TribLive stories, Page 2364
‘Pete the Groin Crusher’ lauded for crushing 10,000 patients
PHILADELPHIA — Nobody ever warns the patients at Pennsylvania Hospital about Pete Schiavo, “The Groin Crusher.” The first time most people meet Schiavo, they’ve just come out of a coronary procedure and he’s explaining that after the catheters are pulled out of their femoral artery, he’s going to apply pressure...
Letter to the editor: County Dem leadership
2018 was supposed to be the year of the blue wave, yet here in Westmoreland County, every single Democrat running for state or federal office lost, in most cases by double digits. While we saw Democrats across the country win in historically red districts and states, in our own county,...
Letter to the editor: Sad goodbye to Antonio Brown
An open letter to Antonio Brown: In the 2010 draft I sat and waited for your pick — round 6, pick 195. I exploded with joy! Emailed my husband in Afganistan: Steelers got Antonio Brown! Antonio who? Antonio Brown, the next big thing! Went out and bought myself (still have)...
Letter to the editor: TEACH grants not ‘free money’
To letter-writer Jeanne Snyder (“TEACH grants should be paid back,” Jan. 1, TribLIVE): You state that “Upon graduating, he (your son) found a job and started making payments toward the loans.” Did he also pay back the grants he received? TEACH grants are not free money to teachers. They come...
Ex-kidnapping victims: Jayme Closs needs space, time to heal
CHICAGO — Katie Beers’ joy quickly turned to deep concern when she learned 13-year-old Jayme Closs had been found alive in rural Wisconsin nearly three months after police say a man shot and killed her parents then abducted the girl from their home. “She is going to have to grieve...
Peters named Hampton council president again for 2019
Hampton Township held its annual organizational meeting for 2019 on Jan. 7 with the re-election of Michael Peters as its president and Dr. Carolynn Johnson as its vice president. “I am honored to have been elected to a second term as Council president by my colleagues,” said Peters. “Looking forward...
‘The Punisher’ proves it’s still among the best Marvel live-action talesVideo
The pending and probably permanent separation of Netflix and Marvel in no way dampens the second season of “The Punisher.” Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle is the last man standing: His lead role in “The Punisher” and Krysten Ritter’s “Jessica Jones” are the only Marvel street-level heroes remaining in Netflix’s once-vast...
Hempfield Cub Scouts host Pinewood Derby races involving nearly 70 handmade cars
Cub Scout Pack 418 of Hempfield hosted their annual Pinewood Derby race on Saturday in the Maxwell Elementary School cafeteria. Along with neighboring Cub Scout Pack 211 of Delmont there were nearly 70 handmade wooden cars created by the scouts, who ranged in age from kindergarten through fifth grade. This...
Shutdown becomes longest federal closure in U.S. history
WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown became the longest closure in U.S. history when the clock ticked past midnight into early Saturday as President Trump and nervous Republicans scrambled to find a way out of the mess. A solution couldn’t come soon enough for federal workers who got pay statements...
Megyn Kelly officially exits NBC News
NEW YORK — Megyn Kelly’s turbulent two-year run at NBC News is over as both sides reached an agreement Friday night on her exit from the network. Terms of her departure were not disclosed, but people familiar with the negotiations said the former morning show host is leaving with the...
Florida pardons 4 black men accused of 1949 rape
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After a dramatic, hourlong meeting that recalled events from nearly seven decades ago, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s three-member Cabinet granted posthumous pardons Friday to four African-American men accused of raping a white woman in a 1949 case now seen as a racial injustice. The...
Avalanches, accidents bring Europe’s winter death toll to 21
BELGRADE, Serbia — Heavy snow paralyzed much of Europe for yet another day, cutting off mountain villages, sparking avalanches like one that crashed into a Swiss hotel and killing at least four more people Friday. Workers at the Hotel Saentis in eastern Switzerland spent Friday shoveling out hip-deep snow after...
Walter Williams: Hope for black education
In reference to efforts to teach black children, the president of the St. Petersburg, Fla., chapter of the NAACP, Maria Scruggs, said: “The (school) district has shown they just can’t do it. … Now it’s time for the community to step in.” That’s a recognition that politicians and the education...
John Stossel: Legal weed is no disaster
Ten states and Washington, D.C., have now legalized adult use of marijuana. Supporters of America’s long war on drugs said legalization would create disaster. Has it? No. Colorado and Washington offer the longest points of comparison, because weed has been legal in those states now for five years. More people...
Westmoreland Happenings: Week of Jan. 14
Classes/programs • A still life painting workshop with Doreen Currie is planned 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 26 in Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South. Cost: $30, attendees are required to bring their own materials. Reservations required by Jan. 23 at 724-238-6015...
Hampton students help nonprofit spread birthday cheer
Learning support students at Hampton Middle School went on a shopping spree to help out people in need. The students helped out Beverly’s Birthdays, an organization that provides birthday cheer for children experiencing homelessness and families in need. Students used proceeds from their Express-O-Cart business at the school, which sells...
Editorial: Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s lies come to light
He lied. Sometimes Cardinal Donald Wuerl concealed the truth of sexual abuses in “secret archives.” Sometimes he didn’t acknowledge. Sometimes he stayed silent. But now we know the former bishop of Pittsburgh didn’t just commit sins of omission. Now we know that he took a commandment and snapped it like...
Miami airport closing off terminal as shutdown keeps TSA workers home
MIAMI — With more federal security screeners refusing to work without pay, Miami International Airport plans to cut off access to one of its terminals over the weekend in order to send TSA workers to busier checkpoints, a spokesman said Thursday night. Closing of the security checkpoint at Terminal G...
Erie mayor’s sister-in-law is $4 million lottery winner
Erie Mayor Joe Schember’s family now includes a millionaire. Schember confirmed to the Erie Times-News on Friday that his sister-in-law, Leann Wolfe, is the Erie woman who won a $4 million prize in the Mega Millions drawing on New Year’s Day. Wolfe, a 58-year-old retired Erie School District teacher, is...
Letter to the editor: American hypocrisy
Hypocrisy: 7-year-old girl dies in the custody of border patrol, and the left-wing media goes berserk. Had these been American citizens, the father would be arrested for child abuse and possibly murder. Hypocrisy: Journalist is murdered by people in Saudi Arabia because he was a threat or inconvenience to them,...
Letter to the editor: Judges should protect health, environment
The protection of health and the environment that is guaranteed by the Pennsylvania Constitution is being eroded. Every judge in Pennsylvania should live next to an active gas operation with the truck traffic, emissions, leaks, spills, risks to health and environment, and blight on the landscape before attesting to the...
Photo Gallery: Orthodox Christmas in Monroeville
Worshipers gathered at St. Nicholas Serbian Orthodox Church in Monroeville to celebrate Orthodox Christmas Eve Jan. 6. According to the Julian Calendar, it is a Serbian tradition to attend vespers on Christmas Eve, participating in an evening of praise, prayers and sacrifice. At the end of the service, parishioners gather...
U.S. restaurant prices jump the most since 2011
Full-service restaurants, facing higher labor and food costs, raised prices the most in more than seven years in December, a Labor Department report released Friday shows. As grocery costs rise at a slower pace, that could push more U.S. consumers to eat at home, potentially shifting sales away from sit-down...
‘The Sopranos’ at 20: Creator David Chase on the show’s legacy and 4 key episodes
NEW YORK — Twenty years ago this week, “The Sopranos” was about to debut on HBO, and creator David Chase was sure it would never amount to much. “My wife will tell you. I thought, ‘Another mob story? People are gonna get sick of it, or they’ll just laugh it...
Taxes holding steady in several South Hills communities
Real estate taxes will remain the same in 2019 for residents living in several South Hills communities including Pleasant Hills, Jefferson Hills and Whitehall. Here’s a look at how each budget breaks down: Pleasant Hills Pleasant Hills will continue to hold its property tax rate at 6.75 mills for 2019....

