TribLive stories, Page 656
Monessen builds momentum with Class A 1st round win over Leechburg
Monessen girls basketball coach Janine Vertacnik wanted to start postseason play off with a bang, and the No. 5 Greyhounds did just that with an overwhelming 63-15 home victory over No. 12 Leechburg in the Class A first round Monday night. “We wanted a strong start and we wanted to...
High school roundup for Feb. 19, 2024: Derry stops OLSH run of consecutive WPIAL finals at 7
Nate Papuga led all scorers with 25 points, and Stanley Rajkovich added 16 points and 12 rebounds as No. 12 Derry upset No. 5 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 54-53, in a WPIAL Class 3A first-round boys basketball game Monday night. The Trojans (14-6) allowed just two field goals...
Pirates bring back outfielder Canaan Smith-Njigba
After a brief stint with the Seattle Mariners, Canaan Smith-Njigba is back with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates claimed the 24-year-old outfielder on waivers Monday. Smith-Njigba was the Pirates’ Opening Day starter in right field last season but hit. 125 in 15 major league games and spent most of the...
Bethel Park appoints new police chief
Bethel Park’s new police chief is a 23-year veteran of the department. Following his unanimous approval by municipal council on Feb. 12, Dave Arnold was sworn in by District Judge Ron Arnoni. In leading the department, Arnold succeeds the late Timothy O’Connor, who served as chief from 2015 until his...
Penn State basketball’s leading scorer Kanye Clary no longer with team
Penn State men’s basketball will be without its leading scorer moving forward. First-year coach Mike Rhoades announced Monday during a press conference that Kanye Clary is no longer with the program because of a “coach’s decision.” Clary, a sophomore guard, was averaging 16.7 points per game this season. He had...
What Shapiro’s budget pitch could do for Pa.’s rural communities
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — As the populations of Pennsylvania’s rural counties shrink, officials hope future state spending can help slow projected losses by making investments that attract...
Ruth A. Johnston: Disability, not danger, is the right standard
Eleven years ago today, my mother died. You may have seen our story on the news: my son Levi stabbed her while she was eating breakfast because he believed the Archangel Michael told him that, “it’s time to kill the witch.” You may have wondered why we hadn’t gotten his...
Indiana County woman dead, child hurt in head-on crash along Route 217 in Derry Township
An Indiana County woman died and a 10-year-old child was flown to a hospital for treatment Monday after a head-on crash in Derry Township, officials reported. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Regina L. Endress, 49, of Josephine, Burrell Township, was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 217 near...
Northern Tier Library programs, week of Feb. 19, 2024
Upcoming Northern Tier Library programs include: • Nonfiction book discussion, “Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder” by Reshma Saujani, 1 p.m. Feb. 20. Saujani shares insights and practices to help us let go of our need for perfection. By being brave, not perfect, we can all...
In brief: Plum, Oakmont area events, week of Feb. 19, 2024
Plum approves change to Sheetz liquor license Plum Council has amended its approval for a liquor license for Sheetz on Golden Mile Highway. Council in 2021 approved the transfer of a liquor license to the existing Sheetz at Pine Valley Drive. The Altoona-based convenience store chain asked to move it...
Letter to the editor: Sweep them out with your vote
Old military quip: New broom sweeps clean. When an organization turns inept and dangerous, it’s time to sweep it out. This November, get hold of the broom handle and start sweeping with your vote. Regis Farrell Greensburg...
Apollo-Ridge grad Olivia Stiffy uses gymnastics, cheer background as part of new STUNT team at Mercyhurst
While she was growing up, Olivia Stiffy competed as a gymnast for nearly a decade, including representing Apollo-Ridge at the WPIAL level. But she never considered playing any kind of sports beyond high school. Also a longtime cheerleader, Stiffy joined the football cheer squad at Mercyhurst, which seemed to satisfy...
Saint Vincent women’s bowling raises its profile nationally with steady success
Saint Vincent, to most of the outside world, is known as the long-time training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. When Jeff Zidek started the Bearcats’ women’s bowling program seven years ago, that was one of his big selling points when he contacted potential recruits. Now, potential recruits are contacting...
Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Norwin’s Angela Furin
It’s been a perfect last couple of seasons for Norwin’s girls bowling team, literally. Last year, it went 8-0 in the WPIBL Southeast Division, and this season, it finished 10-0. Angela Furin, a senior, described how that success doesn’t exactly happen overnight. “It was definitely very hard work getting to...
Letter to the editor: Rightful owners of Gaza
It is time that our government takes a very close look into the true rightful landowners of Gaza. The answer is in the Bible and has been there for thousands of years. Abraham was given all this land by God for the people of Israel. The Jew was placed all...
Letter to the editor: Quit drinking the Trump Kool-Aid
What a pathetic state this country is in! The Republicans got what they wanted in the bipartisan border deal, and then they shut it down because Donald Trump told them to? From what I read, the Democrats gave in on multiple fronts to get this passed so we could give...
In brief: Tea party, trivia night, other Hampton happenings, week of Feb. 19, 2024
Depreciation Lands tea party A tea party for adults is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. March 3 at the Depreciation Lands Museum, 4743 S. Pioneer Road, Hampton. You will be treated to a variety of hot teas, scones, sandwiches, cakes and other Colonial era goodies, served in the museum’s...
In brief: Leetsdale VFD receives grant, Sewickley Men’s Club and more
Leetsdale VFD grant Leetsdale Volunteer Fire Department recently was awarded a $14,000 grant through the State Fire Commissioner’s Office. Fire Chief Wesley James said they received approval in mid-January. Funds will go toward purchasing a new fire hose and other equipment. Commission appointments made Leetsdale council approved two appointments Feb....
In brief: Pine-Richland area happenings, week of Feb. 19, 2024
VFD pancake, sausage breakfast Richland Township Volunteer Fire Department’s annual all-you-can-eat pancake and sausage breakfast is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 3 at the VFD social hall, 5857 Meridian Road. There is no admission, but the department is asking for a freewill donation. The breakfast is held...
Letter to the editor: Not your parents’ pot
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s eyes were beaming at the thought of additional tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales to prop up our overpriced education system (we rank No. 8 in education spending). These facts come from Smart Approach to Marijuana: • Marijuana has psychological effects. • Marijuana is addictive. • Marijuana...
Editorial: How reliable are corporate sale promises?
The importance of knowing what you are getting into was illustrated Thursday in West Virginia. That was when Cleveland-Cliffs announced the shuttering of a tin production facility in Weirton. Cleveland-Cliffs is one of the largest producers of steel in the United States. It has plants across multiple states, including a...
Letter to the editor: We should help our country first
There are 446 million people living in the European Union. Almost 24 million are non-citizens. Many of these non-citizens arrived in waves coming from the EU’s south. The countries of the EU, in general, were highly in debt when the massive influx of immigrants flooded the border. It was well...
The Stroller, Feb. 19, 2024: 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. Annual Shamrock Shuffle event planned in West Leechburg The St. Patrick’s...
Black, proud and ready to make a difference, Allegheny County’s new chief public defender gets to work
When Lena Bryan-Henderson was growing up in Wilkinsburg in the 1970s, her family dinner conversations frequently revolved around civil rights. “It was table talk every evening almost — about the prejudices and the injustices that people who look like me had to endure,” she said. Then, when she was about...
Letter to the editor: Backward steps on abortion
In her letter “No time to go backward on abortion safety” (Jan. 29, TribLive), Maria Gallagher, legislative director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, complains that a law supposedly ensuring the safety of women is being considered for repeal. This law had nothing to do with abortion safety but was intended...
