TribLive stories, Page 343
Biden commutes sentence for ex-McKees Rocks drug rehab founder who ran heroin ring
A Navy veteran who founded a McKees Rocks drug rehabilitation center but was later convicted of running a large-scale heroin ring was among those whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden last week. David Francis, who was 69 at the time of his sentencing, was ordered to serve 10...
New Kensington gun-shop thief pleads guilty in smash-and-grab heist
A man accused of burglarizing a New Kensington gun store in January pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court. Steyn Sarduy, 19, of New Kensington will be sentenced on March 17 by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer on charges of conspiracy and theft of a firearm from a licensed...
‘Lethal threat’: Judge sends Munhall mom to prison in fentanyl death of son, 2
When Paige Hufnagel was a senior in high school, she tore her ACL and meniscus while playing as a varsity starter on the North Allegheny basketball team. Hufnagel was prescribed opioids to cope with pain caused by the career-ending injury. But those same painkillers led to addiction and a downward...
RFK Jr. meets GOP senators to launch confirmation bid for health secretaryVideo
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was set to start meeting Republican senators Monday as the vaccine skeptic launches his contentious confirmation bid for health secretary. President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial Cabinet nominee headed to Capitol Hill for the first of more than a dozen planned meetings with GOP senators as he addresses...
Stephen Mihm: Nixon set the stage for Trump’s plan to control the budget
As pundits imagine the coming Donald Trump presidency, much of the attention has focused on the most extreme measures he has promised to implement, from mass deportations to abolishing the Department of Education. Yet these may pale in significance next to his promise to use something less showy but ultimately...
Penn State QB Drew Allar expected to return next season
Drew Allar is expected to come back to Penn State for the 2025 season. Allar, Penn State’s starting quarterback, has informed James Franklin and the coaching staff of his intention to return for his senior season in 2025, according to a Monday morning report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The news...
Gallery: Photos from Dec. 16, 2024
Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....
Security guard shoots armed man at Harrisburg courthouse
A man was shot Monday morning after he attacked security guards with a knife at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg, authorities told PennLIve. District Attorney Fran Chardo said a guard shot the man between 8:45 and 9 a.m. at the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse on the 1500 block of...
Kerry Ann Knapp: I’m a longtime family caregiver. It makes me a better person.
Thirty-one years ago, my husband, Bruce, and I took on the role of a lifetime. I became the legal guardian, and Bruce the caregiver, for my nephew Dan Bivins, who was 7 at the time and born with Down syndrome. That still stands as one of the luckiest days of...
Preparation, teamwork have Seton Hill women’s basketball team perfect after 10 games
For her second season as the Seton Hill women’s basketball coach, Maeve Gallagher wanted to increase the degree of difficulty in the Griffins’ nonconference schedule. The goal, of course, was to prepare them for the rigors of the PSAC West. So Gallagher loaded up the front of the schedule, opening...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Greensburg Salem’s Braedon Leatherman
Last year, the Greensburg Salem boys basketball team finished 4-17, 2-8 in Section 1-4A. Determined to turn things around, the program underwent several offseason changes. One of the biggest shifts was the rehiring of coach Paul Sapotichne, who previously led the team from 1982-2011. Senior Braedon Leatherman said the changes...
St. Joseph grad Julie Spinelli immediately steps into starting lineup for Frostburg State women’s basketball team
Just before her team faced Towson in an exhibition game, Frostburg State women’s basketball coach Jenna Eckleberry noticed freshman Julie Spinelli looked a little antsy. And Spinelli hadn’t even received the news that she was going to be in the starting lineup. Having some butterflies isn’t unusual for a freshman....
Penn State volleyball advances to final four after beating Creighton in 5 sets
The Penn State women’s volleyball team advanced to the national semifinal for the 14th time in program history after defeating second-seeded Creighton, 3-2, on Sunday night at Rec Hall in University Park. The Nittany Lions reached the NCAA final four for the first time since 2017 with the 25-15, 16-25,...
Penn State beats Marquette for women’s volleyball berth in regional final
STATE COLLEGE — Camryn Hannah hit .476 with 24 kills to lead the Penn State women’s volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-21, 24-26, 25-20) win over Marquette in an NCAA regional semifinal Friday afternoon inside Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions improved to 32-2 overall while advancing to the NCAA...
Letter to the editor: Luigi Mangione is not a hero
Why is so much praise being heaped on assassin Luigi Mangione? The man he killed, Brian Thompson, had two sons, ages 19 and 16. Please tell me what crimes these two young men have committed. Mangione has sentenced them to a life without their father. I lost my father when...
Kinetic Theatre’s ‘Sherlock Carol’ is a witty seasonal melding of classic tales
“Moriarty was dead, to begin with.” That sentence would cause any lover of 19th-century British literature to do a double take. One half of the line mirrors the opening of Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol,” while the rest evokes Professor James Moriarty, the greatest foe of Arthur Conan Doyle’s...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area news, events for the week of Dec. 16, 2024
Plum Council approves borough budget Plum Council unanimously approved the borough’s $26.3 million 2025 budget on Dec. 9. The budget leaves the borough’s property tax rate unchanged at 6.63 mills. The annual borough property tax bill on a home at Plum’s median assessed value of $116,700 is about $774. The...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s reckless nominations
Since he won the presidential election this year, Donald Trump has demonstrated to me he will be every bit as unreasonable and reckless as many of us feared. When he nominated U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of State, there was hope, but then we saw the most unqualified...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Dec. 16, 2024
School board reorganization retains top leadership Penn Hills School Board members gathered Dec. 3 in the newly minted Sen. Jay Costa Media Center in Linton Middle School for their annual reorganization meeting. With eight out of nine members present, Erin Vecchio was voted in as school board president for the...
The Stroller, Dec. 16, 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. AK Heritage Museum to...
Unregulated Delta 8 remains a concern amid marijuana legalization talk, as teens and toddlers gain access to it
As the debate over recreational marijuana continues, a related issue medical and legal experts say poses a threat to children is a growing concern. Delta 8 edibles look like the kind of sugary, fruit-flavored gummy candy toddlers devour by the handful. But pediatricians say these products — packaged almost identically...
Editorial: AI is ‘helping’ with your online holiday shopping, whether you like it or not
The holiday shopping season has started fast, especially online, and those automated chatbots are working overtime. Artificial intelligence is increasingly finding its way into decisions that once were purely human, like whether or not to buy a sweater. This year, more than ever, smart computer programs are stepping between customers...
Letter to the editor: No more tax cuts for the wealthy
In a March 2023 article, the Center for American Progress states, “Tax cuts are primarily responsible for the increasing debt … . House Republican leaders have used the size of the debt to call for spending cuts, but it does not address the true cause of the rising debt …...
In brief: Herald area events for the week of Dec. 16, 2024
National Art Honor Society wins 3rd in city’s gingerbread contest Members of the National Art Honor Society at Fox Chapel Area High School won third place in the high school category of the City of Pittsburgh’s 22nd annual Gingerbread Display and Competition with their creation titled “Coraline House.” The confection...
Persistent problems with a Pa. grant for beer promotion led to headaches, layoffs for awardees
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. HARRISBURG — At first, things were going smoothly. Filmmaker Nate Kresge said he was receiving grants through a little-known state program to promote Pennsylvania’s beer...
