Patrick Varine stories, Page 11
Franklin Regional hikes taxes by 4 mills for 2025-26 school year
The Franklin Regional school board approved a final 2025-26 budget with a 4-mill property tax hike. The board unanimously OK’d a final budget at its June 16 voting meeting. The $71.25 million budget has a $671,000 deficit, covered with $147,000 from the district’s technology fund balance, along with approximately $525,000...
Murrysville area: Alzheimer’s fundraiser, farmers’ market, live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Ginny’s Carniv-Alz The Alzheimer’s Association will host an afternoon carnival June 29 in Murrysville as part of its “The Longest Day” initiative. “The Longest Day” is a campaign the association undertakes annually during the summer solstice, the day of the year with...
A long goodbye: For U.S. Open crew, the show starts when the golf endsVideo
For Leighton Schwob, operations director for the U.S. Open, last week’s golf tournament technically could be considered a lull in his work schedule. Sure, there was overnight maintenance on the course and pedestrian pathways, and the rainy weather exacerbated things somewhat. But Schwob’s small army of staff, contractors and vendors...
Monroeville area: Blessing of the Pets, summer music camp, barbecue-fest and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Hillcrest United Presbyterian events Hillcrest United Presbyterian Church will host the following upcoming events: • Blessing of the Pets, 10 a.m. July 6, held in a tent outside the church. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Pets must be on a...
Ride-share drivers getting plenty of work on the streets of Oakmont
Heather Copenhaver’s first 24 hours as an Uber driver went pretty darn well. “I’m averaging about $32 per hour,” said the Fox Chapel resident. She was among hundreds — if not thousands — of ride-share drivers shuttling U.S. Open fans in and out of Oakmont throughout the week. “I started...
Oakmont native returns to U.S. Open, 72 years after caddying for Ben Hogan’s 1953 victory
Carl Nasse was 10 when he began working as a caddie at Oakmont Country Club in the late 1940s. Just a few years later, a 15-year-old Nasse found himself walking the Oakmont course as Ben Hogan’s caddie when the Texas-born golfer won the 1953 U.S. Open Championship. Nasse was paid...
U.S. Open interns get a crash-course in planning, executing a major sporting event
For a college sports management major, practical experience doesn’t get much better than working a major American golf championship where 200,000 people are expected to come through the gate. So when Dakharee Mann’s professor texted him last fall about the U.S. Golf Association’s Pathways internship program at the U.S. Open,...
How they track the flight of golf balls at the U.S. Open for TV viewers, spectators on siteVideo
When a golfer at the U.S. Open tees off, in less than one second the members of the NBC Sports broadcasting team know where the ball is headed, how far it will go and where it will land. That’s great for viewers watching at home, who see a comet-like streak...
Foresters: Spread of beech tree leaf disease ‘concerning’
Pennsylvania naturalists are keeping an eye on a disease that has been killing beech trees in the eastern U.S. for more than a decade, but has begun spreading more rapidly in the past three years. Beech leaf disease is believed to be caused by a particular type of nematode, which...
Monroeville area: Barbecue fest, blood drives, Revolutionary War service, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Convention center events The following events are scheduled at the Monroeville Convention Center, 209 Mall Plaza Blvd.: • June 14: Steel City Xpo car show. For more, see SteelCitySociety.com. • June 27-29: Pittsburgh BBQ and Band Fest. For more, see PittsburghBBQandBandFest.com. •...
USGA’s course maintenance teams work all night to ensure a pleasant U.S. Open experience
Leighton Schwob, the U.S. Golf Association’s U.S. Open Championship director of operations, wishes he had a little more darkness to work with. “Too much land, not enough night,” he said of the daily — or in this case, nightly — maintenance of public areas at Oakmont Country Club. One doesn’t...
Make sure to bring a healthy appetite to the U.S. OpenVideo
Should you be eating a Philly cheesesteak for breakfast? It’s a culinary debate for the ages. Dick Atzeni of Sligo, Clarion County, and his granddaughter, Hannah, certainly weren’t against it, as they chowed down on their sandwiches around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the U.S. Open in Oakmont. Atzeni has been...
Local artists will decorate Liberty Bell replicas for nation’s 250th anniversary
Pennsylvania’s plans for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 2026 include placing replicas of the iconic Liberty Bell — decorated by local artists — in all 67 counties, including two in Westmoreland. A replica bell also will be placed at Point State Park in Pittsburgh....
Monroeville VA clinic will host town hall meeting, resource fair
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System will host a Veterans Town Hall and Resource Fair on Wednesday at its Henry Parham VA Outpatient Clinic in Monroeville. Veterans, their families and the public are invited to attend to learn about programs and services for veterans. The fair will be from 1-2 p.m....
Consistent rain this spring has some local farmers frustrated
A rainy day is not always good news for Hempfield farmer Neil Palmer. “This is a time of year when we want to be out frequently doing tillage, planting, seeding, cultivation, all of that,” said Palmer, who has sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, onions and cabbage planted. “When we’ve got consistent...
Murrysville and Export assess damage from weekend storm, flooding
Friday’s downpour generated so much stormwater that it destroyed a culvert built by Murrysville public works crews along Lyons Run. “Forty-eight tons of R-7’s and asphalt are now somewhere else,” Murrysville Public Works Director Bill Paiano said in a memo to town officials in his initial assessment of the damage...
Veteran fan, former Oakmont caddie offers suggestions for fans attending U.S. Open
Derek Gionta has seen the U.S. Open both inside and out. That’s because, in addition to attending multiple opens over the years, the 44-year-old Monroeville resident also was a caddie at the Oakmont Country Club during his high school and college days. “My brother was already doing it when I...
U.S. Open offers fans full plate of culinary options at Oakmont Country Club
As soon as the U.S. Open’s final putt is sunk, Susan Lacz starts thinking about the next year’s tournament. Lacz is CEO of Ridgewells Catering in Maryland, the United States Golf Association’s longtime catering partner for the event. She’s one of the people in charge of making sure hungry U.S....
Former Franklin Regional, North Allegheny basketball coach was ‘dedicated to excellence’
Robert Greenleaf’s slogan with his Franklin Regional basketball team was “Dedicated to Excellence.” And the longtime educator and basketball aficionado lived the motto in all aspects of his life, friends and family said. “He was well-known and well-loved,” said Bob Bozzuto, who worked with Greenleaf in both the Franklin Regional...
Blight fight bill would create statewide database of scofflaw property owners
Absentee and out-of-state property owners who acquire real estate as an investment might have little interest in their tenants or the quality of their homes. State Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Monroeville, said such a site can impact an entire neighborhood if it isn’t addressed quickly. His House Bill 1062, which passed...
Murrysville area: Music night in Delmont, Mary Todd Lincoln presentation, blood drives, more
Email briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Music night at Newhouse Park The Delmont Recreation Committee will host a night of music, food and fun June 26 at Newhouse Park. The event will run from 6 p.m. to dusk and will feature music by The Phisbins, food from Cousins Maine...
Pennsylvania sues USDA over $13M program cut
Pennsylvania officials filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the termination of the federal Local Food Purchasing Assistance program, which would have provided $13 million this year to directly support more than 180 Pennsylvania farmers and more than a dozen food banks. Some of that support went...
Write-in candidates will play a role in Delmont, Murrysville council elections
Write-in votes will play a role in the 2025 general election for members of Murrysville and Delmont councils. In Murrysville, incumbent Republican Jamie Lingg did not receive enough votes on the GOP ballot, but, according to unofficial results from the county election bureau, she received 54 Democratic write-in votes. That...
Monroeville area: VA town hall and resource fair, Patton Street road work, upcoming blood drives, more
Veterans town hall, resource fair The VA Pittsburgh Health Care System will host a veterans town hall and resource fair June 11 at the Henry Parham VA Outpatient Clinic in Monroeville. Veterans, their families, stakeholders and the public are invited to take part in both events. The resource fair will...
Businesses take advantage of opportunity as vendor partners for U.S. OpenVideo
Bob Rivers can’t wait for golf fans to try his coffee at the U.S. Open. The owner of National Grind Coffee & Tea Shop in Ellwood City has good reason to be excited for the event. As a vendor partner with the USGA, Rivers anticipates doing a full year’s worth...
