Editor's Picks category, Page 360
Pennsylvania among the booziest states during holidays, surveys sayVideo
Pennsylvanians and booze at the holidays go together like Santa Claus and his red suit, according to a couple of recent surveys. The Keystone State is one of the drunkest places in the U.S. during the holiday season, with the average Pennsylvanian quaffing four alcoholic beverages a day, according to...
Pittsburgh playwright August Wilson to be honored with Forever Stamp
Stamp collectors soon can grab a piece of Pittsburgh history with a new Forever Stamp honoring legendary playwright August Wilson. The U.S. Postal Service will dedicate the stamp Jan. 28, the first day of its release, with a virtual ceremony on its Twitter and Facebook pages. The stamp will be...
AP-NORC poll: Only half in U.S. want shots as vaccine nearsVideo
WASHINGTON — As states frantically prepare to begin months of vaccinations that could end the pandemic, a new poll finds only about half of Americans are ready to roll up their sleeves when their turn comes. The survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a...
Teen’s wine cork Christmas ornaments benefit West Deer Food Bank
A West Deer teen is taking a family hobby and turning it into a business. Noah Long and his mom, Wendy, are selling Christmas ornaments they’ve made out of wine corks and are donating a portion of the proceeds to the West Deer Food Bank. They call the business Cork...
Get a pair of rare, collectible sneakers in newly opened Neecs Sneaks in GreensburgVideo
Silver and gold, stocks and bonds, are all tried-and-true investments. But Nico Giannilli of Unity is betting his financial success on another hot commodity — sneakers. Not the worn-down, smelly footwear you schlep around in, but the pricey, celebrity-endorsed kicks that go for big bucks. Giannilli, 24, has been amassing...
Seven Springs Mountain Resort opening Saturday
Area skiers can rejoice. Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County will open for skiing and snowboarding this weekend. “Recent snowmaking success has made it possible for Seven Springs Mountain Resort to open for skiing and snowboarding this Saturday and Sunday,” resort marketing director Alex Moser said. Since Dec. 1,...
Rare Babe Ruth card found by Altoona-area woman sells for $342,000
A collection of very old baseball cards turned out to be a treasure trove for an Altoona-area woman who works on the front lines of the pandemic. The woman, who did not want to be identified, was going through her late grandfather’s belongings when she found a rare 1916 Babe...
Some Pittsburgh-area restaurant owners have outdoor dining covered amid pandemic
With the colder weather here to stay, many Downtown Pittsburgh restaurants have decided to cover outdoor spaces for continued dining to help accommodate state-mandated capacity requirements. Some outdoor dining structures resemble mini-greenhouses. Others look like plastic domes. Bakersfield Pittsburgh has tents, heaters and picnic-bench seating on Penn Avenue. At Bourbon...
Holiday tours of Pitt Nationality Rooms going virtual this year
For many people, a visit to the University of Pittsburgh’s Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House is as much a part of the season as seeing the trains at the Carnegie Science Center or taking the kids to visit Santa. Typically, it’s been a one-day event for the past 30 years....
Pittsburgh doctor: ‘Covid vaccines are lights at the end of the tunnel, but we’re still in the tunnel’Video
Coronavirus vaccines produced by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are likely to be released later this month. The announcements bring excitement for what could be the beginning of the end of the pandemic. But some people have concerns about the safety of the vaccines. Just how safe are vaccines? How do they...
Stay in the car to see Santa during holiday happenings
Pandemic precautions mean kids may not get to sit on Santa’s lap this year. But there are several area options for families to have a drive-thru encounter with the jolly old elf, in a socially distanced take on the holiday tradition. Unity Instead of its usual Deck the Tree holiday...
Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020
In a year defined by a devastating pandemic, the world lost iconic defenders of civil rights, great athletes and entertainers who helped define their genres. Many of their names hold a prominent place in the collective consciousness — RBG, Kobe, Maradona, Eddie Van Halen, Little Richard, Sean Connery, Alex Trebek,...
Feds award $10M to stabilize Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh officials have spent a lot of time and money repairing landslides on Mt. Washington, which attracts millions of visitors annually for its dazzling view of Downtown. On Monday, city officials announced they have received nearly $10 million in federal grant money to make repairs and drainage upgrades to fix...
‘Baking With Lucy’ goes on, as daughter continues late mom’s online cooking show
Mary Ellen Raneri hasn’t taken much time to mourn her mother’s passing. She’s been too busy baking. Her mother, 98-year-old Lucy Pollock, who went viral this year with her “Baking With Lucy” Facebook videos, died Nov. 22 from complications of covid-19. The Latrobe resident said she feels like she owes...
The best streaming holiday music stations this season
You can’t have the holidays without the music. And these days, streaming seems to be the way to get in the festive spirit. But with so many services out there, how’s an eager ear to choose? And which one has the best holiday channels and playlists? Let’s take a look....
Where to find cut-your-own Christmas tree options around the Pittsburgh region
Still looking to cut down your own tree this Christmas? This interactive map shows some of the places in the Pittsburgh region growing real trees you can select and cut your own fresh evergreen. Those on the hunt for a tree are advised to call first or check the location’s...
Lower Burrell family keeps Italian nativity scene tradition alive, new pieces added yearlyVideo
An Italian Christmas tradition encompassing a couple generations continues in a Lower Burrell household. For at least six weeks out of the year, retired cabinet maker Pat Pesce shows off the family’s presepe, or nativity scene. It has grown from a small manger set that could fit on a coffee...
Audubon Society’s Christmas bird count still on, but things will be different this yearVideo
The National Audubon Society’s 121st annual Christmas Bird Count is set, with social distancing restrictions, in the region for Dec. 26. The longest-running volunteer census of the birds, the survey pinpoints trends in bird populations used by scientists and policymakers. Regionally, there are “count circles,” a series of count areas...
Gene-editing treatment shows promise for sickle cell disease
Scientists are seeing promising early results from the first studies testing gene editing for painful, inherited blood disorders that plague millions worldwide, especially Black people. Doctors hope the one-time treatment, which involves permanently altering DNA in blood cells with a tool called CRISPR, may treat and possibly cure sickle cell...
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ sparks chess boom in Pittsburgh
When “The Queen’s Gambit” became a smash hit on Netflix, a chess institute in Pittsburgh with a similar name got plenty of online attention — both good and bad. “We’ve been getting so many tags on social media, and specifically Twitter,” said Ashley Lynn Priore, president of The Queen’s Gambit...
As pandemic wears on, more people are food insecure
As the covid-19 crisis continues to worsen, many more people are looking for help putting food on the table. That’s the message Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank president and CEO Lisa Scales gave during a Governing in Crisis virtual discussion this week. Scales told the Trib reservations for drive-up food...
Christmas tree sales going well in Western Pa., but growers see scarcity of trees in futureVideo
John Fazio and family drove all the way from Swissvale to a tree farm east of New Alexandria this week so he and his son, John, could trudge up a hillside, where he got to lie down in 4 inches of snow and wield a bow saw to cut down...
Jupiter and Saturn to form ‘Christmas Star’ in sky this month
Two giant worlds are about to collide. Sort of. Jupiter and Saturn are meeting up this month. It’s something they do every 20 years, only this year the neighboring planets will appear closer to each other on the dome of our sky than at any point since the Middle Ages....
Just released 1970 Bob Dylan album features his sessions with George HarrisonVideo
It was supposed to be the start of the recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s “New Morning” album featuring George Harrison, fresh from the Beatles breakup. On May 1, 1970, Dylan was joined by drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Charlie Daniels (yes, the later-famous Southern rock fiddler) and guitarist Harrison. The session...
Former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton volunteer to take coronavirus vaccine on cameraVideo
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton have volunteered to get vaccinated for coronavirus on television to promote the safety of the vaccine once the Food and Drug Administration authorizes one. An FDA panel of outside advisers is scheduled to meet Dec. 10 to discuss whether to...
