TribLive stories, Page 1344
Andrew Cuff: Western Pennsylvania is dying – or is it?
To many Americans, the regions surrounding Pittsburgh have become a collection of “ghost towns” to avoid or a lost culture to elegize. Western Pennsylvania is now a socially acceptable target for stereotypes conjuring images of blighted vacant lots, shuttered mills and welfare recipients addicted to painkillers. Even the familiar term...
Tricia Cunningham: Corman, Mastriano act tough on election integrity, but they caused the problems
If you care about election integrity, there are a couple of Republican senators running for governor who you may want to scratch off your list. Both Sen. Jake Corman and Sen. Doug Mastriano are scurrying around the commonwealth claiming to want to get to the bottom of what happened in...
U.S. Senate to vote on Nord Stream 2 after Schumer-Cruz deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate legislation targeting the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will go to a vote under a deal that ended Sen. Ted Cruz’s blockade on several of President Joe Biden’s nominees, leading to the confirmation of a slate of his judicial and diplomatic appointments early Saturday. The agreement between...
Young Fox Chapel wrestling team looks to build throughout season
Fielding one of its youngest teams in memory, the challenge for Fox Chapel wrestling is to quickly get the newcomers into varsity competitiveness. It doesn’t help that injuries and covid concerns have hampered the Foxes start this season. “We have a couple of injuries early on in the year that...
Fox Chapel swimmers set championship goals
Fox Chapel’s swimming teams got their seasons off on the right track, but coaches and swimmers are hoping that it’s only the start of bigger things to come. The girls defeated local rival Shady Side Academy, 98-75, while the boys took care of the Bulldogs, 102-71, at the home pool....
Sandy Fox: Amazon warehouses are sacrifice zones
An article published Dec. 9 in The Guardian has been circulating among Churchill residents. The title of the story rings true: “Warehouses in their backyards: When Amazon expands, these communities pay the price.” Churchill is a 2.5-square-mile suburban community of 3,000 people 10 miles east of Pittsburgh. Residents remain steadfast...
Letter to the editor: Society honors gold-medal Pennsylvanians
What do former Gov. Dick Thornburgh, television icon Fred Rogers and philanthropists Elsie and Henry Hillman all have in common? The obvious answer is they all proudly called Pittsburgh home. They also share a unique distinction of being recipients of the Pennsylvania Society Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement, presented to...
Editorial: ‘Exemption assistance’ carries tone of political play more than civic responsibility
State Rep. Leslie Rossi, R-Unity, says she is not opposed to covid-19 vaccination, but for constituents who are, she’s offering to help. Her latest newsletter declares “vaccination exemption assistance NOW AVAILABLE!” The newsletter suggests if “you or someone you know (is) being forced to get the covid-19 vaccine,” you can...
The Stroller, Dec. 18, 2021: Events in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Publicize your holiday events, club meetings and fundraisers for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free Christmas Day dinner planned in Tarentum Abundant Joy Fellowship, Tarentum, will host a free dinner from 1 to 3 p.m....
Letter to the editor: Countering ‘consequences’
Leonard Stanga’s diatribe “Predictions have consequences” (Dec. 4, TribLIVE) was sort of over the edge. He starts by asking, “How can BLM or antifa or anyone get away with these threats?” Then he proceeds to make a few threats of his own. How does that work? Then he goes off...
Fox Chapel teen wins singing awards
Shady Side Academy junior Sloane Simon won two voice awards in the 2022 YoungArts National Competition, receiving an honorable mention in the Voice/Popular (Pop) category and a merit award in the Voice/Singer-Songwriter category. The YoungArts National Competition is open to artists ages 15–18 or in grades 10–12 in the United...
High school roundup for Dec. 17, 2021: On heels of football title, Aliquippa boys basketball wins opener
Donovan Walker scored a game-high 27 points to lead Aliquippa to a 59-37 victory over Rochester in nonsection boys basketball Friday night. It was the first game of the season for Aliquippa (1-0) coming off a long football playoff run that culminated in a Class 4A state championship. Sal Laure...
High school scores, summaries and schedules for Dec. 17, 2021
High schools WPIAL Basketball Boys Friday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 North Allegheny 74, Pine-Richland 70 (OT) Butler 62, Seneca Valley 55 Class 5A Section 3 Kiski Area 60, Franklin Regional 48 Woodland Hills 77, Latrobe 52 Section 4 Shaler 68, Indiana 30 Mars 75, Armstrong 51 Hampton 63,...
Freeport boys basketball cleans glass, beats rival Springdale
The Freeport Yellowjackets used a strong advantage on the boards and the absence of a key Springdale player to roll past the Dynamos, 72-42, in a battle between ancient rivals that dates back nearly a century. Freeport outrebounded Springdale, 29-15, and turned a bunch of Dynamos miscues into points, particularly...
Etna man found guilty of threatening FBI agent on social media
A former student at the University of Pittsburgh was found guilty Friday of using Twitter to threaten an FBI agent who was investigating him. A jury deliberated three hours before finding Khaled Miah guilty of seven counts, including interstate threats, retaliating against a federal officer by threats and destruction of...
Family of man who died after being tased by Pittsburgh police calls for charges against officers
Family and friends of a man who died in October after being tased by Pittsburgh police in the city’s Bloomfield neighborhood gathered in front of the City-County Building on Friday to demand accountability in his death. “We’ve heard almost nothing in the months we’ve been fighting for this,” said Devon...
Loss in NCAA semifinal brings down curtain on stellar careers of Pitt volleyball players Kayla Lund, Chinaza Ndee
Kayla Lund rose up — as she had so many times during her Pitt volleyball career — and swung her arm in its signature windmill motion. She took aim at yet another kill, one she hoped would extend the Panthers’ stay in their first Final Four just a bit longer....
Ex-Shaler substitute teacher charged in Capitol riot poses ‘ongoing danger,’ judge says
A former Shaler substitute teacher facing numerous charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will remain in federal custody, a judge said Friday in Washington, D.C. Robert Morss, 28, filed a motion last month seeking to be released from custody pending trial, alleging he was subjected...
‘Mr. Mt. Pleasant’ Gerald Lucia, longtime mayor and fire chief, dies unexpectedly
There wasn’t much in Mt. Pleasant that didn’t bear Jerry Lucia’s fingerprints. Some say he was the lifeblood of the small town at the foot of the Laurel Highlands. Gerald Lucia, the longtime Mt. Pleasant mayor and fire chief, died unexpectedly Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, in his home. He was...
Penn State QB Sean Clifford addresses whether Kenny Pickett influenced his decision to return in 2022
One week ago, Penn State veteran quarterback Sean Clifford announced he would return for a sixth season with the Nittany Lions. Assuming good health, Clifford will head into the offseason primed to be a four-year starter, something rarely seen in college football. Clifford and his teammates still have one game...
Mercer County man pleads guilty to involvement in Capitol riot
A Mercer County man who participated in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Friday to all four counts against him. Matthew Perna, 37, of Sharon, will be sentenced on March 3 before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in Washington, D.C. He pleaded guilty Friday by...
Amazon driver texts reveal chaos as Illinois tornado bore down
The messages between an Amazon delivery driver and her boss began about 80 minutes before a tornado struck one of the company’s warehouses in Edwardsville, Ill., on Dec. 10, killing six workers. The dramatic exchange cast in sharp relief the chaos that can ensue when disaster hits and disagreements erupt...
John Scott: Keystone Saves can build retirement savings for millions of Pennsylvanians
In a promising step for the millions of Pennsylvanians who want to save more for retirement, members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Dec. 13 announced the Keystone Saves Program Act, which would allow workers whose employers don’t offer a retirement plan to save for retirement. This opportunity to help...
‘Doomsday glacier’: Giant Antarctica ice mass could collapse within 3 to 5 years
The rapid deterioration of Thwaites Glacier, the widest glacier on Earth, and one of Antarctica’s largest could result in the ice shelf’s total collapse within a few years, contributing to rising sea levels, researchers have warned. According to a report by Live Science, the warning came during a virtual press...
GriefShare programs, Christmas Eve services and more at Sewickley area churches, places of worship
Beth Samuel Jewish Center Upcoming programs at Beth Samuel Jewish Center include: • Western PA Small Congregations Clergy Exploration Series “The Revelation and the Golden Calf: two sides of one coin” presented on Zoom by Rabbi Irv Brandwein of Beth Shalom Congregation in Johnstown. Email BethSamuelOffice@comcast.net for more information or...
