Patrick Varine stories, Page 172
Heritage Trail committee planning June 1 festival in Trafford and Slickville
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail committee is planning a Trail Towns Festival for June 1 in Trafford and Slickville. Similar to a trip along the trail itself, the festival will begin at 10 a.m. in Trafford’s B-Y Park, running until 3 p.m. After that, the party will continue from 4-8 p.m....
Delmont seeking sponsorships for new Christmas decorations, banners
Delmont residents will see some fresh decorations come Christmas time, and borough officials are hoping local residents and businesses are willing to help pay for them. Council members will front half the cost of 48 new LED-powered snowflakes, which will take the place of the wreath and candles that have...
Bluegrass concert will benefit St. Joseph House of Hospitality
Bluegrass bands from all over Western Pennsylvania will converge in Oakland’s Synod Hall April 26 for the 21st annual bluegrass concert benefit for St. Joseph’s House of Hospitality. The Allegheny Drifters, Echo Valley, Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers, Lonesome Lost & Foggy and Fern Hollow will perform at the 7 p.m. concert...
Shop ‘n Save owner reaches Arizona on cross-country fundraising ride
Charley Family Shop ’n Save owner Ray Charley has made it to Arizona. Charley, 67, is on a 3,058-mile cross-country ride, from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla., to raise money for Feherty’s Troops First Foundation. He began the ride April 1. “Today’s a short day,” Charley said Tuesday. “Only...
Antwon Rose family to receive proceeds from East Liberty concert
A concert Wednesday to benefit the family of Antwon Rose II will include Atlanta rapper Sa-Roc along with several local musical acts. Organized by 1Hood Media, Unappreciated Management and Voices Against Violence, the concert will be from 7 p.m to 10 p.m. at the Ace Hotel in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty...
Daughters of the American Revolution present annual Good Citizen awards
Franklin Regional senior McCain Varley was one of three students recognized with the 2019 Good Citizen of the Year Award from the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution. The Queen Alliquippa Chapter, which dates back to 1911, recognized Varley along with Norwin senior Victoria Saunders and Elizabeth Forward...
Murrysville Democratic club to meet next week
The Murrysville Export Democratic Club will meet at 7:30 p.m., April 16 at the Murrysville Community Center. Attendees will have a chance to meet the spring 2019 primary candidates. The meeting is open to all registered Democrats from Murrysville and Export. The community center is at 3091 Carson Ave. Please...
Vaping the topic of upcoming program for Franklin Regional parents
Addiction has a new look, according to Franklin Regional officials, and they want parents to have the latest information. The school district, in cooperation with the Murrysville Police Department, the St. Vincent Prevention Project, Outside In and the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, will present an educational program on vaping:...
Greensburg secretary Marjorie Taylor loved writing, painting
Before their daughter could even open her eyes and utter her first cry, Marjorie Taylor’s parents hung her out the window of their home and the attending nurse slapped her because she wasn’t breathing. “Finally then, she came to life,” said her daughter, Leslie Minteer of North Huntingdon. L. Marjorie...
Franklin Regional robotics team qualifies for FIRST World Championships in DetroitVideo
In the FIRST Robotics Greater Pittsburgh Regional competition, some high-school robotics teams are sponsored by technology titans such as Carnegie Mellon University, or have access to state-of-the-art facilities to create their robots. The FRobotics team members do their work in their mentor’s garage in Murrysville, and this year that work...
Presbyterian church embraces Protestant ‘Flowering of the Cross’ tradition for Easter
Easter in the Christian Church is a celebration of life over death. The stark imagery of the Lenten season and Holy Week gives way to the bright splendor of spring colors and renewal in the story of Christ’s death and resurrection. At First Presbyterian Church in Murrysville, congregants will celebrate...
Murrysville will explore alternative treatments for road work
Each year, the cost to repave roads in Murrysville rises, according to municipal Chief Administrator Jim Morrison. “Hills Church Road is a perfect example,” Morrison said. “That was paved eight years ago and it’s showing a lot of fatigue right now. So we’re looking at whether we should do another...
Massage parlor’s occupancy permit suspended in Murrysville
Murrysville officials this week moved to keep a massage parlor from potentially reopening after its owner was charged as part of a yearlong investigation into prostitution and other alleged crimes. A statewide grand jury last month alleged that young Asian women working at five parlors in Monroeville and Murrysville were...
Rotary prepares for annual Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby in Murrysville
Children up to age 15 are invited to participate in the annual Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby at Townsend Park in Murrysville on April 13, the first day of trout season. The 18th annual event is sponsored by the Murrysville-Export Rotary Club. No fishing license is required and there is no...
Pennsylvania among 27 states offering ‘Cyber FastTrack’ program for students
A national cybersecurity program designed specifically for undergraduate and graduate students will launch Friday in Pennsylvania and 26 other states to encourage more young people to discover their talent and pursue careers in cybersecurity. The Cyber FastTrack program is designed to entice more people into cybersecurity as well as bridge...
Franklin Regional Athletic Association plans for Opening Day activities
The Franklin Regional Athletic Association will host Opening Day activities from 10 a.m. to dusk on April 27 at Murrysville Community Park. Games are set to begin at 10 a.m. on fields 4A, 4B and 4C. The annual parade will line up at noon, with speeches, a dedication and invocation...
Franklin Regional junior wrestler Ferrell earns state championship title
It wasn’t enough for the Franklin Regional J.O. Wrestling program to finish its season undefeated, so Kaydon Ferrell went out and earned himself a state championship. Ferrell was crowned the 8-and-under state champion in the 90-pound division at the Pennsylvania State Wrestling Championship, held March 16-17 at the Petersen Events...
Egg hunts set for Murrysville, Delmont
Egg hunts aplenty will get under way later this month in the Star’s coverage area. MURRYSVILLE Murrysville recreation officials will host the municipality’s annual Spring Egg Hunt for both children and dogs on April 12 at Murrysville Community Park. The dog egg hunt will be at 6:30 p.m. Dogs will...
Human rights will be the topic at next Murrysville AAUW meeting
Human rights will be the topic at the next American Association of University Women’s meeting, April 11 in Murrysville. Seton Hill’s Roni Kay M. O’Dell, assistant professor of political science, will discuss her research in the areas of international poverty, inequality and political participation. O’Dell’s work has been published in...
Export shifts federal grant priorities to address failing retaining wall
Export officials want to use federal grant money to repair a failing retaining wall along McKinley Avenue. While that originally meant delaying the borough’s 2019 paving program, the borough may be able to get the wall done and one road paved thanks to an assist from Murrysville. “The county requested...
Electrical work in Export on April 5 may cause temporary outages
Export residents may experience morning power outages on Friday due to electrical pole work in the borough. Crews will work 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on April 5, and some residents can expect temporary outages as a result, Council President Barry Delissio said....
Franklin Regional calendar change would keep June 7 as the last day of school
Franklin Regional seniors will graduate June 7 if school board members vote to add two in-service days to this year’s school calendar. Those days, June 11 and 12, would serve as teacher professional development days to make up for district closures on Feb. 20 and 25. The final day of...
Murrysville Home Show set for April 12-14
The Murrysville SportZone will host three days of exhibits, seminars, demonstrations and vendors at the Murrysville Home Show, set for April 12-14. The show will include more than 100 exhibits, along with product demos and how-to clinics. Home remodeler Andy Amrhein will be on hand at 2 p.m., April 13,...
Pittsburgh Youth Chorus gets little singers some big experience
A few years ago, Olivia Laubham and Evelyn Maiman were just starting out with the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and were a little nervous about getting onstage. Today, they might not be considered stage veterans yet, but after performances with the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Pittsburgh Public Theater, they’re...
Penn Township vocalist wows crowds with national anthem renditionVideo
It’s possible that Antolena Damico was literally born to sing the national anthem. After all, she shares an Aug. 1 birthday with the song’s lyricist, Francis Scott Key. Over the past three years Damico, 12, of Penn Township has gone from singing the anthem at her older brother’s midget football...

