Editor's Picks category, Page 197
Deep dive into Meta’s algorithms shows that America’s political polarization has no easy fix
WASHINGTON — The powerful algorithms used by Facebook and Instagram to deliver content to users have increasingly been blamed for amplifying misinformation and political polarization. But a series of groundbreaking studies published Thursday suggest addressing these challenges is not as simple as tweaking the platforms’ software. The four research papers,...
Enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich unveiled at Pennsylvania community fair
LEBANON, Pa. — An enormous Lebanon bologna sandwich billed as one of the world’s largest has been unveiled at a central Pennsylvania fair. The 150-foot-long (45.7-meters-long) sandwich was created Tuesday night at the Lebanon Area Fair by a large crew of volunteers known as the “Bologna Security.” Lebanon bologna is...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: July 28-30
On stage Stage Right of Greensburg will present two summer camp musicals this weekend at The Lamp Theatre, 222 Main St., Irwin: • Chicago: Teen Edition, presented by the teen group at 2 and 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. • We Will Rock You, with the music of Queen, presented...
Elon Musk wants to turn tweets into X’s — but changing language is not quite so simple
SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk may want to send “tweet” back to the birds, but the ubiquitous term for posting on the site he now calls X is here to stay — at least for now. For one, the word is still plastered all over the site formerly known as...
Speckled Egg, Commonplace Coffee share a dining space in SouthSide Works
Pitt students Lila Ost, Bella Jameson and Ellie Hawkey had breakfast al fresco on Wednesday. The incoming seniors were looking for a coffee shop, which they found with Commonplace Coffee. What the trio also discovered was The Speckled Egg hosting a grand opening in the shared space. The Speckled Egg...
105.9 The X midday host Abby Krizner has connected her life to music in multiple ways
WXDX program director and midday host Abby Krizner doesn’t seem to remember a time in her life when music wasn’t an integral part of it, whether she was playing instruments or playing records. That’s probably not too surprising to those familiar with Krizner’s on-air work hosting and curating alternative rock...
TV Talk: Action comedy ‘Twisted Metal’ twists expectations for post-apocalyptic storytellingVideo
Post-apocalyptic stories can entertain and provoke thought – see HBO’s “The Last of Us” – but they also tend to be major downers. Along comes Peacock’s bonkers “Twisted Metal” to say, “Not always!” Like “The Last of Us,” “Twisted Metal” is based on a video game, this time a 1995...
Head’s up: Towering statue at Greensburg auto repair shop gets full face-lift
It was literally a tall order, but a local artist, a forklift company and staff of an auto repair shop combined efforts to make sure an iconic lumberjack stands head and shoulders once again above motorists driving along Route 119 in Greensburg. Standing more than 20 feet tall, the fiberglass...
South Florida waters hit hot tub level and may have set world record for warmest seawater
The water temperature around the tip of Florida has hit triple digits — hot tub levels — two days in a row. Meteorologists say it could be the hottest seawater ever measured, although some questions about the reading remain. Scientists are already seeing devastating effects from prolonged hot water surrounding...
Pittsburgh woman searches for wedding dress lost when dry cleaner closed
A Squirrel Hill woman wants her wedding dress back. Nicole Vera Delgado, a Louisiana native who moved to Pittsburgh five years ago, ignored the horror stories she’d heard about dry cleaners losing or mangling wedding dresses. Last August, she gave her strapless, A-line wedding dress, complete with beading and lace...
TV Q&A: Will DISH and WPXI-TV’s parent company ever settle?
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: I’m a DISH Network customer. We haven’t had NBC’s WPXI-TV for more than seven months and I’m still paying the same amount. Is there something...
Westmoreland 250: 10 unique things in Greensburg
(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This series will appear each week through December. If you have a...
‘Moves like Jagger’: As Mick marks 80 years, WYEP will air Pittsburgh band covers of Rolling Stones songs
Mick Jagger is turning 80 on Wednesday, and Pittsburgh radio station WYEP is celebrating with a collection of new, local band covers of classic Rolling Stones tunes. “Pittsburgh’s Got Moves Like Jagger” will air throughout the day Wednesday, and a full hour special of Pittsburgh artists’ covers will air at...
Mustard Skittles are a thing that’s happening
Mustard + Skittles = uhhhh, yeah. Yes, the snack treat that no one asked for has arrived. Mustard-flavored Skittles are now a thing — thanks to the candy brand and French’s. It’s all a way to help promote the brands on National Mustard Day, which we all celebrate on Aug....
Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson on the band’s farewell tour, its future and its legacy
Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson says it’s not unusual for his band name to create some bewilderment. “It’s funny, people oftentimes don’t recognize the name, but they recognize the songs,” Pilson said. “I can tell somebody, oh yeah, I play in a band called Foreigner. ‘Oh, OK, very good. Would I...
Twitter turning into X is set to kill billions in brand value
It’s rare for corporate brands to become so intertwined with everyday conversation that they become verbs. It’s rarer still for the owner of such a brand to announce plans to intentionally destroy it. On Sunday, in the middle of a quiet summer weekend, Elon Musk decreed that Twitter’s product name...
Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ rockets to No. 2 on charts after music video controversy
LOS ANGELES — Jason Aldean ‘s “Try That in a Small Town” is experiencing exponential growth following controversy over its music video. “Try That in a Small Town,” which was released in May, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week just behind BTS’s Jung Kook solo...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking ‘Barbie,’ Shark Week, AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including what the future might hold for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. Benz and Owen discuss the double hits of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” (and the failures of...
With ‘Barbie,’ Greta Gerwig breaks a box office record for female directors
“Barbie” didn’t just break the opening weekend record for 2023; It also shattered the first weekend record for a film directed by a woman. With $162 million in ticket sales from North American theaters, according to studio totals Monday, “Barbie” catapulted past both “Captain Marvel,” which was co-directed by Anna...
Jury deliberates in Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial in London
LONDON — Jurors in the sexual assault trial of Kevin Spacey retired to begin deliberations Monday on allegations against the actor by four men that date back two decades. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including multiple counts of sexual assault and one count of causing a...
Tips and tricks for keeping garden critters at bay
As she browsed the outdoor aisles of 380 Auction in Murrysville, Plum resident Marilyn Covert lamented the loss of her homegrown tomatoes to a deer. “They’re terrible,” she said of the deer, as she pushed her cart stacked with gardening supplies. “There’s nothing like a homegrown tomato.” Covert uses deer...
Musk says Twitter to change logo to X from the bird. Changes could come as early as Monday.
NEW YORK — Elon Musk said Sunday that he plans to change the logo of Twitter to an “X” from the famous blue bird, marking what would be the latest big change since he bought the social media platform for $44 billion last year. In a series of posts on...
‘Bake’ sweet summer icebox cakes in the fridge
Hear the word “cake” and an image comes to mind. It’s usually a round, layer cake filled and coated with thick frosting and maybe finished with sprinkles. Cut a big, triangular wedge and you have an absolute textbook illustration of a piece of cake. Delicious to eat anytime — but...
New Kensington’s Sizzling Summer Night had something for everyone
Many years ago, particularly during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, summer was said to be a time of decadence, socializing, and inspiration largely taking place outdoors. New Kensington’s second annual Sizzling Summer Night, held Saturday evening, had that kind of feel. Though she wasn’t around during those bygone times, one...
Ferrari is the ‘Marque Car’ of the year at Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix
Enzo Ferrari’s passion was racing cars. That love of fast high-performance Italian automobiles carries over into this year’s Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Ferrari is this year’s Marque of the Year at the 41st annual event that’s happening Saturday and Sunday in Schenley Park. “Ferrari has a heritage, and it’s a...
