Patrick Varine stories, Page 129

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History might be closed to the public right now, but its staff is still busy with research — including the discovery of a reptile from the Late Paleozoic period that had a crucial role in shifting its species’ diet from eating insects to eating plants....

Under normal circumstances, it might be concerning for a former county jail inmate to come walking up and say hello to a longtime corrections officer. But for Jacqueline Learn of Greensburg it was just another part of her day. “Even the prisoners called her ‘Miss Jackie,’” said Ms. Learn’s brother,...

Local governments are adapting as quickly as possible to keep municipal business going amid the spread of coronavirus. Here’s how groups in the Star’s coverage area are handling meetings in the foreseeable future. Franklin Regional School District Franklin Regional’s school board will be conducting meetings via the Zoom digital meeting...

Given the fluid situation at the state level regarding coronavirus-related business restrictions, Franklin Regional School District officials aren’t certain if they will need waivers to resume construction on the Sloan “elementary campus” project. But if they do, and decide to move forward with construction, their solicitor would like to have...

A Monroeville man was indicted in connection with a December 2019 bank robbery in White Oak, U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady announced Monday. Chezeq Morgan, 26, of Monroeville, was indicted by a federal grand jury and charged with bank robbery. Justice officials say Morgan robbed the PNC Bank on Lincoln...

Pop culture is a big part of Jeremy Raymer’s art, and he knows the value of having a finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist. So when a friend mentioned the old tiger’s head, painted on a wall near the intersection of Moultrie Street and Tustin Street behind the...

Allegheny County health officials reported an additional 46 cases of covid-19 Sunday morning. That figure is down from the 61 new cases reported from Friday to Saturday. In all, county health officials have confirmed 265 cases. The cases are split evenly between genders: 133 females and 132 males. The age...

A 50-year-old woman killed in a Blairsville crash on March 27 has been identified as Christina Anne Roberson of Armstrong Township. Roberson was driving north on South Walnut Street near Old Main Street shortly before 9:30 p.m. when she struck the curb after failing to make a left bend in...

A 67-year-old man was taken into custody Saturday evening after police say he stabbed another man in Pitcairn. Pitcairn police and paramedics were called to a rooming house on the 200 block of Broadway Boulevard just before 5:15 p.m., and arrived to discover a 60-year-old man who had been stabbed...

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for parts of Western Pennsylvania until 8 p.m. Saturday night. The service also issued a flood advisory for the Ohio River in the Pittsburgh area. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the highlighted counties until 8 PM tonight....

Westmoreland County gained 11 covid-19 cases since Saturday’s numbers were released, state health officials said Saturday. Forty-one cases are confirmed in Westmoreland, according to the latest figures, up from 30 on Friday. There have been no deaths related to the virus in the county. In addition, Gov. Tom Wolf issued...

Already a repository for billions of archived website pages and thousands of hours of free music, the Internet Archive has suspended the wait list for 1.4 million books in its online lending library, creating a National Emergency Library to help displaced students and researchers. “The library system, because of our...

A McKeesport man shot in the leg Friday night while driving along Bon Air Road in Penn Hills has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Chasae Swindle, 42. Penn Hills Police responded around 11 p.m. Friday night to the 100 block of Evaline Street for...

Allegheny County health officials reported an additional 61 cases of covid-19 Saturday morning. That is more than twice the 25 new cases reported from Thursday to Friday. Females make up 110 cases, or 50.2%, and males account for 109 cases, or 49.8%. The age breakdown of cases is as follows:...

It’s probably a good thing that Pennsylvania lawmakers delayed the state’s primary election until June 2, because it may take that long for Murrysville voters in the newly split Sardis and Newlonsburg precincts to figure out where they’re supposed to cast their ballots. “It’s been a real bear,” Murrysville Export...

Typically, one in three American families experiences what the Western PA Diaper Bank calls “diaper need.” As a result, the bank distributed 24,000 diapers last week to low- and moderate-income families in an effort to support those impacted by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. “The unexpected demand is...

Test results from the Central Outreach Wellness Center, released Wednesday afternoon, show 36 cases of covid-19 spread across five Western Pennsylvania counties at sites where it is testing for the coronavirus. That’s up a dozen from Tuesday. Figures are only for the places that Central Outreach is testing. The majority...

Franklin Regional officials are preparing for students to resume class as much as possible amid the coronavirus pandemic. “Throughout the shutdown, teams of Franklin Regional administrators, teachers, and support staff have been meeting remotely to create a Continuity of Education Plan that involves online learning for all students,” Superintendent Gennaro...

With Westmoreland and Armstrong counties not yet restricted in terms of travel amid the coronavirus pandemic, Leechburg Area School District officials are asking parents to pick up work packets for students on Thursday. “It is clear that nobody will be returning before April 7,” Superintendent Tiffany Nix wrote in an...

Pittsburgh Police are investigating a shooting in the city’s Brighton Heights neighborhood. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert for multiple shots fired in the area of Brighton Road near Lecky Avenue just before 7:30 p.m., according to public information officer Cara Cruz. Cruz said shortly afterward, a male victim arrive...

A Greensburg man was killed following a crash late Tuesday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Timothy Michael Stevens Jr., 21, was driving a motorcycle that broadsided a vehicle at the intersection of Meyran Avenue and Louisa Street, officials said. When Pittsburgh police arrived...