Editor's Picks category, Page 140
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis deliver powerful punk/jazz punch in Pittsburgh showVideo
The Messthetics are not a typical jazz band by any means. With a rhythm section comprised of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty — both formerly of punk legends Fugazi — alongside guitarist Anthony Pirog, the Messthetics blur the lines between jazz and punk. On their third album, the...
Making cut flowers last well beyond Mother’s Day
There’s nothing quite like receiving a fresh bouquet of cut flowers. They can cheer up a room, bring a bit of nature indoors and, if you’re lucky, release a heavenly fragrance. But nothing kills that vibe quicker than stinky, slimy, wilted flowers poking out of a vase full of brown...
Apple’s biggest announcements from its iPad event: brighter screen, faster chips and the Pencil ProVideo
CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple on Tuesday unveiled its next generation of iPad Pros and Airs — models that will boast faster processors, new sizes and a new display system as part of the company’s first update to its tablet lineup in more than a year. The showcase at Apple’s headquarters...
Newest Pirates’ team dog scores official name
And his name is … Slugger. The Pittsburgh Pirates revealed the name for the team dog on Monday. The club introduced the pup last week, and a poll was opened for Pirates fans to vote on a name for him. Slugger emerged victorious with 31% of the vote. Bandit, Rookie...
National Geographic author inspires Acmetonia students to explore nature in their own backyards
Science writer Jason Bittel knows that talking about exotic animals or adventure-seeking experiences to a group of fourth grade students can elicit amazement. But Bittel’s message to students at Acmetonia Elementary School on Monday was that taking in your own surroundings — even if just in the Alle-Kiski Valley —...
With help from AI, Randy Travis got his voice back. Here’s how his first song post-stroke came to be
With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star Randy Travis, celebrated for his timeless hits like “Forever and Ever, Amen” and “I Told You So,” has his voice back. In July 2013, Travis was hospitalized with viral cardiomyopathy, a virus that attacks the heart, and later suffered a stroke....
On D-Day, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life, and save as many as he could
BRETTEVILLE-L’ORGUEILLEUSE, France — On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic who was ready to give his life — and save as many as he could. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th anniversary commemorations...
TV Talk: Astronaut with Pittsburgh ties appears in ‘The Longest Goodbye’ on PBSVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. PASADENA, Calif. — Retired NASA astronaut Cady Coleman says in PBS’s new “Independent Lens” documentary “Space: The Longest Goodbye” (10-11:30 p.m. May 6, WQED-TV) that even after she’d spent 159 days in space on the...
Museums in Ligonier Valley draw hundreds on day of free admission
Free admission was a good incentive Sunday for some to learn more about the history of where they live. “We decided to check out our backyard,” said Kathy Vargo while standing in the shade outside Fort Ligonier. She lives in Hempfield but was spending a couple days with her husband,...
Daycation Destination: Mingle among the koalas of the Cleveland Metroparks ZooVideo
Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood is home to the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, but a daycation trip to another zoo in Cleveland offers encounters something one can’t visit in Pennsylvania — koalas. Only nine U.S. zoos offer koala exhibits and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is the closest to Pittsburgh at about two...
A ‘tip of the hat’ to guests who didn’t allow rain to dampen the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy hat luncheon
Under drizzle at times on a dreary Saturday afternoon in the heart of Schenley Park, guests brightened the day with the finest colorful and bold headwear. It was the 26th annual PNC Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Spring Hat Luncheon. A little precipitation didn’t deter this crowd. Members of this group were...
Soundwalk interactive installation honors Hill District icons Frankie Mae, Charles Henry Pace
The interactive installation Soundwalk in the Hill District pays homage to the community work of Frankie Mae and Charles Henry Pace as musicians, activists and entrepreneurs from the 1930s to the 1960s. Taking place from 2-4 p.m. Saturday in the Hill District’s Frankie Mae Pace Park, the Soundwalk celebrates the...
‘A lot more than usual’: 11 sets of twins in Norwin’s class of 2024
Norwin High School senior Julia Walko remembers the time her track coach, Brian Fleckenstein, penciled in her sister to run in a relay in a track meet. “Coach Fleckenstein entered Jenna by mistake,” said Julia Walko. It’s not that Julia was upset at being bumped by her sister, the problem...
New restaurant incubator Frontier Kitchen opens in Sharpsburg
Aspiring business owners with a passion for cooking now have a professional resource in Sharpsburg. Virginia-based Frontier Kitchen is the newest business incubator assisting entrepreneurs in navigating the culinary world. “Our mission is to empower people to achieve their entrepreneurial goals and create strong, sustainable companies,” said co-owner and CEO...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: May 3
The following is a new feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. The month of April had an abundance of rain. According to the National Weather Service, the Pittsburgh area finished the month with an accumulation of 7.93 inches. This total was the second highest on record. What total...
TV Talk: Billy Gardell ends ‘Bob (Hearts) Abishola,’ explores what’s nextVideo
BURBANK, Calif. — Swissvale native Billy Gardell has experience with ending a sitcom. He saw CBS’s “Mike & Molly” through 127 episodes to its conclusion in 2016 and now he’s saying farewell to CBS’s “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” (8:30 p.m. Monday, KDKA-TV), which ends its five-season run next week. “I told...
Death Cab for Cutie and Postal Service hit ‘Such Great Heights’
Two staple 2000s indie bands are on an epic anniversary tour, and Pittsburgh concertgoers were lucky to see it Thursday night at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland. Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service have a few things in common. First, they both released landmark albums in 2003...
5 things to do in Westmoreland: May 3-5
May the Fourth be with you! Here are some things to do this weekend in Westmoreland County. Ligonier Valley Free Museum Day On Sunday, several museums in the Ligonier Valley will be opening their doors to visitors for free. Participating museums include the Compass Inn Museum, Fort Ligonier, the Ligonier...
‘We’re always hoping to sell out’: Greensburg Garden Center prepares annual May Mart plant sale
Every year, the Greenridge Garden Club arrives at the Greensburg Garden Center’s May Mart plant sale with hundreds of heirloom tomato plants. By the end of the sale, most — if not all — of them are gone, said club member Janet Bentz. Bentz, of Irwin, has been a member...
National Aviary announces death of penguin Stanley
One of the longest-tenured flock members at the National Aviary has died. He was 22. Stanley, named after the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup, arrived at the Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side in 2001 when he was just 2 months old. Stanley was nationally known for the bond he shared...
Young Rising Sons’ Andy Tongren on ‘(Un)Happy Hour,’ silver linings and singlesVideo
After a session spent writing songs in Los Angeles, the members of Young Rising Sons decided to go to a bar and grab some drinks. Their arrival, just one minute after happy hour ended, ultimately led to a song — “(Un)Happy Hour,” their latest single — with the concepts and...
TV Talk: ‘A Man in Full’ debuts; ‘Hacks’ returns better than everVideo
It’s a busy TV week as networks and platforms debut shows in time for 2024 Emmy Awards consideration, including Peacock’s Holocaust drama “The Tattooist of Auschwitz,” the return of Max’s “Hacks” and the debut of Netflix’s “A Man in Full,” which includes a reunion of “American Rust” actors. ‘A Man...
Monroeville 17-year-old finishes high school, community college, master’s degree in 8 years
About this time, most 17-year-olds are looking forward to the end of another year of high school and a little summer vacation. R.J. Krishnaswamy of Monroeville was graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. Again. Krishnaswamy graduated from community college at 13 and earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from...
‘A step back in time’: America’s Catholic Church sees an immense shift toward the old ways
MADISON, Wis. — It was the music that changed first. Or maybe that’s just when many people at the pale brick Catholic church in the quiet Wisconsin neighborhood finally began to realize what was happening. The choir director, a fixture at St. Maria Goretti for nearly 40 years, was suddenly...
The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy on double album, love song … and DokkenVideo
Colin Meloy, the frontman for the Decemberists, laughed when he was informed of a band listed under the influences header on the group’s Wikipedia page. Listed among contemporaries like The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins and Modest Mouse, one group stuck out: Dokken, a 1980s glam metal...
