TribLive stories, Page 1935
Spring break is over: Miami Beach almost unrecognizable as partying ends
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — It was just a week ago that Felix Mohen landed in Florida, hopped in an Uber and headed straight for Ocean Drive, the famed South Beach promenade of open-air poolside bars, topless sunbathing and neon-lit Art Deco hotels across from 21/2 miles of beaches that swell...
Mary Schmich: It’s OK not to feel OK right now. But here’s how to feel better
Mary Schmich is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. It’s OK to be scared. It’s OK to be confused, anxious, angry, lonely. Whatever emotion you’re feeling in this coronavirus craziness, it’s OK. Try not to dwell in the worst of it,...
Patient at Jefferson Hospital 1st fatal covid-19 case in Allegheny County
Allegheny County recorded its first coronavirus death Saturday, the second death in the state since Pennsylvania saw its first case two weeks ago. The person was in their late-60s and being treated at Jefferson Hospital, officials said. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said the family of the deceased asked that officials...
Sounding off: Chuck Schumer should resign over ‘word choice’
“It was a very poor choice of words,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said. And just like that, Sen. Chuck Schumer’s attack on two sitting members of the Supreme Court in the most voracious manner was dismissed by some on the left. Those words to Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh...
Letter to the editor: New trial for accused priest heartbreaking
The Rev. Hugh Lang, who was convicted in November on charges that he sexually abused an 11-year-old boy in 2001, had his conviction vacated this month because a new judge believes Lang did not receive a fair trial. We are dismayed that the victim will have to go through yet...
Letter to the editor: Truckers deserve respect & clean facilities
On March 16, PennDOT and governor’s office moved to close all the Turnpike rest stops with just fueling and convenience stores available — no food and restroom facilities, just Porta-Johns. Then on Wednesday they opened some rest areas to truckers, but still no bathrooms other than Porta-Johns. By Friday, the...
Letter to the editor: Maybe Trump finally gets it
It’s about time. Finally, President Trump is acting more like a president should. His recent news conferences have shown exactly how he should act: as a concerned president for all Americans during a crisis. He has turned away from Republican and conservative radio talking points concerning the coronavirus outbreak as...
Letter to the editor: Bernie, Biden, Pelosi & Schumer
After all the campaigning and wasted money, it appears that the Democratic/socialist party is narrowed down to two white men, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Sanders is an avowed socialist, and Biden, who has run several times before, was President Obama’s vice president for eight years. If Obama thinks Biden...
The Stroller, March 21, 2020: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Send cancellations to The Stroller The Stroller will publish news of cancellations and events that will still occur in the upcoming days. If your non-profit has to cancel or change an event or is helping members of the public, please send information to: The Stroller, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood...
Couples scramble to revamp wedding, honeymoon plans amid coronavirus pandemic
After their August engagement, Greensburg couple Gregory Mertz and Janelle Stayt planned a dream wedding. They were going to marry March 21 in Montgomery County, host their reception at Stateside Vodka Bar in Philadelphia and then depart on a European honeymoon. As the fast-spreading coronavirus raced around the globe, the resulting...
Possibly ill passengers from cruise ship land in Atlanta; some travelers allowed to head home
ATLANTA — At least 300 cruise ship passengers who had been stranded at sea due to the coronavirus were flown to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday. But it wasn’t known late Friday whether any of those passengers would be quarantined or allowed to travel home. Several people aboard the...
Hospitals stockpile malaria drug Trump says could treat covid-19
NEW YORK — Hospitals have been rushing to stockpile a decades-old antimalarial drug touted by President Donald Trump and others as a treatment for the new coronavirus. Hydroxychloroquine is being snapped up by medical systems at more than twice the typical pace as U.S. hospitals seek to build large inventories...
Environmental groups urge Americans to eat more fish while hunkering down against virus
Environmental groups have long fought for animal rights, rallied against pollution and pushed back on overfishing, but a new message this week urged the nation to eat more seafood as it hunkers down during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, many are asking you to please buy American-caught seafood. “Over the past...
Etna keeping community together, informed through #Etnalife Live
The Etna Community Organization strives to bring people together during this time of social distancing due to the coronavirus. ECO launched a digital initiative March 18 called #Etnalife Live to continue “to maintain social connection” because “we are all in this together,” according to a letter from Alexis Boytim, ECO...
Food banks make adjustments so they can serve while keeping people safe
While most places are closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, several organizations are staying open to serve those in need. Network of Hope operates a food bank at its location at Allison Park Church on Duncan Avenue. Normally, qualifying recipients of the food bank can walk through a...
Hampton student qualifies for state geography bee, finals will be held online due to outbreakVideo
Rowan Clary, an eighth-grader from Hampton school district, has qualified for the National Geographic Geography Bee at the state-level. She was one of 100 students across Pennsylvania who was selected based on her performance on a qualifying test, according to Jay D’Ambrosio, an eighth-grade social studies teacher instructor at the...
Mohawk joins 6 other WPIAL teams in HSSN girls basketball state rankings
An old song had lyrics that proclaimed “one is the loneliest number.” That is true if you are the one team that got bumped in each class from the Trib HSSN state rankings. Four teams in each classification won their second-round PIAA playoff game last week and advanced to what...
Belle Vernon soccer standout Laurita flips college commitment to Georgia State
Nearly six months after announcing a verbal commitment to the University of Memphis to play soccer, former Belle Vernon Area star and Pittsburgh Riverhounds ECNL squad member Izzy Laurita flipped her commitment and will now be heading to Georgia State, a member of the Sun Belt Conference. “I was talking...
Yough softball returns 7 starters, expects championship-caliber season
Yough boasts one of the steadiest, most successful softball programs in the WPIAL, but the Cougars entered spring practice with an unusual feeling: skepticism. Seven starters return from a team that finished 13-6 last season, placed second to Mt. Pleasant in Section 1-4A and reached the WPIAL quarterfinals. But none...
Senior-heavy Yough baseball hopes to make run toward WPIAL title
Yough baseball is carrying a secret. The Cougars want outsiders to focus on what left the program, such as Pitt freshman Jarrett Bach, after last season and not on what is returning, which is six starters. “Everyone put our success last year on Bach,” senior pitcher/infielder Michael Bell said. “We...
Small businesses scramble to survive amid Pa.’s partial shutdown over coronavirus pandemic
A day after Gov. Tom Wolf imposed an order on all but “non-life-sustaining” businesses to close to thwart the spread of covid-19, local business owners across Western Pennsylvania are scrambling to gauge how the state’s unprecedented shutdown will impact them and navigating how to survive it. Wolf announced Friday night...
Gov. Wolf delays shutdown order; authorities unclear about enforcement
Western Pennsylvania authorities are seeking clarification on how they are supposed to enforce a mandate from Gov. Tom Wolf ordering myriad businesses across the state to shut down. The order affects all businesses deemed non-life-sustaining, and enforcement begins Monday at 8 a.m. It was supposed to start at 12:01 a.m....
Westmoreland business community weighs in on coronavirus restrictions, closuresVideo
In addition to coal production and car dealerships, law offices also were targeted for closure in Gov. Tom Wolf’s edict for non-life-sustaining businesses as part of efforts to slow the coronavirus pandemic. Some local firms, however, say they are needed — and aren’t closing. “I don’t think (Wolf) has the...
After down year, the Valley Vikings are looking to return to the playoffs
The Valley baseball team didn’t have one senior on the roster last season, and coach Jim Basilone and his underclassmen took some lumps, winning only five games. But the Vikings took their losses in stride and worked to improve every day. Now, they are hoping the down season will pay...
Penguins had a common appeal to Drew O’Connor, Cam LeeVideo
Drew O’Connor was a long shot to get here. Even he thought so. At a modest 5-foot-9 — by his estimates — after graduation from high school, O’Connor’s prospects for playing Division I hockey were, like him, small. He thought he might have to settle for playing for a Division...
