Editor's Picks category, Page 331
TV Talk: Unity girl makes ‘America’s Got Talent’ history, advances to live showsVideo
Victory Brinker, a 9-year-old opera singer from Unity Township, made “America’s Got Talent” history Tuesday night, becoming the first “AGT” competitor to earn a “Golden Buzzer” from all four judges, advancing her to this season’s live shows later this summer. In the episode that aired on Tuesday but taped in...
Allegheny County Council paves the way for the return of Picklesburgh
The Allegheny County Council paved the way Tuesday evening for Pittsburgh to become Picklesburgh once again. Council unanimously granted a temporary license to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership to bring the festival to the city’s Andy Warhol Bridge from Aug. 18-23. “Every year, it gets better and bigger,” Council President Pat...
Study finds that gray hair caused by stress may be reversible
While not concretely backed by science, there is a widespread belief that a high amount of stress could cause one’s hair to turn gray. Now, a new study has not only provided a solid link between stress and hair color but has even confirmed that this phenomenon may, in fact,...
Pittsburgh’s Rex Theater returns under new name, ownership
Music will once again fill the The Rex Theater on Pittsburgh’s South Side — only under a different name. The East Carson Street venue that closed during the pandemic will reopen in September as Enclave. “Everyone knows The Rex had been a staple and it brought a lot of diverse...
Drew McIntyre talks about WWE going back on tour, returning to Pittsburgh and family ties to regionVideo
World Wrestling Entertainment is known for its commitment to touring. With no offseason, WWE always touted its more than 250 live events a year around the world. The covid-19 pandemic changed that, and since March 2020, it forced WWE to produce more than seven hours of live, weekly content from...
Heinz launches campaign targeting hot dog, bun mismatched packaging
Heinz has had it. Tired of seeing hot dogs and buns sold in mismatched quantities — wieners in packages of 10, buns in packs of eight — the world-famous condiment maker launched a campaign Tuesday to encourage manufacturers to finally get on the same page. The ketchup king started a...
TV Talk: CMU grad is part of ‘Leverage’ sequel seriesVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. The 2008-12 TNT drama “Leverage” returns Friday as sequel series “Leverage: Redemption” on free, ad-supported streaming service IMDb TV. The biggest change? Team leader Nathan Ford (Timothy Hutton) is dead and his grifter widow Sophie...
Kiski Junction Railroad finally closes; corridor explored for recreational trail
While the owner of the Kiski Junction Railroad is finalizing its closure, a Gilpin supervisor is proposing converting the railroad corridor into a recreational trail. Rosebud Mining, which owns the 165-year-old short line, is closing the railroad for good, according to the company’s president, Jim Barker. The railroad has been...
World’s tallest horse, Big Jake, dies in Wisconsin at age 20
POYNETTE, Wis. — The world’s tallest horse has died in Wisconsin. The 20-year-old Belgian named Big Jake lived on Smokey Hollow Farm in Poynette. Valicia Gilbert, wife of the farm’s owner, Jerry Gilbert, said Big Jake died two weeks ago but declined to give the exact date of death when...
Former Vandergrift attorney returns to Appalachian Trail to continue 2,200-mile charity trek
Tim Geary is a man on a mission — again. The 77-year-old retired attorney from Aspinwall has resumed his hike on the Appalachian Trail in honor of his late wife, Gillen, who died after a seven-year battle with melanoma last year. Geary, formerly of Vandergrift, began his hike March 17...
‘So sweet’: Farms anticipate abundant corn season
After a challenging growing season in 2020, local farms are returning to normal levels of success with this year’s weather to produce much-anticipated sweet corn. Greg Forejt Jr. of Windy Heights Farm Market in East Huntingdon said last season was too dry, resulting in the loss of about half of...
Lottery spokesperson: Cluster of major area scratch-off prizes likely ‘pure luck’
Pennsylvania’s second-most-famous groundhog urges lottery players to “keep on scratchin’.” That advice resulted in some major scratch for Indiana County resident Randy Lytle. He won $3 million on a Monopoly 100X scratch-off ticket he purchased on Memorial Day at the Giant Eagle supermarket in Ligonier. He cashed in by risking...
Living Dead Weekend brings zombies back to Monroeville MallVideo
Shoppers encountered an unusual sight at the Monroeville Mall on Friday as the “Zombie Capital of the World” made an appearance for the Living Dead Weekend. The zombified event had its first day full of living dead activities starting at noon and will continue through Sunday. VIP ticket holders were...
Pennsylvania: All adults fish for free on Sunday
For those who don’t have a fishing license, but would like to try it, the state Fish and Boat Commission is offering adults the chance to fish for free for Sunday. While people don’t need a fishing license Sunday, all other fishing regulations, including season and creel limits, still will...
RV sales continue to surge for Western Pa. dealers, fueled by 1st-time buyers
Dealerships across Western Pennsylvania are cashing in on growing demand for RVs, a 2020 national trend that has continued through this year. John Park, general manager of Meyer’s Shreck RV in Washington Township, said his dealership sold 450 RVs last year, compared to 150 the year prior. This year, he...
Where to watch fireworks this weekend in Western Pennsylvania
Though many Fourth of July celebrations were nixed last year, fireworks are back throughout Western Pennsylvania this weekend. Here are some spots to watch the fireworks and enjoy other celebrations during the holiday weekend: Pittsburgh The City of Pittsburgh is hosting a Fourth of July celebration on Sunday from 6...
Latrobe’s banana split fest to return in person, at new park venue
Latrobe’s Great American Banana Split Celebration is returning with an in-person format featuring entertainment and activities Aug. 21 at Legion Keener Park. After pandemic restrictions prompted the switch to a virtual festival in 2020, “We’re very excited to be able to return to an in-person format,” said Briana Tomack, president...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: July 2-4
Critter count Amateur naturalists are invited to help with a “bioblitz” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Keystone State Park in Derry Township. Participants can hike the McCune Run or Davis Run trails during the day and and compile a list of all of the living things they can see...
TV Talk: Unity girl sings on ‘America’s Got Talent’
Before she’s on “America’s Got Talent” next week, 9-year-old opera singer Victory Brinker of Unity used to play “AGT” with her 10 siblings as parents Christine and Eric took on the roles of the show’s judges. “All of my brothers and sisters would do acts, and sometimes I would pretend...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 2-5
It’s the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Here are some ideas of how to spend it in Pittsburgh. Downtown Pittsburgh Pittsburgh’s Independence Day celebration returns this year. The traditional gathering at Point State Park will include patriotic music and food vendors from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the fireworks...
Food passion fuels Milwaukee teen’s restaurant review success, leads to Primanti Bros. visit
“Holy cow!” exclaimed Dominic Dean, his eyes wide as saucers, as he stared in awe and excitement at the towering sandwich placed in front of him. The 16-year-old Milwaukee native is an up-and-coming food critic with a special twist — a focus on positivity and kindness. Dominic, who is on...
TV Talk: IMBd TV’s ‘Sprung’ to film in Pittsburgh
The latest series from writer/producer Greg Garcia, best known for the comedies “Raising Hope,” “My Name is Earl” and “The Guest Book,” will film in Pittsburgh this summer. “Sprung,” which will stream on IMDb TV, the free, ad-supported streaming service from Amazon, centers on a group of former prison inmates...
TV Talk: WTAE adds 4 p.m. newscast
In an unsurprising move, WTAE will replace low-rated talk show “Ellen” at 4 p.m. with a newscast anchored by Andrew Stockey and Kelly Sasso. Meteorologist Jeff Verszyla will provide weather forecasts. WTAE’s 4 p.m. newscast, which begins Tuesday, will compete head-to-head with news on KDKA-TV. WPXI-TV currently airs “Judge Judy”...
Plum mother competing in Mrs. International Pageant
Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...
Mom of liver transplant recipient Lucas Goeller recalls ‘miracle’ donation with mom of Nebraska girl who died
Indiana Township’s Lucas Goeller had days to live. At 2 years old, he was laid up in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh with a serious liver infection. It was June 2015. At the time, he was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia. His only shot at survival...
