Patrick Varine stories, Page 96
Pennsylvania to receive ‘hundreds of millions’ to help fund rural internet expansion
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey recently said Pennsylvania will receive more than $20 million to expand broadband and high-speed internet access in the Southern Alleghenies region. It is part of a number of efforts statewide to extend high-speed internet in a more equitable way. Last summer, the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate...
Delmont officials headed to court over eminent-domain request for sewage project
A Westmoreland County judge has ordered an evidentiary hearing as Delmont officials continue trying to condemn land in neighboring Salem Township, where they are planning a multi-million-dollar sewage project over the objections of the property owners. Delmont is invoking eminent domain in order to obtain a permanent easement on Salem...
Franklin Regional officials start repurposing stately Newlonsburg Elementary building
To say Newlonsburg Elementary School has quite a bit of history is probably an understatement. “Our finance director’s grandmother graduated in this building, back when it was Franklin Township High School,” said Superintendent Gennaro Piraino, sitting in his office in the new administrative center, which has been relocated to the...
Kittanning police seek man who escaped custody following arrest
Kittanning police are searching for a Manorville man who escaped police custody on Thursday. Dalton K. Mull, 28, was initially arrested Thursday night on charges of burglary, terroristic threats and simple assault. While in custody, Mull escaped from the back of a police cruiser. He is wanted on the above...
Poetry pop-up event to generate buzz for 1st Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books
For Danielle Obisie-Orlu, words are life. “They’re what people use to create, to destroy and to connect,” said Obisie-Orlu, 20, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh who is the City of Asylum Allegheny County Poet Laureate for 2021-2022. “If you know how to form them and use them, you...
Missing Cambria County teen believed to be in Pittsburgh area, police say
State police said they believe a Cambria County teen who left his home in October may be in the Pittsburgh area. Troopers are continuing their search for Jase W. Spiridigliozzi, 16, who voluntarily left his home in Reade Township the night of Oct. 24 and has not returned home since....
Murrysville area: FRAA opening day, glass recycling dates, Bible study group, more
Submit news, briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com. Athletic association sets opening day for April 23 The Franklin Regional Athletic Association will host its 2022 opening day April 23 at Murrysville Community Park. Opening ceremonies will take place at noon in the park, 4056 Wiestertown Road in Murrysville. Team practices...
Invisible Man Brewing secures enough Girl Scout cookies to host brew pairing event
Cookies and milk are a classic combination. Kids love them. Santa loves them. Cookies and beer? Not quite as common. Despite supply-chain issues that have affected the delivery of Girl Scout cookies in some parts of the country, the annual treats will be paired with several local beers, courtesy of...
1 dead following crash in North Versailles
A 59-year-old man died of injuries following a two-vehicle crash in North Versailles on Wednesday night. Emergency officials responded to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Congress Street at 10:52 p.m. where a Dodge Caravan with two passengers struck a Ford Explorer with a single male driver. All three people...
Derry Township home destroyed by early-morning fire
A Derry Township home was gutted by a fire early Thursday morning. Emergency crews were called to the 1500 block of High Street near its intersection with Route 982 shortly after 1:30 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. No one was home at the time, according to Tribune-Review...
Ohio woman embezzled $2.1M from Beaver credit union to buy 4-wheelers, farm animals, FBI says
An Ohio woman sentenced in January on charges of embezzling more than $2 million from a Beaver credit union spent much of it on agricultural purchases, including attempting to start a pig farm, federal investigators said. Stacey Shaw of Salem, Ohio, was sentenced to more than four years in prison...
2 men charged in connection with PNC Bank robbery in Washington
Two Pittsburgh-area men were indicted Monday on charges of robbing a PNC Bank in Washington last fall, according to the FBI. Anthony West, 28, formerly of McKees Rocks, and Brandin Gardner, 25, of Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of robbery and conspiracy to...
Ohio man charged in Duquesne Heights shooting that left man in critical condition
Pittsburgh police have arrested an Ohio man in a shooting in the city’s Duquesne Heights neighborhood that left another man in critical condition. Police were called just after 3 a.m. Wednesday to the scene in the 1400 block of Grandview Avenue. Neil Toalston, 27, of Alliance, was charged later Wednesday...
Police say no injuries after Hill District business owner, attempted robbers exchange gunfire
Pittsburgh police said no one was reported injured when a Hill District business owner traded gunshots with three people during an attempted robbery Tuesday night. Police were called to the 2300 block of Webster Avenue just before 7:30 p.m. for a reported robbery. Three suspects entered the store and tried...
Nonprofit seeks Allegheny County residents to form solar co-op
The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Solar United Neighbors is looking for about 80 Allegheny County residents interested in joining a co-op to get better bargaining power when it comes to pricing on solar equipment. And for the first time in Pennsylvania, the nonprofit is providing a limited number of free solar...
2 men in critical condition following McKeesport shooting
Two men were in critical condition after being shot late Monday in a McKeesport apartment, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers were called to the Hi-View Gardens Apartments on Sixth Street around 11:30 p.m., according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI, where they found two men ages 21 and 22, who...
Pittsburgh man fired gun near West Penn Hospital, fought with officers, police say
A Pittsburgh man was arrested in early Tuesday after Pittsburgh police say he fired a gun near West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield. Officers said they were responding to a report of shots being fired on Milgate Street just after midnight when they heard a gunshot as they approached the hospital....
Fire crews battle fire at Valley Hotel bar in ClairtonVideo
A Clairton bar was damaged heavily by a fire Sunday night, and fire crews were called back shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday morning. Firefighters responded to the Valley Hotel bar on New England Hollow Road around 9 p.m. Sunday night. An Allegheny County 911 supervisor said fire crews were...
Kiski traffic stop yields unlicensed gun, drugs
Two men were arrested Saturday night after Kiski Township police say they were driving a car with marijuana and an unlicensed gun inside. Police conducted a traffic stop shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday night along Route 56 near McKinstry Hill Road. The vehicle’s occupants, Clevon Helton, 21, of Pittsburgh and...
Franklin Regional students prepare to stage ‘The Little Mermaid’ in March
Getting into character generally isn’t a huge challenge for Franklin Regional senior Haylee Phillips. Unless that character is Flotsam, an evil eel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.” Then it’s a little trickier. “I get to wear heelies, so I can skate around,” said Phillips, 17, referring to tennis shoes with...
1 in custody following brief standoff in Export
One person was taken into custody by state police around 11:30 p.m. Friday after a brief standoff in Export. State police and Murrysville police closed a small part of the lower section of Italy Road in the borough while responding to a domestic situation. Police were called to Italy Road...
Coroner: Warren County man killed in Madison crash
A Warren County man was killed Friday night after his car veered off the road and collided with a tree in Madison, according to the Westmoreland County coroner. John D. Kelly, 73, of Sugar Grove Township was the lone occupant of the vehicle when it crashed in the 300 block...
Murrysville Watch Committee makes final appeal to challenge fracking ordinance
After being rebuffed by the state’s Commonwealth Court in its appeal of a challenge to Murrysville’s unconventional gas drilling ordinance, members of the Murrysville Watch Committee will appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Committee attorney John Smith filed a petition this week asking for the state’s highest court to consider...
1 in critical condition following shooting in Mt. Washington neighborhood
One person is in critical condition following a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood, according to police. Officers responded to Craighead Street, between Iberia and Eureka streets, shortly before 7:30 p.m. for a ShotSpotter alert. They found a male victim had been shot. He was transported to a local hospital,...
Southbound I-79 in Franklin Park area reopens after crash closed it for hours
The southbound lanes of Interstate 79 reopened shortly before 5 p.m., following a multi-vehicle crash between the I-279 and Mt. Nebo Road exits in the Franklin Park area. Emergency personnel were on scene shortly after the crash was reported around 3 p.m., according to PennDOT officials. PennDOT officials are advising...
