Editor's Picks category, Page 251
Hempfield junior firefighters — tomorrow’s firefighters — undergo critical training
Fifteen-year-old Kayden Lawther stood in her firefighter’s bunker gear Saturday in Hempfield’s future fire department headquarters, learning with other junior firefighters how to use a large tarp to cover furniture or create a chute to drain thousands of gallons of water poured onto a burning house. What would motivate seven...
Greensburg Restaurant Week returns with special dishes, deals
General manager Lynn Hepple likes to give diners at Bar Nine “something completely new” when Greensburg Restaurant Week rolls around. This time, special dishes at the Greensburg gastropub will include short rib pierogies, served with garlic gravy, sour cream and scallions. The pierogies are one of two appetizer options for...
How Maggie Hardy caught Immaculate Reception ball for Dad
It was another fairy tale ending for the Immaculate Reception ball. The same ball that Franco Harris miraculously caught 50 years ago to give the Steelers their first playoff victory in franchise history inspired another happy, though bittersweet, outcome. For the past half-century, the ball had been in the possession...
A-K Health Foundation footing the bill for EMT certification to help alleviate responder crisis
Free EMT training by the Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation will help stop the bleed for ambulance services hit hard by dwindling funding and worker shortages, local officials said. John Pastorek, president of the Harrison-based foundation, said his group will pay up to $21,000 to cover EMT training for 21 students, beginning...
A Florida taxidermist takes clients nobody else will: grieving pet owners
INVERNESS, Fla. — Allison Doty has washed her cat, Cakes, twice. Once, during her life, scrubbing Cakes in the bathtub when she was too dirty to clean herself. The other time was after her death. Doty stood in front of the sink of her dimly lit kitchen, pale light streaming...
Gucci opens new store in Ross Park Mall
Gucci on Friday opened a new store in Ross Park Mall. Spanning more than 5,000 square feet, the shop showcases men’s ready-to-wear, men’s and women’s shoes, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, jewelry and eyewear, the company said in a statement. Shoppers will also be able to explore Gucci’s Cosomogonie collection....
Here’s what to expect from upcoming Oscar nominations
NEW YORK — There were, admittedly, some notable distractions at last year’s ceremony, so you might have missed it: The old Oscar rules have gone out the window. A film, streamed by Apple TV+, won Hollywood’s top award without a penny of box office. But this year — plot twist!...
Reunited Pantera playing Star Lake this summerVideo
The reunion of the surviving members of heavy metal pioneers Pantera has spawned a headlining tour, including a stop near Pittsburgh. Pantera will visit the Pavilion at Star Lake on July 28. They will be joined by opening act Lamb of God. Singer Philip Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown will...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Jan. 20-22
Making music A Community Music Program recital will begin at 6:30 p.m. today in the Seton Hill University Performing Arts Center, 100 Harrison Ave., Greensburg. Performers will be people of all ages who receive private musical instruction through the program, taught by Seton Hill faculty and staff members. Admission is...
Dry January continues to rise in popularity
Six years ago, Jacob Zadnik spent most of the week traveling for work as a consultant. That included eating out most days — and, with that, drinking lots of alcohol. He and his coworkers challenged each other to try Dry January — 31 days of no alcohol. This month is...
Those huge, stone Wabash piers on the Mon are up for sale
Someone out there can own an unusual piece of Pittsburgh history — not to mention an unusual piece of real estate. The Wabash piers, those hulking stone towers standing about 45 feet above the Monongahela River, Downtown, are up for sale. “The fascinating thing about these piers — they were...
David Crosby, whose voice soared with the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, dies
LOS ANGELES — David Crosby, who helped found two supergroups that broadened and deepened the reach of rock music, and who, with his outspoken political pronouncements and famously outsized appetites came to symbolize the Woodstock generation’s exuberance and excesses, has died, according to a source close to the musician. Bedeviled...
Staffing issues force temporary closure of Periwinkle’s in O’Hara
An O’Hara bakery renowned for its award-winning donuts is temporarily closed. Periwinkle’s Bakery & Cafe — a spinoff from the original, iconic 1970s Harmar bakery — shut down in late 2022. A sign posted to the door of the RIDC Park location cites a worker shortage as the problem. “We...
At Lunar New Year, desserts can be customary or cute-ified
Every Lunar New Year without fail, Kat Lieu’s mother would make her steamed nian gao, which is a sweet rice — or mochi — cake. It was a tasty tradition of having dessert for breakfast. The Seattle-based author of the “Modern Asian Baking at Home” cookbook and founder of the...
After 2 virtual years, Sundance returns to the mountains
Randall Park made a pact with himself some years ago that he wouldn’t attend the Sundance Film Festival if he didn’t have a project there. But the “Fresh Off the Boat” star never imagined that his first time would be as a director and not as an actor. His adaptation...
Is retirement the right choice for you? Experts weigh in
Retirement is a phase of later adulthood that remains the ultimate goal for many professionals who dream of leaving the daily grind behind. But is retirement right for everyone? How do you know if retiring is the best option for you, or when to retire? Deciding whether to retire and...
Flavored cannabis marketing is criticized for targeting kidsVideo
NEW YORK — When New York’s first licensed recreational marijuana outlet opened last month, the chief of the state’s Office of Cannabis Management, Chris Alexander, proudly hoisted a tin of watermelon-flavored gummies above the crowd. Outside the Manhattan shop, he displayed another purchase — a jar containing dried flowers of...
TV Talk at TCA: ‘Kindred Spirits’ visits Western Pa.
You can tell the popularity of ghost-hunting TV series remains high because Travel Channel visited the same Western Pennsylvania property twice in two years. “Destination Fear” visited the Greene County Almshouse (AKA the Greene County Historical Society) for an August 2021 episode and now “Kindred Spirits” kicks off a new...
New Greensburg yoga studio’s classes differ by matter of degrees, instructional styles
Students can relax at room temperature or sweat it out at Tonified, a new yoga and fitness studio in Greensburg. Owner Tony Ranieri has drawn upon four decades in the fitness business and his more recent exploration of yoga techniques in developing the studio and in selecting its range of...
Primanti Bros. shuts down Michigan locations
Pittsburgh-based Primanti Bros. closed its only two sandwich shops in Michigan on Tuesday. The restaurant chain had expanded into Michigan less than a decade ago, the Detroit Free Press reported, before shuttering its shops in the state Tuesday with no explanation. The Michigan locations in Taylor and Novi are no...
The price of a stamp is going up again, starting Sunday
It’s going to be more expensive to send that birthday card, letter or bill in the mail, starting Sunday. The United States Postal Service will raise the price of a first-class Forever stamp from 60 cents to 63 cents in a move announced in October. This will be the third...
Plastic as art? Entire grocery store created from discards
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A grocery store featuring thousands of faux food items made entirely from discarded plastic bags opens Tuesday to the public, an artist’s non-edible creation calling attention to the dangers of plastic waste. The Plastic Bag Store is a custom-built public art installation and film experience designed...
How ‘The Last of Us’ changed gaming, strained relationships and spawned an empire
Sony’s landmark 2013 game “The Last of Us” didn’t make it easy on players. But the difficulty curve was more emotional than technical, for the game delivered the zombie genre at its most heady, grief-stricken and intimate. How it started: Grim. Joel, a down-on-his-luck single dad, can’t catch a break....
Ross hires veteran Pittsburgh police commander to serve as its 1st female chief
Ross Township officials broke with the long-standing tradition of promoting their most senior police officer to chief when an opening comes up. With help from a consultant who developed a plan to restructure the police department, the township announced during a news conference Jan. 17 that it has hired its...
Ligonier welcomes 32nd annual Ice Fest this weekend
Debbie Sarault, owner of clothing store Betsy’s of Ligonier, has a secret. But she’s not letting the proverbial cat out of the bag until Saturday, when the 32nd annual Ligonier Ice Fest begins. As a shop owner for 33 years, Sarault prides herself on having never missed the event. She...
