Patrick Varine stories, Page 53
Youghtoberfest aims to raise money for Ohiopyle Borough
Officials in Ohiopyle, the small Fayette County borough surrounded by Ohiopyle State Park, estimate they need $650,000 to fix the local sewage treatment plant and make related repairs. State officials say Ohiopyle’s sewage system takes in more wastewater than it can handle. But the town has fewer than 30 permanent...
Murrysville company provides $3.1 million in air tank upgrades for Pittsburgh firefightersVideo
If a house catches fire in the Pittsburgh region, there’s a good chance equipment from MSA — and, specifically, from its Murrysville production facility — played a role in firefighters’ efforts. For the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, MSA’s G1 self-contained breathing apparatus will be well worth the $3.1 million investment...
Blues legend Buddy Guy reschedules stop at Greensburg’s Palace Theatre
Blues guitar legend Buddy Guy will have to wait a little longer to say “Damn Right Farewell” to Westmoreland County, after announcing that his Sept. 28 show will be rescheduled to April 7, 2024. “My medical team has advised me to reschedule some of my upcoming shows,” Guy, 87, said...
Dragon boat racing team of breast cancer survivors readies for annual festival
It’s not just that Lynn Jablonowski didn’t have any boating experience. She was also actually afraid of the water. But she’d overcome breast cancer, and with help from members of the Hearts of Steel dragon boat racing team, she overcame her fear of water, too. Everyone on the Hearts of...
Murrysville area: Cyclo-cross race, CROP Walk, community band and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Registration open for Delmont cyclo-cross race The Delmont Visionary Committee will host its second annual “Hammer the Hills of Delmont” cyclo-cross race. It will be at 9 a.m. Nov. 11 at Shields Farm. The race is a challenging course with wooded trails,...
Blackburn Center continues to expand Red Sand Project, drawing awareness to human trafficking
Throughout September, Westmoreland County residents may have noticed red sand filling in the sidewalk cracks at prominent locations such as Independence Health System hospitals, the county courthouse, local libraries and Seton Hill University. A sign accompanying the bright red sand notes that it is part of the Red Sand Project,...
Hometown Hero: Export man survived military parachuting accident, left Scouting legacy
(Editor’s note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities.) Robert Harouse Export 1934-1969 Robert Harouse didn’t talk much about his military service during...
Saint Vincent graduate fellows pursue advanced degrees, support local school districts
There are two additional students in the classrooms of Franklin Regional School District this year: two graduate students from Saint Vincent College. The Saint Vincent College Fellowship program brings two students enrolled in Saint Vincent’s master’s of education program to Franklin Regional for the next two academic years. “It’s a...
IUP professor collaborates with Queen guitarist on book about Bennu asteroidVideo
An Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor is part of a group of authors whose recent book explores the Bennu asteroid, which scientists believe is a sort of “time capsule” from the dawn of the solar system. And since they were studying a rock, they recruited a rock star to help...
Murrysville underpass mural on hold as PennDOT officials develop formal policy for working with artists
Christina Donahoe was excited to be painting another mural where she grew up. After creating a floral mural in Export in 2022, she has been preparing to start a mural project to cover unsightly graffiti on a Route 22 underpass in Murrysville. She was in the process of lining up...
Delmont swears in new full-time police officer
Part-time Delmont Police Officer David Johnston is the newest full-time member of the borough’s police force, after being sworn in at the borough council’s Sept. 12 meeting. Johnston will replace Officer Richard Stephens, who resigned in late August. Johnston has been working full-time in the borough since Sept. 1. In...
Murrysville area: ‘Pilgrimage Jr.’ tickets, glass recycling, local live music and more
Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Tickets on sale for ‘Pilgrimage Jr.’ The Delmont Pilgrimage is expanding to include a session specifically geared toward children. “Pilgrimage Jr.” will be Dec. 2 from 2-4 p.m., where pre-school and elementary-age children can experience the Nativity while interacting with the angel...
‘Silence of the Lambs’ actress will return to Buffalo Bill’s House
Brooke Smith hasn’t been back to the unassuming house on Circle Street in Perryopolis since her “rescue” there by the FBI in the early ’90s. OK, technically it was the fictional Catherine Martin rescued from a well in the horrifying basement of serial killer Buffalo Bill, during the seminal 1991...
Beer wholesaler opens 300,000-square-foot warehouse in Salem, more than 100 jobs anticipated
Happy hour started a little early for Frank Fuhrer III and his guests Wednesday afternoon. It’s only appropriate — Fuhrer was cutting the ribbon on a new 300,000-square-foot warehouse for his beer and soda pop distribution business, so getting a few coolers full of beer was a matter of walking...
5 homes evacuated in Laurel Mountain borough amid gas leak report, 911 says
Several homes in the small borough of Laurel Mountain near Laughlintown were evacuated briefly Wednesday morning as authorities investigated reports of a gas leak, according to county emergency officials. First responders were called to a home on Walnut Road in the small community off of Route 30 shortly after 11...
Residents ask Delmont to consider adding dog park to borough
Delmont residents asked their council to consider some additions to the borough — specifically a dog park, and speed humps on West Pittsburgh Street. “There are more than 300 dog license applications processed for Delmont, and that’s just in 2023. We want our dogs to be happy and healthy, and...
Westmoreland County man drowns while vacationing at Hilton Head Island
A Westmoreland County man drowned Monday while vacationing on Hilton Head Island Beach in South Carolina. Beaufort County Deputy Coroner Andrew McNece identified the man as David Owens, 64, of North Huntingdon. Emergency responders were called to the Disney Club Beach in Palmetto Dunes around 3:30 p.m. Monday for a...
R.K. Mellon Foundation commits $1 million to Maui fire relief efforts
The Richard King Mellon Foundation will donate $1 million in grants to support recovery efforts on Maui after devastating wildfires on the Hawaiian island. “I extend my sincerest ‘mahalo,’ or thank-you, to the big-hearted board of trustees at the Richard King Mellon Foundation,” said Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Pittsburgh-area...
Remembering Flight 93: 9/11 ceremony honors passengers, crew members
About 10 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, Terry Butler of Somerset headed to his job in Stonycreek, already very concerned. He had heard about terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, D.C. Then he looked up and saw a plane. “It was...
Murrysville waits to move forward with short-term rental ordinance
Murrysville council members are debating an ordinance regulating short-term rentals through companies like AirBnb and VRBO. The council has split over the rental issue perceived by some as limited in scope and by others as a question of personal safety for neighbors in a residential area. “So far, I’ve heard...
Historical society, author will mark 75th anniversary of Donora smog disaster
Seventy-five years ago this October, residents in the Mon River mill town of Donora noticed something wrong with the air, something different from the typical steel-industry smog that characterized the region at the time. The nearby U.S. Steel Donora Zinc Works had released two dangerous gases, hydrogen fluoride and sulfur...
1980s Pittsburgh rockers Haywire plan full-band reunion shows in New Kensington, Warrendale
When three members of the 1980s Pittsburgh rock group Haywire reunited in 2021 for a couple of intimate acoustic shows, they had a great time, but something was missing. Two things, actually: bassist Pete LaCava and drummer Steve Juffe were both in the throes of cancer treatment. Lead singer Arte...
Prime Stage Theatre to host open auditions for upcoming season
Prime Stage Theatre officials will host open auditions for their 27th season Sept. 16-17 in Pittsburgh. Auditions for the “Season of Courage and Discovery” will be from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 16 and 4-9 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Prime Stage Studio, 840 West Saw Mill Run Boulevard in...
Local, state, federal officials to mark 22nd anniversary of Flight 93 crash on 9/11
Monday will mark the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, as well as the crash of United Flight 93, meant for an additional attack that was foiled by the plane’s passengers. Local, state and federal officials will be in attendance at ceremonies...
‘Read-in’ highlights representation in books frequently targeted for banning
When Mackenzie Fangman read “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, it was an awkward experience at times. “It made me cringe to read, but it was a cringe of self- recognition,” said Fangman, 26, of Greensburg, who also is gender-queer. “And if it made me feel that way as an...
