TribLive stories, Page 2323
Thomas Jefferson girls take down No. 2 Oakland Catholic, reach 1st title game since ’80
Jenna Clark and her Thomas Jefferson teammates we’re well aware that a Jaguars girls basketball team hadn’t made a WPIAL final since 1980, and they made it their mission to change that this season. The Jaguars took the court with a determination and self-belief on Wednesday and continued to roll...
Shady Side Academy girls top South Park, earn long-awaited trip to WPIAL finals
Shady Side Academy’s girls basketball team punched its first ticket to a WPIAL championship game. Coach Amy Szlachetka fought back tears at midcourt Wednesday night after a 38-35 win over South Park that came down to a last-second shot. For her, it was a reminder of how close her teams...
Burrelli, Neshannock girls top Avonworth in Class 3A semifinals
Neshannock came into the WPIAL tournament as the perennial favorite to win the Class 3A crown. The No. 1-seeded Lancers rolled to a 21-2 record — their only losses coming to Beaver, last season’s Class 4A runner-up, and Central Valley, which will play in this season’s 4A title game —...
Eagles won’t tag QB Nick Foles, who will become free agentVideo
INDIANAPOLIS — Nick Foles rejuvenated his career in Philadelphia. Now he wants to turn his success into an NFL starting job, and the Eagles intend to give him that chance. General manager Howie Roseman told reporters Wednesday the team will not use the franchise tag on Foles, making him a...
Michael Cohen describes a culture of criminality around Trump
WASHINGTON — Michael Cohen, once among President Trump’s most ardent defenders, turned on him in a combative congressional hearing Wednesday, describing a culture of nonstop lying around Trump involving his alleged mistresses, inflated personal wealth and secret efforts to build Europe’s tallest skyscraper in Moscow. Cohen, who worked at Trump’s...
George Will: Broadening rights of national citizenship
WASHINGTON There have been many memorable — and eventually consequential — Supreme Court dissents that affirmed principles that, in time, commanded a court majority. It is, however, rare that a justice’s opinion concurring in a unanimous ruling is more intellectually scintillating and potentially portentous than the ruling itself. This happened...
Jared Kushner seeks better U.S.-Saudi ties after Khashoggi killing
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the administration continues to weather criticism over its relationship with Riyadh following the murder of a U.S.-based columnist. Kushner and two other senior administration officials met with the crown prince and...
Coal official allegedly cheated on safety tests, putting miners at risk of black lung
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A coal company manager took part in cheating on tests designed to protect miners from contracting deadly black lung disease, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury issued a new indictment adding Glendal “Buddy” Hardison to a group of mine officials charged with conspiring to...
Coal official allegedly cheated on safety tests, putting miners at risk of black lung
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A coal company manager took part in cheating on tests designed to protect miners from contracting deadly black lung disease, a federal grand jury has charged. The grand jury issued a new indictment adding Glendal “Buddy” Hardison to a group of mine officials charged with conspiring to...
Douglas Macgregor: Great nations don’t fight endless wars, allow undefended borders
“Great nations don’t fight endless wars,” President Trump said in his State of the Union address. That bold declaration comes as the president seeks to bring to a close nearly two decades of bloody foreign interventions and refocus our military on the much more pressing duty of defending America’s borders....
Rep. Matt Gaetz under investigation by Florida Bar over Cohen tweet
WASHINGTON — The Florida Bar has opened an investigation into a tweet sent by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday that appeared to try to intimidate former President Donald Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen the day before he was to testify against his old boss. The Florida Bar...
Race for shareholder profits has left workers in the dust, according to new research
A relentless focus on maximizing shareholder value has contributed to stagnant middle-class wages in the United States and fueled the rise of a society increasingly divided between haves and have-nots, according to a new working paper published by the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive economic think tank. “Nearly fifty years of...
Political operative Leslie McCrae Dowless arrested in North Carolina scandal
RALEIGH — The political operative at the center of an election fraud scandal that has engulfed a North Carolina congressional race was arrested Wednesday on charges of illegal ballot handling and conspiracy. Four people working for him were also charged. Leslie McCrae Dowless Jr., 63, was accused of directing workers...
House approves bill to expand gun-sale background checks
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House on Wednesday approved a measure requiring federal background checks for all firearms sales and transfers, the first major gun control legislation considered by Congress in nearly 25 years. Democrats called the 240-190 vote a major step to end the gun lobby’s grip on Washington and...
Johnny Manziel released, barred from other CFL teams
MONTREAL — Johnny Manziel’s time in the Canadian Football League is over. The CFL terminated the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner’s contract with the Montreal Alouettes on Wednesday. The league also informed the eight other teams that it wouldn’t register a contract for Manziel if any tried to sign him. The...
Hempfield officials find $125,000 union settlement agreement not done in public eye
A $125,000 settlement agreement made between Hempfield officials and a union in 2017 was not done in the public eye, a township review found. The agreement was put under review in January when Supervisor Rob Ritson called for a state audit. The deal was executed without a corresponding vote or...
Stair-climbing robot is hitting streets in FedEx delivery test
Call it R2-D2 without the attitude. FedEx Corp. envisions a not-too-distant future in which it relies on Star Wars-style robots for more deliveries, as portrayed in a company video. Imagine a box-shaped bot that can roll out of a neighborhood pharmacy and drop off prescription medicine at a nearby house....
WPIAL basketball Top 10: Most playoff appearances
The Top 10 Here is a list of the schools with the most WPIAL basketball playoff seasons: School, Playoff seasons, First, Most recent Boys 1. Uniontown, 68, 1925, 2019 2t. Monessen, 63, 1919, 2019 2t. Washington, 63, 1931, 2019 4. Aliquippa, 59, 1929, 2019 5. Mt. Lebanon, 50, 1932, 2019...
California mother detained in infant death, son’s injuries from plunge off balcony
UPLAND, Calif. — Investigators on Wednesday were trying to determine why a California woman allegedly fatally injured her infant daughter, dropped her young son off a second-story apartment building landing and then jumped herself. After being medically cleared, Tierra Ortega, 24, was booked for investigation of homicide, attempted homicide and...
Amid clouds of dust, border wall prototypes are demolished
SAN DIEGO — The government is demolishing eight prototypes of Donald Trump’s prized border wall that instantly became powerful symbols of his presidency when they were built nine months after he took office. The Trump administration says elements of the prototypes have been melded into current border fence designs and...
Editorial: Cohen latest cage match over winners and losers
“He is all about winning.” Michael Cohen made that statement to the House Oversight Committee Wednesday. It was an indictment of the actions of the president. It doesn’t really matter if you believe Cohen or not. It doesn’t matter if you support President Trump or not. Because Cohen’s statement doesn’t...
Bridgeville driver license center temporarily closed
The driver license and photo center in Bridgeville is temporarily closed while state transportation officials relocate the office for a Friday opening. The PennDOT announced the closure Wednesday. The Department of Motor Vehicle site at the Chartiers Valley Shopping Center at 1025 Washington Pike, Route 50, in Bridgeville closed Tuesday...
Ex-postal manager pleads guilty to stealing $630K in stamps
KENNER, La. — Prosecutors say a former New Orleans-area post office manager has admitted to stealing more than $630,000 in stamps and selling them online to support his gambling addiction. News outlets report U.S. Attorney Peter Strasser says in a statement that 46-year-old Ryan Cortez pleaded guilty Friday to misappropriation...
Military spent about $8M on transgender care since 2016
SAN DIEGO — Lindsey Muller served in the Army as a man for nearly a decade before telling her commanders in 2014 that she identified as a woman and would resign because military policy barred transgender personnel. Her superiors, citing her outstanding performance, persuaded the decorated attack helicopter pilot to...
A very merry Christmas at Best Buy with sales booming
NEW YORK — Best Buy put up some big holiday sales numbers Wednesday, more evidence that Americans are willing and able to spend on gadgets and big TVs. The nation’s consumer electronics chain delivered a better-than-expected 3 percent increase in sales at established stores for the fiscal fourth quarter. The...
