http://www.post-gazette.com/ All News en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 17:09:48 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208239-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml BOSTON -- The Penguins defeated Boston, 2-1, at the TD Garden this afternoon for their ninth victory in the past 10 games. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 17:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208237-42-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml NEW YORK -- Phylicia Rashad gave the most affectionate speech, Brian Dennehy the funniest and Donald Margulies the best written. But the best overall was by surprise presenter Meryl Streep -- affectionate and funny, delivered in that artless way that is the perfection of art. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208181-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The monthly unemployment report contained undeniably good news Friday, but with bad statistics dappled in like dandelions in a lawn. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment was down to 8.3 percent for January from 8.5 percent in December, the lowest it has been since February 2009. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208160-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml Lincoln Davis scored a career-high 33 points for Central Catholic, but it wasn't enough as North Allegheny defeated the Vikings, 68-59, in a game with playoff implications. The Tigers (11-6, 6-4) are now in good position to earn the third playoff spot out of Class AAAA Section 3, while the Vikings (10-10, 5-6) must battle Butler for the fourth and final spot. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208163-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The city of Pittsburgh would pay $75,000 and Jordan Miles would drop parts of his federal police brutality lawsuit under a partial settlement to be put before city council Tuesday. City solicitor Daniel Regan declined comment because council members had not yet been briefed on the proposal. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208169-57-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Area senators and congressmen vowed Friday to fight the Air Force's plans to close the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon within the next two years, moving two of its seven C-130 transport planes to other bases and retiring the rest. It isn't yet clear whether the base's troops would be transferred to other bases. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208238-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- Voters in Nevada have their chance to weigh in on the Republican presidential contest today with caucus votes. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 13:29:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208111-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Three decades after his Coke commercial won advertising's version of the Oscar, Joe Greene and his No. 75 Steelers jersey make a comeback in another Super Bowl spot on television. The new commercial relies heavily on the old one, only the Coke bottle has been replaced by a container of Downy Unstopables laundry product. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208134-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- The April 24 primary date may be in jeopardy after the state Supreme Court on Friday explained its rejection of new legislative maps and Republicans filed suit to prevent voting under the old districts. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208112-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Count Joe Greene among those happy to see the Steelers move to change their approach on offense. "If it doesn't feel good, you have to change it and, basically, it wasn't feeling good," Greene said Friday. "It wasn't feeling good in '09, and it wasn't feeling good in 2011." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:54:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208109-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ben Gazzara, an intense actor whose long career included playing Brick in the original "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway, roles in influential films by John Cassavetes and work with several generations of top Hollywood directors, died Friday in New York City. He was 81. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:46:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208184-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Veterans who want to work as police officers and firefighters could get some help from the White House if Congress signs on to $5 billion in funding to spur the hiring of emergency responders. President Barack Obama on Friday offered a glimpse of some of the spending priorities he intends to lay out in his Feb. 13 budget address. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208114-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Kenneth Whitlock, a star Sewickley athlete who became the first black Marine from Allegheny County and then spent three decades as a school administrator in Virginia, died Tuesday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208071-30.stm?cmpid=news.xml Finalists have been chosen for the 2011-12 Renovation Inspiration Contest. Judges from the Post-Gazette and Community Design Center of Pittsburgh chose 11 projects and will begin site visits. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:39:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207989-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml How would you like to live in one of Downtown's most photographed buildings? The Bruno Building at 347 Liberty Ave., better known as the one with the big statues out front, has appeared in newspapers, magazines, ads and countless tourists' pictures. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208189-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As Thomas Hampson neared the end of his part in Brahms' glorious "Ein Deutsches Requiem" he intoned, "Behold, I show you a mystery." It was hard for me to not take these words at face value even in the midst of a work of profound spirituality and one set to biblical verse. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208141-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The passing of 69 years has faded most of his memories. But when asked what he remembers of that night, Feb. 3, 1943, aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Comanche in the icy water of the North Atlantic, Thomas A. Vitale has the answer ready. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208236-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Attorneys representing a man who was sentenced to death more than two decades ago in the murder of a waitress in Fayette County are trying to stop prosecutors from retrying the defendant. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 10:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208233-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Cambria County man driving on the wrong side of the road was killed overnight in a head-on collision, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:45:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208161-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml Obama Academy wasn't going to let anybody celebrate a championship on its court. DeAndre Byrd had 20 points and D.J. Porter 17 as the Eagles stayed in the City League regular-season title race with a 69-64 victory Friday against visiting Allderdice. Justin Dobbs had 30 points for the two-time defending City League champion Dragons (13-6, 10-1), who ranked No. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208135-139-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles dropped their investigation Friday of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether Armstrong and his teammates participated in a doping program. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208131-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CAIRO -- Bedouin gunmen stormed a minivan in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Friday, kidnapping two U.S. tourists and an Egyptian tour guide for several hours before releasing them to police, Egyptian security officials said. Bedouin tribesmen took the hostages in the hopes of pressuring the government into releasing two of their relatives, who had been arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208179-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LOS ANGELES -- A second teacher at an inner-city elementary school where a teacher is accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children was arrested Friday on suspicion of fondling two girls in his classroom. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said Martin B. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208164-63-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Texas Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton said Friday that he had a relapse that started with "three or four" drinks at a Dallas-area bar this week, apologizing for a "weak moment" and insisting he will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Hamilton, 30, said his actions "are mine that hurt a lot of people very close to me." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208158-136.stm?cmpid=news.xml Spencer Levin took one last drag on his cigarette, stamped it out in the rough and climbed into the bunker behind the 17th green. He set up quickly, took a quick glance at the hole and splashed out. The ball landed about 10 feet from the hole, bounced twice and rolled into the cup for an eagle-2 that pushed him to 14-under par Friday in the second round of the Phoenix Open in Scotsdale, Ariz. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208165-275.stm?cmpid=news.xml Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle were fined Friday by the NBA after they became upset with the officiating Wednesday in a 95-86 loss to Oklahoma City. Carlisle was fined $35,000 for kicking a ball into the stands with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter. He was ejected and apologized to Cuban and the fans right after the game. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208207-275-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml With LeBron James running the show, the Miami Heat ran the Philadelphia 76ers out of their building. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 victory against Philadelphia at Well Fargo Center. Needing a jump-start in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky 76ers. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208209-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sam Gagner was still having trouble Friday believing his name is in the Edmonton Oilers record book alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. Gagner moved himself into such lofty company with a club record-tying eight points Thursday night in host Edmonton's 8-4 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208129-169.stm?cmpid=news.xml Matchup: Robert Morris (16-8, 7-4 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (17-4, 8-2), 4 p.m. today, Knott Arena, Emmitsburg, Md. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208162-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml North Allegheny wrestling coach Jamie Kyriazis remembers the previous time North Allegheny made it to the finals of the WPIAL team tournament. "It was 1990, my senior year," said Kyriazis after watching the Tigers rally from a 19-0 deficit to upset Connellsville, 29-28, in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals Friday at Ringgold High School. "It's been a long time, but it was worth the wait." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208154-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Penguins center Joe Vitale maintains a particular perspective when it comes to his place in the NHL. "There's a lot of skill, a lot of talent in this league," he said Friday after practice at Southpointe. "God hasn't given me the most talent as far as that goes, so I feel like I have to work harder to kind of keep up and stand out a little bit. "It's been a good mentality so far. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207951-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml The other day I pocket dialed my dad's phone number. Of course, because the phone was in my pocket, I didn't hear the response. I got a return call, though. I pulled the phone out and saw my father's name, Norris White, and cell number on the screen. It startled me. My dad had died on Valentine's Day, 2011. I answered haltingly, "Hello?" It wasn't my dad. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207952-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml "You are entering beeeeeautiful Downtown Pittsburgh," my bus driver used to say just after he crossed Carson Street and entered the Smithfield Street Bridge. "I know you can't wait to get to work, and I can't wait to get you there." Those were usually the opening lines of Frank's morning monologue, the likes of which I have never heard from any other driver in a decade of daily bus commutes. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207953-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you're an American down on your luck, Mitt Romney has a message for you: He doesn't feel your pain. Earlier this week, Mr. Romney told a startled CNN interviewer, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." Faced with criticism, the candidate has claimed that he didn't mean what he seemed to mean, and that his words were taken out of context. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207954-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml How do you get from Oakland to lower Murray Avenue during rush hour? / The secret is something Einstein taught us a while ago: / Parallel lines can meet, space is curved, / And distances are measured in time, not miles. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207970-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steve Van Zandt says touring without saxophonist Clarence Clemons is sure to be emotional for the E Street Band and its audience. Mr. Clemons died at age 69 last year after a stroke. Mr. Van Zandt said Thursday that the band's work will always be a tribute to Mr. Clemons and keyboard player Danny Federici, who died in 2008. Mr. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207998-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml A "webinar" to discuss community trees in Pennsylvania will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at https://meeting.psu.edu/pacommunityforestry. Christine Ticehurst, TreeVitalize program administrator, will lead the discussion on increasing tree canopy cover in cities and communities. In recent years, studies have shown that built communities across Pennsylvania have lost tree canopy cover. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207999-458-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Over my morning coffee, I read in my paper that parents in New York City are all a-twitter because tuitions at most private schools are just about to creep past the $40,000 mark. I stared at the story for a full minute before it hit me: They weren't talking about college costs (otherwise known as the monster under every American parent's bed). Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208000-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It is hard to imagine flowers blooming outdoors in February, but the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) delights gardeners with its charming pure white blooms that emerge from the plant even when frost and snow lie on the ground. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208051-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A health advocacy group is questioning Pennsylvania's early designs for its public health insurance exchange, the statewide insurance policy clearinghouse mandated as part of the federal government's 2010 health care overhaul. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208053-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ST. LOUIS -- For anyone who loves a good steak, a juicy burger or a nice Sunday roast, these are anxious times. Prices for beef, which have been climbing for months, hit a record high in December -- an average of $5 a pound -- and analysts predict they could climb 5 to 8 percent higher this year. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208054-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml Also in today's headlines: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208055-432.stm?cmpid=news.xml "Too Much Asked of IATSE" (Jan. 21) by Audrey Glickman starts out stating how essential unions are, only to continue by saying union stagehands should not work outdoors on events for the Cultural Trust for fear of pricing these events out of the market. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208057-432-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml I work with private equity firms every day, as an investment banker and as head of a company that collects and publishes information on the transactions they complete. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208058-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml For the former Allegheny County morgue, it no longer will be about corpses but habeas corpus. The county plans to convert the historic 110-year-old building, once a place for autopsies and tragic endings, into offices for its law department. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208063-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml The African Union, by not being able to agree on a secretary general, has showed new cracks in continental unity. The AU was formed 10 years ago to try to cure some of the flaws in the old Organization of African Unity. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208064-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml When legalized casino gambling was being pushed in Pennsylvania, one of its selling points was sizable tax relief for property owners. But in gambling you put your money down and take your chance -- and that also applies with public policy. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208065-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Imperial regimes can crack when they are driven out of their major foreign outposts. The fall of the Berlin Wall did not just signal the liberation of Eastern Europe from Moscow. It prefigured the collapse of the Soviet Union itself just two years later. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's Syria could be similarly ominous for Iran. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208066-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Recent news coverage by various media has distorted two decisions by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and it is important to set the record straight. We recently changed how we support our citizen advisory council. This is now handled by existing agency staff instead of a full-time director. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208072-62-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Linus had a rough start in life. He was one of 20 fighting dogs that lived in cramped cages or on short chains attached to posts in Union County, Fla. Last April, the dogs were freed when police, acting on an anonymous tip, broke up the dog-fighting ring, seizing dogs and other property and arresting the dog fighters. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208073-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you had to describe the new Tropical Forest India display at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in one word, it would be "colorful," says assistant curator of horticulture Ben Dunigan. In fact, during his visit to India to prepare the exhibit, Mr. Dunigan found most American gardens pretty pale in comparison. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208074-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Take a good look at the chairs in your house before you go to "The Art of Seating." You may see them in a whole new light afterward. The exhibition, which opens today at Westmoreland Museum of American Art, features 43 chairs from the Jacobsen American Chair Collection made between the beginning of the 19th century and 2010. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208076-62-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Adorable is the best way to describe the stray kitten brought to our office last week by good clients who found her in the neighborhood. She was calm, friendly -- and paralyzed. She had deep wounds of unknown origin along her back. Radiographs showed rib fractures, most likely from a bite wound, and she possibly had spinal cord damage. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208083-325.stm?cmpid=news.xml A dance company's season lineup is like a good recipe. It's got to be just the right blend of tried and true favorites, something sweet and something spicy with a dash of surprise. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 2012-13 offering will treat audiences to a little whimsy and fantasy, passion and heartache and the ooo-la-la of turn-of-the-century Paris. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208084-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If Snooki and JWoww need a place to live, Jersey Shore will welcome them with open arms. Jersey Shore, Pa., that is. The Central Pennsylvania Film Office wants the stars of MTV's "Jersey Shore" reality show to come to the tiny borough in northcentral Pennsylvania or to nearby Williamsport to shoot a planned spinoff of their gym-tan-laundry lifestyle. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208085-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sharon Needles' debut on "RuPaul's Drag Race" was dead-on. The season 4 premiere Monday was the highest in Logo history for a series, a 50 percent increase over last season's opener. It scored a 0.6 rating in the premiere adult 18-49 demo, with 481,000 total viewers across various broadcast and social media platforms. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208094-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Clairton man was found guilty of second-degree murder Friday for the shooting death of a man at a New Year's Eve party last year. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208095-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml State police said a man was struck and killed by a car early Friday in Greene County. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208099-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml A small shed housing a natural gas compressor at a Mercer County well caught fire Friday morning, burning for more than two hours before firefighters extinguished it. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208104-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml A North Side man sued Allegheny County Wednesday, saying that corrections officers at the jail falsely told other inmates that was in for "sexually assaulting black children," prompting them to beat him up and sexually abuse him. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208105-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml Alvin Henderson Jr. has been named chief of emergency services for Allegheny County. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208106-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml Federal marshals on Friday afternoon captured a Wilmerding man accused of hitting his wife in the head with a gun and pointing the gun at his 11-year-old stepdaughter. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208107-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man remained in the Allegheny County Jail Friday after police said he told them he shot and killed his roommate inside their Greenfield home last month during an argument about the day the victim's father died. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208110-150-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- At one point Friday late in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's annual state of the NFL pre-Super Bowl news conference, a young female questioner stood and identified herself as a representative of the Ochocinco News Network. Really, ONN? Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208113-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and other New York Giants receivers can't wait to go against the New Englands Patriots' Julian Edelman Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. And why not? Edelman, wide receiver-return man, also plays in the secondary, a position he's still learning. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208115-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man who pleaded guilty to hundreds of criminal charges for secretly videotaping women in an East Huntingdon tanning salon was sentenced Friday to seven to 20 years in prison. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208116-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing an Oakland bank Wednesday, warning tellers not to "freak out" before demanding their money. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208117-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml In one of a handful of appointments to city-related boards Friday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced he was removing the city finance director from the Pittsburgh Parking Authority and installing another aide in his stead. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208119-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MAHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan -- The Afghan soldier who killed four French troops last month bribed an Afghan army recruiter to forge his enlistment papers, deserted to Pakistan and then bribed his way back into the army the month before the shootings, McClatchy Newspapers has learned. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208121-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Packers couldn't quite pull off an undefeated season. Another team from Green Bay still has a shot. The Wisconsin-Green Bay women's team is 19-0 going into a game today against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Given their dominant stature in the Horizon League, the Phoenix stands a pretty good chance of getting to the NCAA tournament without a loss. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208123-449-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml STORRS, Conn. -- University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun, who missed three games earlier this season because of NCAA sanctions, is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence because of back problems. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208127-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TEHRAN, Iran -- A fiery anti-Israel speech by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered shortly after a successful Iranian satellite launch, added to growing global tensions Friday, as Israel warned that it might mount a pre-emptive strike against the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities despite U.S. objections. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208128-175-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pitt fans can get ready for a basketball rivalry with Maryland and a renewal of the old Big East Conference football rivalries with Virginia Tech and Miami. Those are two of the highlights of the future scheduling formats the Atlantic Coast Conference approved Friday at its annual winter meetings. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208130-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml BEIRUT -- In a barrage of mortar shells, Syrian forces killed 200 people and wounded hundreds in Homs in an offensive that appears to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising, activists said today. The assault in Homs, which has been one of the main flashpoints of opposition during the uprising, comes as the U.N. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208132-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Robert Tomasic says the only way he could get $60,000 for his house in North Braddock would be if he put in $10,000 to $15,000 worth of renovations first. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208137-135.stm?cmpid=news.xml Chuck Cooper was the first black player drafted by an NBA team, a history-making achievement that rests snugly alongside many others. Tonight, Duquesne honors his legacy. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208139-57-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Bridgewater councilman charged in the 1979 homicide of a Monaca woman will remain in jail for now, a Beaver County judge ruled Friday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208140-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml Emilio Rivera claims that Allegheny County homicide detectives forced him into giving a false confession in the shooting of a Clairton police officer by threatening to arrest his girlfriend and have his infant son taken away. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208142-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml When the Penguins and Boston last met, Sidney Crosby was in the lineup for the Penguins, the Bruins were on a 13-0-1 roll, and the teams were the class of the Eastern Conference. That was Dec. 5 at Consol Energy Center. The Bruins won, 3-1, to climb to within a point of the first-place Penguins in the East. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208143-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Firefighters slipped on floors slick with melted chocolate, ultimately calling hazardous-materials teams to scrub the sweet goo from their gear during a fire Friday that caused little structural damage to the popular Sarris Candy store and factory in Canonsburg. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208157-115-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Across the country, activists with ties to the tea party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They say government action in service of expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space is part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208167-294.stm?cmpid=news.xml LONDON -- Memo to Brazil: That idea of putting up a giant Jesus statue in a London park to promote the 2016 Olympic Games is not going over well. Brazil's tourist board has floated the notion of erecting a 30-foot replica of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue -- a symbol of peace and a well-known landmark of the city -- on Primrose Hill. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208168-287-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The 28th Annual Corporate Cup Ski and Snowboard Race, featuring Olympic gold medalist Diann Roffe, will be Friday at Seven Springs. The event, a fundraiser for Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, has added a sporting clay shooting competition this year. Shooters will compete in individual and team categories. An individual shooter can participate for $250. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208173-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The nation's pre-eminent breast cancer advocacy group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, apologized Friday for its decision to cut most of its financing to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening and said it would again make Planned Parenthood eligible for those grants. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208176-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- A confident Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to create jobs as he campaigned Friday ahead of GOP presidential caucuses this weekend in a state with sky-high unemployment and foreclosure rates. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208178-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The millionaires, billionaires and companies giving big sums to political committees supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Barack Obama have important business with the next president. Some are already in trouble with the government. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208182-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- If President Barack Obama wins re-election in November, Friday's jobs report may be remembered as the turning point when he shifted from slight underdog to favorite. "Where are the jobs?" has been the question at the heart of the Republican case against Mr. Obama. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208187-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The international hackers group known as Anonymous turned the tables on the FBI by listening in on a conference call last month between the bureau, Scotland Yard and other police agencies about their joint investigation of the group and its allies. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208200-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Basketball Box Scores Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208201-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml The family of a woman who went missing more than a month ago is offering $1,000 for information on her whereabouts. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208212-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BRUSSELS -- European governments, supported by the top justice official in the European Union, are pressing Google to halt coming changes to its privacy policies while they investigate the implications for personal data protection. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208213-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Sierra Club's president, Michael Brune, has acknowledged in a blog post that beginning five years ago, the club accepted $26 million from people connected with Chesapeake Energy, the country's second-largest natural gas producer. He added that the club had turned down $30 million pledged by those donors since August 2010. Chesapeake uses a natural gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing, which environmental groups say can pollute water sources. The club's position on fracking, as it is called, Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208214-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml The space shuttles are headed for museums, but NASA said Friday that more than 6,300 people responded to its latest call for would-be astronauts, the second highest in its history and about double the 2,500 to 3,500 applications it usually gets. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208215-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Like many product designers, Judy White spent years creating collections that were ultimately sold under other people's names -- most notably, for Calvin Klein, where she designed and introduced the tabletop and giftware collections. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208216-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Every piece the designer Joe Colombo created for the furniture manufacturer Kartell from 1964 to 1971, as well as sketches and photos from the Joe Colombo archive in Milan, is currently on display at R 20th Century. "He was one of the great geniuses of his time," said Zesty Meyers, an owner of the gallery. "And he's still relatively unknown." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208217-407-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml When Brandon Bickford was helping to hire software developers to fill Minted.com's office, he and his colleagues had to divert attention away from an expensive and time-consuming process of sifting through dozens or hundreds of résumés and then sending tests to the best applicants in the stack. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208218-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Six months before the space shuttle Challenger exploded over Florida on Jan. 28, 1986, Roger Boisjoly wrote a portentous memo. He warned that if the weather was too cold, seals connecting sections of the shuttle's huge rocket boosters could fail. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208219-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml SPICEWOOD BEACH, Tex. -- The water that once nourished this central Texas community never traveled far: it came from a fenced-in well at the edge of Lake Travis, down a winding street next to the golf course. These days, the water that flows from kitchen and bathroom faucets takes an extraordinary journey that can be measured not in feet but in miles. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208220-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DIXFIELD, Me. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208221-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The burst of job growth in January gives President Obama a fresh -- but tricky -- opportunity to revise the grim economic narrative of his presidency while offering Mitt Romney a choice: embrace a new optimism or campaign against a sinking economy even as it shows signs of turning around. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208222-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml Syrian government forces used a barrage of mortar shells and heavy machine gun fire in an assault that began Friday night in the central city of Homs, killing at least 200 people and wounding hundreds more, opposition activists reported on Saturday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208223-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The bloody uprising that has coursed through Syria has begun to upend daily life in Damascus, the stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad's government, reordering the lives of residents who complain of hardships as simple as getting to work every day and finding bread. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208224-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ATHENS -- Lucas Papademos faced his most difficult test as Greece's interim prime minister on Friday when his three-month-old government reached an impasse over proposed demands by the country's foreign lenders to reduce private-sector wages drastically in exchange for the aid the country needs to prevent default. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208225-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml GENEINA, Sudan -- The United Nations said on Friday that the famine that has killed tens of thousands of people in Somalia this past year has ended, thanks to a bumper harvest and a surge in emergency food deliveries. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208226-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The diplomatic struggle over the Arab League's peace proposal for Syria has nearly obscured an important detail of the plan: President Bashar al-Assad would be replaced in a transition by a loyal disciple. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208227-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml KABUL, Afghanistan -- The following children froze to death in Kabul over the past three weeks after their families had fled war zones in Afghanistan for refugee camps here: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208228-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- American and European officials said Friday that a mission by international nuclear inspectors to Tehran this week had failed to address their key concerns, indicating that Iran's leaders believe they can resist pressure to open up the nation's nuclear program. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208229-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- President Obama received a message last year, purporting to be from the elusive Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, in which he expressed an interest in opening talks that could end the war in Afghanistan, according to several current and former administration officials. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208230-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- The flow of natural gas has fallen off sharply in the main pipelines supplying Europe from Russia, but this time cold weather -- not politics -- is to blame. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208231-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml More than 10 people were killed and a United Nations employee was shot and wounded when clashes broke out at a peace meeting in South Sudan, United Nations officials said Friday. The local authorities called a meeting in Unity State on Wednesday in response to escalating violence between ethnic militias that had killed hundreds if not thousands of people in the past few months. A shootout erupted nearby and a United Nations team helping mediate in the crisis was "caught in the cross-fire," according to a Un Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207900-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Atlantic Coast Conference announced scheduling formats which will be used when Pitt and Syracuse join the conference. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:59:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207964-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Federal marshals this afternoon captured a Wilmerding man accused of hitting his wife in the head with a gun and pointing it at his 11-year-old stepdaughter. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:45:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207903-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The Air Force today announced plans to close the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon within the next two years, moving two of its seven C-130 transport planes to other bases and retiring the rest. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207950-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Beaver County judge denied bail today for the Bridgewater man recently charged in the 1979 death of a Monaca woman. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 17:02:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207948-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bishop David A. Zubik will celebrate a memorial Mass for the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua at St. Paul Cathedral on Feb. 19. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207941-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing an Oakland bank Wednesday, warning tellers not to "freak out" before demanding their money. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:29:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207940-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml State police said a man was struck and killed by a car early today in Greene County. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207920-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- The state Supreme Court issued a lengthy opinion this afternoon regarding the state's legislative redistricting plan they rejected last week, offering its first details on that decision. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 16:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207919-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The family of a woman who went missing more than a month ago is offering $1,000 for information on her whereabouts. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 15:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207901-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today announced 10 appointments to city boards and authorities, including the parking authority, Stadium Authority and Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 15:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207904-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Three decades after his Coke commercial won advertising's version of the Oscar, Joe Greene and his No. 75 Steelers jersey make a comeback in another Super Bowl spot on television. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:59:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207905-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A 24-year-old man cutting brush at the former Iron City Brewery site was injured by a chainsaw this morning. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207902-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Basketball Box Scores Fri, 3 Feb 2012 14:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207899-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man who pleaded guilty to hundreds of criminal charges for secretly videotaping women in an East Huntingdon tanning salon was sentenced today to seven to 20 years in prison. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 13:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207897-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A small shed housing a natural gas compressor at a Mercer County well caught fire this morning, burning for more than two hours before firefighters extinguished it. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 11:55:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207898-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Fri, 3 Feb 2012 11:55:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207752-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The quality and affordability of higher education is very much in the news of late, with the president issuing a call for slowing of tuition growth and the federal government's National Science Board warning of reduced competitiveness caused by the reduction of public funding for research universities. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 11:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207853-178.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bowing to Gov. Tom Corbett and his party's hierarchy, Washington County businessman Tim Burns announced yesterday that he had withdrawn from the Republican competition to challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:55:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207766-67.stm?cmpid=news.xml Characters Unite, USA Network's public service campaign created to address social injustice and cultural divides, visited Clairton High School in November with Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward for its latest special, "NFL Characters Unite," which will air on USA at 7 p.m. Feb. 10. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207764-60.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- An Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker was arrested at a House hearing Wednesday after trying to film the proceedings without the required media credentials, the Associated Press reports. Joshua Fox of Milanville, Wayne County, was led out of the room in handcuffs and charged by Capitol Police with unlawful entry. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:48:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207777-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml After spending time in Iraq during the war, Regina Koetters isn't about to lose sleep over her latest endeavor -- opening a new market in the Strip District. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207767-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml This is how the young Clark Kent must have felt. If Clark Kent had been on Facebook. For Andrew, Matt and Steve -- three self-obsessed Seattle high school buds who climb down a hole and emerge with telekinetic powers -- coming to grips with their newfound skills not only is a challenge, but also a kick. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207769-121.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Post-Gazette reviews movies from a family perspective: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:34:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207765-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml Freeing Willy was a cakewalk compared to what would-be rescuers face in Alaska. Three California gray whales, christened Fred, Wilma and Bamm-Bamm, are trapped off the coast of Barrow, Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207849-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The West Penn Allegheny Health System hopes to get regulatory approval for its affiliation with insurer Highmark by the fall and, if that goes through, it expects to be on solid financial footing within two to three years, interim president and CEO Keith T. Ghezzi said Thursday. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207783-294-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In the Jan. 29 Post-Gazette I read that most Pennsylvanians, including curator Henry Kacprzyk of the Pittsburgh zoo, have never seen a porcupine in the wild. Some Pennsylvanians must have, because there's now a porcupine hunting season and the game commission has proposed lowering the bag limit. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207895-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A fire at Sarris Candies in Canonsburg was smoky but apparently did little damage to the ice cream parlor and retail store at the business. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 10:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207815-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Neighbors remembered a 73-year-old man who died following a Downtown apartment fire Thursday evening as an eccentric man who loved to cook and enjoyed a good drink. Firefighters found Richard Snyder lying unconscious on the floor of his ninth-floor apartment in the Roosevelt Arms Apartments near Sixth Street and Penn Avenue, a pot of unattended food smoking on a stove nearby. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 08:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207896-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The national unemployment rate fell in January to 8.3 percent from December's rate of 8.5 percent, an incremental decline, but the fifth straight month of increasing employment rates. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 08:51:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207805-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Hines Ward talked to Mike Tomlin on Monday at the Steelers facility on the South Side and to team president Art Rooney II earlier, letting them know he wants to play in 2012 in Pittsburgh. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 07:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207827-55-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The family spent months searching winding back roads in Greene County, following his tracks. Friends called to say he turned up in their yard. But by the time the family arrived, he had run off, leaving only snapshots to prove he was there. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 05:52:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207894-57.stm?cmpid=news.xml Oakdale residents are invited to a meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the community center, 104 Seminary Ave., to help plan the borough's 120th anniversary celebration. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 05:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207893-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Officers have made an arrest related to a residential burglary on Hastings Avenue, he said, and they have identified a person of interest related to the theft of a small amount of cash at the Oakdale Inn on Noblestown Road. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 05:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207892-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A North Versailles man was arrested Thursday after police said he told them he shot and killed his roommate inside their Greenfield home last month during an argument about the day the victim's father died. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207824-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml New statistics from Allegheny County's eastern suburbs indicate that an $11 million reassessment may not have eliminated disparities between properties in poor communities assessed too high and properties in wealthier communities assessed too low, a lawyer at the center of the case said Thursday. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207697-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Longtime high school basketball coach Al Campman emails a "fellowship message" to friends, family members and other acquaintances once a week, talking about how to deal with everything from hardships to life in general. His message this week was how to deal with four points, as in the scoring total for his Ellwood City team last Friday. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207704-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml News and notes from the WPIAL and City League. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207705-117-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml No, The Dribbler wasn't motoring to Ambridge Sunday to revisit memories of Dick DeVenzio and Dennis Wuycik and the fabulous Bridgers of 1967. He wanted to appreciate the talents of Steven Adams, a 6-foot-11 New Zealander. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207706-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A look at the names, numbers and more that make up the WPIAL's and City League's top basketball teams Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207712-365-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It is not like Perry Hills and Tanner Garry need sessions on a couch with a shrink, but Hills and Garry do have an unusual split personality. In the fall, they are standout passing quarterbacks. In the winter, they are talented wrestlers. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207713-365.stm?cmpid=news.xml High school senior football players across the country signed letters of intent with Division I and I-AA colleges Wednesday, but many juniors have scholarship offers from major colleges. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207718-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Adam Nickelson didn't like wrestling when his dad first introduced him to the sport. "My dad wrestled in high school," said Nickelson, a junior at Belle Vernon Area High School. "He tried to get me to wrestle when I was in kindergarten, but I didn't like it." Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207720-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Patrick Boyle thought his tryout for the Shaler Area varsity hockey team this summer went relatively well, but he still wasn't convinced he had shown enough to make the team. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207721-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Take a group of talented but inexperienced players, add a three-headed monster and toss in a leader whose physical body -- and mind -- are (understandably) elsewhere. What have you got? The Jeannette boys basketball team. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207724-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml Defending her WPIAL and PIAA championships are just some of the goals for Pine-Richland swimmer Kristen Murslack during her junior year. Murslack has other goals that extend beyond the WPIAL ... and even the state of Pennsylvania. She wanted to qualify for nationals in Atlanta in December. She did and she swam three personal bests while there. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207726-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml South Side Beaver wrestling coach Jerry "Bear" McCoy is a firm believer that a loss can be beneficial ... if you learn from it. He is hoping that's the case with Nathan Reckner's loss in last Saturday's 120-pound title match at the Grove City tournament. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207732-116-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207742-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PG Basketball Rankings Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207744-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Boys Basketball Scoring Leaders Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207745-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Girls Basketball Scoring Leaders Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207750-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml An editorial from The New York Times Under the federal lobbying law, Newt Gingrich can legitimately claim that he is not a lobbyist. That alone demonstrates how much the law needs to be changed. As his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney, regularly and correctly points out, Mr. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207751-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The most embarrassing moments to watch this political season have occurred as Mitt Romney has pretended to be an angry, fire-breathing true conservative. The evidence suggests that in his soul he's a moderate pragmatist, but he has flip-flopped like a frantic fish in hopes of hiding his reasonableness. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207753-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml Americans who believe the United States has put enough lives and money into Afghanistan should be pleased by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's statement Wednesday that the U.S. role will be shifted from combat to training sooner than planned, to mid-2013. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207754-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml President Barack Obama has not declared war on the Roman Catholic Church, no matter what the faithful may be hearing in church. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207755-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml After a blizzard of criticism on its proposal to reinstate an asset test for food stamp eligibility, the administration of Gov. Tom Corbett decided Wednesday to replace its harsh initial standard with something humane. It was the right thing to do. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207756-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Post-Gazette editorial Monday concerning the pledge to discourage special interest group attack ads made by the candidates for U.S. senator in Massachusetts ("Positive Pledge," Jan. 30) claimed that the League of Women Voters was among three organizations that "have already sunk $3 million into the campaign's saturated media market." Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207758-348-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Michelle Obama is known for her commitment to health and exercise. But who knew she was so tenacious when it comes to pushups? On her talk show Thursday, Ellen DeGeneres invited the first lady to do some pushups with her. And Mrs. Obama didn't disappoint -- quickly dropping and doing 25, much to the surprise of the host, People reports. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207759-67.stm?cmpid=news.xml Black History Month programming continues on WQED-TV Sunday with four documentaries: "Wylie Avenue Days" (3 p.m.), set during the prime of Pittsburgh's Hill District in the 1930s-50s; "Barbershops: PA Stylin" (4 p.m.), hosted by Chris Moore; "Torchbearers" (5 p.m.), about local civil rights pioneers; and "Secrets of the Dead: Slave Ship Mutiny" (8 p.m.), the 1766 story of a Dutch slave ship's Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207760-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Original online TV programming gets a boost this month as several big-name tech companies make a push into territory that historically has been the realm of TV programmers. These new series look like traditional TV shows, but you won't find them on a broadcast or cable network. They're shows made to be viewed online and via broadband streaming. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207761-60-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In the event you find yourself in Los Angeles later this month, there are a series of "Oscar Week" events that are either free or just $5 each. On Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m., two-time Oscar winner Brad Bird will host "Shorts! The 2011 Animated and Live Action Short Film Nominees." Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207771-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml "The Woman in Black" is a ghost story for beginners. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, is rated PG-13, and runs just 95 minutes. At a preview, a cluster of moviegoers audibly reacted now and then, but the jolts were mild, barely raising any gooseflesh and certainly not electrifying audiences the way "Insidious," "The Orphanage" or "The Shining" did. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207773-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml For an event so politically fraught, it flashed by in what seemed like a New York minute. Donald Trump endorsed Mitt Romney for president Thursday in a brief joint appearance at Mr. Trump's Las Vegas hotel, an occasion more notable for its odd brevity and lack of theater than anything either man said. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207775-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The early 1920s were a good time for wheat, but by the 1930s, dust and drought were choking the Great Plains, depression was gripping the world and of particular interest to grain farmers -- and perhaps to today's natural gas producers -- the price of wheat was bottoming out. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207776-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Education Management Corp., which runs a group of for-profit colleges -- The Art Institutes, Argosy University, South University and Brown Mackie College -- saw enrollment drop by 9.3 percent in the most recent quarter. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207778-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pennsylvanians can now choose their wind energy suppliers like they choose their corn and cabbage: from local "farms" involved in a new program, ChoosePAWIND. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207779-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Also in today's headlines: Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207784-153-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Mitt Romney may not be the most callous candidate who has ever run for president, but he is surely the most out of touch. Everything about the GOP frontrunner screams awkwardness around those in lower income brackets. Ironically, most Americans earn less money but are in higher tax brackets than Mitt "Mr. 15 Percent" Romney. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207787-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In a sign of just how unpopular Congress has become, rank-and-file senators hijacked debate over a narrowly tailored ethics bill and won broad approval Thursday for a more sweeping reform package imposing new conflict-of-interest rules and mandating more transparency on K Street. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207788-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml House Republicans accused Attorney General Eric Holder of hiding information at a hearing Thursday over the botched Operation Fast and Furious gun-trafficking investigation, while he dismissed calls for his resignation and said he's not to blame for the scandal. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207789-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Congressional Republicans criticized the Federal Reserve on Thursday for working to reduce unemployment and revive the housing market rather than maintaining a single-minded focus on inflation. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207793-114-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The renowned breast cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure faced an escalating backlash Thursday over its decision to cut breast screening grants to Planned Parenthood. Some of Komen's local affiliates are openly upset, including all seven in California, and at least one top official has quit, reportedly in protest. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207794-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml State police are searching for a vehicle that struck a state trooper who was picking up debris on a Route 28 on-ramp in Armstrong County early Thursday. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207795-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml Kittanning Street/Dorseyville Road in Etna will be closed for repairs Monday through Wednesday, weather permitting, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207796-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml The owner of a popular diner near the Capitol is suing state Health Secretary Eli Avila, claiming that the secretary tried to block him from receiving a lucrative state contract in retaliation for a dispute over an egg sandwich. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207797-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Somerset man died when his car struck a drainage ditch and rolled over Thursday morning. State police said Joshua Berkey, 28, was driving east on state Route 653 when he lost control of his Jeep Grand Cherokee near Harvest Drive, hit a drainage ditch and rolled over. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207800-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Allegheny County Health Department has lifted a consumer alert it issued for Mullen's Bar and Grill on the North Shore after an inspector said she found several dead mice and more than 100 droppings scattered throughout the restaurant. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207802-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The helmet-to-helmet shot knocked Tony Dorsett out cold in the second quarter of a 1984 Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles game, the hardest hit he took in his Hall of Fame NFL career. "It was like a freight train hitting a Volkswagen," Dorsett says now. "Did they know it was a concussion?" he asks rhetorically in an interview with The Associated Press. "They thought I was half-dead." Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207803-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pennsylvania health officials say the number of people stricken with illness after consuming raw milk from the same dairy has risen to 35 in four states. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207804-150-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml We're going on 14 years since a running back was the Most Valuable Player in a Super Bowl, and Brandon Jacobs isn't talking like someone who could blow up that trend Sunday. "It'd be hard for any running back to be the game's MVP with the what quarterbacks are doing; you'd have to have astronomical numbers," said the New York Giants' 265-pound banger. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207806-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml One word from Giants special teams captain Zak DeOssie will begin Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. With more than 100 million people watching in the United States alone, the long snapper from New York, other Giants captains and their counterparts from New England will see referee John Parry display both sides of a special commemorative coin for the opening toss. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207807-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Picked on as a youth by other kids in Georgia because he is biracial, Hines Ward stands tall as someone who was able to overcome prejudice and bullying to find success. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207808-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml Another suburban Philadelphia school has reported an outbreak of whooping cough. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207816-175-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pitt coach Jamie Dixon had been fond of saying the past few years that the Big East Conference was the best conference in college basketball. He had even gone as far to say on a few occasions that it was the best conference in college basketball history. The Big East is not getting such high praise this season, from Dixon or anyone else. The conference that produced three No. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207818-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Thomas J. Murrin, who rose to the top ranks of Westinghouse Electric Corp. and went on to lead the business school of Duquesne University, died Monday at his home in McCandless with his wife, Dee, and their eight children at his side. He was 82. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207819-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Circumstances dictated that it was time to make a move. The general manager had watched his team, studied his depth chart, and concluded he had no choice but to bring in a center. Especially because he had no way of knowing when the gifted young player considered a major piece of the franchise's foundation would make it into the lineup. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207820-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Rev. Janet Edwards, a nationally prominent advocate for same-sex couples in a presbytery that consistently opposes gay ordination and gay marriage, tried and failed to obtain Pittsburgh Presbytery's endorsement for her to seek one of the two highest offices in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207821-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As a top television comedy director who won an Emmy directing "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in the early 1960s, John Rich was faced with a tough choice in 1970. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207822-56-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml For five years, unsafe conditions have prevailed at a Swissvale apartment building while the landlord built up a stack of violations. The last straw came last week when Swissvale Fire Chief Clyde Wilhelm issued to tenants a notice to vacate, saying the building had become uninhabitable. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207825-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Status conferences open to the public on the progress of Allegheny County's $11 million reassessment are followed many times by closed sessions in the chambers of the judge overseeing the project. A lawyer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday argued that those conferences also should be open to the news media and citizens. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207826-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml President Barack Obama, who rarely speaks of his faith, defended some of his administration's policies Thursday by saying they reflect his religious convictions. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207829-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Allderdice wrestling team recorded 10 pins against Perry on its way to capturing the City League wrestling title Thursday at Allderdice High School. The Dragons (10-4) posted a 63-16 victory to claim their first City League title since 1996 with a dominating performance. "The match started in the middle weights at 138 pounds," Allderdice coach Mike Shaw said. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207830-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml While one of the top freshmen in WPIAL girls basketball lit it up Thursday, one of the best juniors did a little better. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, a junior, scored 25 points to lead Class AAA No. 3 Hopewell to a 61-53 home win against No. 2 Blackhawk in Section 2. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207831-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Penguins and Evgeni Malkin will be on the road this weekend, but that doesn't mean there won't be some top Russian hockey talent on local ice. The annual Midget AAA Steel City Cup hockey tournament runs today-Sunday at three local venues. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207833-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml The NHL is investigating a scoreboard error Wednesday night in Los Angeles that could have an "enormous impact" on playoff races in the Western Conference. Near the end of the game at Staples Center, the clock briefly stopped in the closing seconds -- giving Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty enough time to score the winning goal in the Kings' 3-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207836-139-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml He saved a young Cassius Clay when he was in trouble in England, convinced Sugar Ray Leonard that he could somehow overcome the fearsome Tommy Hearns. Angelo Dundee worked thousands of corners, and had just as many stories about fighters and the games they played in the ring. The best work of his life, though, may have been selling a sport that was often tough to sell. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207837-136.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ryan Palmer parred his final hole at dusk for a 7-under 64 and the lead Thursday in the suspended first round of the Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz. The start of the round was delayed an hour because of frost, and play was suspended because of darkness with 42 players unable to finish. A year ago, frost and frozen greens delayed play nine hours during the week, forcing a Monday finish. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207841-450-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Carnegie Mellon University track and cross country coach Dario Donatelli is the first to point out that junior distance runner Emily Wobb is a unique individual. A Pine-Richland High School graduate and a junior at Carnegie Mellon, Wobb has run in two indoor meets this winter for the Tartans finishing first both times. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207846-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A senior Israeli official said Thursday that the missile testing site near Tehran that was destroyed in a huge explosion three months ago was developing missiles with a range of some 6,000 miles aimed at the United States. The assertion went far beyond what rocket experts have established about Iran's missile capabilities, and U.S. officials questioned its accuracy. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207847-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Even as she kicked them off BNY Mellon's property, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Christine A. Ward found Thursday that the Occupy Pittsburgh protesters who have encamped along Grant Street since Oct. 15 had reached at least some of their goals. "[I]t bears noting that Occupy Pittsburgh has benefited greatly from their time occupying BNY Mellon Green. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207854-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pittsburgh and Port Authority are discussing whether to lift the high occupancy vehicle restrictions in the Wabash Tunnel while McArdle Roadway remains closed by a landslide. The former railroad tunnel has drawn little traffic since it was renovated and opened to cars in December 2004. Traffic flows one way inbound during the morning rush and one way outbound at most other times. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207857-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml McKeesport City Council President Darryl Segina said council has postponed consideration of a full-term contract for solicitor J. Jason Elash until police complete their investigation of a car crash that left him briefly out of work. Mr. Elash's contract would have been on the agenda for Wednesday night's meeting. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207858-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Variety the Children's Charity, an organization that supports disadvantaged children throughout the world, began as an effort to help just one child -- a baby girl abandoned in East Liberty. On Christmas Eve in 1928, a 1-month-old baby girl was abandoned in the Sheridan Square Theatre in East Liberty, with a note signed, "a heartbroken mother." Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207863-122.stm?cmpid=news.xml Angelo Dundee, the renowned trainer who guided Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard to boxing glory, died Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla. He was 90. His death was announced by his son-in-law, James Coughlin, who said Mr. Dundee had recently been treated for blood clots. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207864-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml Changes to the starting lineup. A team ban on social media. A bus ride to Blacksburg, Va. Duke made lots of changes coming into its game Thursday night at Virginia Tech, and the No. 7 Blue Devils (19-3, 6-1) put together one of their more complete performances in a 75-60 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at Cassell Coliseum. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207865-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml Maggie Lucas scored 24 points and No. 19 Penn State won for the sixth time in seven games, beating Indiana, 76-44, Thursday night. Nikki Greene scored 17 points and added six rebounds for the Lady Lions (17-5, 7-3 Big Ten), while Gizelle Studevent scored 10 points. Talia East chipped in a career-high nine points and nine rebounds. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207867-169.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sophomore Latif Rivers matched his season high with 28 points while Wagner converted a season-high 34 free throws en route to a decisive 80-69 victory against Robert Morris. The sophomore guard had 17 points in the first half, when the Seahawks (18-4, 9-3 NEC) shot 60 percent (12 of 20) and led by as many as 17 points while taking a 44-30 lead at the break. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207868-275.stm?cmpid=news.xml Derrick Rose scored 32 points to outduel Carmelo Anthony, and the Chicago Bulls beat the New York Knicks, 105-102, Thursday night at Madison Square Garden in New York. Rose had 15 in the fourth quarter and repeatedly answered when the Knicks rallied. With Chicago leading, 88-83, midway through the final period, the reigning MVP scored on three consecutive possessions. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207871-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sweeping the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins is nice, but the Carolina Hurricanes would trade all four wins for a better spot in the standings. Cam Ward made 47 saves, 22 in the first period and 20 in the third, and Brandon Sutter had a goal and an assist Thursday night as the visiting Hurricanes finished their first season sweep of Boston with a 3-0 victory. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207872-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Since the moment he dropped out of Harvard University, Mark Zuckerberg has stayed remarkably focused on two things: Facebook, and being the boss of Facebook. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207873-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TOKYO -- When Kazuo Hirai first joined the Sony family in 1984, the proud electronics maker was the definition of cutting-edge. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207874-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml Fishermen from Cape Cod, Mass., to northern Maine would have to reduce the amount of cod they catch under an emergency proposal by the New England Fishery Management Council. The proposal, a nonbinding request to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would reduce the catch of Gulf of Maine cod by as much as 20 percent in the fishing year that starts May 1. It would be an interim step, meant to delay a much steeper cut that federal regulators believe is needed to end overfishing. If regulators Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207875-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml THESE are words that no self-respecting husband likes to write: My wife sold me out to the Home Depot guy. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207876-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Peter Syrett, an architect, and Chris Youssef, an interior designer, believe that building materials should be labeled, just like cereal boxes and soup cans, so consumers can avoid ingredients that might be harmful. With the backing of their employer, the global architecture firm Perkins + Will, they have created a database linking common forms of flooring, lumber, wiring, pipes and other construction materials to government warnings about the substances contained in them. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207877-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Visitors to the NoLIta store Haus Interior may be surprised by what they find there over the next few weeks. Beginning Friday, the store's usual home accessories will be replaced by Wood Shop, a temporary concept store created by David Stark, who has developed pop-up shops for Target and West Elm. "The idea is that everything in the shop is either made of or inspired by the materials, tools and imagery of the iconic woodworker's atelier," Mr. Stark said. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207878-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml The handmade house, doughty and particular, is being celebrated in three books, a publishing event that feels like an anodyne in these troubled housing times. "Handmade Houses: A Century of Earth Friendly Home Design" (Rizzoli; $45), by Richard Olsen, a former editor at Architectural Digest, is a breezy history of the genre, tracing its roots from Henry Thoreau to Carl Jung, and from Helen and Scott Nearing, whose subsistence-living experiment in Vermont in the mid-'50s prefigured the '70s-era back-to-the-l Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207879-185-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Peter Hoffmann started what is now the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Letter in 1986 and is the author of two books on this potential energy carrier for automobiles. "Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet" was published in 2001, but a revised and expanded edition is scheduled to be available from M.I.T. Press in March. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207880-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Republicans and Democrats in Congress on Thursday traded barbs again over the yearlong probe into Operation Fast and Furious, as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. testified for the sixth time about the disputed investigation into a gun trafficking network based out of Arizona. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207881-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In Pueblo, Colo., major work on an interstate highway and several projects to fix the city's aging infrastructure may be delayed. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207882-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The mayor of Providence, R.I., on Thursday laid out a series of steps he said were crucial to shoring up the city's finances. He warned that it would otherwise run out of money in June. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207883-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PAHRUMP, Nev. -- On rare occasions, when a brave -- or foolish -- local official here proposes banning firearms from government buildings or meetings, he is met with howls of protests by sidearm-wearing residents who pack public hearings. Shocked tourists on the way to Death Valley periodically call the local sheriff's office to report someone wearing a pistol in plain view. That is their right, they are told. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207884-298-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Score two for online consumer advocates -- or, as they might be called, Occupy Online. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207885-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml UNITED NATIONS -- Security Council ambassadors reached a wobbly consensus on Thursday backing an Arab League plan for political change in Syria, after they dropped a specific reference to President Bashar al-Assad's ceding of power. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207886-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CAIRO -- The police in several Egyptian cities on Thursday night battled with thousands of die-hard soccer fans angry at the military-led government's failure to prevent dozens of deaths at a soccer riot in Port Said the previous night. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207887-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml HONG KONG -- Rescuers pulled more than 200 survivors from the ocean on Thursday after their packed ferry sank off Papua New Guinea, rescue officials said, and the search for about 100 others extended into Friday. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207888-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml An Istanbul court on Thursday charged the former head of the armed forces with leading a terrorist group and masterminding coup plots to overthrow the Islamic-inspired government. Ilker Basbug, a retired general, is among dozens who face charges as part of an inquiry into what is said to be a plot by secular conspirators to stir chaos and prepare the ground for a coup. Critics of the government say the claims against many suspects, including General Basbug, are politically motivated and meant in part to con Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207889-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml Britain sent Foreign Secretary William Hague to Mogadishu and appointed an ambassador to Somalia for the first time in two decades on Thursday, signaling London's intention to help make a push to address the country's long-running conflict. Mr. Hague's visit comes ahead of a major conference in London aimed at finding ways to contain the threat posed by the Shabab and by pirates menacing international shipping. The ambassador, Matt Baugh, will be based in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, until "the security sit Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207890-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BRUSSELS -- Reacting to consternation among NATO allies, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta sought to clarify on Thursday night that American troops would not step back entirely from combat in Afghanistan next year but would allow Afghan security forces a "lead" role. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12034/1207891-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved a new regimen of anti-Iran sanctions on Thursday that would for the first time threaten to punish the global financial telecommunications network that nearly all banks rely on to conduct their daily business. Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500