Editor's Picks category, Page 379
Pittsburgh Symphony looks to January return to Heinz Hall
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is planning its return to Heinz Hall in January, but in the meantime will offer a new digital music series free to the public this fall. The digital programming will introduce a “reinvented” 2020-21 season, the symphony’s 125th, taking the place of in-person concerts that have...
Pittsburgh’s North Shore restaurants endure summer without sports fans
Rico Lunardi opened the third location of Slice on Broadway, his local pizza chain in 2016 at PNC Park. He guesses he missed only five or six Pirates game nights since he opened the spot with a street entrance on Federal Street. “I will never be a professional athlete, but...
As Post-Gazette employee representatives consider a strike, analysts say strategy can be dicey
A strike is “in the arsenal” for newspapers to use in labor negotiations, said Rick Edmonds, a media business analyst for the Poynter Institute. But it’s “sort of the atomic bomb,” he said. Edmonds, referring to a potential strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said these work stoppages once were commonplace...
Horses welcome — but not people, really — to horse show at North Park
Horses are encouraged — people, not so much — to attend the North Allegheny Horsemen’s Association Horse Show at North Park this Sunday. It’s one of the rare public events that Allegheny County Parks has approved during covid-19 pandemic regulations. The Allegheny County Health Department’s limit of 50 people to...
Allegheny County assistant district attorney dies after battle with covid-19
An Allegheny County prosecutor who believed he had contracted covid-19 while working at the courthouse in late June has died. Russ Broman, 65, of Upper St. Clair had been hospitalized since July and on a ventilator for the last several days. He died Tuesday, according to Mike Manko, a spokesman...
$5M digital innovation lab to be built on site of New Kensington community garden
A community garden once heralded as among the first efforts to revitalize New Kensington’s downtown will make way for a building that will bring digital tools to the area’s businesses, industries, entrepreneurs and students. Construction of the $5 million digital innovation lab is expected to start this fall at the...
Pizza party held to mark 1918 ‘pandemic’ baby’s 102nd birthdayVideo
Mary Cassesse’s family never really spoke about the worldwide Spanish Flu outbreak that claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million people the year she was born. But learning later in life about the events that gripped the world in 1918 made her realize how lucky she was to have...
St. Clair Social gastropub opens at old Sharp Edge spot in Friendship
Friendship has a new neighborhood bar. St. Clair Social gastropub is open on South St. Clair Street in the former location of Sharp Edge, a pioneering craft beer venue that closed in 2018 after nearly three decades. SYN Bar & Taqueria + Pizzeria later operated in the space but closed...
Sunny days bring uptick in air pollution to Southwestern Pa.Video
There’s a downside to a hot, sunny summer in Southwestern Pennsylvania: higher levels of ozone air pollution, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The region’s Air Quality Index has reached Code Orange four days this year, including Sunday and Monday. The average for an entire year is 3...
Community college leaders tout cost advantages as 4-year schools go online
As families weigh the rapidly evolving landscape at colleges across the state, officials at Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges say they are ready to accommodate students faced with last-minute decisions about the fall semester. “We estimate a student could save as much as $20,000 on the cost of an education if...
‘Art Neighbors’ lend their talents to Greensburg Art Center show
Many hands make light work, and they also can make beautiful art — as illustrated by the upcoming “Art Neighbors” exhibition at Greensburg Art Center. Now in its second year, the show features work by artists who are members of either, or both, the Greensburg and Latrobe art centers. The...
Lawsuit seeks to ensure all mail-in ballots are counted
A federal lawsuit aims to ensure that legitimate ballots don’t get tossed out because of bad penmanship as record-high numbers of Pennsylvanians opt to vote by mail in the November presidential election. The suit seeks to force election officials in Allegheny County and statewide to implement changes that give voters...
Bill Mazeroski goes to bat for New Stanton’s Poulich Pit BBQ sauceVideo
Sitting on his neighbor’s porch having a drink, Angelo Poulich talked about marketing his barbecue sauce. His neighbor asked if there was anything he could do, such as use his photo or name to help promote the product. “I almost spit out my whiskey when he said that,” said Poulich,...
Here are some tips for planting and growing crops in a fall garden
Tamara O’Brien has always planted a fall garden. She sows various types of greens, cucumbers and heirloom squashes much later into the summer than less-seasoned gardeners might dare and harvests all the way through October. Planting a fall plot is a strategy that lengthens the growing season and increases the...
Civilian marksmanship program promotes gun safety, produces skilled shootersVideo
On a cool Sunday morning, the sun is burning the fog off Skellytown Road in North Huntingdon, and the dull crack of distant gunfire is the only thing interrupting the chatter of birds. The shooting is coming from the White Oak Rod & Gun Club, where a small group gathered...
10 most vulnerable House members in 2020 includes 1 in Pennsylvania
WASHINGTON — For the first time this election cycle, a Republican tops the list of the 10 most vulnerable House members. California Rep. Mike Garcia takes the No. 1 spot after winning a May special election for a seat President Donald Trump lost in 2016. The list now features the...
Trade schools offer training in high-demand, essential careersVideo
Candace Carlton recently earned a massage therapy license. Unfortunately, the past six months have made it tough to put it to use. “That doesn’t do too well during a pandemic,” Carlton said. The prospect of going back to school also is challenging, given that school districts, colleges and education centers...
Daughter ready to run 10th Great Race in honor of her mother, a victim of amyloidosis
The Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race is about much more than running. For Ashley Gerken, it’s a tribute to her mother, who died of amyloidosis in 2008. The Great Race donates $1 per runner to amyloidosis research through the Richard S. Caliguiri Fund. The race is named...
Rare blazing star wildflowers in bloom in Butler County prairieVideo
The sea of tall, purple wildflowers known as blazing stars at Jennings Environmental Education Center are a rarity for Western Pennsylvania, and they won’t last much longer than this weekend. The flower is as exotic as its habitat: a prairie that was first preserved by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and...
Tickets for Walmart Drive-in movie experience sold out in Pittsburgh area
From Aug. 14 to Oct. 21, Walmart Supercenters across the country are offering 320 free, socially distanced drive-in movies in 160 store parking lots, shown in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival. All locations in the Pittsburgh area are sold out, including Walmart stores in North Huntingdon and West Mifflin....
Westmoreland master gardeners take Monarch Migration Celebration online
Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County’s 2nd annual Monarch Migration Celebration has gone virtual, with seven weeks of activities to help children and their families learn more about monarch butterflies. The original celebration, held last September, was a single-day live event that drew about 150 participants. Organizers were hoping...
Jamie Wiggan: Could we unarm our police?
Video of a Minnesota police officer casually squeezing the life out of a compliant Black suspect jolted the world into renewed appreciation of systemic racism’s wicked clutches. For me — white, male, born in Britain — it prompted the memory of my first police encounter. I’d been driving in America...
Goats help rid Frick Park of invasive plants
There are several ways to get rid of invasive plants. There are herbicides. There are weed wrenches. There’s the option of simply yanking them from the ground. And there are goats. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy opted for goats to handle the invasive plants at Clayton Hill in Frick Park. This...
CEO of 412 Food Rescue Leah Lizarondo included in book on global women leaders
Leah Lizarondo, co-founder of 412 Food Rescue in Pittsburgh, is in heady company with her inclusion in the book “Vital Voices: 100 Women Using Their Power to Empower.” To be published in September by Assouline, the book is presented by Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit that partners with...
Contrary to appearances, barge not really stuck on Allegheny River dam in Natrona
Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Pittsburgh received calls about a runaway barge hung up on the Allegheny River’s Lock and Dam No. 4 in Harrison. Sure enough, a 195-foot-long barge was on the dam, but it was strategically placed there for an important mission: to...
