http://www.post-gazette.com/ All News en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:09:34 -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/12040/1208897-56-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As Valentine's Day approaches, we are reminded by some who know best that the expression of love doesn't come in a box of chocolates, a greeting card or red roses. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:02:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209123-151-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml We've all heard of, if not ventured across, the soda/pop divide. In Pittsburgh, we're close enough that it's a day trip and doesn't even require the wagon trains of old. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 04:59:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208827-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml When he was playing point guard at Point Park University, Gavin Prosser was running the top scoring offense in the nation. Now that he is running the girls basketball team at Baldwin High School, Prosser is bringing the same basic concepts from his playing days at Point Park to his first head coaching stint at his other alma mater. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208828-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Carrick hockey is back. After three-and-a-half years of mediocre play, Carrick has played like the PIHL Open Class power it was throughout much of the previous decade. The team carries a five-game winning streak into a game at Keystone Oaks Friday. That followed starts of 2-5 and 5-7 to the season and three consecutive non-winning seasons from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208829-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Designations and labels are impressive and easy to come by when discussing the Monessen High School boys basketball team. Defending WPIAL champions. Undefeated section champions. No. 2-ranked team in Class AA, according to the Post-Gazette. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208830-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml For Clairton, a slow start to the season is nothing new ... neither is a red-hot finish. The Bears (11-6, 8-1) opened the season 3-5, but have won eight of nine since then. They'll go into Friday's game against Serra Catholic with a chance at their first section title since 2009 -- well, at least a share of the title. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208832-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml When it's time to begin the scholastic swimming season each November, Morgan Fink plays catch-up with her peers. Fink played soccer in the fall during her freshman and sophomore years at South Fayette while most of her teammates and competitors were swimming on club teams. This season Fink made the difficult decision to quit playing soccer and focus solely on swimming. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208834-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Cody Wiercioch spent most of Saturday's WPIAL Class AAA team title match at Chartiers Valley High School relaxing and enjoying the show put on by his Canon-McMillan teammates. "I love being up first," said Wiercioch, referring to the fact that the Big Macs title match with North Allegheny began at the 170-pound weight class. "It allowed me to sit back and enjoy the rest of the match. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208835-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Last June, Karly Mellinger found herself playing basketball in the University of North Carolina's famous Dean E. Smith Center, aka "The Dean Dome." She was attending Carolina's Finest Team Camp with her Greensburg Central Catholic teammates, and the Centurions were battling a quality team from Arizona. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208836-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Conlan Sodrosky, first and foremost, wanted to go out a winner for his senior season as part of the Penn-Trafford High School hockey team. Considering the Warriors long ago clinched a playoff berth and are in the race for the No. 1 seed in the PIHL Class AAA playoffs as the regular season heads into its final month, that appears to have been achieved. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208837-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Entering the season, Woodland Hills coach Mike Decker figured that senior guard Jeremy McMunn would be his team's second-leading scorer. And why not? Behind ultra-athletic big man Shakim Alonzo, McMunn was certainly the Wolverines' biggest scoring threat. He averaged 11.2 points per game last season and looked set to lead a much-improved Woodland Hills squad in Decker's second season. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208840-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Allderdice High School wrestling team made history last week by winning the school's first team tournament championship. The Dragons dominated Perry, 63-16, to claim the title. "They celebrated," head coach Mike Shaw said of his team's reaction. "A couple of them -- their eyes got teary." The Dragons had won their school's first City League title in 15 years last Thursday night. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208841-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Central Catholic basketball coach Chuck Crummie has seen plenty of talented players at the boys-only Catholic school on Fifth Avenue in his 32 years as the Vikings coach. He's most pleased with the progress shown by Lincoln Davis, a 6-foot-2 senior guard from Penn Hills, since his freshman year. "When he was a freshman, he didn't understand the need to play hard," Crummie said. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208842-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Jefferson-Morgan coach Scott Rhodes couldn't have summed up Burrell's sixth consecutive WPIAL Class AA title performance any better. "The key thing is that [Burrell] had more in the tank," said Rhodes, after Burrell shocked the top-seeded Rockets, 34-31, in Saturday's WPIAL Class AA title match at Chartiers Valley High School. "They wanted it more than we did." Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208845-389-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A new Pennsylvania-based business is shipping cases of craft beer direct from breweries around the country to consumers, including consumers here in Pennsylvania. We just can't get any beer from the several Pennsylvania brewers who've already signed on to the service. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208846-34-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ah, Valentine's Day. Ah, my skewered heart. A spicy heart kebab is surely a dish to set before any beloved brave enough to try it. It also is a fast and flavorful way to get on board with eating more of the animal than the easy parts. So when Kevin Costa of Crested Duck Charcuterie offered me the heart of a cow he was butchering, it was a challenge. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208847-34-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Culinary historian Michael Twitty's love affair with his ancestors' cuisine sprouted early. By age 5, the Washington, D.C., native was his family's Official Taster; as a tween, he'd become so skilled at shucking, cutting, mixing and seasoning that he was cooking dinner -- from scratch -- a couple nights a week. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208848-34-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Valentine's Day gift-giving can be tough for the high-school set. A bottle of Champagne or dinner at a fancy, romantic restaurant is most definitely out of the question, and you also don't want your 15-year-old giving, or receiving, an expensive piece of jewelry from a boyfriend or girlfriend. Then again, a card doesn't quite cut it. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208850-34.stm?cmpid=news.xml Brown Dog Java at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District is not shy when it comes to flavored coffees. Before starting Brown Dog, Steve Moore worked nearly two decades for Arbuckles, where he was the primary flavor developer. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208852-46-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LOS ANGELES -- Ding. Bzzzt. Bap. Beep. That's the sound of conversation in restaurants these days. Where cell phones once posed a nuisance as people chatted loudly into them during meals, smartphones now present a whole new set of etiquette issues as entire tables disappear into the Internet via small glowing screens. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208853-440-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Munch has taken up running as a way to work off all of the, erm, munching. It's not something Munch really wants to do, but eating a giant bowl of pasta or a french fries-adorned sandwich feels even better when you get out and move around a bit beforehand. It seems like you earned it. Recently, Munch took a run through the Strip District. Let me tell you, friends, this was not a good idea. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208854-34.stm?cmpid=news.xml [Re: "Nutella inspires sighs and kisses" by Gretchen McKay, Food & Flavor, Feb. 2:] My grandchildren, Mason and Chloe Spikula of Mt. Lebanon, love Nutella, and we took this picture of them in the food hall of Le Bon Marche in Paris last April with 5-kilo containers of this yummy stuff -- Nutella heaven! Great article! SUE BUMER Mt. Lebanon Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208855-106-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml I miss the days when my kids were little and used to devour my cakes and pies. There was nothing left but empty plates. Unless they have have a few grandkids nearby, most baking empty-nesters end up with too much dessert for too few people. I often have this problem because so many of the recipes I test for Kitchen Mailbox are desserts. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208856-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml In recent years, several music acts who originated in the Pittsburgh area have burst onto the national scene, including Christina Aguilera, Wiz Kalifa, Mac Miller and Girl Talk. Far from a new trend, the Steel City's influence on the recording industry can be traced back to the heyday of jazz music in the 1930s-50s. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208857-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml Think of some of the nutrients in your daily vitamins: calcium, potassium, iron, zinc. These are four of the 118 chemical elements from which all matter in the universe is made. But what makes the elements themselves? The answer is shining above you in the sky. Indeed, the building blocks of all substances are chemically created in the stars. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208858-325.stm?cmpid=news.xml "Elder Hostages," a trilogy of one-acts tells the stories of people coping with the indignities of aging, takes the stage for its first full production after an acclaimed reading in 2010. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208859-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml It's hard to convey a "creepy vibe" on film and that is what the cast and crew of "The Innkeepers" experienced -- twice, in some cases. When director Ti West was shooting "The House of the Devil" in spring 2008, he and others stayed at the Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington, Conn. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208860-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml A quality documentary about the life of Bruce Lee has been both inevitable and a long time coming. Four decades after his death, it has fallen to director Pete McCormack to assemble a portrait of the martial arts icon that is both hagiographic and historically accurate. Fortunately, large slices of Bruce Lee's life took place while cameras were rolling. Mr. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208861-120.stm?cmpid=news.xml "Sing Your Song" doubles as a 105-minute argument for Harry Belafonte to receive Oscar's Jean Hersholt Award for his humanitarian work. It's a celebratory look at an entertainer who was the first artist to sell more than 1 million albums but who also became a partner in the struggle for civil rights alongside Dr. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208866-46.stm?cmpid=news.xml Valentine's Day Elements Contemporary Cuisine will offer a full menu for Valentine's dining, along with a four-course prix fixe for $40 per person, which will be available Friday through Feb. 18. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208868-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A nine-game winning streak to start the season was followed by consecutive Section 2-AAA losses for the Hopewell girls' basketball team. A 9-0 Hopewell team was beaten at home, 68-64, by talented New Castle. Four nights later, the Vikings were blown out, 56-38, at Blackhawk. "That first loss to New Castle really took the wind out of our sails," Hopewell coach Jeff Homziak said. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208869-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As someone who shares a ride with Chartiers Valley's Justin Sabilla to Pittsburgh Predators U-18 AAA practices and games, West Allegheny's Jonathan Levitt is afforded a unique perspective on the concept of winning a PIHL classification's individual scoring title. Levitt, with 39 points in 15 games played, ranks third in Class AA. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208870-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Trey Hosack admits he is trying to make up for lost time ... and a not-so-wise decision. Hosack did not play basketball last season for Lincoln Park in Midland. That's because the WPIAL Board of Control ruled him ineligible for athletics when he transferred to Ambridge. The decision was upheld by the PIAA. There went his junior season. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208873-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Justin Gentile remembers that 12 months ago when South Side Beaver High School was playing out the end of the 2010-11 boys basketball season, there were few fond memories. And maybe fewer fans were in the stands. There was little in the way of production on the court to excite spectators. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208875-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml With a young team struggling out of the gate and sitting at 0-5 on Dec. 20, outsiders might have told the Mars Area girls' basketball team to start looking forward to next season. The 15 players on the roster and three coaches were not about to consider this a rebuilding year, however, so instead of looking toward next season, they looked toward next year -- as in 2012. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208876-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml After a one-year hiatus, the North Hills High School hockey program played its first PIHL varsity-level game in almost 20 months in October. Over the past month, the Indians showed the rest of PIHL Class AA that they truly are back. North Hills experienced some early struggles in its re-entry into area high school hockey following its only winter without a varsity team since 1973. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208877-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It is that time of year again. No, it's not the time of year to pack the Christmas decorations away in the attic. That doesn't happen until April. It's time to lend a helping hand to the WPIAL Basketball Steering Committee as it gets ready for the league's version of March Madness. Frantic February, a.k.a. the WPIAL basketball playoffs, will tip-off next week. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208878-450-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml April Austin reveled in the many victories of which she was a part while competing at North Catholic High School. That success, which featured WPIAL championships in 2004 and '07 and a berth in the '07 PIAA Class A championship game, proved to be a primer for this 5-foot-6 junior from Penn Hills. Austin is the starting point guard at Point Park University this season. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208879-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Not unlike his team, it is easy for Pine-Richland's Andy Andrle to get lost among the Section 3-AAAA boys basketball crowd. WPIAL Class AAAA's No. 1-ranked team -- Shaler Area -- plays in that section. . The Titans have a Penn State basketball recruit -- Geno Thorpe -- and a Pitt football recruit -- J.P. Holtz -- in their starting lineup. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208881-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml There is a lot of guesswork for a swimming coach that goes into choosing events for swimmers at the WPIAL championships. Coaches want to give their swimmers the best chance to succeed and some events are faster than others, depending on the year. A lot of the guess work in Class AAA is trying to figure out what North Allegheny is going to do. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208882-364-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Jamie Kyriazis competed for North Allegheny's 1988 wrestling team that ranked No. 1 in the country. But that team never participated in a state tournament because the PIAA did not have a team tournament at that time. "We never really thought about a state team tournament back then," said Kyriazis, who was a 112-pound sophomore in '88. "It's too bad we didn't have that chance. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208909-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Here in the highly opinionated 21st century, we find ourselves in a divisive mood about so many things -- the economy, taxes, health care, the Super Bowl halftime show. But it seems there are a few things we can agree upon: Blue skies are nice, ice cream is good, puppies are cute, and Adele can sing her behind off. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208910-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Is it true that Adele's appeal crosses all boundaries? We thought we'd ask some Pittsburgh musicians of different stripes. CLASSIC ROCK Joey Granati, Granati Brothers: She's refreshing. First of all, very soulful, kinda leaning toward Motown and some of the better music from history, and most of all, she isn't a "looker" or a "diva," and that really makes her appealing. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208911-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml 1981 Golden-voiced newcomer Christopher Cross became the only artist to sweep the general field, winning Record of the Year ("Sailing"), Album of the Year ("Christopher Cross"), Song of the Year ("Sailing") and Best New Artist. Those were the first and last Grammys he ever won. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208940-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Good Morning, Bear Cub Bear Cub, the jangly roots-rock band that relocated from Pittsburgh to Nashville, will release its third album, "Good Morning, Every Morning," at the Rex Theater on March 16 with Gene the Werewolf. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208941-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Everyone's complaining about how Pittsburgh has a dearth of young people. So, we've got overachievers moving into Google or the medical complexes, but what about the average slacker who would attend an indie rock show on a weekday? Here's a solution: The Philadelphia metro area has probably six times the number of hip 20-somethings that Allegheny County does. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208942-325-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ALL WEEKEND 'Hattie' on the Horizon New Horizon Theater's "Hi Hat Hattie" stars Shaunyce Omar in a musical biography of Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Academy Award. The "Gone With the Wind" supporting actress was celebrated by Hollywood for her portrayal of the O'Haras' house servant Mammy, but attacked by the NAACP and others for perpetuating stereotypes. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208948-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Blind Pilot created a buzz in 2008 when it launched a tour of the West Coast on bicycle, lugging the equipment around on custom trailers. That was when Blind Pilot was a duo. Now, the Portland, Ore., band, a little bigger and farther from home, is rolling across the country in an old school bus. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208949-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Van Halen diehards had to be pinching themselves -- with their fingers firmly crossed -- in anticipation of this one. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208955-120-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you wondered -- or worried -- that actress Kristen Stewart lost weight to look so deathly thin in "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1," you can rest easy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208968-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml America must welcome visitors and the jobs they bring Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208969-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml What do Rick Santorum and Clint Eastwood have in common? Sorry, Rick, you haven't made it yet as an Eastwood-style make-my-day cultural icon. But in different ways, Messrs. Santorum and Eastwood have demonstrated the limits of both an entirely negative slant on politics and a pessimistic take on America's future. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208970-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Three years ago, a bill to extend and improve the Children's Health Insurance Program became law. On Feb. 4, 2009, we decided as a nation to protect and invest in the health of our children. Among the Pennsylvanians to whom we owe thanks are Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat, and Republican Reps. Jim Gerlach, Tim Murphy and Glenn Thompson. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208977-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-13 season will balance war horses and dark horses. It will feature renowned works of the standard repertoire, such as Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Choral," Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World," and Brahms' Symphony No. 3; concertos by Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Mozart and Tchaikovsky; and tone poems by Mussorgsky and others. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208978-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml 2012-13 BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS CONCERTS Sept. 21-23: Manfred Honeck, conductor; Thomas Hampson, baritone. Strauss' Orchestral Songs and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." Oct. 5-7: Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Olga Kern, piano. Respighi's "Ancient Airs and Dances," Suite No. 3, Schumann's Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. Oct. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208993-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml When the Post-Gazette editorialized Tuesday about the threat of closure to the 911th Airlift Wing, we suggested that the best way to save the base was to make an argument on the military merits of keeping it open. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208994-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml Last year, at his inauguration, Tom Corbett took office with a desire to "unleash a new common prosperity to benefit all Pennsylvanians." Two budget proposals later, it's hard to see how the governor is doing his part. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208995-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml Unless America is visited by biblical plagues -- and maybe not even then -- Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and perpetual moral scold, is unlikely to be the next president. But politicians often have a highly inflated opinion of themselves and some voters will always indulge them. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208996-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The editorial "Equitable Compromise: Faith-Based Employees Deserve the Same Coverage" (Feb. 3) states that "President Barack Obama has not declared war on the Roman Catholic Church, no matter what the faithful may be hearing in church." As a Catholic, I have to object to the inference that the truth is not heard in the Catholic Church. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208998-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml Also in today's headlines: Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208999-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209000-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Country singer Toby Keith may be choosing the north over the south. Continental Real Estate Cos. is talking to his representatives about opening a Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill on the North Shore near Heinz Field instead of at the SouthSide Works. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209001-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has entered Pittsburgh into a competition to land one of three new satellite locations of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, saying the office would complement the city's history of innovation and fuel efforts to grow the high-tech economy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209002-456.stm?cmpid=news.xml Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209008-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The last veteran of World War I was a waitress, and for 90 years no one knew her name. Florence Green, a member of Britain's Royal Air Force who was afraid of flying, died Saturday in England, two weeks shy of her 111th birthday. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209016-155-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Bonusgate scandal is winding down in Harrisburg even as the list of convicted lawmakers grows, but there's still one item that isn't quite resolved: bonuses themselves. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209017-114.stm?cmpid=news.xml LOS ANGELES -- Some things are better left unsaid -- and that includes certain aspects of your medical condition, doctors say. In a nationwide survey of 1,800 physicians, 17 percent had some level of disagreement with the notion that they should "never tell a patient something that is not true." Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209018-294-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As an under-5-foot tall, 77-year-old senior citizen, I would like to thank all the shoppers at Shop 'n Save in South Fayette and the Giant Eagle at Chartiers Valley Shopping Center who help me reach things on top shelves. I speak not only for myself but for all short shoppers in saying it is a blessing when I ask, or when someone sees me struggling and without hesitation helps me out. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209019-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A crisp romaine salad with chicken or tofu and Kraft Creamy Italian dressing led the menu Wednesday. Scattered around the tray were raw carrots, cooked corn and peas, an apple and a whole wheat roll. The drink of the hour was milk -- skim, 1 percent or soy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209020-114.stm?cmpid=news.xml The amount of trans fat in the American bloodstream fell by more than half after the Food and Drug Administration required food manufacturers to label how much of the unhealthful ingredient is in their products, according to a new study. Blood levels of trans fat declined 58 percent from 2000 to 2008. FDA began requiring trans-fat labeling in 2003. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209021-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Port Authority employee who was charged with reselling used bus tickets has pleaded guilty and entered a program for nonviolent first offenders. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209022-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Port Authority is accepting public comments on its proposed service cuts and fare increases. A form for making comments is available on the authority's website, www.portauthority.org, at the "Proposed Service Cuts" banner. Comments also can be mailed to Port Authority Fare & Service Proposals, Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Ave., Floor 3, Pittsburgh 15222-2527. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209023-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two Pittsburgh-area residents and two Floridians filed a lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court accusing the National Football League of selling them tickets for unfinished seats at last year's Super Bowl XLV. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209024-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A three-judge panel of the state Commonwealth Court on Wednesday upheld the legality of Allegheny County's drink tax. The tax was passed by Allegheny County Council on Dec. 4, 2007, and immediately came under fire by local restaurants and patrons. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209025-143.stm?cmpid=news.xml The attorney representing Jerry Sandusky is opposed to having an out-of-county jury hear the criminal sex abuse case against his client. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209026-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml Inbound Route 28 will be down to one lane from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday as Equitable Gas crews disconnect lines between the 31st Street Bridge and the East Ohio Street exit. PennDOT said motorists should expect delays. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209027-143.stm?cmpid=news.xml A group that says it wants to reform Penn State University's board of trustees on Wednesday announced its endorsement of three candidates for the three alumni board seats up for election this spring. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209028-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two Mt. Lebanon youth football coaches were found not guilty of disorderly conduct charges related to a post-practice dispute an elementary school in the fall. Mt. Lebanon police cited coaches Jeffrey Borris and Michael Ventrone in September for using threatening language with some youths at a field near Markham Elementary School. The dispute involved a football thrown in nearby woods. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209029-57.stm?cmpid=news.xml Traffic on the inbound Parkway West will be reduced to a single lane from 10 p.m. today to 6 a.m. Friday between Interstate 79 (Exit 64) and Carnegie (Exit 65) while PennDOT crews repair bridge expansion dams. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209030-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- A sweeping overhaul of the state's gas-drilling regulations, including restrictions on local zoning rules and a new fee on those companies, now awaits Gov. Tom Corbett's signature. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209031-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml State inspectors found 1,178 violations of state environmental regulations at Marcellus Shale gas drilling and development sites in 2011, according to a review released Wednesday by PennEnvironment. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209032-55-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge on Wednesday withheld the verdict in a homicide by vehicle case against an Upper St. Clair man, saying that he was giving more time to both sides to establish the scientific value -- or lack of it -- of the data recorder in the crashed car. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209034-87-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It's probably just as well that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won't be available for comment at high noon today when the team rolls out new offensive coordinator Todd Haley for his introductory news conference at its South Side compound. Tomlin will be there -- ostensibly to show his support for the Haley hiring -- but will not take questions. This is supposed to be Haley's day. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209035-136.stm?cmpid=news.xml In what Robert Louis Stevenson called "the most felicitous meeting of land and sea," the sea was winning Wednesday at Pebble Beach. Jimmy Walker stood in the bunker next to the sea wall along the 18th fairway, soaking up the scenery. Every 15 seconds, waves crashed into the rocks and sent a spectacular splash of white surf some 15 feet high. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209037-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Jets have maintained Santonio Holmes was going to return next season despite his highly publicized rift with quarterback Mark Sanchez. Since Holmes was on the Jets' roster Wednesday -- two days after the start of the NFL's 2012 waiver wire period -- $7.5 million of the wide receiver's 2013 salary is now fully guaranteed. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209038-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The St. Louis Rams have asked for permission from the Steelers to talk to Omar Khan about their general manager's job. Khan, 35, has been an executive with the Steelers and their chief contract negotiator the past 11 years. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209040-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration's new requirement that most health insurance plans provide contraceptive services has exploded into a high-octane political weapon, with combatants on both sides scrambling to score points among the electorate and gin up fundraising from their most ardent supporters. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209041-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Over most of the past decade, budget deliberations in Michigan have taken on a glum and familiar monotony: What do we cut now? But the state that experienced an economic downturn earlier, deeper and longer than most of the rest of the country has made an unlikely discovery as its officials closed out its latest financial books: Michigan has a $457 million surplus. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209042-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Republicans are looking to deny child tax credits to illegal immigrants -- refund checks averaging $1,800 a family -- in an effort that has roused anger among Hispanics and some Democratic lawmakers. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209043-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- Ohio Gov. John Kasich spent much of his first year in office pushing a law to rein in public-employee unions. Now, with voters having shot it down, the 59-year-old Republican is recasting his agenda to include "tough environmental rules" and pleas for bipartisanship. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209044-175.stm?cmpid=news.xml Kris Joseph scored a career-high 29 points, hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final minute of overtime, and No. 2 Syracuse (24-1, 11-1) beat visiting 12th-ranked Georgetown (18-5, 8-4), 64-61, to give coach Jim Boeheim his 880th career win. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209045-449-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Jeff Withey scored a career-high 25 points and Kansas went ahead to stay during a stretch without Thomas Robinson as the visiting seventh-ranked Jayhawks had another convincing victory against sixth-ranked Baylor, winning, 68-54. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209047-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml ALBANY, N.Y. -- New York and California have agreed to sign the proposed settlement between U.S. states and the nation's biggest mortgage lenders over foreclosure abuses, according to a source close to the negotiations. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209048-175-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pitt coach Jamie Dixon knew dealing with South Florida's size would be a challenge for his team. But Dixon could not have figured the Bulls would shut his team down Wednesday night in the manner they did. Behind some stifling defense, South Florida hammered Pitt, 63-51, ending the Panthers' four-game winning streak and dealing a big blow to their NCAA tournament hopes. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209049-175-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The University of Connecticut has proposed reducing the number of games it will play next season if the NCAA grants a waiver to allow the Huskies to play in the 2013 men's basketball tournament. The school currently is barred from the NCAA tournament, a penalty for years of below-standard academic results, but it requested a waiver last month. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209050-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A small, lingering contingent of Occupy Pittsburgh protesters marched out of Mellon Green Wednesday -- two days after a court-appointed eviction deadline -- declaring victory and vowing not to let their cause die. The one or two dozen people who had remained in the park left behind damaged tents and a wooden "trojan horse" as a final act of defiance. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209052-142-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml West Virginia has, according to reports, reached a settlement with the Big East to get the conference's contractual 27-month waiting period waived, which paves the way for the school to join the Big 12 starting in the 2012 season. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209053-144.stm?cmpid=news.xml West Virginia is close to reaching a settlement with the Big East. The Mountaineers will pay the conference an $11 million cash settlement to join the Big 12 for the upcoming football season, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209055-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Santorum campaign woke up Wednesday surveying a broader political map than the one it saw before Tuesday's trio of upsets that sent the latest tremor through the predictably unpredictable Republican presidential nomination battle. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209056-63-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Jose Reyes' hair was sold for a fraction of the price of the entire All-Star shortstop. Five days after Reyes had his dreadlocks cut off on live television to comply with the dress code of the Miami Marlins, the auction for his hair ended with a winning bid of $10,200, the MLB Network said Wednesday. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209058-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CAIRO -- Egypt's government won't back off its criminal investigation of U.S. and other civil society workers even if the United States withdraws financial aid, Egypt's military-appointed prime minister said Wednesday, in a case that could end one of the closest U.S.-Arab alliances. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209059-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Amid mounting tensions over whether Israel will carry out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, the United States and Israel remain at odds over a fundamental question: Whether Iran's crucial nuclear facilities are about to become impregnable. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209060-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday of a growing "cult of violence" around the world and expressed concern that upheavals in the Middle East could spread to his own country. In an apparent reference to Western governments, Mr. Putin said he was alarmed by what he deemed to be interference in the affairs of sovereign nations, especially Libya and Syria. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209062-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MAFRAQ, Jordan -- Every day, rockets and mortars fired by Syrian government forces rattle the streets of the Syrian city of Homs. Armed rebels ambush government military checkpoints. Hatreds brew on either side of the avenues that divide the bloodstained city. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209065-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TEHRAN -- A former U.S. Marine sentenced to death in his native Iran for spying for the CIA could be saved if the Obama administration would consider a prisoner swap, his Iranian attorney said Wednesday. Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 28, who was sentenced to be hanged in January, could face execution immediately after an appeals court has reviewed his sentence. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209068-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml Brentwood High School officials have not found any credence to charges by Monessen's boys basketball team that Brentwood students and players used racial slurs toward Monessen in a game Friday. Brentwood issued a statement on its website, saying after the game "the district conducted an investigation and spoke to a number of district students and staff who attended the game. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209069-139.stm?cmpid=news.xml Over the next few weeks and months, more runners will take to the streets and gyms to prepare for the Pittsburgh Marathon in May. They'll start slow, going a few miles per day, and ramp up to longer runs as the race draws closer. But there is more to running a marathon than just running. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209070-275-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Of all the impressive numbers on Tony Parker's stat sheet, perhaps the most eye-popping was zero fouls. Parker scored 37 points, Gary Neal added 18 off the bench and the visiting San Antonio Spurs beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 100-90, in a matchup of division leaders. Tim Duncan had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Tiago Splitter scored 15 for the Southwest Division-leading Spurs. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209072-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A person familiar with the NHL's plan said the Detroit Red Wings will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 Winter Classic. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday because the league is not expected to announce the matchup until today. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209073-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Drew Miller and Henrik Zetterberg scored in the third period Wednesday night as the Detroit Red Wings extended their home winning streak to 18 games with a 4-2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209074-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Colin McDonald did not know for sure that the Penguins would be sending him back to Wilkes-Barre, and he certainly did not know when it might happen. But he was all too aware that guys in his position, with one skate planted firmly in the American Hockey League, can have their status change at any time. Occasionally, that means they land a spot in the parent club's lineup. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209076-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A 6-year-old boy playing with a lighter inside a Friendship apartment early Wednesday sparked a fire that killed two people and left his own family homeless, investigators said. The boy torched a piece of paper just before 2 a.m. and set it atop a pillow on a couch in his mother's second-floor apartment, one of three units in a converted house in the 100 block of South Graham Street. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209077-488.stm?cmpid=news.xml Allegheny County Health Department spokesman Guillermo Cole says he doesn't think there's an answer as to why, but he's happy to report that the Pittsburgh area's having a mild flu season to date. So far, there have been only five confirmed cases -- one believed to have been contracted by someone when traveling abroad -- with just the rest of February, March and perhaps April to go. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209079-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A bomb squad was called, Downtown streets were cleared, traffic was stalled, buildings were emptied, an ambulance was dispatched -- all because of a coughing fit. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209080-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The 2008 search of a Western Pennsylvania man's illegal steroid lab led to an international probe that culminated in the guilty pleas Wednesday of two Ukrainians who had boasted to an undercover agent of millions of dollars of sales of muscle-building drugs. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209081-57.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Carnegie man was arrested Wednesday in the death of his girlfriend, who was found stabbed following an argument in the apartment the two shared. Jeffrey A. Maloy, 26, was to be arraigned Wednesday night on a homicide charge in the death of Melissa Bowers, 35. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209084-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- Calling for reductions in state borrowing, the House Republican leader Wednesday proposed cutting by more than half the credit limit for a grant program supporting construction projects. The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is authorized to borrow up to $4.05 billion to award grants to economic development projects with cultural, historic or civic significance. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209085-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml A federal judge Wednesday rejected requests by top Republican state lawmakers to prevent April 24 elections from proceeding under existing legislative districts. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209087-142-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Big East has acquired all the pieces to build a coast-to-coast conference. Putting them together will take a while. The conference wanted to rebuild into a 12-team football league that can hold a championship game, and Memphis officially became that 12th member Wednesday when it accepted an invite it long has coveted. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209089-169.stm?cmpid=news.xml Robert Morris shut down a late rally by Northeast Conference rival Saint Francis to hold on for a 78-74 win. The Colonials' 11-point, second-half lead was cut to just two by the Red Flash (5-19, 4-7), but Saint Francis could not complete the comeback. Seven Colonials (18-8, 9-4) tallied six or more points led by Lucky Jones and Mike McFadden with 14 points each. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209095-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The ghosts of two doomed antipiracy bills hang over a new and unrelated issue on Capitol Hill: proposed legislation to help secure the nation's nuclear plants, water systems and other essential infrastructure from hackers and terrorists. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209096-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Correction Appended Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209097-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Nabbing the iPhone was a victory for Sprint Nextel, but the blockbuster handset has yet to pay off in profits for the company. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209098-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml SAN FRANCISCO -- John T. Chambers, chief executive of Cisco Systems, made one of his classic bombastic predictions Wednesday, claiming that the world's largest maker of computer networking equipment is poised to dominate the construction of cloud computing systems. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209099-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Correction Appended Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209100-115-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A piece of Mars fell on Morocco in July. But that was just the start of its travels on Earth. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209101-115-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml SAN FRANCISCO -- Venture deep inside the new skyway of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and it becomes clear that the bridge's engineers have planned for the long term. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209102-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PITTSBURGH Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209103-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DALLAS Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209104-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml FOUR-STORY STONE VILLA NEAR DUBROVNIK WITH VIEWS OF THE ADRIATIC SEA Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209105-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml ANDREA PANICO, a jewelry designer, often finds that small-scale treasures grow out of studying larger things. Her company, Pico Design, in Montclair, N.J., makes what she calls "little architecture": earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and cuff links inspired by notable buildings and bridges. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209106-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HAMDEN, Conn. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209107-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml AS the national unemployment rate starts to fall, signaling a strengthening economy, some bullish Americans may buy something especially sweet for their sweethearts this Valentine's Day. Others who are feeling the economic thaw may spend money on something notoriously expensive, if less romantic, which they have been putting off: a divorce. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209108-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bed and table linens, pillows and an assortment of decorative accessories will be up to 75 percent off at Ann Gish, Feb. 11 to 18 (the queen-size quilted coverlet in Irongate, regularly $750, will be $195); 4 West 20th Street (Fifth Avenue), (212) 727-2122, anngish.com. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209109-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The Republican Party may never have been destined to fall in love with Mitt Romney, but even persuading voters to fall in line behind his candidacy is proving far more taxing than he had once hoped. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209110-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- With the House poised to take up a major ethics bill, Republican leaders have deleted a provision that would, for the first time, regulate the collection of "political intelligence" from political insiders for the use of hedge funds, mutual funds and other investors. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209111-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Dozens of local and regional construction projects, which the Obama administration did not include in this year's budget, managed to received special financing through money set aside by lawmakers, according to a review of documents issued Wednesday by the Army Corps of Engineers. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209112-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona hustled through the Capitol on Wednesday to huddle with fellow Republicans trying to head off the next political train wreck for their party, another crisis over the expiring payroll tax cut. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209113-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Amid mounting tensions over whether Israel will carry out a military strike against Iran's nuclear program, the United States and Israel remain at odds over a fundamental question: whether Iran's crucial nuclear facilities are about to become impregnable. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209114-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TRIPOLI, Libya -- As the militiamen saw it, they had the best of intentions. They assaulted another militia at a seaside base here this week to rescue a woman who had been abducted. When the guns fell silent, briefly, the scene that unfolded felt as chaotic as Libya's revolution these days -- a government whose authority extends no further than its offices, militias whose swagger comes from guns far too plentiful and residents whose patience fades with every volley of gunfire that cracks at night. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1209005-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two days after a court-appointed deadline calling for their eviction, Occupy Pittsburgh members said they were voluntarily leaving their camp site. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 23:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1209013-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml TAMPA, Fla. -- South Florida snapped Pitt's four-game winning streak by beating the Panthers, 63-51, tonight at Tampa Times Forum. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 21:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208967-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man's coughing fit caused him to lose control of his girlfriend's SUV and crash into the glass doors of PNC's Firstside Center Downtown on Tuesday, causing a commotion that drew a bomb squad and hordes of curious onlookers during rush hour. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:52:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208979-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml West Virginia University is close to settling a lawsuit with the Big East by paying the conference $11 million, clearing the way for the school to join the Big 12 starting with the 2012 football season, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Post-Gazette. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 19:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208987-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Braddock police officer awaiting trial on burglary and bribery charges was arraigned today in another string of crimes in which police said he pressed a prostitute into a sham prostitution sting and stole a shotgun from evidence, among other things. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 17:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208823-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The boyfriend of a woman who was fatally stabbed early today in Carnegie has been charged in her death. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208965-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Steelers began what may be a lengthy house-cleaning list when they released veterans Bryant McFadden and Arnaz Battle today. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208966-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A group that says it wants to reform Penn State University???s board of trustees today announced its endorsement of three candidates for the three alumni board seats up for election this spring. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208821-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man and a woman were killed and a firefighter was injured early today when a 6-year-old playing with a lighter sparked a blaze at a home in Friendship. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208964-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- After more than three hours of debate today and months of wrangling over the legislation's details, a Marcellus Shale regulatory and impact fee measure is headed to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208924-114.stm?cmpid=news.xml So far, Allegheny County is experiencing a "very mild" flu season with just five confirmed cases, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:39:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208923-139-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Jerry takes your questions in his weekly online forum. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208883-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two Mt. Lebanon youth football coaches today were found not guilty of disorderly conduct charges related to a post-practice dispute an an elementary school in the fall. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208867-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- The state House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted today to send a bill to extend unemployment compensation benefits for Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's signature. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:39:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208865-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Penguins have returned forwards Colin McDonald and Jason Williams to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 14:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208863-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two Ukrainian men pleaded guilty today to conspiring to import and sell illegal steroids and to money laundering in the culmination of an investigation that started in Pittsburgh and spread to three continents. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208688-148.stm?cmpid=news.xml This engaging work of self-declared "investigative parenting" will strike like a stiletto heel into the quivering gelatin of middle-class parental anxiety. Pamela Druckerman, an American journalist and mother of three in Paris, sends word that, once again, Americans are messing up their kids and another culture is superior. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 13:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208844-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- The House Gaming Oversight Committee held a hearing today on a bill that would impose 10-mile no-casino "buffer zone" around the Gettysburg National Military Park and the Flight 93 Memorial Park. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:29:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208700-500.stm?cmpid=news.xml The final scene of "Ruthless! The Musical" is so brazenly depraved, you probably should know about it in advance, but that would be like giving away the big reveal of "The Sixth Sense." So, for those of you who would be easily offended by a wicked child gone wild, consider yourself warned. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208843-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge this morning delayed issuing a decision in the homicide by vehicle case against an Upper St. Clair man, saying that he was giving more time to both sides to establish the scientific value -- or lack of it -- of the data recorder in the crashed car. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208826-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml County sheriff's deputies this morning arrested a man wanted in connection with a shooting at a birthday party that left one teen dead and seven others wounded. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 11:15:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208756-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The newly crowned top 3-point shooter in WPIAL boys basketball history has helped his team reach the playoffs his senior season. Micah Mason broke the WPIAL record for career 3-pointers and helped Highlands earn a spot in the postseason Tuesday with a 72-60 win against visiting Deer Lakes in Class AAA Section 2. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208707-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml Congratulations -- You're a prize winner! Or maybe not. More people reported falling victim to phony prize and sweepstakes awards than any other type of scam last year, according to the National Consumers League. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:56:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208758-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml State representatives today will continue debating a measure to overhaul Pennsylvania's gas-drilling regulations and impose a fee on those shale wells, in an effort to send the bill to Gov. Tom Corbett's desk. The legislation, which was the result of years of debate in Harrisburg and months of furious activity, passed the state Senate on Tuesday morning on a vote of 31-19. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208681-374-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LA PAZ, Bolivia -- None of my other trips to South America had ever included Bolivia; thus, I have found its complexity somewhat daunting. What brought my wife and me here was my stepson's wife, an internationally acclaimed pianist, Ana-Maria Vera. Ana-Maria is half-Bolivian, half-Dutch and now American. She started her career at age 8 as a child prodigy. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208701-437.stm?cmpid=news.xml Whether or not you have children, chances are you once were one. And if you were fortunate, books -- from your parents, the school library, a maiden aunt at Christmas -- were a part of your childhood. If so, there should be something for you in the all-ages exhibition "Draw Me a Story: A Century of Children's Book Illustration." Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208782-294-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Our first year of dating was like boot camp. Each summer weekend of 1997, Greg and I matched our skills in running, hiking, biking, swimming and rock climbing. We trained at the Mt. Lebanon track and entered 5K races on weekends. My heart rate soared, trying to keep up with his hiking pace. I admired his muscular back during climbing; he liked my long legs on the bike. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 10:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208705-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml In late January, President Barack Obama swung by the Washington Auto Show to check out some new wheels, although it's not clear yet when he might need to start driving his own car again. Millions more Americans will be climbing inside the latest models this year as auto shows come and go around the country. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208752-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Robert Glaser is renowned in the academic world for co-founding the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, but many of his achievements aren't the kind you'll see on paper. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208779-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Rick Santorum got the electoral boost his campaign badly needed Tuesday, winning GOP contests in Missouri and Minnesota while jumping out to an early lead in Colorado's caucuses as well. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208753-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- Facing a budget deficit that is a half-billion dollars and growing, Republican Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday proposed an austere spending plan for next year that would slash millions from state universities and revamp how counties receive aid for human-services programs. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 08:48:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208822-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Gov. Tom Corbett today again declined to give details of how he plans to deal with the state's transportation funding crisis, and said he couldn't guarantee a solution that would avert record transit service cuts in Pittsburgh. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 08:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208679-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In the most recent Gallup poll on abortion, as many Americans described themselves as pro-life as called themselves pro-choice. A combined 58 percent of Americans stated that abortion should either be "illegal in all circumstances" or "legal in only a few circumstances." Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208680-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Congress is stuck in a rut of voting to delay, rather than fix, a problem that threatens access to health care for seniors and military families. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208682-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml This is one of a series presented by the National Aviary. The National Aviary works to inspire respect for nature through an appreciation of birds. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208683-44.stm?cmpid=news.xml Walter Dean Myers, author of more than 100 books for young adults and children, is the first African-American writer to serve as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and the third person to hold the position, which the Library of Congress created in 2008. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208684-51-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As thousands of students reach their high school years, levels of stress continue to increase. This is especially true for females; in my school, when I took a survey of 24 students (a group of 12 boys and 12 girls) that asked them if high school is stressful for them, 11 out of the 12 girls responded "yes," while only 50 percent of boys seem to let high school bog down their spirits. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208686-348-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Well, it's safe to say that Piers Morgan won't be first in line for tickets to Madonna's just-announced world tour. The pontificating Brit continued his public assault on America's long-reigning Material Girl while chatting with E!'s own Chelsea Handler last night, blasting Madonna's Super Bowl halftime show as a "gruesome" performance, E! News reports. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208690-67.stm?cmpid=news.xml This devil will be given his due, thanks to "Antiques Roadshow." When the venerable PBS appraisal show airs the three hours shot in Pittsburgh beginning Monday, one of the locals who made the cut was Robert, a retired schoolteacher from the Mon Valley. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208691-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml You know it's a hyper-partisan age when GOP svengali Karl Rove professes offense at a Super Bowl ad extolling American resilience. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208692-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml Longtime Democratic state Rep. Bill DeWeese has lost his right to public office. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208693-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml Whatever the prospects are for diplomacy by Russia to end the Syrian conflict, the tragedy is that the bloodshed will continue while that occurs. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208694-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Now is the time for Pennsylvania legislators to reform state government. By combining two key reforms, they can eliminate two threats to good government -- a cumbersome, costly, oversized Legislature and the partisan gerrymandering of election districts. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208697-483.stm?cmpid=news.xml It's not often I get inspired to make a dish after watching a celebrity chef whip it up on TV. Especially when said cooking star is Sandra Lee, who's best known for her "semi-homemade" style of cooking, which relies heavily on pre-packaged products instead of fresh items. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208698-437.stm?cmpid=news.xml Four Egyptian artists/activists are in Pittsburgh this week to participate in closing events Saturday for the exhibition "Sites of Passage" at the Mattress Factory museum, North Side. The events are public and included with museum admission. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208704-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Also in today's headlines: Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208706-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you think Pittsburgh's health insurance landscape has changed dramatically in the last year, you ain't seen nothing yet, according to six of the region's top insurance executives. Expect more friction between physicians and health plans as insurers try to wring what they call unnecessary procedures, scans and surgeries out of the system. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208708-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml It took about 450 million years, but the Utica Shale is finally having its moment in the sun. Seven deals involving the Ohio oil and gas formation totaled $6.7 billion in 2011 -- a huge increase from the single transaction worth $178 million in 2010. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208709-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml After successfully converting a vacant three-story building on Forbes Avenue into apartments and a restaurant, Mike Clements is back for an encore. The developer is seeking to transform an old cigar wrapping facility at 604 Liberty Ave., Downtown, into a two- or three-bedroom townhouse with a street level cafe or bistro. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208712-139.stm?cmpid=news.xml Alberto Contador vowed Tuesday to return to the pinnacle of cycling, maintaining his innocence in the face of a two-year doping ban that stripped the Spanish star of his 2010 Tour de France title. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208713-139-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday urged U.S. federal authorities to quickly hand over evidence collected in their lengthy probe into seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong and doping in American cycling. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208715-143.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Big Ten, which helped squash the notion of a four-team playoff to crown a national champion in college football several years ago, is taking another look. "All of the Big Ten athletic directors are comfortable exploring the possibility of a four-team playoff," Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis said. "Four is better than two." Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208716-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two days after their grueling season concluded with a tense victory against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants took a victory lap in Lower Manhattan. The celebration kicked off with a parade that wound north up Broadway's Canyon of Heroes, amid a sea of confetti, horns and fans in blue jerseys, and ended with a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, where Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg presented the players with keys to the city. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208717-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If the Steelers wanted an offensive coordinator who will be tough on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, they found the right person in Todd Haley. As an offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals, Haley often got into arguments and in-your-face debates with some of his top players, including star quarterback Kurt Warner. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208718-87-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml There's a perception out there that Steelers new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is a tyrant. It's one thing to be emotional, a good thing actually in a sport as competitive as football. But many say Haley frequently steps over the line, that he is headstrong, confrontational and difficult to work with and for. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208719-142.stm?cmpid=news.xml Memphis is the latest school to sign up for a spot in the new Big East. A person familiar with the decision says Memphis is joining the Big East for all sports in 2013. The Big East announced it would hold a teleconference today with commissioner John Marinatto, University of Memphis President Shirley C. Raines and Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson, though it did not give any details about what would be discussed. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208725-57.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Air Force could have to cross a congressional hurdle if it wants to close the 911th Airlift Wing near Pittsburgh International Airport. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208726-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Police on Tuesday were investigating the robbery of a pizza delivery driver on the North Side, the third of its kind in recent days. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208727-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml New deadlines have been set for Allegheny County property taxes as a result of concerns about new property assessments. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208728-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml Deciding the weighty issue of who should oversee the annual inspection of gas pumps, UPC scanners, scales and parking meters in Allegheny County will have to wait until the county controller is back from maternity leave next month. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208729-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A judge will decide today whether an Upper St. Clair man accused of homicide by vehicle in the deaths of three people two years ago on the Parkway West is guilty or not. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208730-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml The man accused of raping two women in Ross and another in Hopewell was indicted by a federal grand jury on a charge that he illegally possessed body armor, the U.S. attorney's office said Tuesday. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208731-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml A woman who flipped her car with her infant son riding in the back seat was charged with three counts of driving under the influence after toxicology tests showed she had alcohol and drugs in her system, according to police. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208732-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml The suspect in a Butler County bank robbery was in prison Tuesday after officers from multiple agencies tracked his getaway car. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208734-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml After several failed attempts, Iranian lawmakers for the first time mustered enough votes Tuesday to compel President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to testify before them in coming weeks about what they called "irregularities" related to his handling of the country's struggling economy. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208735-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml BAGHDAD -- Less than two months after U.S. troops left, the State Department is preparing to slash by as much as half the enormous diplomatic presence it had planned for Iraq, a sharp sign of declining U.S. influence in the country. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208736-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml ATLANTA -- A vice president at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation resigned Tuesday, saying the breast cancer charity should have stood by its politically explosive decision to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208737-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Faced with continued criticism from a new rule on health insurance coverage for birth control, the White House on Tuesday emphasized that the details of the mandate were not yet settled. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208738-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml A federal appeals panel in San Francisco ruled Tuesday that California's Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a decision that could lead to the Supreme Court's consideration of the controversial social issue. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208739-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DAMASCUS, Syria -- Russia's top diplomat said Tuesday that a Syrian commission has prepared a new constitution, to be voted on in a referendum, and added that President Bashar al-Assad is ready for a "dialogue" with opposition groups after months of a harsh and bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208741-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 13 points and 13 rebounds and top-ranked Kentucky easily passed its toughest Southeastern Conference test to date with a 78-58 victory against No. 8 Florida. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208743-135.stm?cmpid=news.xml Duquesne freshman P.J. Torres texted his coach in November before the team's nationally televised game at Arizona: "I'm ready to play coach." Ron Everhart disagreed. It was a big TV game after all, and he questioned his freshman's motives. Torres didn't played that night. "Everybody here was 'the man' in high school. I came here with the high school mindset. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208745-175.stm?cmpid=news.xml Winning on the road in the Big East is a tough task. Pitt has come to understand just how difficult it is this season after posting winning records in conference road games for three consecutive seasons. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208747-169.stm?cmpid=news.xml For most of this season, the top of scoring sheet has been fairly predictable for Robert Morris. Redshirt junior Velton Jones nearly always is there. Leading the Colonials with 16.8 points per game, he has been the team's top scorer in 15 of 25 games. Behind Jones is usually sharpshooter Coron Williams, who leads the team with 56 3-pointers and averages 11.0 points per game. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208754-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pennsylvania's public universities, hit by severe funding cuts this year, would collectively lose a quarter of their general appropriation next year under Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-13 state budget, which provides nearly flat funding for public school districts. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208757-275-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Paul Pierce passed Larry Bird for No. 2 on the Celtics' career scoring list, finishing with 15 points as Boston increased its winning streak to five in a row with a 94-84 victory against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats. Pierce needed nine points to tie Bird's total of 21,791. He had seven points at halftime, then hit a 3-pointer with 10:23 left in the third quarter to pass Bird. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208759-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Gov. Tom Corbett had very little to say about transportation in his budget message on Tuesday, dashing expectations that he would put forth a specific plan for raising money to improve roads and bridges and rescue ailing public transit systems, including the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208760-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml After about a decade of purchasing asphalt from a vendor, the Pittsburgh public works department wants to make its own asphalt again with the hope of saving money and adding muscle to the city's street-paving program. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208761-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml City council gave final approval Tuesday to a package of assistance that will be available to Pittsburgh homeowners 65 and older and to other city homeowners whose 2011 assessments totaled $150,000 or less. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208762-56-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It appears there is still hope that a K-8 school will exist in Duquesne next year despite announcements by state Education Department officials that the district's school would dissolve after the 2011-12 school year. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208763-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In separate motions filed Tuesday, attorneys for Jerry Sandusky alleged that his accusers are collaborating against the former Penn State defensive coordinator, while prosecutors are asking to have the man's bond conditions be even further restricted to keep him from going outside and watching children at a nearby elementary school. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208764-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pittsburgh police continued to search for the driver of a stolen SUV that crashed into PNC's Firstside Center on First Avenue Tuesday afternoon, drawing a bomb squad and hordes of curious onlookers to the edge of Downtown. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208765-54-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Allegheny County is hoping to complete a slow-moving bridge project on Thompson Run Road in Ross by the end of April. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208768-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml Leading Democrats have commenced a furious drive to galvanize and expand the network of wealthy liberal donors that has been largely dormant since 2004, hoping to recruit them to Democratic-leaning "Super-PACs" that President Barack Obama now believes will be critical to winning re-election in November. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208771-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots for his first shutout this season and the record 117th of his NHL career Tuesday night, and the visiting New Jersey Devils beat the Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers, 1-0, for their fifth consecutive win. David Clarkson gave Brodeur all the offense he needed with a first-period, power-play goal. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208772-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Evgeni Malkin has a Stanley Cup ring, an NHL scoring championship and a playoff MVP award. What he does not have, at least in parts of North America, is a public presence equal to his accomplishments. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208774-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml Steelers tight end Weslye Saunders has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2012 season for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing substances. Saunders, an undrafted rookie in 2011, is eligible to participate in all preseason games and practices before his suspension begins Sept. 1. This is not the first time Saunders has had off-the-field problems. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208777-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PHILADELPHIA -- Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua was laid to rest Tuesday alongside the tombs of his predecessors, the bishops and archbishops of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. "He loved his people. He loved Philadelphia," said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput toward the close of the two-hour funeral Mass and entombment at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208780-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Elliot Howsie, a Pittsburgh defense attorney who has no managerial experience and owes back taxes of more than $6,000 on at least two properties in the county, is poised to become the next chief public defender in Allegheny County. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208781-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Used to be that a bad game would rattle Marc-Andre Fleury, causing him to follow it with one that wasn't much better. Not anymore, though. He proved that again Tuesday night, when he did just about everything possible to earn a victory for the Penguins against Montreal at the Bell Centre. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208783-154-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The expression "political football" refers to something kicked around for political effect. But, nowadays, everything is kicked around for political effect. In truth, politics has become football, as the Super Bowl ended up proving. Consider that politics and football are both contact sports. Both involve lots of money. Both encourage blind allegiance to a team. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208793-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Workers in the digital era can feel at times as if they are playing a video game, battling the barrage of e-mails and instant messages, juggling documents, Web sites and online calendars. To cope, people have become swift with the mouse, toggling among dozens of overlapping windows on a single monitor. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208794-115-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Norton D. Zinder, a researcher who helped lay the basis for the new field of molecular biology in the 1950s and '60s and who played a crucial role in the politics of decoding the human genome, died on Friday in a nursing home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. He was 83. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208795-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml Q. Are oral plaque, coronary vessel plaque and eye plaque the same substance? Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208796-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml His candidacy all but dismissed just days ago, Rick Santorum won the Minnesota caucuses and a nonbinding primary in Missouri on Tuesday, raising fresh questions about Mitt Romney's ability to corral conservative support. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208797-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday passed legislation that would authorize a tax on the shale gas industry and set uniform standards for development, changes that critics said would leave many municipalities with little control over the use of their land. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208798-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DAYTON, Ohio -- On a day that was not kind to Newt Gingrich, he traveled to a place he hopes will help get him back in the saddle next month: Ohio. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208799-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Leading Democrats have commenced a furious drive to galvanize and expand the network of wealthy liberal donors that has been largely dormant since 2004, hoping to recruit them to Democratic-leaning "super PACs" that President Obama now believes will be critical to winning re-election in November. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208800-298.stm?cmpid=news.xml A second teacher from Miramonte Elementary School in South Los Angeles was charged with child molesting on Tuesday. The teacher, Martin Springer, faces three counts of lewd acts upon a child. He was arrested Friday, days after another teacher, Mark Berndt, was charged. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208801-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ATHENS -- As thousands of Greeks walked off the job in a general strike on Tuesday to protest stringent new austerity measures, there was a growing sense that the country was reaching a critical point in its efforts to survive the debt crisis. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208802-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan government officials cast doubt Tuesday on whether more than 20 children who died in camps recently had perished from the cold. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208803-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- The police in Russia plan to resubmit for trial a tax evasion case in which the primary defendant died in detention more than two years ago, his former employer said Tuesday. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208804-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml RIO DE JANEIRO -- Faced with an influx of thousands of Haitians into its Amazonian frontier, Brazil has reacted by cracking down, offering a view into its growing pains as it wields greater regional influence and emerges as an immigration magnet. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208805-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml In the centenary year of his birth, Alan Turing, the British mathematician and cryptanalyst regarded as one of the central figures in the development of the computer and artificial intelligence, has been denied a formal pardon by the government of Prime Minister David Cameron for his conviction in 1952 on charges of homosexuality, then a criminal offense in Britain. An e-mail petition for a pardon for Mr. Turing, who committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple in 1954, when he was 41, has drawn worldw Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208806-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml Scotland Yard formally acknowledged on Tuesday that it had acted unlawfully in 2006 and 2007 in failing to notify hundreds of individuals targeted by The News of the World as it hacked into the cellphone voice mail messages of politicians, sports stars and other celebrities. The admission came as two judges at the High Court in London were hearing evidence in a lawsuit brought by a former deputy prime minister, John Prescott, and a group of other litigants. Top officers at Scotland Yard have previously reje Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208807-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TUXTLA GUTIÉRREZ, Mexico -- In the 1990s, they helped their parents run a small family food stand in front of a bus terminal in southern Mexico. Today, the Álvarez Puga brothers, Alejandro and Victor, sit atop a multimillion-dollar financial consulting firm, travel in private jets, own property in New York and boast of having clients around the world. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208808-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Correction Appended Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208809-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml After several failed attempts, Iranian lawmakers for the first time mustered enough votes on Tuesday to compel President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to testify before them in coming weeks about what they called "irregularities" related to his handling of the country's struggling economy. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208810-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BAGHDAD -- Less than two months after American troops left, the State Department is preparing to slash by as much as half the enormous diplomatic presence it had planned for Iraq, a sharp sign of declining American influence in the country. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208811-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The last veteran of World War I was a waitress, and for 90 years no one knew her name. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208812-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml FLORENCE, Italy -- A judge in Florence continued on Tuesday the house arrest of Francesco Schettino, the captain of the luxury liner that ran aground off the Tuscan coast on Jan. 13, leaving 17 people dead and 15 still unaccounted for. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500