TribLive stories, Page 986
Youth pastor, teacher among 46 arrested in North Texas prostitution sting
A youth pastor. A high school teacher and football coach. And an operations director of a large hospital network. These were among the 46 men arrested in a massive undercover prostitution sting this month in Southlake and Frisco, local and federal authorities announced. Roughly a dozen law enforcement agencies participated...
PSU President Neeli Bendapudi: ‘What is good for Penn State is good for Pennsylvania’Video
HARRISBURG — With a new governor and newly-seated Legislature to hear it, Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi made a pitch for more state aid for Penn State, in particular, and higher education generally in remarks Monday before the Pennsylvania Press Club. Now seven months into her tenure as president and...
Tom Purcell: Grateful for Punxsutawney’s silly fun
Groundhog Day cannot come soon enough. It’s the thick of winter. Cabin fever is setting in. Incivility is worse than ever. A delightful, silly diversion is what we need about now, and Punxsutawney Phil has been delivering needed joy this time of year since 1887. As you know, every Feb....
Maya Rudolph is new face of M&Ms after ‘indefinite pause’ on veteran spokescandies
Move over, Yellow, Red and Green: Maya Rudolph is replacing the iconic M&M’s “spokescandies” after the candy-coated chocolates brand inadvertently sparked backlash last year by changing its green mascot’s high-heeled boots to “polarizing” sneakers. The pivot comes ahead of the candy’s Feb. 12 Super Bowl LVII commercial and capitalizes on...
The senator’s spouse: Gisele Fetterman finds new role, larger platform for change
Gisele Fetterman loves that people talk about the way she dresses. It has nothing to do with vanity and all to do with advocacy. In November, while accompanying husband, newly elected member of the U.S. Senate John Fetterman, she sent social media abuzz when she wore a $12 thrifted dress...
Fox Chapel Area SD hosts story times for incoming kindergarten students
All four elementary schools in the Fox Chapel Area School District are hosting in-person story times for incoming kindergarten students and their parents or guardians. The program is designed to prepare students for starting kindergarten in the fall of 2023. The students must be at least 5 on or before...
Penn State hires Virginia assistant Marques Hagans as new wide receivers coach
One week after firing Taylor Stubblefield, James Franklin and Penn State have their new wide receivers coach. Former Virginia assistant Marques Hagans will be the Nittany Lions’ new wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator, the program announced on Monday morning. “We are excited to add Marques to our family,”...
Christopher Barnard: Bureaucratic red tape blocking a U.S. nuclear renaissance
The nuclear energy community was abuzz with news of a nuclear fusion breakthrough at the end of last year. Yet, while fusion innovation offers the promise of a bright future, there’s a more pertinent issue facing the industry today: an antiquated regulatory environment that’s stifling clean nuclear energy development. The...
Monroeville police seek man accused of shooting 16-year-old girl at hotel
Police continue to search for a Monroeville man they believe shot a teenage girl in the leg Saturday night at a Monroeville hotel. Da’Ronte Anthony Brown, 18, is charged with attempted homicide, illegal gun possession and two counts each of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment stemming from an incident that...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Ligonier Valley’s James Pleskovich
Sometimes it helps to look past the record when evaluating a team and its leadership. That’s the case for Ligonier Valley’s boys basketball team, which is 3-11. The Rams have a young team after the graduation of eight seniors from last year’s team. This year’s roster includes just two seniors:...
Optimism permeates Saint Vincent men’s volleyball programVideo
Kate McCauley is in her second season as the Saint Vincent men’s volleyball coach. In a way, however, it seems a lot like Year 1. Hired in October 2021 to take over the third-year program, McCauley was thrown into the fire right before the start of preseason workouts. On top...
A-K Valley Senior Spotlight: Riverview’s Ben Hower
After missing the WPIAL playoffs last year, the Riverview boys basketball team had a good first half of the season, beating section favorite Greensburg Central Catholic on Dec. 16 and posting a section record of 2-1. Contributing to the solid start is senior Ben Hower. “This year’s goal is to...
Plum’s Decheck brothers want to put Gannon men’s swimming on the mapVideo
Being only a year apart, brothers Justin and Joey Decheck have done a lot together. Mostly, they have competed in swimming together: through youth ranks, at Plum High School and now at Gannon. Throughout their time at Plum, they teamed on countless relays, but they never were able to set...
Nathan Benefield and Andrew Holman: Pa. lawmakers can reverse population exodus
New data from the Census Bureau reveal that residents are fleeing Pennsylvania at an alarming rate. Pennsylvania lost nearly 40,000 residents to other states from July 2021 to July 2022. Only seven states lost more residents to domestic outmigration during that period. And, with 23,000 more deaths than births, Pennsylvania’s...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro loosens his predecessor’s notoriously strict gift ban for top officials
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Top officials for Pennsylvania’s governor are now allowed to accept an occasional free lunch while on duty. In one...
3 takeaways: Penguins lose another Metropolitan Division game
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, in overtime at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Sunday. The result dropped their record against Metropolitan Division foes to 5-4-3. The only other team in the Metropolitan Division with fewer divisional wins this season are the Columbus Blue...
Letter to the editor: Democrats, Ukraine and fossil fuels
I can’t help wondering how the writer of the letter “How have Dems improved our lives?” (Jan. 13, TribLIVE) can say that Democrats “(started) an actual shooting war in Ukraine.” I would also remind him that the Afghanistan pullout was arranged by President Trump. With the word limit for letters,...
In brief: Kindergarten registration, road closure and more in the Sewickley area
Part of Camp Meeting Road to close Camp Meeting Road will close between Charleston Square and North Avenue in Bell Acres Borough starting at 9 a.m. Jan. 30, according to the Allegheny County Department of Public Works. The closure, which is expected to end in April, is required for slope...
In brief: PALS meeting, library events and more in Penn Hills
PALS Plum Area Ladies Society (PALS) will hold its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1 at Plum Community Center. William Jeffcoat will speak to the group about his organization, Life-Changing Service Dogs for Veterans. The service project for February is two-fold. First, members will craft valentines at the meeting...
In brief: Basketball free throw competition, blood drive and more in the South Hills
Basketball Free Throw Competition The West Jefferson Hills Council of the Knights of Columbus is holding its annual Basketball Free Throw Competition for boys and girls aged 9-14 years old (age as of Jan.1, 2023) on Feb. 7 at the Pleasant Hills Middle School gym from 6-7:30 p.m. Competing in...
Letter to the editor: EPA must protect our children
The catastrophic leak of 1.29 billion cubic feet of methane in November in Jackson Township, Cambria County, has been referred to as one of the worst climate disasters of 2022. While officials told the public the leak posed “no threat,” local residents felt concerned. Families near the leak reported a...
Editorial: Medical workers shouldn’t have to face workplace violence
Hospitals are in a pinch when it comes to staffing. It isn’t even just hospitals. Anyone looking to hire workers in the medical field is crunched. Nursing homes, clinics, schools, prisons. If you need nurses or techs, it’s not an easy time. For many places, this is a financial problem...
Hampton area happenings, week of Jan. 23, 2023
Little Medical School programs Little Medical School of Greater Pittsburgh is conducting twp programs for children ages 5 to 10 on Saturdays from Feb. 4 through March 11 at the Hampton Community Center, 3101 McCully Road. • Future Nurse, 10 to 11:00 a.m. Students will discover the important responsibilities of...
Chartiers Valley area events, week of Jan. 23, 2023
Ukrainian Easter egg events set A Ukrainian Easter egg workshop is scheduled for March 25 at Sts. Peter & Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 220 Mansfield Blvd., Carnegie. The first session, from 9 a.m. to noon, is a general class in making traditional eggs using beeswax and dyes. The class is...
Bethel Park happenings, week of Jan. 23, 2023
Bethel Art Guild meets Bethel Art Guild will meet on Feb. 2 at the Bethel Park Community Center, 5151 Park Ave. Art marketing consultant Becky Sciullo will discuss how to begin sharing paintings with others. She supports artists with web-based programs and consultations, and started her marketing business in 2007...
