Editor's Picks category, Page 352
Wilkinsburg author Deesha Philyaw in running for 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
Wilkinsburg author Deesha Philyaw is continuing to rack up literary accolades. Philyaw’s “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies” was named to the longlist for the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, America’s largest peer-juried literary prize, on Tuesday. In October, Philyaw’s story collection was named a finalist in the fiction category...
Ex-Plum star, NFL punter Pat McAfee gives Nesbit’s Lanes fundraiser big boost
A GoFundMe effort to help Nesbit’s Lanes in Plum exceeded its $100,000 goal with the help of an athletic alumnus. The page was created Jan. 29 by Verona bowler David Poremba, who heard about how the covid pandemic had caused league games to be canceled and hundreds of players to...
Shenango River named Pa. River of the Year; Buffalo, Loyalhanna creeks finish in Top 5
Although the 82-mile-long Shenango River in Northwestern Pennsylvania earned recognition as Pennsylvania’s 2021 River of the Year, promoters of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Buffalo and Loyalhanna creeks said they were happy to see their waterways finish in the Top 5. Sponsored by the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the River...
Devoted Browns fan cuts hair after 6 years to celebrate winning season
SANDUSKY, Ohio — For years, Cleveland Browns season ticket holder and devoted fan, Jeff Panovich, has let his hair grow as his team saw losing season after losing season. That changed this year with the Browns ending the regular season 12-5, so Panovich got his first hair cut in six...
‘Saved by the Bell’ star Dustin Diamond dies of cancer at 44
“Saved by the Bell” star Dustin Diamond died Monday after a three-week fight with carcinoma, according to his representative. He was 44. “Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful,” the actor’s spokesman, Roger Paul, said in a statement. Diamond,...
Calling all pets — auditions are on for the Cadbury BunnyVideo
It’s audition time — for your fur baby. Since your pet is better than all others — you don’t doubt that, do you? — why not sign Fido or Mittens up to claim their fame. Hershey is holding auditions for its third annual Cadbury Bunny Tryouts, with the winning pet...
Pittsburgh salt truck slides over South Side hillVideo
The driver of a Pittsburgh salt truck somehow escaped injury when the truck went over a hillside Monday morning in the South Side Slopes neighborhood, a city official said. The Department of Public Works truck was plowing and salting streets and went over the hillside on Mt. Oliver Street shortly...
Retired Larimer minister served church, community
Claudia Papenmeier grew up attending St. John’s United Church of Christ in Larimer, and she remained active in the church well into her 70s. Mrs. Papenmeier met her husband, Arthur, at the church, where he served as a pastor in the 1950s. It was a role that she herself took...
‘I have to go’: Steelers fan who has been to every Super Bowl will continue streak
PORTLAND, Maine — The Super Bowl is going to look different this year for three friends who’ve attended every installment of the big game. But Don Crisman, Tom Henschel and Gregory Eaton have tickets in hand and say they will be there, as they have every year since the first...
St. Clair Hospital brings covid-19 vaccine to ‘thrilled’ seniors at low-income apartments
Most of the nearly 100 residents at St. Thomas More Manor, an eight-story apartment tower for low-income seniors in Bethel Park, have been eager to get vaccinated for covid-19. But like many people across Western Pennsylvania — and particularly, elderly people without access to cars and computers — they weren’t...
Covid mutes Groundhog Day celebration; no throngs this year, but a virtual forecast set
A few days before the annual pilgrimage that thousands make to the small Jefferson County town on Feb. 2 to celebrate the appearance of that famous weather prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, Donna Grabany is experiencing something unusual. There is room at her inn, lots of room in fact, for anyone wanting...
Merriam-Webster adds more than 520 new words to dictionary, including ‘COVID-19,’ ‘second gentleman’ and ‘sapiosexual’
Merriam-Webster, the United States’ leading language provider announced it was adding over 520 new words and definitions to the publisher’s website. These new words include “covid-19,” “second gentleman,” “long-hauler,” “flex,” “ASMR” and “sapiosexual.” Before the pandemic, “long-hauler” was defined as a person or vehicle that travels long distances, but it...
72-year-old Scotch whisky fetches over $54,000 in auction
A 72-year-old bottle of Glen Grant single malt whisky from Scotland fetched more than $54,000 in an auction in Hong Kong on Friday. It is the first time that the 1948 Glen Grant whisky, by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, was offered in an auction. It is number 88 of...
Checked by reality, some QAnon supporters seek a way out
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Ceally Smith spent a year down the rabbit hole of QAnon, devoting more and more time to researching and discussing the conspiracy theory online. Eventually it consumed her, and she wanted out. She broke up with the boyfriend who recruited her into the movement, took six months...
Robinson man wins home theater system on ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
Michael Murray is going to feel like a king watching movies in his new home theater. The Robinson man dressed like royalty to appear on today’s episode of “Let’s Make a Deal.” Offered a choice between $1,000 and something concealed behind a door, he made the right choice. He came...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh families renovate, go ‘Home Again with the Fords’ on HGTV
The Pittsburgh-set home renovation series “Restored by the Fords” morphs into “Home Again with the Fords” for a new season that premiered at 9 p.m. Tuesday on HGTV. Pittsburgh natives and siblings Leanne (the designer) and Steve (the builder) Ford refer to it as “Season 3-1” since it’s their third...
Fastest bird alive and owls caught by wildlife specialists at Pittsburgh International Airport
Catching the fastest bird alive, the peregrine falcon, is another day at office for bird control experts at the Pittsburgh International Airport and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A peregrine falcon would not leave the airport grounds earlier this month despite biologists’ efforts to shoo away the threatened raptor. Experts...
Pennsylvania offers hunting, fishing, boating licenses via new website
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the state Game Commission have teamed up to offer one website for residents to buy hunting and fishing licenses. HuntFishPA replaces the previous Pennsylvania Automatic Licensing System (PALS) platform known as The Outdoor Shop. It’s accessible on all mobile devices. Previously, licenses for...
ScareHouse to welcome visitors on Valentine’s weekend
People can swap sweet for scary at the ScareHouse haunted attraction during Valentine’s Day weekend. ScareHouse in Frazer’s Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills is hosting a “twisted tale of holiday horror,” dubbed “Creepy Christmas,” for the holiday weekend. The Creepy Christmas event will run from Feb. 12-14. Since ScareHouse couldn’t host...
WWE star Kurt Angle to launch his own podcast
Kurt Angle is getting into the podcast game. It’s true, it’s — you Kurt Angle fans know where we’re going here — true. First reported by Sports Illustrated, “The Kurt Angle Show” will debut Feb. 7 and be hosted by the WWE star and Conrad Thompson. Thompson is best known...
Stamp honoring August Wilson will be dedicated through virtual ceremony
A Forever stamp honoring award-winning playwright August Wilson will be dedicated today by the U.S. Postal Service. The virtual ceremony can be viewed starting at 11:30 a.m. on the postal service’s Facebook and Twitter pages. “August Wilson was an American trailblazer and literary genius who richly deserves this recognition as...
In duel over GameStop, small investors cause Wall Street elite to lose billions
Across most of America, GameStop is just a place to buy a video game. On Wall Street, though, it’s become a battleground where swarms of smaller investors see themselves making an epic stand against the 1%. The funds serving the financial elite are starting to walk away in defeat. Big...
N.C. man hits 2 deer with new car, then he hits $2M in lottery
LELAND, N.C. — An unlucky start to a North Carolina man’s day turned upside down when he discovered he won a $2 million lottery prize hours after hitting two deer with his new car. Anthony Dowe, of Leland, had an accident on his way to work, the North Carolina Education...
Iron Born Pizza’s Detroit-style slices find a home in PittsburghVideo
Thick-crusted Detroit-style pizzas continue to gain popularity in the Steel City. One might say they’re Iron Born. Kittanning native Pete Tolman knew he had to bring the doughy slices to Western Pennsylvania the first time he tried them, on a trip not to the Motor City but to Telluride, Colo....
San Francisco to strip Washington, Lincoln from public school namesVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — The names of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and other prominent figures including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California will be removed from 44 San Francisco public schools, a move that stirred debate Wednesday on whether the famously liberal city has taken the national reckoning on America’s racist...
