TribLive stories, Page 336
Letter to the editor: Thanks to all who donated to support Pollard family
On behalf of myself and fellow Greensburg Walmart co-workers of Elizabeth Pollard, we would like to thank everyone who donated and supported the GoFundMe fundraiser for Liz, who tragically died after falling into a sinkhole in Marguerite. Liz was a beloved friend to so many who worked with her. She...
Editorial: 2024 was a year of questions and conversations
In 2024, our editorials asked questions and started conversations. Pittsburgh being Pittsburgh, our most read editorial came in January, asking why Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had to be so petulant when presented with a very predictable question at a news conference after losing a wild-card playoff game to Buffalo. Other...
Pittsburgh was popping in 2024: A pop culture year in review
From music to movies to museums, it’s been a banner year for pop culture in Pittsburgh. Here are just a few of the stories that captured our attention in 2024. Science Center gets a new name In January, it was announced that the Carnegie Science Center would be renamed “The...
The Stroller, Dec. 29, 2024: 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. Christmas tree recycling locations...
Letter to the editor: America’s health care system is broken
United Healthcare alone reported profits in excess of $23 billion in 2023. Former CEO Brian Thompson’s salary for 2023 was $10.2 million. Despite taking billions from the “system” to administrate and often deny care, Thompson and company never treated a sick person and never cured anyone of anything. Citizens of Canada,...
David M. Lantigua: At 88, Pope Francis dances the tango with the global Catholic Church amid its culture wars
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was 17 years old when he first received his vocation to become a priest. It happened on Sept. 21, 1953 — the beginning of spring in Buenos Aires — during a spontaneous visit to the confessional, or what Catholics call the sacrament of reconciliation. This spiritual turning...
Point: The top 5 moments of 2024
For those on the right side of the political aisle, 2024 was a mixed bag. On the one hand, we had to trudge through the final year of Joe Biden’s disastrous presidency while fighting tooth and nail to prevent the administration from inflicting further economic carnage. On the other hand,...
Counterpoint: 5 signs our country isn’t lost
On the one hand, there’s no sugarcoating how progressives feel at the close of 2024: rough. Donald Trump won back the White House with a campaign that was openly bigoted and fascist. And from President Joe Biden’s backing of Israel’s ghastly war in Gaza to his ill-fated decision to seek...
Letter to the editor: Tomlin should resign
Dear Mike Tomlin, Happy Holidays to you and your family. I have a problem only you can resolve. Please stop using the phrase “the standard is the standard.” I don’t think you know the standard. As a Christian man, you surely realize it is blasphemy. You are not Chuck Noll,...
Sounding off: On Tomlin, on Trump, on taxes
Tomlin should resign Dear Mike Tomlin, Happy Holidays to you and your family. I have a problem only you can resolve. Please stop using the phrase “the standard is the standard.” I don’t think you know the standard. As a Christian man, you surely realize it is blasphemy. You are...
2-year-old girl dies in East Hills fire; chief says apartment condemned
A 2-year-old girl has died following a fire Friday evening in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Praise Lemons was identified as the victim in an apartment fire that broke out at Maple Ridge Apartments about 9 p.m. in the 2000 block of Park...
Boise State star Ashton Jeanty preps to face vaunted Penn State defense
There’s been a lot of talk around the challenge Penn State will face in trying to stop Ashton Jeanty in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, is the best running back in college football and Boise State’s offensive engine. But the flipside to the Jeanty storyline...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s chaos
Donald Trump isn’t even in the White House yet but is already sowing the chaos he does so well. He and Elon Musk (who I believe should have no say in anything) tanked the bipartisan stopgap spending bill. Musk asked why “we” should give the Democrats everything they want. How...
Letter to the editor: State leaders should follow Innamorato’s lead
From her first day in office, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato has prioritized engaging directly with her constituents to identify and address their concerns and priorities. Innamorato’s 2025 budget proposal demonstrated the leadership we need to put the county in a stronger fiscal position while remaining focused on creating an...
Editorial: Marc Fogel’s wrongful detention designation is just the start
It took more than three years, but it finally happened: The State Department has deemed Marc Fogel wrongfully detained. In August 2021, the teacher from Oakmont was returning to Russia to teach at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport when he was found in possession...
A look at Western Pennsylvania’s changing restaurant scene in 2024
As another year comes to a close, so do some restaurants in the Western Pennsylvania region. But not all is lost — while several well-known establishments either shut their doors for good or announced end-of-year closures, others opened. Here’s a look back. Openings Barcelona Wine Bar Visitors to Pittsburgh’s Cultural...
The Stroller, Dec. 28, 2024: 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 rides available to...
Letter to the editor: Does hard work work pay off?
Does our hard work pay off? I ask because I’ve worked several full-time and part-time jobs. Some employers were fair, while others toxic. All employees have had the same experience at some level. Nevertheless, many of us work hard to make ends meet. Others work hard to be promoted or...
Elon Musk causes stir with post insulting American tech workers, supporting H-1B visas
Trump administration adviser Elon Musk angered MAGA supporters with his approval of a social media post sarcastically explaining that immigrants are needed for tech jobs because U.S. workers aren’t qualified enough. Using the X social media platform owned by Musk, an account called Autism Capital summed up the debate over...
Trump asks Supreme Court to pause law threatening TikTok ban
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump thrust himself into the high-stakes fight over the fate of TikTok in the U.S. by urging the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban the social media platform if it isn’t sold by its Chinese parent company. Trump said the court should give...
CDC: Bird flu virus likely mutated within Louisiana patient
A genetic analysis suggests the bird flu virus mutated inside a Louisiana patient who contracted the nation’s first severe case of the illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week. Scientists believe the mutations might allow the virus to better bind to receptors in the upper...
U.S. homelessness up 18% as affordable housing remains out of reach for many people
The United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness this year, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country, federal officials said Friday. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban...
Breakthrough technology sees how cholesterol causes heart attacks
ATLANTA — The U.S. government’s premier research body has made an important discovery that could help create new drugs to lower “bad” cholesterol and hopefully prevent heart attacks and stroke. But the interesting part of that story isn’t just the discovery itself but the technology responsible for it: a relatively...
Georgia Republicans can subpoena Fulton DA Fani Willis, judge rules
ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans can subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis about her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the outside attorney she hired to lead her 2020 election interference case against former and future President Donald Trump and his allies, a judge has ruled. The decision by Fulton County...
New York state government to monitor its use of AI under a new law
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they’re using artificial intelligence software under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers this year....
