Megan Swift stories, Page 32
‘I sprinted out of the building’: Franklin Regional reflects on attack 10 years later
Kate Berry heeded the fire alarm, briskly walked down a stairwell and opened the doors into a hallway at Franklin Regional High School when she encountered a knife-wielding student. She was face to face with Alex Hribal. “I remember … seeing him and thinking like, ‘Oh, why is he walking...
Chappell Roan brings spunk, pink sparkles to Pittsburgh with ‘Midwest Princess’ tour
Amid a sea of pink cowboy hats, boots and sparkles at Stage AE Friday night was Chappell Roan. The 26-year-old singer from Missouri, brought her spunky “Midwest Princess” tour to Pittsburgh, starting strong with “Femininomenon” as the opener. She then played through “Naked In Manhattan,” “After Midnight” and “Picture You”...
Grunge legend of Kurt Cobain lives on 30 years after his death
Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, whose band ushered in the Seattle grunge phenomenon of the 1990s, died 30 years ago today. Cobain died on April 5, 1994. His body was found on April 8, 1994, at his home and it was determined that he died days earlier. Cobain died of...
Former Disney actor’s The Driver Era dazzles Pittsburgh during opening night of tour
The Driver Era — featuring brothers Ross and Rocky Lynch — brought the house down Tuesday night in the Roxian Theatre during its first North American tour stop. The McKees Rocks venue was sold out, and despite the miserable weather, fans showed up in droves to watch the band. Western...
Will clouds play nice when solar eclipse hits Pennsylvania?
One lone cloud in the wrong place at the wrong time could ruin the party — or view of the much-anticipated solar eclipse. With just one week until the total eclipse, travel and viewing plans for many have shifted to the weather forecast. Right now, things look promising in Western...
Lawmaker shoots airball labeling basketball players at Detroit airport as ‘illegal invaders’
In Michigan, Republican state Rep. Matt Maddock wrongfully claimed on social media that he had photo evidence of “illegal invaders,” who were arriving at the Detroit Metro Airport this week. As it turns out, the “evidence” was actually photos of college basketball teams flying in Wednesday and being transported to...
Gap store closes on Shadyside’s Walnut Street
The Gap clothing store in Shadyside has permanently closed. The Walnut Street store was one of only a few Gap locations remaining in the Pittsburgh area. On Friday afternoon, all of the store’s signage had been removed and the windows were covered with construction paper. Other Gap stores in the...
Walk-in mammograms available through Allegheny Health Network
Walk-in mammograms will be available this spring through Allegheny Health Network — at both the Allegheny General Hospital Breast Center and North Fayette Health + Wellness Pavilion. The campaign will run from April 1 through June 14 for women over 40 and anyone younger with a family history of breast...
Break out the cigars: Punxsutawney Phil is a dad
Punxsutawney Phil got busy after predicting an early spring this year. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club took to Facebook on Wednesday to announce groundhogs Phil and Phyllis have given birth to two babies. The baby groundhogs are healthy and with their mom and dad at the zoo located at the Punxsutawney...
Trader Joe’s increases banana prices for 1st time in 20 years
Trader Joe’s banana prices have held at 19 cents each for over 20 years. Until now. The bananas are now priced individually at 23 cents. The more than 20% increase was enacted because Trader Joe’s reached a point where the change was “necessary,” a spokesperson told CNN. “We only change...
Instagram, Threads restrict political content for users
Does seeing unsolicited political content on social media bother you? Instagram and Threads are no longer recommending political content to users of the social media platforms — but some users have been reposting directions showing how to reverse the new feature. Meta rolled out the restriction in early February through...
‘Many Jewish voters will be impacted’ as Pa. primary falls on Passover
Many of Pittsburgh’s Jewish residents may need to take advantage of mail-in ballots because the April 23 primary is also the first day of Passover. There are nearly 50,000 Jews in Allegheny County. The holiday falls on Election Day, and will prevent some of them from going to the polls,...
Duquesne online searches soar after March Madness win
Call it a wave of social madness. While Duquesne Dukes basketball fans have been riding the high of an NCAA Tournament first round win against Brigham Young University, Duquesne itself also has been riding a high — in terms of online reach. Web activity has “skyrocketed” in the wake of...
Duquesne fans send Dukes off for 1st round of March Madness
Cheering fans lined Uptown streets Tuesday to support players from Duquesne men’s basketball team en route to March Madness. “They’re … still dancing,” student Zach Rothrock said. “I mean, what’s not to love?” Rothrock, 19, is a freshman majoring in business at Duquesne. He and his friends joined a crowd...
Vouchers for missing Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads for sale on eBayVideo
The mystery of the stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads remains, but fans have already taken to eBay to try and sell vouchers for the figurines — and they’re pricey. Last week, 18,500 tiny likenesses of No. 68, complete with hand raised in a salute, had disappeared after being shipped by boat...
Wordle fans celebrate 1,000th puzzle
As a speech pathologist, Jessica Valko is a fan of word games. But there’s one in particular that she’s been playing every day — Wordle. The online word game that’s run by the New York Times is celebrating its 1,000th puzzle on Friday. Valko, 51, of Murrysville said she loves...
Why are people overpaying for Trader Joe’s mini tote bags?
Trader Joe’s $2.99 Mini Canvas Tote Bags have quickly become the trendiest new must-have item to buy, and some have been listed in sets for as much as $499 on eBay. Rivaling the hype of Stanley tumblers and Taylor Swift merch, the Washington Post reported the mini tote bags have...
Crescent house explosion marks 3rd in Western Pa. since summer
The fatal house explosion in Crescent on Tuesday morning marks the third in Western Pennsylvania since August. Emergency crews responded to the scene just before 9 a.m. at the 1400 block of Riverview Road,. The Crescent explosion is exactly seven months after the Aug. 12 house explosion in Plum’s Rustic...
Daylight saving time got you feeling beat? You’re not alone
Are you feeling extra exhausted after the weekend? A likely explanation could be your body’s response to the daylight saving time switch, according to Dr. Brian Lamb, internal medicine physician at Allegheny Health Network. From Saturday night into Sunday morning, an hour of sleep was lost — to offset the...
Understanding what’s driving long covid is still largely a mystery to doctors
For Sean Carey, long covid proved fatal. Carey contracted an early strain of covid in July 2020 when he and his wife, Meghan, lived in Daytona Beach, Fla. “He had pain that was too inhumane to live with,” his wife said. “He had tremors that were like lightning bolts going...
‘I want to live’: Long covid patients battle debilitating symptoms in Western Pa.
Covid-19 stole Lisa Merlo’s lungs, limbs — and nearly her life. But it wasn’t done. The 57-year-old West Deer resident continues to cope with the disease’s latest attack on her body: long covid. Merlo said she was told she had a 20% chance of living after a covid diagnosis in...
‘It doesn’t feel real’: Pittsburgh carpenter’s apprentice attends State of the Union as Jill Biden’s guest
Samantha Ervin-Upsher kept getting calls recently from a Washington, D.C., number. She assumed they were spam and didn’t answer or call back. But Monday, she finally picked up, and she’s glad she did. Turns out, it was the White House — yes, that White House — with an important question...
‘I’m going to die’: Woman recounts bear attack in her Butler Township backyardVideo
When the bear tackled her, Lee Ann Galante’s face cracked against a cement slab in her backyard. “I’m screaming and screaming and screaming — ‘Someone help me!’” It was one of two or three times a black bear knocked her down during an attack Tuesday night behind her Butler Township...
Pittsburgh ties its record high temperature Monday
On a typical early March day, riding the zipline at Murrysville Community Park would mean risking frostbite. Thanks to southern winds, however, there was no chance of that Monday, as Pittsburgh tied its record high temperature for the date, meteorologists said. As of 4 p.m., the thermometer had hit 74...
Police investigate sexual assault near Pitt’s campus
Pittsburgh police and the University of Pittsburgh police are searching for information related to a sexual assault that occurred early Sunday morning. A female was sexually assaulted at approximately 2:10 a.m. on the 200 block of Melwood Avenue, and the perpetrator displayed a knife, struck her in the face and...
