Editor's Picks category, Page 214
‘Living history’ unfolds during reenactors’ training session on the Kiski RiverVideo
Nine years ago, IT consultant John Stevenson brought some antique firearms into a Pittsburgh-area gun shop, where a man invited him to a Civil War reenactment. The rest, as they say, is history. Stevenson — who’s been taking part ever since in historically accurate reenactments that organizers call “living history”...
Oakland man hopes to pour it on in national latte art competition
When Joe Burns pours a cup of coffee, it’s almost too pretty to drink. The Oakland resident creates latte art – a method of pouring textured milk into a shot of espresso and resulting in a pattern or design on the surface. You most likely have seen this done in...
Arnold couple opening The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse, a tabletop gaming store, in New Kensington
Jim and Christine Radeshak are hoping to roll a natural crit when they open their tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington. The Arnold couple will take advantage of the crowds drawn to the city’s popular Fridays on Fifth to launch The Feisty Goblin Gamehouse. They are planning a soft...
Leechburg church kicks off fundraiser in hopes of reviving silent bell tower
The Rev. James Arter climbed a narrow ladder several stories Wednesday to reach the bell tower at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg. As he manually rang one of the 28 bells, the melodic tone produced by the nearly 3,500-pound bell brought a smile to his face — and sent...
Everyday Hero program at Highlands renamed to honor late Brackenridge chief
District Judge Carolyn Bengel imparted a wise bit of advice to Highlands fifth graders during a school assembly Friday afternoon. “Dance like no one’s watching,” she told the group of preteens at the Harrison middle school. What that means, she said, is don’t seek recognition for being their best selves....
New Kensington’s Fridays on Fifth returns for 3rd season with 6 dates
Fridays on Fifth, the food truck event that has lured throngs of people to downtown New Kensington, will launch its third season this month. Returning favorites including Del Vecchio’s Sausage will be among a dozen food trucks expected for the opener April 28. Among the newcomers is Cilantro & Ajo,...
Primanti Bros. using artificial intelligence to streamline office work
There is a new employee at Primanti Bros., one who never needs a vacation or asks for a pay raise. This employee is not a person, but rather a digital twin, an IBM artificial intelligence bot. The bot is a software application programmed or trained to do human tasks. ”The...
Emily in Paris: Parisians face influx of Netflix hero’s fans
PARIS — The immense success of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has transformed a quiet, untouched square in the French capital into a tourist magnet. In the historic Latin Quarter and just a short walk from the magnificent, domed Pantheon, tucked so deeply away that you could easily miss...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: April 21-23
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Go to a movie The JFilm Festival, which showcases Jewish-themed independent feature films, is celebrating 30 years. The festival opened Thursday and runs through April 30. This weekend, the schedule starts with “Love Gets a Room” (5:30 p.m.) and “Our...
Lori Falce: The truth about surviving childhood
Almost every day on Facebook or Twitter or some other social media outlet, I see a version of it. Sometimes it’s just a quick one-liner from a friend. Sometimes it is dressed in a funny meme. Often it is a long passage shared by a relative who I know does...
Part party, part call to action: A look at pot holiday 4/20
SEATTLE — Thursday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when cannabis fans gather in clouds of smoke at music festivals, celebrate with all-you-can-eat deals on chicken wings and other munchies, and take advantage of pot-shop discounts in legal weed states. This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect...
‘Too much to learn’: Schools race to catch up kids’ reading
ATLANTA — Michael Crowder stands nervously at the front of his third grade classroom, his mustard-yellow polo shirt buttoned to the top. “Give us some vowels,” says his teacher, La’Neeka Gilbert-Jackson. His eyes search a chart that lists vowels, consonant pairs and word endings, but he doesn’t land on an...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: April 21-23
Chinese musicians “A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,” a free concert of traditional Chinese music, will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Robert S. Carey Performing Arts Center at Saint Vincent College in Unity. Featured musicians will be Yazhi Guo on the suona and Zhou Yi on...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh CEO appears on PBS’s ‘Chasing Carbon;’ weird, wonderful ‘Mrs. Davis’ debutsVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — Chef Christopher Galarza, founder of Verona-based Forward Dining Solutions, is quick to point out one of the key benefits of a fully electric kitchen in PBS’s latest “NOVA” episode, “Chasing Carbon Zero” (9 p.m. April 26, WQED-TV): These kitchens are much cooler than a gas-powered kitchen with...
Pittsburgh Playwrights marks 20th year with show about race relations, social unrest
To help mark its 20th anniversary, the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company’s production of “Pyramid Builders” turns to racial issues of the past to bring its audience into a stark future that is meant to demonstrate the dangers of hatred—and make audiences think. Director Bianca LaVerne Jones said her motivation for...
River recreation opportunities expand along the Kiski River in Leechburg
It just got a lot easier to float your boat in Leechburg. A public recreational project several years in the making was completed Saturday. The Leechburg primitive gravel boat launch in Riverfront Park is a packed-gravel road with an adjacent parking lot designed for nonmotorized boats, specifically kayaks and canoes....
Three Rivers Arts Festival announces musical lineup, new layout
The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will have a new location for the main stage and an expanded layout of the artist market. The Dollar Bank main stage will be relocated to Fort Duquesne Boulevard and Stanwix Street to give more access to a grass area and nearby food...
Uneasy marijuana industry seeks broader trade amid vast glut
TUMWATER, Wash. — The email went out to legal cannabis growers around Washington state, alerting them that another of their colleagues had gone under. “Liquidation sale,” it said. Attached was a spreadsheet of items up for grabs: LED grow lights for $500 apiece. Rotary evaporators for hash oil, $10,000. Across...
Are you a Facebook user? You could get some settlement cash
Anyone in the U.S. who has had a Facebook account at any time since May 24, 2007, can now apply for their share of a $725 million privacy settlement that parent company Meta has agreed to pay. Meta is paying to settle a lawsuit alleging the world’s largest social media...
TV Q&A: Is Celina Pompeani Mathison leaving ‘Pittsburgh Today Live’?
Q: Is Celina Pompeani Mathison leaving PTL? She was at the Pens practice on the show earlier this month, and they were saying goodbye to her. I know she is pregnant and didn’t think she was taking time off already. — Deb, via Facebook Rob: Pompeani Mathison isn’t expected to...
Editorial: Frustrating parallels between North Side and Alabama shootings and the agonizing wait for answers
In Alabama, there is mourning for the loss of four people who were attending a 16th birthday party Saturday in Dadeville. There is concern for the health and well-being of 32 more who were injured. But people are frustrated by the lack of answers about what happened and who is...
Twitter removes policy against deadnaming transgender people
SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter has quietly removed a policy against the “targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,” raising concerns that the Elon Musk-owned platform is becoming less safe for marginalized groups. Twitter enacted the policy against deadnaming, or using a transgender person’s name before they transitioned, as well as...
‘Flashdance’ at 40: Director Adrian Lyne’s films are in again
“Flashdance” was one of those lighting-in-a-bottle movies that somehow perfectly captured its moment. Directed by Adrian Lyne, the movie’s atmospheric, neon-saturated style, brisk pacing, infectious music, dynamic dancing and a starmaking performance by Jennifer Beals — whose off-the-shoulder sweatshirt became an immediate fashion sensation — all helped to define the...
Former Bella Luna space to reopen as The Coxcomb
As he stood behind what will soon be a finished bar top, Will Patterson of Monroeville heard someone driving past the open door of the former Bella Luna restaurant at the Murrysville/Monroeville border. “Are you open?” the woman asked through her passenger side window. “Early June, hopefully!” Patterson shouted before...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: ‘Love is Blind’ delay, pre-Emmy program deluge, ‘Beef,’ Boris Becker doc and Bert Kreischer stand-up
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 updates on several shows filmed in Pittsburgh: “Mayor of Kingstown,” “American Rust,” “The Deliverance,” “Rustin.” The pair also discuss the Netflix delay of the...
