Patrick Varine stories, Page 163
Acme man’s family helped found the annual Appalachian Wagon Train
Chart Howard lived for the annual Appalachian Wagon Train, when residents jump back in time and participate in a horse-drawn wagon train through Westmoreland and Fayette counties, traveling during the day and camping at night. So it was with a heavy heart that wagon-train participants set out in 2019, the...
Driller makes its case for first fracking well in Murrysville
Murrysville residents got a detailed look at the proposed Titan well pad on Wednesday night, during a public hearing before municipal council that will continue next month. Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration, or HHEX, wants to construct a 350-by-500-foot well pad on a 71-acre property off Bollinger Road in eastern...
Want to spend the summer pool-hopping? Hotels.com has a job for you
If you enjoy spending your summer poolside, Hotels.com has a job for you. The company is seeking applications for a “poolhop” position. “This summer, we’re hiring our first-ever ‘Poolhop’ to travel across the country researching the most epic hotel pools from coast to coast,” an online application reads. “It’s a...
Windover Road in Murrysville closed for road work
Murrysville police advised residents that Windover Road will be closed on Wednesday for road work. Only local traffic is permitted. Municipal public works crews are performing drainage work along the road, according to Murrysville engineer technician Emily Mallisee....
Penn Area Library will host performance by Russian dance troupeVideo
World-renowned Russian dance and music ensemble Barynya will bring its show to the Penn Area Library on July 29. The free performance will be at 10 a.m. at the library, 2001 Municipal Court in Penn Township. It is being presented through a grant from the Westmoreland County Bureau of Parks...
Murrysville Medic One will demonstrate dive team skills at swim club
The Murrysville Medic One dive team has searched for missing people, evidence and even for severed fingers. They’ve searched ponds, creeks and quarries. But they’ve never searched a swimming pool. Searching is just one of the things Medic One divers will demonstrate June 28 at the Murrysville Swim Club in...
Franklin Regional approves 2019-20 budget, hikes taxes 2.2 mills
The Franklin Regional school board approved a 2019-20 budget Monday night that raises property taxes by 2.2 mills. The proposed final budget of $59.7 million is about $1.45 million more than the 2018-19 budget. Most of that increase is the district’s contribution to teacher pensions, or the PSERS system, which...
Franklin Regional school board awards $48.62 million in contracts for Sloan project
After three years of planning, multiple town hall meetings and mounting opposition from residents, Franklin Regional school board members this week agreed to spend $48.62 million for the Sloan school project. The board voted 8-1 to award bids for renovating Sloan Elementary School and converting it into a lower elementary...
Police: East Pittsburgh woman found dead after jailed man tips off therapistVideo
A woman has been found dead in an East Pittsburgh apartment, after an incarcerated Cambria County man told a counselor Monday he killed someone, according to state police. Troopers said the man gave the Cambria County Jail counselor an address for a home on Maple Street and the counselor passed...
Thief pepper sprays Unity man as he to stop car break-in, police say
A Unity Township man was pepper-sprayed in the face and eyes late Sunday night as he attempted to stop a man from breaking into his vehicle. State police charged Christopher W. Reynolds, 37, of Blairsville, with five counts each of theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property and loitering/prowling...
3 injured in Route 22 crash
Three people were transported to area hospitals following a head-on, two-car crash Monday afternoon on Route 22 in Salem. A Westmoreland 911 supervisor said the crash happened around 5:15 p.m. along westbound Route 22, just east of its intersection with Route 819. Forbes Road VFD Chief Bob Rosatti said a...
Greensburg woman shared love of outdoors, ice skating
Grace Howard was outgoing, loved people and enjoyed the finer things in life. On the latter count, she married the right man, according to her daughter. “She graduated from Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing and was a registered nurse, but she never needed to do any nursing work,” said Sharon...
Murrysville residents ‘pooped’ out over roaming cow herdVideo
Doug Kaleida of Murrysville had a big enough job on his hands already: leveling his backyard and seeding it with grass. Now, much of that work has been undone thanks to regular visits by a small herd of black Angus cattle that has been roaming southern Murrysville since late April....
Bellevue to become ‘Wizardvue’ during Harry Potter-themed celebration
There may be snakes in the local hardware store, fire-eaters parading down the street and owls and wizards all about town. Once a year, Bellevue becomes Wizardvue, a celebration where the borough transforms into the magical world of Harry Potter with all its quirks and oddities. “After I was elected,...
Unity man ‘was always telling a story or a joke’
James Miller never met someone with whom he couldn’t strike up a conversation. “He was a talker,” said his son, Bruce Miller of Mt. Pleasant. “Whenever he was in the room, you might get to throw in a word here and there, but he was always telling a story or...
Mother of Sorrows students graduate, send technology message to parents
Eighth graders at Mother of Sorrows School in Murrysville are on to high school following the May 21 commencement ceremony, held at Mother of Sorrows Church. Prior to graduation, however, members of the eighth-grade class also penned a letter to Mother of Sorrows parents, which was included in the school’s...
Man injured in Hempfield after falling over hillside while mowing
A man mowing grass along Colleen Lane in Hempfield had to be rescued after falling over a hillside on Tuesday evening. Adamsburg Fire Chief Don Thoma said the man was transported to an area hospital following the incident, which was reported around 8 p.m. Additional information was not immediately available....
Police issue arrest warrant for suspect in McKees Rocks sex assault
Allegheny County police issued an arrest warrant for a 24-year-old man in connection with a sexual assault that took place Monday in McKees Rocks. Police are seeking Nino Johnson, who they said is known to frequent McKees Rocks and Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. On Monday night, the McKees Rocks Police...
Upgrades continue at Newhouse Park in Delmont
The NBA season may be have wrapped up, but basketball fans in Delmont will have reason to celebrate this summer. Construction to replace the aging former basketball court at Newhouse Park is under way, with a brand-new court surface in place. The court was funded largely through a $50,000 donation...
Co-working business partners with nonprofit to start free educational series
The Penn Township sisters who opened a Murrysville co-working business this spring have partnered with a Pittsburgh nonprofit to begin hosting an educational series for small business owners. Deb and Sue Cavrak, who opened The Ahfis Creative Coworking in May at the Blue Spruce Shoppes, have partnered with the Idea...
Murrysville Woman’s Club awards $6,600 in scholarships
Three Westmoreland County women looking to further their education will have a helping hand from the Murrysville Woman’s Club, whose members awarded them scholarships at a June 6 luncheon. Taylor Franco of Murrysville, Michele Marvich of Greensburg and Danielle Steadman of Mt. Pleasant were the recipients of $6,600 in scholarships...
Tickets for annual Grateful Dead ‘Meet-Up’ concert screening go on sale this week
The Grateful Dead’s fan community is the stuff of rock-music legend. “Deadheads” followed the band across the country, catching shows when they could get hold of a ticket and creating a colorful scene in every city the band played. Old and new fans in recent years have gotten back together,...
Here are the Belle Vernon Area Class of 2019 graduates
Here is a list of Belle Vernon Area members of the Class of 2019, provided by the school district: Rebecca Danielle Anderson Markello Apodiakos Logan James Armstrong Maura Paige Askin Bryan Joseph Bader Kevin Brian Baeza Hannah M. Baker Benjamin Henry Bamford Sean Robert Bane Caleb Matthew Beichner Hayley Jo...
Chris Brown’s 2019 tour stops in Pittsburgh this fall
Following his successful “Heartbreak on a Full Moon” 2018 tour, R&B singer and entertainer Chris Brown will bring his “Indigoat” 2019 tour to Pittsburgh in the fall. Brown will perform Sept. 24 at PPG Paints Arena, accompanied by Tory Lanez, Ty Dolla $ign, Joyner Lucas and Yella Beezy. The tour...
Q&A: Charley Shop’n Save owner bikes across U.S. for veterans’ charityVideo
Ray Charley biked 2,000 miles to prepare for his 3,048-mile, 48-day trek across the United States. “The training was a feat unto itself, really,” said Charley, 68, of Unity, whose family owns Shop’n Save locations in Murrysville, Greensburg and Hempfield. Charley left San Diego, Calif., on April 1. He reached...
