Patrick Varine stories, Page 104

Charges filed Charges filed with Murrysville District Judge Charles Conway. All individuals have the right to a preliminary hearing and are innocent until proven guilty before a judge in the Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas. • Kayla L. Brinker, 27, of Manor with simple assault and harassment following incidents...

A man and a boy were shot Friday afternoon in Stowe Township, according to police. First responders were called to the 800 block of Eighth Street around 3:15 p.m. and found the man shot in the leg and the juvenile with a minor arm injury, the result of an apparent...

Until Walter Vinoski was 11, he couldn’t have told you what a bassoon even was. Now the 17-year-old Yough senior is the Friday Evening Music Club’s 2021 Mildred Gardner Scholarship Competition winner, earning $1,000 through this year’s virtual competition. He is a member of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra and...

Here are news briefs and event listings for the Murrysville Star’s coverage area. Submit items to pvarine@triblive.com. Auditions scheduled for inclusive play Auditions for “Just Keep Swimming,” an adaptation of the Disney/Pixar story “Finding Nemo,” will take place March 26-28 through Acting Up, an inclusive theater troupe for actors of...

Delmont Public Library officials want anyone and everyone to be able to enjoy their Outdoor Learning Center, slated to open June 5. And, while it is already set to include solar bird baths, bird houses and the reestablishment of the library’s outdoor butterfly garden, a fundraising campaign is underway to...

Murrysville officials could be on the path to raise taxes for the first time since 2007. Council this week gave the OK to advertise an ordinance that would empower it to raise the local share of the earned income tax by up to 0.5%. Currently, a 1% earned income tax...

Delmont resident Ed Washburn isn’t sure if there is a need in the borough for a free food pantry, but if there is, he wants to ensure it will be available. Washburn secured borough council’s permission to place a miniature food pantry in the Rose Wigfield Parklet on Greensburg Street....

Murrysville officials will move forward with plans for a grant-funded amphitheater at their community park, using two Pittsburgh-area consultants to plan the space’s design. “We narrowed it down to four consultants,” said recreation Director Carly Greene. “We didn’t leave the table bloody, but we had some intense discussions about which...

The most recent data from the state Department of Health shows 1,242 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Murrysville area since the pandemic started in March 2020. Of those positive results, 41 cases were reported in the past 14 days. The health department on Monday released figures for the three...

The roots of the Duff family tree extend across much of Western Pennsylvania, including to Murrysville, where the surname should ring a bell as the namesake of the municipality’s first park. Duff Park was acquired by the municipality in 1968, and was originally formed from three parcels totaling about 143...

Greensburg native Melody Carranza found herself frustrated after opting for a career in the medical field. “Once I realized that wasn’t for me, I started looking at other options,” Carranza said. Similarly, Raelee Nicholson of Charleroi was “in the process of following a traditional four-year path with offers to multiple...

Export officials hope making headway with their garbage and recycling contractor will lead to fewer issues with hauling service in the borough. Council members have been unhappy with Republic Services for some time, discussing unaddressed issues at council meetings and fielding complaints from residents about missed pickups and poor service....

Local towns are planning for another Easter under the specter of the covid-19 pandemic. But, unlike last year, those planning the events have a much clearer idea of how to safely host them. “It was easier to plan and anticipate what we wanted our holiday event to look like,” Murrysville...

One of Latrobe’s favorite sons, Fred Rogers, would have turned 93 on March 20, and a virtual celebration on his birthday will feature singers and songwriters from across the country. The celebration of Mister Rogers will be livestreamed beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at ThankYouMisterRogers.com. It also will appear on...

Export officials spent a good portion of the past year updating the borough’s playground, off of Roosevelt Avenue, and want to keep that momentum going as spring approaches. “We’ve cut the (dead) trees down, we did the basketball court, and now we need to fix that fence,” Councilman John Nagoda...

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place. If you would like to nominate someone as a Neighbor Spotlight, email Neighborhood News Network editor Katie Green at...

Once upon a time — let’s say, about 90 million years ago — a juvenile pliosaur was swimming around the waters of western Manitoba in central Canada. If you were also in the water, it would be tough to miss, despite its young age: It would be about 18 feet...

While Franklin Regional school members were more than happy to get a credit of more than $42,000 in costs related to the Sloan “elementary campus” project, they weren’t so sure about a discounted price for a new ceiling they weren’t planning to install. Mechanical contractors working in the kitchen area...

Route 356 was reopened to traffic shortly before midnight on Monday after being shut down for several hours when a vehicle crashed into a pole. The accident was reported at about 10 p.m. on March 1 in Allegheny Township’s Bagdad neighborhood. The road was closed between White Cloud and Bagdad...