Patrick Varine stories, Page 38

Invisible Man Brewing Co. is joining forces with another established Greensburg business owner as they move to set up shop in the former Rialto Bar & Bistro, which was shuttered in 2022 after a series of violent incidents. After Oct. 26, fans of the beer created at the brewer’s Pennsylvania...

“In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous…” That is the opening line to every episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” a show whose serious subject matter might not seem like the ideal topic for a podcast featuring two comedians. Don’t tell that to...

A new active transportation plan approved by Delmont leaders could help leverage future funding and make the community more pedestrian-friendly. “We have a Mayberry-esque town that could really be walkable, and we just need to enhance that,” said Barb Hauge, a landscape architect with Upstreet Architects in Indiana. “There’s certainly...

After more than three decades announcing football for the Greensburg Central Catholic Centurions, there’s not much happening on the field that could surprise Ben Falcone. But he wasn’t prepared for a sneak play by family members and GCC administrators, who honored his 35 years behind the microphone during halftime of...

A New Kensington man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court on charges that he prepared false tax returns, collecting more than $130,000 in fees in the process. Harvey Smith Jr., 58, of New Kensington, pleaded guilty to preparing false tax returns through multiple clients by way of his tax preparation...

Export has been on an upswing over the past few years, taking full advantage of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail passing through the center of the borough and revitalizing its downtown business district. Four candidates who will compete for three open council seats are looking to keep that going. “I think...

Email news briefs and event information to pvarine@triblive.com. Donations for used book sale The Murrysville American Association of University Women is accepting donations for its annual used book sale. The actual sale will take place Nov. 9-11, and association members and Murrysville Community Library officials are collecting used items through...

Pitcairn voters will choose council member for three 4-year terms and one 2-year term in November’s general election, and the candidates’ focus was largely on revitalizing the Turtle Creek Valley borough. Former councilman George Burkhardt, 66, will go up against a fellow Democrat in William Kornrumph, who earned a spot...

Voters in Monroeville will cast their ballots for three open seats on the municipal council in the general election, and candidates are focused primarily on public safety concerns and keeping the town a vibrant place for business. The municipality is split into wards. In Ward 2, Democratic candidate and incumbent...

Each year, church leaders at Monroeville United Methodist Church send about 15 members of their youth group to “Current,” a religious retreat organized by the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. And this year, community members can help raise money to send them while picking their Halloween pumpkins...

(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...

State police released the identity of a man who died of injuries following an Oct. 8 crash on State Street in Mt. Pleasant Township. Police said Gregory P. Petro, 59, of Mt. Pleasant was driving south on State Street near Wimbledon Drive shortly after 11:30 a.m. when his car struck...

Stacie Murrer couldn’t believe it when she heard that the Monroeville Rotary Club regularly does trash pickup along Mosside Boulevard between Route 22 and MacBeth Drive. “They deserve a lot more recognition for that,” she said. To do her part, Murrer is organizing Patton’s Pickers, a group that will continue...

A Maryland man wanted on weapons charges in Florida is in prison awaiting an extradition hearing after a local traffic stop. Murrysville police pulled over a tractor-trailer Oct. 9 after officers watched the driver make a U-turn on Tarr Hollow Road, driving into a residential yard and creating large ruts....

State police said a Worthington man was driving under the influence when he crashed his all-terrain vehicle Sunday and had to be flown to a hospital. Edward H. Berry Jr., 60, of Worthington was driving on West Main Street in West Franklin just after 2 p.m. Sunday, when he lost...

Michael Pencak owns Michael’s Auto Sales in Creighton. But like many people, he also has a passion for music, which he has been playing for most of his life. In Pencak’s case, it’s playing guitar. “I play Gibsons, and my favorite is probably my Gibson Les Paul,” he said. “My...

For a borough of fewer than 900 people, Export has a lot of utility poles. And quite a few of them are right next to each another. Known as ghost poles, the side-by-side poles number in the thousands across Southwestern Pennsylvania. In areas where the poles are a problem, the...

During her childhood in Delmont, Amanda List was always active in the community. She was a Girl Scout, president of the local Lions’ Leos Club, a youth group member and youth deacon at her church. “I think community is really important and I’m trying to instill that in my children,”...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania professor Kenneth Coles had only one word to sum up the forecast for Saturday’s partial eclipse: dismal. “Clouds and rain is what they’re calling for right now,” Coles said. “But if we get a hole in the clouds — and we’re always hopeless optimists about that...

Murrysville officials are casting an eye toward the municipality’s long-term growth as they begin working with a consultant who will help them take a deep dive into their zoning laws. That’s great news to Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns, who has been advocating a long look at Murrysville’s zoning ordinances for...

It’s not hard to tell that Tom Stablein enjoys helping organize the annual Fort Ligonier Days celebration — he has been its parade chairman since the mid-1990s. “Seeing it all come together in a little town this size, and to be able to put on a festival like this is...