TribLive stories, Page 411
Letter to the editor: Reauthorizing PEPFAR to fight HIV/AIDS will save lives
Our fight to end HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest success stories, and that’s in large part due to an American program you might have never heard of before. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was established by President George Bush in 2003 to stem the scourge...
Editorial: The terrible cost of an unknown mine
Pennsylvania often is split into its major parts. It is Pittsburgh to the west, Philadelphia to the east and everything else in the middle. Aside from the handful of cities, it is filled with almost 17 million acres of forest and more than 7 million acres of farmland. It is...
The Stroller, Dec. 8, 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. Plum toy collection to...
Letter to the editor: Dems should look to Clinton for course correction
A few words about the national Democratic Party, from a lifelong Democrat and a former D elected official. One billion dollars in campaign spending and hours of free media promotion still failed to sell the Democratic presidential ticket. In Westmoreland County, not a single Democratic candidate broke 35% of the...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 7, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Saturday’s results Aquinas Academy tournament Consolation Cheswick Christian Academy 67, Propel Montour 50 Championship Aquinas Academy 84, South Park 77 Baldwin/Peters Township tournament Baldwin 73, Altoona 49 Shaler 74, Peters Township 44 Brentwood tournament Consolation Geibel Catholic 61, Freedom 50 Championship Carrick 75, Brentwood 45 Brownsville...
High school roundup for Dec. 7, 2024: Neshannock girls sweep day-night tipoff doubleheader
When she looked at the final version of her regular season schedule, Neshannock girls basketball coach Luann Grybowski realized her team had been double booked for Saturday. Rather than cancel one of the games at the last minute, she decided to make a day of it. The Lancers (4-0) swept...
Mount Union rallies to eliminate Carnegie Mellon from Division III playoffs
T.J. Shields passed for 218 yards on 23-of-30 passing, Tyler Echeverry rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns and the Mount Union defense sacked Carnegie Mellon quarterback Ben Mills on fourth down with 1 minute, 25 seconds left to secure a 24-19 victory Saturday in the Division III playoffs. The...
New coach takes reins after breakthrough season for North Hills girls
Jason Pirring decided to stop coaching basketball in order to spend more time with his growing family. He never imagined that, years later, it would be his family that brought him back to the bench. Pirring was hired earlier this year as the new head coach of the North Hills...
Despite key departure, North Hills boys ready for move to Class 6A
For the second straight year, the North Hills boys basketball team is forced to move on following an early departure of the team’s top scorer. A year ago, the Indians were able to reach the WPIAL Class 5A basketball playoffs following the offseason loss of center Royce Parham, who transferred...
Counterpoint: How conservatives can win over women
Republicans, and particularly President-elect Donald Trump, did better with women than the media, the polls or recent history would have led anyone to expect. Here are five ways Republicans can make this the beginning of a permanent realignment. Follow through on campaign promises Millions of women — including young first-time...
Point: Working-class men have abandoned the Democratic Party; here’s what we should do about it
I know the moment when I knew in my gut that Donald Trump would win the 2024 presidential election. I will not pretend I have all the answers because I don’t. However, I am a Democrat who has run for office in four consecutive cycles. I have overperformed at the...
City Theatre’s ‘The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley’ brings Jane Austen to the holidays
“Pride and Prejudice” is one of the most cherished love stories in the Western literary canon, and many a Jane Austen lover has imagined what it would be like to live in the world of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. This month, City Theatre is giving theatergoers the opportunity to...
Letter to the editor: Clintons, Obamas should fade away
As a result of this past election, the Clintons and Obamas should realize that they no longer have any influence or prestige when it comes to commonsense voters. They should just enjoy their millions of dollars and fade away forever from the political scene. Gerard Pasquerell Pleasant Hills...
Sounding off: Letter-writers weigh in on pardon, election
Biden pardon sets dangerous precedent “No one is above the law,” a notable quote President Joe Biden made on July 1, showing himself as an enforcer of the law lining up with his campaign rhetoric to bring back some semblance of unity to the U.S. Four years after his victory,...
Letter to the editor: With pardon, Biden cements legacy as worst president ever
By now, I’m sure you are aware that Joe Biden has soiled himself, the Democratic Party and every Democrat who has supported that dying party by pardoning his criminal son after swearing for the past two years that he would allow the justice system to run its course, regardless of...
Editorial: Are Westmoreland County elected officials’ pay raises fair?
How much should an elected official be paid? It’s not a simple question. There are a variety of positions filled by election. Some are jobs that require a meeting or two a month — perhaps an overall investment of two to four hours. Depending on the city or borough, a...
The Stroller, Dec. 7, 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. Annual live Nativity planned...
Letter to the editor: Build Back Better would have helped many
The writer of the letter “Progressives have ruined Democratic Party” (Nov. 20, TribLive) speaks of progressives producing “great ideas in theory, but no substance” and asks, “How do you implement and fund these progressive fantasies and measure their effectiveness?” Regarding President Biden’s original, progressive plan, Build Back Better, had it...
Penn State trustees pass almost 85% of measures without a single dissenting vote
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. When...
High school sports scores, schedules for Dec. 6, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Aquinas Academy tournament Aquinas Academy 84, Cheswick Christian 53 South Park 80, Propel Montour 50 Baldwin/Peters Township tournament Baldwin 74, Shaler 50 Peters Township 69, Altoona 42 Brentwood tournament Brentwood 57, Freedom 45 Carrick 81, Geibel Catholic 59 Brownsville tournament Our Lady of the...
High school roundup for Dec. 6, 2024: Peters Township wins girls basketball showdown with Upper St. Clair
Natalie Wetzel scored 20 points to lead Peters Township to a 63-44 victory over Upper St. Clair in a battle of WPIAL girls basketball powers at the Baldwin/Peters Township tournament on Friday. Bri Morreale added 18 points and Taylor McCullough had 14 for Peters Township (2-0), the preseason No. 1...
Police: Man fatally shot in McKees Rocks
A man was shot and killed Friday night in McKees Rocks. Allegheny County Police said a man was reported to have been shot at Second and Broadway Street at about 9:20 p.m. First responders took the victim to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Allegheny County medical...
First defendant in Jordan Brown civil trial takes the stand
The day Kenzie Houk was killed, her ex-boyfriend, who, her family said, had once thrown her down a set of stairs and repeatedly threatened to kill her, offered to take a polygraph exam. But the state police investigating the shotgun murder didn’t take him up on it. “That determination is...
Gary Franks: Pardon me, Mr. President
No one could truly be surprised by the actions of President Joe Biden as he announced the granting of a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden. What father in a similar position would not do the same? But Biden is more than a father. He is president of the United...
ESPN’s Randy Moss taking extended leave to focus on ‘personal health challenge’
LOS ANGELES — Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss is taking an extended leave from his role as an analyst on “NFL Sunday Countdown” as he deals with “a personal health challenge,” ESPN said in a statement Friday. In a video recorded and posted on Instagram before he appeared on...

