Editor's Picks category, Page 86
Luke and Mike’s Frontporch in Aspinwall set to close
After 14 years of “blood, sweat and tears,” an Aspinwall-based restaurateur is calling it quits. “It was time,” said Sheri Rice on Monday of Luke and Mike’s Frontporch, the popular bar and restaurant she co-owns with her ex-husband, Billy Rice. “We did try and make this corner beautiful and try...
Trans-Siberian Orchestra drummer Jeff Plate on 25 years of touring and hard rock Christmas musicVideo
When Trans-Siberian Orchestra started touring theaters in 1999, they traveled with just one 24-foot box truck, filled with a couple dozen lights, a fog machine and a star curtain. “It was really more about, let’s put this thing on stage and see if this is going to work. Obviously it...
TV Talk: Classic Christmas commercials cater to viewers’ nostalgiaVideo
Whether or not they continue to air in 2024, Christmas-themed commercials that aired year after year are easily conjured in the minds of TV viewers. Whether it’s Santa Claus riding a Norelco razor through the snow, Peter coming home for a cup of Folgers or Hershey’s Kisses as bells, plenty...
Community rallies around Penn-Trafford junior diagnosed with leukemia
Nicole Cianciotti had driven only about 4½ miles from UPMC Children’s East when she got the call that her son Braeden’s left lung collapsed. The 17-year-old Penn-Trafford junior — Nicole’s oldest of six children — sat next to her in the passenger seat Nov. 22, seemingly unaware of the battle...
Bethel Park observes Wreaths Across America Day
Perhaps the most poignant moment of Bethel Park’s Wreaths Across America observance took place when Debbie Huffner and Rogert Kurtz started walking in tandem. Each had lost a son while on active duty serving his country: Patrick Kutschbach, who was 25 when he died in Afghanistan in 2007, and 10...
Kinetic Theatre’s ‘Sherlock Carol’ is a witty seasonal melding of classic tales
“Moriarty was dead, to begin with.” That sentence would cause any lover of 19th-century British literature to do a double take. One half of the line mirrors the opening of Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol,” while the rest evokes Professor James Moriarty, the greatest foe of Arthur Conan Doyle’s...
TV Talk: PBS’s ‘NOVA’ recounts Notre Dame discoveriesVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. It’s easy to take TV for granted. Its ubiquity, especially now with dozens of channels and streaming platforms, makes the medium so omnipresent and at times overwhelming with the number of choices that it’s easy...
Small businesses say cautious shoppers are seeking ‘cozy’ and ‘festive’ this holiday season
After the busy Black Friday holiday weekend, Kristen Tarnol, owner of Emerald City Gifts in Studio City, California, is already asking her supplier to send more more fuzzy alpaca scarves and warm slippers that were best sellers over the weekend. “Even though it’s Los Angeles … I think people are...
Hanukkah sweets are treats for any holiday table
Hanukkah, like Christmas, is just around the corner. This year, the Jewish and Christian holidays both fall on Dec. 25. Hanukkah’s eight days of celebration will cover Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. That’s a lot of festivity. And, as with most holidays, it also means a...
Christmas Giveaway at The Promise Center of Homewood sparks joy across the community
Imagine walking into a room filled to the brim with toys, clothing, electronics and stationery — all free. At The Promise Center of Homewood, for many families and kids, that was their reality on Saturday. During the Christmas Giveaway, children left with bikes, clothing and Barbie dolls, and there were...
The Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken discusses moving forward with guest vocalists after death of frontmanVideo
It’s been a little more than seven years since The Smithereens singer/guitarist Pat DiNizio died, but the power-pop band is still going with a little help from their friends on vocals. With a revolving group of lead singers, the New Jersey group known for songs like “A Girl Like You”...
Movie Review: ‘Kraven the Hunter’ is another misfire in the Spider-Man universeVideo
Kraven the Hunter can climb sheer walls like a gorilla, snatch fish out of streams like a bear and outrun deer. But there’s something this slab of human beef can’t do: Anchor a decent movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays the titular hero in “Kraven the Hunter,” the sixth attempt in Sony’s...
African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania luncheon focuses on coming together
The African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania held its annual luncheon on Thursday, celebrating achievements within the African American community and economic development. The event marked the final luncheon for founder and CEO Doris Carson Williams before her retirement. Carson Williams described the afternoon as both exciting and...
TV Talk: David Johnson signs off; Heather Abraham going on medical leave
After a 40-year run, including more than 30 years as one of the nation’s longest duration anchor teams alongside Peggy Finnegan who retired in 2020, Channel 11 weekday evening news anchor David Johnson called it a career Friday during WPXI’s 6 p.m. newscast. Finnegan returned for Johnson’s farewell, appearing in...
Feds propose protection for giant salamanders devastated by Hurricane Helene
You never forget your first time seeing a giant salamander, according to Andy Hill. He was a teenager, standing thigh-high in the Watauga River outside Boone, North Carolina, casting a line on an early fall day when he saw his first eastern hellbender. The salamander stretched 2 feet long and...
LGBTQ landmark Brewers Bar gets new ownership in Lawrenceville
After being put up for sale this summer, Brewers Bar in Lawrenceville — Pittsburgh’s oldest gay bar — will remain intact with new ownership in 2025. Justin Beiter will be the face of the bar as a co-owner and operator. He said it will be rebranded, but it will remain...
Pittsburgh 4th in list of top cities for dating
If you’re single and looking to find love, Pittsburgh could be the city for you. The Steel City came in 4th place in a recent study ranking American cities based on “dating friendliness,” the New York Times reported. WalletHub compared 182 cities, including the 150 most populated cities and at...
Elton John calls marijuana legalization ‘greatest mistake of all time’
Elton John is no fan of the legalization of marijuana, calling it “one of the greatest mistakes of all time.” “I maintain that it’s addictive. It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned — and I’ve been stoned — you don’t think normally,” the legendary singer told Time in...
TribLive wins national award in best website category
TribLive has earned a top honor in the prestigious EPPY Awards, a national competition that recognizes the best in digital journalism. TribLive placed second in the “Best Daily Newspaper Website” among news organizations with more than 1 million unique monthly visitors. The EPPY Awards, now in their 26th year, drew...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Dec. 13
The following is a regular feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz:...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 13-15
From cookie lovers to Swifties to those who can’t get enough of the holiday season, Pittsburgh will offer a little something for everyone this weekend. Grab a cocktail, beer or sweet treat, enjoy some tunes and relax with these events. Lawrenceville Cookie Tour This weekend is the perfect time to...
Crafted vintage beaded ornaments bring bling to Christmas for local collector
He calls them Fauxberge. They’re blinged-out Christmas ornaments that had their height of popularity half a century ago and have become a passion of collector Patrick Hubert of Mt. Pleasant Township. Hubert employs the punny term to describe the holiday decorations because some of the finest examples pay tribute, in...
PA Humanities project tells the stories of Black Pennsylvania
The voices of Black Pennsylvania took center stage Wednesday at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center during an immersive storytelling experience that showcased a project by PA Humanities titled “Voices of History: Stories of Black Pennsylvania.” The program was inspired by a talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson,...
Leechburg Drama Club stages ’50s film noir parody as fundraiser
Leechburg Area student Katie Monroe has been in seven shows with the Leechburg Drama Club. She remembers the first year the club began hosting a student-run production that serves as a fundraiser for the club’s spring musical. Three years later, she’s one of the student officers helping to direct and...
McDonald’s employee who called 911 in CEO’s shooting eligible for a reward, but it will take time
PHILADELPHIA — More than 400 tips were called into the New York Police Department’s Crime Stoppers tip line during the five-day search for a masked gunman who ambushed and fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week. NYPD officials said about 30 of those tips were useful as information about...
