Harry Funk stories, Page 22

Empty parking spots were difficult to find outside Monroeville Convention Center’s North Hall on the afternoon of July 16, demonstrating that what Amy Cotrill began in the 1990s has come a long way. The occasion was the Original Pittsburgh Vegan Expo and Festival, a multicultural showcase for plant-based food and...

The number of U.S. military veterans who cremated remains are unclaimed runs into the tens of thousands, and probably a whole lot more. Fifteen were given a proper sendoff during July 15 ceremonies in Westmoreland and Washington counties, culminating with their being laid to rest at the National Cemetery of...

With apologies to Popeye, the road to eating healthfully isn’t as smooth as simply gulping some soggy greens. “No one is asking anyone to just drop everything and start eating spinach,” Asanté Bierria said. “That’s not realistic, and that’s not how it should go. You’re putting too much pressure on...

The promise of good food knows no boundaries, including state lines. “I have actually made the trek out to Weirton to partake in some Dee Jay’s wings, and they did not disappoint,” Devlin Robinson said. “They were definitely worth the drive.” The state Senator from Bridgeville made the acknowledgment prior...

Watching “Top Gun: Maverick” must be an experience that hits close to home for alumni of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program. That’s the formal name what usually is called TOPGUN, the Navy’s school for flight officers in Fallon, Nev. Crafton native Evan Werner has been there and...

Ask youngsters about their favorite songs, and the answers are likely to be nursery rhymes or something they heard in a Disney movie. You may not expect Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Ronda Alla Turca.” The section of a sonata composed in 1783 made the top-two list of Becki Lewis’ three-year-old daughter,...

A casual observer simply may see teenage girls playing lacrosse Their coach tends to view a world of possibilities that transcends sports. “This is the future,” Becky Luzier said. “We’re looking at the ability to change every ill that exists in our society on this field right now, because someday...

A building at the corner of Oakmont’s Delaware Avenue and Fourth Street holds special memories for borough resident Jane Foster. “I had Virginia Kerr as a seventh- and eighth-grade teacher,” she said about the woman who lived there her entire life. “She was a friend of our family, because my...

Among the true-life love stories that emerged from Hollywood was the unlikely pairing of a married actor in his mid-40s with a teenager making her first movie. Yet Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall worked as a couple. “Even though their ages were so different and their time together was really...

Mix Jackson Pollock with Jimi Hendrix, plus a touch of Peter Max and Pink Floyd, and you get the general idea of what Jessica Dancisin calls “Pittsburgh’s one-of-a-kind blacklight splatter-paint experience.” Actually, the music pumped into Primal Pigment is customers’ choice. But the glow of the gobs of liquid that...

As had been the case with countless events, Hampton Community Day was waylaid by covid for two years. In planning to resume the extravaganza for 2022, organizers hoped that the coast would be clear as far as health considerations and, of course, the weather would cooperate. Their wishes came true...

To answer the question of how to handle motorists who are itching to gas up at less than half the going rate: “It’s like a well-oiled machine.” Certainly, Ashley Klingensmith, state director for Americans for Prosperity, couldn’t have said it better. But seriously, the process of offering regular unleaded for...

After a two-year absence, the stars aligned — stripes, too! — for the return of the annual Monroeville Independence Day Parade. Under a blue sky, with the temperature well into the red and white teeth gleaming from myriad smiles, parade observers started to gather well before the 9 a.m. start,...

The lamb gyro was fantastic. So reported Hampton resident Shane Cowoski after he and his wife, Millie, enjoyed dinner from the eatery Pittsburgh Halal. And they didn’t have to venture too far from home. From 3 to 7 p.m. every other Wednesday, Food Truck Day is featured in the side...

Essential to handling an emergency is accounting for everyone involved. Thanks to a Plum software development firm, responsible parties have a new tool to do so in a particularly effective manner. B-Three Solutions’ Sight On Scene application — yes, the acronym is SOS — offers an array of features with...

For what probably amounted to decades, a woman on the West Coast had been in possession of family heirlooms that came from Bethel Park. More accurately, the aged gun holsters, identification card and silver badge originated in what then was Bethel Township, by way of her stepfamily. Whatever the case,...

If you think fairy tales are for kids, try reading the originals. Singer Tiffany Apan’s affinity for the work of Danish author Hans Christian inspired the lyrics for her latest single, the somewhat ironically titled “Lullaby.” “It’s ‘The Match Girl’ and the non-Disneyized ‘Little Mermaid.’ It’s a lot darker than...

Here’s a mystery: Why don’t more people read mysteries? At least, that’s what members of the Hampton Community Library-based Murder By the Book Club probably wonder as they delve into their latest whodunit. For a decade now, starting with “Mirror Image” by Dennis Palumbo in June 2012, the group has...

Let’s say that she or he was, uh, bear-ly noticeable. Following what probably were a series of double takes and/or rubbings of eyes, several Plum residents were quick to grab their smartphones to photograph an unexpected mid-June visitor. An ursine character of undetermined gender, at least from a layman’s cursory...

Students enjoy hearing encouragement from their teachers, even if it comes with more than a hint of humility. “When they grow up, they’ll be much better than I am,” Selva Priya Sahadevan said. “Even now, I see kids doing much better than me.” Yes, her Priya Arts students tend to...

The goal was to raise enough money to save two lives. According to Bri Hall, mission accomplished. For a second year, the North Strabane resident organized a fundraiser to benefit nonprofits that help provide service dogs for veterans, with the 2021 event taking place at 31 Sports Bar & Grille...

An old friend, so to speak, has a new name. With its centennial just six years away, the organization that started as the Bridgeville Chamber of Commerce, later the South West Communities, now is called South West Regional. “Since I’ve been with the chamber, our footprint has grown,” Mandi Pryor,...

You’ve heard about all the owners of old homes and hostelries making the claim: George Washington slept here. Bethel Park resident Collin McCormick has a similar story, and a far more confirmable one, involving 13-year National Basketball Association player Armen Gilliam (1964-2011). “He lived in the same house I grew...

The conventional wisdom has been to wait until youngsters are into their teens or so to start providing them with serious information about what they may want to pursue to earn their livings. From Marianne Schafer’s perspective, that isn’t necessarily the best idea. “I was going out to career fairs...

Because of last-minute circumstances, Karis Barrett had to cancel. She had been invited to join fellow members of the Gateway High School Class of 2022 in attending the Rotary Club of Monroeville’s June 16 meeting, at which the club presented scholarships to five graduates. Barrett, though, was present in spirit,...