TribLive stories, Page 634
North Allegheny notebook: Tigers wrestlers clinch share of section title
North Allegheny’s boys wrestling team locked up at least a share of the Section 2-3A title on Jan. 17 with a 40-12 win at Seneca Valley. Evan Schomburg (107 pounds) and Kellen Buggey (172) earned pins for the Tigers, who improved to 15-3 overall and 4-0 in section matches. Travis...
Trudy Rubin: If Israel is accused of genocide, why not Russia?
If Israel is being charged with genocide at the International Court of Justice, why isn’t Russia? This is a question I find very troubling, as do some of my readers. Despite harsh critiques of the civilian carnage in Gaza caused by Israel’s bombs — of which I have written my...
Ivor Ichikowitz : South Africa’s genocide case against Israel is rank hypocrisy
South Africa made history when it took Israel to the International Court of Justice — the United Nations’ highest court — and accused it of waging genocide against Palestinians while asking the court to order an immediate cease-fire. It might turn out to be the worst decision the country has...
Letter to the editor: Corporations and ‘fair share’ of taxes
The next time you hear someone gripe about corporations not paying their “fair share” of taxes, try this reply: “So let me get this straight: You want to take resources away from an efficient, wealth-creating organization (i.e., a corporation) and give them to a demonstrably inefficient, corrupt, wealth-destroying organization which...
Sounding off: Guns, taxes, MAGAs, Biden, immigrants among topics of week
Too many guns, not enough laws The writer of the letter “We have plenty of gun laws” (Jan. 6, TribLive) writes “it seems to me” we have enough gun laws already. Then why do we have so many more shootings than other countries with strict regulation? He says the U.S....
Letter to the editor: Threats to free speech
Among many alarming allegations in a 2023 lawsuit against Penn State are university-sanctioned harassment and silencing of an Abington campus professor. Filings show retaliation against him for asking questions during mandatory “antiracist” training sessions like “White Teachers are a Problem.” He was told that race-based disparagement of white-skinned people was...
Editorial: Westmoreland officials’ pay increase, workers’ strike notice are predictable problem
Westmoreland County officials cannot be surprised by employees bristling over contract negotiations. Aside from the four-year contract expiring Dec. 31 and stalled negotiations, there is the fact that many employees have been dealing with increased work and shorter staff for years. These are problems that might have come into the...
The Stroller, Jan. 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. Winfield ministry offers help to mothers, children The Matrona Family Resource...
Letter to the editor: Too many guns, not enough laws
The writer of the letter “We have plenty of gun laws” (Jan. 6, TribLive) writes “it seems to me” we have enough gun laws already. Then why do we have so many more shootings than other countries with strict regulation? He says the U.S. cities with the strictest gun laws...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 19, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Seneca Valley at North Allegheny, ppd. Class 4A Section 2 Lincoln Park 88, Beaver 38 Blackhawk at Hopewell, ppd. Class 3A Section 1 Beaver Falls 57, Riverside 47 Neshannock 84, Freedom 26 Ellwood City at New Brighton, ppd. Section 2...
High school roundup for Jan. 19, 2024: Gemma Walker scores 1,000th point as Peters Township fends off Bethel Park in OT
Gemma Walker scored 22 points, hitting the 1,000-point mark for her career, to lead Peters Township to a 59-55 overtime victory over Bethel Park, fending off an upset bid in Section 2-6A girls basketball Friday night. Natalie Wetzel scored a game-high 26 for Peters Township (16-0, 7-0). Sadie Orie scored...
Small-town Colorado newspapers stolen after running story about rape charges at police chief’s house
Nearly all the copies of a small-town Colorado newspaper were stolen from newspaper racks on the same day the Ouray County Plaindealer published a story about charges being filed over rapes alleged to have occurred at an underage drinking party at the police chief’s house while the chief was asleep,...
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews won’t play in playoff opener against Texans
BALTIMORE — Mark Andrews’ return to the Ravens’ lineup will have to wait a little longer. Baltimore did not activate the tight end from injured reserve Friday, meaning he will be unavailable when the Ravens host the Houston Texans in Saturday’s divisional round playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. Andrews,...
Gary Franks: America needs a constitutional tune-up
We are rapidly approaching our 250th birthday as a republic. And the nation is in need of a tune-up. With just a few tweaks of our Constitution we can put the nation on a path that would allow it to go another 250 years. The Constitution is the supreme law...
Woman sues Kennywood, says cheese from Potato Patch fries burned her hand
A Mt. Lebanon woman is suing Kennywood, alleging that she got second-degree burns after the hot cheese from her Potato Patch fries dripped onto her hand. Charmaine Charles Halsel said she was at the park around 5:45 p.m. on July 2, 2022, when she ordered the famous fries. When the...
Lawsuit alleges UPMC’s monopoly on health care harms skilled nursing staff
An Erie nurse is suing UPMC alleging that the medical system’s monopoly on health care in the region has led to depressed wages, unfair working conditions and chronic under-staffing. The lawsuit, which closely mirrors a complaint filed by two unions asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate potential antitrust claims...
In brief: Herald area events for the week of Jan. 22, 2024
Recycling changes in Blawnox Blawnox residents are reminded there is no curbside recycling. Those materials are to be disposed of with the regular trash. Glass recycling still is available via the bin at the O’Hara Township building. Food pantry open Jan. 26 Blawnox’s food pantry will be open from 11...
Bell Acres CEO, 81, headed to prison for tax fraud after delay requests fail to sway judge
A Bell Acres man convicted of the largest tax fraud ever in Western Pennsylvania is scheduled to report to federal prison on Monday. In September, a judge ordered Joseph Nocito, 81, to serve one year and one day in federal prison. But last month Nocito asked that his sentence be...
Ice festival opens in Ligonier
Artists from Jeannette’s DiMartino Ice will be in Ligonier on Saturday and Sunday with tools — including chainsaws — to shape multiple blocks of ice into eight giant outdoor sculptures. The carving is just element of the Ligonier Ice Festival continuing through the weekend. New sculptures will be created beginning...
Malpractice case that ensnared top UPMC surgeon settled
A medical malpractice lawsuit that pitted high-profile UPMC surgeons against one other amid romantic entanglement, secret recordings and fraud allegations has settled. Details of the settlement were not disclosed in paperwork filed Jan. 5 to end the case in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. A spokesman for UPMC, one of...
Sports Illustrated fires all staffers
Sports Illustrated, one of the most respected sports publications in the country since its inception in 1954, fired all of its staffers Friday, according to a report in the New York Post. The Post report stated that Sports Illustrated owner the Arena Group informed staffers of their termination Friday. SI...
Lisa Jarvis: Measles outbreak should be a vaccine wake-up call
A cluster of measles cases in the Northeast is putting a spotlight on how easily the highly contagious disease can spread — and how dangerous any further slip in childhood vaccination rates could be. Infants and toddlers not old enough to have been fully protected through vaccination are vulnerable to...
Trib Lunch Box: School delays/closings, weekend fun, Pittsburgh bridge revamps
Here are some noon headlines from the TribLive, Friday, Jan. 19, 2024: School or no school? When the heavy snow hits or temperatures reach single digits, school superintendents in Western Pennsylvania face a judgment call: To close or not to close. Court issues narrow win for gun advocates...
Dwan B. Walker: Communities depend on banks to invest in infrastructure
Aliquippa is the place where I grew up, attended school and raised my family. Eventually, it was the place that granted me the humbling opportunity to become mayor, a role I’ve served in for the last 12 years. It’s safe to say Aliquippa is a community I care about deeply....
Letter to the editor: County tax hike is fiscal mismanagement by commissioners
I stand in opposition to the decision by our three county commissioners to raise property taxes by 32.5% This outrageous increase puts a financial burden on seniors living on fixed incomes and families struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. I have filed a complaint with the ACLU, and I...
