TribLive stories, Page 2353
John Stossel: School choice includes ideas, too
Today concludes School Choice Week. School choice is a noble cause. In much of America, parents have little or no control over where their kids attend school. Local governments assign schools by ZIP code. Having choice is better. Whether it’s vouchers, scholarships, charters, private schools or just having options among...
Letter to the editor: Anti-wall means anti-Trump
This tweeter not to be trumped is tweetered expressly for my conservative compatriots and for obstinate liberals conceivably capable of still being able to see the woods for the trees. You non-conservative Democrat politicians don’t give a rat’s fanny how many immigrants cross the border, how many terrorists, how many...
Editorial: Government is open. For now.
It took 35 days. It took more than a month to get the federal government open for business after President Trump pulled back on his previous support for a bipartisan spending plan that would have funded operations into February. It went through two pay cycles for 800,000 government employees and...
Butler County state rep. accused of drugging woman, sexually assaulting her
HARRISBURG — A woman who alleges that a Western Pennsylvania lawmaker sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated believes she was drugged on the night the incident occurred, according to Pennsylvania’s top advocate for crime victims. Jennifer Storm, head of the state’s Office of the Victim Advocate, said the woman...
Editorial: Voices heard at gun control hearing?
It was a hearing. Not a listening. On Thursday night, 101 people stepped up to the microphone in front of Pittsburgh City Council and Mayor Bill Peduto. They wanted to have their say. They each were allotted three minutes to tell their story or plead their case. They spoke on...
TNT, Chris Pine are the latest players to enter the serial-killer game
The bodies do pile up. As an American consumer who spends a couple of thousand hours a year looking at moving pictures, there are times when the sheer number of mutilated corpses on all those screens gets to be a bit much. How long has it been since director David...
Report: U.S. pedestrian deaths exceed 49,000 in 10 years
DETROIT — The authors of a new report are calling on federal, state and local governments to do more to address a staggering spike in pedestrian fatalities. The report, “Dangerous By Design 2019,” urges swift action to curb the death toll, approximately 49,340 people in the 10-year period ending in...
Letter to the editor: ‘Wall’ issue is a ‘will’ issue
The Bible is clear on how to handle immigrants. Exodus 22:21 says, “You shall neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him.” This is repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Exodus 12:49 says, “One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the foreigner who sojourns among you,” repeated in...
Letter to the editor: Democrats ridiculous
Regarding the letter “Trump bully & liar” (Jan. 14, TribLIVE): America is waking up to the ridiculous stance of the Democratic Party. All it would take to open the government is for the Democrats to approve the wall that they were all in favor of during previous administrations. Chuck Schumer...
Council to review latest Windmont plan revision
Hampton Township Council approved to review the latest set of revised plans from the developer of the proposed Windmont Farms planned residential development, with a public hearing still scheduled for Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m., at the Council Chambers on McCully Road. Last week’s motion included making the revised plans...
TJ officials consider trying to recoup some costs for high school construction project
A delay in the construction of the new Thomas Jefferson High School is costing West Jefferson Hills School District more than $1.5 million. District leaders, however, say they will consider trying to recoup some of the costs. School board members on Jan. 22 agreed in an 8-0 vote to a...
White House grants S.C. foster care group waiver to deny gays, Jews
The Trump administration granted a waiver to South Carolina this week allowing the state to provide federal funding to a foster care agency that works only with Protestant foster parents. In its decision, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was approving the request from Gov. Henry...
New Kensington-Arnold teachers show up en masse to remind board a contract isn’t done
With at least 70 teachers watching Thursday, the New Kensington-Arnold School Board approved a 2019-20 preliminary budget with the same teachers’ payroll number as this school year. Whether that number increases when the final budget is approved in June remains to be seen as negotiations between the district and the...
Official: Asylum seekers to wait in Mexico starting Friday
SAN DIEGO — The Trump administration on Friday will start forcing some asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. courts, an official said, launching what could become one of the more significant changes to the immigration system in years. The changes will be introduced at...
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet rips Ted Cruz’s ‘crocodile tears’ over shutdown
WASHINGTON — Signs of strain from the 34-day partial government shutdown are emerging on the Senate floor. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado tore into Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Thursday after Cruz backed a GOP bill to pay Coast Guard members but not reopen the government. The...
Florida Secretary of State Michael Artel steps down after blackface photos surface
FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Secretary of State Michael Ertel resigned Thursday when photos emerged of him wearing blackface as a Hurricane “Katrina victim” at a Halloween party in 2005. The stunning development ended the former Seminole County election supervisor’s 16-day stint as Florida’s top elections officer. The Tallahassee Democrat obtained...
Stop whining, the Rams and Patriots earned their way to Super Bowl LIII
The level of our NFL discourse has deteriorated to such mind-numbing depths that three days after an historic Championship Weekend, all anyone wants to talk about are the referees, overtime rules, competition committee meetings and some hurt feelings. Well, I’ve had about enough. Message for everyone: Stop whining. And maybe...
Pro Bowl becomes family affair for Pouncey twins
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Mike and Maurkice Pouncey were among the first players off the AFC Pro Bowl practice field Thursday. They were trying to hustle to the locker room to shower, change and get on the road. They had people waiting. More than 50 of them, actually. “This...
Laurels & lances: Art and history and crimes and punishment
Laurel: To “Hamilton” for prioritizing education. The hottest ticket in town is a free ticket for 2,700 Pennsylvania students who scored a shot at seeing the Tony Award-winning megahit at the Benedum Center on Friday as part of the Hamilton Education Project. It brings kids from low-income districts to the...
Northern Regional Police warn about increase in car break-ins
The Northern Regional Police Department is warning residents to be vigilant about locking their car doors after a recent rash of thefts from vehicles in Pine, Richland and Marshall townships. Capt. John Sicilia said they’ve had 13 reported incidents of items stolen from unlocked vehicles in the Treesdale and Alderwood...
Weezer covers ‘No Scrubs,’ ‘Take on Me,’ ‘Billie Jean’ in surprise new album
If you’ve ever wondered what Weezer would sound like covering R&B girl group TLC and ’80s synthpop band A-ha, you’re in luck. The rock band belts out everything from “No Scrubs” to “Take on Me” on their surprise new album of covers, “Weezer (The Teal Album),” which dropped early Thursday...
Flaky deep-dish pizza worth the time it takes to make at home
If you’re from the Northeast, or if you haven’t been to Chicago, you may dismiss deep-dish pizza out of regional pride. That would be a mistake. Real Chicago-style pizza is certainly thick, but its texture and flavor are something special: Instead of being bread-like, the crust offers the contrast of...
Review: Steamy ‘Serenity’ is so bad it almost parodies itselfVideo
Let it be stipulated that the movie “Serenity” is about a battered woman (Anne Hathaway) who is trying to persuade her ex-husband (Matthew McConaughey) to murder her current one (Jason Clarke). And let it also be stipulated that the movie “Serenity” is absolutely not about that. At first glance, the...
Review: ‘The Kid Who Would Be King’ sends a message of hopeVideo
Do the Middle Ages hold the key to saving the world? “The Kid Who Would Be King” suggests so. This contemporary, Arthurian-themed adventure encourages kids of today to look to the legends of the past — and to the lessons of medieval chivalry — in their search for a peaceful...
Post Malone teams with Red Hot Chili Peppers for Grammy telecast
The rapper Post Malone will perform onstage with the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the 2019 Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy announced Thursday. The tag-team effort is the latest news on the ceremony, which will be broadcast Feb. 10 on CBS. The singer and songwriter Alicia Keys will host the...
