TribLive stories, Page 501
Man who heard voices will spend at least 8½ years in prison for killing stepfather
Seven years before Javon Taylor stabbed his stepfather to death, he started to exhibit symptoms of mental illness. He talked to himself out loud, believed the Little Mermaid was God and thought the walls in his apartment were wired so people could listen to him. It became so bad, his...
Peter Morici: College has to offer a better return on investment than students are getting
With students heading back to campuses, America’s universities need a reality check — and American business could provide it. Even before recent demonstrations disrupted campuses and forced embarrassing confrontations between university presidents and congressional leaders, Americans’ confidence in higher education was declining. A recent Gallup poll found that just 36%...
St. James students kick off school year with Blue Carpet Ceremony
St. James School warmly welcomed preschool through eighth grade students on their first day of the 2024-2025 school year on Aug. 22 with its traditional Blue Carpet Ceremony. Similar to Hollywood’s red carpet, St. James School students entered the building on a blue carpet accompanied by VIP ropes underneath a...
Former treasurer accused of stealing $18.9K from Burrell Cheer Boosters
The former treasurer of the Burrell Cheer Boosters is facing criminal charges after, authorities say, she took nearly $19,000 from the organization. Lower Burrell police charged Ashley Marie Freiberg, 40, of Upper Burrell with a felony count of theft and misdemeanor charges of receiving stolen property and bad checks. Lower...
Through the years: A decade ago, Apollo-Ridge won big in ‘Viking Bowl’
Each week throughout the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch will take a look at the players, coaches and events that shaped our scholastic legacy. In what was billed the Viking Bowl, Apollo-Ridge’s Vikings defeated Valley’s Vikings, 49-0, in 2014. Big plays included an 81-yard scoring run by...
Penn State’s heralded 2022 recruiting class ready to make a College Football Playoff push
Drew Allar remembers Penn State football’s highly-rated 2022 recruiting class being a “super-tight group” from the very beginning. Allar, the five-star quarterback and headliner of the class, verbally committed three years ago, back in March 2021. He and the rest of the commits formed a “close connection,” one they used...
JD Vance claims Kamala Harris is running a ‘copycat’ campaign during Erie visit: ‘She wants my job’
Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance said Vice President Kamala Harris is running a “copycat” campaign, claiming that she “pretends” to agree with former President Donald Trump on “every issue.” The comment came during Vance’s remarks at Team Hardinger, a trucking company in Erie, where he was scheduled to...
Letter to the editor: Solar power can keep us cool
I was deeply concerned by your article “Blackouts in extreme weather drive demand for cleaner backup power” (Aug. 22, TribLive). Challenges faced by families such as Kenna Ofoegbu’s are real, but the suggestion to revert to fossil-fuel generators is like taking a step backward when we should be racing ahead...
Uniontown enjoying some success as independent program
The Uniontown football team can divide its recent history into two eras: pre-covid and post-covid. In the seasons just before the pandemic hit, the Red Raiders were struggling. The team was finding it tough to build its roster and even tougher to come up with wins in its WPIAL conference....
Laurel Highlands expecting to return to form after down year
Entering his sixth year as head coach at Laurel Highlands, Rich Kolesar can usually assess the coming fortunes of his Mustangs by the way offseason workouts progress. Kolesar said the years that the offseason work has gone well, Laurel Highlands has had successful seasons. Coming off consecutive eight-win campaigns last...
Frazier out to prove 1-win seasons are thing of the past
Entering the 2024 season, the Frazier football team has plenty to prove. The Commodores want to prove to themselves and their fans that they are a much better team than the last few years’ records have indicated. They also want to prove that they are capable of establishing a winning...
Connellsville goes independent with momentum after .500 season
For a number of years, one of the main goals for the Connellsville football team has been to reestablish a winning culture that can be sustained long term. That’s proven to be a difficult task, but last year, the Falcons seemed to take a legitimate step forward by posting a...
Women Who Rock benefit concert with Melissa Etheridge blazed its way to big bucks for women’s health
A sold-out crowd flooded Stage AE on Wednesday night to hear great music that benefited a great cause. The 2024 Women Who Rock benefit concert was headlined by musician and activist Melissa Etheridge, who is also a breast cancer survivor. It was an apt choice, considering the event was held...
Mark Rengers Gallery to highlight photographer Richard Snodgrass
Mark Rengers Gallery in Sewickley is set to showcase the work of noted local photographer and author Richard Snodgrass. “Richard Snodgrass: Retrospective” opens Aug. 30 and will highlight the artist’s decades-long career of capturing life in Western Pennsylvania. “I’m really pleased,” Snodgrass said. “(Mark Rengers) has been so supportive of...
Letter to the editor: Harris will stand up to Trump, world leaders
The article “Path to the presidency: Keys to victory for Harris and Trump” (Aug. 25, TribLive) stated, “To sway voters, Harris will need to detail her policy positions, nail the debate with Trump scheduled for next month and continue her momentum.” But there has been far too much said by...
Editorial: Juries, not judges, decide death penalty. That means judges must seat death penalty juries
Judges can’t pick and choose when it comes to death penalty cases. That’s the ruling of the Pennsylvania Superior Court. The case in question started with the Bellevue killing of Rachel Dowden in January 2022. Prosecutors say the crime was committed by her ex-boyfriend, Deangelo Zieglar, 28. The Allegheny County...
The Stroller, Aug. 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. Tails on the Trails fundraiser welcomes canine participants The 15th annual...
Letter to the editor: Biden-Walz will be a disaster
Regarding the letter “Comparing Trump, Biden-Harris” (Aug. 7, TribLive): Under President Biden and Vice President Harris, gas prices went through the roof along with food prices. Interest rates went up, also. As far as the infrastructure is concerned, taxpayers are on the hook for the money spent, as the federal...
Pirates farm report for Aug. 28, 2024: Termarr Johnson hits 1st Double-A homer in Altoona win
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 62-63) swept a doubleheader from Louisville (Reds), winning both games by a 2-1 score. In the first game, RHP Bubba Chandler (2-0, 1.17) started and went five innings, allowing one unearned run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. RHP Isaac Mattson (3.14) worked two perfect...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 28, 2024
High schools Cross country Wednesday’s results Boys Nonsection Hampton 19, Mars 39 Football Thursday’s schedule Nonconference Linsly, W.Va. at Westinghouse, 7 p.m. Friday’s schedule WPIAL Nonconference Apollo-Ridge at Jeannette, 7 p.m. Armstrong at Hampton, 7 p.m. Beaver Falls at Imani Christian, 7 p.m. Belle Vernon at Aliquippa, 7 p.m. Beth-Center...
High school roundup for Aug. 28, 2024: Mars gets past Hampton in section showdown
Julia Lishia scored the game’s lone goal to lift Mars (4-0, 1-0) to a 1-0 victory over Hampton (2-1, 1-1) in an early season matchup between top teams in Section 1-3A girls soccer Wednesday night. Ambridge 3, Hopewell 2 (OT) – Megan Conover scored all three goals, including the game-winner...
Nippon Steel pledges $1 billion to Mon Valley Works pending U.S. Steel acquisition as government opposition continues
Nippon Steel will spend $2.7 billion through 2026 to upgrade steel plants if its plan to acquire U.S. Steel comes to fruition. The Japanese company announced Wednesday at least $1 billion would be used to replace or upgrade the West Mifflin hot strip mill and other facilities to improve yield...
Don’t poke The Birdie as he makes his A-K Valley Week 1 picks
Last week: 7-2 (77.8%) The Birdie would like to talk about a very serious issue today: taunting. Not the kind of taunting that draws a 15-yard penalty in a football game. Taunting The Birdie when he picks a game wrong. The Birdie doesn’t get taunted often, of course. Generally speaking,...
2024 Western Pa. high school football schedule for Week 1
Thursday Nonconference Linsly, W.Va. at Westinghouse, 7 p.m. Friday WPIAL Nonconference Apollo-Ridge at Jeannette, 7 p.m. Armstrong at Hampton, 7 p.m. Beaver Falls at Imani Christian, 7 p.m. Belle Vernon at Aliquippa, 7 p.m. Beth-Center at Leechburg, 7 p.m. Bethel Park at Mars, 7 p.m. Bishop Canevin at Seton LaSalle,...
Westmoreland County high school football matchups for 2024 Week 1
Here’s a look at the don’t-miss matchups for Westmoreland County in Week 1 of the 2024 season: Nonconference Apollo-Ridge (0-1) at Jeannette (1-0) 7 p.m. Friday, McKee Stadium, Jeannette Last week’s result: Leechburg 19, Apollo-Ridge 14; Jeannette 28, Mt. Pleasant 27 Last year’s meeting: Did not play. Apollo-Ridge was in...
