Patrick Varine stories, Page 12
Former Jehovah’s Witness sentenced for child sexual assault
A Butler County man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for sexually assaulting a pre-teen child, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday said. Shaun Sheffer, 47, of Harmony was found guilty in January of three counts each of rape and indecent assault, including assault of a person less than...
Export family creates trust to fund new borough building
A family with Export roots wants to build the borough a new municipal center to host council meetings, provide offices for borough officials and create community meeting space. Two generations of the Orlic family have called Export home for much of their lives. Brian Orlic, of Penn Township, has worked...
Man fatally shot during gunfight in Lawrenceville
The man who was shot dead in an alleged gunfight outside a Lawrenceville gas station early Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh has been identified. The Allegheny County Medical Examiners Office identified the victim as Michael Ehlinger, 56, of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood. TribLive news partner WTAE reported that two men were...
Historic Salem park seeks donations to offset storm damage, celebrate 80th anniversary
While other families were grilling in the park for Memorial Day, Anita Jackson-Lowe was looking for ways to clean up her park. Jackson-Lowe is president of the Fairview Park Association, a nonprofit that owns the historic Salem property that was once home to the state’s first and only Black-owned amusement...
Q&A: New Stanton musician sounds taps at great-great-grandfather’s grave
Josiah Inghram joined the 130th Pennsylvania Regiment in the fall of 1862, at the age of 17. He trained in Harrisburg under Col. Henry Zinn and was quickly ordered to Antietam, where his regiment saw its first combat during the Civil War. More than 160 years later, his great-great-grandson Jay...
Pittsburgh police: School van driver faces DUI charges after leaving crash scene
A school van driver was arrested by Pittsburgh police on Friday afternoon after they say he fled the scene of a crash with a half-dozen children in the van. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said an initial report came in describing a collision on the north side of the 16th Street...
Construction work begins at intersection of routes 380, 286 in Murrysville
Delayed construction work at the intersection of Route 286 and Saltsburg Road in Murrysville, near the Plum border, began Thursday, Plum officials said. Canonsburg-based Olympus Energy funded temporary traffic improvements last year as part of its Hermes fracking well pad project, built nearby on the Murrysville-Plum border off Logan’s Ferry...
Murrysville area: Robotics presentation, trail festival and more
Robotics team presentation The Franklin Regional FRobotics team will be the featured presenters at the next Mother of Sorrows “Boomers & Beyond” speaker series on June 10. The FRobotics team has been competing against teams from the U.S. and across the globe as part of the FIRST Robotics Competition, founded...
Monroeville police seek Derry woman facing hit-and-run, drug charges
Monroeville police are looking for a Derry woman who skipped court hearings after a 2023 drug arrest. Leann M. Wechtenhiser was taken into custody after a November 2023 crash near the U-Haul store on Route 22 in Monroeville. Police responded to a call for a rear-end crash, and discovered that...
Monroeville area: Public meetings, upcoming convention center events, Camp Invention, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bkikel@triblive.com. Upcoming meetings Upcoming public meetings include: • June 3: Monroeville council citizens night and council work agenda, 7 p.m. at the municipal building, 2700 Monroeville Blvd. An agenda is available in advance at Monroeville.pa.us. • June 9: Pitcairn council combined...
Franklin Regional board will consider 4-mill tax hike in 2025-26 budget
The Franklin Regional school board is expected to approve a final 2025-26 budget with a 4-mill property tax hike. The board unanimously OK’d a proposed final budget at its May voting meeting. The $71.25 million budget has a $671,000 deficit, covered with $147,000 from the district’s technology fund balance, along...
Newcomer earns most votes in Murrysville council primary
A political newcomer came away with the most votes in the primary election for Murrysville council last week. Darren Miller, 42, earned 22.4% of more than 7,000 votes cast in last week’s election, leading the field of five candidates running for a spot on the Republican side of the ballot....
Trafford Historical Society has new name for borough’s veterans memorial
Towns often want to honor native sons and daughters who served in the armed forces, whether it’s through a banner, a veterans memorial or something similar. But it’s not always easy to get a complete list of names. “A lot of times, there isn’t an official record, especially the farther...
Picklesburgh heads back to the bridges as festival expands for 10th anniversary
Picklesburgh is going back to the bridges to mark its 10th anniversary. Officials for region’s briniest festival announced that it will span two of Pittsburgh’s iconic Sister Bridges along with an expanded presence at Allegheny Landing, Fort Duquesne Boulevard, PPG Plaza, Market Square, Sixth Street and the Heinz Hall Garden....
Morning Roundup: 7 injured in Ambridge house fire; Cybertruck appears to be hit by bullet in Penn Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, May 23: Ambridge house fire displaces, injures 7 Five people were taken to the hospital and two more were treated at the scene of a Beaver County house fire late Thursday night. TribLive news partner WTAE reported that...
Murrysville area: Benefit golf outing, blood drives and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Golf outing The second annual FR Football Golf Outing will take place May 31 at the Murrysville Golf Club, 3804 Sardis Road. The cost is $125 per golfer which includes an 18-hole scramble, skills games, unlimited beverages (domestic canned beer, bottled water...
Weather Service investigating 2, maybe 3 other, tornado touch downs from Wednesday storms
National Weather Service investigators are trying to determine the strength of two tornadoes that touched down in Butler County during Wednesday’s storms and are looking into the possibility that two more twisters touched down in the region. NWS meteorologist Liana Lupo talked about one discovered near Center Township’s Unionville neighborhood....
Federal cuts would eliminate program that directly benefits Pa. farmers, millions of residents
The federal Local Food Purchase Assistance program has provided more than $28 million to Pennsylvania farmers since 2022 and delivered nearly 26 million pounds of local produce to food banks and organizations. The program has helped feed more than 5 million state residents over the past three years, but it...
All candidates make it through Gateway school board primary
All of the candidates for Gateway school board will appear on at least ballot in the general election. With all precincts reporting, the Democratic ballot saw Janette Beighel, Leslie McBride, Anthony Mock and Rick McIntyre take the top four spots. Beighel and McBride both earned just over 18% of 10,504...
Monroeville councilman gets primary nod for mayor’s seat
Incumbent Monroeville Councilman Dennis Biondo may have lost the primary for his council seat, but he’s trading it for a run at the mayor’s office. With 100% of precincts reporting, Biondo beat out primary challenger Mandal Singh, taking home nearly 74% of more than 3,300 votes, according to unofficial results....
All Franklin Regional school board candidates make it through primary
All of the candidates for Franklin Regional school board made it through Tuesday’s primary and will appear on at least one side of the ballot in the general election. On the Republican side, Shannon Venditti took home the most votes with just over 22%, followed by Bill Csaszar (21.43%) and...
Roundup: Flood watch issued for Southwestern Pa.; shootings in Homewood North
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 21: Flood watch for Southwestern Pa. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has issued a flood watch for Allegheny, Westmoreland, Washington, Greene and Fayette counties as more strong storms begin to move through the area Wednesday. TribLive...
Cecil police officers accused of falsifying records for DUI arrest
Two police officers from Washington County have been charged with tampering with evidence, altering police reports and other violations in connection with a 2018 DUI traffic stop. The state Attorney General’s office said Cecil Township Officer Shawn McNaughton and Sgt. John Holt included false information in police reports in order...
1 injured in shooting outside UPMC McKeesport
Allegheny County Police are investigating a shooting early Tuesday morning outside of UPMC McKeesport Hospital that left a man critical condition. Police and first responders were called to the area of the hospital along Fifth Avenue around 3:16 a.m., according to Allegheny County Police. TribLive news partner WTAE reported the...
Delmont officials want public input on Shields Farm plans
Delmont officials will hold a meeting to give a presentation and take public input on a long-term plan for the Shields Farm property. A borough steering committee has been working with consultants EADS Group on a plan for the 145-acre former farmstead, part of the larger goal of developing a...
