TribLive stories, Page 1168

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...

High schools Basketball Boys WPIAL playoffs Class 6A First round Quarterfinals Friday’s schedule Seneca Valley (11-9) at Upper St. Clair (16-1), 8 p.m.; Butler (11-8) at Penn-Trafford (13-5), 6 p.m.; North Allegheny (15-6) at Fox Chapel (17-2), 6 p.m.; Pine-Richland (11-5) at Hempfield (12-5), 6 p.m. Class 5A First round...

Brayden Reynolds scored 33 points and No. 1 Chartiers Valley turned it on after trailing by two at the end of the first quarter to earn a 74-56 WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball first-round victory over No. 17 McKeesport on Wednesday night. Socrates Boulis added 17 points for the Colts...

Thomas Jefferson head coach Dom DeCicco called a timeout with 10 seconds remaining in Wednesday’s WPIAL playoff opener to devise an appropriate offensive strategy. With TJ trailing Latrobe by two points, the veteran mentor scripted up a pair of play calls: A shot inside for 6-foot-6 senior forward Ethan Dunsey...

WASHINGTON — A day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced an end to all pandemic-related precautions in Texas, President Joe Biden slammed him Wednesday for putting lives at risk by clinging to “Neanderthal thinking” rather than heeding advice from the nation’s top scientists. “I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden told...

In this unpredictable and unorthodox season, Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody is set to savor every victory that comes along. The Planets took the lead midway through the first quarter and hit a big basket every time Franklin Regional cut into their lead to post a 54-45 victory Wednesday...

Thursday night’s WPIAL Class 4A first-round playoff game between top-seeded Belle Vernon and Freeport almost didn’t happen. Belle Vernon (11-1) had its last two games postponed because of covid-19 and has not played since Feb. 20. Coach Joe Salvino decided last week not to hold practices, and it might turn...

The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit filed by a candidate for the Pittsburgh police who says he was not hired for the job because he has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Christopher Gibbs filed a discrimination complaint under the Americans with Disabilities Act against the...

A McKeesport City Council meeting scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed following allegations that the municipality has violated the state Sunshine Act. The meeting can be rescheduled, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay found Wednesday, once council makes arrangements to allow public participation. Four community members filed a...

When the state police suspected in 2019 that a Blawnox police officer was stealing money from vehicles he was sent to investigate, they set up an “integrity test” for him. Trooper Jonathan Eberhardt put $225 of marked money in a pill bottle in the cup holder of a car, entered...

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders and President Joe Biden have agreed to more narrowly target which Americans would be eligible for a $1,400 stimulus payment in the latest covid-19 relief measure, a Democratic source familiar with the negotiations said Wednesday. To ease the bill’s way with moderate Senate Democrats, the...

An 88-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Hempfield on Wednesday afternoon. Elizabeth R. Anderson, of Hempfield, was pronounced dead shortly after 2 p.m., according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. The crash occurred at about 1:50 p.m. at Racetrack and Wilson Fox roads, near Hempfield’s border with...

Health care reform is back on the agenda in Washington. At the end of January, President Biden signed two executive orders that aim to make it easier for people to sign up for coverage. On Saturday, the House passed a $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief package that includes billions in new...

Maybe the third time will be the charm for the Steel City Con. The pop culture convention, originally scheduled for December, had been rescheduled for April. But now it’s been postponed again, this time until June 11-13 at the Monroeville Convention Center. Organizers cited the state’s current indoor capacity of...

A Pittsburgh home health care agency is required to pay more than $1.6 million in back wages and damages to hundreds of employees — as part of a settlement — after it misclassified them and failed to pay overtime. The U.S. Department of Labor filed a complaint against Christian Home...

NEW YORK — Arts and crafts retailer Michaels is going private. The retail chain, based in Irving, Texas, said Wednesday that it has agreed to be acquired by Apollo Global Management Inc. for a transaction valued at $5 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, approved by Michaels’ board, Apollo...

MINNEAPOLIS — The next time it snows, the Minnesota Department of Transportation will dispatch Plowy McPlowFace to clear the roads. Darth Blader and Plow Bunyan will be out there, too. They are among the winning names in MnDOT’s “Name a Snowplow” contest in which the agency sought witty monikers for...

Classes • A Seniors for Safe Driving class will be offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 13 at Circleville United Methodist Church, 11600 Parkway Drive, North Huntingdon. The PennDOT-approved class is for drivers who are at least 55 years old. Safe drivers can receive a 5% discount on...

Most teachers across Pennsylvania could be vaccinated and ready to return to classrooms by the end of March, state officials said Wednesday as they announced that educators and school staff will receive priority for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Gov. Tom Wolf said giving educators the first shot at the...

Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The top Republican in the Pennsylvania Senate has quietly appointed the spouse of a colleague to a coveted spot...

The Pittsburgh Penguins took their shot two weeks ago when they asked the state for a little more freedom. PPG Paints Arena was only allowed to have 500 people at games — including the players, the coaches, the guy who drives the Zamboni, the workers who run the lights, the...

Amazon has tweaked its iPhone app after customers said the design looked like Adolf Hitler and his mustache. The app featured the Amazon smile with a blue piece of packing tape with a jagged edge overhead. Although it was supposed to look like a cardboard Amazon package, it drew comparisons...

Once again, Joseph Sabino Mistick does his “OK for me but not for thee” routine (“Our represenatives must have room to do right,” Feb. 20, TribLIVE). He goes on about how the elected Republicans need to be independent from the wishes of their electorate but, again, conveniently ignores the Democrats...

Sewickley Public Library, 500 Thorn St., is again offering express library services. The Express Library gives users a chance to come into the library to browse the collection, check out items and use the public computers. The library is taking precautions to ensure the safety of library staff and patrons,...