TribLive stories, Page 544

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Education is investigating if nearly 90 elementary, secondary and higher education campuses across the nation — including at UC Davis and other University of California campuses — violated a federal civil rights law after an “alarming” rise in reports of antisemitism, anti-Muslim and...

Southmoreland boys basketball coach Frank Muccino is known as a harsh critic of his team’s performances, but there wasn’t much to be frustrated with during a 67-38 victory over Ringgold in the Charleroi Holiday Classic on Friday evening. The Scotties (10-0) finished the tournament at 3-0 with the other wins...

NEW YORK — There are no known security threats related to this weekend’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, but the New York Police Department is gearing up for the possibility that thousands of pro-Palestine protesters will be demonstrating nearby, Mayor Eric Adams and police officials said Friday. In...

ORLANDO, Fla. — A Southwest Florida state senator wants to eliminate a statewide three-day waiting period to buy a rifle or a shotgun, undoing one of the changes enacted after the Parkland mass shooting. State Sen. Jonathan Martin’s bill would keep the waiting period in place for handgun purchases while...

Pennsylvania’s secretary of state said Friday he does not have the authority to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot and any such challenge here must be done through the courts. “Pennsylvania’s Election Code does not give me, as secretary of the commonwealth, the authority to reject a nomination...

NEW YORK — Book publishing in 2023 was a story of cooling sales and rising conflict, marked by legal action, protests, censorship and the impact of forces well beyond the industry. Print book sales continued to recede following the pandemic-era surge, but fiction remained strong, thanks in part to the...

A month after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Allegheny County Jail officials announced Friday that incarcerated people with opioid use disorder can now be treated with buprenorphine as part of their medication-assisted treatment program. Even patients who don’t have a prescription will be able to benefit...

A man from Lancaster County faces felony charges after police say he fired shots Friday afternoon at a box truck leaving the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity before leading police on a 16-mile chase and crashing in Blairsville. Tyler J. Mieczkowski, 22, is charged with reckless endangerment of another...

Pennsylvania lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would require all state and local government contractors, and their subcontractors, to verify that newly hired workers are either American citizens or legal immigrants. Contractors that refuse to do so would face stiff fines. If passed, this bill would prevent companies from using...

Voter trust and fear over the 2024 election are driving unprecedented interest in independent voters. The candidate who can address these fears, whether that candidate is President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, will go on to win. With only a handful of states up for grabs, they need...

A Florida woman filed a federal lawsuit against The Hershey Company over claims some of its seasonal shaped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were advertised deceptively. Cynthia Kelly, of the Tampa area, is suing the company for $5 million in Florida’s Middle District Court. In the lawsuit, Kelly claims the company...

Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2023 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available): JANUARY Fred White, 67. A drummer who backed up his brothers Maurice and Verdine White in the Grammy-winning ensemble Earth, Wind & Fire. Jan. 1. Ken Block, 55....

Investigators shut down part of South Main Street in Greensburg on Friday to gather more evidence in a hit-and-run that left a 72-year-old woman in critical condition. The woman, whose identity has not been released, was crossing the road with the assistance of a wheeled walker when she was struck....

In weather terminology, they call it “rapid intensification” — the process by which a storm strengthens dramatically in a short period. In pop culture terminology, they call it Taylor Swift. It’s not like Swift didn’t have big — huge! — years before this. But 2023? This was ridiculous. From the...

Public school administrations and school boards, now smitten by the whole-child teaching approach and wanting to stay in touch, really don’t seem to know or care all that much, until they get bitten by the money and funding crunch. The whole-child approach has been in child care programs for decades...

Residents of Gaza are portrayed as victims of warmonger Israel. They claim they are innocent victims. This is not entirely true. Some Gaza residents are actually part of Hamas and believe they are justified in attacking Israel. It is very hard to keep a secret for a long time. Hamas...

As 2023 comes to a close, we look back on some of the highs and lows of the past 12 months. Laurel: To healing wounds. Five years after the deadliest antisemetic attack in U.S. history, the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting finally had its day in court. Shooter Robert Bowers was convicted...

There was no shortage of news in 2023 throughout the region’s arts and entertainment scene. From Taylor Swift to Kennywood, here are the region’s biggest cultural stories of 2023. ‘Swiftburg’ Arguably the concert of the year and the 2023 version of Beetle­mania, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour sold out both nights...

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. Christmas tree recycling locations announced Several locations in the area will...

DENVER — First, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald Trump wasn’t eligible to run for his old job in that state. Then, Maine’s Democratic secretary of state ruled the same for her state. Who’s next? Both decisions are historic. The Colorado court was the first court to apply...

The borough of Sewickley Heights wishes to recognize and express its gratitude to the Sewickley Valley police, fire and ambulance services and other first responders for their remarkable coordinated emergency response to the incident that occurred on Backbone Road on Dec. 12. The Sewickley Heights police, with assistance offered by...

High schools Basketball Boys Thursday’s results Apollo Trust Company Tournament River Valley 50, Summit Academy 42 Apollo-Ridge 61, Leechburg 54 Aquinas Academy tournament Springdale 73, Pittsburgh Christian Academy 33 Aquinas Academy 56, Trinity Christian 20 Avella tournament Fort Cherry 84, Propel Montour 21 Chartiers-Houston 60, Western Beaver 39 McGuffey 49,...

Robert Thomas scored 28 points as Penn Hills defeated Greensburg Central Catholic, 58-55, at the Coach Paul Sapotichne Holiday Classic at Greensburg Salem to give coach Chris Giles his 100th career victory. Kahlil Wall added 17 for Penn Hills (5-1). Tyree Turner scored 20 and Brady O’Rourke added 11 for...

Police are investigating several stabbings Thursday in Hanover, York County, that left three people dead and a fourth injured. Hanover Borough Police Department responded at 10:18 a.m. where they said they encountered a 27-year-old Hanover man outside a residence with severe injuries. Police said the man, who was taken to...

An 82-year-old woman was killed Dec. 28 after a medical emergency caused her car to travel over a hillside in McKeesport, according to police. Rescue crews responded at 4 p.m. to a hill near the 1000 block of Long Run Road to find Harriet Sigmund-Dukic of McKeesport inside her car,...