TribLive stories, Page 608
Pine-Richland student selected for prestigious journalism conference
Pine-Richland High School student Blake Fuchs has been selected as a national youth correspondent to the Washington Journalism and Media Conference, scheduled for July 14-19 at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Va. He joins a select group of students from all over the country for an intensive study of...
Bradley Tusk: Pa. should feed all hungry kids
In Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address, he took credit for feeding kids in Pennsylvania. One line specifically caught my attention: “Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans care about kids, and we are coming together to feed them.” But that’s not true. There isn’t a single additional kid who will be fed in...
West View Elementary addition opens March 4
The addition to West View Elementary School will open March 4, and extra staff members will be on hand to assist students in navigating the new part of the building. With the addition comes a new front entrance and main office, resulting in the closing of the temporary main office...
Aquinas Academy fencing celebrates Senior Night in Hampton
The Aquinas Academy gym in Hampton came alive during the school’s Senior Night Fencing Match, featuring seven participating teams in a well-attended showcase of skill and sportsmanship. The Feb. 9 event opened with a ceremony honoring Aquinas Academy’s senior fencers: team captain Ben Everson, Evan Gounaris and Tony Shen. The...
Trib Lunch Box: Tiny homes, bridge collapse hearing, brewery closing, new chief public defender
Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024: • Pittsburgh to vote on tiny houses plan for homeless Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is poised to vote Tuesday on a controversial zoning change meant to tackle homelessness, one of the city’s most vexing and intractable problems. The move, pushed...
2024 dates set for Picklesburgh festival
Picklesburgh returns to Downtown Pittsburgh July 19-21. Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Kraft-Heinz will bring a variety of pickle-flavored items — from the standard pickles and relish to the adventurous pickle-flavored ice cream or pickle-flavored vodka — to the Boulevard of the Allies. Live music, pickle-themed merchandise, a pickle juice drinking...
In brief: Penn Hills and Verona area happenings, week of Feb. 19, 2024
Class of 1974 plans 50-year bash The Penn Hills High School Class of 1974 will have its 50th reunion at 6 p.m. June 8 at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Monroeville. The cost is $65. The gathering will include appetizers, food stations, dessert, nonalcoholic beverages, a photo booth and a...
U.S. appeals court hears argument over missing dates on Pennsylvania mail-in ballots
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard argument Tuesday over whether county elections officials in Pennsylvania must count mail-in ballots that are missing the date on their outer envelope. Voting rights advocates argue that the date is irrelevant to whether the ballots are legitimate and cast on time, while...
White House promises ‘major sanctions’ on Russia in response to Alexei Navalny’s death
WASHINGTON — The U.S. plans to unveil a “major” sanctions package against Russia on Friday following the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, President Joe Biden said. “I told you we’d be announcing sanctions on Russia. We’ll have a major package announced on Friday,” Biden told reporters Tuesday at the...
Hearing set to reveal cause of Fern Hollow Bridge collapse
More than two years after the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge sent six vehicles tumbling into a Frick Park ravine in a disaster that raised dire concerns statewide about bridge safety, federal officials are set to reveal the findings of a painstaking investigation into the cause. A virtual hearing...
Peter Morici: Higher interest rates, inflation will challenge post-covid economy. AI will save it.
The post-covid economy is emerging as Americans’ pandemic-era savings dwindle, while work-from-home activity moderates and new patterns of consumer behavior come to the fore. As households and banks consolidate finances, a few quarters of U.S. GDP growth in the range of 1% should be followed by a rebound and then...
Letter to the editor: Will Biden get reelected as a war-time president?
The Democrats’ latest trick to get President Biden a win seems to be to start a war and campaign on the slogan “We can’t change presidents in the middle of a war.” Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: Pharmacy closures a disgrace
The closure of pharmacies in Leechburg and Lower Burrell Jan. 31 was a gross travesty (“Pharmacies in Lower Burrell, Leechburg abruptly close,” Jan. 31, TribLive). Decades of loyal customers and employees only found out that day. No notice of any kind was given. One co-owner blamed Giant Eagle for wanting...
Sewickley area student news for the week of Feb. 20, 2024
Austin Huebner was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester at Thiel College. He is studying environmental safety management. Elizabeth Bates, Baze Gianiodis, Katie Oates and Allison Schwartz made the University of Delaware dean’s list for the fall 2023 semester. Abigail Birch, Matthew Lyons, Abbie Voettiner and...
Letter to the editor: Who is destroying our country?
I wonder if the writer of the letter “Trump only cares about himself” (Feb. 8, TribLive) has jumped the gun on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed legalization of marijuana. Maybe he could coin the phrase “Get woke, just toke!” You know, cannabis-addled brains distort perception. How else to explain the author’s...
Editorial: The fight over cyber charter money
Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania are a different animal from the run-of-the-mill public school. A charter school is still a public institution. It doesn’t play by the same rules, however. It could have a different goal or a different method — like focus on a nontraditional curriculum or an unusual...
Letter to the editor: Think about tax policy when voting
It appears that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a massive con game. Eighty percent of the gain from tax cuts flow to the top 10% of wage earners and only 20% flow to the bottom 90%. Because of tax cuts, 34% of large profitable corporations like Amazon,...
The Stroller, Feb. 20, 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. Lobby volunteers needed at Allegheny Valley Hospital Allegheny Valley Hospital, Harrison,...
Letter to the editor: Industrial safety born in Western Pa.
The field of industrial safety is rooted in Western Pennsylvania, starting with Crystal Eastman, a member and secretary of the New York State Employer’s Liability Commission. She reviewed injuries and fatalities in Allegheny County occurring from July 1906 through June 1907. The county was essentially the Steel District, with 70,000...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 19, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A Quarterfinals Friday’s schedule Times TBA Pine-Richland (7-15) at Mt. Lebanon (18-4); North Allegheny (11-11) at Baldwin (16-6); Canon-McMillan (10-12) vs. Central Catholic (14-8) at Gateway; Butler (15-6) at Upper St. Clair (17-5) Class 5A First round Monday’s results Moon 73, Woodland Hills...
Monessen builds momentum with Class A 1st round win over Leechburg
Monessen girls basketball coach Janine Vertacnik wanted to start postseason play off with a bang, and the No. 5 Greyhounds did just that with an overwhelming 63-15 home victory over No. 12 Leechburg in the Class A first round Monday night. “We wanted a strong start and we wanted to...
High school roundup for Feb. 19, 2024: Derry stops OLSH run of consecutive WPIAL finals at 7
Nate Papuga led all scorers with 25 points, and Stanley Rajkovich added 16 points and 12 rebounds as No. 12 Derry upset No. 5 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 54-53, in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round boys basketball game Monday night. The Trojans (14-6) allowed just two field goals...
Pirates bring back outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba
After a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners, Canaan Smith-Njigba is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates claimed the 24-year-old outfielder on waivers Monday. Smith-Njigba was the Pirates’ Opening Day starter in right field last season but hit. 125 in 15 major league games and spent most of the...
Bethel Park appoints new police chief
Bethel Park’s new police chief is a 23-year veteran of the department. Following his unanimous approval by municipal council on Feb. 12, Dave Arnold was sworn in by District Judge Ron Arnoni. In leading the department, Arnold succeeds the late Timothy O’Connor, who served as chief from 2015 until his...
Penn State basketball’s leading scorer Kanye Clary no longer with team
Penn State men’s basketball will be without its leading scorer moving forward. First-year coach Mike Rhoades announced Monday during a press conference that Kanye Clary is no longer with the program because of a “coach’s decision.” Clary, a sophomore guard, was averaging 16.7 points per game this season. He had...

