Lifestyles category, Page 18
Living with periodic paralysis: Ryan Csupak’s fight for awareness on Rare Disease Day
In the past 15 years, Ryan Csupak has been in an emergency room 30 to 40 times, unable to move his legs and arms. He’s experienced shortness of breath, extreme fatigue and weakness. This is the reality of having hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, a rare muscle disorder characterized by episodic attacks...
O’Hara residents embrace the perks of poultry keeping
Some lucky chickens are living an “im’peck’able” lifestyle in O’Hara. New chicken owner Heather Bradley lives on Eton Drive and built what she’s dubbed the “Polish Poultry Palace” for her feathered friends that she considers pets. “Chickens are fun and the kids are really involved with helping to raise them,”...
Penn Hills resident publishes book of poetry inspired by 15 years of riding bus to work
Michael Frachioni has been riding city buses for years. Unlike most who use the commute to zone out, listen to music or close their eyes for a moment, Frachioni uses that time to observe his fellow riders to find the subject of his next poem. A lawyer for PNC Bank...
Fendi celebrates 100 years with lush runway show and Sean Paul rocking the after-party
MILAN — Fendi celebrated 100 years with a mega runway show Wednesday that highlighted the Roman fashion house’s roots as a maker of luxurious fur stoles that grew into a touchstone of Italian craftsmanship under the creative direction of the late Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi. Five Fendi Generations...
Diesel evokes zombie apocalypse at Milan Fashion Week with milky gazes and spray-painted smilesVideo
MILAN — The zombie apocalypse is now, according to Italian denim brand Diesel, which sent models onto a heavily graffiti-ed runway with unsettling milky gazes and spray-painted smiles. Revealing silhouettes set the tone for the Fall-Winter 2025-26 co-ed collection premiered Wednesday on the second day of Milan Fashion Week. Mini...
Starbucks is cutting ‘less popular’ drinks from its menu. Here’s what’s going away
NEW YORK — Starbucks is making cuts to its menu, with some of the coffee giant’s “less popular beverages” set to take their final bow next week. In an announcement Monday, Starbucks outlined plans to remove a selection of its drinks — including several blended Frappuccino beverages, the Royal English...
‘Puppy Mountain’ photo draws onlookers to a Chinese riverside
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei province in late January. When...
Crocs in crosshairs nationwide as schools cite safety risks
The chunky rubber-looking shoes called Crocs have been on the market since 2002. In recent years, as they have become the obsession of children and teens, they have caught the eye of school administrators nationwide — but not as fashion favorites. Some districts across the country are stepping up to...
Cranberry mother and daughter reunite with surgeon who saved them both more than 18 years ago
When Dani Jo McLane noticed some blood in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy with her second child, she went to her doctor multiple times. Tests were done, then a biopsy was taken. Hearing the diagnosis of cervical cancer caused concern — but not for her own health. The...
Life coach Sunny Mann uses mindfulness, resilence and compassion to reach goals
Mental health challenges affect millions of Americans each year. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as of 2021 around 22.8% of adults — or 57.8 million people — in the United States faced a mental health challenge. In a recent study done by the Department of Psychiatry and...
How pet blood donors are saving lives
Usually, when someone’s pet is in the veterinary hospital, it’s a stressful time — something is wrong, and it’s gone beyond the usual vet visit. But on Feb. 15 at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Ohio Township, Ashleah Stone wasn’t worried at all about her 7-year-old greyhound, J.B. That’s because J.B....
Fern Hollow Nature Center set to break ground on expansion this fall
Fern Hollow Nature Center administrators are making strides with ongoing fundraising efforts for an expansion project at the nature preserve that sits on 33 acres in Sewickley Heights. Since 1997, Fern Hollow Nature Center has welcomed all ages to experience and explore the nature side of Sewickley Heights Borough. In...
Western Pa. picked baby names Oliver, Olivia most in 2024
When it comes to baby names, the O’s have it. Across Allegheny Health Network in Western Pennsylvania, O names rose to the top of people’s lists in 2024 — specifically Oliver for boys and Olivia for girls. Across AHN’s maternity care units, those were the two most popular names given...
Early fascination with pipe organ leads to successful career for Franklin Park native
It was an organ performance at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland that made up the mind of Daniel Ficarri, then just an eighth grader in the North Allegheny School District. He was entranced by the sounds and sights of an instrument that beautifully echoed throughout the grand space of the...
Rugs N Stuff owners look to foster creativity, confidence
Tyler Weston sees tufting’s potential to nurture creativity. Tufting is the art of decorative rug design. Using an electric tool that resembles a cross between a sewing machine needle and a tattoo gun, tufters push yarn through the back of their canvas, tracing and eventually filling in an image from...
No pain, no gain? Hardly. This year’s fitness buzzword is ‘recovery’
If you ever turned on the TV in the 2000s after midnight, you might have seen an informercial for P90X. The exercise program promised shredded abs and bulging biceps for anyone who pushed themselves to their limits for 90 days of 90-minute workouts. So it may come as a surprise...
Trader Joe’s popular mini cooler bags are back
Forget the Trader Joe’s mini tote bags — the viral mini cooler bags are back in stock. Available in a two-toned pink and a lilac and black combo for $3.99, the 1.5-gallon mini cooler bags previously have come in red, green, orange, yellow and blue, according to Taste of Home....
Point State Park tops the list of most-visited in the region in 2024
It’s probably no surprise that Point State Park was the most visited state park in the region in 2024, according to statistics released by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. With sweeping city, river and bridge views, the park provides 36 acres of green space while preserving its place...
A durable dahlia. A vigorous vinca. Here are 20 new garden plants to watch for this year
Like most gardeners, I have favorite plants I’ve been growing for years and will continue to grow, like fragrant and tasty Big Boy tomatoes, wide Romano-type Italian flat beans, climbing zucchini and Queen Lime Mix zinnias. But I also like to try new plants. So, it’s helpful to know that...
Eastern Europe’s traditional ingredients get star treatment in new cookbook ‘Kapusta’
Cabbage would seem to check a lot of boxes for what’s prized these days in Western food circles. It’s nutritious and inexpensive. Seasonal. Colorful. Climate-hardy. Fermentable. So why does it still struggle for respect? “It’s about how you cook it. People tend to overcook it, not letting it express all...
Angels among us: Duo creates keepsakes, 1 bead at a time
Daniel Krueger and Lucille Knopsnyder always have a handmade treasure stashed away in a pocket. It might be a colorful beaded bracelet that Krueger, of Derry Township, crafted, complete with little angel wings. Or it might be a beaded angel figurine, something Knopsnyder, of Unity, has been making for decades....
Researchers link a gene to the emergence of spoken language
Why did humans start speaking? Scientists suggest genetics played a big role — and they say the evolution of this singular ability was key to our survival. A new study links a particular gene to the ancient origins of spoken language, proposing that a protein variant found only in humans...
Inside Western Pennsylvania’s thriving sword-fighting community
A sword is the draw. Each participant carries a 48- to 52-inch saber into the former Holy Family Roman Catholic Church in East Deer for Friday Night Fights where, two by two, they enter a ring wearing gear representative of medieval times. They are prepared to attack their opponent —...
Ballerina Chandler Maria Bingham is a role model for Black dancers
Chandler Maria Bingham, a dancer in her seventh season with PearlArts Movement & Sound, is at Field Day in Lawrenceville, sipping a lavender chai — one of her favorites. Her hair, in box braids, cascades over her shoulders and a leather jacket adds a touch of edginess to an otherwise...
Pet safety while driving part of Pittsburgh International Auto Show
It’s a law for humans to have their seat belts fastened in vehicles, but when it comes to canine companions, automobile safety can be an afterthought. “Most people don’t think about anything bad happening,” said Marcy Kronz, president of Greater Pittsburgh Retriever Club and owner of Ruffwater Golden Retrievers, where...
