Trib Lunch Box: Home improvement fight, Summer Lee money, closing Pittsburgh school buildings, Bill Cowher

Here are some noon headlines from TribLive, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024:

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• Pittsburgh contractor accused of stealing more than $270,000 from couple

A Pittsburgh contractor arrested Tuesday is accused of stealing more than $270,000 from a couple who hired him to design a home more than three years ago.

Page F. Thomas, 55, was hired in September 2020 by Douglas and Traci Borsch to design a home in Pittsburgh, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 18. Authorities say Thomas is the owner of Lequeu Development LLC.

TribLive

U.S. Rep. Summer Lee gives a speech against gun violence on June 2, 2023 during Pittsburgh’s Wear Orange peace march for National Gun Violence Awareness Day on the North Side.

• Summer Lee’s campaign raises $1M in last quarter

Preparing for what could be a tough primary election, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, said she raised $1 million in the last quarter of 2023, putting her on solid financial footing to take on her multiple challengers.

It was Lee’s best fundraising quarter to date and one of the highest fourth-quarter hauls among her peers.

TribLive

Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 27, 2022.

• Could Pittsburgh Public Schools close some buildings?

Pittsburgh Public Schools is facing a “budget crisis” and staffing issues, which prompted board President Gene Walker to advocate for developing and presenting recommendations on a facilities utilization plan — a resolution that passed despite criticism.

TribLive

Kate Lasky and Tomasz Skowronski of Apteka restaurant.

• 3 Pittsburgh chefs are semifinalists for prestigious awards

Three Pittsburgh chefs from two restaurants were named semifinalists in the James Beard Foundation’s 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards.

Kate Lasky, Tomasz Skowronski and Bootsaba Tongdee got nods in the best chef category for the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

AP

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher shouts at quarterback Kordell Stewart after he threw a third-quarter interception to Denver Broncos linebacker Allen Aldridge to stop a scoring drive during the AFC Championship game Sunday, Jan. 11, 1998, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

• Cowher on AFC Championship Game losses: ‘It hurts more than losing the Super Bowl’

Tim Benz: As Conference Championship Weekend approaches in the National Football League, now feels like a good time to point out that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the AFC Championship game more times (16) than any other team.

I feel the need to do that because when they last qualified for that game in the 2016-17 playoffs, they lost it in New England 36-17. They haven’t won a playoff game since.

TribLive

The owners of RC Firearms in New Kensington have begun to install concrete barriers to protect the door to the store from being smashed in with a vehicle.

• Firearm stolen from New Kensington gun store found during arrest of 4 in Homestead

One of about two dozen guns stolen from a New Kensington gun store was recovered when four young men were arrested Wednesday in Homestead, according to court records.

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