TribLive stories, Page 47

High schools Basketball PIAA playoffs Boys Class 6A Second round Wednesday’s schedule Conestoga (22-5) vs. Hazleton (13-12) at Freedom, 7 p.m.; Spring-Ford (21-7) vs. Father Judge (20-7) at Norristown, 7:30 p.m.; Imhotep (24-5) vs. Chambersburg (20-5) at Landisville Hempfield, 7 p.m.; Scranton (19-6) vs. Parkland (18-9) at Strousburg, 7:30 p.m.;...

Greensburg council hired two new full-time police officers Monday. Jacob Fazekas and David Judy will be paid about $56,000 each. Fazekas had been working in Jeannette and Judy was in Trafford, said Greensburg police Chief Charles Irvin. Both were expected to start work in Greensburg this month. They were sworn...

A Black McKeesport police officer is suing his employer and the city’s mayor over claims of racial discrimination in how the police department promotes and disciplines. Julian Thomas, 38, of McKeesport, alleges the city has long ignored its own civil service rules, resulting in mostly white officers being promoted by...

The University of Pittsburgh has instituted a hiring freeze of all faculty and staff that takes effect immediately. It will remain in place at least for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, the university said. “In response to a shifting federal landscape and in order to...

The price of eggs may be through the roof, but that doesn’t mean you’ll save money with a chicken coop. While the popularity — and legality — of backyard chickens is spreading, the economics doesn’t add up for most people thinking of bypassing the grocer for their own hens. Just...

Mark your calendars It’s almost time to restock your personal libraries. Northland Public Library will have its Spring Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 2 and 3. Then, from 1 to 4 p.m. May 4, everything must go: Patrons can fill one bag for $5, plus tax,...

Justin Fields won’t be returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers to start another season at quarterback. Fields is departing in free agency, agreeing Monday to a two-year, $40 million offer from the New York Jets that includes $30 million in guaranteed money, ESPN reported. The Steelers had been trying to sign...

The Pennsylvania Lottery wants to bump up the number of games it sells with big-ticket prizes. It’s a move that could bring in more money for senior citizen programs by offering more attractive games to lottery players. “There is an increasing demand for games with bigger payouts — such as...

A group of Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School students recently raised the most money in Pennsylvania for the 2025 Cool Schools Polar Plunge. The Fox Chapel Area team raised $44,807 to support the Fox Chapel Area School District Special Olympics Unified Sports teams and Unified Sports...

After receiving a $50 million gift to assist in a stadium renovation project, the Penn State Board of Trustees on Monday approved the naming of the field at Beaver Stadium as West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. The gift from Werzyn family and West Shore Home will help fund...

Kassidy Wittig spent her entire freshman season in the Seton Hill softball team’s dugout. It was a fate she could have accepted if she’d been sitting because other players had proven themselves to be more capable. But Wittig didn’t even get a chance to show what she could do in...

As he was coming up through Plum’s high school baseball program, Johnny Ioannou knew he was being prepared to play at the next level. Under longtime coach Carl Vollmer, the Mustangs had produced a number of successful players, including two, Scott McGough and Alex Kirilloff, who went on to play...

Grace Evans, Taylor Martin, Emma Smith and Will Vanella were named to the dean’s list at the College of William & Mary for the fall 2024 semester. Duvineel Cabrera earned a Master of Science in cybersecurity from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Matthew Lyons, Abbie Voettiner and Sofia...

Wake up people! It’s not President Trump who wants Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, it’s Vladimir Putin. Think about it. Craig Smith Irwin...

Yo, Sen. John Fetterman, what are you trying to prove? How broad-minded you are? I once heard that an open mind is an empty mind. Why don’t you move into your boy’s basement in Key Largo or wherever he slithers about? You realize, of course, your goose is cooked in...

Security video reportedly shows that Kimberly Burch, the fiancee of Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe, jumped overboard from a Royal Caribbean ship cruise ship, Nassau police cleared Downe of any wrongdoing, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas ship is registered in the Bahamas, so...

Leave it to our honorable governor to enact yet another innovative solution to help people. That is what Gov. Josh Shapiro has done in seeking to make it easier to hire federal workers who have found themselves innocent pawns in the Trump/Musk rampage of firings. While Office of Management and...

Plum shortens Winterfest to 1 day Plum’s newly named WinterFest will be one day this year instead of two days, as previously contemplated, borough Manager David Soboslay said. WinterFest is the new name for Christmas at Plum Creek, following the naming scheme for the borough’s SummerFest and FallFest. The borough...

Our country got its start by rebelling against a king. It was based on a Constitution complete with a Bill of Rights. Our government included a system of checks and balances with three different branches to ensure that no one person (or aristocracy) could have absolute power and control over...

Last week, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey got his hackles up about money. Was it about the financial troubles his city finds itself experiencing? Nope. It was about the funds of his Democratic challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor. Gainey, running for reelection, is in the same position his predecessor, Bill...

Call me crazy, but I have a strong gut feeling that America’s democracy is coming to its end under the current administration and our spineless Congress. That our president has allowed the nonelected richest man on the planet to be his hatchet man and surrounded himself with people I consider...

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. Scholarships available to local...

The Penn Hills Library, 1037 Stotler Road, offers a variety of programs for all ages. For a complete list of offerings, visit pennhillslibrary.org. Registration is required for the following programs unless otherwise indicated; however, the following teen programs do not require registration. To register for any of the programs, visit...

Respect, such a small word, but such a big meaning in itself. Some people don’t respect authority. You see it in everyday life. You see it on the news, people not respecting the police, teachers, clergy, parents, elected officials, in sporting events and to say the least disrespecting human life....

Real ID days set for spring The Allison Park Driver and Photo License Center, located in the Duncan Manor Shopping Center at 1701 Duncan Ave., McCandless, will host a Real ID Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 14 and May 5. Applications for Real IDs will be the...