Editor's Picks category, Page 405
Pandemic and chill: Netflix adds a cool 16 million subscribersVideo
BERKELEY, Calif. — Netflix picked up nearly 16 million global subscribers during the first three months of the year, helping cement its status as one of the world’s most essential services in times of isolation or crisis. The quarter spanned the beginning of stay-at-home orders in the U.S. and around...
Editorial: Falling oil price shows high Pennsylvania gas tax
Call it irony. Call it supply and demand. Whatever you call it, the result is the same. Gas is cheaper than it has been in years. Shop around in the Pittsburgh area, and you could find it as low as $1.59 a gallon. The average in Pennsylvania is just $2.17...
Wendy’s to offer free chicken nuggets
Wendy’s. Free chicken nuggets. What else do you need to know? The fast food chain announced Tuesday it would be giving out a free order of four crispy or spicy nuggets Friday. The offer starts after 10:30 a.m. and is limited to a free four-piece per vehicle. The offer got...
HBO Max releases trailers for original content premieresVideo
Elmo, Bugs Bunny and Anna Kendrick lead the way as HBO Max officially enters the streaming content wars May 27. The new streamer dropped trailers Tuesday for its original content. Highlights include a talk show hosted by Elmo from “Sesame Street,” a new “Looney Tunes” animated show and a comedy-drama...
‘Hunger Games’ prequel in the works
It appears “Hunger Games” fans eager for more Panem action have the odds in their favor. A prequel to the franchise that took in almost $3 billion at the box office is officially in the works, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Author Suzanne Collins’ new book “The Ballad of Songbirds...
Westmoreland Museum staffer’s dog becomes Instagram art critic
When do you know that a work of art is “heckin’ goob”? When a canine critic says it is, that’s when. Following in the pioneering paw prints of Doge, the shiba inu whose fractured syntax was immortalized in about a million memes, dogs have taken to social media to offer...
Former Latrobe shelter dog nominated for national Hero Dog awardVideo
When Grace Coleman began bringing her dog Penny to her office, she hoped it would help brighten her co-workers’ days. She never expected the spaniel mix, adopted from Action for Animals in Latrobe, to become one of the most effective employees at Crisis Center North, which works with domestic violence...
World’s last Blockbuster weathering covid-19 pandemicVideo
If the streaming revolution couldn’t kill the world’s last remaining Blockbuster store, what hope does the new coronavirus have? The store, located in Bend, Ore., has made adjustments — like curbside pickup and extra cleaning measures — to deal with the covid-19 pandemic, KTVC in Oregon reports. “We’re trying to...
Bon Jovi cancels tour so fans can get refunds to ‘pay their bills or buy groceries’
With many musical acts postponing shows and leaving fans awaiting word on what’s going on with tours amid the coronavirus pandemic, Bon Jovi has decided to cancel its planned summer tour. The band in a statement said that it decided to ax the tour so people who bought tickets could...
April in America is an unforgiving time, and now coronavirus
For a generation, mid-April has delivered some of American life’s most cataclysmic moments — a week when young men have shot up schools, terrorists have blown up fellow humans, members of a religious sect have burned to death in their compound and environmental calamity has sullied the ocean. Now, as...
CMU to launch website tracking covid-19 activity based on Google, Facebook surveys
Carnegie Mellon University is launching a website this week that uses data from Facebook and Google surveys to try to pinpoint covid-19 activity nationwide. Data from the Facebook surveys alone, broken down to a county level, show that Beaver County has the highest percentage of residents with covid-19 symptoms, compared...
Westmoreland County Blind Association making thousands of masks, selling for $3 each
When the Westmoreland County Blind Association announced it had masks for sale for $3 apiece, the response was predictable but still overwhelming, said Executive Director Tim Miller. “When I got in, the phones were ringing nonstop, and they really haven’t stopped since,” he said. As of Monday afternoon, the association...
Masked masses face reality of Gov. Wolf’s order to enter businesses
The masks — in a variety of styles and colors — were plentiful Monday. Only the eyes and hair of customers and employees were visible at the Shop ’n Save store on North Main Street in Greensburg. It was the first full day of a bizarre, government-mandated scene officials hope...
Food Podcast: Breaking down where those in need can find food assistance
In recent weeks, lines in excess of a mile long have formed by people lining up at food distribution points across Western Pennsylvania. In this week’s Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, Brian Gulish discusses the multiple ways those in need of food assistance can get it. “Most...
Helpers are available to help children deal with coronavirus concerns
One child who attended Frock Child Care Center in Mt. Pleasant thinks they did something wrong and can’t go back to school. Another is worried that their parents can’t afford to send them anymore. As the world grapples with hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the coronavirus, children are...
Photo of protesters at Ohio statehouse compared to zombie movie
A photo of protesters outside the Ohio Statehouse from this week has draw comparisons to a scene from a zombie movie. The photo taken by Joshua A. Bickel of The Columbus Dispatch on Monday shows protesters outside the Ohio Statehouse Atrium where reporters were listening to the state’s coronavirus response...
High schools plan graduation ceremonies through uncertainty of a pandemic
It’s a challenge to stay optimistic, but Lauren Michaels, 18, is doing her best. The Kiski Area High School senior was disappointed when she learned schools would not reopen this academic school year. She doesn’t mind finishing her courses online, but the prospect of missing out on certain year-end rites...
Murrysville man gives back to community amid coronavirus pandemic
Andrew Thompson was overwhelmed when he found a thank-you note posted on the front door of a home he was delivering groceries to. The note, which read “Thank you, Andrew, for delivering,” is one of several the 41-year-old Murrysville resident has received since he started working for Instacart, a grocery...
Governors feel heat to reopen from protesters, president
Stores in Texas can begin selling merchandise with curbside service, and hospitals can resume nonessential surgeries. In Florida, people are returning to beaches and parks. And protesters are clamoring for more. Governors eager to rescue their economies and feeling heat from demonstrators and President Donald Trump are moving to ease...
10 years after BP spill: Oil drilled deeper; rules relaxed
NEW ORLEANS — Ten years after an oil rig explosion killed 11 workers and unleashed an environmental nightmare in the Gulf of Mexico, companies are drilling in deeper and deeper waters, where payoffs can be huge but risks are greater than ever. Industry leaders and government officials say they’re determined...
Letter to the editor: Safer ways to exercise religious freedom
I would like to thank those who choose to exercise their religious freedom by attending services at their church. Thank you for potentially exposing yourselves to covid-19 and possibly passing it on to family, friends, co-workers and others. Thank you for likely extending stay-at-home orders and increasing the number of...
Where to buy liquor legally in Pennsylvania
With state liquor stores open on a limited basis and the Liquor Control Board’s online service working slowly, Pennsylvanians in search of booze have been driving over state lines to shop. It is possible to buy Pennsylvania-made liquor, legally. Below is a list of distilleries operating online that will ship...
Greensburg girl’s quarantine routine couldn’t be any cuter
By now, we’ve all pretty much found our homebound routines. For some, it’s work. For others, it’s school. And still others have become Amazon’s best customer. And then there’s 7-month-old Abigail Smeltzer of Greensburg. Her routine is being adorable. Her parents, Katie and Andrew Smeltzer of Greensburg, captured Abigail recently...
Relief checks are a lifeline for some, a cushion for others
Millions of Americans received government relief checks this week, and more are on the way. For some, the payment gets them to a more comfortable place financially; for others, the money just gets them to next month. Bridget Hughes, a mother of three, received a $2,200 stimulus check this week...
Swissvale’s Triangle Bar makes most of massive sandwich order gone awry
Staff at a popular Swissvale eatery known for its Battleship and Destroyer subs had a sinking feeling Thursday when no one showed up to claim an afternoon order of 300 sandwiches. But, according to Triangle Bar and Grill staff member Rob Bradica, all turned out well. The surplus sandwiches —...
