TribLive stories, Page 1178

Since the inception of the six PIAA classifications, the Penn-Trafford boys basketball team has followed a steady uptrend. The Warriors had just five wins during the 2016-17 season, but finished with double-digit wins the past three seasons and advanced to the WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinals a year ago. Getting back...

Every once in a while, we get a bracing reminder that free speech has its limits. Alex Jones, the barking far-right conspiracy theorist, suffered a sweeping legal loss recently when judges in two states ruled against him in defamation lawsuits brought by the families of victims of a mass shooting...

The Penn Trafford girls basketball team made a return to the WPIAL playoffs last winter. The Warriors, who finished 10-7 and 9-5 in Section 1-6A, started the season with six consecutive wins but stumbled down the stretch before falling to Baldwin in the first round of the playoffs. This year’s...

As wrestling and other winter sports prepare to take center stage starting Friday, the only real change in wrestling rules regards matches in one day. Now, wrestlers cannot represent their school in more than one weight class in any meet or wrestle in more than five matches in one day...

NEW YORK — One week into Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial, the jury has already been on board Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet and inside his Palm Beach mansion. But they’ve also seen the stained table on which he demanded three massages a day. The deep immersion into luxurious, lascivious world of...

Carol Badgley, in her letter “Loss of Bacha as coroner a shame for Westmoreland residents” laments that a political newcomer, Tim Carson, defeated the incumbent, Ken Bacha, as Westmore­land County coroner because, as she explains, “elections have come down to party rather than who is more qualified for the position.”...

The idea of “abolishing” or “defunding” the police has always struck me as risky, to say the least, and not very well thought through. It has the potential to cause at least as many problems as it solves. So when some school districts actually decided give it a try, I...

SOMERSET — A Pennsylvania state prison inmate was handed two life sentences in Somerset County court on Friday for killing his cellmate at SCI-Somerset in 2018. Judge Scott P. Bittner sentenced Dale Michael Wakefield, 29, to life in prison for first-degree murder and life in prison for assault by a...

Expectations are on the rise for the Plum wrestling team this winter. The Mustangs return several contributors from last year who had winning records and will be looking to make some noise in Class 3A. Coach Mike Supak expects his wrestlers to achieve team success as well as some individual...

Search “toxic parents” on Instagram, and you’ll find more than 38,000 posts, largely urging young adults to cut ties with their families. The idea is to protect one’s mental health from abusive parents. However, as a psychoanalyst, I’ve seen that trend in recent years become a way to manage conflicts...

I used to have a good time on East Carson Street a few years ago, but lately the crime has been ridiculous. After reading the article “Man in critical condition following double shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side” (Nov. 26, TribLIVE), I fear for the safety of those who just want...

Since that “can of worms” called the Pittsburgh International Airport has been opened, let’s continue with a little reason. First, get rid of the name Pittsburgh International and just call it the Pittsburgh Airport. Flights to Toronto hardly qualify it to have the name. The Pirates have accepted our status...

Threats can be easily dismissed. A threat, after all, is not the same thing as the act itself. Being threatened with a lawsuit is not the same as being sued. Threatening to call the police is not the same as picking up the phone. A threat’s meaning has been diluted...

Publicize your club meetings, community events and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Burtner House Restoration Society Christmas ornaments available Burtner House Restoration Society is selling handcrafted Christmas tree ornaments to celebrate the 200th...

Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has “predicted” that if NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams brings back the city’s plainclothes anti-crime unit there will be “riots” and “bloodshed.” How can BLM or antifa or anyone get away with these threats? Because it’s allowed by the socialists in the media, blue...

Serra Catholic has developed a reputation as the most ball-hawking defense in the WPIAL, and nothing the Eagles did Friday night did anything to change that. In a PIAA Class 2A semifinal matchup with the Farrell Steelers of District 10, the Eagles used six takeaways to win 27-18, booking a...

With Martinsburg Central rallying for a potential game-tying touchdown inside the Central Valley 5, the Warriors needed a big stop Friday night. Matt Merritt tackled Red Dragons quarterback Jeff Hoenstine at the 2, and on fourth down, Hoenstine was chased into making an incomplete pass. On the next play from...

Mark Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, a successful entertainment firm and a string of start-up companies — including a new drug company he hopes will lower prescription costs. And now the Dallas billionaire also owns an entire Texas town. Cuban, a native of Mt. Lebanon, just purchased the Navarro County...

High schools Football PIAA playoffs Class 6A Semifinals Saturday’s schedule Garnet Valley (14-0) vs. St. Joseph’s Prep (10-2) at Ridley, 7 p.m.; State College (8-5) vs. Mt. Lebanon (13-0) at Altoona’s Mansion Park, 1 p.m. Class 5A Semifinals Friday’s results Imhotep Charter 36, Strath Haven 0 Penn-Trafford 49, Exeter Township...

When my father played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Danny Murtaugh was his manager for most of his career. Murtaugh is again under consideration for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and based on his record and his character, he should be elected this time. Murtaugh had the ability to put...