TribLive stories, Page 1293
Penn-Trafford bowlers take WPIBL girls team championship
Before Thursday, it was already a good season for the Penn-Trafford girls bowling team. The Warriors won a section title with a 9-1 record and last month, junior Alyssa Balest won the girls title at the inaugural WCCA championships. On Thursday, a good season got even better. Penn-Trafford defeated Burrell,...
Uber driver killed, left in Monroeville pleaded for life during robbery, police say
Christi Spicuzza pleaded for her life as the man in the back seat of her Nissan Sentra pressed a gun against her head, telling the man that she had a family and four kids at home, court paperwork shows. Spicuzza, an Uber driver, had picked up 22-year-old Calvin Crew about...
Deer Lakes carries massive momentum into WPIAL playoffs
It’s one thing to enter the WPIAL playoffs with momentum. The Deer Lakes boys basketball team has taken that notion to another level. The Lancers (15-5) knocked off previously undefeated North Catholic in the Section 1-4A finale last Friday, then took the measure of Shady Side Academy, a school in...
Laurels & lances: Cupcakes, eyesores and permits
Laurel: To a sweet gesture. Businesses in competition with each other might not seem like the best sources of help in times of trouble. What is tragedy for one can be a boon for another. But when it comes to small businesses, it is always best for the community if...
Allegheny Township renames Community Hall after longtime political watchdog
It’s not often that political figures or municipal officials want to honor someone who kept them on their toes. But Allegheny Township supervisors this week voted 3-0 to rename the municipal building’s Community Hall to the Mable V. Mazza Community Hall in memory of the longtime community activist and historian....
Tom Tyler: Liquor privatization — a glass half full, or half empty?
The debate on House Bill 2272 has started: Should Pennsylvania get out of the business of selling liquor, essentially going with private wholesalers and retailers? This has raised a question within the membership of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage and Tavern Association (PLBTA), the statewide political voice for family-owned taverns, bars...
Saying goodbye to ‘Arthur’: How it became TV’s longest-running animated series for children
The average aardvark lives for about 20 years. Arthur Read, the most famous of those mammals, has defied those odds and inspired several generations of young viewers in the process. On Monday, “Arthur,” the longest-running animated series for children in TV history, concludes its 25-season run. While the characters will...
Sewickley Academy launches scholarship program thanks to gift from Jardini Family Foundation
Sewickley Academy is able to launch a new scholarship program funded in part through a generous gift from Academy parents and dedicated community members David and Dawn Jardini. The David and Dawn Jardini Family Foundation has committed in excess of $240,000 in scholarships for four students while enrolled in grades...
Kiski Area considers dropping quarantines, contact tracing
With coronavirus cases dropping dramatically since September, the Kiski Area School Board is anxious to move on from the two-year pandemic crisis. The school board scheduled a vote for Monday, Feb. 28, to consider ending contact tracing and quarantines. Mask-wearing on buses, however, might have to continue a little longer....
In Latin America’s new Cold War, will China lift up autocrats?
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador’s president and the Chinese ambassador traded flatteries this month as they broke ground on a new national library, one of a slew of gifts China has promised this small mountainous nation as part of its vigorous quest to gain influence across Central America....
As virus surged, few Pa. schools signed up for free covid-19 testing
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 — Nearly six months into the school year, the majority of Pennsylvania schools have not opted into a free, on-site...
Peter Morici: GOP needs practical solutions before midterms
Republicans are a bit too confident about the midterm elections and more vulnerable than they think. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has told key party donors that the Republicans will not offer a legislative platform but rather run against President Joe Biden’s record. Plenty of ammo At first glance, they...
Letter to the editor: History repeating itself in Ukraine
This Russian threat on Ukraine is history repeating itself. Make no mistake: Vladimir Putin will not be satisfied with only Ukraine. I believe Putin wants to rebuild the old Soviet Union and take over the rest of Europe. This reminds me of 1939 and the years before. Adolf Hitler first...
Letter to the editor: Saluting our farmers
I recently attended the 2022 Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. It is touted as the best in our state, and certainly the biggest and best in the country. I was in awe of the preparation it must take to produce an event of this magnitude to inform the general public...
Editorial: Courts and doctors must cooperate on addiction
The opioid epidemic is not like influenza or covid-19. It is a medical issue that affects the body and threatens lives. It also is a social problem that ends up in court either because of crimes or because of issues such as custody. It is rare that a case of...
The Stroller, Feb. 17, 2022: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
The Stroller is compiling a list of fish fries taking place Ash Wednesday and/or Fridays during Lent. To your non-profit’s fish fry listed in the paper and online, send complete information in writing to Carol Pinto-Smith, Valley News Dispatch, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084 or email cpinto-smith@triblive.com. Reservations being...
Letter to the editor: Benninghoff’s failure on redistricting
Have you ever done something for 25 straight years and still not been able to do it correctly? State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, has. As Majority Leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2020, 25-year legislator Benninghoff had the responsibility to lead the effort in redistricting so that...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Feb. 16, 2022
High schools Basketball WPIAL Boys Wednesday’s result Nonsection Central Valley 53, Keystone Oaks 52 City League Semifinals Thursday’s schedule Carrick (6-11) at Allderdice (15-7), 6 p.m. Brashear (6-8) at Obama Academy (11-7), 6 p.m. WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Tuesday’s schedule North Hills (22-0) bye; Baldwin (12-10) at North...
Crews respond to Fox Chapel gas leak
First responders from Fox Chapel and Aspinwall, along with crews from People’s Gas, responded to shut off natural gas to a home on Delafield Road in Fox Chapel on Wednesday, Feb. 16, officials said. Fox Chapel Assistant Fire Chief Brian Zimmerman said workers apparently damaged a gas line. The house...
Group of Fox Chapel Area School District parents continue push to make masks optional
Protests against masks for Fox Chapel Area School District students continued Wednesday outside of the administrative offices, marking the third such gathering against the district’s policies this month. About 13 protesters, including two children, gathered along Field Club Road about 2:30 p.m. during dismissal at the high school. They later...
Wolf renews higher-ed scholarship idea, amid worker shortage
HARRISBURG — Two years after he first proposed it, Gov. Tom Wolf is trying to engage the Legislature anew in his bid to start a major new scholarship program for college students in Pennsylvania, but on Wednesday said the idea has new urgency because of difficulties in finding workers across...
Jennifer Rafanan Kennedy and Taifa Smith Butler: The story of Pittsburgh’s water
During his recent visit to Pittsburgh, President Joe Biden had a lot to say about roads and bridges and America’s crumbling infrastructure — mere hours after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed. But notably, he failed to mention another critical public resource to which the people of Pittsburgh have called attention...
Food Podcast: Why is the Black community experiencing higher rates of food insecurity in the Pittsburgh region?Video
On this week’s episode of the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union on the TribLIVE podcast network, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank celebrates Black History Month by learning more about food insecurity and race in the Pittsburgh region. “African Americans are three times more likely to experience food...
Low-income Philadelphians to receive no-strings-attached cash in anti-poverty experiments
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia will be introducing two programs that will distribute money to low-income residents with no strings attached. The goal of the programs is to understand the impact of cash infusions on household stability and economic well-being. City officials are releasing few details about the initiatives,...
Folklore expert: Original ‘Bambi’ was not a children’s story
The novel on which the Disney movie “Bambi” was based dealt with loss, loneliness and racism. If you thought it was rough to see Bambi’s mother die in the 1942 Disney film, you should read the original story. Before it became an animated classic movie for children, “Bambi” was a...
