TribLive stories, Page 517
Police say prisoner killed cellmate for not saying ‘excuse me’ after bumping him
Why did Shaquille Gibson say he beat, and later stomp, his cellmate’s face so severely it caved his nose inward and he died? It was because “Mister Beattie,” his 57-year-old cellmate who used a wheelchair, bumped into him and didn’t say “excuse me,” a state trooper testified. That’s what Gibson...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 3rd-party candidates face ballot challenges in Pennsylvania
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 — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his running mate, and at least nine third-party candidates are facing challenges that could see them kicked off of...
Pipe project to close Creek Road in Fairfield until late this month
PennDOT will close a section of Creek Road Monday in Fairfield, causing a detour that is expected to continue through late August. The road will be closed between Hirsch and Midget Camp roads while crews replace a pipe. The posted detour will divert traffic along Midget Camp Road and Route...
Counterpoint: There’s an equality issue in women’s sports — and it’s not about transgender women
This year, 2024, might be the year of women’s sports. Incredible stories of women competing abound — from Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese catapulting women’s basketball into the spotlight to Olympians Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky breaking records in Paris. With the uptick in exposure to women’s sports, some are...
Point: Biological males competing against females is a farce
On average, adult men are physically stronger, more powerful, faster and have higher endurance than adult women. This is not a theory; it is an indisputable scientific fact. Although anyone with a functional brain intuitively understands that men and women are fundamentally different when it comes to athletic prowess and,...
Deep group of defensive tackles looks promising for Penn State
Penn State should have strength in numbers at the defensive tackle position in the fall. At the very least. The Nittany Lions’ top edge rushers, led by Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, are the headliners and deservedly so. Both players, should they leave PSU after 2024, are projected to be...
Letter to the editor: Valley veterans memorial disgrace
Visiting New Kensington recently we made our first visit to the Valley High School veterans memorial. Unfortunately it was in shambles. Half of the bricks with veterans’ names and service dates were discarded in a pile, with holes in the ground where bricks once lay. Even the flags are torn...
Sounding off: Presidential race, Olympics on readers’ minds
‘Weird’ is a mean word, and Trump may take the bait Was anyone surprised last week to hear so many prominent Democratic spokespeople use the same exact word? The word of the day was “weird.” When you see a montage of the clips, it’s obvious to me that they brainstorm...
Letter to the editor: Men of ‘integrity and honor’ don’t stiff contractors
I would like to thank the writer of the letter “Trump has integrity, honor” (July 29, TribLive). I did not know that stiffing your contractors defined a man as having “integrity and honor.” Richard Woodward Murrysville...
Letter to the editor: Plenty for Christians to love about Trump
A letter-writer recently opined that he was perplexed by the “love” of evangelicals for the sinful Donald Trump (“Why do evangelicals support un-Christian Trump?” Aug. 6, TribLive). As a Christian, I do not love Trump’s sins. I do love his appointment of conservative Supreme Court justices, lower taxes that increase...
Editorial: Cheap fakes are dangerous knockoff of AI deep-fake threats
Deepfakes are getting attention as we creep closer to the election. These are things that spread like a bad flu with increasing reliance on technology. Often, they are a political weapon. Thousands of people in New Hampshire received robocalls ahead of the primary, with a voice that sounded like President...
Led by versatile Brock Cornell, West Allegheny determined to finish stronger
Over the last couple of years, West Allegheny has shown signs of a potential return to the program’s championship ways. Unfortunately, those signs have been fleeting. The Indians went 6-5 last season, falling in their last three games, including the first round of the Class 4A playoffs to Latrobe, 39-7....
New Blackhawk coach focusing on staying in the moment
Jake Wickline isn’t worried about Blackhawk’s struggles of the past or its challenges of the future. He’s all about the here and now. Wickline was hired as the Cougars’ new head coach in February, becoming the third person to lead the program in a six-month stretch. “This job opening came...
Ambridge hopes patience pays off for experienced senior class
Sherm McBride admits that he has discovered the meaning of one, very important word over the last three years as the head football coach at Ambridge. “Patience,” said McBride, the former Aliquippa standout tasked with turning around a Bridgers program that has struggled over the last decade. “It’s all about...
The Stroller, Aug. 10, 2024: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your nonprofit’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. Drug disposal box available in Washington Township The Washington Township Police...
Letter to the editor: Harris brings new energy to presidential race
Is anyone else feeling the energy of the revitalized presidential race? Finally, a relatively “youthful” candidate who can speak in coherent sentences and sees Americans for what we are at our core: strong, determined and freedom loving. That we can achieve when we come together as a country. Contrast that...
Belle Vernon coach confident former players set proper example for current groupVideo
Over the past two seasons, Belle Vernon accomplished what few football programs have. Heck, the Leopards accomplished something rare in any high school sport: back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA championships. Not that the standard wasn’t high before. In his decade at the helm, coach Matt Humbert has built the team into...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Aug. 9, 2024
High schools Golf Friday’s results Boys Tri-CADA Championship At Nemacolin CC Individual scores 1. Colton Lusk, Peters Township 71. 2. Griffin Hansberry, Peters Township 73. 3. Shane Williams, Peters Township 74* 4. Sam Bishop, South Fayette 74. 5. Camden Reyes, Peters Township 75. 6. Finn Sobehart, Peters Township 76*. 7....
Pirates farm report for Aug. 9, 2024: Bubba Chandler throws 7 scoreless, 2-hit innings in Triple-A debut
INDIANAPOLIS (Triple-A, 51-57) shut out Nashville (Brewers), 6-0. RHP Bubba Chandler was brilliant in his first Triple-A start, allowing two hits and a walk in seven scoreless innings. He fanned six. RHP Fineas De Bonta-Smith (4.05) and RHP Ryder Ryan (4.45) each pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a hit....
Greensburg’s West Point rides early runs to victory in Little League Softball World Series
GREENVILLE, N.C. — “We made it to Saturday.” For all the waiting to play again, for the delays in the schedule caused by all the rain and wind Tropical Storm Debby dropped on the area, West Point coach Matt Maiers kept the objective for his softball team simple. And effective....
What Pennsylvania’s $47.6B budget does for the state’s rural communities
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 our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. BELLEFONTE — Officials in rural Pennsylvania didn’t get everything they wanted in...
Mon Valley Pony struggles for offense in losing opener of PONY League World Series
After a valiant effort from the Mon Valley Pony baseball team, it was Palmview (Texas) that pulled away to open the 2024 PONY League World Series with a 6-2 victory. The local squad, which twice took a lead early in the game, couldn’t overcome four errors that kept Palmview in...
Classic car lovers enjoy a stroll around Ligonier’s Diamond
Nearly 200 classic vehicles were on display Friday night for The Stroll Around the Diamond in Ligonier. Hosted by Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce, the annual 1950s-themed car cruise draws every kind of internal combustion-engine beast imaginable, from spoke-wheeled Model Ts to souped-up Mustangs and Corvettes. Also featured were a...
Gary Franks: Identity politics — Bad for America, but good for Democrats
With history as our guide, if the elections were held today on a scale from 1 to 100, the Democrats would already have a 9-1 lead over former President Donald Trump. In our model, 10% would represent the Black vote and 90% would be the non-Black (predominately white) vote. This...
Man’s fatal 7-story leap from Renewal halfway house window prompts lawsuit
The family of a man who died last year after jumping out of a seventh-floor window at a halfway house in Downtown Pittsburgh sued the federal government and the facility on Thursday. Thomas Spencer III, 24, died on April 17, 2023. On Thursday, his father, Thomas Spencer Jr., who is...

