Editor's Picks category, Page 405
McKeesport woman remembered as extraordinary teacher, friend of community
No one was surprised when Jamie Brewster Filotei came back to McKeesport after college, first earning a bachelor’s degree and then a master’s. Friends say the woman who attended Mansfield University of Pennsylvania on a basketball scholarship could have gone anywhere, but her roots were in McKeesport. And the city...
‘New lease on life’: Hempfield man recovers from covid-19, donates plasma to help othersVideo
Monte Swauger had been coughing for weeks. One night in March, he got worse. An emergency room visit to AHN Hempfield Neighborhood Hospital on March 19 set off six excruciating days for his wife, Carrie, and their three sons. Swauger, 49, was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. His positive coronavirus test...
Black bear spotted in Ohio Township, Sewickley Hills
Lifelong Ohio Township resident Jocelyn Smith had heard about bear sightings from neighbors, but she hadn’t seen one herself until Tuesday evening. “A neighbor saw it and called me, kind of yelling, like, ‘There’s a bear in your yard!’ So I ran. I had to go to the second floor...
Drive-in theaters across Western Pa. set to open Friday
Drive-in movies theaters are set to open Friday across southwestern Pennsylvania as the state begins to loosen some coronavirus restrictions that have been in place since March. They include Evergreen Drive-In Theatre near Mt. Pleasant and Dependable in Moon. Others are Brownsville in Fayette County, Riverside in Armstrong County, Skyview...
When Disney parks reopen, masks will likely be the normVideo
Disney amusement parks in Orlando, Fla., and Anaheim, Calif., are still closed, but with the park in Shanghai reopened Monday, there are signs of what may be in store for the other parks when they reopen. Among the measures in place in Shanghai are: smaller number of people in the...
Longtime Franklin Regional band director to retire this yearVideo
When Kevin Pollock was hired as the Franklin Regional high school band director, he found himself in a brand-new position with a week before summer band camp rehearsals began. “With so little time to plan and prepare, we fell back on a patriotic show theme I’d used at two previous...
CMU lunar rover going to the moon
The United States is the only country to land men on the surface of the moon and return them safely to the Earth. But unlike Russia and China, the U.S. has yet to launch an unmanned lunar rover and operate it on the moon. Thanks, however, to the Pittsburgh connection...
Western Pa. leaders urge precautions as region moves into yellow phase
Officials expect a spike in covid-19 cases with the reopening of Southwestern Pennsylvania business, but believe the region can minimize impact if people continue following guidelines for social distancing, wearing masks and remaining at home when possible. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald hosted a teleconference Tuesday that included government and...
Red Lobster CEO on Mother’s Day mayhem: ‘We let many of you down’
Red Lobster’s CEO apologized Tuesday for its Mother’s Day mishap that left crowds of customers waiting for hours for unfilled orders at restaurants in Ross and other states. “I apologize that we disappointed many of you this past weekend as you placed orders for Mother’s Day, one of the most...
Texas firm eyes several Levin Furniture stores in bankruptcy deal
The Mt. Pleasant flagship store that was the foundation for the century-old Levin Furniture empire may reopen — but only as part of a new furniture chain under a pending bankruptcy court deal. A Texas-based private equity firm bid $6.7 million to buy leases and unsold furniture in 27 Art...
Analysis: We knew the coronavirus was coming, yet we failed 5 critical tests
The arrival of covid-19 has provided a nuclear-level stress test to the American health care system, and our grade isn’t pretty: at least 80,000 dead, 1.3 million infected and 30 million unemployed; nursing homes, prisons and meatpacking plants that have become hotbeds of infection. The actual numbers are certainly far...
Data: Coronavirus-weary Americans slowly return to the road
OAK PARK, Ill. — Americans are slowly getting back on the road after hunkering down due to the coronavirus, though the volume of traffic is still well below what it was before many states issued stay-at-home orders. Drivers in the U.S. have been more active in the past week than...
Independent movie theaters struggle to stay afloat during coronavirus pandemicVideo
Most of Southwestern Pennsylvania is set to see some coronavirus-related restrictions eased as it moves Friday into the yellow phase of reopening. But many businesses that rely on gatherings of people, such as movie theaters and concert venues, are ordered to remain closed. Brian Mendelssohn, owner of Row House Cinema...
Church of the Ascension in Shadyside undergoes cleaning, masonry repairs
Church of the Ascension is turning from black to gold. Workers from Marsa Inc. Masonry Contractor have been working to remove 122 years of grime on the Shadyside church’s exterior since earlier this month. The months-long project also includes masonry repairs. The church, which was designated an historic landmark in...
Pittsburgh’s Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor ready to dish out dessert
This is sweet news. Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor in the Strip District is reopening as soon as it’s allowed by the state as part of Allegheny County moving into the yellow phase of coronavirus control. Customers can arrange an appointment online to get what the shop, which used to be...
Kennywood extends 2020 season passes through all of 2021
There’s no word on when – or if – Kennywood Park will open this year. But 2020 season pass holders received a little bit of good news when the West Mifflin park announced that this year’s passes would be extended through all of 2021. This hasn't been the year any...
High school yearbooks go virtual for Western Pa. grads
For high school graduates of 2020, that chance to write a senior yearbook message has been taken away with the pandemic. But resourceful teenagers have found a way to sign a yearbook virtually. They’re creating yearbooks on Instagram, the social media platform that emphasizes photographs. In most cases, one student...
Norvelt firefighters giving back with donation-only fish fry
Norvelt firefighters are giving back to those who have supported them during Lent by frying up fish Saturday for a cash donation-only drive-thru takeout. The fire department and its ladies auxiliary had to unexpectedly cancel their fish fry this year because of state-mandated social distancing restrictions related to the coronavirus...
Poll: Majority of Americans disapprove of coronavirus protests
A majority of Americans disapprove of protests against restrictions aimed at preventing the spread the coronavirus, according to a new poll that also finds the still-expansive support for such limits — including restaurant closures and stay-at-home orders — has dipped in recent weeks. The new survey from the University of...
Former Duquesne and WPIAL Olympic hopeful now a front-line nurse battling covid-19
Softball and baseball aren’t on the list of athletic accomplishments for former Duquesne and WPIAL athlete Anna Simone. Track is. After a stellar stint with the Dukes track team, Simone made a push for the 2016 Olympics. She also played soccer and basketball at Mt. Lebanon. But in trying to...
Mother’s Day crowds overwhelm Red Lobster in Ross
Police were called to keep order as the Red Lobster in Ross Township closed Sunday evening, leaving dozens of customers without food after they spent hours waiting, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. The McKnight Road restaurant was swamped by Mother’s Day orders. The parking lot was packed with customers,...
Carnival bookings pile up as cruises are scheduled to resume in AugustVideo
Carnival Cruise Line was swamped with bookings recently when it announced that it would return to the high seas after months of coronavirus lockdown. A representative with Cruise Planners, an American Express travel franchise, told TMZ that cruise bookings increased exponentially when Carnival announced it intends to resume some cruises...
Trib Total Media partners with Pittsburgh police, Global Links to distribute free masks
Trib Total Media has partnered with Pittsburgh police and local nonprofit Global Links to offer free, cloth masks across the city. More than 10,000 free masks are available to the public at Pittsburgh police stations through the “Need a Mask, Take a Mask” initiative. The masks are located in newspaper...
What’s new and notable in outdoor grills
Barbecue season couldn’t be more welcome this year. Grilling is a way to change things up and expand the menu and the view for those stuck at home because of the coronavirus. “Eating out” means the patio, yard or balcony, if you have one. There’s all kinds of stylish and...
Latrobe parishioners celebrate priest’s 50th anniversary but keep social distanceVideo
For a man accustomed to praying for the health and well-being of others during a career of 50 years in the ministry, a Latrobe priest was the subject of countless prayers when he was treated recently at Excela Latrobe Hospital for covid-19. “I was hospitalized for three days. I guess...
