TribLive stories, Page 159
Pittsburgh VA on pace to lose 3% of workforce by year’s end
More than 200 federal workers providing or supporting medical care for Pittsburgh-area veterans have left their jobs this year as the Trump administration pressures agencies to slim down. By its own count, the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System has lost 238 employees since January, with another 87 set to leave...
Pirates farm report for July 22, 2025: Ji Hwan Bae’s 4 hits help Indy win series opener
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 57-39) rolled past Toledo (Tigers), 7-1. 1B Billy Cook (.253) was 2 for 5 with a two-run homer. CF Ji Hwan Bae (.296) was 4 for 5 with a double, run scored and two RBIs. DH Nick Solak (.367) went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and a...
Hershey raising candy prices by double digits on high cocoa costs
Hershey Co. is raising prices on its candy because of historically high cocoa costs. The Pennsylvania-based maker of Hershey’s chocolates and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups told its retailers last week that it would be implementing a roughly double-digit price increase, company officials said Tuesday. That increase reflects a higher list...
House Republicans vote to rename Kennedy Center opera house after Melania Trump
Congressional Republicans are moving forward with a plan to rename the Kennedy Center opera house after Melania Trump. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson added an amendment to the Interior-Environment spending bill that most of the center’s funding for the 2026 fiscal year would be contingent on changing the name to the...
Gisele Fetterman says she would ‘never’ run for office and doesn’t want her husband, John Fetterman, running for presidentVideo
Gisele Barreto Fetterman said she does not want her husband, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, to run for president and dismissed “bizarre” speculation about her own political ambitions in a new interview with Meghan McCain for her podcast “Citizen McCain.” In a clip obtained by Fox News Digital, Barreto Fetterman said...
Erik Menendez seeking release from prison for serious medical condition, attorney says
LOS ANGELES — Erik Menendez is seeking to be released from prison as he receives treatment for a serious medical condition ahead of his parole hearing next month, his attorney said this week. Attorney Mark Geragos declined to share the specifics of the 54-year-old’s condition in an interview with TMZ....
Americans are paying for Trump’s tariffs, not foreign companies
Who’s paying for Donald Trump’s tariffs? So far, American businesses and consumers. General Motors Co. was the latest U.S. company to disclose how the levies are raising costs, with the automaker saying Tuesday that the duties dented profits by more than $1 billion as it chose to absorb the blow....
Suspect in ‘American Idol’ exec killing called 911 from victims’ home, but police didn’t find bodies for 4 days
LOS ANGELES — The man accused of killing “American Idol” music supervisor Robin Kaye and her rock musician husband, Tom DeLuca, in their home in Encino allegedly called 911 after the crime, the county’s top prosecutor said, yet it still took four more days to discover their bodies. Los Angeles...
Stacy Garrity: Is Shapiro taking notes from NYC mayoral race?
From New York City to San Francisco, voters are seeing their cities fall apart due to reckless crime policies, careless government spending and leaders who care more about quippy one-liners on social media than public safety. All eyes are now on New York City’s newest far-left sensation, Zohran Mamdani, whose...
Legal cannabis in Pa. would be overseen by state board, sold by private dispensaries under new proposal
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Despite a pressing need for lawmakers to find new revenue sources, recreational marijuana won’t be part of this year’s state budget. But the...
Failure to pay $3.6M in taxes on illegal workers leads to prison for Belle Vernon man
A Belle Vernon man who ran a temporary staffing agency and failed to pay $3.6 million in employment taxes for illegal employees will serve 2½ years in federal prison. Andy Ha, 28, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in February to...
Rep. Abby Major: The truth about cannabis legalization in Pa.
My name has been in the news recently for supporting a cannabis legalization effort here in Pennsylvania. While this may have surprised many of you (and myself), I have had my eyes opened this year to the realities that we are facing here in the commonwealth. Cannabis is already legal...
Gallery: Photos from July 22, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, July 22, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Lawyers ask Pa. Supreme Court to clamp down on Washington County DA’s use of death penalty
A team of defense attorneys on Tuesday asked the state Supreme Court to restrict Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh from pursuing the death penalty — accusing him of using capital punishment to coerce plea agreements and cooperation from defendants, and to earn political capital among supporters. The petition for...
Letter to the editor: Nobel Peace Prize for Trump?
Regarding Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominating President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize: wow! Hamlet’s lament “the time is out of joint”* was never more appropriate when the accessory to mass murder (weapons provider and ardent defender) is honored for peace making by the genocidal murderer. * Definition...
Teen victim identified in head-on crash in Washington County
One person died in a head-on collision Tuesday morning in Washington County, authorities say. The Washington County Coroner was called around 5:30 a.m. to Route 40, near the road’s intersection with Valley View Road, in North Bethlehem on a report of the crash, a 911 dispatcher told TribLive. The corner’s...
Letter to the editor: Support the Westmoreland County Fair
Some of my best memories as a kid came from the Westmoreland Fair. I loved walking through the barns and seeing the chickens, cows, sheep and rabbits. These were animals I didn’t get to see up close anywhere else, and it was something I looked forward to every summer. The...
Editorial: What happens to nursing homes if Medicaid takes a hit?
The total population of senior citizens is 55.8 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of that, 1.3 million are in nursing homes. That’s about 2.3%. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a lot, but the issue is it’s a moving target. For some people, a stay in a nursing home...
The Stroller, July 22, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Summer concert series to...
Letter to the editor: Immigration laws being enforced
The letter “Has our humanity disappeared?” (July 13, TribLive) is full of so many inaccuracies and falsehoods that it demands a response. He provided no facts, just emotion. It is, and always has been, lawful to deport refugees, asylees and lawful resident aliens. Yes, the State Department has always had...
Jimmy Kimmel attends anti-Trump rally as president predicts his cancellation
Jimmy Kimmel is taking time out of his vacation to protest against President Donald Trump amid “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s” cancellation and the president’s prediction Kimmel is on the chopping block, too. The 57-year-old host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” shared a photo of himself at an anti-Trump protest...
Florida lawmaker refers Jerome Powell perjury claim to Justice Department
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has asked the Department of Justice to consider investigating and prosecuting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for allegedly lying under oath in testimony before a congressional committee. In a July 19 letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Florida Republican accused...
Here are some upcoming programs at Penn Hills Library
Penn Hills Library, 1037 Stotler Road, offers a variety of programs for all ages. For a complete list of offerings, visit pennhillslibrary.org. Regular operating hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. The library is closed on Sundays. The...
Fatal barrage of gunfire on North Side ends with last of 6 defendants pleading guilty
The last of six defendants charged with killing a man on Pittsburgh’s North Side in a barrage of gunfire in 2022 pleaded guilty on Monday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Rayvon Poellnitz, 23, will serve 15 to 40 years in state prison after pleading guilty to third-degree murder before...
Family says Allentown grandfather in Guatemala after ICE arrest, but country says it has no records of him
The granddaughter of Allentown grandfather Luis Leon says he is recovering from pneumonia in a Guatemala hospital, weeks after he was taken in handcuffs from a Philadelphia immigration office and driven two days by bus to a detention center in Minnesota. However, the Guatemalan Institute of Migration, which tracks migrants...
