Patrick Varine stories, Page 70
Franklin Regional grad dials in the sounds for Slippery Rock production of ‘Seussical’
During his time working on stage productions at Franklin Regional Senior High School, Tyler Parsonage learned how to work under pressure and think quickly. “In high school, I had limited knowledge, and our equipment wasn’t necessarily top-tier,” said Parsonage, 22, of Murrysville. “I had to work with what we had,...
Former Bella Luna space to reopen as The Coxcomb
As he stood behind what will soon be a finished bar top, Will Patterson of Monroeville heard someone driving past the open door of the former Bella Luna restaurant at the Murrysville/Monroeville border. “Are you open?” the woman asked through her passenger side window. “Early June, hopefully!” Patterson shouted before...
East End native to move machining business from Pittsburgh to Westmoreland County
John Conturo has been in Pittsburgh’s East End his entire life, growing up in Highland Park and starting his machine shop, Conturo Prototyping, at a rented facility in Point Breeze. And while he was hoping to stay in the area, the near future will see a move farther east, both...
Murrysville, conservation district to host ‘healthy stream walk’
Pennsylvania’s extensive mining history — and the resulting acid mine drainage — means that there aren’t many high-quality streams in the region. Murrysville residents, however, have one right in the center of town. Haymaker Run, along Sardis Road, is designated as a high-quality stream, and part of the municipality’s state-mandated...
Export, water authority differ on removal of asbestos-infused waterlines
Export officials’ issues with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County are well documented. Borough council members have chafed as they’ve watched recently paved streets reopened for waterline work. Councilman John Nagoda, in particular, has pushed for the agency to do something about the waterlines in the borough — at least...
Thinning the herd: East Huntingdon farm family auctions Brown Swiss, Ayrshire cows
Susan Spadaro wasn’t expecting to get emotional about auctioning off 100 of her family’s Brown Swiss and 25 Ayrshire cows on Thursday. “We’ve just always had a passion and love for these animals and the dairy industry,” said Spadaro, the fifth generation of the Miller and Love families, which have...
Murrysville area: Craft fair, author talk, garden-club scholarships and more
Email news briefs an event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Craft fair at Murrysville library The Murrysville Community Library will host a May 6 craft fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include handmade jewelry, home decor, candles, wreaths, knitted and crocheted items, wood crafts, coffee, chocolates and more. Some...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will host first education fair in Youngwood
Belle Vernon Area School District Superintendent Kenneth Williams is looking for a few good men and women interested in education. And he is hardly alone. “School districts have been struggling with finding high-caliber candidates to fill positions for quite some time,” Williams said. With that in mind, the Westmoreland Intermediate...
Stotler Drive residents ask for help with trees on Delmont property
Delmont Borough didn’t have possession of a property near Newhouse Park for long before issues began to arise. Actually, it was more than likely the wind that arose, bringing down a few trees on property west of Stotler Drive that brought out several neighbors to borough council’s meeting Tuesday night....
Baldwin police seek information on suspicious series of brush fires
Baldwin Borough Police suspect that a half-dozen brush fires reported in rapid succession on Tuesday may have been intentionally set. “We responded to a total of six scenes within minutes of each other,” police said in a post to the department’s Facebook page. Police are asking residents with outdoor-facing cameras...
State police seek suspect in Hempfield break-in
State police are seeking information about a man who was caught on camera breaking into a Hempfield home March 30. The male suspect forced his way into a Nash Street home just after 8 p.m., smashing in a side door and taking a Hewlett Packard 15-inch laptop computer and money,...
Westmoreland roller derby team finds new home in Salem
Six months ago, the women of the WestCo Roller Derby team were getting ready to mark their 10th anniversary and play their first game since 2019 when it was unexpectedly canceled at the last minute. “It was an emotional blow to us, but we’re a resilient team,” said WestCo President...
‘Perseverance’ tells story of Squirrel Hill jeweler’s journey from Holocaust camps to U.S.
During his nearly four decades at the G&S Jewelry Store in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Melvin Goldman created custom jewelry. But the shiny pieces belied Goldman’s much-darker journey to reach the United States. His story will be told onstage Saturday and Sunday at the New Hazlett Theater, when “Perseverance” opens....
There are plenty of rabbit songs for your Easter playlistVideo
The Easter Bunny is hopping all across the world today, inexplicably leaving eggs behind despite being a mammal. There are also plenty of songs about rabbits to pad out your Easter playlist for today’s holiday get-together. Here are just a few. “Rabbit in a Log” (Trad.) This traditional folk tune,...
Hometown hero: Export veteran spent eight months as a prisoner of war during World War II
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series about Westmoreland County residents who have been honored as Hometown Heroes. The program honors local military and non-military heroes by displaying photos on decorative banners in area communities. Theodore Lattanzio 1924-2001, Export At most other times in history, Export native Ted Lattanzio...
Easter Bunny takes to the air to deliver Easter eggs to event in Murrysville
An aerial payload of hundreds of colorful Easter eggs were dropped from a helicopter during the first ever “Helicopter Easter Egg Drop” at Bella Terra Stables in Murrysville. Also planned were egg spoon races, sack races, other games and entertainment for kids. The unique skyward egg hunt event was organized...
Pysanky takes practice at Greensburg art workshopVideo
Spring Cassidy of North Huntingdon is pretty sure she’s just going to buy a standard egg dye kit from the store next year. “This is not easy,” said Cassidy, as she worked to create a delicate design on her egg using a traditional Ukrainian kistka, a short wooden dowel rod...
Duquesne man arrested after fleeing traffic stop, crashing into another driver
A Duquesne man faces a host of charges after police say he fled a traffic stop Thursday night and crashed into another driver, sending his car off the ground and spinning in the air. Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Duquesne police pulled over a driver they said was switching lanes...
Pittsburgh Public Schools files suit against social-media companies
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have filed a federal lawsuit against multiple international social media companies, accusing them of fomenting “an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by (their) addictive and dangerous social media platforms.” The school district filed the suit April 6 against Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), Meta Payments, Siculus,...
2 injured, 1 critically, in Hazelwood and Beltzhoover shootings
Two people were injured, with one in critical condition, following two separate shootings late Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood and Beltzhoover neighborhoods, according to police. Police responded to a shots-fired call just before 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of Boggs and Warrington avenues in Beltzhoover. They arrived to find a...
Longtime firefighter, paramedic named Murrysville Volunteer of the Year
Rick O’Mahony of Murrysville answered his first emergency call in 1964. “You can do the math,” he said. “I’ve been in it ever since.” O’Mahony was named the Murrysville Volunteer of the Year at Wednesday’s council meeting. He is a longtime paramedic, firefighter with Murrysville Volunteer Fire Company No. 1,...
Murrysville Council approves WetGo car wash on Route 22
Murrysville officials approved construction of a WetGo car wash, which will replace the former Standard Bank on Route 22. Giant Eagle officials have expanded their presence in the municipality’s business corridor in recent years, adding a GetGo gas station and upgrading the grocery store to a Market District. In addition...
Murrysville area: FR musical highlights, art show, girls’ computer camp and more
Submit news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Symphony East hosts Franklin Regional musical highlights The Symphony East will present an April 17 program of highlights from Franklin Regional Senior High School’s production of “Grease.” It will be at 1 p.m. at the Lamplighter, 6566 William Penn Highway in Salem....
State approves $485,000 grant for downtown upgrades in Export
Export officials didn’t get the $1.95 million they were hoping for, but a state grant for about $485,000 will go a long way toward realizing a project to unify its downtown features and establish a central community space. The original concept plan, dubbed “Heritage Square” in 2021, used newly designed...
For winners, Pennsylvania’s liquor lottery is worth the time, money
Back in 2018, David Falcheck of Scranton got the notification he was waiting for — he was among a small group of winners chosen from thousands of lottery entries for the chance to buy a 12-year-old bottle of Van Winkle Special Reserve Straight Bourbon. “It was excellent,” Falcheck said of...
