TribLive stories, Page 55

As a union member in Pennsylvania, I understand if I failed to meet my employer’s expectations I would be fired. Our state legislators, however, face no such accountability when it comes to accepting gifts from lobbyists. Pennsylvania is one of only three states without a gift ban, allowing unlimited perks,...

March is here, and that means spring (hopefully) will soon follow. In the meantime, here are a few ways to while away one of the last winter weekends. Donnie Iris and the Cruisers Local legend Donnie Iris will appear at the Palace Theatre this weekend to play his classic tunes....

High schools Basketball WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A Finals Friday’s schedule Upper. St. Clair (23-2) vs. New Castle (21-3) at Petersen Events Center, 9 p.m. Class 5A Finals Saturday’s schedule Chartiers Valley (22-3) vs. Peters Township (18-7) at Petersen Events Center, 7 p.m. Third place Thursday’s results Montour 81, Mars...

Tax resources available It’s “tax season” and Northland has a webpage dedicated to highlighting tax resources and information at www.northlandlibrary.org/adults/tax-information/. The library also has limited supplies of select PA Tax Forms and Federal Tax Forms on the upper level of the library. The tax information webpage lists the forms currently...

Quaker Valley School District officials are considering terminating a policy that permits nonresident students to attend the district schools if they pay tuition. District communities include Sewickley, Sewickley Heights, Sewickley Hills, Leet, Leetsdale, Glen Osborne, Glenfield, Bell Acres, Edgeworth, Haysville and Aleppo. Assistant Superintendent Andrew Surloff said many Allegheny County...

• The 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program has unveiled its finalists for the National Merit Scholarship Awards. All 17 students from North Allegheny who were named semifinalists in September qualified as finalists: Maxwell Fancher, Ashnavi Ghosh, Megumi Kawabe, Linda Kong, Haresh Muralidharan, Anwita Narra, Praneeth Otthi, Charles Palmer, Anushka Prabhu...

Embark on a visual journey around the Western Pennsylvania region with TribLive’s latest collection of captivating images for Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. From the rustic landscapes of Western Pa. to diverse corners of the globe, experience the shared moments of humanity....

I heard that Starbucks is laying off 1,100 employees. Here is a question for the CEO of Starbucks: Why are you laying off people when you just built and opened a new Starbucks in Lower Burrell and are building a new store in Leechburg? What, are you nuts? If you...

After last year’s very contemporary “The Addams Family,” Quaker Valley High School’s 2025 spring musical is going even bigger with a classic. From March 5-8, the school will produce “My Fairy Lady,” a surprisingly rare choice for high schools, according to director Austin Wolford. “It’s a very big show, but...

Yes, that Shaggy. Mr. Boombastic himself. The reggae musician of the 1990s and 2000s who advised anyone caught cheating red-handed to declare “it wasn’t me.” Probably the last musician you’d expect to get onstage in front of a whole symphony orchestra and perform for 90 minutes. Well, he did it....

“Away from me! I never knew you.” — Jesus. One thing we learned from this election is that America is certainly not a Christian nation. Christians know Jesus and hear his voice. They obey. Christians welcome the stranger, feed the poor, heal the sick, are meek, turn the other cheek,...

Doing something audaciously bold is said to take gall. The saying comes from the word “gall,” referring to bile — in reality, secretions of the liver but generally any bitter, caustic, hard-to-swallow substance produced by the body. It “takes gall” to take some actions because, like swallowing bile, you have...

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. Coffee with a Cop...

Regarding the article “Rural property owners concerned that housing developments will alter Hempfield lifestyle” (Feb. 15, TribLive): Westmoreland County, and in particular Hempfield Township, are growing faster than their infrastructure can keep up with. The Republican-led local politicians appear to not want to represent the people. I have been to...

High schools Basketball WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A Finals Saturday’s schedule Upper. St. Clair (23-2) vs. New Castle (21-3) at Petersen Events Center, 5 p.m. Third place Wednesday’s results Central Catholic 68, Mt. Lebanon 60 Class 5A Finals Saturday’s schedule Chartiers Valley (22-3) vs. Peters Township (18-7) at Petersen Events...

Jackson Bauman scored 21 points and No. 5 Knoch defeated No. 7 Deer Lakes, 56-42, in the WPIAL Class 4A boys basketball fifth-place game Wednesday night, claiming the district’s final spot in the PIAA field. Vinny DeFelice added 10 points for the Knights (19-7), who are making their first trip...

A Clairton man is suing his local police department, claiming he was mauled by a police dog after being pulled over for going through a stop sign last year. Te’mon Jackson, 19, filed the lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday against Officer Fred L. Hill Jr. alleging battery and the...

A man had cocaine in his system and was driving more than 100 miles an hour just before he caused a fatal crash in Homestead in July, police said Wednesday as they announced criminal charges. Jesus Luciano, 37, of the Homestead area was charged with homicide by vehicle and other...

A man was fatally shot Wednesday morning in McKeesport. The victim was shot during an argument at the Tube City Cafe in the 900 block of 5th Avenue, according to Allegheny County Police. First responders answering a 911 call at 11:51 a.m. found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. They...

An Allegheny County man who authorities claim had numerous guns and espouses a “racially motivated, violent extremist ideology” is now facing a charge of possessing child pornography. Aidan Harding, 20, of Crescent, was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury in U.S. District Court. Harding remains in custody following a Feb....

Children’s event • The Cook Township Community Center will host a Kids Night In for children age 5 to 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. March 7 at the center, 1714 Route 711. Cost: $5, includes cheese pizza, drink, games and a dance party. Parents may register their children and...

A Penn State student was accused Sunday of assaulting an emergency medical technician shortly after being asked to leave downtown State College bar. Joseph A. Draper, 21, was arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault, three misdemeanor counts of simple assault and summary counts of harassment and...

Carnival for a Cure Quaker Valley School District’s Edgeworth Elementary School will host its annual Carnival for a Cure from 7-9 p.m. Feb. 27 at the gym, 200 Meadow Lane. The event is presented by the fifth grade with proceeds benefiting the American Cancer Society. Go to qvsd.org/apps/events for more...

Bill “Hutch” Hutchinson, 36, of Pittsburgh, started boxing at 13. He’s been a pro for 12 years with a record of 20-3-4, nine victories by knockout, and has been a part of world-class events in the city and the country. “I’m starting to catch my wind, and I’m starting to...

The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be quickly disintegrating under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator” and falsely blamed him for the war that Russia initiated as part of...