TribLive stories, Page 1174

Penn State is planning to return to a “full on-campus learning environment” by the fall with expanded in-person classes, in another notable step toward normalcy. The university announced Wednesday that it will phase in its return by transitioning to more in-person classes over the summer, using event spaces and outdoor...

Craig Bokor remembers talking to an attorney about seven years ago when lawsuits were being filed regarding the likeness of college football players being used in video games. “There were a handful of us who were interviewed,” he said. Bokor, a defensive lineman at Pitt from 2005-09, said afterward that...

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. HARRISBURG — Applications open next month for $145 million in state grants for small hospitality businesses, with a significant change by lawmakers intended to ensure the money...

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is expected to soon release an unclassified intelligence report establishing that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, directed the killing of the dissident U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A classified version of the report was completed shortly after Khashoggi was lured into a Saudi Consulate...

As part of an ongoing state and federal investigation into the activities at long-term care facilities owned by Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services LLC, the former administrator at its Mt. Lebanon skilled nursing home was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury. Susan Gilbert, 60, of Lawrence, is the only defendant....

Illinois U.S. Rep. Marie Newman’s push to pass a law that would ban discrimination against LGBTQ Americans has put her at the center of a feud with controversial Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a pro-Trump freshman congresswoman from Georgia who has espoused baseless conspiracy theories. On Tuesday, Newman, a Democrat from...

Christanine Brodis gathered her tax paperwork in February including a 1099-G for state unemployment compensation and a W2-G for some gambling winnings at MGM Grand Detroit, the only bright spot in a money-losing 2020. But she’s looking at taxable income now. Brodis, 48, sent her forms to a tax preparer...

Every year, Pennsylvania kids face a battery of tests meant to determine just how well they have been educated in a variety of topics. All of the students from third grade through eighth grade take annual exams in math. They are tested on their reading comprehension and their writing skills....

With regard to the mess the federal and state governments have made with regard to covid-19 vaccinations, lockdowns, closures and the rest: One great man said it best — “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help” (Ronald Reagan)....

My friends and I, the way-over-80 crowd and some of us with preexisting conditions, sit at our computers for hours on end hoping to be lucky enough to score a precious appointment to enable us to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. The times we’re not trying to get an elusive...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Thunderstorm frequency could triple in Alaska by the end of the century because of ongoing climate change, according to new research. Big thunderstorms, the kind that produce lots of rain, are not common in Alaska now. Some 30 occur in the state every year, said Andreas Prein,...

Some folks are experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort in their arm from their covid-19 vaccine injections, especially needle No. 2. One technique that should help those who have yet to get a covid shot is to move the arm around immediately following the injection — swinging in circles,...

In the op-ed piece written by John M. Mier in the Feb. 18 edition of the Sewickley Herald, Mier makes several good points regarding the school board’s misguided purchase of 128 acres of sloped, undeveloped land for the site of a new high school. First is the outright misrepresentation on...

It’s hard to believe Westmoreland County will probably pay Midwest Direct for ballots that never appeared in voters’ mailboxes — and may give them another chance. They weren’t delayed — they never arrived! Either Midwest Direct said they mailed them without doing so, or they disappeared from U.S. Postal Service...

Here we go again with Gov. Tom Wolf’s rhetoric on more funding for public schools. Test scores prove that throwing more money at schools does nothing to improve our children’s education. Teachers unions are the problem. They strike often and mostly for the same two reasons: more money and more...

Publicize your non-profit’s meetings, Easter events and fundraisers in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com. Please include a daytime telephone number. Free food distribution set in Leechburg A free drive-thru food distribution will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Leechburg Fire Hall grounds,...

High schools Basketball Wednesday’s results WPIAL Class 6A Section 1 Seneca Valley 82, Butler 65 North Hills at Pine-Richland, ppd. Class 5A Section 4 Armstrong 35, Hampton 24 Class 4A Section 1 Derry 54, Freeport 44 Section 2 Ambridge 78, Beaver 74 Class 3A Section 1 Ellwood City 69, Laurel...

Recent letters to the editor address the Quaker Valley School District’s decision to build a new high school. The District is off-target. Considering the financial investment and return on investment, this decision is ludicrous. Mr. Meier and Ms. Kipp’s op-eds (in the Feb. 18 issue) summarize the arguments opposing a...

Connor Lyczek scored 20 points to lead five players in double figures as Seneca Valley defeated Butler, 83-65, in a Section 1-6A matchup of seeds on the same side of the WPIAL Class 6A playoff bracket Wednesday night. Luke Lawson added 15 points for Seneca Valley (10-9, 6-5), the No....

A Pennsylvania man was charged after his ex-girlfriend went to the FBI with his text messages and videos from inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Richard Michetti, of Ridley Park, Delaware County, is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol...

A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Port Authority of Allegheny County to stay his decision allowing employees there to wear Black Lives Matter masks at work. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan ruled in January that a policy implemented last summer by the authority banning political speech...

A Carrick man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter stemming from a 2019 crash in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood. Lila Tiwari, 47, of Carrick, will be sentenced for manslaughter and four counts of reckless endangerment by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kevin G. Sasinoski on May 20. According to the criminal...

The Trump administration’s farm bailouts steered an expanding share of subsidy payments to the nation’s biggest farms, according to an analysis by an environmental advocacy group that highlights issues of equity as the Biden administration designs potential new climate-related financial incentives for farmers. Just 1% of farm aid recipients collected...