TribLive stories, Page 651
Letter to the editor: Ceasefire won’t work in Gaza
It’s clear that ceasefires have not brought peace in the Middle East, but instead prolonged the violence. Over the past 80 years, terrorist groups have attacked Israel and frequently killed innocent civilians. And whenever Israel fights back to the verge of victory, the U.N. calls a ceasefire. Ceasefires allow terrorists...
Latrobe council presents Student Showcase Award to Greater Latrobe student athlete
Kate Wolford, a senior and student athlete at Greater Latrobe Senior High School, was presented with the fall Student Showcase Award during December’s city council meeting. Wolford, 18, is a swimmer, and her involvement includes private swimming lessons, working with the YMCA and participating in various student groups such as...
Dixie Chicks co-founder Laura Lynch dead at 65 after head-on collision
Laura Lynch, a founding member of the Chicks — formerly the Dixie Chicks — has died in a car accident in Texas. She was 65. The musician died following a highway collision outside of El Paso on Friday, her cousin, Mike Lynch, told TMZ. The Texas Department of Public Safety...
Biden says presidents can be subject to criminal prosecution
President Joe Biden said he “can’t think of one” reason presidents should receive absolute immunity from prosecution, as Republican front-runner Donald Trump has claimed. Biden made the comment in response to a reporter’s question Saturday before departing the White House for Camp David, where he will spend Christmas. The Supreme...
SpaceX launch sends up booster flying for record 19th time
ORLANDO, Fla. — SpaceX sent up another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral early Saturday with a first-stage booster flying for a record 19th time. The Falcon 9 rocket on the Starlink 6-32 mission with 23 Starlink satellites launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at 12:33 a.m. This marked a record...
Israel and Hamas measures get a look as most U.S. state legislatures meet for first time since Oct. 7
Most U.S. state legislatures will reconvene in January for the first time since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked a war in Gaza and protests worldwide — and they’re preparing to take action in response, symbolic and concrete. Legislatures in at least eight states that were in session late...
North Dakota lawmaker made homophobic remarks to officer during DUI stop, bodycam footage shows
BISMARCK, N.D. — A North Dakota lawmaker who serves on a panel that handles law enforcement legislation made homophobic and anti-migrant remarks to a police officer who arrested him on a charge of driving drunk, body camera footage shows. Republican state Rep. Nico Rios of Williston also was charged with...
Pine-Richland basketball game supports boy in need of bone marrow transplant
Students and basketball players from Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley are coming together to support a boy who needs a live-saving bone marrow transplant. Jax Ramirex is the 8-year-old son of Pine-Richland’s school psychologist, Dr. Missy Ramirez. He is battling a rare genetic disorder called immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome,...
Pillar of volleyball community headlines Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024
One of the sadder days in the Alle-Kiski Valley was Feb. 22, 2016. Ellen Mangus Toy — educator, girls volleyball coach and a star in that sport during her playing days — died after a years-long battle with stomach cancer. A charity foundation and an outdoor volleyball court in Vandergrift...
Llewellyn King: Christmas is the world’s festival, its happy place
I am an oddball. I like to work on Christmas. I don’t know how it is now, but when I was younger and worked for newspapers, variously in Africa, Britain and the United States, I always volunteered to work over the holiday and loved it. There was a special Christmas...
Letter to the editor: Abortion not the answer to overpopulation
Regarding the letter “Abortion and overpopulation” (Dec. 7, TribLive): I am incredulous of the writer’s idea to alleviate overpopulation by killing unborn babies. Why stop there? Maybe you could create a committee to decide who among the elderly should be eliminated to alleviate overpopulation. I cannot fathom how you consider...
Sounding off: Bidenomics, Christmas, energy, politics among week’s topics
Bidenomics has been disastrous The article “Biden goes into 2024 with the economy getting stronger, but voters feel horrible about it” (Dec. 11, TribLive) quoted a few “experts” that stated they were “mystified” as to why Americans weren’t more positive about Bidenomics. They cited the reduced inflation rate of 3.2...
Letter to the editor: Hospitals should provide price lists ahead of time
Regarding Renee Y. Hsia’s op-ed “Same hospital, same injury, same child, same day — why did one ER visit cost thousands more?” (Dec. 15, TribLive): What would really be helpful are price lists. I can’t think of anything else where you have no idea what you are paying for ahead...
Letter to the editor: Christmas is under attack
Yet again, Christmas is under attack. Multi-billion-dollar companies deceiving some into thinking that Christmas means getting and receiving material things, consumers flooding the stores of multi-billion-dollar owners, gluttons feasting on Christmas dinners, going to church and filling the coffers for the next golf outing, and yet homelessness hits a record...
Editorial: Is massive Westmoreland tax increase an overcorrection?
The most dangerous part of an imminent crash can be the attempt to avoid it. This being Pennsylvania, most of us are familiar with the hazards of driving on an icy road. When the wheels slip, you can make cautious adjustments that help you regain control — or you can...
The Stroller, Dec. 23, 2023: 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. Community safety night planned in Kiski Township A community safety night...
Options abound for Western Pennsylvanians celebrating a dry holiday
Recovering addict Lisa Hoey of Pittsburgh’s South Side says alcohol was an integral part of her holidays. It was part of nearly every detail — from baking cookies and entertaining, to watching TV specials and wrapping gifts, said Hoey, now sober for more than two decades. An alum of O’Hara...
Letter to the editor: Smart policies will secure Pa.’s energy future
With the holidays upon us, many Pennsylvanians are trying to budget for everything from gifts and family get-togethers to fuel for long car rides. Fortunately, it seems the focus can stay on holiday cheer and not gasoline costs this season, as discussed in “National average gas cost falls for 3...
High school basketball holiday tournament schedule for Dec. 27-30, 2023
Here is a listing of schedules for holiday basketball tournaments involving WPIAL teams from Dec. 27-30. Please email any corrections or additions to ptrsports@triblive.com. Boys Wednesday’s schedule Beach Blast At Coconut Creek, Fla. Mt. Lebanon at Coconut Creek (FL), 7:30 p.m. Bentworth tournament Carrick vs. Brownsville, 2 p.m. West Greene...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 22, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys Friday’s results Charleston Classic Upper St. Clair 47, Ashley Ridge (SC) 32 KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament At Orlando, Fla. Uniontown 67, Tuscaloosa Central (AL) 55 McDowell 61, Canon-McMillan 38 Nonsection Brashear 68, Cornell 39 Burgettstown 75, South Side 71 Butler 76, Slippery Rock 48 Cameron (WV) 61,...
High school roundup for Dec. 22, 2023: Greensburg Salem girls grateful for Christmas Blessing
Call it a Christmas Blessing for the Greensburg Salem girls basketball team. Blessing Gantt hit the buzzer-beating game-winner to defeat Buckeye Valley (Ohio), 33-31, on Friday in the championship game of the pink division at the KSA Pre-Holiday Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Gantt finished with seven points and was named...
Heat to retire Udonis Haslem’s No. 40
MIAMI — It will be nostalgia week for the Miami Heat in mid-January, with the team announcing Friday that Udonis Haslem’s No. 40 jersey will be sent to the rafters at Kaseya Center on Jan. 19, a ceremony that will come five days after the Heat on Jan. 14 honor...
Ryan Minor, Orioles 3B who replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting streak, dies at 49
Ryan Minor, the Baltimore Orioles infielder who became part of baseball history when he replaced Cal Ripken at the end of his record-setting consecutive games streak in 1998, has died. He was 49. The University of Oklahoma — where Minor starred in baseball and basketball — said he died of...
Yoshinobu Yamamoto the next Dodgers ace? Scouts praise his skill, question durability.
LOS ANGELES — As the center fielder for Team Japan in last spring’s World Baseball Classic, Lars Nootbaar had a unique view of the jaw-dropping four-pitch repertoire of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese right-hander who agreed to a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers on Thursday. Nootbaar, the St. Louis...
Raheem Mostert’s journey to Dolphins’ touchdown record is one of persistence and drive
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert grew up idolizing Ricky Williams. He and his brother wore Williams’ No. 34. In last Sunday’s win over the New York Jets, when Mostert scored the first of his two touchdowns, he broke Williams’ single-season Dolphins rushing touchdowns record. The...
