Editor's Picks category, Page 370
Nobel Peace Prize awaited as ray of hope after a tough year
In a year of the coronavirus pandemic, military conflicts, democratic backsliding and accelerating climate change, Friday’s announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is being awaited as a chance to impart hope to a world in turmoil. From climate activists to political dissidents to international organizations, there is no shortage...
Pittsburgh DJ Sean McDowell ranks Eddie Van Halen among greatest guitarists
Longtime WDVE disc jockey Sean McDowell has no doubts about guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen’s place in rock history. “I’ve always had him at number five on my list of the greatest rock guitarists ever,” said McDowell. “I’ve always had him there, at least since 1978, along with (Jimi) Hendrix,...
Pumpkin pie flavored milk is latest specialty drink from Schneider’s Dairy
With anything flavored with pumpkin popular in autumn, a local dairy is now offering pumpkin pie flavored milk. Whitehall-based Schneider’s Dairy is selling the flavored milk for a limited time as similar milk products gain in popularity. Sales of flavored whole milk jumped 36% from 2015 to the end of...
Wilkinsburg writer Deesha Philyaw a finalist for National Book Awards
A Wilkinsburg woman well known for her writing about race, gender, parenting and culture is now receiving national recognition for her fiction. Deesha Philyaw is among five finalists in the fiction category of the National Book Awards for her story collection “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” her first book...
Can’t find canned pumpkin? Holiday staple should return to shelves soon
Bakers hunting for canned pumpkin have found it to be a hit-or-miss proposition lately. They’ve even taken to sharing sightings on social media. The good news, according to allrecipes.com, is that there isn’t really a shortage. The bad news is that it doesn’t make the Thanksgiving pie staple any easier...
Ex-jail employees charged for playing ‘Baby Shark’ on repeat
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two former Oklahoma jail employees and their supervisor face misdemeanor cruelty charges after investigators found they forced inmates to stand handcuffed for hours and listen to the children’s song “Baby Shark” on repeat, a prosecutor said Monday. At least four inmates were secured to a wall with...
Pittsburgh officer returns to work 2 years after Tree of Life shooting
It was a long road back from the Tree of Life shooting, but Pittsburgh Police SWAT Officer Timothy Matson is on the job once again. Matson returned to work Monday, according to a social media post. He return comes nearly two years after he suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the...
Hospice memorial walk planned for those who lost loved ones during pandemic restrictions
Erin Klems could not visit her mother, Mary Lou Flavin-Stumpf, before she died alone of an infection on April 28 in a Pittsburgh-area hospital. At that time, covid-19 restrictions prevented any visitation by the public to local hospitals. Many other people died alone. Then, the survivors mourned alone. But no...
8 times Pittsburgh played a role on ‘Saturday Night Live’Video
After Pittsburgh was the setting for a skit on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” we wanted to find the other times the city or its sports teams have been featured on the long-running NBC comedy show. Here’s a partial list of the times Pittsburgh was featured in skits....
TV Talk: Verizon’s FiOS TV drops AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh
In the latest retransmission dispute impacting local viewers, Verzion’s FiOS TV dropped AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. A Verizon spokesman said its agreement to carry AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh expired Sept. 30. Verizon released a statement saying, “AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh has demanded a significant increase to an already high rate so fans can...
West Deer couple, neighbor invite people to come and see their haunted housesVideo
If you ask Greg McWilliams why his West Deer house looks like a Halloween paradise, he’ll give you a simple answer: It’s for the kids. “If it was just me and (my wife), we probably wouldn’t do it. It’s all for our kids,” McWilliams said. “We love seeing the smiles,...
Child advocate, horse rescue ranch partner to promote healingVideo
As a survivor of child sexual abuse, Nicole Cermak of Murrysville found herself making an instant connection with Sunday, a 15-year-old mare she fed and worked with as a volunteer at the Pleasant Valley Rescue Ranch. Sunday was about to be sold to a slaughterhouse in the spring of 2017...
Firefighters bring youth prevention message to the streets of GreensburgVideo
Greensburg children got a special visit from firefighters Sunday and a lesson in fire prevention brought right to their doorstep. Volunteers with the city’s fire department delivered plastic fire hats, coloring books and other items to help children learn how to stop fires before they even start. It’s a lesson...
Pittsburgh featured in ‘Saturday Night Live’ skitVideo
Pittsburgh TV news was featured on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” A local TV news report on a potential super-spreading event at the legal change of name office in the Pittsburgh federal building was the setting for a skit on “SNL” with a lot of sexual innuendo. The...
Renshaw Farms PumpkinFest offers fall-themed activities, attractions for all agesVideo
What began as a roadside stand is a sprawling, pumpkin-themed destination in South Buffalo Township. The 12th annual Renshaw Farms PumpkinFest continues Fridays through Sundays during October, offering fall-themed activities and attractions for all ages. Established in 1834, Renshaw Farms is owned and operated by sixth-generation Renshaws. “We have thousands...
‘How much blood do you want on your face?’: Haunted-house performers revel in rolesVideo
“Do you want me to dress like this for the wedding?” Holli Stiltenpole asked. Fake blood was splattered all over Stiltenpole’s straitjacket, one eye appeared glazed and useless thanks to a colored contact lens and a cross was crudely “carved” into her forehead with makeup. Tiarra Shank of Ligonier started...
Allegheny Township’s Great Pumpkin, Olga, goes to state weigh-offVideo
Olga the 1,174,5 pound pumpkin was severed from her stalk in an Allegheny Township patch Friday evening and loaded into a truck bound for the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association weigh-off Saturday in Cambria County. Olga beat Justin Reiter’s personal pumpkin best of 1,136.5 pounds during Saturday’s weigh-off. This great...
Parkland parents create AI video of slain son to spur votersVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Wearing his signature hoodie and beanie, an earbud casually hanging from one ear, passionate Parkland teen Joaquin Oliver urges his peers to vote for lawmakers who will end gun violence in a new video released Friday. Next month’s election would have been his first chance to...
A brief history of the presidents who were ill while in office
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump announced early Friday that they have tested positive for covid-19. But this is hardly the first time a president has fallen ill in office. Here’s a brief history of presidents who have faced severe ailments while in the Oval Office: Andrew Jackson...
Those stinking stink bugs are back in Western Pa.
Well, this stinks. Stink bugs are showing up in homes across Western Pennsylvania. With fall and winter approaching, they’re becoming more prevalent as they seek shelter in homes and buildings. “I would say anecdotally speaking, there was an increase in stink bugs from last summer. Stink bugs tend to have...
Mom, nurse, cancer survivor, singer: ‘Miss Freddye’ soothes in all aspects of her lifeVideo
When Freddye Stover learned she had breast cancer in 1998, the tears flowed.“Receiving the ‘C’ diagnosis is heartbreaking,” said Stover, known in the regional music scene as “Miss Freddye.” “I cried for 24 hours straight. I went to bed crying. I woke up crying. I cried in the shower. I...
Latest banned books list topped by works delving into gender identity, LGBTQ issues
Horror master Stephen King, Judy Blume of young readers’ fame and Kurt Vonnegut, he of “Slaughterhouse-Five,” are out. The three renowned authors — whose works were on the American Library Association’s list of 100 most frequently banned and challenged books from 1990 until 2009 — apparently are no longer so...
Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes to deliver Caliente pizzas
Imagine ordering a pizza, driving to pick it up and having a Super Bowl MVP run it out to your car. It could happen. October is National Pizza Month and Super Bowl XLIII MVP and former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes is partnering with Caliente Pizza & Draft House. The...
Row House Cinema hosting drive-in movies in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Row House Cinema is teaming up with the Terminal in the Strip District for a month of drive-in movies. Row House Cinema will show a movie every Friday and Saturday in October — except for Oct. 30 — at the Terminal at 21st Street and Smallman Street. Doors will open...
Stanton Heights mom runs uneven path to create smoother 1 for daughter
Gina Mannion prefers to run on trails. Jogging courses of rough terrain represent the ups, downs, hurdles and rocky roads she’s been navigating since the birth of her oldest daughter 14 years ago. Maeve Mannion was born with Down syndrome. Her mother uses running as a means to get her...
