Lifestyles category, Page 32
Twilight Wish Foundation fulfills dreams of seniors
Never stop wishing. No matter your age. Because sometimes those wishes do come true. “If feels so nice to be able to give back to people who have given back their entire lives,” said Baliegh Butler, an Allegheny County ambassador for the Twilight Wish Foundation, a nonprofit based in Doylestown...
Power outage: What foods to keep and what to toss out after losing power
Editor’s note: This story first posted on April 8, 2020. Government agencies advise residents to throw out meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers in their refrigerators if they have been without power for more than four hours. Residents should carefully go through their refrigerators to pitch items if they have...
Swissvale’s Juneteenth a moment of pride and celebration
Angela Stribling and Shawn Alfonso Wells were walking out of the council building following a Juneteenth committee meeting, and they were able to hand Swissvale’s Juneteenth flyer to a few young children. Stribling recalls the young girl shrieking as she said, “Oh my gosh, the Bill Henry Band! My grandma...
Robinson-based Sabika jewelry closing after 23 years
Endings create new beginnings. That philosophy inspired Karin Mayr to launch Sabika, a Pittsburgh-based, woman-owned jewelry company. For 23 years, the business has sold sparkling necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings through stylists who specialize in knowledge of the brand. That beginning has now reached an end. Mayr and her daughters,...
Celebrate Father’s Day with a culinary favorite: the smashburger
The grilling season is upon us, and there’s a technique for Dad to try: the smashburger. Smashburgers entered the cultural zeitgeist as early as the mid-20th century. While they may seem like a modern culinary trend, initially the smashburger was a practical solution for making a small piece of unrefrigerated...
Make mine medium-rare: Men really do eat more meat than women, study says
CHICAGO — Vacationing in Chicago this week from Europe, Jelle den Burger and Nirusa Naguleswaran grabbed a bite at the Dog House Grill: a classic Italian beef sandwich for him, grilled cheese for her. Both think the way their genders lined up with their food choices was no coincidence. Women,...
Use a roaming eSIM on your summer travels to avoid cellphone data fees
LONDON — For summer trips overseas, a smartphone is essential for most people. How else will you check Google Maps to find your Airbnb, post an Instagram video from the Eiffel Tower, or WhatsApp friends and family back home? Of course, if you’re using apps that gobble up data while...
Historic Linden Garden Club turns 100, aims to grow membership
A garden club founded in 1924 is hoping to grow its membership as it celebrates 100 years of gardening outreach and fellowship in Western Pennsylvania. The Linden Garden Club, founded on May 15, 1924, by the late Mrs. William H. Mercur, originally welcomed women residing in and around Linden Avenue...
Peppi’s Old Tyme Sandwich Shop closes Point Breeze location
Peppi’s Old Tyme Sandwich Shop has officially closed one of its three locations in Pittsburgh. The Point Breeze location on Penn Avenue, near Braddock Avenue, shut its doors indefinitely last week, according to owner Lou Bosser. The Strip District and North Side shops remain open. Bosser said an offer for...
Optimism is just what the doctor ordered. But what if I’m already too negative?
Prince Bhojwani never thought of himself as a negative person, until three trips to the hospital in one month forced him to reconsider. Before May 2018, he was a healthy but chronically worried start-up founder who regularly did 20-mile (32-kilometer) bike rides. When he suddenly became barely able to walk,...
‘Home Alone’ house being sold, but swinging paint cans aren’t included
WINNETKA, Ill. — The home of Kevin McCallister’s hijinks is changing hands. And if the new owner wants to watch “Home Alone,” there’s a movie theater inside, one of many upgrades since the suburban Chicago property was renovated and expanded in 2018. Sale of the Winnetka house, portrayed in the...
Want to live in a former funeral home in McKeesport? You can
When Marlene Fait-Schmalz bought her childhood home in 2011, she reclaimed a piece of McKeesport history. The unique Victorian-style residence, once the Richard L. Fait Funeral Home, boasts a parlor, chapel and grand entrance on the main level, while the upper floors offer cozy living spaces. Now on the market...
Wallaby joey recently born at Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium in Highland Park has a new resident — a wallaby joey, born to mom Ava. A wallaby is a marsupial, a pouched mammal in the kangaroo family. When they are young, they are called joeys. The animal is spending a lot of time in the...
Climate solution: Massachusetts town experiments with community heating and cooling
Jennifer and Eric Mauchan live in a Cape Cod-style house in Framingham, Massachusetts that they’ve been cooling with five air conditioners. In the summer, the electric bill for the 2,600-square-foot home can be $200. In the winter, heating with natural gas is often more than $300 a month, even with...
Muhammad Ali’s childhood home is for sale in Kentucky after being converted into museum
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The pink house where Muhammad Ali grew up dreaming of boxing fame — and where hundreds of fans gathered for an emotional send-off as his funeral procession passed by decades later — is up for sale. The two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Louisville was converted into a museum...
Service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans, researchers say
Specially trained service dogs helped ease PTSD symptoms in U.S. military veterans in a small study that the researchers hope will help expand options for service members. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides talk therapy and medications to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and runs a pilot program involving...
Mourners can now speak to an AI version of the dead. Will it help with grief?
BERLIN — When Michael Bommer found out that he was terminally ill with colon cancer, he spent a lot of time with his wife, Anett, talking about what would happen after his death. She told him one of the things she’d miss most is being able to ask him questions...
Tips for a tidy native-plant garden
For decades, native plants were relegated to the “weed” section of many American gardeners’ minds. Most nurseries didn’t stock them. But that’s slowly changing. Native plants provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies, birds and other beneficial critters. They effortlessly grow healthier and stronger than exotic species, seldom need fertilizers...
Plan a budget-friendly picnic date in the great outdoors of Western Pennsylvania
Nothing screams summer like a scenic alfresco picnic. Take your sweetie on a “datecation” outdoors for a fresh-air experience that doesn’t break the bank. Outdoor-inspired destinations abound in Western Pennsylvania, and those seeking an adventurous date are sure to find the perfect picnic spot. So pack a picnic, pile into...
Three Rivers Arts Festival gets 2nd day of sunny skies
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival entered its second day under sunny skies in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District Saturday. The 10-day festival began Friday and runs through June 9. The festival features performances on multiple stages, gallery exhibitions, public art installations, activities for all ages and an Artist Market open...
Activist Richard Parsakian named Pittsburgh Pride Parade grand marshal
For Richard Parsakian, a queer activist and artist in Pittsburgh, Pride is a celebration. “I feel like it’s an expression for us to acknowledge that we are still here — we are part of everybody’s life,” he said. He’s been marching in the Pride parade for more than 25 years....
Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off
Artists from across the region — and nation — will converge starting Friday on the 14-block Cultural District as the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival kicks off, ushering in 10 days of free art and music. The festival, now in its third consecutive year of festivities relocated from around...
Pittsburgh is hosting Chesney, Pride and Arts Fest on Saturday. Here’s how to navigate them
Call it the trifecta, the triple whammy or, like Pittsburgh parking magnate Merrill Stabile, the perfect storm. However it’s described, Saturday is shaping up to be epic for Pittsburgh, as the city hosts three major events Downtown and on the North Shore that are expected to draw hundreds of thousands...
Here’s where you can celebrate Pride in Western Pennsylvania this June
LGBTQ Pride Month is almost here, and with it, numerous events and festivals are coming to Pittsburgh and the surrounding area. The yearly, monthlong celebration in June honors the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a tipping point in the Gay Liberation Movement, according to the Library of Congress....
On patrol: Mounted police officers create a presence
Their steps are choreographed, part of the job training the horses and their riders go through. The majestic animals are stationed in stables across the city, county and state. They perform details throughout the year, but spring is when you begin seeing them more often. Typically January through March there...
