TribLive stories, Page 67

Civil service is another term for “professional workforce” and we want this in government, right? And yet, as I write this, our government is being taken over by the opposite kind of worker. The uncredentialed Elon Musk is running a massive government operation. His team of similarly unaccredited private-sector tech...

James Franklin covered a wide range of topics Tuesday in his first appearance with local media of the offseason, ranging from hiring Jim Knowles to Drew Allar’s confidence heading into 2025. After all, the offseason has been a busy one, with multiple coaching searches on top of typical responsibilities. Asked...

Congratulations, NFL, on happy pregame festivities. Everyone seemed to be celebrating America being HAPPY AGAIN! God bless America! Tom Pyo Hempfield...

Two candidates for Greensburg council are running as a team in seeking their third terms. Donnie Zappone, 39, and Gregory Mertz, 40, plan to turn their attention to the redevelopment of Main Street and other areas, if elected, as well as improving parks and neighborhood beautification, they said in a...

I gotta quit reading news on my phone and in newspapers. I get enraged. I read that Elon Musk recruited six kids to help him in his Department of Government Efficiency, effectively taking over the Treasury Department and thereby Social Security. Those kids are under 25 years old. One is...

Marc Fogel, an history teacher from Oakmont who was deemed wrongfully detained by Russia, was released and returned to the U.S. on Tuesday. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Donald Trump, left Russia with Fogel and brought him to the White House, where Trump greeted him. “I feel like...

Now that the Democrats have lost their selfish hold on the American people, they are rebelling against a duly elected president and his appointees. In my opinion, it’s not because of their concern for the American people who had to endure four long years of a liberal, woke, incompetent Biden...

It’s been a breath of fresh air to see Sen. John Fetterman being objective in putting Pennsylvanians’ interests above political alliances. As Cabinet choices move through the confirmation process, Fetterman and Sen. Dave McCormick have a singular opportunity to play a critical role in restoring the health of all Americans....

Anyone have voter remorse yet? I think anyone with half a brain can see what is happening. It’s Project 2025. The project President Trump said “I have nothing to do with.” Since it’s been proven that he lies often, we can assume he was lying when he said that. A...

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. Armstrong Conservation District to...

This letter is to address concerns raised about my “no” vote on City Council Bill 1426 (“Pittsburgh government must focus on issues, not battling ideologies,” Feb. 6, TribLive). I voted yes on Bill 1425, introducing a ballot referendum to amend the Home Rule Charter to prohibit discrimination in who may...

High schools Basketball WPIAL playoffs Boys Class 6A First round Monday’s schedule Woodland Hills (11-11) at Seneca Valley (11-11), 7 p.m.; North Hills (7-15) at Butler (15-6), 7 p.m.; Norwin (10-11) at Mt. Lebanon (15-7), 7 p.m. Quarterfinals Feb. 20 schedule Woodland Hills/Seneca Valley winner at Upper. St. Clair (20-2),...

John Ripepi scored the game-winning goals with 3:22 left in the regulation to lift Peters Township to a 4-3 victory over first-place Mt. Lebanon in PIHL Class 3A hockey Tuesday night. Blacke Evancic and Luca Maietta also scored in the third period as Peters Township (6-10-2) came back from 3-1...

SEATTLE — The Seattle City Council passed a bill Tuesday allowing police officers — in limited cases — to use weapons like tear gas, pepper spray and blast balls to control crowd movement during protests. Past councils greatly restricted the use of these so-called “less lethal” weapons in the wake...

WASHINGTON — The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday accused FBI director nominee Kash Patel of acting behind the scenes to direct a “purge” of career officials at the agency, adding to what he called “myriad red flags” about Patel ahead of a panel vote set for...

Led by two shooters with perfect scores, Woodland Hills claimed its first WPIAL team rifle championship since 2016 on Tuesday at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club in Canonsburg. Avery Thomas and Shamira Pennell had perfect scores of 100-10x for the Wolverines. All eight scoring players for Woodland Hills hit the...

It took 1,278 days, but it finally happened. Marc Fogel, 63, of Oakmont, was released Tuesday from the Russian penal colony where he had been imprisoned since August 2021. He was sentenced to 14 years for possession of 17 grams of medical marijuana legally dispensed in Pennsylvania. It’s about damn...

Twenty-one Pine-Richland High School art students recently won 33 awards in the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards competition, including four Gold Key awards and 11 Silver Key awards. They are students of art teachers Ramon Riley and Mary Anne Andreassi. These awards, presented by the Alliance for Young Artists...

Imagine a world in which a hurricane devastates the Gulf Coast, and the U.S. has no federal agency prepared to quickly send supplies, financial aid and temporary housing assistance. Could the states manage this catastrophic event on their own? Normally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, known as FEMA, is prepared...

Fifteen student-athletes at Pine-Richland High School recently participated in National Signing Day, signaling their intent to continue their sports journey at the collegiate level. They are: Anthony Annichine, Tiffin University, baseball; Grant Argiro, Colgate University, football; Jackson Bojanic-Hubbell, Penn West-California, football; Roman Chiacco, University of Mount Union, football; James Cook,...

Seven Fox Chapel Area School District students were selected to perform with the 2025 Pennsylvania Music Education Association (PMEA) Senior District 1 Band East at a concert on January 24 at Laurel Highlands High School. The senior students are Malik Choset (trumpet), Marina Dunham (bassoon) and Lindsay Gould (alto saxophone);...

A cruel twist of fate led Jason Gowin to make a novel parenting decision. Days after his wife gave birth to their twin boys in 2019, she had a stroke. The doctors gave her two or three years to live. Gowin and his oldest son were devastated, but worse was...

A New York man apparently frustrated over the cancellation of an Airbnb contract broke into a Pocono area home and flooded it, police said. Daniel Peter Celban, 33, of Middle Island is charged with felony burglary, felony criminal trespass, felony criminal mischief, misdemeanor defiant trespass and misdemeanor resisting arrest. Court...