Patrick Varine stories, Page 92

Patrick Varine
Patrick Varine
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Orders up: Greensburg Restaurant Week dishing up summer meal deals
Greensburg Restaurant Week is underway and will run through the weekend. The summer lineup features 21 restaurants offering specially priced menus through Sunday. And though its name cites Greensburg, the eateries are located around Westmoreland County. Local restaurants promote lunch and/or dinner specials offering reduced prices for a fixed-price menu....
Pittsburgh serves as research site for new test to detect Lyme disease
The difficulty of diagnosing early acute Lyme disease makes things doubly frustrating for Pennsylvanians, who live in a state that has consistently ranked highest in the nation for Lyme cases. But Seattle-based Adaptive Biotechnologies is working with clinical researchers across the country — including in the Pittsburgh area — to...
Man wounded in Hill District shooting
A man was shot in the arm Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, according to Pittsburgh police. Zone 2 officers responded to the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street in the Hill’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood around 3:25 p.m. Friday, and applied a tourniquet to a man who’d suffered a gunshot wound to...
Youngwood park dedicated to former Mayor Joan Derco 
Diane Schaefer couldn’t think of a better place to pay tribute to her mother, former Youngwood Mayor Joan Derco, than at the Youngwood Borough Complex and park on South Sixth Street. “Every night, she’d stop on that landing,” Schaefer said, gesturing to a nearby red brick home. “She’d look out...
Masking debate continues in Franklin Regional as school year nears
The divide among those in favor of universal masking and those against it was on stark display again this week, with a sizable contingent this time asking that the Franklin Regional school board reconsider its stance that masking be optional in the coming school year. “Other local school districts are...
On the move in the Murrysville area for the week of Aug. 19, 2021
Murrysville window screen company FlexScreen was named to Inc Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies in the nation. FlexScreen, with locations in Murrysville, Michigan, Georgia, South Dakota and Canada, ranked 2,321 of 5,000 companies. • • • The Murrysville Woman’s Club honored the 2021 recipients of the Marielle Bartolomucci...
Fall bazaar among several upcoming events in Murrysville area
Here’s some news and events happening in the Star’s coverage area in the coming weeks. To submit news briefs, email pvarine@triblive.com. Delmont library to host fall bazaar The Delmont Public Library will host a Sept. 11 fall bazaar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the library’s community room. It...
Franklin Regional prepares to open doors to new primary, intermediate elementary schools 
Teacher, administrator and staff comments about Franklin Regional’s new elementary campus largely center around a similar theme: possibilities. From new large-group instruction areas to creative media centers to little “pocket” areas where small groups can meet, collaborate or receive additional learning support, new educational opportunities are scattered throughout both the...
Community Church of Harrison City will hold belated open house for renovations, additions 
In the coming weeks, Pastor Seth McPherson will baptize the youngest child of a local family at Community Church of Harrison City in the same font where the family’s eldest child was baptized a few short years ago. But what a difference a little time can make. “Here’s where that...
Jigger’s Pub owners plan new restaurant across the street in Export
Jigger’s Pub owners Tony and Brenda DeCesare are planning to open a new restaurant directly across the street from their business, and took a big step in that direction Tuesday with the approval of a liquor license transfer. Export council members unanimously approved the transfer of the license by a...
Isolated storms, heavy wind gusts in Friday’s forecast following stormy night, damage
As recovery continues from a night of pounding rain, power outages and flash flooding, National Weather Service officials are forecasting the potential for more storms in southwestern Pennsylvania into Friday evening. The National Weather Service’s hazardous weather outlook for the region forecasts isolated severe storms, with the main threat coming...
1 taken to hospital following Homewood shooting
Pittsburgh Police are investigating an early-morning shooting in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Police responded to the 7000 block of Race Street around 3:30 a.m. for a report of someone who had been shot in the chest, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. The victim was taken to a local...
Rostraver woman charged with embezzlement, setting credit union fire
A Westmoreland County woman is charged with embezzling money from a Monessen credit union and setting a fire in an attempt to conceal the theft, federal officials announced. Patty L. Mavrakis, 63, of Rostraver was indicted on charges of embezzlement, wire fraud and use of fire to commit a federal...
Motorcyclists head to Murrysville for Freedom Fest
Less than three hours into Freedom Fest 2021 — the second annual fundraiser and campout hosted by the Alliance of Bikers Aimed Toward Education’s Westmoreland County Chapter — it was 92 degrees and shade was already at a premium. Late Thursday afternoon, the shady treeline along the edges of Murrysville’s...
Murrysville area events: Export festival leads long list of activities
Ethnic Food & Music Festival set The annual Export Ethnic Food & Music Festival will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Aug. 21 along Washington Avenue in the borough’s downtown area, with a day of live music, food and fun. There is no cost to attend, and on-site parking...
Greensburg-based Laurel Region Big Brothers Big Sisters named national Agency of the Year
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America named the Laurel Region branch in Greensburg as its national Agency of the Year in the “Small Agency” category. Four affiliates in the small, medium, mid-large and large agency categories were chosen from among 279 agencies across the U.S. “Just like everyone else, we...
East Suburban Artists League prepares for annual CCAC Boyce show in Monroeville
UPDATE 8/13/21: CCAC has made the decision to cancel the ESAL show due to covid concerns. • • • Several decades ago when she was living in the Washington, D.C., area, artist Eileen Yeager took a printmaking class. It started her fascination with monotyping, a process by which a unique,...
Delmont officials receive 1st American Relief plan payment
Delmont officials will tuck away their first payment of federal American Relief Plan funding until they decide how they’d like to spend it. The borough received roughly $132,000 in federal covid relief funds, a partial payment that will be completed next year. Council President Andrew Shissler said the money will...
Export man arrested in connection with Homewood shooting
An Export man was arrested in connection with a fatal shooting Aug. 2 in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood. Pittsburgh police said Roemon Howard, 21, of Export was charged Wednesday with criminal homicide, carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, and reckless endangerment. Howard is...
Lead Safe Westmoreland program offers free abatement, training for contractors
Westmoreland officials hope county homeowners with children will help get the lead out of their residences. Funded through a $3.4 million federal grant that began in January, the newly formed Lead Safe Westmoreland program is seeking both homeowners to take part in the lead abatement program and contractors to help...
Molting or mites? Seeking an explanation for ‘bald birds’
Lillian DeDomenic of Monroeville was snapping photos of birds in her backyard when one in particular caught her eye. At first, she wasn’t sure what it was. It had red body plumage, but its head was a deep gray, and as she looked closer, it didn’t appear to have any...
Export’s annual Ethnic & Food Festival set for Aug. 21
Export officials are making plans for the borough’s annual Ethnic Food & Music Festival, set for Aug. 21 throughout the downtown area. Washington Avenue will close late in the evening on Aug. 20 to allow vendors to stage booths and bring in equipment, and to construct the main performance stage...
Woman in critical condition following Manchester shooting
A woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being shot Tuesday evening in the city’s Manchester neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh police. Officers from Zone 1 responded to a report of shots fired along Bidwell Street near Pennsylvania Avenue around 6:15 p.m., and arrived to find a woman...
Blairsville woman pleads guilty to embezzling nearly $600K from Indiana doctor’s office
A Blairsville woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that she embezzled nearly $600,000 from the Burrell Township doctor’s office where she worked, according to acting U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman. Sandra Jo Doak, 63, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and filing false income tax returns before U.S. District Judge...
Stream bank stabilization work closes Westmoreland Heritage Trail near Trafford 
It’s been a fairly dry summer in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Yet when the rain has come, it has tended to come as part of heavy storms dumping a lot of water all at once. Every time it has done so, Westmoreland Heritage Trail volunteers including Doug Webster would worry about the...


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