Patrick Varine stories, Page 157
For chronic Lyme patients, every day can be a struggleVideo
It was bad enough that Amy Wiester of Bell Township contracted Lyme disease at age 6 after suffering a tick bite at her family’s farm. But Wiester, 36, was bitten twice more by Lyme-carrying ticks, in 2004 and 2018. The disease — and the co-infections that frequently accompany it —...
Former science teacher will discuss Westmoreland’s ‘natural areas’
Early accounts of life in Westmoreland County don’t give much of a sense of what nature was like for the area’s first settlers. Retired biology teacher Dick Byers of Stahlstown wanted to ensure that people reading about the area in the future have that knowledge. It’s why Byers, along with...
Greensburg rally offers message of hope on National Overdose Awareness DayVideo
At 18 years old, Nakkia Proffit had to watch as a friend fatally overdosed, and it still was not enough to keep her from making negative decisions about drugs. On Saturday, Proffit was continuing her recovery and shared her story with attendees at a rally in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park...
Company seeking ‘Official NFL Taste Tester’Video
Betting tips website PicksWise is looking for a few fans of both football and food. The winning “football foodie” will have a chance to earn $500 and become the company’s “official NFL Taste Tester” for the upcoming season, in a bid to find the best signature dish across the league....
Paving work to close Haymaker Farm Road in Murrysville
Paving work, part of Murrysville’s summer roads program, will close Haymaker Farm Road on Sept. 3. The road will be closed to through traffic during the day. The work is part of a $1.54 million overlay package addressing roads throughout the municipality. Murrysville officials have about $10 million in road...
Unity mail carrier loved trains, Pirates baseball
To his wife, Jerry Gumbita of Unity was a work friend who soon became her loving husband. To his son, he was a happy-go-lucky guy willing to help out anyone. And to his school friends at Saint Vincent Prep School, he was “Speedy Gumbit-y from Marguerite-y.” “He was a fastball...
Overdose awareness event in Greensburg can provide ‘spark of hope’ for addicts, families
A decade ago, Katrin Schall of Youngstown would have had little interest in an event like the Overdose Awareness Day scheduled this weekend in Greensburg. But on Saturday, Schall — who overcame her own drug addiction — will be at St. Clair Park in her capacity as supervisor for Southwestern...
Murrysville council considers electronic billboard at former ‘banner corner’
The “banner corner” in Murrysville may be getting at least one of its signs back. Chief Administrator Jim Morrison said an anonymous donor has offered to fund the purchase of an electronic billboard at the intersection of Old William Penn Highway and Tarr Hollow Road. A small green space at...
Franklin Regional Athletic Association makes changes to in-house girls’ hoops program
Registration for the Franklin Regional Athletic Association’s in-house girls’ basketball fall season ends Aug. 31. Girls entering grades 1 to 6 in the Franklin Regional School District are eligible to participate. The association also offers travel programs for girls in grades 3 to 6. “There will be some noticeable changes...
Little League plans World Series expansion for baseball, softballVideo
Each year, a select few Little League baseball and softball teams get the rare experience of playing in Little League World Series competitions in Williamsport, Pa., and Portland, Ore. Beginning in 2021, Little League International officials want to give a few more children that chance, expanding the baseball series’ teams...
Inclusive theater troupe will hold ‘Grinch’ auditions in Murrysville
Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for actors of all abilities, will host auditions for a production of “The Grinch,” from 2 to 4:30 p.m., Sept. 14 at First Presbyterian Church in Murrysville. Appoints will be in 30-minute blocks with nine actors per block. Actors should prepare the following: •...
Former Tic Toc waitress from Jeannette loved travel, family
Joan Silvis worked as a waitress in the Tic Toc Restaurant in Kaufmann’s at the Westmoreland Mall from the day it opened until the day it closed, and when she was working, she was all business. That is, until the day her longtime friend, Jackie Chandler of Greensburg, sent a...
Murrysville officials: Heritage trail users must obey traffic controls
If cyclists using the Westmoreland Heritage Trail want to be treated like cars, they need to act like cars. That was the general sentiment among Murrysville officials after hearing from residents about the safety situation where the trail crosses Trafford Road. “Stop signs are not optional,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim...
Taste Test: We settle the beef over who has the best chicken sandwichVideo
There’s big-time beef happening. And it’s all over chicken, ironically enough. The debut of Popeye’s new fried chicken sandwich was met not just with hearty enthusiasm by American consumers. It also kicked off what will surely be known one day as The Great Chicken Sandwich Wars of 2019. It all...
Panther Foundation grants include funding for ‘maker space’ in middle-school library
Franklin Regional teachers were awarded $8,500 in grants from the FR Panther Foundation that will fund a video project and a science lab, as well as a creative space in the middle-school library. “We’re taking a look at part of the library and designating an area as a ‘maker space,’”...
Emergency officials: Overturned truck spills ‘unknown material’ into Yough River
An overturned truck in Elizabeth Township has released about 4,800 gallons of unknown material into the Youghiogheny River, emergency dispatchers said Thursday night. Fire and emergency crews were dispatched to the 2300 block of Douglas Run Road in Elizabeth just after 9:30 p.m. for a report of a tri-axle truck...
Murrysville Council approves excavation plan for ‘poor soil’ on Sloan construction site
Like many of the details surrounding the Franklin Regional School District’s “elementary campus” project, the discovery of poor soil on the Sardis Road property means one thing to those who support the project, and another to those against it. To the project’s engineer, the trucking of 12,000 cubic yards of...
Murrysville adds 1 final ‘Tuesdays at Townsend’ concert to finish season
With a massive playground and splash pad opening at Murrysville Community Park this summer, parks and recreation director Carly Greene wanted to make sure residents didn’t forget about the other parks in the municipality. That’s why Greene is happy to be adding an encore performance to her department’s “Tuesdays at...
Murrysville teen brings home 8 ribbons from Westmoreland Fair
Ian Sunny of Murrysville is on a roll this week at the Westmoreland Fair. And chances are, if he had baked a tray of rolls, he’d have won a ribbon for that, too. Sunny, 16, a junior at Franklin Regional Senior High School, brought home eight ribbons from the fair...
Judge hears arguments in Franklin Regional’s Sloan ‘elementary campus’ appeal case
Judge Harry Smail has a lot to consider in an appeal of Murrysville council’s approval of an “elementary school campus” project for the Franklin Regional School District. Smail heard oral arguments Wednesday in Common Pleas Court from attorneys representing three parties to the appeal — the municipality, school district and...
Franklin Regional opens school year with new website, stadium upgrades
Franklin Regional school officials made upgrades to their football field as well as their website in the run-up to the new school year. Online visitors will see a brand-new, revamped website launched in mid-August with a simplified address: FRSDk12.org. The new site features a revised directory, new teacher pages and...
Scottdale woman ‘got herself involved in every single organization she could’
Vicki Clark of Mt. Pleasant can’t remember her mother ever sitting down to relax. “She would be involved in so much,” Clark said. “She would call every single person in per phone book, she quit her job to babysit our girls. She got herself involved in every single organization she...
Franklin Regional OKs $35 million bond sale for Sloan Elementary projectVideo
The Franklin Regional School Board agreed to issue up to $35 million in bonds to fund the bulk of the Sloan “elementary campus” project, the same week that the district will be in court to face a group opposed to the plan. The project includes construction of a new elementary...
March for Parks surpasses $1 million in fundraising
The county’s annual March for Parks event has surpassed the $1 million fundraising mark, as residents, businesses and organizations have come together since 2003 to raise money for improvements at places like the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, Mammoth Park and Cedar Creek Park. The 17th annual March for Parks this past...
Pittsburgh policeman charged with June hit-and-run on North Shore
A Pittsburgh police officer has been arrested and charged in a June hit-and-run crash on the city’s North Shore that left a cyclist with a concussion. Brian M. Martin, 35, of Pittsburgh’s Westwood neighborhood, was charged Friday with accidents involving death or personal injury, reckless driving and drunken driving. Police...
