TribLive stories, Page 2355
Letter to the editor: Let’s move forward on methane
The commitment by Peoples Gas on Jan. 8 to cut 50 percent of its methane emissions in the city of Pittsburgh is welcome news in the fight against climate change (“Peoples pledges to plug leaking methane from Pittsburgh gas lines,” Jan. 9, TribLIVE). Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, far...
Boeing’s flying car has taken off
A Boeing flying car designed to whisk passengers over congested city streets and dodge skyscrapers completed its first test flight on Tuesday, offering a peek into the future of urban transportation the aerospace giant and others are seeking to reshape. A prototype of its autonomous passenger air vehicle completed a...
Erica Smith: Good-character requirements violate rights
Rejected for lacking “good- moral character.” That was what the letter said from the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology to Courtney Haveman. Haveman had just spent thousands of dollars on beauty school learning to become an esthetician. She had enjoyed learning how to do facials, waxing, tweezing and more. She was ready...
Cops: Mom spanked other parents’ kids with a belt, wooden spoon at sleepover
A Florida woman faces child abuse charges after police say she spanked other parents’ children at a sleepover she was hosting. “One girl mentioned that she was hit in the knee with a wooden spoon, and another one said that she was hit with a shoe,” Fred Jones of the...
Melissa McCarthy has an early bedtime. Should all adults?
Do you ever wish that you could go to sleep shortly after you put your kids to bed? Maybe you should. Early bedtimes don’t have to be just for kids. Actress Melissa McCarthy, 48, has one. The actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in “Can You Ever...
Analysis: Falling home sales not helping middle-class buyers
WASHINGTON — When home sales weaken, prices typically do, too, and buyers benefit. Not quite this time. Home purchases in many areas of the country have dipped, and price gains have slowed. Yet a rising number of middle-class Americans are finding that home ownership is unaffordable. Why? Mortgage rates are...
Russell Baker, droll columnist and memoirist who twice won Pulitzer, dies at 93
Russell Baker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who for 36 years brought whimsy, irreverence and droll commentary to the Observer column in the New York Times and whose memoir, “Growing Up,” was a bestseller, died Jan. 21 at his home in Leesburg, Virginia. He was 93. The cause was complications from...
Mueller looking into Trump campaign ties to NRA as part of Russia probe
Special counsel Robert Mueller is probing the Trump campaign’s “dealings” with the National Rifle Association as part of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Mueller’s investigators asked former Trump aide Sam Nunberg about the campaign’s relationship with the NRA...
Beijing urged to free detained Canadians
BEIJING — The United States will continue to seek the extradition of jailed technology executive Meng Wanzhou, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed Tuesday, news that will intensify a high-stakes dispute between China and the United States. Meng, who is chief financial officer for Huawei Technologies, was arrested in Vancouver...
Chiefs fire defensive coordinator Bob Sutton after loss to Pats
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton on Tuesday, just two days after Kansas City failed to stop Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on what turned out to be the only possession of overtime in a crushing 37-31 playoff defeat. Chiefs coach Andy Reid...
Twitter takes down account that shared selective video of Covington controversy
Twitter has suspended an account with thousands of followers for violating its policy against “fake and misleading accounts,” because it posted a clip of the encounter between a Native American elder and several Kentucky high school students. The video, which was taken on Friday, has become a lightning rod for...
Mom arrested after dead baby found in Amazon site’s restroom
PHOENIX — A woman has been arrested on suspicion of unlawful disposal of human remains after her newborn baby was found dead inside a bathroom at an Amazon distribution center in southwest Phoenix last week, police announced Tuesday. Samantha Vivier, 22, was booked into jail. Police said their investigation into...
Joe Cicio: DNA of retailing has been compromised
If you think brick-and-mortar stores are in turmoil because of the internet, you would be wrong. Thanks to 40-plus years in retailing, I’ve been fortunate to have worked alongside — and even study — some of the most amazing merchants and retailers who have built the industry’s impressive reputation. I...
Pat Buchanan: At age 70, time to rethink NATO
“Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last.” So said President Charles de Gaulle, who in 1966 ordered NATO to vacate its Paris headquarters and get out of France. NATO this year celebrates a major birthday. The young girl of 1966 is no longer young. The...
NFL mock draft pegs WR Kelvin Harmon to Steelers in 1st round
Even though the 2019 draft class is loaded on defense, quarterbacks remain the most interesting story. This year’s QB class isn’t anywhere close to the 2018 group that produced five first-rounders, including four in the top 10. Still, teams and owners are looking for two commodities to lead their teams:...
Rudy Giuliani compounds Trump’s Russia woes in conflicting interviews
WASHINGTON — A lawyer’s job is to make a client look innocent, if not to prove it — something President Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has been struggling with in recent days. In a string of interviews, Giuliani has walked back a series of potentially damaging statements where he implied there...
Editorial: A beautiful day…to be snubbed?
While some read the lists of Academy Award nominees with questions about how Bradley Cooper and Emily Blunt could be snubbed and why were no women nominated in the director category, in our little corner, the question is more about documentaries than blockbusters. What about Mr. Rogers? “Won’t You Be...
3 West Virginia students ousted, 15 disciplined for frat house fall
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University says three students are no longer enrolled at the university and 15 others have agreed to other disciplinary action after a student was injured in a fall down steps at a fraternity house. The university announced the actions Tuesday in a news release. The...
Young skaters brave single-digit temps at North Park
Temperatures in the single-digits didn’t scare off these children who showed up at North Park Ice Rink on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 21. The bone-chilling conditions didn’t seem to phase these young skaters who made the most of a day off from school....
Oscar noms skip Fred Rogers doc, Bradley Cooper for director
The rollercoaster of the 2019 awards season continued Tuesday with a batch of Oscar nominations that few could have predicted. Sure, there were some shoo-ins that made it, like “Black Panther” breaking the superhero best picture barrier, and “A Star Is Born,” ”The Favourite” and “Roma” being among the leading...
CBS rejects Super Bowl ad for medical marijuana
The Super Bowl isn’t ready for medical marijuana. Acreage Holdings, the multi-state cannabis company backed by John Boehner, says CBS rejected a television advertisement that calls for the legalization of medical marijuana. The network, which is airing the game on Feb. 3, nixed the proposed spot after seeing a rough...
Former Pa. Sen. Harris Wofford, activist who helped Kennedy win, dies at 92
Harris Wofford, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, university president and lifelong crusader for civil rights who made a crucial contribution to John F. Kennedy’s slender victory in the 1960 presidential contest, died Jan. 21 at a hospital in Washington. He was 92. The cause was complications from a fall, said...
Letter to the editor: Why build the wall?
Some of those who don’t want to build a wall say it’s too expensive. Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and others on the left say we could use drones and electronic devices to do the same thing cheaper. Their thinking is shortsighted. If illegal aliens are detected crossing the border, they...
Letter to the editor: Dog verdict disgusting
I absolutely cannot believe the “not guilty” verdict in the case of the UPS driver attacked by three German shepherds trained as attack dogs (“Penn Township man found not guilty of dog law citations in UPS driver mauling,” Jan. 9, TribLIVE). It was weird that those dogs were not euthanized...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh crime will increase
Gun ban = more crime Regarding George Karpacs’ letter “Address gun issue now” (Jan. 6, TribLIVE): Do you do any thinking on your own? Pittsburgh’s mayor and Pennsylvania’s governor don’t. If they are successful with their gun-ban legislation, Pittsburgh will become like Chicago and other cities with high murder rates,...
