Patrick Varine stories, Page 13
Morning Roundup: No injuries in Home Depot fire in West Mifflin
Here are some news items for Monday, May 19: No injuries in Home Depot fire Pleasant Hills volunteer firefighters quickly knocked down a fire in the rear of the Home Depot in West Mifflin Sunday night. Crews were called to the store around 11:30 p.m. and discovered a fire in...
Crafton police seek man charged with kidnapping, stalking
Crafton police have charged a man with kidnapping, stalking and related charges, after they said he has been terrorizing a female victim in recent months. Police were called to the intersection of Fountain and Sycamore streets just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday night, for a report of a crash involving a...
Murrysville area: Blood drives, live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Walk for a Healthy Community East Suburban Citizen Advocacy will join Highmark officials with a team in the annual “Walk For a Healthy Community,” set for June 14 at Stage AE on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The ESCA team is seeking donations and...
Monroeville in good financial position for upcoming capital projects
Monroeville council’s financial advisor said the municipality is in an advantageous position as it plans for future capital improvements. “Your current debt is about $2 million, and that will be paid off in the next two years,” said Mike McCaig, public finance managing director with Raymond James. That’s good news...
Metal Supermarkets opens 100th store in Monroeville
When you’re picking out the food for a big meal, you go to the supermarket, the place with the largest variety of ingredients for whatever you’re planning to make. Local entrepreneur Wesley Wilkinson and business partner Jeff Foster offer a similarly wide selection, but their shelves are stocked with something...
Monroeville area: Upcoming meetings, Symphony East, Camp Invention, more
Upcoming meetings Upcoming public meetings include: • May 21: Monroeville Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m. at the municipal building at 2700 Monroeville Boulevard. An agenda is available at Monroeville.pa.us. • June 3: Monroeville council citizen’s night and council work agenda, 7 p.m. at the municipal building. An agenda is available in...
7 candidates compete for 4 seats on Gateway school board
The Gateway school board will see at least three new faces next year, as seven candidates are competing for four open seats. Sitting board President Leslie McBride is the only incumbent who has filed for reelection. Current terms for board members Jack Bova, Robin Mungo and Mandal Singh are up...
Monroeville officials debate ways to improve access to Westmoreland Heritage Trail
Monroeville officials plan to improve residents’ access to Westmoreland Heritage Trail. But how that access will be improved has yet to be finalized, especially after the cost of one approach doubled in price. Council on Tuesday night voted to pursue a $250,000 state grant, which would be combined with a...
Pa. human relations commission wants to hear about your ‘Beloved Community’
While working on Robert Casey Sr.’s 1986 gubernatorial campaign, Democratic strategist James Carville once famously said that “between Paoli and Penn Hills, Pennsylvania is Alabama.” Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission Executive Director Chad Lassiter never believed that. “You have counties full of people who love their children, their families and their...
Norwin school board to consider maximum allowed tax hike under state index
Norwin school board members will vote later this month on a preliminary 2025-26 district budget that could include a 4.67-mill tax hike. At the board’s non-voting meeting Monday night, President Bill Bojalad requested that finance director Ryan Kirsch prepare a version of the new budget that includes the tax hike,...
Rostraver convenience store sells $3 million winning scratch-off
The Pennsylvania Lottery said Monday a $3 million winning ticket in the “3’s a Charm” scratch-off game sold recently in Rostraver. The winning ticket was sold at the Exxon station on Rostraver Road, lottery officials said. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. “3’s a...
Murrysville library getting ‘giant facelift’ in 2026 to promote broadband upgrades
The Wi-Fi speed at the Murrysville Community Library doubled in early May, and library officials are planning renovations aimed at getting more people through the doors to take advantage of it. “We’re purchasing new furniture to promote the library and broadband usage in and outside the library,” said director Kat...
Work will start in Murrysville to make temporary Route 380 light permanent
Construction work at the intersection of Route 380 and Saltsburg Road in Murrysville will begin May 19, Murrysville officials said at their monthly council meeting Wednesday night. 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...
Mutual Aid medical director, Delmont resident receives statewide EMS award
Dr. William Jenkins is used to seeing ambulances pulling into the emergency room bay at Independence Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. He wasn’t expecting was to see his 4-year-old grandson Tyler bounding up the driveway Thursday to give him a hug. Nor was he expecting family, Mutual Aid staff and state...
Murrysville area: Route 380 work, Symphony East and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Temporary Route 380 light will become permanent Construction on the intersection of Route 380 and Saltsburg Road will begin May 19. Canonsburg-based Olympus Energy funded temporary traffic improvements as part of its Hermes fracking well pad project, built nearby on the Murrysville/Plum...
Delmont council has 2 candidates for 4 open seats in primary
Write-in votes could play a role in shaping the next Delmont Borough Council, with only two candidates filed to run for four open seats in the upcoming primary election. Council incumbents Pam Simpson, Jeff Cunningham and Stan Cheyne did not file for reelection. Council president Andy Shissler and first-time candidate...
Franklin Regional multimedia students earn 9 awards at regional competition
Franklin Regional students had one of their best performances in recent years at the annual Digital Media Arts Consortium competition, held at Robert Morris University. Students in the high school’s broadcasting and journalism classes won nine DMAC awards including the coveted Best In Category award for the FRHSTV news show....
Monroeville area: Camp Invention, Carson Scholars, cheer camp, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Camp Invention events Students in kindergarten through sixth grades are invited to take part in Camp Invention, a nationally recognized summer enrichment program, which will be held at several locations this summer in Monroeville. Each year, the program features curriculum inspired by...
Some Route 48 traffic signals will be synchronized in Monroeville
Traffic lights along Route 48 in Monroeville have been approved for inclusion in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s SINC-UP project, which provides upgrades to traffic signals to increase efficiency. Monroeville officials announced the project at their council work session on Tuesday. It’s the latest in a series of initiatives aimed at...
Canonsburg man sentenced for embezzling nearly $7M from Hillandale Farms
A Canonsburg man who police said embezzled nearly $7 million from Hillandale Farms Co. has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Jonathan A. Weston, 60, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay $6.87 million in restitution to Hempfield-based Hillandale Farms, as well as...
Monroeville Mall restaurant Sarku Japan ordered closed due to wastewater backup
Sarku Japan restaurant in Monroeville Mall was ordered closed after a May 5 inspection revealed five health code violations. Allegheny County health inspectors said a wastewater backup at one of the kitchen grease traps warranted the closure at the restaurant, located in the food court at the Monroeville Mall. County...
School districts showcase STEM with ‘Remake Learning Days’ events
If Greensburg Salem’s STEAM Carnival sparks a desire to learn in even just one student, teacher Michelle Wiltrout will know she did her job. The carnival, a decade-long tradition at the district’s Hutchinson Elementary, is one of more than 200 “Remake Learning Days” activities in Southwestern Pennsylvania aimed at inviting...
State attorney general charges 9 with organizing multi-county drug ring
The state Attorney General’s Office has charged a Beaver County man with heading up a drug operation spanning multiple counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Korrtezz M. Martin, 34, of Rochester, was charged with racketeering, conspiracy, weapons violations, multiple counts of drug possession, manufacturing and delivery, in connection with an illegal drug...
Franklin Regional school board meeting rescheduled
The May 5 meeting of the Franklin Regional school board has been rescheduled. Monday’s committee-of-the-whole was canceled due to an unexpected issue that prevented the meeting from being broadcast, school officials said. It will be combined with the monthly voting meeting, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. May 12 at...
Delmont history group will dedicate National Register of Historic Places markers
National history will be recognized in Delmont this month with the dedication of plaques honoring a gunsmith who helped cement the rifle’s place in American history and one of the borough’s enduring landmarks. “The National Register of Historic Places designation officially happened back in the ‘80s, but there was never...

