Editor's Picks category, Page 192
They’re back: College students arrive on Western Pa. campuses
Overstuffed move-in carts, frazzled parents and traffic lined up outside dorms are making a comeback this week and next as Western Pennsylvania college students arrive for fall semester classes. Campuses, meanwhile, are trying to curb stress among the new arrivals. Some initiatives to soothe the psyche are as involved as...
WESA adding news explainer show to its evening lineup
Pittsburgh’s local NPR news station has been in a state of flux recently and that continues with a new addition to the station’s evening, weekday programming lineup. 90.5 WESA announced Tuesday it is adding “Today, Explained,” an award-winning daily news explainer show produced by the Vox media company. The show,...
Madonna schedules new Pittsburgh stop for February
Madonna’s return to Pittsburgh has been set. The iconic pop diva finally lands at PPG Paints Arena on Feb. 5, 2024. The singer had postponed her career-spanning “Celebration Tour” in late June because of what her manager called a “serious bacterial infection” and her ongoing recovery. On Tuesday, LiveNation announced...
Alcohol on sale amid Mt. Pleasant state store closing
Wines, spirits and other accessories will be on sale at the Mt. Pleasant Fine Wine & Good Spirits on West Main Street ahead of the store’s closing, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced Monday. There will be a 10% off sale during regular business hours until the store’s closing at...
Kennywood’s classic Turtle ride to shut down for rebuild
There are only a few days left to ride The Turtle at Kennywood this season. Park officials said that after 96 years in operation, the ride’s center foundation needs to be replaced. The Turtle’s last day of the season will be Sunday. “It’s time,” said Gary Miller, the project manager....
For Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads, the real rival is still TikTok — not the former Twitter
Threads, the simple, bare-bones text-based social network created by Facebook owner Meta, burst onto the scene during a particularly bad week for the rival then still known as Twitter. It quickly amassed 100 million signups — a huge feat for a newcomer in the space — and was dubbed as...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Bill Cowher documentary, ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Only Murders,’ ‘Strange New Worlds’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including a docu-series with an episode on former Steelers coach Bill Cowher. MGM+’s “NFL Icons” returns for its third season at 10 p.m. Oct. 21...
Many Western Pa. colleges still looking to enroll students for fall in late push
Acceptance letter in hand, Dana Sinatra appeared to be destined to enroll at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, and play basketball there. But Sinatra, 19, a forward on her high school basketball team, began to have doubts several months ago about the 1½-hour travel distance from her McDonald home....
Fiction writers fear the rise of AI, but also see it as a story to tell
NEW YORK — For a vast number of book writers, artificial intelligence is a threat to their livelihood and the very idea of creativity. More than 10,000 of them endorsed an open letter from the Authors Guild this summer, urging AI companies not to use copyrighted work without permission or...
Photos: Weather disrupts Outlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson, John Fogerty at Star Lake
Willie Nelson just isn’t ready to stay home. Even after turning 90 earlier this year, the country music legend was “On the Road Again” Saturday as the Outlaw Music Festival visited the Pavilion at Star Lake in Burgettstown. Unfortunately for fans in attendance, thunderstorms — rather than Nelson’s “Blue Skies”...
Rivers Casino buffet equipment, items up for auction
Even if you’ve never gotten lucky at Rivers Casino, you might be able to bring home a piece of the magic — or rather, a piece of the buffet. Close to 200 items, fixtures and pieces of furniture from the Rivers Casino buffet will be up for auction online this...
In twilight of muscle car era, demand roars for new 486-horsepower V-8 Ford Mustang
DETROIT — New versions of the Mustang muscle car will begin shipping next week and more than two thirds of the orders include the big, 5-liter V-8 engine, Ford said Friday. Demand for roaring engines remains strong in an era when Detroit automakers are starting to phase out the rumbling...
Mt. Lebanon artist painting image of Andy Warhol on North Side building
Early in her art career, Ashley Hodder recalled visiting the “Silver Clouds” exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum. “The bouncing silver balloons opened my mind into what art can be,” said Hodder, who has been painting a mural of Warhol’s image not far from the North Side museum. “Instead of...
A half-century of hip-hop: Genre has evolved, branched out over the decades
Hip-hop has come a long way since DJ Kool Herc started isolating funk-record instrumental breaks to make Bronx dance parties even more danceable. Along the way, it traveled to all corners of America, mutating and evolving into the wide variety of sounds and artists we have today. Here are some...
TV Talk: ‘Telemarketers’ pulls back the curtain on the phone calls everyone receives (and hates)
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. HBO documentaries come in all shapes and sizes, but “Telemarketers” (10 p.m. tonight) may be one of the most DIY homemade efforts yet. A shaggy, shambolic docu-series not without its charms, “Telemarketers” takes viewers behind...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Aug. 11-13
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. ‘The Sound Inside’ Barebones Black Box in Braddock presents “The Sound Inside.” The Tony-award winning show by playwright Adam Rapp is at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The story involves Bella Baird, an isolated...
6 tips for cutting costs on back-to-school shopping
When Meghan Lakata’s kids return to school from summer break, they’ll have new (to them) clothes and supplies. But thanks to some creative shopping habits, the mother of two isn’t stressed over back-to-school spending. Lakata, a pre-K teacher in Maryland, uses tools like state sales tax holidays, cash-back apps and...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Aug. 11-13
’50s fun The fabulous ’50s will live again at The Stroll, set for 5 to 9 p.m. Friday around Diamond Park and surrounding streets in downtown Ligonier. The annual event includes a classic car cruise, oldies music by DJ Pete, sock hop and merchant sidewalk sales. Information is available from...
Gabby Barrett returns home for postgame concert at PNC ParkVideo
At 23, country singer Gabby Barrett is in her glory days. That’s the name of her latest single, which she’ll sing during a Friday concert in PNC Park, following the Pirates game against the Cincinnati Reds. The concert is included in all tickets for the game, which starts at 7:05...
TV Talk: Netflix debuts its own ‘Dopesick’ with oxy drama ‘Painkiller’ from writers of Mister Rogers movieVideo
Netflix largely abandoned its HBO-wannabe roots, forsaking highbrow, quality shows for more middle-of-the-road fare with broader appeal. But every now and then Netflix still attempts higher caliber programming, most recently with 2021’s “Maid,” the story of a young woman who flees an abusive relationship and tries to build a new...
Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and songwriter of The Band, dies at 80Video
Robbie Robertson, The Band’s lead guitarist and songwriter who in such classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” mined and helped reshape American music, has died at 80. Robertson died surrounded by family, a statement from his manager said. From their...
Pittsburgh native Billy Porter selling house, feeling financial strain of SAG and WGA strikes
The ongoing writers and actors strikes in Hollywood are starting to take a financial toll on entertainers fighting for fairer wages, from the rank and file to stars like actor Billy Porter. “I have to sell my house,” Porter said during a recent interview with Evening Standard. “Yeah! Because we’re...
Red Cross offers $10 movie gift card to blood donors
The American Red Cross is offering a $10 movie theater gift card to all blood donors during the month of August. Donors are able to select a movie theater of their choice and will receive an electronic gift card after they give blood. The initiative comes after the nonprofit reportedly...
Zoom, which thrived on the remote work revolution, wants workers back in the office part-time
NEW YORK — The company whose name became synonymous with remote work is joining the growing return-to-office trend. Zoom, the video conferencing pioneer, is asking employees who live within a 50-mile radius of its offices to work onsite two days a week, a company spokesperson confirmed in an email. The...
TV Q&A: Is Edgar Snyder of TV lawyer ad fame going to retire?
Q: I wonder if Edgar Snyder the lawyer is going to retire? I keep seeing his commercials, and it seems like he is introducing more people that work for him. — Krissy, via Facebook Rob: While Snyder is not in the courtroom on a regular basis, the firm says he...
