TribLive stories, Page 618

Medicare open enrollment starts soon, but 7 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries say they don’t compare Medicare plans during this period, according to a 2021 analysis by KFF, a health policy nonprofit. That’s not great, since Medicare Advantage plans — which operate much like the private insurance you may have had...

After narrowly missing out on a WPIAL playoff spot last season, Deer Lakes is on the brink of securing a postseason berth this time around. The Lancers (4-3, 2-0) have won three in a row and can clinch with a win over East Allegheny on Friday and a loss by...

Last week: 9-3 Overall: 70-11 (86.4%) Some of you aren’t old enough to remember the Pittsburgh Steelers being a truly bad team, and it shows. Let The Birdie tell you a story. He was but a baby bird when he received two tickets to the Steelers’ 1986 home opener. When...

Thursday City League Brashear at Westinghouse, 7 p.m. Friday Class 5A Allegheny Six Moon at Bethel Park, 7 p.m. South Fayette at Baldwin, 7 p.m. Big East Hempfield at Franklin Regional, 7 p.m. (HSSN*) Plum at Penn-Trafford, 7:30 p.m. (HSSN*, 1020 AM, 100.1 FM, 107.1 FM) Northeast Pine-Richland at Shaler,...

Last week: 11-2 (84.6 %) Season: 66-18 (78.6 %) Sometimes, on nice fall days, the Birdie escapes to Lynch Field where he sits at a picnic table beneath the Huddie Kaufman Pavilion. He has a bite to eat — usually a Dairy Queen sundae he eats out of an old...

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Here’s a look at the Steelers’ Week 6 opponent: The basics Coach: Todd Bowles, first season (29-43 career) Record: 3-2 Division: NFC South, first place Wins: Cowboys (19-3), Saints (20-10), Falcons (21-15) Losses: Packers...

Quaker Valley School District celebrated Homecoming Week Oct. 3-7 at each building across the district. Schools participated in Spirit Week by sporting wacky hair, tacky outfits, pajamas, QV gear and pink out shirts. High school football players, cheerleaders, band members and color guard participated in pep rallies across the district...

The latest round of church closings within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh includes the iconic St. Ladislaus Church in the Natrona neighborhood of Harrison. The final Mass was celebrated Thursday, Sept. 29. But a group has emerged wanting the diocese to keep the building and have it declared a holy...

For the first time, a Nobel Prize recognized the field of anthropology, the study of humanity. Svante Pääbo, a pioneer in the study of ancient DNA, or aDNA, was awarded the 2022 prize in physiology or medicine for his breathtaking achievements sequencing DNA extracted from ancient skeletal remains and reconstructing...

Three bands rocked the Richland Park Pavilion in Bakerstown to benefit Cancer Bridges on Oct. 8. Cancer Bridges board co-chair Mike Fitzgerald (with wife Kristene) hosted the event and performed with his band, The Hip Waders. Major Morgan and The Serious Moonlight also jammed before an appreciative crowd that donated...

As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do. Given what I have heard from the political stage, I will not vote for a Democratic candidate. What politicians do is more factual than what they say. Dean Ambrose Hempfield...

A Latrobe man is accused of setting a couch on fire at his house Wednesday morning after an argument with a woman, according to city police. Dale O. Smith Jr., 34, was taken into custody outside his East Monroe Street home, where the blaze was reported at 6:15 a.m. No...

Submissions from nonprofit organizations for Briefly Speaking can be emailed to Carol Pinto-Smith at cpinto-­smith@triblive.com or mailed to Briefly Speaking, 210 Wood St., Tarentum, PA 15084. Include a complete address and daytime phone number. Submissions are due at least two weeks before the event. Each announcement is printed once; there...

Vote Josh Shapiro for governor. No member of any polical party should vote for Doug Mastriano. His views aren’t human. His ignorance and inability to understand facts are unsurpassed. Randy S. McIndoe Jeannette...

Today in America there are no statesmen … and that’s a fact, Jack! Joe Marmo Cheswick...

For those with difficulty in reading comprehension, for the fraud-claimers, the doubters and deniers and for the two GOP Westmoreland County commissioners who can’t “afford” to fund just one drop box at the courthouse (even with donated funds), the following bears repeating, per the Oct. 5 front page of the...

I’m hearing and seeing that over 70% of Americans are worried about crime and inflation. If that’s really so, why would Pennsylvanians want to put someone in office who thinks it’s a good idea to let at least a third of Pennsylvania’s criminals out of prison, including murderers? I’m speaking...

In just two months shy of 40 years, Anthony DeLuca saw a lot in Harrisburg. When he took office in 1982 representing the people of the 32nd District in the state House of Representatives, Richard Thornburgh was governor. DeLuca’s Democratic Party held the majority in the House, while the Republicans...

Rick Cessar loved his hometown, and he loved public service. He combined those two passions throughout his working life, first serving as a police officer for 17 years in Etna, before being elected the community’s state representative, where he served for 24 years. “He was a great leader for Pittsburgh...

My two cents on the QV high school: After reading the recent Sewickley Herald article dated Sept. 29, 2022, detailing the latest school board expenditure in the now interminable saga of the new Quaker Valley High School, I was struck by two things: No. 1. The firm contracted to design...

Braddock, like many of our towns right here in rural Pennsylvania, was wholly abandoned by Washington and Harrisburg politicians. John Fetterman, an Americorps volunteer, was inspired to run for mayor of Braddock after two of his students were gunned down. He flipped abandoned properties into usable spaces. He built community...

Publicize your non-profit’s community events, fundraisers and club meetings for free in The Stroller. Send information at least a week in advance to vndnews@triblive.com or The Stroller, 210 Wood St., Tarentum PA 15084. Please include a daytime telephone number. Cub Scouts to host youth fishing derby Deer Lakes Cub Scout...

It is time for American citizens to inform the president that he is not doing his job protecting them. Why are we allowing him to ignore the border problem? The only thing we hear is the president and his administration state that the border is secure. There is no transparency...

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan 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 — Tens of millions of dollars from out-of-state donors and political action committees have poured into Pennsylvania to influence the...