victims. “Whether...
Schools, lawmakers seek answers to bullyingVideo
State Rep. Brandon Markosek is familiar with the effects bullying can have on a young child: He did not speak until he was 3 years old and developed a stutter just as he was about to hit his teenage years. “By the time I hit 14, certain words or syllables,...
State police seek car involved in Burrell Township pursuit
State police are seeking information on the driver of black Volkswagen sedan with fresh passenger-side damage, who was involved in a pursuit and eventual crash in Burrell Township on Tuesday night. A state trooper attempting a traffic stop just after 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 on Pine Ridge Road was...
Murrysville author’s book discusses signposts on his journey of grievingVideo
One of the many historical uses of the cairn, a man-made stack of stones, is to mark a trail, as a means for travelers to find their way. For Joe Walko, 53, of Murrysville, the cairn served as a perfect metaphor for the grieving journey he began when his wife...
Art competition aims to raise awareness about ticks, Lyme disease in Pa.
Pennsylvania residents were afflicted with about 10,000 cases of Lyme disease in 2018, according to the state health department, and if a child’s drawing is enough to prevent even one, it’s worth the effort. “Ticks that cause Lyme disease are everywhere, which is why it is so important to know...
Police: Export man posted Snapchats of nude teen girl
Murrysville police are seeking an Export man accused of posting video of a nude 16-year-old girl to Snapchat. Clement Chitambo Jr., 21, was charged Jan. 14 by police with two counts of sexual abuse of children and one count of criminal use of a communication device. All three are felonies....
Lights sought for Miracle League field in Murrysville Community Park
A request by Miracle League of Western PA officials to add lighting to the Bill Mazeroski Miracle Field at Murrysville Community Park could end up as a delicate dance balancing player safety and respect for nearby residents who were told the park would not be lit. “There were commitments made...
Franklin Regional students will perform ‘Joseph’ selections at Symphony East
Students in the Franklin Regional spring production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” will perform selections from the show during the Symphony East program. It will be at 10:30 a.m., Feb. 13 at the Westmoreland Country Club, 7100 Mellon Road in Penn Township. The event will begin with a...
Murrysville to look more closely at LED signage
Murrysville council will ask its planning commission to revisit its signage ordinance to potentially address newer signs using LED lighting. “There are a lot of LED signs popping up and I don’t know if we really address those,” council President Dayne Dice said. Murrysville’s existing ordinance lays out a host...
Murrysville teen opened First Night festivities in PittsburghVideo
Most high school juniors spend New Year’s Eve enjoying themselves with friends or family. Lavanya Anantharaman, 17, of Murrysville, spent it a little differently: performing for thousands of Pittsburgh-area residents to open the First Night festivities Downtown. “I’ve been singing since I was 5 or 6 years old, and our...
Delmont residents seek to establish historical society
Vicki Walters of Delmont doesn’t want to turn her hometown into Colonial Williamsburg. But the borough has plenty of history, and prospective members of the Delmont Historical Society would like it to have a more prominent place. “What we’ve got going for us is this strong history of Delmont,” Walters...
Fluoridation the subject of dental association’s annual 3rd-grade poster contest
The Pennsylvania Dental Association wants the state’s third-graders to help mark the 75th anniversary of community water fluoridation — the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. Third-grade students are invited to submit a poster built around the association’s 2020 theme: “Fluoride in Water Prevents Cavities!” After Dr. Frederick McKay...
Monessen mayor faces civil complaint over actions at January council meeting
When Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw this month attended his first meeting in roughly 20 months, resident Ronald Mozer asked him, “Why should we even pay attention to what you’re doing here today, after missing 40 meetings?” Mozer paid plenty of attention, though, and now wants a Westmoreland County judge to...
Comedy fundraiser to benefit Westmoreland Heritage Trail, nearing 5th phase
As Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials begin prep work for the trail’s fifth phase, they are also gearing up for an annual fundraiser to offset the cost of trail maintenance. This year’s Comedy Night will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 15 at Colton Hall in Penn Township’s Claridge neighborhood....
Mt. Pleasant Township man remembered for love of family, people
While growing up among coal-mining families in the Standard Shaft neighborhood of Mt. Pleasant Township, Frank Jackson loved being around people, but he had no desire to meet them at the bottom of a mine. “That was not for him,” said his daughter Kristina Behan of Pensacola, Fla. “When he...
Ghost Town Trail named 2020 Trail of the Year by state conservation officials
The Ghost Town Trail that runs from Blairsville to Ebensburg has been named Pennsylvania’s 2020 Trail of the Year by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Built initially as a 12-mile trail in 1994, Ghost Town Trail was the first in the state constructed using transportation enhancement funding....
Franklin Regional Junior Olympics wrestlers take top spot at Kiski dual meet
The Franklin Regional Junior Olympics wrestling team brought home a first-place finish at the annual Kiski Youth Duals, going 5-0 at the Dec. 21 meet. Team recruitment coordinator Mike Ruane said the team is still getting its bearings early in the season. “This was only our second dual of the...
Bluegrass pickers head to Butler for January Ice Jam festivalVideo
Some of Western Pennsylvania’s best bluegrass musicians will descend on Butler this weekend for the 23rd annual January Ice Jam music festival. Bands will take the stage every half-hour Jan. 10 and 11 as the Days Inn on Route 8 is transformed into a picker’s paradise, with most rooms wide...
Murrysville council approves 1st fracking well
The first signs residents will see to indicate that a horizontal-drilling Marcellus shale well has been approved in Murrysville is probably not what they expected: road improvements. Before work gets going on Olympus Energy’s Titan well — which received Murrysville council’s approval for conditional-use and site plan applications in late...
TribLive Taste Test: Popbar Hot Chocolate on a StickVideo
The plunging temperatures and occasional snow flurries can mean only one thing: it’s hot chocolate season! The TribLive Taste Test Team got a chance to try out a new form of the delicious, decadent dessert beverage, courtesy of the Popbar company: hot chocolate on a stick! Popbar sent a six-pack...
Celebrity basketball game will benefit scholarships for Hispanic students
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host its second annual Celebrity Basketball Game to raise money for scholarships supporting the region’s Hispanic community. The game will be at 2:30 p.m., Jan. 11 at the Wunderley Gymnasium at Penn State’s Greater Allegheny campus in McKeesport. The game will...
Export council pushes back monthly meeting time
Export council will meet 30 minutes earlier beginning in February. Council voted unanimously Monday to move its monthly meeting back to 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month. Councilman James Mahinske was not present. Meetings are held at the borough building, 5823 Washington Ave. In other borough business:...
Monessen mayor attends 1st meeting in nearly 2 years, fires clerk and solicitor
After a 20-month absence from city meetings, first-term Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw returned to local government Monday night armed with a majority of council votes and an unannounced agenda that angered some members of the public as well as the council members who have essentially run the city since spring...
Inclusive theater to hold January auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater group for actors of all ability levels, will host auditions for two upcoming productions. • Auditions for “Once On This Island Jr.,” for actors ages 5 to 18, will be Jan. 22 from 7-9 p.m. at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church, 4600 Old William Penn Highway, and...
Historical society receives $10K gift to help relocate military monumentVideo
The Export Historical Society has a good jump on relocating Export’s veteran monument, thanks to a $10,000 gift from former borough resident Gary Wuslich. “He noticed that the memorial was a little bit hard to see or recognize unless you knew where it was,” said borough councilwoman and historical society...
