TribLive stories, Page 1546
DA Zappala says office halted plea deals with Black attorney to avoid ‘false claims of racism’
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr., under fire this week for his May 18 email in which he prohibited his prosecutors from making plea offers to a Black attorney who complained of “systematic racism” in the DA’s office, says he did so “to ensure that this office makes...
Plum High School graduation moved to Friday due to weather concerns
Plum School District officials have moved commencement to Friday evening due to expected inclement weather tonight. The announcement was posted on the district’s website and social media pages. School board president Mike Devine said officials were monitoring the weather forecasts and decided to move the ceremony based on the reports....
Feds reportedly investigating whether Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justiceVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal investigators are exploring whether U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justice by attempting to influence a witness in the federal sex trafficking probe targeting him, according to a pair of new reports. According to Politico, the obstruction element of the case concerns a phone conversation between the...
Justice Department reportedly opens probe into Hunter Biden-linked consulting firm
The U.S. Justice Department has reportedly launched an investigation into Blue Star Strategies, a consulting firm linked to President Joe Biden’s son, for potential illegal lobbying. Hunter Biden sat on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company that was one of Blue Star’s clients. According to Politico, the Delaware...
FBI investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over campaign donations
WASHINGTON — U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is under investigation by the FBI over campaign contributions made by his employees before he took the federal job last year, his spokesman said. DeJoy, a donor to former President Donald Trump, “has always been scrupulous in his adherence to the campaign contribution...
Don’t like the ‘woke’ casting of Netflix’s ‘Sandman’ series? Neil Gaiman doesn’t care
Neil Gaiman’s revered comic book series “The Sandman” from the ’80s and ’90s is finally being made into a television series for Netflix. The comic was a genre-busting, gender-bending horror-ish fantasia that simply didn’t care about convention. So when self-proclaimed fans objected to the show casting nonbinary and Black actors,...
United bets on supersonic future with $3 billion Boom jet orderVideo
United Airlines is jumping into the potential market for supersonic travel with the first firm order for Boom Technology Inc.’s Overture aircraft, wagering that business flyers will pay top dollar for speedier trips across oceans. The airline will buy 15 of the supersonic jets, which are expected to carry passengers...
Tarentum Dunkin’ open again after health department closure
The Tarentum Dunkin’ reopened last week after a closure by the Allegheny County Health Department for a sewage leak and other violations, records show. The East 10th Avenue coffee and doughnut shop was ordered to close May 21 after an inspection that same day. Inspectors noted sewage coming from a...
Bridgeville artist wins Westmoreland Art Nationals Best in Show Award
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Letter to the editor: Country needs more centrists
As a senior citizen who has become “invisible” to most political people who are under the age of 50, I believe our country needs to have more political “moderates” and “centrists” than we do now. I think we were better off in the 1960s when about 20% to 30% of...
Letter to the editor: Investing abroad makes for more stable world
With the U.S. economy struck hard by covid-19, you may think an easy budget cut would be the international affairs budget, but I urge you to reconsider. Former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge said, “By building new markets overseas for American products, the international affairs budget creates jobs and...
Editorial: Vaccine incentives aren’t the Pennsylvania way (right?)
Hey, where is our big money jackpot? Promising giant paydays as a possibility for coronavirus vaccination is the kind of thing that is attracting attention in some states. Ohio recently made Abbigail Bugenske, 22, of Silverton the first vaccination recipient turned millionaire in the state’s Vax-a-Million lottery. Teen winner Joseph...
The Stroller, June 3, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
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. Saltsburg Canal Days weekend kicks off Friday The 39th annual Saltsburg Historic Canal Days Festival will be Friday through Sunday in...
Letter to the editor: Stopping an ungodly agenda
The lies, deception and corruption occurring in America today are of biblical proportions. The assault on our psychological, intellectual, physical and spiritual existence is vicious and relentless. We are in the fight of our lives against the powers of darkness. History proves that in this fiercely competitive and corrupt world,...
Alex Dixon leads Riverhounds to 2nd straight road win
Alex Dixon had a hand in creating all three goals as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds picked up their second straight road win with a 3-2 victory over Loudoun United on Wednesday night in Virginia. The Riverhounds took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when a Dixon cross from the left...
Pirates farm report for June 2, 2021: Oneil Cruz has 4 hits, homer for Altoona
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 12-12) and Columbus (Indians) were rained out. They will play a doubleheader at 5:05 p.m. Friday. Next: Thursday vs. Columbus (Indians), 7:05 p.m. ALTOONA (Double-A, 16-9) beat Richmond (Giants), 9-4, behind a 4-for-5 showing by SS Oneil Cruz. Cruz hit a two-run homer, his fifth, and drove in...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for June 2, 2021
High schools Baseball WPIAL playoffs Class 5A Consolation Wednesday’s result Peters Township 2, West Allegheny 1 Class 4A Championship Wednesday’s result New Castle 5, Montour 0 Class 3A Championship Wednesday’s result Hopewell 6, South Park 5 Consolation Wednesday’s result McGuffey 2, Avonworth 1 Class 2A Championship Wednesday’s result Shenango 2,...
High school roundup for June 2, 2021: McGuffey baseball earns state tournament bid
Winning pitcher Jake Orr went 6⅔ innings, giving up one run and striking out 10, and hit an RBI double in the fifth inning to lead No. 4 McGuffey to a 2-1 victory over No. 2 Avonworth in the Class 3A baseball consolation game Wednesday afternoon. The Highlanders (14-5) claimed...
NASA chief announces 2 new Venus missions after agency’s $25 billion budget requestVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — New NASA Administrator Bill Nelson gave his first State of NASA address on Wednesday plotting out the agency’s plans to continue the Artemis program to return humans to the moon as well as new Earth-centric missions as part of the largest science budget ask ever for the...
North Hills overwhelms Armstrong, wins school’s 1st WPIAL softball title in 21 years
North Hills softball coach Libby Gasior said pitcher Sophia Roncone doesn’t necessarily like much attention focused on her. But holding a team that has scored at least nine runs in 13 of its games to just a pair of first-inning runs is sure to bring attention to her effort. Roncone...
The 501 to bring outdoor music, family fun to New Derry
Rachele Morelli spent the past year looking for an outdoor venue that fit her entrepreneurial aspiration: an open-air family entertainment park. She closed on a New Derry property in April. Named The 501 because of its location at 501 Longview Court, the park is intended to provide the community with...
Allegheny County judge halts plea deals amid questions surrounding DA Zappala
Criminal justice advocates and elected officials are calling for the resignation of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. after an email he sent banning plea offers to a Black attorney who called his office “systematically racist” became public. Additionally, an Allegheny County judge is now refusing to accept...
Trump shuts down blog after less than a month
Former President Donald Trump is going to have to find a new way to reach his MAGA supporters. The exiled tweeter in chief scrapped his personal blog after less than a month amid poor readership numbers and his indefinite ban from social media. Once hosted on donaldjtrump.com, the “From the...
Westmoreland happenings include sunset yoga, strawberry festival and food trucks
Church events • First Church of God, West Newton, will have vacation Bible school from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. June 13 to 17 at the church, 157 N. Second St. Registration and questions: 724-872-7467 Class • Laurelville Christian Retreat Center, 941 Laurelville Lane, Mt. Pleasant Township, will host outdoor Sunset...
Staffer Katie Byerly comes of age at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall
The Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall has been a big part of my life, teaching me many things that help me to this day. I have been working at the library for the past 20 years. It all started when I was a sophomore in high school and...
