Editor's Picks category, Page 269
Dining in the dark coming to Bellevue’s Revival on Lincoln
Darkness can bring other things to light. That’s the thought behind a dining concept called “Pitch Black,” where people are blindfolded and then served a meal. “Blindfolded taste tests are a widely used method which sometimes have proven to trick and heighten our senses and allow us to let go...
Wight Elephant Boutique owner dresses Miss Universe, Harnaaz SandhuVideo
The Wight Elephant Boutique in Greensburg has been enjoying some unexpected global exposure. Owner Victoria Piekut’s ties to the pageant world have given her an opportunity to dress the current Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu of India. Sandhu recently sported outfits provided by Wight Elephant on a trip to South Africa...
Danube drought reveals parts of hidden WWII history near Serbia, Romania
PRAHOVO, Serbia — The worst drought in Europe in decades has not only scorched farmland and hampered river traffic, it also has exposed a part of almost forgotten World War II history: The hulks of dozens of World War II German battleships have emerged from the Danube River as its...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Netflix sets date for filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Pale Blue Eye,’ Steve Carell in ‘The Patient,’ Steelers on Amazon
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 Netflix setting a release date for “The Pale Blue Eye,” filmed in late 2021 and early 2022 in Western Pennsylvania. The Scott Cooper-directed film,...
Cruise ship covid rules are changing as unvaccinated passengers now allowed
The biggest changes to public health protocols on cruise ships since cruising restarted last summer during the pandemic are taking effect in early September, when most cruise lines leaving from U.S. ports will allow unvaccinated passengers. Many of them also are loosening coronavirus pre-boarding testing requirements. Consumers planning cruise vacations...
Fun with fungi: Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club plans North Park foray
When it comes to identifying mushrooms, some folks get about as far as distinguishing between the little ones you slice to put on pizza and the big ones that fit nicely inside of a burger bun. Then there are the mycologists within the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club. “In general, a...
Taylor Swift announces new album, ‘Midnights,’ to be released in October
Taylor Swift is ready to begin again. The 32-year-old singer, who has spent most of the past several years re-recording her old albums amid a rights feud with former manager Scooter Braun, announced Sunday night that she is finally back with fresh content. “I had sort of made up my...
What are ‘Blue Zones’ and why should you eat like the people who live in them?
There are five “Blue Zones” around the world, and the people who live in these areas are 10 times likelier than Americans to reach age 100. The name comes from the blue circles researchers drew on the map when identifying them. “According to research published in Nutrients in May 2018,...
‘Did she lose her mind?’ Sharon Horgan explains her turn to the dark sideVideo
NEW YORK — When “Catastrophe” came to an end three years ago, Sharon Horgan was bereft. “I had real grief,” said the writer-actor-producer during a recent sit-down in Manhattan. “I know that sounds dramatic, but we were so close and so in it for five years.” The Amazon series, which...
Liz Weston: Why is money so confusing?
Managing money is an essential life skill, yet most U.S. adults would fail a financial literacy test. Consider the results of a survey meant to measure financial literacy, called the TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance Index. On average, U.S. adults correctly answered only 50% of its financial literacy questions in 2022....
Review: A good man makes a real bad decision on ‘House of the Dragon’
ALERT: Contains spoilers for the ‘Game of Thrones’ series up through episode two of ‘House of the Dragon’ Good, honest men usually have a tough go of it in the “Game of Thrones” universe. Just ask Ned Stark. King Viserys Targaryen isn’t a perfect man by any means. He doesn’t...
MTV VMAs ready to host, honor some of music’s biggest acts
NEW YORK — The MTV Video Music Awards are back Sunday with some of the biggest names in music vying for the network’s fabled Moon Person statue. Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow and Kendrick Lamar are tied for leading nominees with seven apiece. Harlow and Lil Nas X’s collaboration “Industry...
Coming to a theater near you: $3 movie tickets for one day
NEW YORK — For one day, movie tickets will be just $3 in the vast majority of American theaters as part of a newly launched “National Cinema Day” to lure moviegoers during a quiet spell at the box office. The Cinema Foundation, a non-profit arm of the National Association of...
Commentary: 4-H kids are the stars of the Westmoreland Fair
Movies and TV shows do a pretty good job of conveying the county fair experience. The bright rides, cheap prizes, cute animals and fried foods are perhaps the most eye-catching features of these community events. When I attended my first county fair this week, however, I realized something: Our entertainment...
Scouts service project readies Unity playground for start of school year
When students at Mountain View Elementary School in Unity return to class Monday, they’ll find a playground area freshened by their own hands. More than two dozen members of Mountain View Cub Scouts Pack 476 spent Saturday cleaning up garbage and removing brush from the school’s outside recreation area. The...
Metallica releases pro shot video of 2 songs from PNC Park in PittsburghVideo
Tens of thousands of Metallica fans witnessed Metallica tear through two hours of its hits on Aug. 14 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. And if you weren’t there, you can get a taste of what you missed thanks to the band’s YouTube page. The band this week released two professionally...
Disturbance halts Wiz Khalifa concert in Indiana, 3 injured
NOBLESVILLE, Ind. — Rapper Wiz Khalifa cut short a concert in suburban Indianapolis as people began fleeing the outdoor venue, leaving three with minor injuries, following a disturbance, police said. People started exiting the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville about 10:30 p.m. Friday after a reported disturbance on part of...
Explainer: NASA tests new moon rocket, 50 years after Apollo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Years late and billions over budget, NASA’s new moon rocket makes its debut next week in a high-stakes test flight before astronauts get on top. The 322-foot rocket will attempt to send an empty crew capsule into a far-flung lunar orbit, 50 years after NASA’s famed...
Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! Three Stooges Festival coming to Pittsburgh in September
Moe, Larry, Shemp, and Curly are coming to Pittsburgh. On film at least. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Friday that a Three Stooges Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at the Harris Theater. The Three Stooges consisted of the Howard brothers, Moe, Shemp and Curly, and...
Comedian Steven Wright bringing his quirky insights to Greensburg’s Palace TheatreVideo
Comedian Steven Wright is known for his deadpan delivery of ironic one-liners, quirky stories, non sequiturs and paraprosdokians — sentences with an unexpected twist at the end. Like this one: “If at first you don’t succeed, skydiving is not for you.” Just because his humor is off-beat, he doesn’t think...
Hampton location makes 11th Starbucks in Pittsburgh area to unionize
Starbucks baristas in Hampton voted 15-0 Thursday to join Workers United Pennsylvania Joint Board, an affiliate of Services Employees International Unit, for representation in collective bargaining. The store is located in the Hampton Shoppes strip mall at 4655 Route 8 in Hampton. The union will cover about 31 full-time and...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Aug. 26-28Video
Tonight’s a wonderful thing It will be a countdown to ecstasy for Steely Dan fans when Reelin’ in the Years performs at 7 p.m. Friday in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park for the penultimate date of the SummerSounds concert series. The tribute band delves into the vast catalogue of the 1970s...
Clemente family, Puerto Rican government ‘at war’ to keep Pirate legend’s Sports City dream aliveVideo
CAROLINA, Puerto Rico — Luis Clemente swats at insects as he stands on the edge of a swimming pool filled with stagnant, murky water in this San Juan suburb of 150,000 people. The pool had been a glistening centerpiece of Roberto Clemente Sports City. On this blistering May morning, nearly...
Rottweiler-coon hound is top dog in Greensburg’s pet ambassador contest
El Guaje Villa is Greensburg’s first official pet ambassador. The 3 1/2-year-old Rottweiler-coon hound mix — Guaje for short — topped a field of more than 50 contenders in a competition for the title that ended at Thursday’s Greensburg Night Market. With 350 points out of about 2,000 cast by...
Mr. Smalls gives live theater a go this weekend with Sondheim’s ‘Passion’
Jordan Berlin Speranzo and Nick Grosso have a passion for live theater. So it’s only appropriate that the first production they teamed up to stage shares that same name: Stephen Sondheim’s “Passion.” Speranzo’s mother Liz Berlin, rock veteran of Pittsburgh’s Rusted Root and owner of Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale,...
