Robert Morris loses at Milwaukee on last-second tip-in
Another close outcome didn’t go Robert Morris’ way Saturday night and the Colonials settled for a two-game split of their Horizon League season-opening road trip. Milwaukee’s Seth Hubbard followed up on teammate Isaiah Dorceus’ desperation 3-point shot with a high-arcing tap-in just before the final buzzer to lift the Panthers...
Verizon/Fios customers could lose access to local NBC station
Customers of Verizon/Fios could lose access to local NBC affiliate WPXI TV as early as Dec. 15 if Verizon and the station’s owner don’t reach a carrier agreement. In a statement from WPXI owner Cox Media Group, the station said Cox had come to agreements with every other pay TV...
Adam Patric Miller: As a teacher, I’m seeing the death of American education
A student I like turns in an essay. (She won me over because she brings “Crime and Punishment” to class, and her last name is Russian, which makes me think of the great-grandparents I never met who left Russia for the reasons many Jews left.) A few sentences into her...
Analysis: Penn State salvages chaotic coaching search with hire of Matt Campbell
Just a few days ago, Pat Kraft was public enemy No. 1. Now, Penn State’s athletic director can breathe a sigh of relief, and so can Nittany Lion fans. Penn State’s frustrating, antsy and, at times, embarrassing coaching search has been salvaged. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, one of the most...
Point: Standardized tests were built for a predictable world; that world is gone
For more than a century, American education has been driven by the same invisible engine: standardization. Rows of desks. National tests. Rankings. From No Child Left Behind to statewide report cards, we have long measured success by what can be quantified, compared and controlled. This model, born in the industrial...
Counterpoint: Standardized tests help students by creating a framework for accountability
When the College Board canceled SAT testing in 2020, hundreds of colleges adopted test-optional admissions policies for that fall. The Urban Institute reported that the number of four-year colleges and universities going test-optional nearly doubled in one year, from 713 to 1,350. Test-optional admissions had been spreading before the covid...
1 dead in shooting outside New Kensington Elks Lodge
New Kensington and Westmoreland County police continue to investigate after a man was shot dead early Saturday morning, a spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said. County detectives were called to assist New Kensington police outside the Elks Lodge on Third Avenue around 3:30 a.m., said Melanie Jones,...
Letter to the editor: Forgetting the victims of overdose
Per the CDC: March 2025, 77,648 overdose deaths versus the previous year, 103,529. And we are worried about drug runners? So typical of our society now. Forget the victims. As someone whose family has been affected by drug addiction and death, we could care less about stopping the drug trade....
Letter to the editor: Congress members correct on war crimes
I am appalled that your newspaper should print the Associated Press story “Pentagon says it’s investigating Sen. Mark Kelly over video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’ ” (Nov. 24, TribLive). Six Congress members — unlike President Trump, veterans all — issued a video telling soldiers they did not have...
Editorial: Colleges can build big without begging for cash
Oh, those college expenses. There are those big ideas of what it will be like. It’s all freedom and independence until financial reality sets in. Then the calls start to come about borrowing money. No, this isn’t about your sophomore psychology student wanting to use that emergency credit card. It’s...
Substitute teacher shortages leave some districts scrambling to avoid ‘vicious cycle’ in schools
During Allegheny Valley School District’s two-month search for a consistent high school biology teacher, Superintendent Patrick Graczyk said other teachers, outside substitutes and even school principals stepped in to keep the science class going. Eventually, the district found a long-term substitute with an emergency biology certification to fill the role...
The Stroller, Dec. 6, 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. Festival of Trees raffle...
Christmas performances, cookie walks and more at Sewickley area churches
Antioch Baptist Church 332 Elizabeth St., Sewickley. 412-741-7688. antiochfwbaptist sewickley.org. Morning worship and praise service is at 10:45 a.m. First Sunday Sunday School is at 9:30 a.m. Beth Samuel Jewish Center 810 Kennedy Drive, Ambridge. 412-266-5238. bethsamuel.org. Beth Samuel Jewish Center offers weekly Shabbat services, monthly family and Zoom Kabbalat...
Letter to the editor: When disasters strike, our community steps up
While many of us are asleep, families huddle on the street, watching firefighters douse the flames consuming their home. At the same time, local Red Cross volunteers — neighbors from our own community — comfort those families and provide emergency lodging, recovery support and a shoulder to lean on during...
Shapiro pushes back on federal policy change, urges continuation of hepatitis B vaccines at birth
Gov Josh Shapiro is again pushing back on a Trump administration reversal on vaccine guidance, this time involving the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. In a press release, the Shapiro administration said it was standing with medical experts “to ensure parents can protect children from lifelong liver disease by...
Pittsburgh CLO’s ‘Yippee Ki Yay’ a heartwarming, hilarious tribute to ‘Die Hard’
Let’s get this out of the way: I don’t buy into the whole “ ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie” thing. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this 1988 action flick classic that (deservedly so) launched Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman into super-stardom. But “taking place at Christmas” does not,...
Public health experts pan vote to change hepatitis B vaccination guidance
Public health experts told TribLive on Friday they fear a federal panel’s advice to stop giving most babies hepatitis B shots immediately after birth will fuel infection rates and erode confidence in vaccines more broadly. The advisory committee voted 8-3 Friday that pregnant women who test negative for the virus...
Former Ligonier Valley police chief John Berger faces drug, theft charges after grand jury probe
Former Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger is accused of using his position to acquire prescription pills from an alleged dealer and pocket narcotics from the
department’s drug take-back box while on duty. Berger, 53, of Ligonier Borough, and a second defendant, Michael D. Hootman, 42, of Ligonier Township, turned...
Chartiers Valley girl, family sue district over alleged sexual abuse by fellow pupil in 3rd grade
The family of a student at Chartiers Valley School District is suing the district for negligence claiming officials there failed to protect their daughter from sexual harassment — and then sexual abuse — by a fellow third-grader. The abuse, according to the complaint filed Friday in Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Westmoreland happenings: Breakfast with Santa, live Nativity, art exhibit, more
Art • You Are Here in Jeannette is hosting an exhibit of expressionist paintings by local artist Tony Naponic at the gallery, 406 Clay Ave. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Other hours available by appointment. Details: yah504clay.org. Christmas • St....
Chris Rosselot: Pittsburgh’s mayoral transition opportunity for community commitment
As Pittsburgh prepares to begin a new chapter under Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor, the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG) views this moment as an opportunity to center neighborhood voices and recommit to a development strategy that is responsible, equitable and grounded in community experience. Transitions in leadership can create uncertainty, but...
Letter to the editor: Immigrants should respect our flag
While watching the news on television, I see immigrants in this country waving flags of the countries they fled from and burning the flag of the country that they wanted to come to. Either go back where you came from or respect our flag. Bill Radvansky New Kensington...
Christmas trees 101: Pros, cons and what experts recommend
Choosing a Christmas tree used to feel simple. Pack up the car, drive to the lot, find the tree that calls you and then haul it home to decorate. But with lifelike artificial trees everywhere (and holiday schedules busier than ever), more people are asking themselves the annual December question:...
Letter to the editor: Leaders should confront public education problems
Regarding the editorial “School funding, charter oversight are state-created problems” (Nov. 30, TribLive): For more than a decade, the debate over public cyber charter schools has been framed as an educational issue. In reality, it has always been about money, driven by school districts and state leaders who would rather...
Laurels & lances: Contracts & consequences
Laurel: To getting things done. When it comes to labor contracts, we have all become accustomed to hearing things come down to the wire — or beyond. How many union and employer deals can go months or even years without resolution while things hang in limbo or head into strike...
