Murrysville Star category, Page 128
Murrysville wreck entraps dump truck driver
Emergency workers pulled a dump truck driver from his truck Wednesday morning after it overturned and blocked a Murrysville road, according to Westmoreland County dispatch. The truck rolled over just off the road at Pleasant Valley Road near Trafford Road around 8 a.m. The man was removed from the truck...
Staycation destination: Westmoreland Heritage Trail
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail offers cyclists a chance to see the county’s natural beauty and rich history, all while getting some exercise. While a section connecting Export and Delmont has yet to be completed — that section presents the difficult problem of how to safely cross Route 66 — with...
Murrysville officials budgeting funds to address storm water damage
As Murrysville officials look at potential capital improvements over the next five years, one issue is starting to consume a larger percentage of the capital budget — damage from storm water. “We lost half of Beighley Road with the storm that came through Plum a couple weeks ago, and we...
‘God’s blessing’: Murrysville family farm predates AmericaVideo
The Murrysville land farmed by Herb Gearhard and his family is older than America. The Gearhard farm, the oldest continuously worked farm in Westmoreland County, dates to the late 1760s, and marks its 250th anniversary this year. On April 3, 1769, Robert Hays paid 45 pounds, two shillings and sixpence...
Driller, public health consultant debate correlation-versus-causation at fracking hearing
Laura Dagley, a medical advocacy coordinator with Physicians for Social Responsibility’s Pennsylvania branch, could not say hydraulic fracturing operations directly cause negative health effects on nearby residents. But she said it is difficult to ignore the strong correlation that many studies have shown between a fracking operation’s arrival and an...
16-year-old earns National Merit Scholarship following freshman year at Carnegie Mellon
For Carnegie Mellon University students in the “Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science” course, it may have taken a little time to adjust to a teaching assistant two years their junior. On the other side of the equation, that 16-year-old teaching assistant, Elena Swecker of Murrysville, was also adjusting to...
Export will target illicit stormwater connections along Italy Road
The next step in Export’s long-term flood control plan is to remove any storm water connections along Italy Road that empty into the borough’s sewage system. And borough officials have to get it done by January 2020. “I think that’s going to be a major issue,” Councilman John Nagoda said....
Halloween Hustle 5K proposes shift from Murrysville to Export
This year’s Halloween Hustle 5K will move from Murrysville to Export. The race is hosted by the East Suburban Trailblazers, an inclusive running club associated with East Suburban Citizen Advocacy. “We’d like to have this year’s 5K on the (Westmoreland) Heritage Trail,” said Trailblazers member Megan Nelson. “Usually, we’ve held...
Export officials review timbering plan for Murrysville property
Before Export officials begin selectively timbering property the borough owns in Murrysville, they want to make sure they are getting enough bang for their buck. The financial benefits of starting a timber management program on the borough’s roughly 74-acre property on Borland Farm Road have been called into question. The...
Franklin Regional robotics team takes first place at Steel City Showdown competition
Franklin Regional students on the FRobotics team brought home a first-place finish in the Steel City Showdown robotics competition, held Aug. 3 at Carnegie Mellon University. Hosted by the Steel City Robotics Alliance, the competition included 18 teams from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and New York. Teams build robots to...
Nonprofit seeks donations to stuff military Christmas stockings
Local nonprofit Military Connections isn’t just looking for volunteers to help sew more than 10,000 Christmas stockings that will be shipped to soldiers stationed overseas. It is looking for people to supply the stuffing. This year’s sewing day will be Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Murrysville...
Controller accused in $191K embezzlement scheme from Murrysville firm
A federal grand jury this week indicted the former controller of a Murrysville packaging company, accusing her of embezzling $191,000 over five years. Victoria Mazur, 51, of Plum, is accused of embezzling the money from Gateway Packaging Corp. between December 2012 and December 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said. According...
Controller accused in $191K embezzlement scheme from Murrysville firm
A federal grand jury this week indicted the former controller of a Murrysville packaging company, accusing her of embezzling $191,000 over five years. Victoria Mazur, 51, of Plum, is accused of embezzling the money from Gateway Packaging Corp. between December 2012 and December 2017, U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said. According...
East Suburban Artists League presents annual Members Show
The East Suburban Artists League will present its 40th Annual Members Show at CCAC’s Boyce Campus in Monroeville starting Aug. 12. The show will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Aug. 12 through Sept. 6, at the college’s main entrance. There will be a free, public...
Mother of Sorrows in Murrysville preps for annual community festivalVideo
This weekend’s Mother of Sorrows Community Festival in Murrysville will feature food from local chefs and music from area polka artists. “The whole idea behind the festival is bringing the community together,” said Karen Munson, one of the festival co-chairs. This year’s event is set for 5-10 p.m. Aug. 2...
Firefighters battle house fire in Murrysville
Firefighters extinguished flames at a Murrysville home Wednesday morning. Crews were called to MacArthur Drive around 8 a.m. The majority of the damage appeared to be in the rear of the two-story home. Smoke was still pouring out near the roof by about 8:30 a.m. No one was home at...
Murrysville Concert in the Park marks Woodstock’s 50th anniversary
Bandleader Tim Woods of Greensburg was 7 years old when the original Woodstock festival spread its message of peace, love and music from Bethel, N.Y., across the nation’s consciousness as the tumultuous 1960s neared their end. While he didn’t get to attend, he was precisely the right age to be...
Murrysville fracking well hearing focuses on truck traffic
The ongoing public hearing for the proposed Titan fracking well pad off Bollinger Road focused on traffic most recently, but members of the community who want to comment on the project will have to wait, as the hearing stretches into its third month of Murrysville council meetings. Monroeville driller Huntley...
Delmont library reschedules butterfly release party
You can schedule a butterfly release party for July 29. But if the butterflies don’t cooperate, not much can be done. In fact, the ones at the Delmont Public Library aren’t even butterflies yet — they’re still caterpillars, transitioning to the next phase of their lives — which is why...
Murrysville firefighters to conduct rough-terrain rescue training
Joggers and dog-walkers in Pleasant Valley Park on Saturday may notice a lot of activity by firefighters, but they needn’t worry. There’s no emergency. However, firefighters will be training for when an emergency does take place, conducting a rough-terrain rescue training exercise. The public can expect to see emergency responders...
Murrysville Council approves GetGo near Giant Eagle on Old William Penn Highway
Murrysville residents will get a GetGo convenience store and gas station off Old William Penn Highway, but they’ll have to get their cars washed elsewhere. Council gave unanimous approval Wednesday night for development of a 4,900-square-foot store alongside a dozen fuel pumps near the existing Giant Eagle. Giant Eagle officials...
Franklin Regional will break ground on Sloan school project
Franklin Regional officials will hold a groundbreaking for the new Franklin Regional Intermediate Elementary School on Wednesday, July 31. The $49 million project, which has generated debate, controversy and a legal appeal, includes the renovation of the existing Sloan Elementary — which will be converted into a school for children...
Murrysville library ice cream social will focus on ‘cozy mystery’ authors
When it comes to murder mysteries, not everyone wants theirs steeped in noir, hard-boiled in violence and splashed with sex. Enter the “cozy mystery” genre, where the emphasis is primarily on the detective work. “I always think of (the Angela Lansbury television show) ‘Murder She Wrote,’” said Murrysville librarian Emma...
Export artist tapped to create painting for borough’s summer celebrationVideo
John Santoro of Export was a little taken aback when a member of the local historical society approached him to commission a painting representing the borough’s past, present and future for the third annual Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival. “This is completely the opposite of what I do,” said...
Fracking hearing will continue at Murrysville council meeting
Murrysville council will continue its public hearing on the proposed Titan fracking well pad, and consider approving the construction of a GetGo station outside the Murrysville Giant Eagle at its meeting Wednesday night. Monroeville drillers Huntley & Huntley Energy Exploration have proposed the Titan well for property off Bollinger Road....
