Patrick Varine stories, Page 66

Following the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Pennsylvania lawmakers approved a grant program with the goal of getting $300 million to state school districts for security upgrades. Four years after the killing of 17 people, schools in Western Pennsylvania are continuing to make...

Pat Anderson has seen quite a bit since he got his start in emergency medical services back in 1972. Some of it was deadly serious, making split-second medical decisions in the days before EMTs underwent numerous certification classes and were given basic first aid and CPR training. Some of it...

Jordan Berlin Speranzo and Nick Grosso have a passion for live theater. So it’s only appropriate that the first production they teamed up to stage shares that same name: Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion.” Speranzo’s mother Liz Berlin, rock veteran of Pittsburgh’s Rusted Root and owner of Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale,...

Murrysville officials recently laid out roughly $21.5 million in capital improvement plans for the next five years, including construction work on the Logan’s Ferry Road, Heather Highlands and Cal-Ken Court bridges. More than 70% of the capital improvement funding will go toward road overlay and infrastructure projects, according to finance...

New Rotaract club forms Dominick Fogle of Delmont was installed as the inaugural president for the new Rotaract Club of Delmont-Murrysville during the club’s charter meeting, held July 26 at the Delmont Public Library. Rotaract’s mission is to provide an opportunity for men and women to enhance their leadership skills...

Export Mayor Joe Zaccagnini broke a contentious tie vote last month over whether to approve a $5 monthly increase in local sewage rates, passing along a roughly 8% rate hike by the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority. Next month, the issue will come back before a full council for another...

When Delmont-Salem Rotary officials have held events at Newhouse Park in Delmont, one question has popped up frequently, according to incoming president Christian Tomley. “When we have our steak fry every year, we’ve gotten questions about why there’s no fountain,” Tomley told Delmont council at its Aug. 9 meeting. “It’s...

Last time we spent our Sunday nights in Westeros, toward the end of the final season, there was one episode I truly enjoyed, just after the forces of good...

Franklin Regional School District is accepting proposals for the position of district solicitor. Several district residents questioned school director Diana Altieri Hand’s motion the end of the Aug. 1 board meeting to reopen the solicitor’s position. The move was not part of the board’s posted agenda but passed by a...

Rummage sale Union Presbyterian Church will host a fall rummage sale Sept. 9-10 at the church, 656 Route 380 in Washington Township. The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 9, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 10. Items other than jewelry, furniture and antiques will...

A Pennsylvania state trooper remains on the job after his involvement in a fatal Aug. 17 crash in Salem, officials said Monday. A BMW driven by Tyler J. Strini, 27, of Homer City did not slow down for stopped traffic, troopers said. Strini, assigned to Troop B in Uniontown, joined...

A Penn State Beaver professor and volunteer with domestic-abuse nonprofit Crisis Center North has been presented with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Research Award. John Chapin, 58, of Center, a survivor of childhood domestic violence who now researches the subject, was given the award which “recognizes individual researchers...

Export’s central public parking lot could be paved sooner than expected. After having to remove the project from a state grant application earlier this summer, Export officials may be able to get it done through a federal-grant-money swap. Officials intended to use Community Development Block Grant money for a retaining...

Hempfield farmer Neil Palmer says that for 50 years his operation has been focused on growing fresh produce, which is sold at his own farm market. “This year, we have a little more than 20 acres of fresh vegetables,” said Palmer, a fourth-generation farmer. “For the most part, it’s been...

When Ralph Myers, 85, looks at the farming operations around him, the difference is stark compared to three decades ago. “In 1995, there were about 195 dairy farmers in Armstrong County,” said Myers, a fourth-generation farmer from Gilpin and patriarch at Myers Pickle Farm, which dates to 1866. “Today, there...

On Dec. 1, 1938, Pittsburgh resident and jazz composer Billy Strayhorn met the legendary Duke Ellington backstage after a show at what was then the Stanley Theater. Their musical personalities meshed, and Strayhorn’s composition “Take the ‘A’ Train” eventually became the Ellington band’s theme song. The duo also collaborated on...

Franklin Regional school board members filled a couple of the positions left open after the departure of several administrators in the past few months. School directors approved a new assistant superintendent and assistant high school principal, following the resignations of Robin Pynos and Ted Benning, respectively. Matthew Delp joins the...

Motorists frustrated with the lack of progress in fixing the Rosslyn Road on-ramp to the Parkway West got some good news this past weekend. Crews are set to begin work Aug. 26 to repair damage to the on-ramp from a February accident. The repairs were delayed because of supply chain...

When Jim Rumbaugh of Murrysville agreed to accept an appointment as chair for the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority board, he quickly recognized the challenges he faced. “Plum Borough was in the same basic situation 30 years ago, where the (Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection) shut down tap allocations and...

Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Golf outing to benefit Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes The Greater Pittsburgh Business Connection will host a Sept. 26 golf outing to benefit Toys for Pittsburgh Tikes. It will take place at the Westmoreland Country Club, 7100 Mellon Road in Penn Township. Registration...

When DeStella Dance Centre owner Alexis DeSabatine is watching her students perform from backstage, she is a bundle of nerves. “I literally hold my breath and tense up,” she said. “I’m so nervous but also so excited.” On July 27, she had plenty to be excited about, watching from backstage...

Terry Ventorini of Murrysville knows a few kids who might be interested in taking aim at the Salvation Army’s “Shoot for Hope” fundraiser, set for Aug. 18 at Highlands Sporting Clays in Champion. “We had three kids go to the Pennsylvania State High School Clay Target League’s state tournament in...