Editor's Picks category, Page 386
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...
‘A Virtual Ice Cream Social’ will bring the cool treat to your computer screenVideo
Here’s the scoop on A Virtual Ice Cream Social. The online ice cream celebration, adapted for the coronavirus pandemic, will feature five area sweet-treat experts performing live demonstrations, sharing recipes and dishing out tips. The event is being held via Zoom at 6 p.m. on Aug. 23. A Virtual Ice...
Pittsburgh CLO postpones live shows, plans virtual ‘Christmas Carol’
Pittsburgh CLO has postponed all scheduled in-person performances until 2021, citing “uncertainties and risks related to the ongoing health crisis.” Postponed shows includes the previously scheduled fall Kara Cabaret productions of “Dixie’s Tupperware Party” and “Untitled.” The annual production of “A Musical Christmas Carol” at the Byham Theater will be...
Forbes State Forest interns clear trails, put finishing touch on arboretumVideo
When Jeff Ashley of Bala Cynwyd arrived at the Forbes State Forest office in Laughlintown, he quickly gravitated to an informational kiosk just installed by a group of college interns. “That’s exactly what we wanted to happen,” said Ed Callahan, district forester at the office. “We’re hopeful that people will...
Shoe drive meant to help small businesses in Latrobe area, developing countries
Surplus or outgrown footwear may find a second life while supporting businesses in the Latrobe area and abroad. The Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is collecting gently worn or new shoes in a drive to raise money for chamber programs and services while offering opportunities for micro-business entrepreneurs...
Sorry, boomers: millennials and younger are new U.S. majority
ORLANDO, Fla. — Sorry, boomers. Millennials and their younger siblings and children now make up a majority of the U.S. population. A new analysis by the Brookings Institution shows that 50.7% of U.S. residents were under age 40, as of July 2019. The Brookings’ analysis of population estimates released this...
Live! Casino Pittsburgh betting on dealer school to fill positionsVideo
An empty storefront in Westmoreland Mall is beginning to look like a casino for the start of Westmoreland County Community College’s dealer school. Eight blackjack tables that can be converted for games such as Texas Hold ’em, Let it Ride and Criss Cross poker fill the space. A roulette wheel...
Nonprofit to reward people who donated to canceled West Leechburg fundraiser
Ian Coyle isn’t letting a canceled fundraiser stop him from doing something nice for people. Coyle, founder and president of the nonprofit Semper Gratus, will be handing out Semper Gratus cups and gift baskets at Sprankle’s Neighborhood Market in Leechburg on Aug. 16. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Coyle had...
Veterans hold Black Lives Matter rally in Pittsburgh
A group of about 25 people, many of them veterans, gathered in Downtown Pittsburgh Sunday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Organizer Aryanna Hunter, of Murrysville, said the rally was in part meant to spotlight the diversity of worldviews in the military. “We get aligned with...
Highland Park’s LaScola’s Italian Ice and Custard serves up sweet treats, coffee
They call it the “Ice Burg.” It’s a scoop of creamy custard on the bottom and a scoop of refreshing Italian ice on the top. “It’s the perfect combination,” said Tom LaScola, co-owner of LaScola’s Italian Ice and Custard in Highland Park with wife, Tish. “You can choose the flavors...
To buy or not to buy, that is the question with this year’s back-to-school shopping
With questions remaining about how schools will operate in the fall, back-to-school shopping feels a little different this year. “It’s hard to even get excited about it,” said Wynter Hisker of Greensburg during a July 24 trip to Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. The 12-year-old is a student at Greensburg Salem...
Beauty Shoppe opens co-working space in Lawrenceville
There aren’t any cars at Arsenal Motors. But one can be driven here. The Butler Street building is the latest location for Beauty Shoppe, a Pittsburgh company that offers shared work spaces. Beauty Shoppe tries to reinvigorate historic buildings to help in the revitalization of urban neighborhoods. There are three...
Pittsburgh Symphony to host virtual family concert
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra added a family concert to its “Summer with the Symphony” online series. The piece will post at 11:15 a.m. Saturday and be available through Aug. 31. The 40-minute concert will feature music from Camille Saint-Saen’s “The Carnival of the Animals,” and will have text and illustrations...
Retiring Natrona Heights letter carrier lauded for dependability, cheerfulnessVideo
As he puts a cancel stamp on a nearly 40-year career as a letter carrier with the U.S. Postal Service, one of Kevin Griffith’s concerns going into retirement is about putting on weight. Walking 25,000 steps a day has had its benefits. “I loved getting paid for getting exercise,” Griffith...
‘Yoga in the Square’ returns to Downtown Pittsburgh
Strike a pose. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and several area yoga studios are reintroducing “Yoga in the Square.” The one-hour outdoor classes at Market Square will be offered free, Wednesdays and Sundays beginning Aug. 5 and running through September. The Wednesday sessions begin at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday sessions at...
Brain surgery helps Kittanning toddler become seizure freeVideo
Breane DeComo Kotyk was waiting to hear her daughter cry for the first time. Nothing. Not a sound. Little Khaleesia wasn’t breathing. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. She was lifeless and blue. It took doctors at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield 18 minutes to resuscitate her. The...
Delmont’s Apple Hill Playhouse is closed but fond memories remain
Pat Beyer says she’s heard many times over the years that ghosts inhabit the Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont. After all, the structure has been around since Civil War times, starting out as a barn before its reincarnation as a theater with a long string of owners. Beyer, Apple Hill’s...
Greensburg family stands their ground for Black Lives Matter
Travis Spence knows a little something about policing, having served as an officer in California. Still, Spence, along with his wife and kids, were the lone voices in protest in the immediate area as Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd packed into a parking lot next to Greensburg...
Managing ‘maskne’: Simple steps to keep your complexion clearVideo
Summer sun, heat and humidity can do a number on sensitive skin. Put a mask on top of it and you might end up with irritation and breakouts that have been labeled “maskne.” “For some of our patients, it is a problem,” says Dr. Charles Mount, director of the Allegheny...
Westmoreland Manor residents can have in-person visits for first time since March
Visitation with residents of Westmoreland Manor resumed this week in an outdoor setting, under a tent on a patio in front of the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. County officials Wednesday announced new safety measures and other precautions associated with the resumption of visits to the nearly 400 Manor residents,...
Pa. House speakers get reprieve from criminal history plaques
HARRISBURG — The portraits of three former Pennsylvania House speakers who went to prison on corruption-related charges have received a reprieve of sorts. In one of his last acts in office, Mike Turzai, who in June resigned from his post as House speaker and his House seat, quietly ordered the...
Pitt’s School of Public Health welcomes students with opera about obstetrician who championed hand-washing
With uncertainty hanging over the campus during the pandemic, the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health was kicking around socially distanced ideas of how to welcome students back. That’s when the school hit upon the notion that a screening of a modern opera about the “father of sanitation...
More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in June
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The number of Americans signing contracts to buy homes rose for the second straight month after a devastating spring freeze brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that its index of pending sales rose 16.6%, to 116.1 in June. That’s...
Fox Chapel committee to examine removing word ‘Squaw’ from street, trail names
A new committee in Fox Chapel will examine the impacts of the word “Squaw” and its use in borough street and trail names. The issue has become hotly debated in recent months, with several residents requesting local governments to replace the word, saying it is a slur against Native American...
Local lawmaker calling for end to sportsbook tax
A Pennsylvania lawmaker is calling for the elimination of “unnecessary” taxes on legal sportsbook operators. Regulated sports betting operators are required by the Internal Revenue Code to pay a 0.25% federal excise tax on all wagers as well as a $50 annual tax for every employee engaged in receiving bets,...
