Editor's Picks category, Page 324
Butler County man dies after getting caught in Ocean City current, but son pulled to safety
A Butler County man died Friday after getting caught in a strong current while swimming with his 7-year-old son in Ocean City, Md., but the man’s wife managed to rescue the boy. Jessica White, of Prospect, said she and her nephews were playing with water guns on the shore outside...
Explainer: What’s making mid-Atlantic songbirds sick?
WASHINGTON — A mysterious ailment has sickened and killed thousands of songbirds in several mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, since late spring. While scientists are still racing to confirm the cause, it seems juvenile birds may be most susceptible. The U.S. Geological Survey, which oversees responses to some natural hazards and...
TV Talk: Netflix’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘The Chair’ releases trailer
The trailer for Netflix’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh “The Chair,” which premieres on the streaming service Aug. 20, introduces Sandra Oh’s Pembroke University English department leader and some of the challenges she faces, including her relationship with another professor (Jay Duplass) who’s gotten himself into a “serious reputational matter” (what he did is...
John Cena hitting Pittsburgh for WWE show this weekendVideo
Pro wrestler John Cena’s famous catchphrase/hand gesture is “You can’t see me.” But Pittsburgh wrestling fans will be able to see Cena on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena when WWE visits for a house show. As part of WWE’s “The Summer of Cena,” the 16-time world champion will be a...
TV Talk: Peggy Finnegan returns to WPXI-TV temporarily
In November when she announced her retirement, WPXI-TV anchor Peggy Finnegan said she’d potentially return to the air at Channel 11 for special coverage. This week she’ll be back on TV as part of the station’s coverage of NBC’s broadcast of the Tokyo Olympics. Tuesday night Finnegan posted a photo...
TV Q&A: Did Ricki Wertz host ‘Romper Room’?Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Great piece about Ricki Wertz’s career in Pittsburgh television. I also believe she hosted our local production of “Romper Room,” also on WTAE, if I...
The hot dog has its day with annual deals on Wednesday
The best day of the year is here for those who dig dogs — hot dogs, that is. National Hot Dog Day will be celebrated on Wednesday, bringing windfalls for wiener lovers at regional and national restaurant chains. Sheetz has issued a promotional email to its card members, offering two...
Bike and pedestrian path in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville completed
The Hatfield Connector, the final portion of the Central Lawrenceville Neighborway, has been completed in under three months. City officials announced Tuesday that the shared-use pedestrian and bike path closes a gap between 50th and 51st streets. Neighborways are low-traffic streets built for walkers, cyclists and other non-vehicular traffic, according...
Joy Riders bring senior ride-along program to Redstone Murrysville residents
Carl Schlenke of Murrysville can remember walking down to the railroad tracks on the southern side of Route 22 and watching steam engines load coal for transport to Pittsburgh. Now, that railroad bed is part of the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, and Schlenke, a resident at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville, got...
Sears mail-order homes prove plentiful in Western Pennsylvania
If home is where the heart is, then those living in houses built from Sears’ mail-order kits may have fallen head-over-heels. A recent Tribune-Review story about a 1922 Sears mail-order home in McCandless that has most of its original features intact drew scores of letters and comments from Pittsburgh area...
Crumpet the horse, Steel City Vaulters equestrian team relocate to GilpinVideo
An equestrian team — and its 2,000-pound, 16-year-old star — is coming home to the Alle-Kiski Valley. The Steel City Vaulters is one of 406 competitive equestrian teams nationwide that participate as part of the American Vaulting Association. And Crumpet, a Registered American Shire mare ridden by the team, is...
All Star Craft Beer, Wine & Cocktail Festival returns to PNC Park
Here’s a chance to sit in the Pirates dugout. Or take a walk along the warning track in the outfield. Maybe take a trip around the bases. The annual All Star Craft Beer, Wine & Cocktail Festival returns to PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore after being canceled last year...
Wings Across Westmoreland art installation landing in Mt. Pleasant
Wings Across Westmoreland will land in Mt. Pleasant on Saturday. The seventh installation in Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s countywide art initiative will be unveiled during a ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library, 120 S. Church St. Each set of wings includes features interpreting the community’s history and...
Family of Connellsville woman who needs double organ transplant issues plea for help covering medical costs
The family of a Connellsville woman launched a fundraising campaign to help cover the cost of a double organ transplant. The family of Rebecca Rowan, 26, started the GoFundMe page following an incident while Rowan and her brother were hiking in Arizona. Family members say the Fayette County siblings went...
Tribe claims remains of kids who died at assimilation school in Pennsylvania
The remains of nine Native American children who died more than a century ago while attending a government-run school in Pennsylvania meant to assimilate them into white culture have been returned to their South Dakota tribe for burial on its reservation. The Rosebud Sioux planned to rebury the remains during...
Latodami nesting box program a boon to bluebird population in North ParkVideo
The din of passing vehicles fades as you walk deep into North Park. It is replaced by the symphonic warble of birds chiming their presence. But ensuring the prosperity of the bird population in the 3,075-acre park is no mere act of nature. Staff and volunteers with the Latodami Nature...
9-year-old ‘America’s Got Talent’ opera singer from Unity honored by Westmoreland commissionersVideo
Unity’s Victory Brinker might have been on a bigger stage last week when she wowed the judges during her appearance on “America’s Got Talent.” But her smile was nearly as wide this week during an appearance at the Westmoreland County Courthouse when she was honored for her performance, which pushed...
Why are prices for groceries, gas, and used cars going up? Experts explain
A few years ago, Yvonne Ferguson-Hardin had no trouble finding a used car for her oldest daughter. This year, car shopping for her younger daughter has been harder. And stranger. One online seller never showed up to a meeting. Another was actually selling toy cars instead of real ones. Then...
Critical race theory: What it is, what it isn’t, and what it means for education in Pennsylvania
Critical race theory is not being taught in Pennsylvania public schools, educators say. As with most national flashpoint topics, critical race theory is gaining traction in Pennsylvania. The hot-button issue is pitting progressively minded educators and lawmakers against conservative stakeholders — from parents, voters, to politicians — determined to keep...
Signature Dishes: Jerk tofu part of authentic Caribbean menu at 2 Sisters 2 Sons in SharpsburgVideo
This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com. When Marline Siddo visits her family in Jamaica, she comes home to Pittsburgh’s North Side lugging stuffed suitcases. They are...
TV Talk: Apple TV+’s ‘Schmigadoon!’ offers a joyful ode to and send-up of musicalsVideo
Fans of Broadway musicals and the TV series “Pushing Daisies” and “Galavant” unite: Apple TV+’s “Schmigadoon” is the musical comedy series you didn’t know you need. A joyfully silly fantasy, “Schmigadoon!” begins by showing viewers how two doctors, Melissa (a game Cecily Strong, “Saturday Night Live”) and Josh (the equally...
Ricki Wertz, star of WTAE-TV’s ‘Ricki and Copper,’ diesVideo
Ricki Wertz, one of the original stars of Pittsburgh TV as the host of WTAE-TV’s “Ricki and Copper” and “Junior High Quiz,” died Wednesday in Chicago. She was 86. The cause of death was not immediately available. A Wilkes-Barre native, Ruth Elizabeth Wertz Bordenkircher came to Pittsburgh to study acting....
Summer Fest returns as unofficial 1-year anniversary celebration of merged Guardian Angels Parish in HarrisonVideo
A carnival atmosphere, live music and the smell of food and funnel cake are all part of the unofficial anniversary celebration of the Guardian Angels Parish this week. The parish, in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison, was formed by the merger of six congregations: Our Lady of Victory, Our...
Britney Spears can hire own lawyer in conservatorship case
LOS ANGELES — A new attorney has been appointed to represent Britney Spears in her conservatorship after a hearing in which the singer tearfully spoke about the case’s impact on her life. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny on Wednesday approved Spears hiring former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart to...
Preserved 1922 Sears mail-order home in McCandless provides glimpse into the pastVideo
Alicia Dallago had no clue that the McCandless home she bought in 1998 represented a unique slice of American history. She was just enthralled by the way it looked and made her feel when she stepped inside. “I loved the antique look and quality of the house,” said Dallago, 79,...
