Patrick Varine stories, Page 47

Patrick Varine
Patrick Varine
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Girl Scouts donate sensory board to Murrysville library 
Descriptions of the Girl Scout Bronze Award encourage participants to find a project that can “make a difference in their community.” For Troop 16380’s Minnoli Bhatt, an idea sprung immediately to mind. “I have a friend at school with intellectual and development disabilities,” said Bhatt, 10, of Murrysville. “He doesn’t...
State museum commission grants will help preserve history at West Overton
It’s possible that part of a Keystone Historic Preservation Grant from the state may go toward repairing an actual keystone, depending on what needs to be fixed at the West Overton Village & Museum in East Huntingdon. Most of the $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission will...
‘The Boxcar Children’ brings long-running children’s book series to Pittsburgh stage
Author Gertrude Chandler Warner wrote the first book in what would become her “Boxcar Children” series in 1924. It would go on to spawn more than 100 books with the plucky children typically solving mysteries. Prime Stage Theatre’s Sprouts program will bring the stories to life on stage as they...
Export officials look toward summer paving, construction projects
Export officials will use part of their allocation of federal pandemic funding to upgrade the borough’s winter salt storage. “We’ve been talking about doing it for years,” said solicitor Wes Long. The borough has just under $45,000 in American Rescue Plan funding, the first half of a proposed two-part federal...
Murrysville area: Garden club scholarships, ninja workshop, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Garden club award scholarships The Murrysville Garden Club awarded its 2023 scholarships at its monthly meeting on May 25. The Hummingbird Award went to Sydney Jackson, a Franklin Regional graduating senior. Jackson was a counselor at Rock Bridge last summer, and she...
Export will expand park programs this summer
Export will expand staff this year at its summer playground program, and the borough’s local business association will trial an outdoor film series there. Councilwoman Melanie Litz secured council’s approval to add a fourth staff member to the daily group supervising children at the annual program, which operates Mondays, Wednesdays...
Murrysville council sets public hearing date for injection well ordinance
Murrysville council will hold a public hearing in July to take community input on its proposed injection well ordinance. Injection wells accept the wastewater, brine and byproducts of unconventional drilling operations, releasing the fluid into porous underground rock formations. In much the same way as the fracking ordinance Murrysville put...
Murrysville staple Dick’s Diner under new ownership
Vasil Oblockovich’s work day starts about 3 a.m., when he turns on the lights in the kitchen at Dick’s Diner and starts a full day of pastry baking. Oblockovich is part of a new team at the longtime Murrysville restaurant, which opened in 1946 and marked its 75th anniversary in...
Delmont library to dedicate ‘Neighborhood Porch’ to former librarian
Delmont Public Library officials will unveil “Denni Grassel’s Neighborhood Porch” at 6 p.m. June 12. The porch is named for former librarian Denni Grassel, and will serve as a space for patrons to sit and relax on furniture donated by members of the library board, play chess or checkers donated...
American Red Cross: Shortfall of blood donations last month
American Red Cross officials said they experienced a “concerning shortfall” in blood donations last month, collecting 26,000 fewer donations than needed to meet patient needs in May. World Blood Donor Day is June 14, and Red Cross officials are offering a $10 gift card for donors through the end of...
Father of New Kensington cop killer accused of making sexual advances on minors in Latrobe
The father of a man on death row for killing a New Kensington police officer was arrested Sunday after, police said, the 52-year-old made sexual advances toward two 16-year-old girls in Latrobe. Gregory Baucum Jr. was charged with two counts each of unlawful contact with a minor, interference with custody...
Arrest warrant issued for Murrysville man accused of stealing Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s SUV
An arrest warrant has been issued for the 60-year-old man accused of taking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s SUV from a Monroeville auto dealership in late May. Christopher Carter, 60, of Railroad Lane in Murrysville failed to show up for a preliminary hearing Monday morning in District Judge Jeffrey Herbst’s...
1 taken to hospital following 3-truck crash on Route 30 in North Huntingdon
The eastbound lanes of Route 30 in North Huntingdon were closed for more than an hour Monday near Colony Road while emergency crews responded to a three-truck crash, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. Responders were called to the scene at 12:30 p.m. A county 911 supervisor said one person was...
Dry conditions expected to continue in Western Pennsylvania
Wildfire season in Pennsylvania typically runs from March to May, when the lack of tree canopy means more dry brush on the ground. But with a forecast that contains barely any rain over the next 10 to 14 days, the dry season is getting an extension in the Greater Pittsburgh...
Duquesne grad student studies intersection of ‘craft, church and a life of faith’ in Appalachia
When Gwendolen Jackson was growing up in Bridgeport, Ohio, across the river from Wheeling, W.Va., along the northwestern edge of Appalachia, it seemed like everyone she knew did some sort of crafting. She also grew up in a churchgoing family, and that seemed to go hand in hand with crafting....
Scottdale man taken into custody after police standoff in Upper Tyrone
State police took a Scottdale man into custody Sunday night following an hourslong standoff in Upper Tyrone. State police responded about 7:45 p.m. Sunday to a home on Dexter Road for a report of a man who had discharged two rounds from a pistol during a verbal argument, according to...
Idea for ‘Mister Rogers’-themed Lego set winning support
A man’s childhood memories of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” could lead to the world-famous Latrobe native becoming the subject of his own Lego set this year. When the covid-19 pandemic shut down businesses around the world, it didn’t take long for Matt Smith to begin looking back to his younger days....
Westmoreland Pollinator Partners set sights on boosting local butterfly population
Penn State Extension Master Gardener Deb Christopher wants people to learn what to feed their local monarch butterflies. “Once you know what’s good for the monarchs, you know what’s good for most of the other pollinators,” she said. Christopher is part of the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, a consortium of 26...
Salem gymnastics team racks up first-place finishes in 2022-’23 season
Hannah Gentile has been part of the gymnastics world for most of her life, first as a gymnast and then as a coach. In 2019, she and her fiancee Seth Feroce “decided we wanted to get a little more serious with it,” Gentile said. Less than four years after opening...
Penn-Trafford senior wins third student Emmy for public service announcement 
Penn-Trafford High School’s video production students are no strangers to bringing home hardware from awards competitions. They regularly earn nominations and wins at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Student Production Awards. That group includes senior Phelan Newman, who brought back two NATAS Awards from this year’s Mid-Atlantic...
Seven Wonders has SummerSounds organizer wondering if it’s biggest crowd yet 
The music of Fleetwood Mac has something that can appeal to almost anyone. From strident rock anthems to poignant break-up songs, anyone who can appreciate a well-constructed tune can find something to like. That — plus a beautiful Friday evening in Greensburg — may help explain why the Fleetwood Mac...
Police: McKeesport teen last seen in late April
McKeesport police are seeking information about a teenage girl last seen by her family in late April. Sade Wheeler, 16, was last seen around 7:40 p.m. April 28, according to a news release. She was reported missing from her Boyd Street home and was last seen wearing a red hooded...
2 patients flown from Salem crash
Two people were flown by medical helicopter following a multi-car crash in Salem, according to Westmoreland emergency officials. Fire and paramedics were called to the intersection of Route 819 and Bowman Road just after 3 p.m. for a two-vehicle crash, according to a Westmoreland 911 supervisor. Landing zones were set...
Forecasters: Early heat wave precedes cooling off this weekend
Summer doesn’t officially arrive for another few weeks, but don’t tell that to the sun. Friday is expected to be the crest of the mini heat wave that’s blanketed the region this week, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Bill Modzelewski. “So far we’re at 87 degrees in Pittsburgh,” Modzelewski...
VA set to open $92 million multi-specialty outpatient clinic in Monroeville
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic behind Monroeville Mall won’t just provide a nearby medical facility for the eastern suburbs — the region of Western Pennsylvania with the highest concentration of veterans. It also will clear congestion on “Cardiac Hill” in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, where VA officials soon...


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