Category: Opinion

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Hundreds of participants help raise $800,000 at Pittsburgh March for Babies Walk

PITTSBURGH — March of Dimes, the leader in the fight for the health of all moms and babies, kicked off its 54th annual March for Babies Walk on Sunday at the North Shore. Hundreds of people came together to support one another on their parenthood journies.

Sunday was John Bricker’s 50th March for Babies walk and his first in Pittsburgh. The Harrisburg native started walking for March for Babies in 1971 before he had children, but when his twin sons were born, the walk became personal.

PHOTOS: Crowds fill Pittsburgh’s North Shore during annual March for Babies charity walk

“One [of the babies] was no problems. One had a lot of physical difficulties. He had many, many surgeries and died out of Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of three,” Bricker said. “My wife said, ‘what are you going to do about the March of Dimes?’ And I said, ‘I’m going to raise more and more money so their parents don’t go through what we went through.’”

In 50 years, Bricker has raised $900,000.

March for Babies is the largest fundraiser for the March of Dimes and the nation’s oldest charitable walk. Participants in Pittsburgh’s event raised more than $800,000 for education, training, and research so moms and babies get the best possible start.

“The United States, unfortunately, is one of the most dangerous developed nations in the world for childbirth,” said Jim Hoga, from March of Dimes. “One in 10 babies is born too soon, and two babies die every hour.”

According to March of Dimes’ annual report, which measures the state of maternal and infant health in the U.S., the nation’s pre-term birth rate is a D+ Grade, with a pre-term birth rate of 10.4%. One in 10 babies in the U.S. will be born premature, and about 700 women die each year from pregnancy-related complications — making the U.S. among the most dangerous developed nations for childbirth. Pennsylvania earned a C+ in March of Dimes’ 2023 Report Card, with a pre-term birth rate of 9.6%. The study found 15.5% of Pennsylvania residents have inadequate prenatal care, and the pre-term birth rate among Black women is 1.5 times higher than the rate among all other women. There has been no improvement in the disparity ratio for pre-term birth.

Source: Hundreds of participants help raise $800,000 at Pittsburgh March for Babies Walk

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Going to the Pirates home opener? What you need to know

The first-place Pittsburgh Pirates open their home season Friday. They host the Baltimore Orioles. First pitch is set for 4:12 p.m. — a nod to the city’s 412 area code — at PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. The weather forecast isn’t looking favorable. Attendance is, however.

The game is expected to be a sellout, said Pirates President Travis Williams during Tuesday’s media tour for the annual “What’s New at PNC Park” event. All fans will receive a magnetic schedule.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, there were a limited number of tickets available starting at $109.

Source: Going to the Pirates home opener? What you need to know

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Powerball jackpot reaches $1.23B as long odds mean lots of losing, just as designed

Powerball is about to match a record for lottery drawings with a stretch of more than three months without a jackpot winner. It’s that string of futility that has enabled Powerball’s top prize to reach $1.23 billion for the next drawing Saturday night.

It’s that string of futility that has enabled Powerball’s top prize to reach $1.23 billion, the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history. And it’s a sign that the game is operating exactly as designed, with long odds creating a massive jackpot that entices people to drop $2 on a ticket.

It means no one should ever expect to match all six numbers and hit it rich, though it’s likely someone eventually will.

ABOUT THOSE ODDS

The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was on New Year’s Day, when a player in Michigan hit an $842.4 million jackpot.

Source: Powerball jackpot reaches $1.23B as long odds mean lots of losing, just as designed

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Pens playoff hopes stay alive with 4-1 win against Capitals

Alex Nedjelkovic made 30 saves to backstop the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-1 victory at the Washington Capitals.

PENGUINS

Pens playoff hopes stay alive with 4-1 win against Capitals

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin carried the Pittsburgh Penguins back into contention with starring performances over the past couple of weeks.

When they were held off the scoresheet Thursday night in arguably the team’s biggest game of the season, a handful of new faces stepped up to deliver a 4-1 victory at the archrival Washington Capitals. Alex Nedjelkovic led the way with 30 saves, Ryan Shea scored his first NHL goal, Michael Bunting got his fourth since joining in a trade and Pittsburgh moved closer to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Source: Pens playoff hopes stay alive with 4-1 win against Capitals

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Highmark posts $533M profit in 2023, reversing dismal performance in 2022

 

After losing money in 2022, Pittsburgh’s Highmark Health rebounded last year.

The health insurance giant posted net income of $533 million even as it grappled with operating losses at its Pittsburgh-area hospitals.

That compares with a $346 million loss in 2022, due largely to struggling investments during a bear market, officials said Monday during a conference call on Highmark’s 2023 financial results.

Source: Highmark posts $533M profit in 2023, reversing dismal performance in 2022

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Russian election latest: Putin claims landslide win as West condemns ‘pseudo-election’ – BBC News

No credible opposition candidate was allowed to stand in the vote which could see Putin in power until 2030.

Summary

  1. Vladimir Putin wins a fifth term as Russian president by a landslide of 87%, according to Russian exit polls
  2. He faced no credible opposition candidate as the Kremlin tightly controls Russia’s political system, media and elections
  3. Germany called it a “pseudo-election”, while the US said the vote was “obviously not free nor fair”
  4. Ukraine’s President Zelensky said Putin was “drunk with power and is doing everything to rule forever”
  5. In a post-election news conference, Putin vowed to press on with the invasion of Ukraine
  6. He also said Russian democracy was more legitimate than in the US, where “with mail-in voting… you can buy a vote for $10”
  7. Voting took place in the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine: Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. Overall, turnout was 77%

Source: Russian election latest: Putin claims landslide win as West condemns ‘pseudo-election’ – BBC News

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And the Oscar goes to … a movie most people have seen

Benny Safdie, from left, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., and Josh Hartnett, winners of the award for the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for “Oppenheimer,” pose in the press room during the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Oscars are poised to do something on Sunday that they haven’t done in a very long time: Hand its top award to a blockbuster.

After years of favoring smaller movies like “The Shape of Water” and “Nomadland, ” the clear best-picture favorite “Oppenheimer” — with just shy of $1 billion in tickets sold — is steam rolling toward the kind of big-movie dominance the Academy Awards hasn’t seen in two decades.

You have to go back to Ben Affleck’s “Argo” (2012) to find a best-picture winner that’s grossed more than $100 million domestically. Academy voters’ tastes have instead largely favored smaller independently produced films like “Moonlight,” “Nomadland” and “CODA,” an Apple release with zero reported box office in North America. Last year, the scrappy, distinctly un-Oscar-like indie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” played the role of awards-season underdog until it became an unlikely Academy Awards heavyweight.

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Source: And the Oscar goes to … a movie most people have seen

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Majority of Biden 2020 voters say Biden is too old to serve effectively: a new poll found

A majority of voters who backed President Biden in 2020 now say he is too old to serve another term effectively, a new poll found.

The recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 61 percent of those who voted for Biden in 2020 strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that he is “just too old” to serve effectively. Among those planning on voting for him in a hypothetical general election, 59 percent still say he is too old to be an effective president.

Source: Majority of Biden 2020 voters say Biden is too old serve effectively: poll

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The origins of Valentine’s Day and the messages behind gifts of bouquets

You can’t go wrong sending roses for Valentine’s Day, but other cut flowers, even plants, score meaningful points, too.

Each February, writers and bloggers delight in offering facts and myths about the day’s origins and traditions. Many stories trace it back to ancient Turkey and Rome, with religious origins and some folk legends tossed in.

  • In the third century AD, a Catholic bishop named Valentine defied a ban on marriage by Roman Emperor Claudius II and continued performing ceremonies in secret. Evidently, the emperor felt that single men made better soldiers. When Claudius found out about Valentine’s defiance, he had the bishop put to death (probably by one of the single guys). Valentine was declared a saint by the church sometime later.
  • The ancient Romans observed Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival held Feb. 13-15 and dedicated to the Roman god of Agriculture, Faunus. After a full day of animal sacrifices, women placed their names in an urn and had their names drawn by the bachelors. Either the couples ended up in marriage or tried their luck again the following February. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia for its un-Christian-like practices, and renamed Feb. 14 St. Valentine’s Day.
  • Who can forget the commencement of the bird-mating season in mid-February, first written about by four English authors? The most famous, Geoffrey Chaucer, wrote “Parliament of the Fowls” in honor of the engagement between England’s Richard II and Anne of Bohemia, daughter of the Roman Emperor Charles IV, in 1382. “For this was on Saint Valentine’s day, when every fowl comes there his mate to take … .”
  • Perhaps the oldest known surviving Valentine’s Day poem was written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the battle of Agincourt between the English and the French. (“I’m already wearied by love, my very sweet Valentine.”) You can see and read in person his affectionate poem in the British Library in London. Today, there are over 145 million Valentine’s Day cards exchanged each year worldwide. E-Valentines are gaining in popularity.  (Sorry, they’re just not the same as handwritten cards in my book.)

Source: The origins of Valentine’s Day and the messages behind gifts of bouquets

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Pittsburgh is set for a cold, rainy week. But could El Niño lead to a warmer, dryer winter than normal?

You may need to keep your coat and umbrella on standby this week, but looking into the coming months, a warmer and dryer winter is potentially on the horizon.

The Pittsburgh region will see some chilly and rainy days with a slightly warmer weekend, but a climate phenomenon could mean an overall milder winter in the city, said Rich Redmond, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon.

Another system bringing cold air is moving south into the overnight Monday into Tuesday and will last through at least Wednesday, he said.

That front will likely bring the coldest air the Pittsburgh region has seen so far this fall, prompting a freeze warning for the area from midnight Monday through 10 a.m. Tuesday. Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing, NWS said.

It will be wise to bundle up Halloween night for trick-or-treating. Tuesday will see a high near 45 degrees, with the evening temperatures hovering around 40.

Source: Pittsburgh is set for a cold, rainy week. But could El Niño lead to a warmer, dryer winter than normal?

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House GOP picks Steve Scalise as speaker nominee, but unclear if he can get the votes to win gavel | CNN Politics

House Republicans picked Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana as their nominee for speaker on Wednesday, but it’s unclear if he can lock down the votes needed to win the gavel following Kevin McCarthy’s abrupt ouster.

As of now, Scalise, who currently serves as House majority leader, lacks the 217 votes needed to be elected speaker in a floor vote and multiple Republicans have not committed to supporting him, signaling the potential for a drawn-out fight for the gavel. It’s not yet clear when the House will hold a speaker vote.

Until a speaker is elected, the House remains effectively paralyzed following McCarthy’s removal, an unprecedented situation that has taken on new urgency amid Israel’s war against Hamas. Raising the stakes further, the longer it takes Republicans to elect a new speaker, the less time lawmakers will have to try to avert a government shutdown with a funding deadline looming in mid-November.

Scalise won out over Rep. Jim Jordan in a closed-door vote by the House GOP conference to pick their speaker nominee on Wednesday.

Source: House GOP picks Steve Scalise as speaker nominee, but unclear if he can get the votes to win gavel | CNN Politics

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WATCH: Biden responds to bribery scandal allegations with joke: ‘Where’s the money?’

President Biden joked when he was asked to respond to comments from Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., that the bribery allegations against him were “worse than has been reported so far.”

President Biden responded to questions Thursday about his alleged involvement in an international bribery scandal with a simple joke.

“Where’s the money?” he quipped when asked by a reporter for his response to Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., a member of the House Oversight Committee investigating the president, who said earlier in the day the allegations are “worse than has been reported so far.”

“I’m joking. It’s a bunch of malarkey,” Biden added.

Source: WATCH: Biden responds to bribery scandal allegations with joke: ‘Where’s the money?’

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Greensburg gets new tap room as craft beer making recovers from pandemic lows

Another craft brewer has opened a tap room in Greensburg, the fifth to be selling its own beer within a mile of the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Jeremy and Jennifer Shearer opened their Stone Bridge Brewing Co. tap room at 239 E. Pittsburgh St. this week.

Source: Greensburg gets new tap room as craft beer making recovers from pandemic lows

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Opinion | The debt ceiling deal

The deal hammered out between Joe Biden and Kevin McCarthy isn’t perfect. It could have been much worse.

By Hayes Brown, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor

The House voted on Wednesday night to pass the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the bill codifying the deal between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to raise the debt ceiling. The final vote — 314 — 117, with Democrats providing the majority of the votes in favor — highlighted just how much the final agreement changed versus when the GOP passed its “Limit, Save, Grow Act” in April.

With just days before a June 5 deadline that would have left the U.S. unable to pay its bills, there’s been no time to spare in actually getting the deal through Congress. Tellingly, the vote reflects the fact that the deal is bipartisan in the sense that it’s gotten votes from both parties, not that it is a win for both parties equally. Likewise, it is a compromise in that only some Americans will have their lives impacted for the worse. The alternative was either a massive hole Republicans tried to cut into the social safety net with their original bill, or widespread economic chaos a default would have caused.

In all, though, it is clear that the bill could have been much worse. The Republican priorities it contains have been significantly pared back and there are a few Democratic priorities that were unexpectedly worked into the deal. 

First, the deal raises the debt ceiling until Jan. 1, 2025.

The bill includes federal spending caps for the next two fiscal years.

The bill further rescinds about $28 billion in unspent Covid relief funds.

Politics aside, the bill as passed is one based on a principle that government should do the least harm possible while benefitting the most. In this case, a decision was made to only hurt some people rather than allow a debt default that would have hurt everybody. Of course, the “some” isn’t ever the wealthy, whose tax rates were never at risk of rising thanks to Republicans shielding them. Predictably, the burden falls on the poor and needy, who are expected to be grateful they get any help at all.

Source: Opinion | The good, the bad, and the ugly of the debt ceiling de

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Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces crashes ruining Ron DeSantis’s 2024 campaign launch – live

DeSantis takes to twitter with musk for president announcement

The Twitter launch of Ron DeSantis’s 2024 bid for the White House was struck by early tech issues with the sound repeatedly dropping out.

The Twitter Spaces event crashed several times on Wednesday evening, with Twitter owner Elon Musk saying the servers appeared to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people trying to listen.

Source: Elon Musk’s Twitter Spaces crashes ruining Ron DeSantis’s 2024 campaign launch – live

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Mother’s Day 2023 – Date, Founding & Traditions

Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the United States, Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is observed in different forms throughout the world. In the United States, Mother’s Day 2023 falls on Sunday, May 14. The American incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. While dates and celebrations vary, Mother’s Day traditionally involves presenting moms with flowers, cards and other gifts.

History of Mother’s Day

Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”

Once a major tradition in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the vicinity of their home—for a special service.

Over time the Mothering Sunday tradition shifted into a more secular holiday, and children would present their mothers with flowers and other tokens of appreciation. This custom eventually faded in popularity before merging with the American Mother’s Day in the 1930s and 1940s.

Source: Mother’s Day 2023 – Date, Founding & Traditions

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New Greensburg GetGo store part of convenience trend in downtown food options

The GetGo Cafe + Market gas station and convenience chain expects to have a downtown Greensburg location open by early August, taking the place of a shuttered Family Video store that was razed to make way for the new business on South Main Street, near Euclid Avenue. It’s a change in the local retail scene that represents larger shifts on the national level — as home video rentals give way to streaming services, demand is high for convenient food on the go.

Source: New Greensburg GetGo store part of convenience trend in downtown food options

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Opinion | Why Trump Can’t Lose

He’s constructed a political force field against failures and scandals that would have felled any other politician.

DeSantis’ winning hasn’t proved nearly as valuable as Trump’s losing (assuming one thinks that getting indicted on felony charges —any felony charges — is a bad thing).

How is that possible?

Trump has constructed an impenetrable political force field. In his own telling, he’s strong and a fierce fighter at the same time that he’s a victim — because his adversaries are out to get him since he’s so strong and such a fierce fighter.

Source: Opinion | Why Trump Can’t Lose

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FDA clears lab-grown chicken as safe to eat

GOOD Meat still needs approval from the Agriculture Department before it can sell the product line in the U.S.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday cleared cultured “cultured chicken cell material” made by GOOD Meat as safe for use as human food. While the FDA said the lab-grown chicken was safe to eat, GOOD Meat still needs approval from the Agriculture Department before i can sell the product in the U.S.

If approved, acclaimed chef José Andrés plans to serve GOOD Meat’s chicken to customers at his Washington, D.C. restaurant. He’s on GOOD Meat’s board of directors.

“The future of our planet depends on how we feed ourselves,” he said in a press release. “And we have a responsibility to look beyond the horizon for smarter, sustainable ways to eat.”

The FDA previously gave the green light to lab-grown chicken made by Upside Foods in November.

Source: FDA clears lab-grown chicken as safe to eat

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Target 11 Exclusive: County Executive Fitzgerald weighs in on downtown Pittsburgh patrols

By Rick Earle

11 News first told you Wednesday that those on-again, off-again downtown county police patrols are now back on again.

“I think maybe for a few days they thought they had the full complement and decided you know maybe we’ll utilize the county police,” said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

After about a month of assisting city police with downtown patrols, county executive Fitzgerald said county police were told they were not longer needed last week, but days after that, in a surprise and sudden reversal, the city recalled county police.

Sources told Target 11 that the city police administration decided to end the county patrols, without consulting with Mayr Gainey.

When he found out the patrols had been terminated, he immediately stepped in and asked the county to return.

Fitzgerald said they were happy to oblige.

“We will be down there a number of weeks, probably a couple of months,” said Fitzgerald.

The mayor had initially requested county police assistance to deal with a rise in crime downtown, coupled with a growing shortage of city police officers.

Many have either left or retired, and there’s been no new academy class in two years.

Source: Target 11 Exclusive: County Executive Fitzgerald weighs in on downtown Pittsburgh patrols

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US futures steady after Fed moves to restore confidence in banking system | CNN Business

US stock futures were holding steady Monday after an extraordinary move by US financial regulators to restore confidence in the country’s banking system.

In a joint statement, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg said the FDIC will make SVB and Signature Bank’s customers whole.

Source: US futures steady after Fed moves to restore confidence in banking system | CNN Business

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White House lashes out at Tucker Carlson in extraordinary rebuke | CNN Business

The White House lashed out at Fox News host Tucker Carlson Wednesday in an extraordinary rebuke of the late-night commentator who has been airing video of the January 6, 2021, attack this week.

Source: White House lashes out at Tucker Carlson in extraordinary rebuke | CNN Business

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/tucker-carlson-reason-leaders-hid-january-6-tapes

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Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan goes before the Supreme Court Tuesday. | CNN Politics

Millions of student loan borrowers could see up to $20,000 of their debt canceled depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s US Supreme Court hearing on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program.

Source: Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan goes before the Supreme Court Tuesday. Here’s what borrowers need to know | CNN Politics

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Two Million COSORI® Air Fryers Recalled by Atekcity Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (Recall Alert)

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled air fryers and contact Cosori to receive their choice of a free replacement air fryer or another Cosori product by registering at recall.cosori.com. During registration consumers must provide their contact information and submit photos of the recalled unit with the cord cut off. No receipt is needed to receive a replacement.

Source: Two Million COSORI® Air Fryers Recalled by Atekcity Due to Fire and Burn Hazards (Recall Alert)

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Target 11 Investigates: Mail carrier attacks on the rise – WPXI

Rick Earle, WPXI-TV

By Rick Earle, WPXI-TV

You’ve heard the saying, “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet.” But what about bullets and baseball bats? A disturbing Target 11 Investigation reveals what some mail carriers are facing today.

Target 11 discovered more than 2600 mail carrier attacks in the United States during the past two years, with 170 arrow keys reported stolen.

But what’s worse,  said Frank Albergo, a member of the Postal Police and the head of its national union? This explosion of violence and theft was encouraged by two very bad decisions by his own agency, the U.S. Post Office and the Postmaster General.

“It’s frustrating because I know postal police officers could make a difference. And a lot of this is unnecessary,” said Albergo.

So, what’s the problem?

And how could the U.S. Postal Service allow its own carriers to face this growing danger?

Thieves are after checks, account numbers and credit cards that they then sell on the internet.

Source: Target 11 Investigates: Mail carrier attacks on the rise

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

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Drivers with Uber and Lyft in Pittsburgh strike, citing fare changes and safety concerns

Lyft and Uber's carpooling services let passengers share rides for cheaper fares.Drivers in Pittsburgh with the rideshare apps Uber and Lyft took to the picket line this weekend, demanding better wages and safety protocols.

A study of the apps released this month by UCLA’s Labor Center found that, while prices for rides in New York City have skyrocketed in the last four years, driver pay has not.

In April 2022, Uber and Lyft took a 30% or more cut of the passenger fare for nearly a third of all rides in the city, according to the study. In comparison, the companies took just 9% of passenger fares in February 2019.

Drivers in Pittsburgh said they have seen a similar trend.

Source: Drivers with Uber and Lyft in Pittsburgh strike, citing fare changes and safety concerns

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Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

 

A spate of high-altitude objects have been shot down in North American airspace in recent days.

A balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina on 4 February after hovering for days over the US. Officials said it originated in China and had been used to monitor sensitive sites.

China denied the object was used for spying and said it was a weather monitoring device that had blown astray. The incident – and the angry exchanges in its aftermath – ratcheted up tensions between Washington and Beijing.

But on Sunday, a defence official said the US had communicated with Beijing about the first object, after receiving no response for several days. It was not immediately clear what was discussed.

Since that first incident, American fighter jets have shot down three further high-altitude objects in as many days.

Source: Mystery surrounds objects shot down by US military

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