Patrick Varine stories, Page 108
State continues exploring public-private partnership for $2 billion major-bridges projectVideo
After utilizing a public-private partnership to replace more than 550 smaller, aging bridges across Pennsylvania, PennDOT officials have their eyes on a bigger prize. Nine prizes, to be specific, in the form of nine large bridges spread across the state in need of replacement and under consideration for the first...
Westmoreland CROP Hunger Walks aim to address local, global poverty
Volunteers and community residents with an eye toward helping others will gather next month in Murrysville and Penn Township to take part in the annual CROP Hunger Walk. “CROP” stands for “Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty,” and donation proceeds from thousands of walks across the country are divided between local...
Turner Dairy Farms is 1st in Pa. to take advantage of shelf-life law for milk
Grocery shoppers with a habit of seeking out the milk carton with the longest shelf life soon will be able to reach even further into the future — at least if they’re fans of Turner Dairy Farms. The Penn Hills dairy is the first in the state to take advantage...
Westmoreland County commissioner plans virtual town-hall meeting series
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew plans to start a series of virtual “town hall” meetings to engage more county residents with local government. “Our county’s public meetings are in the middle of the day, when a large fraction of the public can’t attend,” Chew said. The first meeting will take...
Howard Hanna, Pittsburgh real estate magnate, dies at 101
When Howard “Hoddy” Hanna III of Fox Chapel was in basic training with the U.S. Army, his father Howard Jr. was already well on his way to building a successful business that would one day become the fourth-largest real estate firm in the U.S. But he still found time to...
Search continues for Steller’s sea eagle that escaped from National Aviary
The search continues for Kodiak, the Steller’s sea eagle that escaped his habitat Saturday at the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Aviary officials tweeted Saturday evening they recognize that getting the raptor, nicknamed Cody, back home safely could take some time. “While our efforts continue, it is important to...
Pittsburgh man, 28, dies after being pulled from Monongahela River
A man rescued from the Monongahela River in critical condition Saturday afternoon has died, according to the Office of the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Thomas Jahanian, 28, of Pittsburgh, died after being taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital. He is the son of Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian. Police were...
Dr. Freddie Fu remembered as ‘a pioneer and visionary in our field’
Sympathy, condolences and tributes echoed from all corners of the sports and medicine world following Friday’s news of the death of Dr. Freddie H. Fu, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon who created the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s sports medicine program. Fu was 70. He also was Pitt’s sports teams physician...
Steller’s sea eagle, Kodiak, escapes from National Aviary habitat in Pittsburgh
Officials from the National Aviary are searching for a Steller’s sea eagle that escaped its habitat on Saturday morning in Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood. “It looks a bit like a bald eagle, but it’s larger,” said National Aviary Communication Director Carly Morgan. “A team of experts are working to safely...
Duquesne University extends contract for President Ken Gormley
Ken Gormley will continue for an additional five years as president at Duquesne University, school officials announced Saturday. Duquesne’s board of directors recently voted to extend Gormley’s contract through the 2026-27 academic year. Board chair John C. McGinley made the announcement in video remarks at the school’s annual President’s Dinner....
National Public Lands Day draws volunteers to Loyalhanna DamVideo
The group of volunteers nearly had the tree planted and all the dirt filled back in on Saturday morning when someone looked up and noticed the power lines directly overhead. “Who planned this?” someone joked, then added with a laugh, “The Army Corps of Engineers, huh?” “Hey, I just dug...
Murrysville briefs: A spooky stroll, benefit dinner, more
‘Spooky Stroll Through Time’ set for Oct. 23 The Emmanuel Reformed Church of the United Church of Christ in Murrysville will mark the month of Halloween by hearkening back to the congregation’s largely German heritage with “A Spooky Stroll Through Time” on Oct. 23. Historical interpreters from the congregation and...
TribLive Taste Test: It’s a pumpkin-spice latte death-matchVideo
It’s officially fall now, but the Pumpkin Spice Cartel wasn’t waiting around for the official start. The now-ubiquitous “fall” flavor has probably been around in most places since mid-July, along with the Halloween Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. But that’s not going to stop us from trying out five varieties including...
‘Circles’ will combine Black visual, performing arts
A group of Black artists will layer dance, visual arts and a live original score next month at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “Circles” is the culmination of work by Staycee and Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl, co-artistic directors of the Staycee Pearl Dance Project, PearlArts and Soy Sos....
Emsworth gluten-free brewers bring home gold, silver medals from U.S. Open Beer Championship
Some occasions just call for a cold beer. For Doug Foster, diagnosed with celiac disease at 5 years old, that particular social indulgence was not really possible. But, for the past decade, Foster and Aurochs Brewing Company co-founder Ryan Bove have been working to brew tasty, gluten-free beers. This summer,...
No injuries after trailer comes loose, crashes into parked car in Youngwood
No one was injured when a trailer came loose from the vehicle hauling it and ended up in a Youngwood yard on Tuesday morning. A Westmoreland County 911 supervisor said emergency crews were called to a home at the intersection of Chestnut and South Seventh streets just after 11:15 a.m.,...
Promoter hopes to return to Murrysville SportZone for future boxing cards
Pittsburgh junior lightweight Matt “Sweet Child” Conway racked up his 20th career victory Saturday night with a win over Rodolfo Puente at “Murrysville Madness,” held at the Murrysville SportZone. With the win, Conway (20-2, 9 KOs) will begin preparing for an International Boxing Association World title fight. Promoter Derek Gionta...
WCCC public-safety classes set to start this month
Training is of paramount importance for first responders, whether they’re new to the job or have decades of experience. In an effort to extend its outreach to emergency service workers in Westmoreland County, the county’s community college is offering a variety of public safety training courses at its centers in...
Western Pa. bands Sourmash, Andy Davis bring home Josie Music Award wins
A handful of musicians from Western Pennsylvania rocked the seventh annual Josie Music Awards this past weekend, bringing home wins in two categories from the nation’s largest independent music awards ceremony. Mt. Pleasant country singer Andy Davis won for Modern Male Country, and Alle-Kiski Valley’s Sourmash won Entertainer of the...
Cafeteria worker faces charges for bringing gun to Pittsburgh elementary school
A Pittsburgh Public Schools employee was arrested after bringing a gun to Grandview Elementary in the city’s Allentown neighborhood on Monday, school officials confirmed. “While the employee does have a license to carry a firearm, they are not permitted on school grounds,” said district spokeswomen Ebony Pugh. The employee, a...
Poke Run church to install new headstones for Revolutionary War soldiers
Doug Ross of Bell Township can count five generations of his family, the Youngs, who have been members at Poke Run Presbyterian Church. Linda Chicka of Saltsburg has a fifth-great-grandfather whose home was the site of some of the congregation’s earliest meetings, before America was officially a country. And while...
‘Happy little trees’: Penn Township woman to teach joy of Bob Ross painting at workshop
The last year and a half has been stressful, by almost any measure. And while his dulcet voice and invocation of “happy little trees” often is used as a punchline, it’s hard to deny that enjoying an episode of “The Joy of Painting” and host Bob Ross is a pleasant...
Full day of amateur, pro boxing set for Saturday in Murrysville
Boxing promoter Derek Gionta of Monroeville is back on his mission to return boxing to a prominent place among Pittsburgh sports. That mission continues with a full day of amateur and pro fights Saturday at the Murrysville SportZone. “The key is to have enough shows to keep fighters busy so...
Additional Murrysville property seeks tie-in to Washington Township sewage system
An additional parcel may be added to the group of Murrysville properties that connect to the nearby Municipal Authority of Washington Township sewage system, bringing the total to 40. As part of a years-long process, Murrysville along with MAWT, Washington Township and the Kiski Valley Water Pollution Control Authority ultimately...
Murrysville Heritage Festival offers 1st chance to show off 1860s-era schoolhouse replicaVideo
Last year, Murrysville Historical Preservation Society members were hoping to not only mark the 200th anniversary of Jeremiah Murry’s founding of the town, but also to show off the period-accurate replica of a former one-room schoolhouse they had built. Those plans went by the wayside because of the pandemic, but...
