TribLive stories, Page 643
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...
After star turn in ‘Mean Girls’ movie, will Reneé Rapp finally put her acting aside?Video
Reneé Rapp had a pretty extraordinary 2023, starting last January with a sold-out concert for 2,300 fans of her pop music at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London and ending in December with her being named one of the Associated Press’ five “breakthrough entertainers of the year.” And 2024...
As more Pa. residents rack up medical debt, hope hinges on a state solution
An innovative plan to help Pennsylvanians with crippling medical debt is delayed but not dead, supporters say. The plan calls for using state funds to buy unpaid medical bills from hospitals and health care providers, which are commonly sold at a steep discount. A $10 to $15 million investment by...
Florida resort cancels Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Jan. 6 event
A fundraiser and book signing at a sprawling Central Florida resort featuring U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been canceled after the resort’s owners discovered the event was also a commemoration of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. “Please be advised that Westgate was...
Customers battle for specialty Stanley cups at Target, resell them online for hundreds
Usually, you see lines of frenzied shoppers in stores in the weeks before Christmas, not immediately afterward. But the release of a special limited-release cup sold at Target has led to long lines, campouts and people reselling the items for hundreds of dollars in some cases. The limited edition Stanley...
Peter Morici: Bad news for Biden — Americans feel worse about the economy than they should
The U.S. economy has recovered from the covid pandemic reasonably well, yet President Joe Biden is getting little credit and could even lose his job in 2024. Third-quarter GDP growth scored at 4.9%; the Federal Reserve has enjoyed considerable success pulling down inflation. Jobs are plentiful, and the misery index...
Letter to the editor: Steelers fan rooting for the Browns
The end of the world must be near. As a lifelong Steelers fan, I never in my wildest dreams ever thought that I’d cheer for Cleveland or anyone associated with them. Having said that, I find myself rooting for them and enjoying their success. Go Browns and go Joe Flacco....
Letter to the editor: Keep focus on important issues like elections, environment
It’s good business to learn what strikes a chord with readers (customers), but never stop highlighting critical topics like election issues, the East Palestine train crash, gas drilling, etc. — the reason that many of us still read the Trib. With the water shortage out of Beaver Dam, the drilling...
Letter to the editor: End violence to stop more violence
I would like to offer a corrective to the “Paw Patrol” vision of global conflict in the letter “Cease-fire won’t work in Gaza” (Dec. 24, TribLive). The writer invokes the term “bad guys” multiple times, without identifying who the “bad guys” are and why they keep fighting Israel. The reason...
Laurels & lances: Hello, goodbye, God bless
Laurel: To a fresh start. So many people start out Jan. 1 with the intent to be a whole new person. The only people who really accomplish that are the babies born after midnight. “New Year, new me!” actually applies to Jonathan Mrockosky and Emily Hibling’s daughter Madison, who showed...
The Stroller, Jan. 5, 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. Local schools competing in Paint the Plow contest Leechburg Area and...
Letter to the editor: Resolve to take climate action
The new year is a time to reflect on the past year and decide what to change. 2023 was the hottest year on record. Antarctic sea ice hit a record low. Historic wildfires in Canada kept Pittsburghers indoors with a code red air quality alert. Phoenix suffered a record-shattering heat...
