TribLive stories, Page 2348
Hampton officials take stance on police review board
Hampton Township Council is sending a letter of nonsupport to Allegheny Council in regard to Allegheny County Independent Police Review Board, per a decision at the Jan. 23 council meeting. The Independent Police Review Board, which has not yet passed, was created to review actions of police departments in any...
Central Elementary fourth-graders creating mosaic
Local mosaic artist Laura Jean McLaughlin is working with Central Elementary School fourth graders to create a mosaic that will incorporate the fourth grade science curriculum on ecosystems and will include interactive QR codes. The final mosaic will be placed in Central’s courtyard. The project is being funded through multiple...
St. Louis police chief angered over prosecutor allegations
ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis prosecutor’s criticism of how police investigated a male officer’s alleged Russian roulette-style fatal shooting of a female colleague drew an angry response Thursday from Police Chief John Hayden. Hayden, speaking at a news conference, raised his voice and pounded his fist in responding to...
The Rams just sold a year’s worth of gear in 10 days
The Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl berth has been good news for its merchandise business, with the team ringing up about $3.5 million in online sales in the 10 days after they clinched a spot in the big game. To put that number in perspective, it’s about the same amount...
Max Boot: On Wednesday, the Twitter mob came for me
In mid-January, waves of outrage swept over the internet because of a confrontation on the National Mall in Washington between a group of conservative high school students from Kentucky and an elderly Native American Marine Corps veteran. The social media mob initially condemned the students for being right-wing jerks. Then,...
2 congressmen ask for Jared Kushner’s security clearance to be revoked
WASHINGTON — Democratic Reps. Donald S. Beyer of Virginia and Ted Lieu of California sent a letter Thursday to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney asking him to immediately strip senior adviser Jared Kushner of his security clearance. A recent NBC News report revealed that White House security...
Border agency announces largest-ever fentanyl bust
PHOENIX — U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials announced Thursday their biggest fentanyl bust ever, saying they captured nearly 254 pounds of the deadly synthetic opioid from a secret compartment inside a load of Mexican produce heading into Arizona. The drug was found hidden Saturday morning in a compartment under...
Senate vote rebukes Trump on Syria, Afghanistan
WASHINGTON — In a bipartisan rebuke to President Trump, the Senate voted 68-23 on Thursday to advance an amendment that would oppose withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The amendment by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell occurs after Trump called for a drawdown of troops in both of...
Water line breaks at Thomas Jefferson High School
While all West Jefferson Hills classes are cancelled today due to inclement weather, Thomas Jefferson High School also is closed due to a water line break. The district announced the high school closure for Friday on Thursday afternoon. West Jefferson Hills classes have been canceled since Wednesday due to the...
Super Bowl 2019: Some of the prop bets that are making the bookies nervous
At the SugarHouse Casino, they’re seeing a lot of action on C.J. Anderson scoring the first touchdown. The biggest liability for the William Hill-US bookmakers is whether James Develin will score. Most of their bettors are saying no, he will not. Some guy walked into Resorts Casino in Atlantic City...
Laurels & lances: Cold, animals, ‘known cheater’ and death threats
Laurel: To the fire companies, senior citizen centers and other groups which stayed open extra hours this week to provide warming centers or offered additional services as needed during the polar vortex. Thank you for all you do for our communities every day, but a special thanks for the way...
Bernie Sanders proposes estate tax of up to 77 percent for billionaires
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is proposing to expand the estate tax on wealthy Americans, including a rate of as much as 77 percent on the value of estates above $1 billion. Sanders of Vermont, who’s considering a second run for president, said in a statement that his plan would apply...
Heating problem closes Vandergrift Public Library
Vandergrift Public Library was forced to closed for the day Thursday due to a heating malfunction. The first floor heating system is not working so it is too cold to open to the public, according to a library Facebook post. Friday and Saturday hours may vary. To check the hours,...
Review: Bland ‘Miss Bala’ remake misses the original pointVideo
Mexico’s 2011 Oscar entry, “Miss Bala,” was a searing slice of social commentary about the raging narco wars wrapped up in a sexy, action-packed thriller. Directed by Gerardo Naranjo, the script was ripped from the headlines, basing its beauty queen-meets-drug lord story on a stranger-than-fiction 2008 scandal, when Miss Sinaloa...
Interstate 70 reopens in Westmoreland after propane tank explodes in tractor-trailer
A propane tank being hauled in a tractor-trailer exploded Thursday, shutting down Interstate 70 eastbound for four hours in Westmoreland County and snarling traffic for miles, according to state police. The force of the 11 a.m. explosion ripped apart the trailer, spilling 100 to 150 propane tanks of various sizes...
Letter to the editor: Reagan, Trump — one great, one a disgrace
Even though I was not a big Ronald Reagan fan, I can’t deny he was one of the better modern presidents, possibly the greatest Republican president of all time. He led the Republicans to a 12-year stronghold on our country. One of Reagan’s greatest moments came in a 1987 speech...
Letter to the editor: Social justice is envy
A local progressive politician just elevated to lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania recently stated that he is haunted by the inequality of some people being born into wealth while others into poverty. Inequality is a fact of life. Some people are very tall like John Fetterman. Some are more beautiful, athletic,...
Letter to the editor: Peduto, council violating oaths?
Both Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and District Attorney Stephen Zappala are grandstanding as politicians do. I’m not impressed. This is a no-brainer. In the mayor’s oath of office, did he swear to uphold the constitutions of the United States and the commonwealth? Did members of City Council do the same?...
Letter to the editor: Honored to serve
Donald Boudreaux is probably a fine economist, and I side with his views most of the time. However, his lauding of the end of the draft based on economic reasons is so very far off base (”Draft’s end most pro-freedom move of past 50 years,” Jan. 17, TribLIVE). I’ll dare...
Gabby Barrett comes out swinging with ‘I Hope’Video
Not winning “American Idol” hasn’t hampered Munhall native and teen singer-songwriter Gabby Barrett’s burgeoning country music career. Barrett, 18, finished in the top three on last season’s “American Idol” and dropped her edgy ballad “I Hope” Jan. 25. Barrett co-wrote “I Hope” alongside industry hit makers Zachary Kale and Jon...
Crafters sip and stitch at McWalker Yarns in Millvale
There’s a party going on in Millvale. Beer and conversation flow. Laughter fills the room. But these people aren’t congregating at one of the borough’s many bars. They’re hanging out at McWalker Yarns, a boutique store for fiber arts crafters. Every Friday from 6 to 8:30 p.m., folks are welcome...
Hampton grad excels in music department at Westminster College
Maura Kardasz, a 2016 graduate of Hampton High School and an accomplished musician, continues to shine at Westminster College. Kardasz is a junior music education major with a concentration in composition. She is a member of the Westminster Wind Ensemble, Westminster Symphonic Band, Westminster Orchestra, Westminster Jazz Ensemble and Westminster...
Fox Chapel Area bocce team opening new doors for athletes
On Friday, Jan. 25, the Fox Chapel Area bocce team traveled to take on Hampton in the first unified bocce game of the season....
Hampton bocce team opening new doors
On Friday, Jan. 25, the Hampton High School bocce team took on the Fox Chapel Area Foxes in the first unified bocce game of the season....
Editorial: Cold kids are ‘soft’?
The governor of Kentucky thinks we all need to just toughen up. Well, good news, governor. Everything has a tendency to get harder in the cold. “Come on, now. I mean, there’s no ice going with it, or any snow … I mean, what happened to America,” Gov. Matt Bevin...

