Patrick Varine stories, Page 63
Salem barn destroyed by fire following lightning strikeVideo
Ed Immel was getting ready for bed on Thursday night when a loud clap nearly shook him out from under the covers. “I thought it was just thunder,” he said. A few minutes later, he saw a dull orange glow out the window and knew that his barn was on...
Murrysville man will sing national anthem at PNC Park
Joe Hnath of Murrysville is making his mother proud at a pretty rapid rate these days. Hnath, 24, is on the autism spectrum and was diagnosed at age 2 with Asperger’s Syndrome. His mother, Lisa, is a volunteer education advocate with the nonprofit East Suburban Citizen Advocacy, which is dedicated...
Local author, illustrator to host children’s book signing in Murrysville
Murrysville author Nina Damato and Kiski Area graduate and artist Rebecca Ehalt Svetina will host a book signing to mark the release of their new children’s book on July 22. “The Extraordinarily Ordinary Kittens,” released in mid-June, tells the story of Damato’s two adopted blind cats, Bocelli and Louise Braille,...
Murrysville area: Blood drive, local summer festivals, National Night Out and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Music night at Newhouse Park The Delmont Recreation Committee will host a music night July 27 at Newhouse Park. The committee will host a 5 p.m. community picnic with live entertainment by Flyin’ Oaks and Company. Red Barn Winery will be on...
Murrysville crash shears utility pole on School Road
School Road in Murrysville remained closed late Thursday morning after a car sheared a utility pole just south of Nob Hill Road. Murrysville police said the call came in about 9:30 a.m. and noted the male driver was not hurt when his car left the road, struck a utility pole...
Murrysville moves injection well ordinance forward for possible vote next month
Murrysville leaders will likely vote on an ordinance to regulate fracking injection wells at next month’s council session. Injection wells accept the wastewater, brine and byproducts of unconventional drilling operations, releasing the fluid into porous underground rock formations. Similar to the fracking ordinance Murrysville put in place several years ago,...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Delmont, Export, Salem
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
Canonsburg man indicted on charges of shooting bald eagle
A Canonsburg man has been indicted by a federal jury, charged with shooting America’s national bird this past spring in Mount Pleasant in Washington County. Rodney Thomas, 50, was charged with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, accused of shooting and killing a mature bald eagle with an...
Delmont man sentenced in federal child pornography case
A former Delmont man was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison following a guilty plea on charges of possession of child pornography, according to Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. Joshua K. Minehart, 47, was initially charged in 2019 following an investigation by the U.S....
Derry man sentenced to 20 years in federal child pornography case
A Derry Borough man convicted of producing, possessing and distributing child pornography was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday, according to Western District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan. Michael Wilson, 44, of Derry, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by 15 years supervised release....
Carnegie Museum to spearhead campaign raising awareness about invasive plants
Carnegie Museum of Natural History officials may catalog the existence of invasive plant species in Western Pennsylvania. But that doesn’t meant they like them, or want them here. With $225,000 in hand from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, museum officials will embark on a campaign later this year in partnership...
Franklin Regional graduate’s ‘non-objective’ art on exhibit in Greensburg
Most of the time, Darryl Audia of Greensburg is encouraging his art students at Greensburg Salem High School to follow their creativity and see where it takes them. This month, Audia’s own creativity will be on display at an exhibit of his artwork, “Pieces of a Whole,” at DV8 Espresso...
Mt. Pleasant Township market sells $1 million Match 6 lottery ticket
Southwestern Pennsylvania saw another $1 million lottery winner on Thursday, when a Mt. Pleasant Township store sold a $1.06 million Match 6 Lotto ticket. The ticket, sold at S&S Corner Market on Apollo Street, matched all six winning numbers: 4-10-11-19-20-45. The store earns a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket....
‘Farm to Tap’ initiative more than doubles acreage of local grains for area craft brewers
Hempfield farmer Alquin Heinnickel is happy to be a link in the local production chain for craft brewers in Western Pennsylvania. Last year, he and other Westmoreland County farmers grew about 40 acres of barley that ultimately was converted into about 75,000 pounds of malt in nearby Butler County. Attendees...
Franklin Regional Middle School students compete at National History Day finals
Two Franklin Regional Middle School students took their knowledge of history all the way to the National History Day competition’s national level last month. Humna Anzaar and Symal Bukhari took first and third place, respectively, at the National History Day state-level competition, earning spots at the nationals, held June 12...
Franklin Regional 10U travel team wins ‘Summer Slam’ tournament championship
The Franklin Regional 10U travel baseball team went undefeated over the weekend of July 7-9 and brought home a championship from the Seneca Valley 10U Summer Slam Baseball Tournament. The team beat Peters Township and Beaver to lock up the tournament’s first seed and won three games on July 9...
Murrysville area: Local live music, book sale donations, summer festivals and more
Email news briefs and local event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Summer festivals • Export’s annual Ethnic Food and Music Festival will be from 12-9 p.m. Aug. 19 on Washington Avenue. Main stage entertainment will be DeStella Dance Studio (12:15 p.m.), Jack Tady (1 p.m.), The Licks (3:30 p.m.), Americana (5:30 p.m.)...
Twin Lakes fishing tournament honors Delmont man’s memory, passion for nature
There isn’t much that John Negich of Export recalls more fondly than standing on the banks of a stream in southeastern Wyoming, fishing and watching the local wildlife with longtime friend Tom Washburn. “Tom was my brother’s best friend,” said Negich. “And I’m Tom’s brother’s best friend. The four of...
Export road work set to start under federal grant; Fillmore wall project will have to wait
While Export officials were able to award a contract for federally-funded paving work this week, another project lined up for the federal Community Development Block Grant program will have to wait. Council unanimously awarded a $93,000 contract to Tresco Paving Corp. for overlay work along Madison and Harrison avenues. Council...
WestCo Roller Derby team hosts final home game of the season
WestCo Roller Derby will host its fourth and final home game on Saturday in Salem. The team will take on the Black Rose Riveters from Hanover in a 7 p.m. match at Palmer Imaging Arena, 100 Center Ice Drive in Salem. Established in 2012, the team includes women from Westmoreland,...
21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic set for Salem’s Fairview Park
Historic Fairview Park, just outside Delmont in Salem, will host its 21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 19. Bring a picnic basket, coolers, blankets and lawn chairs for an afternoon including old-fashioned games for children and adults of all ages. Pets and alcohol are not...
Greensburg promotes new detective sergeant, hires new officer
Greensburg city officials promoted one member of their police department and hired a new one Monday night. Detective Justin Scalzo was promoted to the rank of detective sergeant, and council voted to hire Jonathan Stevenson as the department’s newest officer. Both moves came by unanimous vote. Scalzo has been with...
Penn State Master Gardeners to host open house in Hempfield
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners in Westmoreland County will host a July 15 open house at the Donohoe Demo Gardens in Hempfield. Master gardeners will be on hand to give tours; share techniques; and discuss native plants, composting and how to attract monarchs and other pollinators from 10 a.m. to...
Seton Hill, Greensburg Salem, Hempfield students perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall
The last time Mark Boyle was onstage at New York City’s legendary Carnegie Hall, an alarm on his cell phone accidentally went off mid-performance. When Boyle was invited back to conduct a performance as part of MidAmerica Productions’ 40th season staging shows at Carnegie Hall, he wasn’t going to let...
Murrysville area: Picnic at Historic Fairview Park, live music, upcoming meetings and more
21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic at Fairview Park Historic Fairview Park, just outside Delmont in Salem, will host its 21st annual Old Fashioned Picnic from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 19. Bring a picnic basket, coolers, blankets and lawn chairs for an afternoon including old-fashioned games for children and adults...
