Editor's Picks category, Page 397
Kayaking the Kiski is surging in popularity in the age of covid-19
Hundreds of kayaks have taken to the Kiski and Youghiogheny rivers over recent weekends while a Pittsburgh store specializing in kayaks reports a surge in sales. “You can’t get more naturally social distanced than you can in a kayak,” said Chris Kaminski, co-owner of 3 Rivers Outdoors Co. in the...
SpaceX’s historic encore: Astronauts arrive at space stationVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday, following up a historic liftoff with an equally smooth docking in yet another first for Elon Musk’s company. With test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken poised to take over manual control if...
Massive U.S. protests raise fears of new virus outbreaks
LOS ANGELES — The mayor of Atlanta, one of dozens of U.S. cities hit by massive protests in recent days, has a message for demonstrators: “If you were out protesting last night, you probably need to go get a covid test this week.” As more beaches, churches, schools and businesses...
Hempfield students perform virtual chorus, art showsVideo
Students at Harrold Middle School in Hempfield weren’t going to let the coronavirus pandemic cancel their chorus concert. The show much go on, as they say. But rather than packing into an auditorium and risking exposure to parents, staff and students, chorus teacher Dan Lauritzen had students record themselves singing...
Western Pennsylvania restaurants team to benefit Westmoreland County Food Bank
Order to-go items from some Pittsburgh restaurants next week and you will help feed others at the same time. Takeout Tuesday is June 2 and area eateries will be donating 15% to 25% of proceeds from sales that day to the Westmoreland County Food Bank. The promotion is being organized...
Photos: Carlynton delivers diplomas to graduating seniors
Carlynton School District created a “Commencement Caravan” to deliver diplomas to each graduating senior since they were unable to hold a traditional graduation ceremony this year due to the covid-19 pandemic. High School principal Michael Loughren, as well as the cougar mascot and a few teachers, weaved through Crafton and...
Western Pa. library systems work through logistics of reopeningVideo
“What?!? It’s a real book?!?” Delmont librarian Denni Grassel’s humorous exclamation in a video posted to YouTube (watch the video below) was the official signal that the Delmont Public Library will reopen Monday, with some new procedures in place. Library systems throughout the region are holding meetings and working through...
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh plans 10 weeks of virtual summer camps
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and MuseumLab will offer 10 weeks of virtual summer camps and studios for children ages 3-13. Registration is open for Summer Camps @ Home and Summer Studios @ Home, week-long programs starting June 15. Each week will focus on a different theme and learning goals. Camp...
Bear sightings on the rise in Western Pennsylvania
Young black bears are on the move in Western Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Game Commission reports that bear sightings are up this year, thanks in part to cooler-than-usual temperatures in May that brought more bears out during the daytime and also because more people have been staying home because of the...
Stimulus payments in form of debit card cause confusion across country
As the IRS encourages Americans to be on the lookout for scams related to federal coronavirus stimulus money, the agency is sending millions of people their money in the form of a debit card. The prepaid card was sent to 4 million people who did not provide their banking information...
PETA wants Mark Cuban to turn ‘The O’ into vegan hot dog spot
PETA has an idea for Mark Cuban, should he go through with a big Pittsburgh purchase. The animal rights organization Thursday sent a letter to Cuban, the “Shark Tank” star and Mt. Lebanon native, that suggested turning the now-closed Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland into a “vegan hot dog...
Election HQ: Information on primary races in Western Pa.
Primary election day in Western Pennsylvania is Tuesday, June 2. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters are asked to wear a mask and practice social distancing inside polling places because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Allegheny County, your polling place might not be where it...
Pittsburgh’s Mon Incline turns 150 years old
Here’s one birthday celebrant that can do its own drive-by parade. One of Pittsburgh’s most iconic symbols — the Monongahela Incline — has turned 150 years old. (And it doesn’t look a day over 125!) The city’s first funicular — the technical name for an inclined transit system powered by...
‘Quarantine Barbie’ is keeping it real (and hilarious)
The folks at Mattel did their part to lighten the mood for children and support frontline workers in the fight against covid-19. Earlier this month, the company introduced its #ThankYouHeroes Barbie program. For every career doll sold between May 14-17, Mattel donated a doll to the First Responders Children’s Foundation....
New ‘Hunger Games’ book sells more than 500,000 copies
A decade after the “Hunger Games” series had apparently ended, readers were clearly ready for more. Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” sold more 500,000 copies last week, even as many of the country’s bookstores were closed or offering limited service because of the coronavirus pandemic. The total...
Completely kosher Baskin-Robbins open in Squirrel Hill
The first completely kosher Baskin-Robbins opened this week in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. While ice cream is kosher, visitors won’t see certain toppings such as gummy bears. All menu items have been certified by the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh. The store is located at the intersection of Forbes and...
Miniature Wash High gym showcases ‘underground hobby’ of paper stadiums
Trey Ashby never set foot inside Wash High’s basketball gym, but the Nebraska resident can describe the banners on the wall, the paint colors on the floor and the wooden seats that give the place its character. In fact, Ashby built himself a replica. “In Nebraska, all of our gyms...
Gym patrons ‘not worried,’ flock to open Penn Hills gym
Build it and they will come. Fortunately for patrons using Webb’s World of Fitness in Penn Hills, the gym is already built. All its owners had to do was open its doors. Earlier in May, that’s what owners Linda and Monty Webb did. And their members, and more, came. “I’m...
Hot dogs and hops? New Sheetz beer combines 2 summer favorites
Sheetz is going one better on the classic summer combination of a hot dog and a cold brew. The Altoona-based convenience store chain has announced the release of Project Hop Dog, a new, limited-edition craft beer brewed in partnership with Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. of Bucks County. “Now available at...
Poll: 1 in 5 teachers unlikely to return to school if classrooms reopen this fallVideo
One in five teachers in the United States say they are unlikely to return to in-person instruction if schools reopen in the fall, a USA Today–Ipsos poll revealed Tuesday. The survey found 25% of teachers 55 and older say they are unlikely to return for in-person classes, hinting at the...
Niche survey finds most students want to resume in-person classes
Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...
From Grand View to National Road, here are 3 Pa. scenic byways road trips worth takingVideo
With many recreational activities and travel plans canceled because of the global coronavirus pandemic, a long, scenic drive is a great way to kick off the summer season. A great place to start are the three Pennsylvania Byways in our region. In all, Pennsylvania has designated 21 routes recognized for...
Three Rivers Arts Festival is now open — in the virtual world
As the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival goes virtual this year, the focus is on a new group of creative people — those who are creating digital content that will bring a different kind of festival experience to the public. “Usually, the digital team is marginally involved in the...
Boys let black widow spider bite them to gain Spider-Man-like powers
Three Bolivian boys landed themselves in the hospital after enticing a black widow spider to bite them in hopes of gaining super powers — a la Spider-Man, Telemundo reports. The boys, ages 12, 10 and 8, had gone into the fields to help goats graze in Chayanta, about 215 miles...
Woman fired as a result of backlash from racist Central Park confrontationVideo
NEW YORK — The verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic. That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling...
