TribLive stories, Page 642
Letter to the editor: Teaching kids about finances
Regarding “Personal finance class long overdue for Pennsylvania students” (Dec. 28, TribLive): What a great editorial! It was good news to hear that our state finally woke up in 2023 and realized this should be part of our children’s education. Where have they been for 200 years? Better yet, where...
Editorial: A new year, a new chance to get involved
In January of presidential years, there is a turnover of authority. It doesn’t happen in Washington, where everyone is far too focused on the White House or which U.S. Senate seats are up for grabs. The U.S. House of Representatives — where all seats are up at once — becomes...
Letter to the editor: Pa. Legislature’s blank check
There is a popular commercial dealing with the timeshare industry. Basics are this: You don’t know how much and for how long you are going to pay for a real estate mistake. You signed a blank check for life. Several times this paper has granted me my railings against the...
The Stroller, Jan. 7, 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. Volunteers needed at Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley Animal Protectors of...
‘Violence can’t be the answer’: Pittsburghers with Palestinian roots reflect as war in Gaza enters 4th month
Pittsburgher Ahmed Arafat grew up in Gaza under the specter of war. Then on Dec. 24, Israel Defense Forces fatally shot his cousin while his cousin’s children watched. The man was waving a white flag at the time, trying to evacuate his home, Arafat said. But Arafat, a tech worker...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for all who improved Route 28
I have been traveling to Pittsburgh from Natrona Heights since 1981, and I would like to thank the designers, construction workers and agencies who funded the work on Route 28 in these past 42 years. I started at the Bradford School and worked a co-op position at PPG when they...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 6, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Saturday’s results BK Classic At Erie Consolation Niagara Falls (NY) 76, Cathedral Prep 60 Championship Neumann Goretti 82, Lincoln Park 67 Chuckie Mahoney Classic At Burgettstown Washington 74, Fort Cherry 68 McGuffey 68, Chartiers-Houston 44 OLSH 42, Quaker Valley 41 Weir (WV) 82, Avella 38 West...
High school roundup for Jan. 6, 2024: Lincoln Park falls to Neumann-Goretti in state title rematch
Larenzo Jerkins scored 23 points to lead Neumann-Goretti to an 80-67 win over Lincoln Park in the BK Classic in Erie on Saturday night, avenging a loss to the Leopards in last year’s PIAA Class 4A championship game. St. Joe’s recruit Khaafiq Myers added 22 points for Neumann-Goretti (10-0). Meleek...
North Allegheny notebook: Joe Dopirak leads Tigers past No. 3 New Castle
North Allegheny’s boys basketball team scored a signature victory in its section opener Jan. 3. The Tigers took down No. 3 seed New Castle, 57-45, behind 32 points from senior forward Joe Dopirak. Ty Iwanonkiw added 13 points for the Tigers (4-7, 1-0) in the Section 1-6A win. Ralphie Blundo...
Counterpoint: Jan. 6 was a protest and riot — not an insurrection
On Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was preparing to certify officially the results of the 2020 presidential election, a melee took place at the nation’s capital, temporarily stalling the certification process. Later that evening, after the calm was restored, the Electoral College votes were cast, paving the way for another...
Point: Confronting the stain of an insurrection on American democracy
The chaos and fear wrought by the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, still stings fresh in the minds of millions of Americans — and particularly mine, as someone who served as a congressional staffer that day. But, as a country, I don’t think we’ve adequately grappled with the gravity of...
Letter to the editor: ‘Iran-backed militias’ — IBMs the new WMDs?
Regarding President Biden’s latest authorization of airstrikes on an “Iran-backed militia” that injured a serviceman in Iraq: Why are U.S. servicemen still in Iraq? U.S. attacks on supposed Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Syria and Yemen are becoming an all-too-familiar news item lately. Will “IBMs” become the new go-to-war acronym to...
Sounding off: Guns, Gaza, Steelers on readers’ minds
We have plenty of gun laws The usual misleading statistics were mentioned in the letter “Immediate action needed on gun safety” (Dec. 24, TribLive), with the same tired lack of context and use of carefully selected data points. Not mentioned is that the CDC gun death numbers include not just...
Letter to the editor: U.S. support of genocide must stop
Just like this time last year, President Biden spent a week in the Caribbean. Back then, it was while 10,000 migrants a day were flooding to our southern border. This year (yes, still 10,000 migrants a day), while flip-flopping around the Virgin Islands, Biden has arbitrarily rubber-stamped a $147.5 million...
Editorial: The ups and downs of Westmoreland pay raises
Westmoreland County has cut a new deal with its lawyers. The county salary board approved the four-year agreement Tuesday. It starts new attorneys at $65,000 a year. Lawyers hired in 2023 would be likewise adjusted. More senior lawyers would see comparable salary increases, according to human resources director Alexis Bevan....
The Stroller, Jan. 6, 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. Pa. Litter Hawk Youth Award accepting entries Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is...
Letter to the editor: We have plenty of gun laws
The usual misleading statistics were mentioned in the letter “Immediate action needed on gun safety” (Dec. 24, TribLive), with the same tired lack of context and use of carefully selected data points. Not mentioned is that the CDC gun death numbers include not just homicides but also suicides and accidents....
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Jan. 5, 2024
High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Class 6A Section 1 Butler 68, New Castle 53 Central Catholic 56, Seneca Valley 37 North Allegheny 50, Pine-Richland 28 Section 2 Baldwin 79, Canon-McMillan 53 Mt. Lebanon 67, Hempfield 50 Upper St. Clair 61, Norwin 45 Class 5A Section 1 Bethel Park 59,...
High school roundup for Jan. 5, 2024: Big night for Neighborhood Academy’s Courtney Wallace; Woodland Hills shocks Shaler
Courtney Wallace had a triple-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists, hitting the 1,000-point mark for his career, to lead Neighborhood Academy to a 72-49 victory over Aquinas Academy in Section 3-A boys basketball Friday night. Kedron Gilmore scored 21 points, Shamar Simpson added 14, and Brent Manns...
Pennsylvania case at center of challenge to police use of Google search data
Civil liberties advocates are mounting a new challenge to the use by police of Google search data for help in solving criminal cases, as the practice draws greater scrutiny nationwide. After a Pennsylvania woman was raped in 2016, police submitted a search warrant to Alphabet’s Google for information about users...
Biden invokes George Washington, calls Trump a threat to democracy
President Joe Biden pitched his reelection as a defense of democracy Friday, visiting a historic Revolutionary War site to accuse Republican Donald Trump and his supporters of having “abandoned the truth” about what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The president, speaking at a campaign event in Blue...
Gary Franks: Where have you gone, Clinton, Bush and Obama?
I am asking the living and healthy past presidents of the United States, except for candidate Donald Trump, to step up, help and contribute to America again as advisers or as prominent and experienced Americans who can influence others. Unconventional times warrant unconventional solutions. Long after leaving office, former Secretary...
River Road from Apollo to Vandergrift reopens following widespread fuel spill
River Road from Apollo to Vandergrift reopened Saturday morning after a truck leaving Apollo Plaza had its fuel tank damaged Friday afternoon, dumping hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel onto the road. According to Armstrong County 911 dispatchers, the road was reopened by about 7:18 a.m. Saturday, and the spill...
As 2024 election approaches, voting officials worry Pa. isn’t prepared for misinformation
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 — As the 2024 presidential election approaches, the people who run voting in Pennsylvania say the commonwealth must prepare to be at the center...
Daniel DePetris: Is the Middle East in danger of spinning out of control?
There is only so much a single person can do to control the events around them. Joe Biden is learning in real time that one of life’s golden rules also applies to the president of the United States. Despite holding the most powerful position in the world, Biden is finding...
