TribLive stories, Page 653
James Franklin welcomes Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class, including 3 WPIAL standouts
STATE COLLEGE — James Franklin was in a jovial mood Wednesday, joking that he might get more than five hours of sleep per night now. And it’s easy to understand why. A lot of big-picture questions have been answered for Penn State this month. A few weeks ago, the Nittany...
Stacy Garrity: The hospital that stole Christmas
In early December, my telephone messages were filled with the pained voices of veterans who felt more like prisoners than liberators, men about to be robbed of Christmas by the endless quarantine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre. It would mark the fourth consecutive Christmas where overreaching covid regulations...
Judge denies bond for driver in crash that killed Serra Catholic student
An Allegheny County judge on Wednesday denied bond for the man accused of killing a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student in a crash as she was on her way to school in September, writing that he found him to be a risk to the community. William Soliday II, 43, of North...
Joshua Jansa and Eve Ringsmuth: Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy
Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics — a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court — to be her “most important legacy.” “The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene...
Mark Schweiker: It’s time for a second USAR team in Pa.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the sun shone brightly. Little did we know that this beautiful day would end as the second bloodiest on American soil in history. The dust had hardly settled when our Pennsylvania Task Force One (PA-TF1) deployed to help with the search and rescue...
Westmoreland happenings: Christmas candlelight service, Zumba party, senior news, more
Church news • Community Church of Hecla, 537 Hecla Road, Mt. Pleasant Township, will have a Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7 p.m. Dec. 24. Details: 724-396-8065 or 724-244-2586. Fundraiser • Lincoln Heights Civic Association will have bingo from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 21 at the center, 42 Millersdale...
Letter to the editor: Hunter’s charges
In the article “Hunter Biden is indicted on 9 tax charges, adding to gun charges in a special counsel investigation” (Dec. 7, TribLIVE), defense attorney Abbe Lowell stated, “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now...
Letter to the editor: 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 % (annual rate in...
Editorial: Who actually learns a lesson from Comprehensive Healthcare’s guilty verdict?
Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services is guilty. On Monday, after five weeks of trial and 29 witnesses taking the stand, two entities of the corporation were found guilty of health care fraud. The case involved accusations of making false statements in connection with the payment of health care benefits and for...
The Stroller, Dec. 20, 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. Free shuttle service available for NK, Arnold residents The New Ken...
Letter to the editor: Why don’t Republicans want to help ALL children?
The hypocrisy of Republicans concerning right to life is astounding. They are against abortion — many with no exceptions. New draconian laws threaten to punish women if they can’t prove a miscarriage is “spontaneous.” However, they are promoting socioeconomic genocide by cutting funds for WIC, school lunch programs and Medicaid,...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 19, 2023
High schools Basketball Boys Tuesday’s results Class 4A Section 2 Beaver 76, Hopewell 53 Central Valley 62, Blackhawk 40 Class 3A Section 1 Beaver Falls 56, New Brighton 50 Neshannock 62, Ellwood City 51 Section 2 Keystone Oaks 59, Steel Valley 51 Seton LaSalle 49, South Park 43 Section 3...
High school roundup for Dec. 19, 2023: Montour boys fend off North Hills comeback bid
Jake Wolfe scored 20 points and Montour held off a fourth-quarter charge to defeat North Hills, 68-66, in nonsection boys basketball Tuesday night. Ama Tening Sow added 19 for the Spartans (4-1). Zach Pollaro led North Hills (2-3) with 27 points and Eric James had 21. Aquinas Academy 73, Geibel...
Pittsburgh Public Schools failed to protect Brashear student from beating, lawsuit says
A student who was severely beaten by another at Brashear High School last year is suing Pittsburgh Public Schools, saying that officials there failed to protect him even though they knew he’d been attacked by the same person three times before. According to the lawsuit, Ny’Hier Williams was savagely attacked...
Column: Reviewing the year in golf based on shots from every club in the bagVideo
One swing can win a tournament as easily as it can lose one. Other shots are more subtle, and even if they don’t yield birdies or eagles, they can go a long way in shaping a player’s season. What follows is an annual review of the year in golf by...
Penn State hires former Indiana coach Tom Allen to replace Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator
Penn State has found its Manny Diaz replacement. Former Indiana coach Tom Allen was hired to be the Nittany Lions’ new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. The program announced the news Tuesday. It first was reported Sunday that Penn State was targeting Allen to replace Diaz, who left to become...
Mary Ziegler: A Texas case shows how cruel and illusory the latest abortion-ban exceptions can be
A historic drama playing out in Texas ended last week when the Texas Supreme Court held that Kate Cox, a woman 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus with trisomy 18, an almost always fatal abnormality, could not legally end her pregnancy in her home state. Cox had taken the rare...
Penn State recruiting primer: Thoughts on the Nittany Lions’ 2024 class ahead of signing day
National signing day is almost here for Penn State and the rest of college football. James Franklin and the Nittany Lions don’t expect much drama, if any, on Wednesday with 25 prospects set to make their verbal commitments official during the early signing period. Penn State’s 2024 recruiting class is...
Driver in crash that killed Serra Catholic student asks for jail release amid injuries
The man charged with killing a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student in a school van crash in September has asked the court to release him on bond so he can address myriad injuries he suffered in the accident. William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon, is charged with criminal homicide, homicide...
Central Pa. man dies after vehicle submerged during flooding
Authorities say a 73-year-old Lancaster County man died Monday morning after his car was submerged in water in the aftermath of heavy rainfall over the weekend. Allen “Ray” Nolt, of Clay Township, died at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital after his vehicle encountered high water on Cabin Drive in West Earl...
Gov. Shapiro’s job approval rating slips but remains strong as 1st year comes to a close
Gov. Josh Shapiro continues to enjoy the support of a majority of Pennsylvania voters as he nears the end of his first year in office but his approval rating is beginning to show signs of weakening, according to a statewide poll released on Tuesday. The poll released by the Commonwealth...
Ryan Costello: U.S. Steel-NSC Merger a good deal for workers, consumers and Pa.
U.S. Steel is one of the most iconic American brands in one of America’s most storied industries, and both have deep roots in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The announced sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. (NSC) may seem like another American industry falling to foreign competition, but...
Census: Where are people moving to Pennsylvania from the most?
More people moved to Pennsylvania in 2022 than the year prior, and many came from neighboring states, according to new geographic mobility estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The federal agency estimates nearly 263,000 people residing in Pennsylvania in 2022 lived in a different state one year ago. Many came...
Letter to the editor: Gift card safety
Please be careful when purchasing gift cards at this time of year, especially if purchased off kiosks that aren’t watched by store personnel. I tried to use a $50 gift card given to me as a birthday present, but it was turned down. The security code on the back had...
Sewickley Academy students accepted into PMEA District 1 Orchestra, Choir
Three Sewickley Academy Senior School students have been accepted to PMEA District 1 Orchestra and Choir. Juniors Hallie Dong, violin I, and Jaydon Kurian, violin II, have been accepted to the PMEA District 1 Orchestra. Both students were chosen by a selection committee from a large and competitive pool of...
