Editor's Picks category, Page 385
10 most vulnerable House members in 2020 includes 1 in Pennsylvania
WASHINGTON — For the first time this election cycle, a Republican tops the list of the 10 most vulnerable House members. California Rep. Mike Garcia takes the No. 1 spot after winning a May special election for a seat President Donald Trump lost in 2016. The list now features the...
Trade schools offer training in high-demand, essential careersVideo
Candace Carlton recently earned a massage therapy license. Unfortunately, the past six months have made it tough to put it to use. “That doesn’t do too well during a pandemic,” Carlton said. The prospect of going back to school also is challenging, given that school districts, colleges and education centers...
Daughter ready to run 10th Great Race in honor of her mother, a victim of amyloidosis
The Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race is about much more than running. For Ashley Gerken, it’s a tribute to her mother, who died of amyloidosis in 2008. The Great Race donates $1 per runner to amyloidosis research through the Richard S. Caliguiri Fund. The race is named...
Rare blazing star wildflowers in bloom in Butler County prairieVideo
The sea of tall, purple wildflowers known as blazing stars at Jennings Environmental Education Center are a rarity for Western Pennsylvania, and they won’t last much longer than this weekend. The flower is as exotic as its habitat: a prairie that was first preserved by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and...
Tickets for Walmart Drive-in movie experience sold out in Pittsburgh area
From Aug. 14 to Oct. 21, Walmart Supercenters across the country are offering 320 free, socially distanced drive-in movies in 160 store parking lots, shown in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival. All locations in the Pittsburgh area are sold out, including Walmart stores in North Huntingdon and West Mifflin....
Westmoreland master gardeners take Monarch Migration Celebration online
Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County’s 2nd annual Monarch Migration Celebration has gone virtual, with seven weeks of activities to help children and their families learn more about monarch butterflies. The original celebration, held last September, was a single-day live event that drew about 150 participants. Organizers were hoping...
Jamie Wiggan: Could we unarm our police?
Video of a Minnesota police officer casually squeezing the life out of a compliant Black suspect jolted the world into renewed appreciation of systemic racism’s wicked clutches. For me — white, male, born in Britain — it prompted the memory of my first police encounter. I’d been driving in America...
Goats help rid Frick Park of invasive plants
There are several ways to get rid of invasive plants. There are herbicides. There are weed wrenches. There’s the option of simply yanking them from the ground. And there are goats. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy opted for goats to handle the invasive plants at Clayton Hill in Frick Park. This...
CEO of 412 Food Rescue Leah Lizarondo included in book on global women leaders
Leah Lizarondo, co-founder of 412 Food Rescue in Pittsburgh, is in heady company with her inclusion in the book “Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower.” To be published in September by Assouline, the book is presented by Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit that partners with...
Contrary to appearances, barge not really stuck on Allegheny River dam in Natrona
Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh received calls about a runaway barge hung up on the Allegheny River’s Lock and Dam No. 4 in Harrison. Sure enough, a 195-foot-long barge was on the dam, but it was strategically placed there for an important mission: to...
Burgh’ers Brewery creates ‘Black is Beautiful’ beer, helps Urban League
The beer can reads: “Brewed to support justice and equality for people of color.” “I have been around a long time and I have seen a lot of things but I have never seen anything this strong on a product,” said Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League...
Family reunions — another casualty of covid-19 gathering restrictions
The families of James and William Ulery were looking forward to their 95th annual reunion on Aug. 23 at Laurel Highlands Campground Pavilion in Donegal. But, like so many other events this year, the gathering fell victim to the covid-19 pandemic. “I hated like everything to have to (cancel), but...
Trib Total Media nominated for 2 Mid-Atlantic Emmy awards
Trib Total Media is a finalist for two Mid-Atlantic Emmy awards. The newspaper’s “Tree of Life: One Year Later” video was nominated in the Documentary category. The video “The Return of the Clark Bar” was nominated in the Historic-Culture New Single Story category. The Mid-Atlantic Emmys are the mid-Atlantic chapter...
Pepperoni used to coax trapped wiener dog to freedomVideo
Firefighters in Beaver County had to use a good bit of sweat and a little bit of bait to free a dog that became trapped under a building on Wednesday afternoon. Shortly after 2 p.m. a rescue crew from the City of Beaver Falls Fire Department was dispatched to a...
75 years after atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima, area vets believe U.S. did right thing
They are called the “hibakusha,” the survivors of the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima 75 years ago today and on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Their stories are hard to hear. One survivor visiting Boston in 1985 for Hiroshima’s 40th anniversary reduced a group of reporters to tears. The...
North Huntingdon debating backyard chicken regulations
North Huntingdon officials are battling over proposed regulations that would govern how backyard chickens can be raised without infringing on neighbors’ peace and tranquility. An ordinance the planning commission recommended for approval this week would permit chickens to be raised on property of at least 1 acre; the existing rules...
Registration open for 2021 Pittsburgh Marathon
Registration is open for the 2021 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. “We’re excited to get people back to the start line in May,” said Troy Schooley, CEO of P3R, the organization that puts together the Pittsburgh Marathon each year. “Hopefully, we are able to do that. Registration has been open...
Pittsburgh Black business leaders create ‘Executive Action & Response Network’
Pittsburgh is often touted as one of America’s most livable cities as well as an economic market on the rise. But recent studies have shown that Pittsburgh does not present the same livability and economic opportunities to its Black citizens. While African-Americans make up one-quarter of the city’s population and...
Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media, Pittsburgh Cares now accepting 2021 Champions in Action applications
Applications for a 2021 Champions in Action award are being accepted by Citizens Bank, Trib Total Media and Pittsburgh Cares until Aug. 21. The program is seeking nonprofit applicants for work done related to covid-19 relief. “Applications will be accepted … from nonprofit organizations focused on solving post-pandemic social needs...
Some community yard sales proceed, others are scrapped, amid pandemic concerns
Treasure-seekers can expect plenty of room to maneuver on Friday when they check out the used household items Barbara Phillips will be offering for sale at her Derry Borough home. Given the importance of social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic, Phillips said, “I’m trying to make sure my walkways are...
Allegheny, Westmoreland school districts reveal plans for upcoming classes
In March, school districts across the state were ordered closed by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Now, they are now developing new health and safety protocols in an effort to restart instruction in the coming weeks. Some will begin with online instruction, some will...
Penn Hills assisted living facility brightens up with art from the BOB ProjectVideo
Residents at a Penn Hills assisted living facility will have brighter days thanks to some district students and staffers. Middle and high school students involved with the charity Bring out the Best Project, also known as the BOB Project, brought some color to Seneca Manor this week. They painted butterflies,...
Virtual banana split fest takes shape; participants sought
Plans for a pie-eating contest and art activities are firming up as Latrobe prepares for its first virtual banana split festival. With less than a month until this year’s online edition of the annual Great American Banana Split Celebration, set for National Banana Split Day on Aug. 25, the Greater...
West Deer police to go forward with golf outing fundraiser despite pandemic
The West Deer Police Department plans to hold its annual golf outing this month despite the coronavirus pandemic that has prompted many organizations to cancel similar fundraising events. “We’re actually very excited,” police Chief Jon Lape said. “Whatever it takes and however we have to social distance and all that,...
New slides at Mammoth Park temporarily shut down amid claims of injuriesVideo
Jamie Crise was happy to hear Tuesday that Westmoreland County officials temporarily shut down new slides at Mammoth Park after her 10-year-old daughter was hurt there last month. The girl ended up with a brush burn on her shoulder and bruises, leaving the Mt. Pleasant Township mother with concerns about...
