Patrick Varine stories, Page 40
Murrysville pizza restaurant on sale for $1.75 million
A Murrysville pizza restaurant that opened in 2020 along the Westmoreland Heritage Trail is up for sale. And where many restaurants go up for sale when times are tough, one of Ginny’s owners said their situation is the opposite. “It’s almost too busy,” said Chris Juricich. “We have four other...
Zelienople man facing multiple charges after Stowe incident
A Zelienople man is facing multiple charges after police say he pointed a gun at an Allegheny County Housing Authority officer on Thursday. The officer encountered three people shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday near the authority’s Ohio View Acres on the 200 block of Jefferson Drive in Stowe Township, one...
Pittsburgh police plan dig in Perry North after tip on 40-year-old cold case
Pittsburgh police plan to excavate an area in the Perry North neighborhood after receiving a tip about a 40-year-old cold case. According to TribLive news partner WTAE, police will work with crews from Greater Pittsburgh Plumbing to help dig up land in the neighborhood which could be connected to a...
Franklin Regional set to host public health, wellness fair
The Franklin Regional School District has a health services department. But when district officials began discussing ideas for a health and wellness fair, they decided to expand beyond the student body. The district’s April 29 community health fair will be open to the public, bringing more than 40 local health...
3rd generation Norvelt native will present town’s New Deal history
When word began circulating in the early 1930s that the government was creating a 250-lot New Deal community in Westmoreland County, some politicians and members of the region’s upper crust couldn’t understand it. “They didn’t see why the government was doing this for these coal miners, who they didn’t think...
Briefs: Murrysville torch run fund drive begins, dance with ‘stars’ of Export and more
Torch run donations The Murrysville Police Department is collecting donations for its annual Law Enforcement Torch Run team. Proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit Special Olympics Pennsylvania. This year’s Torch Run will be May 21-23, as more than 50 law enforcement running teams take turns carrying the Olympic torch roughly...
Monroeville area: Library expansion meetings, Pitcairn night market, more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com or bpoole@triblive.com. Library expansion meetings Monroeville Public Library officials want to hear what patrons would like to see when the library begins a 9,400-square-foot...
Murrysville council approves auto-body shop that has drawn neighbors’ anger
Dayne Dice summed up the unenviable position where he and his fellow Murrysville council members found themselves Wednesday night as they approved a proposal for an auto-body shop that has drawn the ire of hundreds of neighbors. “To me, voting ‘no’ tonight would feel really good but would not be...
Murrysville sportsmen’s group brings back annual youth fishing derby
The Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville is bringing back its youth fishing tournament after a four-year hiatus. The 2024 SLAM Youth Fishing Derby will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18 along Haymaker’s Run in front of the Franklin Regional Intermediate School in Murrysville. “Right after the...
Police seek help identifying suspected scammer
Pittsburgh police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a man suspected in a cryptocurrency scam. Police released two images of the man. “He is believed to be involved in a Bitcoin scam targeting a 64-year-old victim,” police said in a social media post. Police said the victim lost a...
Missing Hill District girl found safe
A 12-year-old girl who had been reported missing to Pittsburgh police was found safe a couple days later, authorities said. The girl had been reported missing Tuesday from her home in the city’s Hill District neighborhood. Authorities sought help from the public to find her....
‘As a parent, it scares the hell out of me,’ Franklin Regional superintendent says of AI
Franklin Regional officials paused a proposed artificial intelligence summer student program after questions arose about its content. Inspirit AI is an eight-session summer program developed and taught by graduates of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. “Students will learn the fundamental concepts of AI and gain...
Memorial fishing derby honors Murrysville boy on the first day of trout season
Parents and children took part Saturday in the annual Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby, at Townsend Park in Murrysville. The tournament is held in memory of Gombosh, a Murrysville resident and avid fisherman who died at age 15 when a virus attacked his heart....
Westmoreland community band members will help dedicate World War I memorial in D.C.
Westmoreland County’s five community bands regularly take an annual summer trip together, assembling a group that performs somewhere at their destination. This year, however, it will be delayed a month, so the bands can help dedicate the centerpiece of the World War I memorial in Washington, D.C. Members of the...
Community bands converge on Murrysville for free annual festival
A classic John Philip Sousa march. Variations on the “Scarborough Fair” theme. Music inspired by the “Lord of the Rings” books. Musicians from all over the Pittsburgh area will perform music from all over the map at the 18th annual Three Rivers Community Band Festival, set for April 6 in...
Residents concerned for Bernese Mountain Dogs seen wandering Murrysville since January
It’s not that easy to lose a Bernese Mountain Dog, at least from a visual standpoint. They can get up to 110 pounds, and the breed traces its lineage back, in part, to the ancient Roman mastiffs. The American Kennel Club characterizes them as loyal, calm and high-energy. Two Berneses...
Westmoreland chamber seeks young professionals for FUEL group
The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce will hold the first meeting of its young professionals group in an effort to bring the next generation of business leaders into the fold. “Our goal is to create a supportive community where young professionals can not only learn from each other and their...
Penn Hills man charged with Homewood armed robbery
Pittsburgh Police arrested a Penn Hills man in connection with a series of recent robberies in the region. Police were investigating a March 2 early-morning armed robbery at a bus stop near the Sunoco station on Penn Avenue in Homewood. Security footage from the Sunoco station, viewed March 6, showed...
Murrysville area: Boxing discussion, used book sale, oil and gas workshop and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. ‘Punching Out Parkinson’s’ Mother of Sorrows Church’s “Boomers and Beyond” series will feature Fit 4 Boxing Club General Manager Brett Burkhart on April 9. Burkhart will discuss how the gym’s boxing program has helped improve symptoms and slow the progression in people...
Franklin Regional students, staff raise money to fight pediatric cancer with Mini-THONVideo
Franklin Regional students and staff were dancing the day away on Wednesday at the school’s first Mini-THON, modeled on the wildly successful Penn State fundraiser that raises money for pediatric cancer patients and families through care, support and research. This is the first year for the Franklin Regional Mini-THON Club,...
Former Allegheny County DA detective has assault charge reduced to harassment citation
A former Allegheny County detective initially charged with simple assault and harassment after being accused of punching two women at an Export bar last year instead was given a lesser summary citation in court this week. Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, said the initial charges...
Jeannette residents continue to rally around family torn by blaze that killed 4 children and their father
Lisa Peltier of Jeannette was not surprised to see hundreds of people gathered Monday evening outside the American Legion on Fifth Street. “It’s a very tight-knit community,” said Peltier, who grew up in the city. “People will do anything for each other here.” That was evident at a fundraiser for...
Netflix series ‘3 Body Problem’ poses some big sci-fi questionsVideo
I recently finished the first book of Liu Cixin’s science-fiction trilogy, which shares its title, “The 3 Body Problem,” with the Netflix sci-fi series that debuted last week. And while this is only the first season, and I can’t say with certainty that the show will go where the books...
Solar eclipses show up across the entertainment spectrum
From the birth of a carnivorous houseplant to a time traveler using the knowledge of modern science to his advantage, the phenomenon of the solar eclipse has played a role across the pop culture spectrum from cinema to song and beyond. Here are a few examples. ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’...
Pennsylvania Game Commission managing reintroduced bobwhite quail population
In the five years that Alex Busato has been keeping his eyes peeled for local birds, he’s seen perhaps two bobwhite quails. State game commission officials are hoping to change that. Once found in all 67 of Pennsylvania’s counties in the mid-1800s, the little 10-inch-tall bird has been pushed out...
