Editor's Picks category, Page 216
‘Too much to learn’: Schools race to catch up kids’ reading
ATLANTA — Michael Crowder stands nervously at the front of his third grade classroom, his mustard-yellow polo shirt buttoned to the top. “Give us some vowels,” says his teacher, La’Neeka Gilbert-Jackson. His eyes search a chart that lists vowels, consonant pairs and word endings, but he doesn’t land on an...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: April 21-23
Chinese musicians “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,” a free concert of traditional Chinese music, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Robert S. Carey Performing Arts Center at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Featured musicians will be Yazhi Guo on the suona and Zhou Yi on...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh CEO appears on PBS’s ‘Chasing Carbon;’ weird, wonderful ‘Mrs. Davis’ debutsVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — Chef Christopher Galarza, founder of Verona-based Forward Dining Solutions, is quick to point out one of the key benefits of a fully electric kitchen in PBS’s latest “NOVA” episode, “Chasing Carbon Zero” (9 p.m. April 26, WQED-TV): These kitchens are much cooler than a gas-powered kitchen with...
Pittsburgh Playwrights marks 20th year with show about race relations, social unrest
To help mark its 20th anniversary, the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s production of “Pyramid Builders” turns to racial issues of the past to bring its audience into a stark future that is meant to demonstrate the dangers of hatred—and make audiences think. Director Bianca LaVerne Jones said her motivation for...
River recreation opportunities expand along the Kiski River in Leechburg
It just got a lot easier to float your boat in Leechburg. A public recreational project several years in the making was completed Saturday. The Leechburg primitive gravel boat launch in Riverfront Park is a packed-gravel road with an adjacent parking lot designed for nonmotorized boats, specifically kayaks and canoes....
Three Rivers Arts Festival announces musical lineup, new layout
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will have a new location for the main stage and an expanded layout of the artist market. The Dollar Bank main stage will be relocated to Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Stanwix Street to give more access to a grass area and nearby food...
Uneasy marijuana industry seeks broader trade amid vast glut
TUMWATER, Wash. — The email went out to legal cannabis growers around Washington state, alerting them that another of their colleagues had gone under. “Liquidation sale,” it said. Attached was a spreadsheet of items up for grabs: LED grow lights for $500 apiece. Rotary evaporators for hash oil, $10,000. Across...
Are you a Facebook user? You could get some settlement cash
Anyone in the U.S. who has had a Facebook account at any time since May 24, 2007, can now apply for their share of a $725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta has agreed to pay. Meta is paying to settle a lawsuit alleging the world’s largest social media...
TV Q&A: Is Celina Pompeani Mathison leaving ‘Pittsburgh Today Live’?
Q: Is Celina Pompeani Mathison leaving PTL? She was at the Pens practice on the show earlier this month, and they were saying goodbye to her. I know she is pregnant and didn’t think she was taking time off already. — Deb, via Facebook Rob: Pompeani Mathison isn’t expected to...
Editorial: Frustrating parallels between North Side and Alabama shootings and the agonizing wait for answers
In Alabama, there is mourning for the loss of four people who were attending a 16th birthday party Saturday in Dadeville. There is concern for the health and well-being of 32 more who were injured. But people are frustrated by the lack of answers about what happened and who is...
Twitter removes policy against deadnaming transgender people
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,” raising concerns that the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalized groups. Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as...
‘Flashdance’ at 40: Director Adrian Lyne’s films are in again
“Flashdance” was one of those lighting-in-a-bottle movies that somehow perfectly captured its moment. Directed by Adrian Lyne, the movie’s atmospheric, neon-saturated style, brisk pacing, infectious music, dynamic dancing and a starmaking performance by Jennifer Beals — whose off-the-shoulder sweatshirt became an immediate fashion sensation — all helped to define the...
Former Bella Luna space to reopen as The Coxcomb
As he stood behind what will soon be a finished bar top, Will Patterson of Monroeville heard someone driving past the open door of the former Bella Luna restaurant at the Murrysville/Monroeville border. “Are you open?” the woman asked through her passenger side window. “Early June, hopefully!” Patterson shouted before...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: ‘Love is Blind’ delay, pre-Emmy program deluge, ‘Beef,’ Boris Becker doc and Bert Kreischer stand-up
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 updates on several shows filmed in Pittsburgh: “Mayor of Kingstown,” “American Rust,” “The Deliverance,” “Rustin.” The pair also discuss the Netflix delay of the...
TV Talk: Pinhead actor from ‘Hellraiser’ lives in Pittsburgh, guest stars on ‘Gotham Knights’
Doug Bradley, the British actor who made Pinhead a horror icon in the “Hellraiser” films that began in 1987, now resides in Pittsburgh. And this month, Bradley gets introduced as Joe Chill on The CW’s “Gotham Knights.” Chill is in prison for the murders of Bruce Wayne’s parents. Bradley, 68,...
Volunteers needed for joint Earth Day cleanup by Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge
People who want to get down and dirty to help Mother Nature can volunteer at an Earth Day program hosted by three local communities. Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge are having their first-ever joint event to rid the roads and parks of pop cans, candy wrappers, tires and other trash. It...
25 artifacts in new Westmoreland exhibit illuminate county’s diverse 250-year history
A key to a landmark Greensburg mansion and an 800-pound tower bell are among items that will help unlock Westmoreland County’s past for those who view a new county historical society exhibit. “Westmoreland 250! Celebrating our Story with 25 Objects” had its official debut Saturday at the society’s Westmoreland Education...
Greensburg YMCA hosts 2023 YMCA state gymnastics championships
Westmoreland County Community College welcomed 14 YMCA gymnastics teams this weekend to the 2023 Pennsylvania YMCA state championships, hosted by the Greensburg Y Aerials gymnastics team. YMCA teams from all over Pennsylvania are attending the two-day meet. The competition consists of gymnasts in several skill levels going head-to-head in vault,...
Hundreds participate in Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event in Greensburg to raise sexual assault awareness
The 12th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes was held Saturday morning in St. Clair Park in downtown Greensburg. The Blackburn Center, an organization that advocates for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse, hosts the event each year to raise awareness about gender-based violence in Westmoreland County. A...
David’s Bridal could lay off more than 9,000 employees as company explores sale
Pennsylvania-based David’s Bridal, which sells wedding dresses and other clothing and accessories for special occasions, could lay off thousands of people across the country and is exploring a sale of the company. The company filed a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor &...
European spacecraft on way to Jupiter and its icy moons
A European spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a decadelong quest to explore Jupiter and three of its icy moons that could have buried oceans. The journey began with a perfect morning liftoff by Europe’s Ariane rocket from French Guiana on the coast of South America. But there were some tense...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: April 14-16
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Beer here There are many events taking place this weekend for Three Rivers Beer Week, including East End Brewing Co.’s annual Pedal Pale Keg Ride from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday beginning at 147 Julius St. in Larimer....
TV Talk: Jennifer Garner returns to TV in ‘Last Thing He Told Me’ adaptationVideo
Actress Jennifer Garner came to fame on TV — notably in ABC’s “Alias” (2001-06) — and 2023 marks her return to the medium, first on Starz’s “Party Down” revival and now taking the lead in Apple TV+’s “The Last Thing He Told Me,” now streaming. Based on the 2021 novel...
Metallica returns with ’72 Seasons,’ shows no signs of slowing down
NEW YORK — Zoom has been credited for keeping students and teachers connected, the judicial system working and fitness classes jumping. You can add a Metallica album to that list. The hard rockers met weekly over their computers to stay connected during the pandemic, a standing get-together that eventually became...
Point Park to host evening with renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp
Renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp will discuss her six-decade career during an audience participation talk on April 23 at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. “An Evening With Twyla Tharp” will begin at 7 p.m. with the Point Park University Conservatory Dance Co.’s spring concert, a presentation of Tharp’s “Sweet Fields.” Made...
