TribLive stories, Page 2351
Officials urge vaccinations amid Northwest measles outbreak
VANCOUVER, Wash. — Public health officials scrambling to contain a measles outbreak in the U.S. Northwest warned people to vaccinate their children Monday and worried that it could take months to contain the highly contagious viral illness due to a lower-than-normal vaccination rate at the epicenter of the crisis. The...
Memo to Republicans: ‘Trump first’ is not the same thing as ‘America first’
Congressional Republicans are suffering, as I have noted in the past, from a bad case of Stockholm syndrome. They’ve seen what’s happened to “the formers” who crossed the bully in the White House — e.g., former senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and former representative Mark Sanford, R-S.C., — and all they...
Church abuse victims wait to see if Legislature will act
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers have returned to the Pennsylvania Capitol but have yet to revisit legislation on child sexual abuse scandals since an October fight killed a bill that would have allowed long-ago victims to sue the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions. The Legislature’s new two-year session began in earnest...
Trump hits Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro in pocketbook
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration slapped new sanctions Monday against Venezuelan’s state-owned oil company in its latest effort to push out President Nicolas Maduro and install new leadership under National Assembly chief Juan Guaido. “We have continued to expose the corruption of Maduro and his cronies and today’s action ensures...
Michael Cohen will testify in another closed-door House meetings after getting new lawyers
NEW YORK — Michael Cohen has agreed to back-to-back congressional testimony and has found a new legal team. The prison-bound former personal attorney to President Trump will testify behind closed doors before at least two congressional committees next month — and he has hired new lawyers to represent him in...
St. Louis officer accused of killing colleague in Russian roulette shooting is booked into jail
ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis police officer who allegedly killed a colleague last week as they took turns firing a revolver containing a single bullet was booked into jail Monday. A booking photo of Officer Nathaniel Hendren was released by the department Monday afternoon. He was charged Friday with...
Science Says: Get used to polar vortex outbreaks
WASHINGTON — It might seem counterintuitive, but the dreaded polar vortex is bringing its icy grip to parts of the United States thanks to a sudden blast of warm air in the Arctic. Get used to it. The polar vortex has been wandering more often in recent years. It all...
Editorial: Is the grass greener where it’s legal?
Could Pennsylvania be the new Colorado? The state has barely gotten its fledgling legalization of medical marijuana out of the nest and there are already moves to hatch recreational use, and some come from the Pittsburgh area. Like alcohol, state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Hill District, thinks weed should be legal...
Neville Roller Drome owner happy to watch the world wheel on by
Jim Park remembers exactly where he was each time the Steelers won a Super Bowl. He was at the Neville Roller Drome, making dizzying circles under the starburst lights. Nothing, not even a black-and-gold football dynasty, could lure him way from the rink. “My parents met skating,” he said, noting...
After Randyland’s namesake loses partner, friends chip in with crowdfundingVideo
Randy Gilson has lost the love of his life. His partner of more than 20 years, David Paul Francis “Mac” McDermott, died from prostate cancer on Jan. 10. “Mac’s in Heaven now,” Gilson said. Co-creators of the Randyland outdoor art exhibit, McDermott and Gilson have been a fixture of the...
Kevin O’Connor: Anti-energy protesters threat to first responders, taxpayers
First responders work around the clock, keeping our communities safe, every day. They understand and accept the risks involved, as well as the long hours, rigorous physical requirements and constant training. However, many emergency workers are starting to face an unexpected hurdle and a new kind of threat: anti-energy protesters....
Letter to the editor: Where are Toomey & Casey?
The silence from the respective offices of Pennsylvania Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey related to the border wall, the Trump presidency and the myriad other problems facing our nation is deafening. Does anyone know where they stand on these difficult issues? My expectations are that our “leaders” take definitive...
Letter to the editor: Costs of immigration
Fentanyl is a deadly synthetic drug often mixed with other street drugs to make them more potent. It is largely manufactured in China and smuggled across our porous southern border by Central and South American gangs. It kills tens of thousands of Americans every year. Heroin is a highly addictive...
Letter to the editor: Daft on the draft
I am writing to express in the strongest possible terms my disagreement with the conclusions expressed in Donald Boudreaux’s column ”Draft’s end most pro-freedom move of past 50 years” (Jan. 17, TribLIVE). I read it because I couldn’t imagine why the military draft would be a newsworthy topic. It ended...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 28
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 28....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 28.
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 28....
Aquinas Academy student to play lacrosse, major in biology at MIT
Aquinas Academy senior Margaret (Molly) Maglio, daughter of Mike and Wendy Maglio of Hampton Township, has committed to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She will continue her lacrosse career playing for the MIT Engineers. She plans to major in biology. Maglio is known for her outstanding academic and athletic...
Richland Elementary students STEAM on ahead
In what used to be the band room when Richland Elementary was a high school, one group of second-grade students built bridges using Legos, another group used rubber bands to make designs on a nail board, and another programmed directions into robotic bumblebees in order to get them to travel...
Millvale is home to numerous delis
Millvale might have a population under 3,800, but it has something in common with New York City — a reputation for delis, purveyors of sandwiches, soups and salads. Deli on North A few weeks ago, owner Pete Notarangelo of Verona opened this establishment at 215 North Ave. as a second...
Shaler Area’s financial future looks bright
Shaler Area School District has increased its positive fund balance by adopting an attrition model, reviewing operational efficiency and increasing property taxes, according to Sherri Ludwig, business affairs director. When she joined the district during the 2015-16 school year, S&P Global Ratings ranked the district as having a “negative outlook,”...
On patrol with Washington’s plastic-straw cop
WASHINGTON — Warning letters in hand, Zach Rybarczyk patrolled the food court at Union Station, looking for offenders. Past Auntie Anne’s, past Johnny Rockets. At Lotus Express, a Chinese food joint, Rybarczyk peeled the wrapper from a red straw and bent the end — the telltale giveaway. Plastic. Washington has...
‘Black Panther’ wins top honor at SAG Awards
NEW YORK — “Black Panther” took the top award at Sunday’s 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards, giving Ryan Coogler’s superhero sensation it’s most significant honor yet and potentially setting it up for more wins at the Academy Awards. “Well, I’ll be,” said Chadwick Boseman, accepting the award for best ensemble...
Vince Mercuri: A mission of purpose critical to human journey
Each morning as I pull into the parking garage, I am greeted with a sign proclaiming the mission statement of the city’s parking authority. Over the past 15 years or more, the norm has been that businesses/agencies develop and post a mission statement that clearly defines its values, goals, beliefs...
Now for the real deal — what is a ‘wall’?
Welcome to the eye of the hurricane. For more than a month, the federal government was in partial shutdown while President Trump and congressional leaders were deadlocked over the president’s demands for money to build his long-promised border wall. Neither side would budge and all the wiggle room for negotiation,...
Editorial: Shut down shutdowns
The longest government shutdown may have done the impossible. It got some Republicans and Democrats to agree on the need for some kind of wall. Unfortunately for President Trump, what they want to wall off is the option to shut down the federal government. Legislators from both parties have openly...
