Pittsburg, PA
After Pittsburgh-area girl lured from home, expert shares tips for monitoring kids’ online activity
With more children and teens having access to cell phones and tablets, police are urging parents to monitor their activity and be aware of what they’re doing online.
“Parents, community leaders, teachers need to be involved,” said Richard Evanchec, a special agent with the FBI Pittsburgh office. “They need to be aware of what their children are doing online. When they’re picking up a cell phone, we shouldn’t assume that they’re doing something admirable. Children are vulnerable. They don’t yet know what right and wrong is, and we need to help them.”
Evanchec shared that message on Wednesday during a news conference in Whitehall Borough, where a teenage girl had been lured from her home over the weekend. Police said a 27-year-old man started communication with the teen on an app called Discord just days before she went missing.
Consider parental spyware, expert says
Cyber experts said parents must know what their kids are doing on their devices.
“If you’re going to hand your child a device, realize that there’s a time commitment for you as well,” said Dr. Elise Silva, the director of policy research at Pitt Cyber.
Experts at Pitt Cyber said parents need to explain the risks of being online, be vigilant and monitor their kids’ activity and consider parental spyware.
“As soon as your child has access to any digital technology, it’s talking about the responsibility of being a digital citizen,” Silva said. “What is a digital footprint? How long is this information going to be online? But also, who else goes online? Not everybody online is who they say they are.”
Set screen times and parental controls
Silva said parents should consider setting screen time limits and filtering adult content.
“You can turn on things like parental controls,” Silva said. “Screen time limits for different apps or for an entire device. You can also, app by app, go through and look at the different types of parental controls that are there. I suggest doing it on both a device level and an app level. So the apps that your children are accessing, make sure that you’re going into parental controls, privacy settings and seeing what you do and don’t have control over. Safe Search is a really important thing for parents to know about. You can do that on a device level and also a browser level. So make sure you’re looking at Chrome, make sure you’re looking at Safari and turning on safe search to make sure that they can’t access adult websites, for example.”
Some parental control apps include Bark, Qustodio and Aura, Silva said.
Communication is key
As children get older, Silva said parents can loosen the reins a bit, stressing that communication is key.
“Maybe as they get older, you’re not looking at all of their texts and chats, but you’re talking to them about what online responsibility looks like,” Silva said. “They’re aware of risks that other people in their own age group have experienced, and they know warning signs.”
Some warning signs children should be aware of are online grooming behaviors.
“If somebody is asking them to keep a relationship private, if somebody is asking them to send photos that are inappropriate or asking them inappropriate questions, if somebody who they don’t know is asking them to meet up, these are all grooming behaviors,” Silva said. “And if you’ve had those conversations, over and over again, hopefully that youth would begin to recognize those things. Does that mean that you can control everything? No. What we like to say is that these things are speed bumps, right? They’re not walls, and so, you really have to keep those lines of communication open and really do your best.”
Kids may try to hide things on devices
Silva also reminds parents that children may try to hide things on their devices.
“There are apps that kids can download that are, they look like one thing, but they’re another thing,” Silva said. “For example, it looks like a dictionary, but it’s actually an AI chatbot. So things are absolutely getting past parents all the time, and that’s where the open communication really comes into play. I spend a lot of time going through my daughter’s phone and iPad. She’s 12. I feel like I will spend less time doing that as she gets older, but it is a time commitment on the parents’ side.”
For parents looking for resources to learn more about things like parental controls, including tutorials on how to lock things down on a child’s phone, Silva suggested websites including Common Sense Media, Connect Safely and Internet Matters.
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates made a much-needed move ahead of the 2026 All-Star Game, bringing in another infielder and bullpen arm to improve the MLB lineup. Even with the addition of left-hander Brandon Eisert, the Buccos are still seeking further upgrades to their struggling bullpen.
The Pirates now have a few weeks until this year’s Trade Deadline, but they are expected to be active up until the final minutes.
That’s why the organization has to shoot for the stars and target San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller. The Pittsburgh-native is one of the latest names to land on the trade rumor mill, and it’s the perfect opportunity for the Pirates to take their bullpen to the next level.
Why Miller Makes Sense for Pirates
There is a rising sense that the All-Star closer is heading out of San Diego. Despite being one of the top relievers in the MLB this season, toting an ERA of 0.91 and picking up 25 saves in 39 innings pitched, he’s on the trade block.
In a recent article for USA Today, Bob Nightengale noted that the MLB is paying close attention to the Padres, with many expecting them to be a selling team as they plummet further in the standings.
“Rival executives are intrigued to see whether A.J. Preller trades Padres All-Star closer Mason Miller at the deadline with their team spiraling downward,” he wrote. “But they laugh at the notion they will receive anything close to the package they surrendered to the Athletics to acquire him.”
That’s exactly what the Pirates need to hear. Yes, they have a solid closer right now in Gregory Soto. He’s been a wonderful replacement with Dennis Santana regressing, but it hasn’t solved the bullpen’s issues.
With Miller on board as the new closer, it gives the Pirates two shutdown arms. With Soto and Miller ready to close games, it brings their mediocre bullpen to suddenly playoff-worthy.
What Would Pirates Need to Give Up for Miller?
As Nightengale noted, the Padres gave up an arm and a leg to bring Miller in last year. They parted with their number two prospect at the time, but the sentiment is that there is not as strong a market for the bullpen arm in 2026.
That’s huge news for the Pirates as well, who have plenty of young players they consider expendable.
Would a package centered around a pitcher like Antwone Kelly or Thomas Harrington be enough to entice the struggling Padres? For the Pirates, it would be a loss to give up either young arm, but the return and hopeful playoff push is beyond worth it.
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Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Pirates Select Incoming Tennessee Baseball Transfer Outfielder In MLB Draft | Rocky Top Insider
The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Tennessee baseball transfer commit Andrew Duncan with the 558th pick (19th round) in the 2026 MLB Draft on Sunday afternoon. A Wright State outfielder, Duncan committed to Tennessee out of the transfer portal last month.
Duncan is coming off a breakout junior season at Wright State where he slashed .367/.436/.577 with six home runs, 11 doubles, eight triples and 36 RBIs. As the eight triples indicate, speed is a key part of Duncan’s game with the outfielder stealing 19 bases on just 22 attempts.
The Dunedin, Florida native spent his freshman season at Florida State where he played in just 13 games before transferring to Wright State for his sophomore season. Duncan transferred to Tallahassee State College for his sophomore season before moving back up to the division one level at Wright State last season.
More From RTI: Elite Tennessee Baseball Catcher Signee Withdraws From MLB Draft, Will Play for Vols
Duncan played centerfield for the Raiders last season and will likely slide into that same spot at Tennessee next season if he does not sign with Pittsburgh. Outfield was a major point of emphasis for the Vols this offseason after losing Reese Chapman to graduation, Garrett Wright to the MLB Draft and both Jay Abernathy and Nate Eisfelder to the transfer portal.
Losing Duncan would be a real blow because of Tennessee’s need in centerfield for next season. A number of other Vols including Levi Clark, Blake Grimmer and Mercer transfer Braydon Kersey are capable of playing in the outfield but likely could not play centerfield at a high level defensively.
Duncan is one of 11 transfers to commit to Tennessee this offseason along with Air Force infielder Wyatt Hanoian, Cal Baptist shortstop Chris Ramirez, Baylor infielder Travis Sanders, FIU infielder Mario Trivella, Clemson right-handed pitcher Hayden Simmerson, Louisville right-handed pitcher Parker Detmers, South Carolina left-handed pitcher Jake McCoy, Northwestern State left-handed pitcher Brody Trosclair, UC Irvine left-handed pitcher Ricky Ojeda and Mercer two-way Braydon Kersey.
Today we are seasonable with partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-80s.
There are a few isolated showers this afternoon and evening, but not a washout, and nothing severe is expected.
Most will be mainly dry, and the dry weather carries into the week with highs near 90 and plenty of sunshine.
Hourly Conditions:
- 9 a.m.: 74° Mostly Sunny
- Noon: 80° Mostly Cloudy
- 3 p.m.: 82° Showers
- 6 p.m.: 81° Mostly Sunny
We could see our 6th 90-degree day of the year on Tuesday, with two more following through Thursday, plus it could feel in the triple digits for some areas. Wednesday will be the hottest!
Our next best chance of rain and storms is Friday and throughout the weekend!
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