TribLive stories, Page 1298
Editorial: Poor school covid testing participation subverts parent choice
Pennsylvania has more than 5,000 schools. They come in all stripes. Public and private. Charter and Catholic and cyber. They nurture and educate and safeguard millions of children across the state. So why did only 750 of those schools take advantage of the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s offer of free,...
Letter to the editor: Impeachment reserved for crimes
I am amazed at how many right-wing politicians and voters completely misunderstand, and how casually they bring up, the somber issue of presidential impeachment. The United States impeaches our presidents for committing crimes. There is no other reason that justifies impeachment. We can vote a president out in national elections...
The Stroller, Feb. 20, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Drive-through food...
Letter to the editor: Founding Fathers may have anticipated turmoil of political parties
There must be a reason the Founding Fathers did not place any mention of political parties in the Constitution. Perhaps it was just something that never came up in their discussions. Perhaps in their wisdom, they anticipated that something like a political party might grow too powerful and become a...
Butler boys, South Fayette girls star at TSTCA indoor track meet
Star sprinter Guinness Brown of Butler turned in four first-place finishes, two in individual events and two in relays, to headline the performance of WPIAL athletes at the TSTCA indoor meet at Edinboro on Saturday. Brown won the 200- and 400-meter dashes and was part of winning teams in the...
SSA students named National Merit finalists
Five members of the Shady Side Academy Class of 2022 have been named finalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. They will compete for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarship awards worth more than $30 million, which will be offered this spring. The...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 19, 2022
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Tuesday’s schedule North Hills (22-0) bye; Baldwin (12-10) at North Allegheny (14-8), 7 p.m.; Hempfield (7-15) at Mt. Lebanon (14-8), 7 p.m.; Penn-Trafford (9-12) at Upper St. Clair (15-7), 7 p.m.; Fox Chapel (21-1) bye; Bethel Park (16-6) at Pine-Richland...
Shock gas, grocery price hikes spur states to pursue tax relief
Rapidly climbing inflation in the U.S. is accelerating calls from governors and state leaders to provide immediate tax relief to cash-strapped residents facing higher prices on everyday products such as gas, milk and electricity. The governors of Maine and Kentucky this week joined states including Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Alabama,...
Conservative strategies for a post-Roe world face roadblock
Republican lawmakers in a handful of conservative states have stumbled on a roadblock to what they thought would be a clear path to setting new restrictions on abortion if the Supreme Court upends the landmark Roe v. Wade decision: right-to-privacy protections enshrined in their own state constitutions. In states where...
George Guido: Willie Thrower luncheon set for April 9
On the 20th anniversary of Willie Thrower’s death, it’s a good time to look at the upcoming luncheon to decide the region’s top quarterback. The second annual Willie Thrower Award will be issued April 9 at the New Kensington Quality Inn. Thrower, a New Kensington High School graduate who became...
Sounding off: Biden, Casey, protect our borders first
I cannot attend one of President Biden’s press conferences or Pennsylvania’s Sen. Bob Casey’s. But, if anyone knows someone who can, could you have them ask one or more of my questions for me? President Biden and/or Senator Casey, you have to know that there is a tremendous amount of...
David Shmoys: Utilizing the power of algorithm modeling for fairer elections
In every representative democracy, free and fair elections in which voters choose their representatives is the foundation of democratic health. This ensures every citizen has equal representation and access to the political process, while each individual’s vote is weighed the same. Unfortunately, there are mechanisms like gerrymandering that hijack this...
Carlynton grad Angela Baker joins New York Giants coaching staff
Angela Baker continues to climb the ranks in the NFL. The Carlynton graduate and former Pittsburgh Passion quarterback was hired Friday as an offensive quality control coach and minority coaching fellow with the New York Giants, according to an ESPN report. Baker spent the 2020 and ‘21 NFL seasons working...
Plea deal reached in Conneaut Lake boat mishap case
A plea deal was reached Friday in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas in connection with a Conneaut Lake boating mishap that caused $200,000 in damages last year. Two of four summary violation convictions were appealed to county court by Mario DeBlasio. At a hearing Dec. 9, 2021, DeBlasio, 56,...
Fox Chapel’s Emi Kartsonas makes mark in multiple sports at Aquinas Academy
Emi Kartsonas has been one of the area’s busiest student-athletes, and it looks like she won’t be slowing down anytime soon. The Aquinas Academy senior has had an outstanding high school career, lettering in basketball, field hockey and lacrosse, and those teams have all made the WPIAL playoffs each of...
Fox Chapel community mourns Mark Bellinger, who revitalized crew program
In the early 1990s, Dr. Mark Bellinger bought a scull and took up rowing for personal exercise. His daughter, Katie, thought it looked fun and began urging her father to help start a rowing team at Fox Chapel Area High School. It turned out to be the start of a...
Before speeding off to Youngstown State, North Hills swimmer excited for WPIAL meet
As Maddie Mahoney learned, she also grew an appreciation for teaching. That’s why Mahoney wants to study early childhood education when she heads to Youngstown State this fall. She also will do a little swimming. Mahoney, a senior at North Hills, committed to the Penguins in December, a culmination of...
Family, opportunity led North Hills speedster Dickerson to Robert Morris
After an explosive high school football career and a winding, challenging recruiting process, Robert Dickerson has found a home for the next four years. And he will have to drive only a few miles down the road to get there. Dickerson, North Hills’ dynamic wide receiver, committed to Robert Morris...
North Allegheny notebook: Wrestling caps team season with split
North Allegheny’s boys wrestling team split its final dual meet matches of the season Feb. 15. The Tigers defeated Penn-Trafford, 40-28, and lost to Connellsville, 54-9. Against the Falcons, Dylan Coy picked up a decision at 126 pounds, and Casey Walker won by forfeit at 106. In the win over...
Keith Tidman and Richard Sherins: Uprooting racism in America
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin,” declared the legendary civil-rights leader Nelson Mandela in his tireless battle against racism. “People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can learn to love,” he averred. Yet racism in America...
Letter to the editor: Biden demonstrating his racism again
President Biden is at it again. He announced that his selection for the Supreme Court will be a Black woman. This statement excludes all white women and all men, both Black and white. Racist? During the campaign Biden stated his selection for VP would be a woman of color. This...
Letter to the editor: Thank a female veteran today
Feb. 19 is National Vet Girls RISE Day, when we recognize women veterans for their service and sacrifice. At Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, an important part of our mission is to empower veterans’ transition from homeless to home and end the cycle of homelessness. Our Female Veteran Program offers...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners can set example with human services department
Westmoreland County commissioners are moving forward with plans to take all of the county’s various human service offices and fuse them into one department. On Thursday, they hired a consultant — Don Goughler, 76, of Harrison — to assemble the pieces and hire a director to take the reins. This...
Letter to the editor: Money is today’s magic medicine
In the last century, deadly diseases included tuberculosis, flu, smallpox, measles, yellow fever, polio, pneumonia, syphilis. Cures or vaccinations were found (in order listed) in 1921, 1940, 1796, 1963, 1938, 1950, 1977 and 1928. Note that at these times higher education was either rare or not common. Today college graduates...
The Stroller, Feb. 19, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Applications being...
