TribLive stories, Page 319
David Mastio: 2 Trumps, contradictory as always, were on full display at his inauguration
If Donald Trump has a natural environment, it is cognitive dissonance. Nowhere was that on display more than the moment in his inauguration speech when he said, “I want to be a peacemaker and a unifier.” No American politician for 50 years has thrived more on strife and division than...
Sen. John Fetterman had ‘zero clue’ that he took a photo with a Jan. 6 rioter, his office says
Sen. John Fetterman inadvertently took a photo Monday with the rioter who grabbed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed with it during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The photo came the same day President Donald Trump took the oath of office and hours before Trump...
Paul Skenes 1-of-1 autographed rookie card found
An 11-year-old baseball card collector from Los Angeles may have just made the find of a lifetime. On Tuesday afternoon, Topps announced on X that the Paul Skenes 1-of-1 Rookie Debut Patch Autograph card had been found. The card, released in November as part of the Topps Chrome Update series,...
Derrick Tillman: Collaborations, investments key throughout Pittsburgh communities
Growing up in Section 8 housing, I witnessed firsthand the struggles of living day-to-day when it came to underserved and underrepresented populations. Not only did I see neighbors being displaced, but I saw family members wrestling with bills, trying to meet the needs of daily life. In each of those...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Jan. 20, 2025
Voting open through Jan. 27 for Penn Hills student’s sticker design Voting is open for the 2025 Allegheny County Elections’ “I Voted” sticker contest, and a Penn Hills 11th-grader’s design is one of the 10 finalists. The Elections Division received submissions from high schools across county. Mya Patterson’s design features...
Sewickley area student achievements for the week of Jan. 21, 2025
Sewickley Academy senior Sebastian Tan was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Be More Fund by the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) for her world betterment project, OutsideConnection. Tan founded OutsideConnection, a free second-chance job platform that connects people who were previously incarcerated to filtered, fair-chance job opportunities....
Kindergarten registration in Fox Chapel Area School District starts in February
Registration for children who will enter kindergarten in the fall of 2025 in Fox Chapel Area School District is set for March. The district also offers various pre-registration events (including parent/guardian orientations and 2025-2026 kindergarten story times) at the beginning of February. All registration forms will be filled out online....
Fetterman says he’s not planning on switching parties
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., shot down rumors he plans to jump to the Republican Party after meeting with President Donald Trump. “It’s not going to happen,” Fetterman told Semafor on Monday night. “And even if I wanted to do that, that is a rocket sled to Palookaville to try to...
Oath Keepers’ Rhodes and Proud Boys’ Tarrio released from prison after Trump Jan. 6 clemency
WASHINGTON — Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes have been released from prison after their lengthy sentences for seditious conspiracy convictions in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol were wiped away by a sweeping order from President Donald Trump benefitting more...
William Beaver: Does nuclear power have a future?
America will need more electricity to keep the lights on and our electronic devices running. The demand for electricity is predicted to increase by 18% by 2033 due largely to data centers needed for artificial intelligence and more electric vehicles. One of the ways to meet that demand would be...
Gallery: Photos from Jan. 21, 2025
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Trump orders federal agencies to recognize only 2 sexes that are ‘not changeable’
President Donald Trump signed executive orders Monday asserting that the U.S. government recognizes only two sexes that are “not changeable,” and reversing Biden administration directives on LGBTQ+ rights. One of the new orders says that “male” and “female” are defined based on reproductive cells and at the point when a...
Elon Musk salute at inauguration interpreted by some as Nazi gesture
Elon Musk’s salute at a Monday inauguration party for President Donald Trump was interpreted by many observers online as a “Heil Hitler” gesture. Musk, 53, spoke to a crowd of Trump supporters at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., after Trump was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol. While thanking...
Letter to the editor: Permitting rodeos is a step backwards
On Jan. 24 and 25, there is going to be a rodeo at PPG Paints Arena! For 32 years, Pittsburgh law has prevented the use of cruel electric prods, flanks, backing straps and sharpened fixed spurs, all of which burn, wound and/or dig into animals’ skin and sensitive tissue —...
Fox Chapel area student achievements for the week of Jan. 21, 2025
The plow painted by nine Fox Chapel Area High School students has been named the winner of the Judges’ Pick award in the Pittsburgh region of PennDOT’s Paint the Plow contest. Its design was created by junior Caroline Grimsley. The other students who worked on the project were juniors Ava...
Letter to the editor: Learning to think for ourselves
The other evening, I listened to President Biden’s farewell address. I was surprised when he warned us about the amount of misinformation we receive and that the very rich — some of whom own media platforms — are forming an oligarchy. Immediately after his speech, I turned on Fox News...
Editorial: ‘A multitude of malicious actors’
“Today’s cyber landscape is threatened by a multitude of malicious actors who have the tools to conduct large-scale fraud schemes, hold our money and data for ransom, and endanger our national security.” That’s according to a 2023 FBI report on internet crime that was quoted this month in The (Cumberland,...
The Stroller, Jan. 21, 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. Free meal distribution planned...
Letter to the editor: Boycott Starbucks
Starbucks employees started unionization efforts in 2021. The company has been blocking their efforts, sometimes with intimidation and illegal activity such as firing employees who were trying to unionize (“Fueled by anger and caffeine, 200 Starbucks workers strike in Pittsburgh area,” Dec. 24, TribLive). The new CEO of Starbucks was...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 20, 2025
High schools Basketball Boys Monday’s results Class 2A Section 2 Sewickley Academy 53, Brentwood 51 Section 4 OLSH 72, Western Beaver 30 Nonsection Avella 79, Mapletown 37 Beaver 93, Sto-Rox 55 Beaver County Christian 54, Environmental Charter 43 McGuffey 63, Carmichaels 34 Aquinas Academy at Propel Montour, ppd. Cameron (WV)...
High school roundup for Jan. 20, 2025: Geibel Catholic outlasts Clairton in battle of big-time scorers
In a matchup of two of the top scorers in WPIAL girls basketball and a battle for first place in Section 2-A, Emma Larkin led Geibel Catholic to a 65-62 overtime victory over Iyanna Wade and Clairton on Monday night. Larkin scored 38 points, including the go-ahead basket in the...
Never-before-heard David Bowie recordings unearthed at estate sale
PHILADELPHIA — Back in 2022, when Max Ochester loaded his car with 15 U-Haul boxes of reel-to-reel tapes he purchased at a Montgomery County estate sale, he had no idea he was carrying a new chapter of David Bowie’s Philadelphia music history in his hands. It would be another two...
Alison L. Steele: Linking Pa.’s shale gas industry to Calif. wildfires
Thousands of Californians have been displaced by wildfires that continue to rage across the landscape. Their homes and businesses have burned to the ground, and a growing number of lives have been lost. Many more families await evacuation orders, their bags packed, their children prepped, their pets leashed or caged,...
Colin P. Clarke: Why Israel can’t just ‘cut the head off’ of Hamas or Hezbollah
Since the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been at war in the Middle East. The conflict has stretched across borders, spanning Gaza to Lebanon to Iran. Over the course of 15 months, the Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s intelligence services have taken the fight directly...
Student news: A roundup of accolades
• Shaler Area High School student Ivy Wegner won honorable mention in the 10th-12th grade category of the WPCTE (Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of English) Flash Fiction Contest. Wegner’s entry, “The Key,” was one of only five who earned this award in her grade category. Students were asked to...

