Tom Fontaine stories, Page 5
Fetterman calls out Democrats for ‘unhinged petulance’ during Trump address
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, called out members of his own party for their protests during President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday night. “A sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday afternoon on the social media...
Pa. Republican says he’ll protect Medicaid’s ‘core mission’ while looking for budget savings
Democratic members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation railed against the budget blueprint that passed the House on Tuesday night, warning it could result in steep cuts to Medicaid. But an Altoona Republican who serves on a committee tasked with coming up with $880 billion in savings over 10 years says he...
Sewickley’s Jason Richey in line to become Allegheny County GOP chair
A Sewickley attorney who formerly ran for governor is in line to become the next chairman of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, as both of his opponents have dropped out of the race. The Allegheny County GOP is scheduled to hold an election Saturday to replace outgoing Chairman Sam...
Newly elected Democratic chairman begins national tour in Western Pa.
In his first road trip as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin made Western Pennsylvania his first stop, meeting Tuesday morning with steelworkers in Pittsburgh and campaigning in the afternoon with a state House candidate in McKeesport. Martin said the two stops signify what’s most important to him...
Hip-hop at 50: Where does Pittsburgh fit in?
Paradise Gray was a young boy growing up in the Bronx when what would become known as hip-hop began taking shape. “We didn’t call it hip-hop back then — that wouldn’t happen until later. But the music, the culture was everywhere,” said Gray, 59, now of Pittsburgh’s North Side. Gray,...
Roberto Clemente book deemed ‘appropriate,’ returns to Fla. school district shelves
An illustrated children’s biography of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente is back on shelves in Florida’s Duval County Public Schools after being reviewed and approved for use in classrooms and libraries. The school district said in a news release that its certified reading specialists are in the process of reviewing...
Florida school district pulls children’s book about Roberto Clemente off shelves
A large Florida school district has pulled an illustrated children’s biography of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente off its shelves to determine whether it is “developmentally appropriate for student use.” Duval County Public Schools, which includes the city of Jacksonville, said in a news release it is “taking further steps...
50th anniversary of Roberto Clemente’s death brings ‘mixed emotions’
At some point on New Year’s Eve, Tom Walker and his wife of 48 years, Carolyn, will raise a toast in their Pine Township home to the man who Walker says saved his life a half-century ago: Roberto Clemente. “None of this, none of the blessings I’ve had in life,...
Trump, quiet since announcing reelection bid, makes ‘major announcement’ to hawk trading cards of himself
Former President Donald Trump has kept a low profile since announcing last month that he’s running for president again. That is, until Thursday. Trump took to social media and the internet to make what he called “a major announcement.” No, it wasn’t to announce his running mate or weigh in...
5 takeaways from the midterm election in Pennsylvania
While many people were sleeping overnight Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s political landscape changed in some significant — and historic — ways. Here are some of the key takeaways from this year’s crucial midterm election: Dems to hold both U.S. Senate seats Democrat John Fetterman declared victory in his U.S. Senate race against...
Undeterred by losses, diehard Pirates fans flock to PNC Park for season finale
The Pittsburgh Pirates entered Wednesday’s season finale with 100 losses, but that didn’t dampen Rob North’s enthusiasm for what would be the team’s last game until next year. “What’s not to love about coming to the ballpark and having fun?” said North, 35, of Shadyside, as he stood outside PNC...
50 years later, Roberto Clemente remains gatekeeper of MLB’s 3,000-hit club
Fifty years ago today, Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente laced a double off New York Mets rookie pitcher Jon Matlack to join one of baseball’s most exclusive fraternities: the 3,000-hit club. “I still think it was a pretty good pitch,” Matlack, now 72, recently told the Tribune-Review, describing the curveball...
Roberto Clemente: Keeping the Dream AliveVideo
Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly 50 years after the...
Clemente family, Puerto Rican government ‘at war’ to keep Pirate legend’s Sports City dream aliveVideo
CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly...
Increased covid-19, labor costs eat into UPMC’s 1st-quarter income
UPMC reported a sharp decline in operating and investment income during the year’s first quarter, with the health care giant pointing to continued financial challenges from covid-19 and increased labor costs, according to an earnings report released Thursday. The report showed that UPMC had nearly $6.1 billion in total operating...
5 takeaways from Election Day in Western Pa.
Tuesday’s election didn’t produce any of the drama or tumult that we saw in 2020, but it turned out to be historically significant in other ways. Republicans shined in countywide races in Westmoreland County and races for the state’s appellate courts, while Black and women candidates came up big in...
Incumbent, 2 challengers poised to win contested Allegheny County Council races
An incumbent and two challengers jumped out to early leads Tuesday in the three contested races for Allegheny County Council, according to unofficial results. In council’s District 1 race, with all precincts reporting results as of midnight, Democrat Jack Betkowski of Ross had collected 51.2% of the 23,629 votes counted...
Looking back at Trump’s strong connection with Western Pennsylvania
Outgoing President Trump’s frequent visits to Western Pennsylvania were emblematic of his time in office. He brought aspirational ideas. He made questionable claims. He galvanized supporters and detractors alike. He made his first official Pennsylvania campaign stop in Pittsburgh in April 2016. Trump, then the front-runner for the GOP nomination,...
Election 2020: What to watch for in the campaign’s final week
The race for the presidency is in the home stretch, with less than a week until Election Day. Pennsylvania figures to play a prominent role in what unfolds over the next week and who ultimately wins the White House. Here are five things to watch: Where will the campaigns go?...
5 takeaways from the dueling presidential town hallsVideo
Voters got to see a presidential debate after all Thursday night. But it wasn’t between President Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden. It was between Trump and NBC News’ Savannah Guthrie, who moderated one of the dueling town hall meetings held simultaneously in place of a...
5 takeaways from the presidential debate
So what did we learn from Tuesday night’s televised presidential debate? Not a whole lot. In a debate that figures to be remembered mostly for how much President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden insulted and talked over each other, what the candidates didn’t say and the opportunities...
Emily Kinkead leads incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl in primary challenge
Pittsburgh attorney Emily Kinkead led incumbent state Rep. Adam Ravenstahl early Wednesday in a Democratic primary race for state House, according to unofficial election returns. As of 6 a.m., Kinkead had collected 53% of the votes counted, while Ravenstahl had 47%, the unofficial tallies showed. Allegheny County officials were continuing...
Shell suspends work on multibillion-dollar cracker plant in Beaver CountyVideo
Shell Chemicals said Wednesday it will temporarily halt its multibillion-dollar project to build an ethane cracker plant in Beaver County because of coronavirus concerns. The company then plans to gradually ramp work back up at the sprawling site where about 8,000 people have been working. “The decision to pause was...
Chelsa Wagner wins another term as Allegheny County controller
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner rolled to a lopsided victory in Tuesday’s election despite an outstanding criminal case against her stemming from an alleged March 6 confrontation with police at a Detroit hotel, according to unofficial election results. The results showed that Wagner collected 63.2% of the votes cast compared...
2 incumbents, challenger win contested Allegheny County Council races
Two Allegheny County Council incumbents facing election challenges Tuesday cruised to victories, while a third incumbent was ousted, according to unofficial election results. Republican incumbent Cindy Kirk of McCandless collected 53.9% of the votes counted in District 2 to defeat Democratic challenger Christine Allen of Sewickley, who picked up 46%...

