Email news briefs and event listings to pvarine@triblive.com.
Christmas Bird Count in Westmoreland County
Local residents are encouraged to volunteer for the annual Christmas Bird Count, a worldwide effort to document local bird populations.
The survey is the largest citizen science effort held for one day, between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands.
The Bushy Run Christmas Bird Count will take place on Dec. 28. For meet-up times and locations, and to register, contact Steve Manns at psuloon@yahoo.com or 724-516-2244.
The count circle is centered in the Salem Township area. Other counts throughout the region can be found at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania’s website, ASWP.org.
Data from the counts, as well as from two other annual counts, the Great Backyard Count in February and the Global Big Day counts in May and October, is submitted to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y. The data is used in the lab’s mission to study and monitor the health of the world’s roughly 10,000 bird species.
Not tax increase in Export budget
Export Council passed its 2025 budget on Dec. 10 without a tax increase.
The millage rate will remain at 14 mills.
Students earn state band honors
The following Franklin Regional students earned spots in Pennsylvania Music Educators Association select bands. Those noted with an asterisk (*) are also students at the Newlonsburg Music Academy in Murrysville.
• Honors Band: Noah Eaton*, Naomi Casey*, Esther Campanella*, Jake Miller*, Kendall Beighley*, Reagan Karda, A.J. Schmidt*, Nia Hanington*, Elsa Bandli*, Lacey Pribanic* and Gavin Lichok*
• District Band: Elaine Liao, Addison Ferguson*, Noah Venters, Jenna Munkittrick*, Shawn Stewart*, Lucas Kozuch*, Isaac Eaton*, Noah Eaton, Casey, Campanella, Miller, Beighley, Karda, Hanington, Bandli, Pribanic, Lichok and Schmidt
• Honors Jazz Band: Max Morton*
• Honors Orchestra: Ilana Aranovich
• District Orchestra: Alethea Foster, Schmidt, Hanington, Lichok, Miller and Aranovich
Council president plans to run for mayor
Murrysville Council President Dayne Dice has announced his candidacy for Murrysville mayor.
Dice has served as a Murrysville Council member for seven years, six as president. He is an attorney specializing in representing municipalities, school districts and municipal authorities, and has served as council’s liaison to the Franklin Township Municipal Sanitary Authority.
Dice is a 20-year resident of Murrysville and lives with his wife Kelly, a registered nurse and piano teacher.
Additional Old William Penn bridge work
Murrysville officials said construction crews plan to do additional milling and paving work around the recently-reopened Old William Penn Highway bridge over Turtle Creek near Hills Church Road.
Murrysville Chief Administrator Michael Nestico said the majority of the paving would need to wait until spring, but work crews would do what they could, depending on the weather.
The bridge underwent temporary repairs in the fall to bring its weight limit rating back up to 16 tons.
American Legion scholarships
The Pennsylvania American Legion is taking entries for its annual essay contest. Winners will receive $3,500, $3,000 or $2,500 scholarships.
The contest is open to students in multiple categories: grades 6-8 and 9-12. Students can be from public, private, parochial, cyber/charter or home-schooled.
Students must submit their essay by mail or hand delivery to their local American Legion post by Jan. 8, 2025 for those in grades 9-12, and by Feb. 5, 2025, for those in grades 6-8. Complete rules and regulations are available at PA-legion.com/programs/student-and-youth/essay-program or by emailing wareagles79@hotmail.com.
The Legion also hosts an oratorical contest with scholarships offering $7,500, $5,000 and $4,000. That contest is only open to those in grades 9-12. More information is available at Legion.org/oratorical or by emailing jgdrnjevich@aol.com.
Holiday events
• A special Polar Express event along with a live reading of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” will take place at 5 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Delmont Public Library with guest Kenneth Serfass.
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Serfass regularly appears at local libraries and events, typically as a re-enactor portraying past presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.
The event is for children ages 2-10. Registration is required by calling 724-468-5329 and only 20 spots are available.
The library is at 75 School Street in Delmont.
• Breakfast with Santa, 9-11 a.m. Dec. 14 at the Delmont Volunteer Fire Department, 2360 Route 66. Cost is $7 for adults, $4 for children ages 3-9, and free for children under 3 years old.
The morning will include Santa’s arrival at 9 a.m., letters to Santa, a coloring contest and a special treat for all participating children.
Reservations are required by calling 724-689-5591.
• Monticello Lights, 6-9 p.m. Dec. 14-15 along Monticello Drive in Delmont. Enjoy some of the most intense holiday decorating you’re likely to encounter as the neighborhood competes to see who can earn the most donations for Delmont Meals on Wheels and WTAE’s Project Bundle-Up.
Attendees can “vote” on their favorite house by donating as they drive by in person or via Venmo.
• A special live reading of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by Kenneth Serfass will take place Dec. 14 at Trinity United Church of Christ in Delmont.
The reading will be at noon, Dec. 14 at the church, 39 East Pittsburgh Street in Delmont.
Attendees are invited to bring a food item to donate to the Westmoreland Food Bank, a new unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots program or a new pet toy for the Action for Animals shelter in Latrobe.
Refreshments will be available during a 20-minute intermission and after the program.
No registration is required; the program is free to attend.
• Delmont Holidaze, 3-7 p.m. Dec. 15 at Rose Wigfield Parklet, 27 Greensburg Street. The afternoon will include live music, food trucks, craft vendors, a kids’ activity area and a parade with Santa and the Elf Squad at 3 p.m.
In addition, the borough will give away a dozen brand-new bicycles and children will receive a special toy from Santa.