Patrick Varine stories, Page 90
MacPherson named new chief of staff for Westmoreland Commissioner Chew
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew’s chief of staff Heather Cordial is leaving her post for a position with the state Department of Environmental Protection. Chew announced on Sunday that Cordial will be replaced by Bob MacPherson of Sewickley. “Heather always had a smile in the commissioners’ suite, and she’ll be...
What’s That: The concrete remains of an old lumber mill in GreensburgVideo
Behind Offutt Field in Greensburg, a walk along South Urania Avenue offers an unencumbered view of the football game, along a long stretch of unusually thick concrete that runs for several hundred feet along the road. As it approaches what is now MB Bride, the concrete wall is broken up...
Safety issues persist at Westmoreland Heritage Trail crossing in Murrysville
Every few months — but especially as winter rolls over into spring and warmer weather — a particular topic pops up in Murrysville-area social media posts and comment threads: the areas where the Westmoreland Heritage Trail crosses major roads. “Somebody is going to die sooner rather than later,” said Diana...
Riderless horse marks Memorial Day ceremonies in North HuntingdonVideo
For the past two years, Memorial Day ceremonies at the Penn Lincoln Memorial Park in North Huntingdon have included a “riderless horse,” with military boots facing backward in the bootstraps, a tribute to soldiers lost over the years. One of those soldiers was Army Signal Corps member Daniel Tomko, who...
State police: Mercer County cold case closed after 4 decades
Pennsylvania state police say modern DNA testing and genealogy methods allowed them to close a 42-year-old Mercer County cold case and provide closure to the victim’s family. The remains of Edwin Rodriguez, of Chicago, Ill., discovered in 1980 in Wolf Creek Township, were positively identified and returned to his family,...
Girl, 12, in critical condition after being struck by vehicle in South Huntingdon
A 12-year-old girl is in critical condition after being hit by a car Saturday night while riding a hoverboard in South Huntingdon. Emergency responders were called to the intersection of Sixth and Osborne streets just after 7:15 p.m. Police said the girl was riding a hoverboard with a kart buggy...
Police seek McKeesport man charged with fatal South Side Flats shooting
Pittsburgh Police are looking for a McKeesport man charged with a fatal shooting March 19 in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood. Police issued an arrest warrant for Zahvair Palmer, 22, on charges of criminal homicide, robbery and weapons violations. Palmer is accused of fatally shooting Adam Cloud, 29, of New...
Brookline man charged with beating postal worker with baseball bat
A Pittsburgh man was arrested Saturday night, charged with brutally assaulting a postal worker and then barricading himself inside his Brookline home. Mt. Lebanon police were dispatched to Dorchester Avenue and Good Way just before 4:30 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man who had assaulted a U.S. postal...
TribLive Taste Test: Cookies from CrumblVideo
Dessert for the Memorial Day barbecue is a must. And while we’d never say anything is better than our grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies, this year we’re going to see if the Crumbl cookie chain can give Granny a run for her money. We snagged a four-pack from the new Crumbl...
Herminie native’s book details struggles of longtime friend, Army veteran
As Memorial Day draws closer each year, Ronald Kaiser of Franklin Park always thinks of Anthony Herbert. Kaiser and Herbert grew up together in Herminie. Kaiser went on to a career in advertising, and Herbert went on to become one of the most decorated enlisted veterans of the Korean War....
Ardmore Boulevard reopened following crash in Forest Hills
A reported multi-vehicle crash that shut down Ardmore Boulevard briefly on Saturday afternoon turned out to be relatively minor, fire officials said. The crash was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. along Ardmore Boulevard near Braddock Road in Forest Hills. The road had reopened as of 2:30 p.m., according to Allegheny...
New Kensington police seek info on car’s driver
New Kensington police are seeking information about the driver of a car seen May 4 in the city. A social media post asked for information about a blue Honda Civic, seen outside of the New Kensington Denny’s on Tarentum Bridge Road (Route 366) around 5:30 a.m. on May 4. Police...
New Kensington residents charged after pound of suspected cocaine, weapons found in apartment
A man and woman from New Kensington face drug charges after police say they found about a pound of suspected cocaine and guns during a raid at an apartment late last month. New Kensington police worked with narcotics agent Wes Biricocchi from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Drug Task Force to...
Fawn stops by for quick tour of North Huntingdon counter-top supplier
There are plenty of job openings in the local economy right now, but Vangura Surfacing Products in North Huntingdon doesn’t really have many positions open for an applicant without opposable thumbs. So when a fawn wandered through an open bay door Friday morning, shop supervisor Russell Shirley knew it wasn’t...
Pittsburgh police seek missing Hazelwood sisters
Police are seeking information on two missing siblings from Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood. Sisters Rosie, 11, and Bayjai Germany, 13, were last seen at their home in Hazelwood. Rosie is 4-feet-6-inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. Bayjai is 5-feet-4-inches tall, also with black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with...
Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority plans 8% rate hike
Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority customers are preparing for an 8% rate hike announced recently. The rate hike is part of FTMSA’s plan for addressing a consent order with the state Department of Environmental Protection, aimed at eliminating sewer system overflows. The authority has borrowed $20 million throughmunicipal bonds to...
Turn it up: Car audio competition set for Sunday in GreensburgVideo
“Just kick a little somethin’ for the cars that be bumpin’.” That’s the admonition that kicks off “The Boomin’ System,” the first track on old-school rapper LL Cool J’s landmark album, “Mama Said Knock You Out,” and it extols the virtues of having a high-powered sound system in the car....
Export Historical Society adds a few more names to borough war memorialVideo
A few more veterans will be honored in Export this Memorial Day, as historical society officials add to the town’s war memorial. “We definitely had Memorial Day in mind as a deadline,” said historical society board member John Lukacs. “We decided to open things up for new name suggestions, and...
Murrysville area: Community dinner, 5K color run, benefit golf tournament, more
Email news briefs for the Star to reporter Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. WSO Hat Luncheon slated for June 11 The Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra’s annual Hat Luncheon will take place at 11 a.m. June 11 at the Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road in Hempfield. Tickets are $85 and are...
TribLive Taste Test: Trying hot sauce from the Fuego BoxVideo
It’s about to be full-on barbecue season. The weather will make it hot outside, and this week we’re making it hot inside courtesy of five hot sauces from the Fuego Box. We sampled sauces from the All Star Box, but there are a wide variety of boxes and an even...
Big Brothers Big Sisters plans ‘Summer Fest’ at Twin Lakes Park
Aubrey Marquis has been a “Big” for a year and a half, and she says she still gets choked up when she talks about spending time with her “Little” at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Laurel Region. “You come into the program with the mission of changing the life...
Extra security in place at Norwin after reported threat against student, employee
Extra security is in place in the Norwin School District today after a threat of violence against a student and a middle school employee was discovered on social media Wednesday, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said. The district said Thursday that the student who made the comment — reported through the state’s...
Woodland Hills appoints Castagna as permanent superintendent; 2 school directors resign
Woodland Hills school officials have made Acting Superintendent Daniel Castagna’s position permanent, voting to confirm his appointment at a special meeting Wednesday night that also included the resignation of two school board members. The board voted 5-1 to appoint Castagna as the superintendent; board member Terri Lawson abstained from voting....
Police say Washington County man fatally shot his neighbor
Pennsylvania State Police have accused a Washington County man of fatally shooting his neighbor Wednesday afternoon in Smith Township. Bryce Kevin Tacy, 52, is accused of criminal homicide in the incident reported at about 2:3o p.m. along Loffert Road. Police said Tacy verbally engaged the victim, Jerry E. Anderson, 44,...
Westmoreland Heritage Trail officials add new locations to Trail Towns Festival
When the Westmoreland Heritage Trail Towns Festival kicks off this year, it will add two new towns to the mix, with events happening throughout the day in Trafford, Monroeville, Export and Slickville. “The first festival was in 2019,” said Vicki Rudge, public relations chair for the Westmoreland Heritage Trail. “The...
