TribLive stories, Page 1341
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 30, 2021
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Avella Tournament Cornell 58, Avella 56 Fort Cherry 48, Brownsville 43 McGuffey 56, Chartiers-Houston 50 Avonworth 80, Burgettstown 57 Brooke (WV) Tournament Consolation Bloom-Carroll (OH) 68, Cameron (WV) 32 Championship Mt. Lebanon 48, Brooke (WV) 39 Deer Lakes Tournament Consolation Steel Valley 52,...
High school roundup for Dec. 30, 2021: Avonworth takes Avella Tournament title
Jordan Kolenda scored a game-high 20 points to lead Avonworth to an 80-57 boys basketball victory over Burgettstown in the championship game of the Avella Tournament on Thursday. Tournament MVP Rowan Carmichael added 16 points and Peyton Faulkner had 10 for the Antelopes (7-1). Jackson LaRocka and Austin Nease led...
Researchers: 2 doses of J&J’s covid vaccine slashes omicron hospital stays
Two doses of Johnson & Johnson’s covid-19 vaccine slashed hospitalizations caused by the omicron variant in South Africa by up to 85%, a critical finding since the shot is being increasingly relied upon across the continent, researchers said. The results are a welcome bit of news as the explosive rise...
Addison Del Mastro: Pa. should embrace its heritage by restoring railways
Streetcars were once a ubiquitous presence in Pennsylvania’s cities and towns. This mode of transport — a symbol of America’s booming industrial age — was born in Scranton, which became known as “The Electric City” when it opened the first continuously operating electric trolley system in 1886. Soon thereafter, Scranton...
Laurels & Lances: The little highs and lows of 2021
The Laurels & Lances are where we laud or lambaste the kind of good and bad stories each week that don’t quite rise to the level of a full-blown editorial but still deserve to be called out for attention. January: The first laurel of the year went to two area...
‘He’s our guy’: Penn State AD discusses James Franklin’s contract extension, future with program
TAMPA, Fla. — For James Franklin, the 10-year contract extension he agreed to with Penn State last month was another step toward his goal of elevating the Nittany Lions program to be among the elite in college football. In Franklin’s view, that means a year-round commitment to the program from...
Notable deaths in Westmoreland County in 2021
Here are a few of the notable people who lived, served and loved Westmoreland County who died in 2021. State Rep. Mike Reese State Rep. Mike Reese, 42, of Mt. Pleasant Township, was a 12-year House veteran representing Westmoreland and Somerset county residents in the 59th Legislative District....
Charges dismissed against Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton, could be refiled
Criminal charges accusing Pitt basketball player Ithiel Horton of punching a city police officer were dismissed Thursday but are likely to be refiled, officials said. Magisterial District Randy Martini dismissed the charges after the prosecution attempted to postpone the case for a second time when witnesses failed to appear. Mike...
Penn State coach James Franklin discusses how team will adjust to opt outs for Outback Bowl
TAMPA — Penn State is traveling into uncharted waters on both sides of the ball as it prepares for Saturday’s Outback Bowl against No. 21 Arkansas. The team will have at least five absences on defense and two on offense as it tries to cobble together cohesive units. The Nittany...
Letter to the editor: Carbon emissions tax will hurt consumers
So letter-writer Bruce Cooper (“Biden’s climate order is not enough,” Dec. 21, TribLIVE) wants to tax carbon emissions at $20 per ton. Have you, Mr. Cooper, considered who will ultimately pay that tax? It’s not the utilities or the petroleum companies. They will simply pass along the added cost to...
Follow-ups by journalists to an earlier covid-related story uncovered a horrid reality in Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities
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Letter to the editor: Disingenuous tax plans
“Build Back Better” is purported to be legislation that transforms our economy from the so-called trickle-down effects of capitalism, which benefits only the rich, to one that presumes to grow from the bottom up and the middle out, that works for the good of lower and middle classes. A significant...
Brighton Rehab no stranger to federal, state scrutiny for resident care
When convicted sex offender Richard Marlin Walter assaulted a 57-year-old dementia patient at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center last December, it was not the first time trouble surfaced at the Beaver County nursing home. In 2020, the 589-bed facility became the epicenter of one of the nation’s deadliest outbreaks of...
Hidden danger: Registered sex offenders often go undetected in care homes, sometimes at an unspeakable cost
It was just a few days past Christmas 2020 when a 57-year-old woman with advanced dementia and a penchant for wandering the hallways stumbled into Richard Marlin Walter’s room at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. Frail, confused and robbed of her ability to speak, she couldn’t scream for help when...
This date in sports history: Dec. 30
1956 — The New York Giants win the NFL title with a 47-7 rout of the Chicago Bears. 1962 — The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 16-7 to win the NFL title for the second straight year. 1973 — The Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys 27-10...
Editorial: Nursing home residents deserve protection from sex offenders
On April 21, 1996, Megan’s Law went into effect in Pennsylvania. That made possible identifying sex offenders, keeping a registry of their location and notifying the community if someone with a record of sexual violence was living nearby. The law was named for Megan Kanka, 7, a New Jersey girl...
The Stroller, Dec. 30, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your events, club meetings 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. Leechburg Elks to host annual hoop shoot event The annual Leechburg Elks Hoop Shoot free throw competition will be at noon Jan....
Letter to the editor: Opioid settlement money will be misused
After reading the story “Westmoreland County signs on to $26B settlement in opioid lawsuit” (Dec. 20, TribLIVE), I couldn’t help think that settlement money will do nothing to stop a single addict from using and/or overdosing. The interesting part of the story was learning that J&J is the parent company...
High school roundup for Dec. 29, 2021: Chartiers Valley girls beat 2 ranked opponents in 1 day
The Chartiers Valley girls basketball team turned in a unique daily double Wednesday, defeating one ranked opponent in a 1 p.m. tip-off, hopping on a bus for a 60-mile trip and defeating another ranked foe in a 6:30 p.m. game. The Colts, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, began the...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 29, 2021
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Wednesday’s results Apollo-Ridge Tournament Consolation River Valley 60, Apollo-Ridge 40 Championship Leechburg 66, Neighborhood Academy 38 Aquinas Academy Tournament Consolation Geibel 80, Trinity Christian 54 Championship Keystone Oaks 75, Aquinas Academy 74 Avella Tournament Fort Cherry 72, Cornell 28 Brownsville 71, Avella 46 Avonworth 65,...
Kiski Area boys basketball needs 3 overtimes to defeat Knoch
Knoch entered the second game of its three in the Kiski Area Holiday Classic with a 2-5 record. But the Knights didn’t play like a 2-5 team against the 7-1 host Cavaliers. Ultimately, Kiski Area was able to push through in the third overtime to record a 52-50 victory, Dom...
David Campt and Allison Mahaley: Through compassion we can transform the current culture war
America is immersed in a culture war that is a new manifestation of its age-old problem with race. School board meetings across America have devolved into ugly protests about critical race theory. The strategy to rebrand CRT was created, organized and executed intentionally as a political wedge issue. Right-wing operative...
Lebanon County Commissioner William Ames dies at 81 of covid-19 complications
Lebanon County Commissioner William Ames, described by friends and colleagues as a good solid citizen and strong advocate for the county, died on Tuesday morning at Good Samaritan Hospital. Ames, 81, was in his third four-year term as a county commissioner, serving alongside fellow Republican Robert Phillips and Democrat Jo...
After missing 2 games with ankle injury, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson returns to practice WednesdayVideo
Lamar Jackson is back at practice, and Tyler Huntley could be available soon. The Baltimore Ravens won’t ever return to full strength this season, but with two games to play, perhaps the worst is behind them. Jackson was limited at practice Wednesday, but that’s a step in the right direction...
Food Podcast: The power of sharing stories of food insecurityVideo
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE podcast network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank talks about the power of sharing stories of food insecurity. “So many times food insecurity comes from a life event, a crisis,” said podcast host CJ...
