TribLive stories, Page 275
Fox Chapel graduate Anna Troutman finding her way as Lehigh heptathleteVideo
In her heyday as a track and field athlete at her alma mater, Lehigh coach Khayla Atte — the former Khayla Lowe, a Thomas Jefferson grad — was accomplished in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon. She put her name on multiple top-10 lists in Lehigh track and field history....
Ligonier Valley grad Piper establishes herself as top pitcher as freshman at WestminsterVideo
Cheyenne Piper stands out among her teammates in the Westminster softball team photo: She is the only one wearing glasses. But the Ligonier Valley grad insists her spectacles aren’t any kind of fashion statement, they aren’t her “trademark” or connected to any superstition. She simply can’t wear contact lenses. Piper...
Pirates farm report for April 19, 2025: Matt Gorski homers twice to back Bubba Chandler at Indy
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 9-8) handled Toledo (Tigers), 6-2. 1B Matt Gorski (.300) went 3 for 4 with a double and two home runs, his second and third. RHP Bubba Chandler (1.76) started and went 4 ⅔ innings, giving up one run on two hits with one walk and five strikeouts. RHP...
High school roundup for April 19, 2025: Penn-Trafford picks up win over North Allegheny
Dom Delio threw five scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four, to lead Penn-Trafford to a 9-1 win over North Allegheny in nonsection baseball Saturday. Logan Matrisch and Johnny Lovre drove in two runs apiece and Ethan Septak and Brandon Kane each had an RBI for the Warriors...
Red card, late goal doom Riverhounds at Loudoun
A red card and a tiebreaking goal late in the second half sent the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to a 2-1 loss on the road against Loudoun United FC on Saturday. In the 75th minute, Riverhounds defender Luke Biasi caught Loudoun’s Ben Mines with a high boot as he headed down a...
Counterpoint: Conventional wisdom behind birthright citizenship is flat error
Once upon a time, doctors were convinced that using leeches and drawing the blood of patients cured illness. No matter how widely accepted that error was, leeches didn’t cure anything. The same is true for the belief that anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. Please...
Point: A defense of birthright citizenship
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship — known as “birthright citizenship” — for children born in the United States to two noncitizen parents. His argument rests on interpreting the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” found in the...
Letter to the editor: SAVE Act is about discrimination, not integrity
The GOP-led Congress has passed a bill called the SAVE Act that purports to safeguard the integrity of future elections. Let’s do the math. Election integrity equals voter suppression equals racial discrimination. Always has, always will. This is a racist bill. If you don’t believe me and think that there...
Letter to the editor: Pecarchik best pick for register of wills
Katie Pecarchik has more of the experience needed for the Office of Register of Wills than the two other candidates. In the past she was deputy clerk, first deputy and acting register of wills. She has 21 years of experience in this office. She came out of retirement to get...
Sounding off: Politics, Pirates among week’s topics
A difficult time for democracy One might argue Karl Marx was mistaken; it’s not, as Marx predicted, oppressed workers who are smashing capitalism, but bored billionaires. “Move fast and break things,” the guiding principle of Facebook, was adopted by billionaires across business and financial sectors. As I see it, an...
Letter to the editor: McCormick helping to keep us safe
It been a little over 100 days since David McCormick became Pennsylvania’s newest U.S. senator. I felt that electing a self-accomplished senator would give us a senator ready and able to take on the challenges of leadership in Washington. Sure enough, he has taken on several Senate leadership responsibilities, including...
Letter to the editor: Appreciate the great theater talent in Pittsburgh
I recently had the honor to attend the world premiere of “Art of Wise” by Mark Clayton Southers at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater. This is a brilliant play, written at a level of the very best playwrights. This experience reminded me that we have highly talented playwrights, directors, technicians and actors...
Editorial: How did Pittsburgh’s overtime budget go so wrong?
In November, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey proposed a 2025 budget that didn’t just hold the line on 2024’s spending, but it also reeled it in by 3%. In December, Pittsburgh City Council passed that budget with few changes. They did so despite concerns over aspects that felt unrealistic. Specifically, there...
Letter to the editor: Message to Summer Lee — impeach Trump
Earlier this month, Rep. Summer Lee did not directly respond to questions about whether she supports impeaching President Trump from office. This is unacceptable. I am unhappy seeing this lack of foresight and leadership from my district’s representative. It’s obvious to me, a concerned citizen and voter, that Trump is...
The Stroller, April 19, 2025: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least two weeks in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Kids’ Fishing Day planned...
Our Lady of Joy in Plum hosts weekly fish fry during Lent in renovated hall
Parishioners and guests of Holy Family Parish’s Our Lady of Joy in Plum enjoyed a variety of foods at the church’s Friday fish frys this Lenten season. The church at 2000 O’Block Road recently renovated its social hall with new drywall, sconces and a paint job among other upgrades. It...
Letter to the editor: Republican endorsements cowardly
With the election of RINO Sen. Greg Rothman as Pennsylvania GOP chair, I fully expect the party to endorse its candidate for governor. There were 15 candidates for governor in 2021-22 when I ran. I don’t believe the party will want a repeat of “just anybody” thinking they can run....
Glitches, unproven tech in Pa.’s new financial aid system exacerbated delays for thousands of students
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. By October, the scale of the crisis was clear. State grants that thousands of students were counting on to pay for college were weeks behind...
Pirates farm report for April 18, 2025: Matt Gorski delivers walk-off double for Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 8-8) defeated Toledo (Tigers), 5-4, on a walk-off RBI double by LF Matt Gorski (.268) in the bottom of the 11th. Gorski went 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBIs. SS Tsung-Che Cheng (.222) went 3 for 4 with a stolen base. 2B Nick Yorke...
Listen to the 911 call Cody Balmer placed after allegedly setting fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansionVideo
PHILADELPHIA — In a roughly minute-long phone call to Dauphin County 911, the man accused of setting three fires in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence told dispatchers Pennsylvania’s chief executive needed to leave his family and friends alone. “Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take...
High school roundup for April 18, 2025: Neshannock softball stands alone atop section
Addy Frye gave up two unearned runs and struck out 13 in a complete game and Payton Newman singled, doubled and drove in three runs to lead Neshannock to a 6-2 win over Laurel in a matchup of Section 1-2A softball rivals Friday. Jaidon Nogay doubled and drove in two...
The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The effect lingers
HARRISBURG — The pounding of fists on the governor’s bedroom door was loud and urgent. The mansion was on fire, a state trooper yelled, and Pennsylvania’s first family needed to get out immediately. Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori, jumped out of bed and rushed from room to room...
Greensburg Ministerium presents annual ‘Way of the Cross’
The Greensburg Ministerium, representing churches in the community, presented its annual “The Way of the Cross” depiction of the events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Actors portrayed events on Good Friday as depicted in the Bible as they made their way through downtown Greensburg. “We are not true...
Parkway East bridge replacement will close part of Old William Penn Highway in Monroeville
Part of Old William Penn Highway in Monroeville will be closed next week as PennDOT replaces the superstructure of the bridge that carries the Parkway East above the road. Old William Penn will close between Evergreen Drive and Duff Road from April 22-25, to allow construction crews to continue replacing...
The people who represent you in D.C. and Harrisburg are allowed to keep their calendars secret
This story originally appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from the Spotlight PA State College bureau. Sign up at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. STATE COLLEGE — Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, multiple protests have been held outside U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s...
