http://www.post-gazette.com/ All News en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 17:39:38 -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/12036/1208374-142.stm?cmpid=news.xml Tray Woodall scored a career high 29 points and Ashton Gibbs added 24 to lead Pitt to a 79-70 victory against Villanova this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 16:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208373-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ilya Kovalchuk scored one goal and assisted on two others to lead New Jersey to a 5-2 victory today over the Penguins at the Prudential Center. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 15:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208371-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Some members of the grassroots protest movement known as Occupy Pittsburgh appear this morning to be pulling out of their encampment on BNY Mellon's property. Others appear determined to remain at the site along Grant Street, where they have been since October. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 15:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208372-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml It took a high-speed chase, a pursuit on foot, and a scuffle, but two McKees Rocks police officers on routine patrol spotted a car jacking in progress and arrested a suspect. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 14:24:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208306-51-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The visitors have been coming at a steady trickle, reverent, bemused, squinting at the crabbed handwriting in the anguished letters from his American tour ("They will never leave me alone ... I shake hands every day ... with five or six hundred people"), the missives on mesmerism, philanthropy, storytelling, Christmas books and his own manic energy. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 13:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208318-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney cruised to victory in the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, notching a second consecutive triumph against a field of rivals suddenly struggling to keep pace. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 13:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208068-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml One was a young businessman, the other an honors high school student. Their paths never crossed, but Jonny Gammage and Jordan Miles are inextricably linked as black men who were injured, one fatally, while being subdued by white police officers. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207984-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Walt Whitman -- giant of Americana, author of "Leaves of Grass" and portrayed in voice by Garrison Keillor in Ken Burns' "The Civil War" -- is celebrated today as a champion of individual freedom, the pleasures of the senses and a love of nature. Yet Whitman made a much different mark on our country during the Civil War, as a nurse's aide and hospice caregiver. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208080-51-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Three hundred and fifty years ago, using the wrong pronouns in Massachusetts could land you in hot water. If you were a Quaker living in a Massachusetts Bay settlement circa 1660, your transgressive language would have made you a target for the governing Puritans. Quakers rejected the hierarchical pronoun system that required ye, you and your to be used as a sign of deference to superiors. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207910-140-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml With Valentine's Day right around the corner, people everywhere are preparing to ignite, rekindle or fan the flames of love. While chocolate, jewelry and roses are popular ways to say "I love you," other species are also feeling amorous and preparing to perform their own courtship rituals. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:18:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208319-51.stm?cmpid=news.xml The august Morgan Library in midtown Manhattan houses the second largest collection of manuscripts and letters after the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, including the original manuscript of "A Christmas Carol," one of only a handful of Dickens' original works located outside Britain, said Declan Kiely, the Robert H. Taylor Curator of Manuscripts at the library. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 11:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208299-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich's presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 10:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207933-325.stm?cmpid=news.xml Mark Clayton Southers has been working on "The Gammage Project" for two years and directing the play through rehearsals as it readies for a Thursday opening. There was a moment when he let his actors do some freestyle acting, just to have a little fun, before getting back to the play. "That's going to be the most fun we have," he said. "It's a real tough piece." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 10:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208370-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Firefighters battled a blaze in Bridgeville this morning that destroyed an apartment building and spread to a neighboring structure. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 08:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208369-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Two Beaver County residents were hurt Saturday in a car crash blamed on speed. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 07:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208250-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Mike Tomlin calls it the sticky Lombardi because of all the handprints that stick to the trophy after the NFL commissioner awards it to the new Super Bowl champions. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208070-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml The reassessment of Pittsburgh treated expensive land and buildings gently, while overestimating the values of low-priced properties. The Allegheny County-run reassessment fell far short of the goal of distributing the tax burden fairly among owners of high-dollar properties and residents of modest homes. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208059-454.stm?cmpid=news.xml His first state budget proposal and its billion dollars in cuts brought months of angry outcry from students, labor unions, Democrats and the physically disabled. This year? Expect more of the same. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208343-275.stm?cmpid=news.xml Rookie Kyrie Irving made a driving layup in traffic with 15.8 seconds left to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 91-88 victory against the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207973-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml NEW YORK -- Every horse in the world can be traced to a single mare that trotted the earth about 130,000 to 160,000 years ago, scientists have discovered for the first time. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208274-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The United States' plan to wind down its combat role in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected relies on shifting responsibility to Special Operations forces that hunt insurgent leaders and train local troops, according to senior Pentagon officials and military officers. These forces could remain in the country well after the NATO mission ends in late 2014. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208276-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran began ground military exercises Saturday and defiantly warned that it could cut off oil exports to "hostile" European nations as tensions rise over suggestions that military strikes are an increasing possibility if sanctions fail to rein in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208278-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A U.N. Security Council effort to end the violence in Syria ended in acrimony and a veto by Russia and China on Saturday, hours after the Syrian military attacked the ravaged city of Homs in what opposition leaders described as the bloodiest government assault in the nearly 11-month-old uprising. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208300-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PUEBLO, Colo. -- On a summer night not long ago, Maureen White sat alone in her living room staring at a DVD she had avoided watching for years. On the screen was her older brother, Richard Paul White, the person who taught her how to ride a bike and who tried to protect her from their mother's abusive boyfriend when they were children. He was confessing to murdering six people. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208325-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml Attorneys representing a man who was sentenced to death more than two decades ago in the murder of a waitress in Fayette County are trying to stop prosecutors from retrying the defendant. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208327-58.stm?cmpid=news.xml An official says a fire early Friday morning at the Sarris Candies factory in Canonsburg destroyed nearly 20,000 pounds of chocolate. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208339-449-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Marcus Denmon hit three 3-pointers in the final 2:05, the final one for the go-ahead points, as No. 4 Missouri fought off No. 8 Kansas, 74-71, Saturday night in a Big 12 Conference showdown at Mizzou Arena in Game 1 of what could be the schools' final border showdown. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208340-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml Stefanie Dolson scored 16 points, Tiffany Hayes had 14 and No. 3 Connecticut defeated 13th-ranked Rutgers, 66-34, Saturday for its 98th consecutive home victory. The Huskies (21-2, 9-1 Big East) grabbed control with a 17-0 run midway through the first half. Hayes got the run started with eight consecutive points. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1205681-67.stm?cmpid=news.xml It is often the case that networks in the most dire straits take the wildest swings. ABC unleashed "Twin Peaks" during a ratings downturn and NBC's early 1980s desperation allowed for the creative rebirth of the network with "Hill Street Blues," "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207252-491.stm?cmpid=news.xml "I think the first day in August was so beautiful. They came in their uniforms. You could see the expectations that things were going to be different. We're really going to focus on our learning," she said. But when the school opened ... Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207906-44.stm?cmpid=news.xml A list of the best-selling fiction and nonfiction titles. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207907-148.stm?cmpid=news.xml Krys Lee's stories in her debut collection, "Drifting House," occupy spaces between, and her characters -- immigrants and refugees, families and lovers -- are nomads of time, place and culture. They make a keen observation of the layers of Korean society the past few generations, and of the dualities that have shaped the peninsula and its people Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207908-148.stm?cmpid=news.xml Considering how many books on pro football are released every year, it's eye-opening that a definitive biography of the best man ever to take a snap from center has never been published. That man, of course, is Bart Starr, and if you didn't know that, then it is especially important that you read "America's Quarterback" by Keith Dunnavant, the most important book on pro football this season. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207909-148.stm?cmpid=news.xml The cover image of Georgia Pellegrini's "Girl Hunter" is fashioned after those old master portraits, the purpose of which is not so much to show what someone looks like, but to display who they are. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207911-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml Outdoor enthusiasts who traverse the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail are hiking, skiing and snowmobiling for joy. They are celebrating the Jan. 28 completion of a new bridge that spans the Pennsylvania Turnpike and rejoins the 70-mile trail stretching along Laurel Mountain from the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle to the Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207912-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) marks its 15th anniversary Feb. 17-20. Coordinated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and several partners, the GBBC is a great opportunity for anyone to become a weekend "citizen scientist." The GBBC enlists birders of all skill levels in an effort to keep common birds common. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207913-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml When Mother Nature can't provide stable skating ice, try Mt. Lebanon Park. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207914-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml Saturdays: Family Nature Hour. Powdermill Nature Reserve, Rector. Nature stories, outdoor exploration of trails. Free, 1 p.m. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207915-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml Elyse Eshelman, 16, Shaler Area High School Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207916-140.stm?cmpid=news.xml Tons of coal Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207923-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml On a beautiful fall day in New York, Christian Borle was thinking of Pittsburgh. He had expected to return to his hometown, but filming episodes of the new NBC series "Smash" was demanding his time. "Where in Pittsburgh are you so I can imagine it?" he asked. When I told him I was near the Point, he said, "Ah. I really, really wanted to come back for Thanksgiving." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207924-437.stm?cmpid=news.xml Maya Lin entered the national consciousness in 1982 when she won a competition to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., while an undergraduate at Yale University. Three decades later, Ms. Lin has moved well beyond that early honor to become a globally engaged environmental advocate. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207926-34.stm?cmpid=news.xml This recipe gives you a chance to improve on the quality of classic football fare, taking typically deep-fried, or at least heavily breaded Jalapeno Poppers (as my wife loves them) and turns them into something a little more classy. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207929-287.stm?cmpid=news.xml The National Ski Areas Association reports the 2010-11 season had the most skier/snowboarder visits on record -- 60.54 million, thanks to "an improving economy and snowfall totals 27 percent above average" at ski resorts nationally. Local, regional and national ski areas would appreciate just an average amount of snow this season. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207930-287.stm?cmpid=news.xml Unseasonably warm weather across the Midwest and Northeast this winter has dealt a blow to local and regional resorts for the first half of the snowsports season, delivering less natural snow and sustained snowmaking temperatures than in most years. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207932-37.stm?cmpid=news.xml It was an offer I couldn't turn down: An invitation to share a house here with three longtime ski companions and an opportunity to conduct some "product evaluation" at three snow- and sun-blessed New Mexico resorts. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207934-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml In a heated presidential campaign, politicians have, like clockwork, started hitting each other over who is soft on crime. And here I thought we'd outgrown the Willie Horton era of playing political football with people's lives. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207935-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Writing at Media Matters for America, Eric Boehlert accuses Fox News of destroying the Republican Party's chances of recapturing the White House: "More and more despondent conservatives are expressing alarm over the unfolding Republican primary season and what they see as the party's dwindling chances of defeating President Obama in November," Mr. Boehlert wrote. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207937-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml In 1890, the Supreme Court upheld a federal law that abolished the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' corporate charter and authorized the U.S. government to seize its property. This collective punishment was constitutional, the court ruled, because the Mormons' crime, polygamy, was "barbarism" and "contrary to the spirit of Christianity." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207938-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Over the past 15 years, abundant scientific evidence has accumulated that shows America's schoolchildren are chronically sleep deprived, and it is affecting their learning, mood, safety and health. Furthermore, the general trend is only worsening, with children of all ages receiving, on average, about one hour per night less sleep than their peers a generation ago. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207939-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml When I went to serve as U.S. ambassador to India in 2009, I hoped to learn more about that country's vibrant democracy and our shared values. I gained an additional benefit while overseas: I learned that America is still deeply admired around the world and the place where many people want to live out their dreams. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207942-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A kickoff reception for the exhibit "A City of Rhythm: A Tribute to African American Music in Pittsburgh" will be held in the lobby of the City-County Building, Downtown, at 6 p.m. The reception, which is free and open to the public, will include refreshments, a performance by singer/songwriter Joy Ike and comments by those involved with the city's Black History Month celebration. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207944-348.stm?cmpid=news.xml Chris Bell, 25, was named to Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 list, along with more famous names like LeBron James and actor Jonah Hill, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and actress Chloe Moretz. The Carnegie Mellon graduate describes himself as a game artist with formal training in game and graphic design. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207955-407.stm?cmpid=news.xml Question: My boss recently moved my desk so that I would be farther away from my co-worker, "Tamara." Tamara's annoying behavior causes me to react, and our conflicts have been getting progressively worse. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207956-407-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The conventional wisdom for both male and female employees when it comes to shedding tears in front of co-workers in the workplace is: Don't do it. Things can go wrong and difficult issues can come up at work, but most workplace consultants agree that crying is not the best way to deal with job-related stress. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207965-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml I have to reply to Evan Harr's letter ("Pittsburgh Transit Woes Are Not My Problem," Jan. 29). It appeared to be another shortsighted rant from a non-Pittsburgher or non-Port Authority user who doesn't feel he has to solve "our" problems. First, public transportation exists to move people, not to turn a profit. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207966-373-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml "A Tale of Two Cities" illustrated how starkly different were the views in London and Paris of the French Revolution. There's a similar gulf between Democrats and Republicans on economic policy Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207967-149.stm?cmpid=news.xml The good news is that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation has seen the error of its way and reversed its plans to eliminate grants to Planned Parenthood. The bad news is how it lost sight of its mission to begin with. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207968-372.stm?cmpid=news.xml There was a discredited president, distrusted by his own party, portrayed by even his fondest allies as a disappointing underachiever. There was an eastern governor, decorated with breathtaking academic credentials and a star turn in the non-profit sector, mounting a serious challenge. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207974-155.stm?cmpid=news.xml "In retrospect,'' Bill DeWeese told me over dinner last June, "I should have been more administratively punctilious.'' That's the way Mr. DeWeese always has spoken in his 35 years representing Pennsylvania's southwest corner in the state House. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207975-294.stm?cmpid=news.xml Stacy Innerst is the artist. You are the caption writer. Take part in our contest. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207976-426-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As the country split in two, President Abraham Lincoln was determined to hold onto the border areas, including his native state of Kentucky. "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky," he is reported to have said during the early days of the conflict. James A. Garfield, an Ohio schoolteacher turned lawyer turned soldier, helped him keep it. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207978-358.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Lancaster County hunter has been treated for rabies after field dressing a deer Jan. 20 in Valley Township, Chester County. The deer later tested positive for rabies. "The hunter contacted us about his concerns that the deer was unfit for human consumption," said John Veylupek, a wildlife conservation officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207979-140-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Managing wildlife is a tricky business. It's tough enough for trained biologists to come up with management plans the public supports, but when the non-hunting public gets involved, look out. In May 2010, three elk escaped from a private captive facility owned by George Richter of Aleppo, Greene County. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207980-358.stm?cmpid=news.xml BELLEFONTE, Pa. -- The limestone streams of central Pennsylvania famously pour from the ground at precisely the cool temperatures favorable to trout. But on a chilly January mountain morning on Spring Creek, the brown trout waited for some warming sunlight to break through the clouds. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207982-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It would make sense, of course. When a guy's medical records from a 13-month period look like Sidney Crosby's do, making a few adjustments might seem prudent. Might seem, for example, like a good time to spend some more time out on the perimeter. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207983-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml The image of the first day of school at the new Pittsburgh Westinghouse 6-12 in Homewood still sticks in one teacher's mind. "I think the first day in August was so beautiful. They came in their uniforms. You could see the expectations that things were going to be different. We're really going to focus on our learning," she said. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208005-468.stm?cmpid=news.xml Question: I have wondered (for quite some time now) about advice for someone who wants to be able to create movies or still photos and then add music to them. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208006-467.stm?cmpid=news.xml Every January, the Consumer Electronics Show comes. From December through the end of January, the emails arrive touting products that are going to set the world on fire starting with their great launches at the show. Now that the onslaught has settled down, I looked at my bulging inbox. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208007-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HACKENSACK, N.J. -- A Teaneck, N.J., shoemaker has joined with a California technology company to create a shoe that uses GPS technology to record where a wearer walks -- and send alerts to caregivers if someone dealing with Alzheimer's disease or dementia wanders away and gets lost. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208008-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ever drop your tablet or cell phone and end up surprised that the glass didn't break? TechMan, who tended to drop so many things that his mom often called him "doppich" (Pennsylvania Dutch for "clumsy"), has wondered about cell phone toughness. The answer is Gorilla Glass, developed especially for mobile electronics. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208012-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml WEATHER forecasters are the Rodney Dangerfields of the prognosticating arts -- they get no respect. But the greatest blow to their prestige comes on Feb. 2 each year, when thousands assemble in the frigid dawn outside Punxsutawney, Pa., to hear a groundhog named Phil pronounce on whether he saw his shadow. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208013-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml It's been too long since the phrases "unemployment rate" and "cautious optimism" could be found in the same sentence. That changed Friday with news that the nation's jobless rate fell to 8.3 percent in January, the lowest level in three years while the economy saw a net gain of 243,000 jobs. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208014-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml On-again, off-again relationships can be so uncomfortable for friends and associates of the partners, a condition that is especially true when there's been acrimony, talk of betrayal, fights over money and circumstances that leave little doubt that one party was wronged by the other. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208015-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml My response to Judy Wertheimer's Jan. 29 Forum piece regarding cuts in state funding for education ("Not Concerned About Budget Cuts to Public Education? Then You Are Not Paying Attention") is as follows: It's about time! Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208025-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208027-318-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml People on the move Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208028-432-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Like a rocket suddenly leaving the launch pad after a long countdown, the Pittsburgh region's economy surged forward last fall with unprecedented job growth. In September, the region still had 7,000 fewer jobs than before the recession began and more than 9,000 fewer jobs than in 2000. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208030-435-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Early on during its Serbian adventure, one of the biggest challenges U.S. Steel faced was persuading workers at the formerly state-run mills to behave like Western workers. That meant wearing a hard hat, something many workers never had seen before; not drinking on the job; and understanding the concept of profit sharing. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208032-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml The railroad industry is picking up steam again, after losing ground decades ago to the nation's trucking industry. And Pittsburgh's expertise and history in the business -- Andrew Carnegie and the city's other industrialists needed good ways to move their steel a century ago -- has put the region on track to benefit from rail's resurgence. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208033-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml J.C. Penney is reinventing its retail stores with a fresh look and a new marketing strategy it calls "fair and square pricing." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208034-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The rampant discourse over the nation's economic future took a back seat to some more important forecasts recently as fractious factions faced off over who had the superior groundhog on Groundhog Day. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208039-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml Teams seeking revenge for a previous Super Bowl loss don't always find it. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208060-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- It's only a month into the new year, but things are already getting ugly at the state Capitol. While election-year wars are always rough and tough, House Democrats have kicked things up a notch with an early attack accusing Republicans of pushing policies that are "mean-spirited and heartless toward working families in Pennsylvania." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208061-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml For about two hours a day, twice a day, five days a week, Cathy Gamble is the queen -- in neon green -- of 44th and Butler streets. The longtime crossing guard greets pedestrians by name and blows kisses from her stark white gloves to the drivers who stop in her wake at this bustling intersection, where she estimates she crosses 300 schoolchildren and countless more adults each day. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208249-150-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml You know it's time to kick the ball when the required talk from both teams clangs onto the bottom rung of Super Bowl rhetoric. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208259-175.stm?cmpid=news.xml Victories against Georgetown and West Virginia have rejuvenated Pitt's hopes of bucking the odds and making the NCAA tournament after the Panthers' first 0-7 start to Big East play. But the Panthers know they nearly have no margin for error the rest of the season, and that the easiest route to the NCAA tournament is paved by winning the remaining four home games. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208261-450.stm?cmpid=news.xml Lucky Jones scored 17 points and Anthony Myers had 15, leading Robert Morris to a Northeast Conference victory against Mount St. Mary's, 67-62, Saturday in Emmitsburg, Md. The game was close throughout, but the Colonials (17-8, 8-4 NEC) rallied from a five-point halftime deficit and outscored the Mountaineers, 39-29, in the second half to secure the win. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208266-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It seemed, at the time, to be a completely unnecessary penalty. Looked that way in hindsight, too. But Kris Letang saw things a bit differently from ice level Saturday as the middle of the third period in the Penguins' 2-1 victory against Boston at TD Garden approached. He figured he was doing something that might help the Penguins to preserve their one-goal lead. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208270-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml TD Garden is not the most hospitable venue in the NHL. The team that resides there is big, tough and talented, and fans can be pretty hostile at times. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is aware of all that. Probably more than most. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208271-59.stm?cmpid=news.xml It took eight years, but the people of the New Kensington area finally got a chance to welcome home the 307th Military Police Company on Saturday. The Army Reserve company, based in New Kensington, deployed to Iraq for a year in 2003 and 2004. But its soldiers came back in staggered groups then, and the town could never pull together a time for one large ceremony. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208277-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- Tens of thousands of Russians embraced the numbing cold and marched to a frozen river bank near the Kremlin on Saturday, demonstrating their determination to keep up the pressure on Vladimir Putin for fair elections and honest government. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208279-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MUNICH, Germany -- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to reassure Europe on Saturday that, despite budget cuts in Washington and the coming withdrawal from the continent of about 6,000 to 7,000 U.S. troops, the United States was not abandoning its allies. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208281-136.stm?cmpid=news.xml Spencer Levin remained in control Saturday at the Phoenix Open in front of the largest crowd in tournament history at Scottsdale, Ariz., shooting a 3-under 68 to take a six-stroke lead into the final round. A crowd of 173,210 in perfect conditions at TPC Scottsdale's Stadium Course broke the record of 170,802 set in the third round in 2008. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208283-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml Cory Klems wrestled the match of his life and it could not have come at a better time. Klems, a junior at Burrell High School, earned a 3-1 victory in the 220-pound weight class match to lift the Buccaneers to a 34-31 victory against Jefferson-Morgan in the Class AA final of the WPIAL team tournament Saturday. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208284-63-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you think Prince Fielder signing with his father's team last month is going to help continue to bridge the gap between son and 1990s Tigers star Cecil Fielder, think again. Dismissing talk of an "improving" relationship with his son, Cecil Fielder told the St. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208287-287.stm?cmpid=news.xml A career milestone and a rare family reunion. All of which left Lindsey Vonn in tears, and it made for a perfect day. Vonn captured her 50th World Cup victory, winning a downhill Saturday on the demanding Kandahar course in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, with temperatures plunging to minus-13. "It's crazy. I am at a loss for words. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208289-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers won the 2011 Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide. Rodgers earned 48 votes to two for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208290-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Fantasy league types will want to pay particular attention to one Super Bowl commercial today. The league will run an ad introducing the "Perfect Challenge," a deceptively simple new fantasy game that will begin next season. Each week, participants must pick an eight-player lineup out of the entire NFL. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208294-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The road for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012, selected here Saturday and inducted in Canton, Ohio, this summer, must go through Pittsburgh. Of the six new Hall of Famers, four have strong Pittsburgh connections. Among those elected were former Steelers Jack Butler and Dermontti Dawson, and former Pitt Panthers Curtis Martin and Chris Doleman. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208298-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The legend of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski includes the most scrutinized left ankle in town, a nickname befitting a caveman and hands as large as a cereal box. Or a laptop. Or a legal pad. Put them all together and it helps explain to some degree why his was the overriding story line this week. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208301-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml The nation's leading breast cancer advocacy group has gone into full damage-control mode. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208302-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is asking Americans to press Congress to pass his new homeowner-relief plan that includes a tax on financial companies that Republicans have already rejected. Mr. Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday that the housing crisis has been "the biggest drag on our recovery from the recession." Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208313-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml Facts that speak for themselves Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208323-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bishop David A. Zubik will celebrate a memorial Mass for the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua at St. Paul Cathedral on Feb. 19. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208324-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Cambria County man driving on the wrong side of the road was killed early Saturday morning in a head-on collision, according to state police. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208335-135-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml For 10 seasons and 14 consecutive games the Richmond Spiders owned Duquesne. Saturday night, that all changed. Leading from start to finish, Duquesne knocked off Richmond, 81-72, in the Chuck Cooper Classic with a dominating performance at sold-out Palumbo Center. "I'm really satisfied we were able to do that tonight. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208337-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ilya Kovalchuk's fists outshined his team's sparkling special teams. Kurtis Foster scored two power-play goals as the visiting New Jersey Devils held on for a 6-4 victory Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. Kovalchuk, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise and Alexei Ponikarovsky also scored for the Devils, who have won three in a row and will play host to the Penguins today. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208338-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Basketball Box Scores Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208344-37-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Correction Appended Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208345-37-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml AS a child, Allegra McEvedy spent holidays being carted to temples and ruins with her father, a historian. "Where my friends were all lying on beaches in the Mediterranean, I was clambering over ruins in Turkey. I'd seen every outpost of the Roman Empire by the time I was 16," she said. When her parents suggested the children keep travel diaries, she began a lifelong fascination with collecting recipes. "My sister would faithfully reproduce the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul," she said. "Mine was all about what w Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208346-37-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Correction Appended Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208347-37-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml GRATEFUL for rain on a Caribbean vacation? You bet I was. And you might have been, too, had you just escaped from a mob of bronzed bodies dancing under the stars in whipped-up, blissed-out unison to a 1980s disco hit. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208348-37-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WE were driving through the back alleys of Ouidah, a sultry former slave port in the West African nation of Benin, when we spotted him: a figure in robes and leather gloves. His face was hidden by a burlap hood studded with beads and cowrie shells. A teenage boy carrying a wooden stick was leading him past peach-colored houses shaded by coconut palms and mango trees. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208349-185-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml North Windham, Vt. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208350-185-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TESTED 2011 Mazda RX-8 Grand Touring Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208351-185-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WHEN Japanese cars and trucks began arriving in the United States in earnest during the 1970s, they were widely seen as disposable. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208352-407-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MY father-in-law, Erling Berner, started the company that became Berner International, a manufacturer of air curtains or air doors. These units are usually placed above door entrances in stores, hospitals, schools, restaurants and other buildings, and create a seal across a doorway. They save energy and help control internal building temperature. In winter, they help keep the heat inside and the cold air outside. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208353-407-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MANY people know of Berkeley, Calif., as the birthplace, in the 1960's, of the Free Speech Movement. Fewer people know that Berkeley also played a major role in the disability rights movement. It was here, also in the '60s, that Ed Roberts -- a student with quadriplegia -- became an outspoken advocate of the cause. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208354-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- Mitt Romney handily won the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, solidifying his status as the front-runner and increasing his momentum as he seeks to use the month of February to ease doubts within the Republican Party about his candidacy and begin confronting President Obama. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208355-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. -- When the Army Corps of Engineers declared last year that the levees here were "unacceptable," it kicked up a storm of protest from officials and residents of the broad Mississippi River flood plain known as the American Bottom. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208356-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino executive keeping Newt Gingrich's presidential hopes alive, has relayed assurances to Mitt Romney that he will provide even more generous support to his candidacy if he becomes the Republican nominee, several associates said in interviews here. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208357-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml PUEBLO, Colo. -- On a summer night not long ago, Maureen White sat alone in her living room staring at a DVD she had avoided watching for years. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208358-298-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml SEATTLE -- This is the University of Washington's new math: 18 percent of its freshmen come from abroad, most from China. Each pays tuition of $28,059, about three times as much as students from Washington State. And that, according to the dean of admissions, is how low-income Washingtonians -- more than a quarter of the class -- get a free ride. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208359-298.stm?cmpid=news.xml Green River Community College, 45 minutes south of Seattle, has no special overseas cachet, no global name recognition -- but it has enrolled 1,400 international students this year, most of them recruited by overseas agents who get 15 percent of the $9,732 first-year tuition. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208360-298-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CHESTER, Pa. -- The Chester Upland School District is more than $20 million in debt, its bank account is almost empty and it cannot afford to pay teachers past the end of this month. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208361-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml UNITED NATIONS -- A United Nations Security Council effort to end the violence in Syria collapsed in acrimony with a double veto by Russia and China on Saturday, hours after the Syrian military attacked the city of Homs in what opposition leaders described as the deadliest government assault in the nearly 11-month uprising. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208362-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- Antigovernment protesters managed to gather a third huge crowd in the center of Moscow on Saturday, undeterred by the arctic cold or by the near certainty that Vladimir V. Putin will win a six-year presidential term next month. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208363-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml Saboteurs on Sunday blew up a pipeline in Egypt that supplied gas to Israel, the 12th such attack in a year, security officials said. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208312-135.stm?cmpid=news.xml Duquesne snapped a 14-game losing streak against Richmond Saturday night, beating the Spiders 81-72 in the Chuck Cooper Classic at the A.J. Palumbo Center. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 23:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208240-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Of the six new Hall of Famers chosen today, four have strong Pittsburgh connections. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 21:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208163-53-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The city of Pittsburgh would pay $75,000 and Jordan Miles would drop parts of his federal police brutality lawsuit under a partial settlement to be put before city council Tuesday. City solicitor Daniel Regan declined comment because council members had not yet been briefed on the proposal. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 18:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208237-42-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml NEW YORK -- Phylicia Rashad gave the most affectionate speech, Brian Dennehy the funniest and Donald Margulies the best written. But the best overall was by surprise presenter Meryl Streep -- affectionate and funny, delivered in that artless way that is the perfection of art. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 18:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208239-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml BOSTON -- The Penguins defeated Boston, 2-1, at the TD Garden this afternoon for their ninth victory in the past 10 games. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 17:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208181-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The monthly unemployment report contained undeniably good news Friday, but with bad statistics dappled in like dandelions in a lawn. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment was down to 8.3 percent for January from 8.5 percent in December, the lowest it has been since February 2009. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208160-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml Lincoln Davis scored a career-high 33 points for Central Catholic, but it wasn't enough as North Allegheny defeated the Vikings, 68-59, in a game with playoff implications. The Tigers (11-6, 6-4) are now in good position to earn the third playoff spot out of Class AAAA Section 3, while the Vikings (10-10, 5-6) must battle Butler for the fourth and final spot. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208169-57-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Area senators and congressmen vowed Friday to fight the Air Force's plans to close the 911th Airlift Wing in Moon within the next two years, moving two of its seven C-130 transport planes to other bases and retiring the rest. It isn't yet clear whether the base's troops would be transferred to other bases. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 16:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208238-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- Voters in Nevada have their chance to weigh in on the Republican presidential contest today with caucus votes. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 13:29:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208111-66.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Three decades after his Coke commercial won advertising's version of the Oscar, Joe Greene and his No. 75 Steelers jersey make a comeback in another Super Bowl spot on television. The new commercial relies heavily on the old one, only the Coke bottle has been replaced by a container of Downy Unstopables laundry product. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208134-454-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml HARRISBURG -- The April 24 primary date may be in jeopardy after the state Supreme Court on Friday explained its rejection of new legislative maps and Republicans filed suit to prevent voting under the old districts. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208112-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Count Joe Greene among those happy to see the Steelers move to change their approach on offense. "If it doesn't feel good, you have to change it and, basically, it wasn't feeling good," Greene said Friday. "It wasn't feeling good in '09, and it wasn't feeling good in 2011." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:54:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208184-84.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- Veterans who want to work as police officers and firefighters could get some help from the White House if Congress signs on to $5 billion in funding to spur the hiring of emergency responders. President Barack Obama on Friday offered a glimpse of some of the spending priorities he intends to lay out in his Feb. 13 budget address. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208114-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Kenneth Whitlock, a star Sewickley athlete who became the first black Marine from Allegheny County and then spent three decades as a school administrator in Virginia, died Tuesday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208109-122-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Ben Gazzara, an intense actor whose long career included playing Brick in the original "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" on Broadway, roles in influential films by John Cassavetes and work with several generations of top Hollywood directors, died Friday in New York City. He was 81. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208071-30.stm?cmpid=news.xml Finalists have been chosen for the 2011-12 Renovation Inspiration Contest. Judges from the Post-Gazette and Community Design Center of Pittsburgh chose 11 projects and will begin site visits. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:39:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207989-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml How would you like to live in one of Downtown's most photographed buildings? The Bruno Building at 347 Liberty Ave., better known as the one with the big statues out front, has appeared in newspapers, magazines, ads and countless tourists' pictures. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208189-388-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml As Thomas Hampson neared the end of his part in Brahms' glorious "Ein Deutsches Requiem" he intoned, "Behold, I show you a mystery." It was hard for me to not take these words at face value even in the midst of a work of profound spirituality and one set to biblical verse. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208141-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The passing of 69 years has faded most of his memories. But when asked what he remembers of that night, Feb. 3, 1943, aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Comanche in the icy water of the North Atlantic, Thomas A. Vitale has the answer ready. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 11:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208236-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml Attorneys representing a man who was sentenced to death more than two decades ago in the murder of a waitress in Fayette County are trying to stop prosecutors from retrying the defendant. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 10:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208233-100.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Cambria County man driving on the wrong side of the road was killed overnight in a head-on collision, according to Pennsylvania State Police. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 08:45:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208161-361.stm?cmpid=news.xml Obama Academy wasn't going to let anybody celebrate a championship on its court. DeAndre Byrd had 20 points and D.J. Porter 17 as the Eagles stayed in the City League regular-season title race with a 69-64 victory Friday against visiting Allderdice. Justin Dobbs had 30 points for the two-time defending City League champion Dragons (13-6, 10-1), who ranked No. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208135-139-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles dropped their investigation Friday of seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether Armstrong and his teammates participated in a doping program. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208131-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml CAIRO -- Bedouin gunmen stormed a minivan in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula Friday, kidnapping two U.S. tourists and an Egyptian tour guide for several hours before releasing them to police, Egyptian security officials said. Bedouin tribesmen took the hostages in the hopes of pressuring the government into releasing two of their relatives, who had been arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208179-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LOS ANGELES -- A second teacher at an inner-city elementary school where a teacher is accused of committing lewd acts on 23 children was arrested Friday on suspicion of fondling two girls in his classroom. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker said Martin B. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208164-63-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Texas Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton said Friday that he had a relapse that started with "three or four" drinks at a Dallas-area bar this week, apologizing for a "weak moment" and insisting he will try to make sure it doesn't happen again. Hamilton, 30, said his actions "are mine that hurt a lot of people very close to me." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208158-136.stm?cmpid=news.xml Spencer Levin took one last drag on his cigarette, stamped it out in the rough and climbed into the bunker behind the 17th green. He set up quickly, took a quick glance at the hole and splashed out. The ball landed about 10 feet from the hole, bounced twice and rolled into the cup for an eagle-2 that pushed him to 14-under par Friday in the second round of the Phoenix Open in Scotsdale, Ariz. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208165-275.stm?cmpid=news.xml Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and coach Rick Carlisle were fined Friday by the NBA after they became upset with the officiating Wednesday in a 95-86 loss to Oklahoma City. Carlisle was fined $35,000 for kicking a ball into the stands with 9:34 left in the fourth quarter. He was ejected and apologized to Cuban and the fans right after the game. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208207-275-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml With LeBron James running the show, the Miami Heat ran the Philadelphia 76ers out of their building. Dwyane Wade scored 26 points, and James had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift the Miami Heat to a 99-79 victory against Philadelphia at Well Fargo Center. Needing a jump-start in the fourth, James shifted to point guard, sparking a dominant late run that put away the pesky 76ers. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208209-61-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sam Gagner was still having trouble Friday believing his name is in the Edmonton Oilers record book alongside the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey. Gagner moved himself into such lofty company with a club record-tying eight points Thursday night in host Edmonton's 8-4 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208129-169.stm?cmpid=news.xml Matchup: Robert Morris (16-8, 7-4 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (17-4, 8-2), 4 p.m. today, Knott Arena, Emmitsburg, Md. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208162-364.stm?cmpid=news.xml North Allegheny wrestling coach Jamie Kyriazis remembers the previous time North Allegheny made it to the finals of the WPIAL team tournament. "It was 1990, my senior year," said Kyriazis after watching the Tigers rally from a 19-0 deficit to upset Connellsville, 29-28, in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals Friday at Ringgold High School. "It's been a long time, but it was worth the wait." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208154-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml Penguins center Joe Vitale maintains a particular perspective when it comes to his place in the NHL. "There's a lot of skill, a lot of talent in this league," he said Friday after practice at Southpointe. "God hasn't given me the most talent as far as that goes, so I feel like I have to work harder to kind of keep up and stand out a little bit. "It's been a good mentality so far. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207951-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml The other day I pocket dialed my dad's phone number. Of course, because the phone was in my pocket, I didn't hear the response. I got a return call, though. I pulled the phone out and saw my father's name, Norris White, and cell number on the screen. It startled me. My dad had died on Valentine's Day, 2011. I answered haltingly, "Hello?" It wasn't my dad. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207952-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml "You are entering beeeeeautiful Downtown Pittsburgh," my bus driver used to say just after he crossed Carson Street and entered the Smithfield Street Bridge. "I know you can't wait to get to work, and I can't wait to get you there." Those were usually the opening lines of Frank's morning monologue, the likes of which I have never heard from any other driver in a decade of daily bus commutes. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207953-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you're an American down on your luck, Mitt Romney has a message for you: He doesn't feel your pain. Earlier this week, Mr. Romney told a startled CNN interviewer, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there." Faced with criticism, the candidate has claimed that he didn't mean what he seemed to mean, and that his words were taken out of context. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207954-109.stm?cmpid=news.xml How do you get from Oakland to lower Murray Avenue during rush hour? / The secret is something Einstein taught us a while ago: / Parallel lines can meet, space is curved, / And distances are measured in time, not miles. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207970-388.stm?cmpid=news.xml Bruce Springsteen guitarist Steve Van Zandt says touring without saxophonist Clarence Clemons is sure to be emotional for the E Street Band and its audience. Mr. Clemons died at age 69 last year after a stroke. Mr. Van Zandt said Thursday that the band's work will always be a tribute to Mr. Clemons and keyboard player Danny Federici, who died in 2008. Mr. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207998-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml A "webinar" to discuss community trees in Pennsylvania will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at https://meeting.psu.edu/pacommunityforestry. Christine Ticehurst, TreeVitalize program administrator, will lead the discussion on increasing tree canopy cover in cities and communities. In recent years, studies have shown that built communities across Pennsylvania have lost tree canopy cover. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1207999-458-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Over my morning coffee, I read in my paper that parents in New York City are all a-twitter because tuitions at most private schools are just about to creep past the $40,000 mark. I stared at the story for a full minute before it hit me: They weren't talking about college costs (otherwise known as the monster under every American parent's bed). Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208000-47-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml It is hard to imagine flowers blooming outdoors in February, but the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) delights gardeners with its charming pure white blooms that emerge from the plant even when frost and snow lie on the ground. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208051-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A health advocacy group is questioning Pennsylvania's early designs for its public health insurance exchange, the statewide insurance policy clearinghouse mandated as part of the federal government's 2010 health care overhaul. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208053-28-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ST. LOUIS -- For anyone who loves a good steak, a juicy burger or a nice Sunday roast, these are anxious times. Prices for beef, which have been climbing for months, hit a record high in December -- an average of $5 a pound -- and analysts predict they could climb 5 to 8 percent higher this year. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208054-28.stm?cmpid=news.xml Also in today's headlines: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208055-432.stm?cmpid=news.xml "Too Much Asked of IATSE" (Jan. 21) by Audrey Glickman starts out stating how essential unions are, only to continue by saying union stagehands should not work outdoors on events for the Cultural Trust for fear of pricing these events out of the market. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208057-432-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml I work with private equity firms every day, as an investment banker and as head of a company that collects and publishes information on the transactions they complete. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208058-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml For the former Allegheny County morgue, it no longer will be about corpses but habeas corpus. The county plans to convert the historic 110-year-old building, once a place for autopsies and tragic endings, into offices for its law department. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208063-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml The African Union, by not being able to agree on a secretary general, has showed new cracks in continental unity. The AU was formed 10 years ago to try to cure some of the flaws in the old Organization of African Unity. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208064-192.stm?cmpid=news.xml When legalized casino gambling was being pushed in Pennsylvania, one of its selling points was sizable tax relief for property owners. But in gambling you put your money down and take your chance -- and that also applies with public policy. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208065-109-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Imperial regimes can crack when they are driven out of their major foreign outposts. The fall of the Berlin Wall did not just signal the liberation of Eastern Europe from Moscow. It prefigured the collapse of the Soviet Union itself just two years later. The fall of Bashar al-Assad's Syria could be similarly ominous for Iran. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208066-110-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Recent news coverage by various media has distorted two decisions by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and it is important to set the record straight. We recently changed how we support our citizen advisory council. This is now handled by existing agency staff instead of a full-time director. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208072-62-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Linus had a rough start in life. He was one of 20 fighting dogs that lived in cramped cages or on short chains attached to posts in Union County, Fla. Last April, the dogs were freed when police, acting on an anonymous tip, broke up the dog-fighting ring, seizing dogs and other property and arresting the dog fighters. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208073-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If you had to describe the new Tropical Forest India display at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in one word, it would be "colorful," says assistant curator of horticulture Ben Dunigan. In fact, during his visit to India to prepare the exhibit, Mr. Dunigan found most American gardens pretty pale in comparison. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208074-30-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Take a good look at the chairs in your house before you go to "The Art of Seating." You may see them in a whole new light afterward. The exhibition, which opens today at Westmoreland Museum of American Art, features 43 chairs from the Jacobsen American Chair Collection made between the beginning of the 19th century and 2010. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208076-62-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Adorable is the best way to describe the stray kitten brought to our office last week by good clients who found her in the neighborhood. She was calm, friendly -- and paralyzed. She had deep wounds of unknown origin along her back. Radiographs showed rib fractures, most likely from a bite wound, and she possibly had spinal cord damage. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208083-325.stm?cmpid=news.xml A dance company's season lineup is like a good recipe. It's got to be just the right blend of tried and true favorites, something sweet and something spicy with a dash of surprise. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's 2012-13 offering will treat audiences to a little whimsy and fantasy, passion and heartache and the ooo-la-la of turn-of-the-century Paris. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208084-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml If Snooki and JWoww need a place to live, Jersey Shore will welcome them with open arms. Jersey Shore, Pa., that is. The Central Pennsylvania Film Office wants the stars of MTV's "Jersey Shore" reality show to come to the tiny borough in northcentral Pennsylvania or to nearby Williamsport to shoot a planned spinoff of their gym-tan-laundry lifestyle. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208085-67-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Sharon Needles' debut on "RuPaul's Drag Race" was dead-on. The season 4 premiere Monday was the highest in Logo history for a series, a 50 percent increase over last season's opener. It scored a 0.6 rating in the premiere adult 18-49 demo, with 481,000 total viewers across various broadcast and social media platforms. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208094-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Clairton man was found guilty of second-degree murder Friday for the shooting death of a man at a New Year's Eve party last year. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208095-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml State police said a man was struck and killed by a car early Friday in Greene County. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208099-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml A small shed housing a natural gas compressor at a Mercer County well caught fire Friday morning, burning for more than two hours before firefighters extinguished it. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208104-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml A North Side man sued Allegheny County Wednesday, saying that corrections officers at the jail falsely told other inmates that was in for "sexually assaulting black children," prompting them to beat him up and sexually abuse him. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208105-455.stm?cmpid=news.xml Alvin Henderson Jr. has been named chief of emergency services for Allegheny County. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208106-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml Federal marshals on Friday afternoon captured a Wilmerding man accused of hitting his wife in the head with a gun and pointing the gun at his 11-year-old stepdaughter. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208107-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man remained in the Allegheny County Jail Friday after police said he told them he shot and killed his roommate inside their Greenfield home last month during an argument about the day the victim's father died. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208110-150-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- At one point Friday late in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's annual state of the NFL pre-Super Bowl news conference, a young female questioner stood and identified herself as a representative of the Ochocinco News Network. Really, ONN? Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208113-66-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml INDIANAPOLIS -- Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and other New York Giants receivers can't wait to go against the New Englands Patriots' Julian Edelman Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. And why not? Edelman, wide receiver-return man, also plays in the secondary, a position he's still learning. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208115-56.stm?cmpid=news.xml A man who pleaded guilty to hundreds of criminal charges for secretly videotaping women in an East Huntingdon tanning salon was sentenced Friday to seven to 20 years in prison. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208116-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml Police have arrested a man suspected of robbing an Oakland bank Wednesday, warning tellers not to "freak out" before demanding their money. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208117-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml In one of a handful of appointments to city-related boards Friday, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced he was removing the city finance director from the Pittsburgh Parking Authority and installing another aide in his stead. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208119-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MAHMUD RAQI, Afghanistan -- The Afghan soldier who killed four French troops last month bribed an Afghan army recruiter to forge his enlistment papers, deserted to Pakistan and then bribed his way back into the army the month before the shootings, McClatchy Newspapers has learned. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208121-449.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Packers couldn't quite pull off an undefeated season. Another team from Green Bay still has a shot. The Wisconsin-Green Bay women's team is 19-0 going into a game today against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Given their dominant stature in the Horizon League, the Phoenix stands a pretty good chance of getting to the NCAA tournament without a loss. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208123-449-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml STORRS, Conn. -- University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun, who missed three games earlier this season because of NCAA sanctions, is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence because of back problems. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208127-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml TEHRAN, Iran -- A fiery anti-Israel speech by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivered shortly after a successful Iranian satellite launch, added to growing global tensions Friday, as Israel warned that it might mount a pre-emptive strike against the Islamic republic's nuclear facilities despite U.S. objections. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208128-175-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Pitt fans can get ready for a basketball rivalry with Maryland and a renewal of the old Big East Conference football rivalries with Virginia Tech and Miami. Those are two of the highlights of the future scheduling formats the Atlantic Coast Conference approved Friday at its annual winter meetings. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208130-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml BEIRUT -- In a barrage of mortar shells, Syrian forces killed 200 people and wounded hundreds in Homs in an offensive that appears to be the bloodiest episode in the nearly 11-month-old uprising, activists said today. The assault in Homs, which has been one of the main flashpoints of opposition during the uprising, comes as the U.N. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208132-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Robert Tomasic says the only way he could get $60,000 for his house in North Braddock would be if he put in $10,000 to $15,000 worth of renovations first. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208137-135.stm?cmpid=news.xml Chuck Cooper was the first black player drafted by an NBA team, a history-making achievement that rests snugly alongside many others. Tonight, Duquesne honors his legacy. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208139-57-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml A Bridgewater councilman charged in the 1979 homicide of a Monaca woman will remain in jail for now, a Beaver County judge ruled Friday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208140-55.stm?cmpid=news.xml Emilio Rivera claims that Allegheny County homicide detectives forced him into giving a false confession in the shooting of a Clairton police officer by threatening to arrest his girlfriend and have his infant son taken away. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208142-61.stm?cmpid=news.xml When the Penguins and Boston last met, Sidney Crosby was in the lineup for the Penguins, the Bruins were on a 13-0-1 roll, and the teams were the class of the Eastern Conference. That was Dec. 5 at Consol Energy Center. The Bruins won, 3-1, to climb to within a point of the first-place Penguins in the East. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208143-455-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Firefighters slipped on floors slick with melted chocolate, ultimately calling hazardous-materials teams to scrub the sweet goo from their gear during a fire Friday that caused little structural damage to the popular Sarris Candy store and factory in Canonsburg. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208157-115-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Across the country, activists with ties to the tea party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They say government action in service of expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space is part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens toward cities. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208167-294.stm?cmpid=news.xml LONDON -- Memo to Brazil: That idea of putting up a giant Jesus statue in a London park to promote the 2016 Olympic Games is not going over well. Brazil's tourist board has floated the notion of erecting a 30-foot replica of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue -- a symbol of peace and a well-known landmark of the city -- on Primrose Hill. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208168-287-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The 28th Annual Corporate Cup Ski and Snowboard Race, featuring Olympic gold medalist Diann Roffe, will be Friday at Seven Springs. The event, a fundraiser for Blind & Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh, has added a sporting clay shooting competition this year. Shooters will compete in individual and team categories. An individual shooter can participate for $250. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208173-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The nation's pre-eminent breast cancer advocacy group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, apologized Friday for its decision to cut most of its financing to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening and said it would again make Planned Parenthood eligible for those grants. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208176-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml LAS VEGAS -- A confident Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama of failing to do enough to create jobs as he campaigned Friday ahead of GOP presidential caucuses this weekend in a state with sky-high unemployment and foreclosure rates. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208178-176-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The millionaires, billionaires and companies giving big sums to political committees supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Barack Obama have important business with the next president. Some are already in trouble with the government. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208182-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- If President Barack Obama wins re-election in November, Friday's jobs report may be remembered as the turning point when he shifted from slight underdog to favorite. "Where are the jobs?" has been the question at the heart of the Republican case against Mr. Obama. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208187-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The international hackers group known as Anonymous turned the tables on the FBI by listening in on a conference call last month between the bureau, Scotland Yard and other police agencies about their joint investigation of the group and its allies. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208200-361-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Basketball Box Scores Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208201-54.stm?cmpid=news.xml The family of a woman who went missing more than a month ago is offering $1,000 for information on her whereabouts. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208212-96-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BRUSSELS -- European governments, supported by the top justice official in the European Union, are pressing Google to halt coming changes to its privacy policies while they investigate the implications for personal data protection. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208213-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml The Sierra Club's president, Michael Brune, has acknowledged in a blog post that beginning five years ago, the club accepted $26 million from people connected with Chesapeake Energy, the country's second-largest natural gas producer. He added that the club had turned down $30 million pledged by those donors since August 2010. Chesapeake uses a natural gas extraction method called hydraulic fracturing, which environmental groups say can pollute water sources. The club's position on fracking, as it is called, Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208214-115.stm?cmpid=news.xml The space shuttles are headed for museums, but NASA said Friday that more than 6,300 people responded to its latest call for would-be astronauts, the second highest in its history and about double the 2,500 to 3,500 applications it usually gets. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208215-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Like many product designers, Judy White spent years creating collections that were ultimately sold under other people's names -- most notably, for Calvin Klein, where she designed and introduced the tabletop and giftware collections. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208216-47.stm?cmpid=news.xml Every piece the designer Joe Colombo created for the furniture manufacturer Kartell from 1964 to 1971, as well as sketches and photos from the Joe Colombo archive in Milan, is currently on display at R 20th Century. "He was one of the great geniuses of his time," said Zesty Meyers, an owner of the gallery. "And he's still relatively unknown." Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208217-407-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml When Brandon Bickford was helping to hire software developers to fill Minted.com's office, he and his colleagues had to divert attention away from an expensive and time-consuming process of sifting through dozens or hundreds of résumés and then sending tests to the best applicants in the stack. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208218-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml Six months before the space shuttle Challenger exploded over Florida on Jan. 28, 1986, Roger Boisjoly wrote a portentous memo. He warned that if the weather was too cold, seals connecting sections of the shuttle's huge rocket boosters could fail. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208219-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml SPICEWOOD BEACH, Tex. -- The water that once nourished this central Texas community never traveled far: it came from a fenced-in well at the edge of Lake Travis, down a winding street next to the golf course. These days, the water that flows from kitchen and bathroom faucets takes an extraordinary journey that can be measured not in feet but in miles. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208220-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DIXFIELD, Me. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208221-84-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- The burst of job growth in January gives President Obama a fresh -- but tricky -- opportunity to revise the grim economic narrative of his presidency while offering Mitt Romney a choice: embrace a new optimism or campaign against a sinking economy even as it shows signs of turning around. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208222-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml Syrian government forces used a barrage of mortar shells and heavy machine gun fire in an assault that began Friday night in the central city of Homs, killing at least 200 people and wounding hundreds more, opposition activists reported on Saturday. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208223-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The bloody uprising that has coursed through Syria has begun to upend daily life in Damascus, the stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad's government, reordering the lives of residents who complain of hardships as simple as getting to work every day and finding bread. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208224-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml ATHENS -- Lucas Papademos faced his most difficult test as Greece's interim prime minister on Friday when his three-month-old government reached an impasse over proposed demands by the country's foreign lenders to reduce private-sector wages drastically in exchange for the aid the country needs to prevent default. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208225-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml GENEINA, Sudan -- The United Nations said on Friday that the famine that has killed tens of thousands of people in Somalia this past year has ended, thanks to a bumper harvest and a surge in emergency food deliveries. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208226-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml The diplomatic struggle over the Arab League's peace proposal for Syria has nearly obscured an important detail of the plan: President Bashar al-Assad would be replaced in a transition by a loyal disciple. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208227-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml KABUL, Afghanistan -- The following children froze to death in Kabul over the past three weeks after their families had fled war zones in Afghanistan for refugee camps here: Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208228-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- American and European officials said Friday that a mission by international nuclear inspectors to Tehran this week had failed to address their key concerns, indicating that Iran's leaders believe they can resist pressure to open up the nation's nuclear program. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208229-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml WASHINGTON -- President Obama received a message last year, purporting to be from the elusive Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, in which he expressed an interest in opening talks that could end the war in Afghanistan, according to several current and former administration officials. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208230-82-0.stm?cmpid=news.xml MOSCOW -- The flow of natural gas has fallen off sharply in the main pipelines supplying Europe from Russia, but this time cold weather -- not politics -- is to blame. Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12035/1208231-82.stm?cmpid=news.xml More than 10 people were killed and a United Nations employee was shot and wounded when clashes broke out at a peace meeting in South Sudan, United Nations officials said Friday. The local authorities called a meeting in Unity State on Wednesday in response to escalating violence between ethnic militias that had killed hundreds if not thousands of people in the past few months. A shootout erupted nearby and a United Nations team helping mediate in the crisis was "caught in the cross-fire," according to a Un Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500