TribLive stories, Page 45
Westmoreland County high school football playoff matchups for Oct. 31, 2025
Class 3A First round 11-Derry (6-4) at 6-Highlands (7-4) 7 p.m. Friday, Golden Rams Stadium, Natrona Heights Last week: Derry 47, Yough 20; Highlands 45, Valley 0 Playoff record: Derry 5-14; Highlands 11-25 WPIAL titles: Derry 0; Highlands 0 Last playoff appearance: Derry 2023; Highlands 2024 Winner plays: 3-Central Valley...
The Birdie can handle the truth as he makes his Westmoreland County playoff picks
Last week: 10-2 Season: 99-27 (79%) It is playoff time, and to celebrate the “real ones,” as he says, the Birdie is speaking the truth. Make that, truths. Westmoreland County’s prep football oracle said this is the time of year that separates the contenders from the pretenders. He finishes his...
Feds charge weight-loss clinic operator in Pittsburgh area with giving customers cow drugs
A woman who ran two weight loss clinics in the Pittsburgh area is charged in federal court with mislabeling animal medication and giving it to humans. Nicole Millen is charged with a single misdemeanor count of drug mislabeling. A federal court docket sheet shows she is scheduled to plead guilty...
PennDOT holds annual training session in advance of winter season
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 12 held winter training Wednesday in Unity for snowplow operators. They practiced using wing plows mounted on the sides of their big yellow trucks while maneuvering through a course marked by orange cones. Drivers had to back into a parking spot, avoid obstacles such as...
Joe Flacco hurting, so Bengals prep Jake Browning for possible start vs. Bears
A shoulder injury limiting quarterback Joe Flacco could force the Cincinnati Bengals to reinsert Jake Browning in the starting spot for Sunday’s meeting with the Chicago Bears. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the team considers Flacco day-to-day, and offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher voiced optimism Wednesday that Flacco could still be...
Mammoth forward, Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley inks 8-year, $80M extension
The Utah Mammoth locked up center Logan Cooley with an eight-year, $80 million contract extension Wednesday. Cooley, 21, leads the team in goals (eight) and is tied for second in points (12) through 11 games this season. The Pittsburgh native has 121 points (53 goals, 68 assists) in 168 games...
In brief: New library partnership, paranormal fundraiser and more in Sharpsburg area
Cooper-Siegel partners with PSO Cooper-Siegel Community Library has officially signed on as partners of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 Fiddlesticks Musical Exploration Series. The series, held at Heinz Hall, includes three family-friendly concerts designed to introduce children ages 3 to 8 to a lifelong love of music. Generations of families...
In brief: Winter maintenance agreement, tree planting and more in Sewickley area
Winter agreement approved Leet commissioners recently approved a new five-year deal with PennDOT for winter maintenance along Ambridge Avenue and part of Little Sewickley Creek Road. Commission president Martin McDaniel said the state has agreed to pay the township about $5,600 this winter, with about $100 increases in subsequent years...
FDA plans to accelerate biosimilar approvals, report says
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is preparing to speed up approvals for biosimilars, or generic versions of complex biological drugs, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The regulator is expected to reduce the number of human clinical studies required for certain biosimilars and cut development costs for medicines made...
Robin Abcarian: Virginia Giuffre spent half her life fighting for justice against Epstein
If there’s one takeaway from Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, it’s that the unrepentant child trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s partner in crime, should never, ever be considered for the pardon or commutation that President Trump has hinted at. This is not to downplay the importance of the moving story Giuffre...
Gallery: Photos from Oct. 29, 2025
Take a trip through Western Pennsylvania — and beyond! Join TribLive’s photo adventure, where every snapshot tells a story. From the rolling hills and rustic charm of Western Pa. to far-flung corners of the world, this collection captures the little sparks of humanity that connect us all. Think of it...
No more kids in this craft beer taphouse after 7 p.m.
Wanna get out and sip on a tasty craft beer? Leave your kids at home. So says Eastside Brewing in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The new rule — that resulted in some backlash — is effective during hours after 7 p.m. The reason? Unsupervised children running amok. Its owner Rich Hennosy stated...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ silence over Jay Jones’ text shows complicity
Democrat candidate Jay Jones in Virginia wished death on his opponent and his children. Not only that the children die, but that they do so “in their mother’s arms.” Not a single Democrat has called on this grotesque ghoul to drop out, proving again that the Democratic Party is one...
Letter to the editor: ‘Fire’ the incumbents
When those we elect fail to complete, on time, their sworn-to tasks of our state and federal Constitutions, it is a sure sign that we have selected the wrong representatives. Their performance is surely not because they are not adequately compensated; I would argue otherwise. In the real world such...
Trump announces trade breakthrough with South Korea on Asia trip
GYEONGJU, South Korea — President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalized details of their fraught trade deal at a summit in South Korea on Wednesday, and the U.S. president also sounded an optimistic note about a looming summit with China’s Xi Jinping. “We made our deal,...
Key U.S. mortgage rate drops to 13-month low, industry group says
The interest rate on the most popular U.S. home loan dropped last week to a 13-month low after a key reading of inflation came in lower than expected, cementing expectations for another Federal Reserve interest-rate cut. The Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday the contract rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate...
Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba hours after devastating Jamaica
HAVANA/KINGSTON — Hurricane Melissa slammed into Cuba early on Wednesday, hours after causing devastation in neighboring Jamaica as the strongest-ever storm on record to hit that Caribbean island nation. Melissa hit the southern coast of eastern Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC)...
Letter to the editor: Sheridan, Kurimsky best picks for Franklin Regional School Board
Everyone in the Franklin Regional School District should want a qualified school board to make decisions about how our tax dollars are being spent. A well-performing school is important to real estate values. Amy Sheridan and Kevin Kurimsky are candidates I will be voting for. Both work in changing environments...
Jon Batiste delivers spiritual moment of music inside (and outside) Heinz Hall
Not a whole lot of performances at Heinz Hall end with spectators, sousaphones, melodicas and percussion instruments spilling out onto Penn Avenue. Then again, not a whole lot of performers are Jon Batiste. Batiste has cemented his place in the modern American music pantheon, with nearly 20 Grammy Award nominations...
Letter to the editor: Trump must help stop Putin’s land grab
President Trump’s suggestion to Ukraine and Russia to “stop where you are” is a huge mistake. If this were to occur, Russia will have gained and Ukraine will have lost. Ukraine would lose land and Putin would have what he wanted, another piece of Ukraine. Furthermore, this would give him...
The Stroller, Oct. 29, 2025: 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. Follow the Stroller on X at @VNDStroller. Drug take-back box located...
Allegheny County Common Pleas Court election has 13 candidates vying for 8 seats
Eight seats are open for Allegheny County’s Court of Common Pleas in next Tuesday’s election. Although 13 candidates are listed on the ballot, three of them are not actively campaigning. The eight vacancies on the bench come from seven retirements and the death late last year of Judge Alexander P....
Editorial: Courtrooms aren’t ready for AI
“Pro se” is a legal phrase that speaks to how an individual is represented in court. It is Latin, meaning “for self.” It refers to a party acting as his or her own advocate in a legal proceeding. While a lawyer may be the smart move, a person isn’t obligated...
Letter to the editor: The power of group dynamics
Groups are powerful forces. Positive ones — churches, sobriety groups, grief counseling circles — remind us that we’re not alone. They nurture connection, honesty and healing, offering spaces where people can share struggles and recover their faith in others. These communities show the joy and courage of humanity: open, compassionate...
Israel kills more than 100 in strikes after soldier’s death, says it still backs ceasefire
CAIRO/JERUSALEM — Israel said on Wednesday it remains committed to the U.S.-backed ceasefire in Gaza, despite its retaliation for the death of an Israeli soldier with day-long bombardment that Gaza health authorities said killed 104 people. Even as the military affirmed it still intended to uphold the truce in the...
