Editor's Picks category, Page 132
Faking an honest woman: Why Russia, China and Big Tech all use faux females to get clicks
WASHINGTON — When disinformation researcher Wen-Ping Liu looked into China’s efforts to influence Taiwan’s recent election using fake social media accounts, something unusual stood out about the most successful profiles. They were female, or at least that’s what they appeared to be. Fake profiles that claimed to be women got...
TV Q&A: Did Alby Oxenreiter retire from WPXI?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: What’s the story with Alby Oxenreiter? He hasn’t been seen for about a year on WPXI-TV. I’m wondering if he decided to retire early because...
Pittsburgh CLO’s ‘West Side Story’ delivers delightful version of a classic
Tuesday night saw the opening of Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s production of a titan in the canon of American musicals: “West Side Story.” And this production will delight any fan of the show. Opening on Broadway in 1957, “West Side Story” is the work of legends, with a book by...
Dog fight! Joey Chestnut out of July 4 hot dog eating contest because of deal with rival brand
NEW YORK — Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, the reigning champion of the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, will not participate in this year’s event after signing a deal with a rival brand, organizers said Tuesday. Chestnut, 40, has long been the face — not to mention the...
Pittsburgh theater companies keep busy through summer
Some of Pittsburgh’s cultural institutions may be taking a break for the summer, but theater is still all around in the city. Many local companies know that “the show must go on” — and have planned a variety of exciting productions for the next couple of months. Here are a...
Murrysville artist’s augmented-reality app earns top prize at L.A. film festivalVideo
Murrysville artist Christopher Ruane enjoyed the chance to show his augmented-reality app and videos to family and friends. But it’s one thing to show it off at a community festival. It’s quite another to see it take the grand prize at a Los Angeles film festival where the judges are...
Habitat for Humanity, Uptown Partners collaborate on affordable housing in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and Uptown Partners of Greater Pittsburgh are creating opportunities for homeownership in the Hill District. A two-story home at 2002 Forbes Ave. will soon be in the renovation process and will be kept completely affordable under the Habitat Pittsburgh Homeownership Program. “This will allow...
TribLive app: How to get the most out of your experience
The TribLive app offers the latest news, weather and sports from throughout Western Pennsylvania, but it also allows users to personalize their experience. Upon installing the free app, users will receive a prompt to subscribe to news alerts directly on their phones. You can select “All” or pick from 18...
AJR’s Ryan and Jack Met discuss arena shows, getting vulnerable and much more ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
In the course of just six years, the indie pop band AJR has gone from playing the Club at Stage AE to headlining PPG Paints Arena on their Pittsburgh stops. And that’s always been the band’s ultimate ambition. “It’s been really incredible. It’s been really the goal of the band...
A dog helped his owner get rescued after a car crash in a remote, steep ravine in Oregon
BAKER COUNTY, Ore. — A dog has helped his owner get rescued after a car crash in a steep ravine in mountainous northeastern Oregon, authorities said. A man was driving with his four dogs on a remote U.S. Forest Service road on June 2 when he crashed into a ravine...
Elephants find unlikely home in Pittsburgh Zoo’s International Conservation Center
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s International Conservation Center is the epitome of irony. On what used to be a big game hunting preserve is now 1,000 acres of green space in Somerset County that’s home to endangered animals such as African elephants and, more recently, Bactrian camels and reindeer. Clearly,...
TV Talk: Western Pa. native films Apple TV+’s ‘Presumed Innocent’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Scott Turow’s 1987 novel “Presumed Innocent,” already adapted into a 1991 feature film starring Harrison Ford, gets the limited series treatment this week as Apple TV+ debuts its eight-episode take on the same story. This...
Ben Folds caps off Three Rivers Arts Festival on a high note
On Sunday night, the final evening of the 2024 Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburghers streamed onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard downtown. Some carried camp chairs, some carried blankets, and some only carried the dream of hearing some great tunes. And their dreams came true. They were all there to see Ben...
Downtown Greensburg Project, Westmoreland art museum host vintage marketVideo
From milk glass and wicker patio furniture to retro Steelers shirts, cutoff jean shorts and a cardboard box loaded with old vinyl records, there was no end to the variety on display Sunday during the Downtown Greensburg Project’s Vintage Market, held at the Westmoreland Museum of Art parking lot. This...
Travel trend: More couples choose exotic wedding destinations
More couples are saying “I do” to exotic wedding destination locations in place of traditional church weddings. According to the 2023 Destination Wedding Global Market Report, the destination wedding industry is projected to grow from $27.6 billion in 2023 to $36 billion this year. Mexico tops the list of tropical...
‘It’s given me a lot of confidence’: Penn Township Girl Scout troops honor Gold Award recipients at bridging ceremony
When Allison Huffman decided to pursue the Gold Award at the end of her 12 years in Girl Scouts, she knew she wanted to teach children about mental and physical health. But she had no idea she would learn just as much as the 80 children she taught. Huffman, 17,...
Pittsburgh is the king of inclines, but can it keep its crown?
Pittsburgh is the king of inclines. But its crown is in jeopardy. More than a century ago, at least 15 funicular railways operated simultaneously in Pittsburgh — more than in any other U.S. city. They toiled as hard as the working-class residents they ferried up and down the steep hills...
Bantam Jeep Festival rumbles into Butler County
A couple years ago, Theresa Putnam began to notice a new phenomenon at the annual Bantam Jeep Festival near Slippery Rock — someone was leaving little rubber ducks on Jeeps. “We started talking to people, and we found out it meant we’d been ‘ducked,’ ” said Putnam, a Dayton, Ohio,...
Credit card delinquencies are rising. Here’s what to do if you’re at risk
NEW YORK — Seriously overdue credit card debt is at the highest level in more than a decade, and people 35 and under are struggling more than other age groups to pay their bills. The share of credit card debt that’s severely delinquent, defined as being more than 90 days...
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,...
Modest Mouse ‘float on,’ rock unabashedly at Stage AE
Sometimes a band is just better live. That was the case for Modest Mouse, an indie rock outfit best known for their 2004 hit “Float On,” which topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay charts and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. But their catalog is considerably deeper...
Greensburg park packed with fans for Elton John tribute concert
Elton Rohn’s tribute to an almost identically named British rock superstar packed thousands of music fans into Greensburg’s St. Clair Park Friday evening. Among that audience for the first SummerSounds concert of the year were a Greensburg man and woman with a tribute of their own. Friends Derek Rinchuse and...
Secretos de mis Abuelos in Homestead a must visit for Puerto Rican cuisine
Five years ago, Felipe Crespo was sitting in the barber’s chair at Primo Cuts, a Puerto Rican barbershop across the street from his apartment. As a new resident of Pittsburgh pursuing his master’s degree at Duquesne University, he was also searching for authentic Boricua food. After inquiring at the barbershop...
‘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...
Golf tournament to benefit 4 families who lost loved ones in Rustic Ridge house explosion
An upcoming golf tournament benefiting the four families who lost loved ones in the Rustic Ridge house explosion in Plum last year is personal for Nick Davis, one of its organizers. Davis, 39, of Monroeville has known Jen Clontz since they were in kindergarten in the Gateway School District. He...
