Patrick Varine stories, Page 116

For Rachel Stackiewicz, enjoying most meals is a temporary pleasure at best. Stackiewicz, 20, of Murrysville, has been living since age 11 with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Along with ulcerative colitis, it is one of two illnesses classified as inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. “Every...

Panther Foundation moves golf outing The Franklin Regional Panther Foundation has postponed its annual golf fundraiser. It will now be held June 11, 2021. Questions can be directed to frsdpr@frsdk12.org, or 724-327-5456, ext. 7617. Final ‘Movies in the Park’ set for Saturday The Delmont Recreation Board will host its final...

On the way to a campaign event at Cornerstone Ministries, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence made an unscheduled stop at the Murrysville GOP Victory Center on Rt. 22 on Sept. 9. Pence met briefly with Murrysville Mayor Regis Synan and local state Rep. Bob Brooks (R-Murrysville), and spoke to the...

Animal Friends of Westmoreland currently has 152 animals in their care. Since its inception in 2006, the nonprofit has rescued more than 5,700 animals. Like most nonprofits, Animal Friends relies on donations and they could not be happier to have received a $4,200 donation recently — the proceeds from the...

The first plumes of smoke from the massive wildfires burning on the West Coast began reaching Pittsburgh on Aug. 25, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. But Tuesday was the day people began to notice, as the massive smoke plume from some of California’s largest-­ever wildfires, along with...

Franklin Regional School Board members got an early look at what may be the final bond issuance to finance the Sloan “elementary campus” project, a proposal that would combine the final two issuances to take advantage of all-time low interest rates. The board will consider a $15 million bond, the...

A 5-year-old girl is in critical condition after being hit by a car Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, according to police. Pittsburgh EMS, firefighters and police responded to the 600 block of Hillsboro Street in Sheraden around 2:30 p.m. where the girl was struck after exiting a vehicle. She...

Small breweries, like so many other businesses, have been hit hard by the health and safety restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic. Those who don’t have the means of selling their beer beyond pints and growlers are in an especially difficult position. “We’re just a small, family-owned brewery with a two-barrel...

As they develop a township noise ordinance, North Huntingdon commissioners this week focused on what should be considered quiet hours. “I think the hardest thing to consider is what we designate as ‘quiet hours,’” said Commissioner Brian Blasko, who said he felt 7 a.m. was early enough to allow construction...

North Huntingdon commissioners may be at odds over allowing residents to keep chickens, but they did come to a consensus on how to move forward in updating the existing ordinance. Board members Thursday agreed to take a look at President Zachary Haigis’ suggestion of requiring a special-use variance to keep...

Students in the Franklin Regional School District returned to classes Tuesday, and elementary students got to check out the newly renovated Sloan Elementary School. The board last month pushed back the start date to Sept. 8 after state guidelines changed regarding the coronavirus. Students through eighth grade had three options...

When Export lost its post office in 2008, more than 200 people packed a public meeting to appeal for its return, which never happened. It was largely seen as a bad sign for the small Westmoreland County borough, which was once home to Thomas Mellon, father of industrial giant and...

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently terminated multiple contracts to add ventilators to the country’s Strategic National Stockpile. And, while federal health officials say they now have enough ventilators to meet maximum national capacity in a crisis, one of the terminated contracts — awarded to Philips Respironics,...

Rec department hosting kickball, Wiffle ball The Murrysville Recreation Department is hosting weekly kickball and Wiffle ball games at Kovalczik Park on Koval Court just outside Delmont. Kickball games will be held at 6 p.m., Tuesdays from Sept. 8 to Oct. 13. Wiffle ball will be at 6 p.m., Thursdays...

A $100,000 state grant will help clear vegetation and sediment from an Allegheny County stretch of Turtle Creek and one of its tributaries, helping to safeguard the lives and property of citizens in the watershed. The state’s H2O Program, which provides grants for drinking water, sanitary sewer, flood control and...

With Pittsburgh’s annual Labor Day parade canceled due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council will instead organize a “Weekend of Service,” beginning with emergency food distribution in Uptown Pittsburgh on Friday. “While we can’t have our usual Labor Day celebrations, this year, we are embracing this opportunity...

While the AMC Theatre location in Salem recently closed its doors, it won’t be long before the property is once again busy as a beaver. Busy Beaver, that is. The home improvement retailer officially announced plans to open its 25th story at the Hollywood Squares shopping plaza off Route 22...

Eastbound Route 30 has reopened near the Eastgate Shopping Center in Hempfield, following a reported 4-car crash on Wednesday afternoon. According to emergency dispatchers, two of the three eastbound lanes closed for a time. The crash was reported around 4:45 p.m. and they were open again by 5:30. Additional information...

Dr. John Kolonich of Monroeville thinks people need to be talking much more about covid-19 testing, and that those doing the testing should be talking much more to their patients. “No test is 100% sensitive,” said Kolonich, a physician with iCare Urgent Care on Route 22 in Monroeville. “I think...

More than 5,000 Pennsylvania residents had reported price hikes in essential products during the covid-19 pandemic as of early June, and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed a lawsuit against a Philadelphia company accused of charging nearly $76 for a small bottle of hand sanitizer during the height of the...