Editor's Picks category, Page 382
Pittsburgh’s Handmade Arcade looking for vendors as it goes virtual
The annual Handmade Arcade will be held virtually this year. The event’s “Virtual Marketplace” will launch on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 28, and run through Dec. 6. Vendor applications are being accepted. The deadline is Aug. 22. Apply here. Everyone who applies will get a link to a free webinar....
S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes marks 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh this yearVideo
Wooden puzzles, action figures, card and board games may seem old-fashioned to those playing the latest electronics or virtual reality contraption. However, it’s those hand-held items and more that has kept S.W. Randall Toyes & Giftes around for half a century. Owner Jack Cohen, 73, of Shadyside, said he’s grateful...
What the spike in covid-19 hospitalizations means in Allegheny County
Health officials had predicted it, and now it’s here. Following several weeks of high daily case counts, hospitalizations in Allegheny County have steadily increased, with a record 22 hospitalizations reported Friday. In the past 19 days, the county has topped 200 new cases eight times, averaging 182 cases per day....
2 new stores, expanded shop at Ross Park Mall
Ross Park Mall welcomed two stores and unveiled a third newly expanded shop. Fabletics and Evereve are the new stores. H&M expanded its footprint to 21,000 square feet. H&M is known for its on trend merchandise at affordable prices. Fabletics was launched in 2013 by co-founder Kate Hudson....
Harrison teacher adapts to pandemic with outdoor Kindermusik classes
For 19 years, Christa Beck has encouraged local children to move with the music at her Kindermusik program. A pandemic wasn’t going to stop that. Beck described Kindermusik as “interactive music and movement classes that focus on whole-child development using music.” She feels strongly that children need such programs —...
Dr. Robert Cicco: What 13 words could cost Pa. in covid-19 fight
Legislation is often verbose and unclear, sometimes leaving unintended loopholes that can be exploited by special interests. But other times the language is chillingly spare and ruthlessly direct. Like many states across the country that were taking up the charge to “Cover All Kids” and extend health care coverage to...
Wolf calls on General Assembly to raise minimum wage in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday called on lawmakers to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, which has not been increased in 11 years. The state’s minimum wage was set at $7.25 on July 24, 2009, the last time the federal government raised wages. Prior to that, the minimum wage was...
Kennywood to go dark Mondays, Tuesdays through the summer
Kennywood Park announced Friday it will operate only five days a week through the remainder of the 2020 season. The West Mifflin amusement park will be shut down Mondays and Tuesdays, Kennywood said via its social media. Some important calendar updates to share: Going forward, Kennywood will be closed on...
Let’s go Bucks: Gov. Wolf’s tweet to Pirates wished good luck with gaffe
Gov. Tom Wolf wished the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies good luck for the MLB season. Or at least tried to. Wolf tweeted the message Thursday afternoon, but included the wrong spelling of the Pirates’ nickname, writing “Bucks” instead of Bucs. @GovernorTomWolf That’s a swing and a miss, sir! But...
Primanti Bros. offering free french fries to Pirates fans on Opening Day
Pittsburgh-area Primanti Bros. locations will be giving away free french fries to Pittsburgh Pirates fans on Friday. The promotion is part of the Opening Day celebration of the coronavirus-delayed start of the 2020 MLB season. Opening Day for the Pirates is July 24, at St. Louis. (The first home game...
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s first pitch for MLB’s return misses its markVideo
The trajectory for Dr. Anthony Fauci’s first pitch for Opening Day would be favorable for any disease-related projection model. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, had his initial toss go straight into the ground Thursday before the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals contest. Dr....
Hold the Picklesburgh: The beloved Pittsburgh festival is canceled
No dill. Picklesburgh is the latest summer event to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. This year would have been the sixth annual celebration of all things pickled. Voted the No. 1 specialty food festival in America in a USA Today readers’ poll for two years in a row,...
Pa. sees 1st West Nile case of the year in Potter County
Pennsylvania recorded its first probable human case of West Nile Virus this year, according to state health officials. A resident of Potter County was tested for the virus, with samples sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. The state recorded seven cases of West Nile in...
FDA recalling some hand sanitizers over methanol risk
Careful what hand sanitizer you choose. The Food and Drug Administration said this month that it has seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizers that contain methanol but are listed as containing ethanol, or ethyl alcohol. Methanol, or wood alcohol, can be toxic when absorbed through the skin and can...
Ohio joins Pennsylvania in statewide mask mandate
Effective Thursday, it will take more than a trip across the Ohio state line for Pennsylvanians seeking to escape orders requiring face masks in public places. Ohio will join Pennsylvania in having a statewide mask mandate. One day after President Trump took to the airwaves endorsing masks and conceding that...
Where have the fireflies gone in Southwestern Pennsylvania?
Hot and dry weather during most of July has dimmed the light spectacle of fireflies in some urban and other parched landscapes, according to some local experts. Naturalists from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy report less of a good showing this year of the beetle of summer — the firefly —...
Mt. Lebanon, Greater Latrobe ranked top school districts in Pittsburgh area, Westmoreland
Greater Latrobe is tops in Westmoreland County and among the best school districts across the state, according to the latest rankings in several categories on Niche.com. The Pittsburgh-based site calculates its rankings based on reviews by students and parents and data from the U.S. Department of Education, along with factors...
Westmoreland Ballet Company plans ‘The Nutcracker’ film based in Greensburg
Westmoreland Ballet Company is seeking dancers and other community partners for a film version of the beloved holiday classic, “The Nutcracker.” “Incorporating area artists, musicians, performers, community members and business owners, the film will highlight Greensburg and surrounding towns,” according to the recently established company. Filming will begin in September....
Grab the mustard and onions — it’s National Hot Dog Day
Although the hot dog doesn’t always get a lot of respect, Americans eat an estimated 20 billion of them every year. That’s roughly 70 per person. That’s enough to get the lowly tube steak some formal recognition — July 22 is National Hot Dog Day. If you find yourself passing...
Report: Kanye West campaign rally part of ‘terrible’ bipolar episodeVideo
Reports from a celebrity gossip site claim Kanye West’s recent behavior — including at a presidential campaign rally in which he cried, said he had wanted to have one of his children aborted and criticized abolitionist Harriet Tubman — is part of a “terrible” bipolar episode that has sent shockwaves...
VoteSafe Pennsylvania aims to help voters access safe options for election
VoteSafe Pennsylvania has launched a statewide bipartisan campaign that aims to ensure every Pennsylvania voter has access to safe voting options for the November election. The coalition is led by former Republican House Majority Leader Dave Reed and former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who also served as undersecretary and...
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix taking a road less traveled this year
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is traveling a different road this year. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the annual event that encompasses most of Schenley Park “shifted gears,” according to organizers. There will be some smaller happenings on various roads in the region instead of the large 10-day gathering, which...
Historic Ohringer building to bring artist colony to Braddock
Gregg Kander doesn’t know when to stop. Just ask those working on his newest project, the rehabilitation of Braddock’s historic Ohringer Furniture building. By late summer, it is expected to house a hand-picked, diverse community of artists living in a space designed to catalyze creativity. The basement will house communal...
Pittsburgh announces new program to help keep people out of criminal justice system
A pilot program announced by Pittsburgh officials could be another step toward enacting the law enforcement reforms that community activists have asked for in regular protests in the region that followed the May 25 killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Details about the program and how it will...
Freeport Area High School students ace AP World History exams despite pandemic
At Freeport Area High School, every AP World History student scored a passing grade on this year’s AP exam amid unusually difficult circumstances. David DiSanti, the AP World History teacher at Freeport Area High School, said the course was historically difficult, even before the covid-19 pandemic forced schools to move...
