TribLive stories, Page 428

Taxes are a fact of life. Nobody likes them. Everyone pays them — whether on purchases or income or property. We grumble and grouse, but in the end we know that they are the literal price we pay for being a part of our society. But does it have to...

A bit of cheer District Judge Matt Rudzki is hosting a holiday open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21 at his office at 1205 Main Street in Sharpsburg. All are welcome to visit the District Court office for holiday cheer. God bless us, everyone The Sharpsburg Community...

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. Free presentation to mark Pearl Harbor Day New Kensington Center for...

Even young children can understand the conservation principle known as leave no trace. When you visit nature, whether it’s the Appalachian Trail or your local park, you change nothing about it, leave nothing behind and remove only trash. This helps preserve natural spaces so that everyone can enjoy them long...

High schools Basketball Boys AHN/Highmark Tip-Off Tournament Friday Baldwin 55, Altoona 33 Chartiers Valley 61, Peters Township 59 Saturday Altoona at Peters Township, noon Chartiers Valley at Baldwin, 1:30 p.m. Aquinas Academy Tournament Friday Pittsburgh Christian Academy 53, Portersville Christian 36 Aquinas Academy 88, Cheswick Christian 65 Saturday Consolation Portersville...

Zoning board vacancy in Fox Chapel Fox Chapel is looking to fill a vacancy on the borough’s Zoning Hearing Board. The board is a quasi-judicial body that makes decisions regarding specific land use actions. Board members should have a thorough knowledge of its specific functions and its place within local...

Jayden Davis dropped 29 points and made a basket with 27 seconds left to lift Chartiers Valley to a 61-59 boys basketball victory over Peters Township in the AHN/Highmark Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night. Jack Dunbar led Peters (0-1) with 18 points and Dylan Donovan added 15. Daniel Slizik had...

Erica Hall made the game-winning basket with 2.4 seconds left to lead South Fayette to a 68-66 girls basketball victory over tip-off tournament host Wheeling Park on Friday night. Haylie Lamonde led the Lions (1-0) with 16 points. Hall and Alexa Ankrum each had 14 and Lainey Yater and Juliette...

ALTOONA — From the moment the ball was kicked in Friday night’s PIAA Class 5A football semifinal between Peters Township and Cocalico, both defenses smothered much of the hope that both sides had for moving the ball. It would come down to the final two plays where the Eagles had...

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is not entitled to absolute presidential immunity against criminal charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, a federal judge ruled. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday rejected Trump’s early efforts to get the federal indictment in Washington tossed out, including his contention...

ATLANTA — A protester was in critical condition Friday after setting themself on fire outside the Israeli consulate in Atlanta, authorities said. A security guard who tried to intervene also was injured. A Palestinian flag found at the scene was part of the protest, Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum said...

NEW YORK — LED trucks thanking Sen. John Fetterman for his support for Israel are driving around midtown Manhattan this weekend during Pennsylvania Society, the annual glitzy gatheringof the state’s political establishment. The digital billboards have a photo of Fetterman next to an Israeli flag and say, “Thank you Senator...

An incarcerated former gang member and one-time FBI informant was charged Friday with attempted murder in the stabbing of ex-Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin at a federal prison in Arizona. John Turscak stabbed Chauvin 22 times at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson and said he would have killed Chauvin...

The Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle Campaign is underway with a goal of $2.3 million across 28 counties in Western Pennsylvania, and $547,000 in Allegheny County. The Western Pennsylvania Division campaign will run through Christmas Eve. Donations support feeding programs, rent and utility assistance, seasonal assistance, youth empowerment and spiritual...

A former employee at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center said Friday that her supervisor asked her to add names of people who had not worked to the schedule to pad their numbers to meet state staffing requirements. Susan Harrington worked at the facility, previously known as Friendship Ridge nursing home...

A detective from the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is charged with simple assault and harassment after he allegedly assaulted two women at a local bar. The women were playing darts Wednesday at Joey’s Edge Bar on Washington Avenue in Export when Raymond Bonacci punched one woman in the mouth...

A Rostraver woman was sentenced in federal court to 30 months in prison and one year of supervised release for embezzling nearly $400,000 from a Monessen credit union in 2016. Patty L. Mavrakis, 65, was a branch manager for Valley 1st Community Federal Credit Union. She was charged in 2021...

Allegheny County Jail health officials will now be required to provide medication for inmates being treated for opioid use disorder after reaching an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. As part of the agreement, the county also will pay a person at the jail who was denied access to...

The workplace of today is becoming increasingly diverse. However, diversity isn’t just about race, gender or age, but also about the differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, known as neurodiversity. This range of differences includes but is not limited to autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. With...

Police are currently searching for a man who escaped from a Philadelphia correctional center on Thursday. Gino Hagenkotter, 34, was an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility, located in the Holmesburg section of the city. He was serving a sentence for drug and theft charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer....

Jodi Hirsh is wrong in her op-ed “Demanding an Israel-Hamas cease-fire” (Nov. 16, TribLive). Not for a minute do I underestimate or deny Hirsh’s family. But I urge her to learn more about the Holocaust and history of the American, allied war to defeat Germany, especially from books focusing on...

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. Festival of Trees raffle supports hospital projects Allegheny Valley Hospital Auxiliary...

Laurel: To a little piece of history. Opening a time capsule is like cracking the seal on the past. It isn’t like reading about what happened decades ago. It’s more like getting a call from an earlier version of yourself or taking a ride in a flying DeLorean. It’s a...

Diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI): All three are good to a certain extent, but when they are misused, they can be devastating. In competition, statues for everyone for participation. Why try to excel? Oregon eliminated standardized tests in 11th grade as a requirement for graduation. Dropped because minorities had deficiencies? Some...