Patrick Varine stories, Page 91
‘They help everybody’: Hampton-based fitness club introduces Down to Box program
When Fit 4 Boxing Club opened in Hampton in 2015, its owners already had an eye toward working with people of all abilities. As an early example, the club integrated a program called Rock Steady Boxing, which employs a non-contact, boxing-based fitness curriculum for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. A...
Pa. hopes apprenticeship program can help alleviate skilled-worker shortage
Chad Warhold, owner at Warhold Mechanicals in North Huntingdon, has plenty of business. He just needs to find some additional skilled employees, or those willing to learn. “That’s part of why we got into apprenticeships,” said Warhold, whose company does heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing and gas line work...
Murrysville Community Library marks 100th anniversary
Nowadays, patrons of Murrysville Community Library can reserve an e-book from the comfort of their own homes, or attend a presentation from an astronaut at NASA by way of the library’s Tech Nook. It’s a long way from the mid-1980s, when former librarian Denise Sticha would return from the grocery...
Fit4Boxing gym in Murrysville, Hampton offers program for those with special needs
When Fit4Boxing opened in Hampton in 2015, its owners already had an eye toward working with people of all abilities. “We started working with people affected by Parkinson’s disease when we first opened,” said Brett Burkhart, managing partner with Fit4Boxing. “My uncle had been training with a guy from Sewickley...
Pittsburgh-area native works with real-life members of Navy’s Top Gun program
Shortly before Memorial Day, veteran actor Tom Cruise will take to the skies once again as Navy pilot Pete Mitchell in the long-awaited sequel to the 1986 action blockbuster “Top Gun.” But at Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nev., Pittsburgh native Amanda Taylor will be working with the real-life members...
Westmoreland native continues growing gamer-coaching company Metafy
Over the past three years, Derry native Josh Fabian has turned his gamer-coaching company, Metafy, into a major player in the gaming industry, raising $25 million in venture capital from international hedge funds such as Tiger Global and Seven Seven Six. As the company has continued to scale up —...
Murrysville area: Golf tournament, veteran banners, more
Email news briefs for the Star to reporter Patrick Varine at pvarine@triblive.com. Golf tourney to benefit FR Panther Foundation The annual golf tournament to benefit the nonprofit Franklin Regional Panther Foundation will take place June 10 at Meadowink Golf Course, 4076 Bulltown Road in Murrysville. The cost is $175 per...
Monroeville begins planning for Westmoreland Heritage Trail connector bridge
While it’s only a short distance from the edge of Valley Park in Monroeville to the Westmoreland Heritage Trail in neighboring Murrysville, the bridge connecting the two is still a fair distance away. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” said Monroeville Municipal Manager Tim Little. “We have to get...
Pit bull shot after escaping Cook Township property
A Cook Township man’s dog was shot Sunday night after leaving his property, police said. The pit bull belonging to Mark E. Ahner, 60, of Stahlstown, escaped the property and became aggressive toward two men near the intersection of Main Street and Hoffer Plan in Stahlstown shortly after 9:30 p.m.,...
Murrysville man designs ‘Monopoly’-themed road rally course
They won’t see Park Place or Boardwalk, but drivers in a Saturday, May 21 Monopoly-themed road rally through Westmoreland County might pass over some old Pennsylvania Railroad tracks. “The course will head out on a winding route to the Bells Mills covered bridge in (Sewickley and South Huntingdon),” said Bruce...
Export officials want more communication with nonprofit social-service site
Export officials are hoping to have a clearer line of communication with a nonprofit that operates a house in the borough for individuals with disabilities. Community Living And Support Services (CLASS), a nonprofit whose mission is to “support people with disabilities as they explore options, participate in the community and...
Murrysville students get a glimpse into the past at replica of 1800s schoolhouse
When Laura Hoff was looking to teach her students at Calvary Early Learning Center about local history in Murrysville, she didn’t realize there was a building full of it just up the road. “I saw a Trib article describing the (replica of the) old Murrysville schoolhouse,” Hoff said. “I stopped...
Reports show fatal crashes increased in Pennsylvania in 2021
Traffic crashes in the U.S. are increasing at a record pace, according to the latest data estimates from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. NHTSA estimates of the first nine months of 2021 project that more than 31,700 people died in vehicle crashes from January to September 2021. That’s an...
Murrysville girl excited to be part of coming-of-age story
The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and Hill Dance Academy will collaborate to present a coming-of-age story told through choral ballet this month. “‘Crossings’ is a coming-of-age story — told through dance, vocal music, and spoken word — of a young African-American woman growing up ‘Uptown’ and confronting racism in her community,”...
Washington woman, 58, dies following Ridge Avenue shooting
A 58-year-old woman died after being shot Wednesday afternoon along Ridge Avenue in Washington. Emergency responders were called to Ridge Avenue shortly after 5 p.m., where they found Kristin A. Barfield, of Washington, with a gunshot wound, according to the Washington County Coroner’s Office. Barfield was taken to Washington Hospital,...
Police: 1 shot, 1 injured in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood
A man was shot and a woman injured Wednesday evening in Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood, according to police. Police and EMS were called to Fifth Avenue and Seneca Street just after 6 p.m. for an initial report of two people who’d been shot. Officers located a man and a woman. The...
Police: West Allegheny High School student brought loaded AR-15 to school parking lot
An 18-year-old student at West Allegheny High School is facing charges after police say he brought a loaded AR-15 rifle when he drove to the school Tuesday morning. North Fayette police were initially called to the high school after a school resource officer was notified that the student, Ja’Shon Spencer,...
Crews battle fire spread over multiple houses in Homestead
Fire crews spent hours on the scene of a three-alarm fire on West Street in Homestead after the blaze broke out Wednesday evening. A three-story structure was reportedly engulfed in fire, according to an Allegheny County 911 supervisor. The initial call came in at 6:30 p.m. for a building on...
PennDOT hopes to begin Rosslyn Farms Parkway ramp repair in late June
The bridge carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road onto the inbound side of the Parkway West to be closed “for the next few months,” shortly after a truck crashed into its support structure in early February. A lack of available construction materials will likely keep it closed a bit longer, PennDOT...
West Mifflin man charged with Pleasant Hills burglary, arson
Allegheny County Police have arrested a West Mifflin man in connection with a burglary and subsequent fire at a Cerasi Drive apartment building on Tuesday. County detectives charged Kristopher Friedman, 24, of West Mifflin with burglary, receiving stolen property, arson endangering property and four counts of arson endangering persons. Emergency...
Murrysville considers establishing ‘do not knock’ list for solicitors
During the pandemic, door-to-door solicitation was not something people had to think about much. But with restrictions largely eased and warm weather on the way, Murrysville officials expect solicitation season to be in full swing and are looking to possibly start a “do not knock” registry for residents. “About this...
Pittsburgh police: Mail carrier grazed by bullet in Stanton Heights
A mail carrier suffered a minor injury after being shot Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood, according to police. Officers and EMS were called to the 1300 block of Hawthorne Court around 3 p.m. and found a man who had walked to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire’s Engine No....
Police: Landslide briefly blocks Route 993 in North Huntingdon
Route 993 in North Huntingdon is open after being closed for several hours Friday evening after a small landslide, one of a host of rain-related incidents across the region as more than 2 inches fell on Western Pennsylvania. Broadway Street (Route 993) between Irwin and Shafton was closed after a...
Pine Run, tributaries spill over near at Washington Township mobile home parkVideo
Thomas Bowers has lived at his home on Goldfinch Drive in Washington Township for nearly three decades and weathered storms plenty worse than the steady rain that fell across the region all day Friday. “I’ve had water all the way around the house before,” Bowers said. “But the houses around...
Franklin Regional considers 2022-23 budget with 2.75 mill tax hike
Franklin Regional school board members will consider a final 2022-23 budget next month that calls for a 2.75-mill tax hike — roughly $95 more per year for the average district homeowner. This would be the first time in five years that the district has opted for a tax hike significantly...
