Editor's Picks category, Page 424
Notre Dame rector: Fragile cathedral might not be savedVideo
PARIS — The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is still so fragile that there’s a “50% chance” the structure might not be saved, because scaffolding installed before this year’s fire is threatening the vaults of the Gothic monument. Monsignor Patrick Chauvet said restoration work isn’t likely...
Kindness comeback: Acting like Fred Rogers in his neighborhood and beyond
At a time of partisanship, polarization and rancor, Christmas comes along to smooth the hard edges of our divisions. Acts of kindness somehow come more naturally this time of year. But by the time February rolls around, everybody’s grouchy again. Does kindness have any staying power? Perhaps because kindness may...
Pittsburgh is 23rd rudest city in national poll
When Americans were asked to name the rudest cities in the country, Pittsburgh landed about in the middle. The Steel City ranked 23 out of the top 50 metro areas, according to a new Business Insider survey of 2,092 adults. Poll respondents were asked in October and November to choose...
Santa slammed, shoppers hurt in crush for mall freebiesVideo
Several shoppers were injured when a crowd struggled to catch prizes inside an Australian shopping mall. Balloons containing vouchers for trivial gifts, such as free coffee and parking, were released Tuesday above a crowd of about 150 people at the Westfield Parramatta shopping center in Sydney, reports news.com.au. Video shows...
Wisconsin city mulls dumping old ban on throwing snowballsVideo
WAUSAU, Wis. — For decades, those who have participated in snowball fights in one Wisconsin city have risked getting in trouble with the law. But that may be about to change. A 1962 ban on throwing projectiles in Wausau lumps snowballs into the same category as rocks and other items...
San Francisco cafes are banishing disposable coffee cups
SAN FRANCISCO — A new cafe culture is brewing in the San Francisco area, where a growing number of coffee houses are banishing paper to-go cups and replacing them with everything from glass jars to rental mugs and BYO cup policies. What started as a small trend among neighborhood cafes...
Hays bald eagle nest gets new webcam for upcoming breeding seasonVideo
Unseasonably warm temperatures but still frozen ground made for a seamless reinstallation of a live webcam now in its seventh year at the Pittsburgh bald eagle nest in Hays. The Hays bald eagles, one of the region’s half-dozen known breeding pairs of the formerly endangered birds, are in their eighth...
Dancer born with one hand makes Radio City Rockettes history
A dancer born with one hand is the first person with a visible disability ever hired by New York’s famed Radio City Rockettes. “I don’t want to be known as the dancer who has one hand, and not because that’s a bad thing,” Sydney Mesher, who joined the Rockettes this...
Pacific seashell washes up on Outer Banks shores, stumping park service
A lot of crazy things have washed up on the shores of the Outer Banks. But it’s rare to have something show up that baffles the locals. What’s this strange object? A 3½-inch-long yellowish seashell. Of course, it’s not just any seashell. Turns out, it’s one that the National Park...
Got an air fryer for the holidays? Here’s what to make first
If you got an air fryer this holiday season, you’re in for a treat. These $60 to $250 machines have been the next best way to get dinner on the table (after the Instant Pot, of course) for two years now, and its fans are more like devotees, spreading the...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
ALBANY, N.Y. — Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides...
Literacy Pittsburgh helps immigrants learn English, integrateVideo
Oksana Slota knew only a few English words when she moved to the United States from Ukraine six years ago. But she wanted to learn more. She wanted to be able to communicate with people in her new country. She wanted friends and to be able to help her children...
Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream stands out with more than just coffeeVideo
This coffee shop brews up the cool factor. Aspinwall Beans ‘N’ Cream, known as ABC by the locals, serves up coffee, specialty drinks and homemade breakfast and lunch items amid 1960s and ’70s pop/rock memorabilia. “The decor isn’t the usual coffee shop vibe,” said co-owner Pete Sanida of Squirrel Hill....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Don’t mess with the Strip District
It is another wonderful Christmas in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, as thousands of daily shoppers pour into the mecca for ethnic food and sidewalk bargains. Whole families arrive together, as part of their holiday tradition. It should be a time of celebration for the merchants, too, but instead they have been...
Paynter elementary students make blankets for Wrapped in Love FoundationVideo
Students at Paynter Elementary School learned a lesson in giving this holiday season. For the fourth year in a row, students in first and third grade at the Baldwin-Whitehall School District site participated in a Christmas service project, donating money and making blankets for the Pittsburgh-based Wrapped in Love Foundation....
More than 10,000 Christmas lights on display at Bob’s Garage in O’HaraVideo
At Bob’s Garage, Christmas decorations stay up until February to accommodate the masses still crowding the small bar renowned for the outrageous number of Christmas lights enveloping the inside and outside. “It’s like walking on the inside of a Christmas tree,” said Bob Paganico, 72, of Penn Hills. Paganico started...
Whoo’s there? Georgia family discovers owl in Christmas tree
ATLANTA — A Georgia family got a real hoot from its Christmas tree: More than a week after they bought it, they discovered a live owl nestled among its branches. Katie McBride Newman said Friday that she and her daughter spotted the bird on Dec. 12. They had bought the...
What if you knew a cookie would take 20 minutes to run off?
NEW YORK — Would you put down that bag of chips if you saw it had 170 calories? What if the label said it would take 16 minutes of running to burn off those calories? Health experts for years have pushed for clearer food labeling to empower people to make...
VideoChart: The highest-paid Pirates playersVideo
This offseason, former Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole inked a $324 million contract with the New York Yankees. Here’s a VideoChart of the players with the highest-career earnings while a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Want to see more animated stats? Check out all of our VideoCharts here....
A tale of 3 Santas: They’re making the holidays extra special
What makes Santa Claus, well, Santa? Beyond the red suit, sack full of gifts and general jolliness, it may come down to how he relates to the smallest among us. If children look past the generous belly, twinkling eyes and white beard and believe, truly believe, then Santa is Santa....
There’s a Pittsburgh spin on this line of nail polishVideo
Christmas is less than one week away. Still in need of a stocking stuffer or two, maybe a small but glam gift for a work party, or Secret Santa present? How about some Chipped Ham? Church Pierogi? Cookie Table? There’s nothing edible about those gifts, just three of the fun,...
‘Miracle’ liver donor needed for New Stanton man
Unless he can find a liver donor, New Stanton’s Alvin Jaworski has months to live. His wife, Kathleen Jaworski, is hoping for a miracle. A few strangers have come together to help her find it. A large sign alongside busy Route 819 in Hempfield reads “Be Al’s Miracle! O+ Liver...
PPG Paints Arena ranks 11th in U.S. ticket sales for 2019
Bringing big name performers to its stage has helped PPG Paints Arena rank 11th in the United States and 21st in the world in ticket sales for concerts and other live touring events in 2019, according to figures released by Pollstar. “That’s probably the highest that we’ve been,” says Gary...
Harlem Globetrotters soar into Pittsburgh for annual showVideo
The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters are “Pushing the Limits” in so many amazing ways. They’re embarking on a world tour that will bring their high-energy basketball show to more than 250 North American cities — including Pittsburgh on Dec. 26 — and 30 countries into 2020. They also added six new...
Tilted toilets nudge employees back to work
Are you reading this on the toilet? Many people find restroom stalls to be the perfect retreat for catching up on emails, social media or the day’s news on their phones. The theory is that we spend more time in the privy than is necessary to do our biological business....
