TribLive stories, Page 633

Police are currently searching for a man who escaped from a Philadelphia correctional center on Thursday. Gino Hagenkotter, 34, was an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility, located in the Holmesburg section of the city. He was serving a sentence for drug and theft charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer....

Jodi Hirsh is wrong in her op-ed “Demanding an Israel-Hamas cease-fire” (Nov. 16, TribLive). Not for a minute do I underestimate or deny Hirsh’s family. But I urge her to learn more about the Holocaust and history of the American, allied war to defeat Germany, especially from books focusing on...

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. Festival of Trees raffle supports hospital projects Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary...

Laurel: To a little piece of history. Opening a time capsule is like cracking the seal on the past. It isn’t like reading about what happened decades ago. It’s more like getting a call from an earlier version of yourself or taking a ride in a flying DeLorean. It’s a...

Diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI): All three are good to a certain extent, but when they are misused, they can be devastating. In competition, statues for everyone for participation. Why try to excel? Oregon eliminated standardized tests in 11th grade as a requirement for graduation. Dropped because minorities had deficiencies? Some...

High schools Basketball Boys AHN/Highmark Tip-Off Tournament Friday Altoona at Baldwin, 5 p.m. Chartiers Valley at Peters Township, 7:30 p.m. Saturday Altoona at Peters Township, noon Chartiers Valley at Baldwin, 1:30 p.m. Aquinas Academy Tournament Friday Pittsburgh Christian Academy vs. Portersville Christian, 7 p.m. Cheswick Christian at Aquinas Academy, 8:30...

Nolan Murphy had a hat trick and added an assist to lead South Fayette to a 7-2 victory over Fox Chapel in PIHL Class 2A hockey Thursday night. Robert Chiappetta finished with four assists for South Fayette (4-1-1). Liam Wiseman and Grady Cullen had a goal and assist each for...

The long-time administrative assistant to a wealthy Bell Acres businessman convicted of concealing more than $60 million in income from the federal government will serve two years of probation for her role in the crime. Ann E. Harris, 62, of Washington County, appeared before Senior U.S. District Judge Joy Flowers...

James Franklin and Penn State have their new offensive coordinator. Andy Kotelnicki, Kansas’ innovative and creative play-caller, is expected to be hired as Penn State’s new offensive coordinator, a source confirmed to PennLive. The news was first reported by The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. Kotelnicki will be the sixth offensive coordinator...

In cities across America, Pittsburghers gather every Sunday, dressed in their black and gold, ready to cheer for the Steelers on gameday. Nearly every city in America has a Steelers bar, and fans gather there to celebrate victories or to be with each other in heartbreaking defeat. Football has the...

There may have been another Congressman who worked harder than U.S. Rep. Scott Perry to try to help former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to cling to power despite his 2020 electoral defeat by Democratic nominee Joe Biden. But we’d like to see the proof. Because a freshly-unsealed opinion from...

America is in grave peril. Lawlessness reigns in San Francisco, Chicago, New York and other cities. Our southern border hemorrhages with illegal arrivals. The Border Patrol is using unmarked buses to dump thousands of asylum-seekers on the streets, at bus stops and in train stations in San Diego. The United...

When a sizable donation to a Thanksgiving food drive organized by Aspinwall resident Nancy Heil failed to materialize, angels stepped in. Many angels. Sheri Rice, owner of Luke & Mike’s Frontporch Grille, in Aspinwall was one of them. She posted a request on Facebook for donations of canned vegetables, boxed...

Each week during the high school football season, the Valley News Dispatch took a look back at the players, teams and events that are part of local scholastic history. We hope our readers have enjoyed this feature. With the high school football season coming to an end, it’s time to...

The man who pleaded guilty to killing a former Springdale man in a jealous rage will spend the rest of his life in prison. Samuel Tolfa, 34, of Hopewell, Beaver County, agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and serve a mandatory prison term of life without parole in connection...

Shoppers can meet all their holiday baking, entertaining and gift-giving needs at the Friends of Monroeville Public Library’s winter shopping market from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 2 at the library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. Unique handmade gifts, items that help others and homemade treats will be available from local...

With a simple search engine entry of “bug food plant,” you will see the central planning of your food world. The future of the Arby’s “we have the meats” slogan will mean cricket, mealworm and fly larvae, delicious. It has been decided: just eat the bugs. The world is doomed,...

The base salary of Pennsylvania’s 253 state legislators is the third highest in the nation behind New York and California, but when benefits are added, it likely pushes them into second place. Legislators are eligible for lifetime medical benefits and retirement benefits unlike their counterparts in California but still trail...

For more truth, and to be the USA GOAT, we need to Get Out the Youth Vote. The right, just and fair way to raise our children is to help raise awareness of everything important and everything we love. Many of our youth are required to pay taxes and follow...

Why haven’t the 20 Pennsylvania Republican fake electors in the 2020 election been prosecuted? According to the Constitution, only the electors of the candidate who won the popular, or “people,” vote, shall cast their vote for president in mid-December at their state capitol. President Biden won the popular vote, so...

Pennsylvania has had trouble getting the job done with education this year. Funding for the various levels of schooling needs to be approved by the Legislature. The governor signs off on it. From there, funding flows into cities and boroughs and townships, doing the job of teaching the next generation...

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. Show to benefit local Toys for Tots collection Lower Burrell American...

Holiday shopping in some local stores will look a little different this year. With reports of retail theft on the rise, some retailers are placing some inventory under lock and key, requiring customers to contact a store employee to access certain merchandise. The measures are aimed at reining in what...

Our family, especially our toddlers, love the parks in Murrysville. We’ve spent countless hours on the playgrounds at Murrysville Community Park and hiking through Duff Park. Which is why it was alarming to hear of our council’s plan to lease oil/gas rights there. Even though fracking happens below the surface,...