TribLive stories, Page 899
Volunteers prune apple trees at Murrysville reserve
Staff and volunteers with the Westmoreland Conservancy gave some apple trees a seasonal pruning on Saturday at the Morosini Reserve in Murrysville. Conservancy President Shelly Tichy said the trees at the reserve, off Morosini Farm Court near Delmont, are left over from an old orchard on the property. “Some of...
Austin Sarat: Prisoners donating organs to get time off raises thorny ethical questions
In January 2023 two Democratic representatives, Judith Garcia and Carlos Gonzalez, proposed a bill that would offer prisoners in Massachusetts a new way to win reduction in their sentences: by donating their bone marrow or vital organs. The bill stated that the commissioner of the Department of Corrections should establish...
3 takeaways: Penguins lose another Metropolitan Division game
Three takeaways from the Penguins’ 5-4 road loss to the New York Islanders on Friday night: Metropolitan mess The Penguins suffered a crucial loss to a Metroplitan Division rival as the Penguins and Islanders now each have 63 points, though the Penguins have only played 54 games to the Islanders’...
North Hills ‘workhorse’ to play college ball at Cal (Pa.)
Logan Greer’s hunger has paid off. Greer, a senior offensive and defensive lineman for the North Hills football team, recently committed to Cal (Pa.) to continue his academic and athletic career. “It felt like family,” said Greer, a three-year starter for the Indians. “I really liked the coaching staff and...
North Hills girls take significant step forward
The 2022-2023 North Hills girls basketball season was one built around learning. That includes the team’s players, as well as its new coach. But those lessons — even the tough ones — paid off late in the year and could have the Indians’ program bound for something much bigger in...
North Allegheny notebook: Tigers runners shine at indoor meet
North Allegheny’s girls mile relay team re-set their school record Feb. 12, at a Tri-State Track Coaches Association indoor track and field meet at Edinboro. Members of the 1,600-meter relay — Isabella Costa, Chloe Reed, Ginger Tegtmeier and Mackenzie Winning — won the event in 4 minutes, 9.51 seconds. Maya...
Brian Lawrence: Blight is a wicked problem
Regarding the editorial “Addressing blight requires planning and action” (Feb. 7, TribLIVE): The roots of blight are nuanced, varied and complex. Systemic factors like abuse of the federal tax code and individual factors, like the death of a loved one, contribute to the problem. Compounding the issue, 40,000 fewer people...
Olympic oak: How Connellsville native John Woodruff’s 1936 gold-medal run dispelled white supremacy
Halfway home, “Long John” Woodruff made his move. It wouldn’t be his last. The young, novice runner raced before 110,000 people packed into the Olympiastadion, including those in a special box built for Adolf Hitler. The German chancellor and his Nazi brass believed the Berlin Games — the Hitler Games...
Letter to the editor: You still have the right to say what you want
When I was a child, I heard a popular saying: “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.” Nowadays, with the prevalence of the woke mob in the Democratic Party, the saying seems to be, “I don’t...
Sounding off: On Trump and Biden, Bushy Run, Giant Eagle, Rozzi, gun violence, bridge safety
Trump, Biden make for poor presidential choices Both the Democratic and Republican parties are presently in a quandary regarding the 2024 president election. The Democrats are saddled with an 80-year-old President Biden, who I believe is mentally and physically feeble. In addition, Kamala Harris has bombed as vice president. No...
Letter to the editor: Great job, Youngwood
I know this letter is a little late, but I still want it to be said that Youngwood Borough’s workers did a great job decorating the borough building and playground for Christmas. It was great seeing the playground being put to good use, and all the lights and reindeer animations,...
Editorial: Was Westmoreland DA Ziccarelli’s crash really minor?
“Minor car accident” is one of those terms everyone has heard and yet is difficult to quantify. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department doesn’t have a measure for what makes a crash minor or major. An insurance company only deals in monetary amounts. There is no sliding scale. And so, when Westmoreland...
The Stroller, Feb. 18, 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. Children’s bereavement workshop offered online Good Samaritan Hospice, a mission of...
Fox Chapel area students named to Deans’ lists
Mackenzie Borkovich of Indiana Township earned a 4.0 and was named to the dean’s list at Slippery Rock University’s College of Health Professions for the Fall 2022 semester. She is a 2022 graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School. • The following area students have been named to the Chatham...
Letter to the editor: Celebrating Black History Month
The Pennsylvania State Education Association proudly joins educators and support professionals across the nation in celebrating Black History Month. Throughout February, Pennsylvania educators will put a special focus on the sizable contributions and achievements of Black Americans in a variety of subjects, including history, literature, science, music and the arts....
Letter to the editor: Compromise is best for America
I watched President Biden’s State of the Union address and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ response. OK, majority House Republicans, where is the platform you’ll use to make great changes? We are coming back from a major issue that almost left our country undone. You complain and yell “We have...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 17, 2023
High schools WPIAL championships Boys Class 6A Quarterfinals Feb. 24 schedule Norwin (14-8) at New Castle (20-2), 7 p.m.; Butler (14-7) at Mt. Lebanon (15-7), 7 p.m.; Seneca Valley (9-12) at Upper St. Clair (14-8), 7 p.m.; Baldwin (12-10) vs. Central Catholic (13-9) at Gateway, 7 p.m. Class 5A First...
No. 11 Fox Chapel knocks off Thomas Jefferson, sets up rematch with North Hills
Despite Thomas Jefferson earning the sixth seed in the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs and the right to host No. 11 Fox Chapel in first-round action Friday night, it was all Foxes as they dominated in a 62-45 upset victory. Fox Chapel (14-9) took full advantage of the cold-shooting Jaguars (15-8)...
High school roundup for Feb. 17, 2023: Mars makes statement with first-round victory
Tasso Sfanos scored 26 points and Ryan Ceh added 18 to lead seventh-seeded Mars to a decisive 76-40 victory over No. 10 Bethel Park in a WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball first-round game Friday night. Mars (15-8) jumped out to a 23-9 lead after one quarter. The Fightin’ Planets will...
Monessen’s Gardner hits 1,000 points in playoff win vs. Western Beaver
When he was younger, Monessen’s Lorenzo Gardner would look at the 1,000-point banner in the high school gym and dream of adding his name to that milestone list. The junior forward did just that Friday night at home and in the playoffs. Gardner made the milestone hoop late in the...
Gary Franks: The real cost of racism? Nearly a trillion dollars every year.
Racists and those who perpetuate unfair employment practices participate in and are an integral part of costing the United States trillions of dollars yearly. Yes, that’s more than what we spend on the entire defense budget. With this money, we could in 10 years approach eliminating our $31 trillion debt,...
Wrongful death suit filed over plasma clinic crash that killed 3, including driver
The family of one of the people killed when a car crashed through a North Side plasma clinic in 2021 is suing the estate of the man who was driving. The crash at Biomat USA Plasma Center, on Western Avenue in Pittsburgh, occurred about 11:30 a.m. on June 12. Investigators...
What the public can and can’t know about Four Diamonds, beneficiary of Penn State THON’s fundraising
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — For years, thousands of Penn State students have participated in a grueling...
Jane Hoffman: With Big Tech making billions off our personal data, it’s time for the U.S. to pull in the reins
Every day, the $6.7 trillion Big Tech industry affects our lives in ways that empower and harm. Despite recent hits in earnings, current layoffs and Google getting slapped with yet another lawsuit from the Justice Department, the tech giants are still all-powerful in our society, economy and daily lives. These...
Man accused of killing McKeesport police Officer Sean Sluganski ordered to stand trial
The man accused of killing McKeesport police Officer Sean Sluganski told detectives he doesn’t remember shooting the 32-year-old officer on the city’s Grandview Avenue last week. But Johnathan Morris, 31, told Allegheny County Police homicide Detective Patrick Kinavey that, if police had evidence that he shot Sluganski, then he must...
