Editor's Picks category, Page 290
TV Talk: Mt. Lebanon native Gillian Jacobs directs ‘More Than Robots;’ Fombell singer on ‘American Idol’Video
Mt. Lebanon native Gillian Jacobs is best known for her acting roles — on NBC’s “Community,” in last summer’s Netflix horror series “Fear Street” — but she’s steadily building a reputation as a documentary filmmaker with her latest endeavor, the robotics competition doc “More than Robots,” premiering Friday on Disney+....
Pittsburgh dining options aplenty during NCAA Tournament
March Madness has arrived in Pittsburgh, bringing an influx of thousands of fans to town. And, hey, someone has to feed them. Pittsburgh features places to dine offering everything from hamburgers and pizzas to steak and seafood — most within walking distance of PPG Paints Arena (home to NCAA men’s...
Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean still working on Ohio State scouting report
Before he sends his Loyola Chicago team onto the PPG Paints Arena hardwood Friday to face Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, coach Drew Valentine will step aside for a moment. Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, college basketball’s most celebrated team chaplain, will have a few choice...
Kennywood to open Easter weekend with new touches
The new coats of paint are drying on several roller coasters at Kennywood. Pillars at the entrance are adorned in neon yellow. Food stands are getting new lighting. It’s getting close to opening day — a week earlier than in recent years. Kennywood will open Saturday, April 16, for season...
TV Q&A: Does a local newscast really need 3 anchors?Video
Q: I just watched the new three-announcer format on WTAE morning news and must say I am not a fan. It is like watching the Three Stooges give a report that Moe begins, Larry continues and Curly completes. Why does it take three to report the morning news? — Jack,...
Meet Melva Simon, the 105-year-old World War II veteran from Mt. Pleasant
Melva Simon never sat still. The Mt. Pleasant native served as a Navy secretary during World War II, co-ran an orchard, raised a family, co-taught premarital classes at her church and kept up with a myriad of hobbies. “Don’t tell her she can’t do something,” Melvajo Bennett, Simon’s daughter, said....
Excela kicks off aid campaign with Ukrainian-inspired menu
Krystyna Lewczenko couldn’t be more proud of her nieces. Hailing from Wroclaw in the southwest of Poland, Lewczenko said they recently drove all the way to the Ukrainian border to help take in some of the women and children fleeing the country, as Russia’s invasion continues taking lives and displacing...
Poodles pop in popularity, but Labs still No. 1 U.S. dog breed
NEW YORK — Labrador retrievers are still tugging hardest on U.S. dog lovers’ heartstrings, but poodles just strutted back into the American Kennel Club’s top five most popular dog breeds for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. The club’s annual popularity rankings come out Tuesday, drawn from more than...
Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef to close Downtown Pittsburgh bar after 35 years
After 35 years serving Downtown Pittsburgh customers corned beef sandwiches and frosted mugs of beer, Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef is closing at the end of March. Sammy Firman has operated the Sammy’s location on Liberty Avenue since its inception, and he said the bar and restaurant “had a good run.”...
Medical marijuana dispensary coming to New Kensington
A vacant pizza shop along Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington is expected to become the city’s second medical marijuana dispensary this year. City officials confirmed Zen Leaf, headquartered in Nevada, is set to take over the space formerly leased by Papa John’s across from Giant Eagle and adjacent to...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking ‘Tinder Swindler,’ ‘The Adam Project,’ ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham on ‘The Walking Dead’
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 Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham’s role on “The Walking Dead” and Pittsburgh native Joseph Cannon on “Law Order.” Benz and Owen talk about the end...
Henry Rollins bringing ‘Good to See You 2022’ spoken word tour to Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
Henry Rollins needs to talk. The mesmerizing, Grammy-winning spoken word artist hasn’t toured since 2018. He had planned to tour in 2020 and 2021, but we all know what happened. “We have all been through something and I am no different,” said Rollins in a phone interview. In just four...
Sister Jean, 102, will be courtside at PPG Paints Arena with Loyola Chicago
Sticking to one of her favorite sayings (“It’s better to wear out than to rust out.”), 102-year-old Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt will accompany the Loyola Chicago Ramblers to Pittsburgh for their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament. Contacted Monday morning, Loyola Chicago associate athletic director Bill Behrns said, “We are...
Week in pictures: March 7-13
A selection of the best photos from Tribune-Review photographers from around the region the week of March 7-13....
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham’s character revealed on ‘Walking Dead;’ ‘Welcome to Flatch’ premieresVideo
This column includes spoilers for the March 13 episode of “The Walking Dead.” While other actors on “The Walking Dead” came into this zombie apocalypse series without any sense of what that might be like, Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham had the covid-19 pandemic as a bit of a guide. She...
18th-century life displayed during Pennsylvania Charter Day at Bushy Run Battlefield
A British victory in the 1763 Battle of Bushy Run helped to prevent a takeover of Fort Pitt, the fortification that would grow into Pennsylvania’s major western city — Pittsburgh. Putting that historic event into context, the Bushy Run Battlefield site in Penn Township welcomed visitors Sunday to learn how...
Cold and snow don’t dissuade hearty Pittsburghers from St. Patrick’s Day parade
Despite ominous snowfall predictions for this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, thousands of green-clad revelers and participants still gathered Saturday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh for the two-hour event. The route started at the Greyhound bus station near Liberty Avenue, moved down Grant Street before turning onto Boulevard of the Allies...
As ice festival business booms, Jeannette company looks to train carvers
The work is plentiful, but the laborers are few. With the proliferation of winter ice festivals across Pennsylvania and neighboring states, DiMartino Ice Co. in Jeannette is looking to train ice carvers to fill the demand. “We’re busy from December through February,” said owner Ernie DiMartino. “We’re somewhere every week,...
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh unveils fashion exhibit
Imagine a dress that senses when someone next to a person is not socially distanced. Technology designer Anouk Wipprecht created that and other state-of-the-art fashions. Her work is being displayed at the “How You Wear It” exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s Museum Lab on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The...
New Shadyside dance club hopes to revive cutting edge music scene
There was a time when Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood featured some of the hippest dance clubs in town. From the 1960s to the 1990s there was the Razzberry Rhino, Lou’s Bar and The Encore to name a few, hosting live musical acts like DC Fitzgerald, Harold Betters and Frank Capelli. In...
Celebration of August Wilson’s birthday includes preserving childhood home
The first place where Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson was inspired is coming back to life. The house in the Hill District where Wilson grew up will have him remembered and honored inside the space, which is in the process of being restored. It will be a home to inspire...
Allentown neighborhood is on the rise: Guide to Pittsburgh
What used to be considered a cut-through to get to Route 51 has become a growing and thriving community that continues to add restaurants and businesses to its repertoire. Tucked between Mt. Washington and the South Side Slopes sits Allentown — centered around the intersection of two major thoroughfares, Arlington...
A trip inside the new ‘Star Wars’-themed immersive hotel at Walt Disney WorldVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — We knew this would be a different kind of Walt Disney World vacation when we bit the bullet and packed an extra suitcase … for costumes. While Universal Orlando once used the tagline “ride the movies,” Walt Disney World’s new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience (otherwise known...
Lori Falce: Banning books cages potential
The most miraculous invention in the history of the world is not something with a plug or gas tank. It is not a medicine or surgical technique. It doesn’t fly you to the moon or explore the inner workings of the Earth. But without it, none of that would have...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: March 11-13
Musical interlude The free monthly Music at Midday concert will begin at noon Friday in the Verostko Center for the Arts, on the second floor of the Latimer Family Library at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Award-winning trombonist and composer Sean Durkin will perform standards by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio...
