Editor's Picks category, Page 168
Ponche Navideño is a warm Latin American Christmas drinkVideo
Sipping on a warm spicy fruit punch is traditional in Latin American cultures. Ponche Navideño is a marker of the holiday season and a staple to Mexican Christmas festivities. Known as Merry Christmas punch, Dec. 24 is that date it is commonly consumed. “Maybe here in America, punch is for...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 22-25
We’ve made it to the weekend. It is three days off for some with Christmas Day on Monday. In between those final shopping stops at the mall, local retailer or Peoples Gas Holiday Market, here are some other ways to spend it. Christmas Day at Pitt The annual Christmas Day...
Light ’em up: Synchronized light displays becoming more popular since pandemic
Western Pennsylvania saw its first decent snowfall Dec. 18. But it’s been “snowing” at Dr. Lou DiToppa’s house for a while now. DiToppa of North Huntingdon has been ramping up his Christmas decoration display for a few years. It began with brightly lit snowflakes around his house, front yard and...
Were your holiday deliveries stolen? What to know about porch piracy and what you can do about it
NEW YORK — You found the perfect holiday gift online. You ordered it. A notification arrived on your phone, showing the package had arrived. But when you open your doors, the parcel is nowhere to be found. If this has happened to you, then count yourself among the unlucky group...
Oakmont Council approves Local Remedy Brewing’s conditional-use application
Oakmont residents will see a new addition to the borough’s shopping district in 2024 after council approved Local Remedy Brewing’s conditional use application in a 6-0 vote Dec. 18. Before the vote, a public hearing was held to discuss the conditional use of the proposed site. According to borough Solicitor...
5 things to do in Westmoreland: Dec. 22-24
There are plenty of festive things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend to foster the holiday spirit as Christmas approaches. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art: Cantilever Tours The Westmoreland on North Main Street in Greensburg will continue its series of free tours from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday....
Heinz Ketchup bottle from Acrisure Stadium finds new home at History CenterVideo
The second of two Heinz ketchup bottles removed from Acrisure Stadium last July can now be found at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District. The 35-foot ketchup bottle stopped traffic on Thursday morning. As it came down the southwest corner at 12th and Smallman Streets, trailing...
TV Talk: Broadcast networks roll out new, returning seriesVideo
Anthony Anderson hosts the Emmy Awards next month (8 p.m. Jan. 15, Fox) and broadcast networks start to premiere new and returning scripted series, so just imagine January is the new September. This weekend, NBC gets into the holiday spirit, gifting viewers a new holiday-themed episode of “Night Court” (8:30...
Jak’s, a traditional Bulgarian bakery, opens in Bloomfield
As a freshman at what is now called the Professional High School of Tourism in his native Bulgaria, Zhelyazko “Jak” Latinov studied the standard math, geography and history. He studied English but it wasn’t a core subject. In addition to his regular classes, he attended a technical school where he...
Christmas tree recycling programs open drop-off sites
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials are encouraging residents not to let their live Christmas trees end up in a landfill after the holidays. Both the city and the county launched their annual recycling programs on Tuesday. Pittsburgh’s program allows people to drop off trees at one of 11 drop-off sites...
The poinsettia by any other name? Try ‘cuetlaxochitl’ or ‘Nochebuena’
SANTA FE, N.M. — Like Christmas trees, Santa and reindeer, the poinsettia has long been a ubiquitous symbol of the holiday season in the U.S. and Europe. But now, nearly 200 years after the plant with the bright crimson leaves was introduced north of the Rio Grande, attention is once...
TV Q&A: Is Katelyn Sykes back on the news?
Q: Is Katelyn Sykes back reporting the news? I thought I just saw her reporting for WPXI, Channel 11. — PSU, via email Rob: Sykes, who left WTAE-TV in November 2021 and took a job working in communications for the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing, began working as a...
White elephant gift exchange parties popular with millennials
Millennials are revamping white elephant holiday parties. The tradition stems back to Southeast Asia when the white elephant — considered a sacred animal — was given by a high-ranking person as a gift to someone who displeased them. The gift was given almost as a punishment because the recipient would...
Plum man who died in Parkway East crash remembered for generosity, baking skills
Ronald Richards made “the best lady locks around,” said Sean Hartley, whose family owns the Shop ’n Save on Golden Mile Highway in Plum. “He was making them for Christmas even this week. I saw him on Saturday at the store,” Hartley said. Hartley hired Richards to manage his store’s...
Tay Waltenbaugh, former Community Action leader, had passion for helping people
At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Tay R. Waltenbaugh was a larger-than-life person who had a passion for helping those in need become self-sufficient. “He did so much for so many people. No one was more committed to helping others in Westmoreland County than Tay,” said county Commissioner Ted Kopas....
She bought a colorful vase at Goodwill for $3.99. The rare piece sold at auction for $107,000
Jessica Vincent had just started surveying the shelves of a Virginia thrift store when a vase caught her eye. It was shaped like a bottle and had ribbons of color, aqua green and amethyst purple, that spiraled up its glass surface like stripes of paint. The piece looked old amongst...
Census: Where are people moving to Pennsylvania from the most?
More people moved to Pennsylvania in 2022 than the year prior, and many came from neighboring states, according to new geographic mobility estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The federal agency estimates nearly 263,000 people residing in Pennsylvania in 2022 lived in a different state one year ago. Many came...
TribLive’s 2023 Year in Photographs
TribLive’s photojournalists have captured a year of stark contrasts, vividly documenting our region and the people who call it home. The North Shore witnessed a takeover by Swifties as globally renowned pop sensation Taylor Swift brought her Era’s tour to Pittsburgh. An explosion in the Rustic Ridge community in Plum...
I’ve watched dozens of cheesy holiday rom-coms this year. Here are 5 good ones
Since November, I’ve been watching the season’s new Christmas romantic comedies basically nonstop. There were many mediocre movies, but also a few that hit the right balance of cheesy, cringy and Christmas charm. ‘The Santa Summit’ It’s a Christmas hater’s absolute nightmare: the annual Santa Summit. What began as a...
Effortlessly gorgeous and easy to ship, drop cookies are what to bake for Christmas
I’m as dazzled by a beautifully decorated holiday cookie as the next person, but when it comes to wielding a pastry bag myself, I’m not a pro. I’m much more about the cookies than the piping. And while elaborately crafted cookies shaped like delicate snowflakes or sporting ombre frostings are...
How to manage holiday spending when you’re dealing with student loan debt
NEW YORK — For Nicole Plauché and her family, Christmas is the time of the year where they can use their preferred love language: gift giving. This year, however, Plauché is worried about how much she can afford to spend on gifts. Her main struggle? Student loan payments. “It just...
Top 24 concerts (so far) coming to Pittsburgh area in 2024
It’s looking like 2024 will be another year of big concerts for the Pittsburgh region. Topping the list is the almost annual appearance by Kenny Chesney at Acrisure Stadium. The chart-topping country singer, who’s already headlined the stadium 11 times since 2005, will bring his Sun Goes Down tour to...
‘More than just a class’: Westmoreland Performing Arts offers support, community through special ability theater group
Isaac Klimchock knew what to do when his castmates missed their cue. He had just finished a scene with Chris Henderson, and audience applause echoed off the walls of Science Hall Theater at Westmoreland County Community College. Klimchock and Henderson waited, and waited, for fellow actors to join them for...
Forgoing traditional Christmas celebrations to travel is becoming more common
Melinda Cody of Allegheny Township has implemented a Christmas strike, and she’s never been happier. For decades, Cody — a wife and mother of two adult children — prepped, baked, cooked, decorated, shopped, organized and wrapped gifts, providing a traditional Christmas experience for her family with all the expected holiday...
‘You get to see the best in people’: TribLive reporter volunteers at Salvation Army kettle
I should have switched my bell-ringing hand at least once. If there is one lesson I learned from taking a shift ringing the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle bell on a crisp, clear Thursday morning, that was it: Don’t just ring the bell for 90 minutes with the same arm. It...
