Editor's Picks category, Page 374
Here are the TV shows to watch this fall
Like zombies from “The Walking Dead,” the fall TV season will stagger to a start, particularly on broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fox and The CW set pandemic-proof schedules in May, largely by holding back spring and summer programs. But in June, the Big Three...
Volunteers clean up grounds of historic Burtner House in Harrison
The grounds of the historic Burtner House in Harrison got spruced up Saturday thanks to a group of volunteers. A professional crew repaired the chimney while volunteers recruited by the Burtner House Restoration Society worked on the grounds to clear and brush, cut down damaged trees and other related tasks....
Irwin hosts craft show and karaoke charity event
Irwin was a hopping place Saturday afternoon with music and crafts for the 13th Annual Sing For Their Supper event and the Downtown Irwin Fall Craft Show. Karaoke singers at the C. Harper Family Courtyard at The Lamp Theatre helped to raise money for the Westmoreland County Food Bank. Restaurants...
Peeps to halt holiday production until spring of 2021, company says
Peeps fans will have to wait another year before they can pick up pumpkin, snowman or heart-shaped treats at the holidays. The Bethlehem-based Just Born Quality Confections recently announced it won’t be producing Peeps for the Halloween, Christmas and Valentine’s Day so that preparations can be made for Easter of...
How to see the planet Uranus without a telescope
For the next few nights Uranus, one of the most distant planets in our solar system, will be visible to the naked eye. It will appear over the eastern horizon at 11:30 p.m. and then rise from about a third of the way up into the night sky gradually moving...
Tarentum train station restaurant owner isn’t sure 50% capacity is enough to reopen
John Greco isn’t sure he can reopen his Tarentum restaurant even with a return to half capacity later this month. “We can’t make it with 25% or 50%,” said Greco, owner of JG’s Tarentum Station Grille. “In order to make it economically feasible, we need the restrictions to be lifted....
Landmark train caboose moves to new home along Butler-Freeport Community Trail
The caboose that stood outside of the former landmark Cooper Station Restaurant in Winfield moved to a new home along the Butler-Freeport Community Trail on Friday. The caboose had been at the restaurant since 1994, according to Chris Ziegler, president of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail Council. The restaurant closed early...
Small breweries take advantage of liquor laws to create ‘Pennsylvania Loophole’ beer
Small breweries, like so many other businesses, have been hit hard by the health and safety restrictions of the covid-19 pandemic. Those who don’t have the means of selling their beer beyond pints and growlers are in an especially difficult position. “We’re just a small, family-owned brewery with a two-barrel...
Scrap those face shields: Study says layered masks work better against covid-19
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — They’re more comfortable, but they don’t work too well. Plastic face shields, neck gaiters and masks with valves — three of the creative approaches to face coverings since covid-19 hit the United States — are not very effective in curbing the spread of coronavirus particles, according...
Money for $300 unemployment boost to run out after 6 weeks
The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump is about to end, with no extension in sight. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that it has distributed $30 billion of the $44 billion it had set aside for the...
TV Talk: Showtime’s ‘American Rust’ delays filming in Western Pennsylvania until 2021
The 10-episode first season of Showtime’s “American Rust,” which was scheduled to begin filming in Western Pennsylvania in March but got delayed by the pandemic-forced global entertainment production shutdown, has been pushed to 2021. On a teleconference with reporters to promote his role as former FBI director James Comey in...
How architect Paul Murdoch designed a 9/11 memorial that literally sings in Shanksville
When Paul Murdoch received the commission to design the Flight 93 National Memorial in 2005, he never imagined the job’s final stages would be taken up with figuring out how to build a massive — and massively complex — musical instrument. The memorial marks the site in Western Pennsylvania where...
‘Fat’ hummingbird migration in full force, keep those feeders up
Their bags are packed for a 1,000-plus-mile flight to Mexico and Central America. The essential luggage for a ruby-throated hummingbird? Up to an extra gram of fat. Yes, fat on the smallest breeding bird in the eastern United States is discernible, desirable for migration and definitely measured at the banding...
The Clarks’ Scott Blasey to perform at diabetes fundraiser
If Julia Balobeck sleeps through her phone’s alarm, it can be life-threatening. The 18-year-old from Crafton has diabetes and wears a device that alerts her to low blood sugar through her smartphone. It also sends a warning to her mother’s phone. “At night she gets some crazy low readings,” said...
Red Sand Project activities call attention to human traffickingVideo
On Saturday morning, volunteers will be in front of the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg filling sidewalk seams and cracks with red sand. Hosted by the Westmoreland County Human Trafficking Task Force and Blackburn Center, the activity starting at 9 a.m. is part of the annual Red Sand Project initiative...
Scottdale middle-schooler wins $10,000 scholarship
Addison Jordan is only 12 years old, but the Scottdale resident has big plans for college — and $10,000 to help her achieve them. Round Room LLC, a Verizon retailer and parent company to TCC and Wireless Zone, awarded $10,000 to five lucky students nationwide, including Addison. “I want to...
Blue Oyster Cult headlines Vinoski Winery show
Pioneer heavy metal band Blue Oyster Cult will play Oct. 3 at Vinoski Winery in Rostraver. The band will be joined by Pittsburgh-area singer/songwriter Mark Ferrari and indie rock trio Abacus Jones. Doors will open at 3 p.m., with music beginning at 4 p.m., rain or shine. Blue Oyster Cult...
Apocalyptic-looking sky hovers over California, Oregon amid uncontrolled wildfiresVideo
Skies above California and Oregon have turned an apocalyptic fiery orange. Massive wildfires fueled by high winds and dry conditions have scorched more than 2.3 million acres across the Western U.S., leaving firefighters scrambling to contain them and residents evacuating the region. A search for “San Francisco sky” on Twitter...
Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival joins list of pandemic-related cancellations
The Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival annually draws about 80,000 visitors to its South Huntingdon “kingdom,” but not this year. Organizers canceled this year’s festival, citing health and safety concerns related to the covid-19 pandemic and state guidelines that limit large gatherings. Featuring games, shows, a horseback joust and vendors that offer...
GOP targets Democratic-run California in election gamble
LOS ANGELES — Republican candidates eager for a turnaround in heavily Democratic California are spotlighting what they see as a dire threat to families and communities — their own state’s policies. GOP contenders from the U.S. House to city councils are looking to make the November election a referendum on...
Novice drummers find their rhythm in Greensburg parkVideo
About 20 people got an outdoor drum lesson Tuesday at an unorthodox “drum circle” in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park. “This isn’t really a drum circle, it’s more of a weird drum line, semicircle kind of thing,” said Matt Mikeska, who led the event. Participants were seated on the park’s bleachers...
Beer garden with social distancing coming to Pittsburgh’s South Side
In the waning days of summer, people often find themselves trying desperately to hang on to the things that go with the warm season. Kenny Gould is no different. Gould — an entrepreneur, beer lover, writer and founder of Hop Culture Magazine — had been dreaming about doing a pop-up...
‘Shopopoly’ to showcase Downtown Pittsburgh’s business district
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s latest promotion is a Golden Triangle take on an iconic board game. “Monopoly” has become “Shopopoly.” Customers who visit stores from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and get a color-coded game card (available at the shops or in Market Square) stamped to be entered into...
From heat to snow: Rocky Mountains see 60-degree plungeVideo
Summer came to an abrupt halt in parts of the Rocky Mountains on Tuesday as temperatures reaching into the 90s plunged by around 60 degrees in less than 24 hours, with a powerful surge of cold air from Canada unleashing snow and damaging winds in several states. The roller coaster...
Trump the environmentalist? President expands ban on new offshore drilling sites in Atlantic
JUPITER, Fla. — President Donald Trump sought to claim the mantle of environmental steward on Tuesday as he announced an expansion of a ban on offshore drilling and highlighted conservation projects in Florida. But his administration has overturned or weakened numerous regulations meant to protect air and water quality and...
