Editor's Picks category, Page 383
2 Pittsburgh-born actors tabbed for Amazon’s ‘Invincible’ animated series
A pair of actors from Western Pennsylvania have joined the voice cast for the “Invincible” animated series coming later this year from Amazon. Gillian Jacobs and Zachary Quinto join a star-studded cast that already includes Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Mark Hamill, Seth Rogen and Sandra Oh, among others. “Invincible” tells...
Pitt student engineers, Habitat for Humanity partner to make video for Bolivian village
Members of the University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders toiled in the heat Saturday and Sunday to help make life better for people nearly 4,000 miles away. The group gathered to build a reinforced concrete slab at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in New Kensington as part of...
Big Burrito Restaurant Group closes specialty restaurants because of covid-19 dining restrictions
Big Burrito Restaurant Group temporarily closed all of its specialty restaurants on Saturday due to newly imposed coronavirus-related restrictions, its president said. The specialty restaurants are Alta Via, Casbah, Eleven, Kaya, Soba and Umi. President Bill Fuller said those restaurants “are not viable under current business conditions.” Mad Mex locations...
As schools’ reopening plans balance safety with education, officials left feeling they’re picking ‘the best bad option’
Some school officials say their districts are in a no-win situation as they draw up reopening plans meant to balance health and education amid a pandemic that closed schools in the spring and upends any hope of normalcy in the fall. Those plans, required by state health and education officials...
Sounding off: A Biden win would benefit Republicans
A Joe Biden victory is the best hope Republicans have. Because if Biden loses, President Trump will continue to drag down the party for four more years. Republicans are already in serious danger of losing more seats than anyone ever imagined because they have protected and enabled Trump. If the...
Floating cinema coming to Pittsburgh in September
A floating cinema equipped with social distancing boats is coming to Pittsburgh Sept. 16-20. The location for the aquatic theater and movies to be shown have not been announced yet. The cinema will be made up of 12 to 24 mini-boats, each holding up to eight people. Tickets will require...
Bishop Malesic followed ‘servant leadership model’ in Greensburg diocese, headed to Cleveland
Jennifer Miele got a glimpse into the heart and soul of Bishop Edward Malesic soon after he assumed his duties in the Diocese of Greensburg in 2015. “On day one, he gave me his cellphone number and said to use it any time,” said Miele, a former television news reporter...
Mother of Duquesne University student who fell to his death is still seeking answersVideo
On Freedom Corner in the Hill District, Dannielle Brown sits, as she has for days, surrounded by photos of her late son and his bright smile. She’s on a hunger strike as she pushes for answers and changes, both of which she’s been fighting for since her son’s death Oct....
Quick getaways may offer safer vacation spots during pandemic for Western Pennsylvanians
For many families, summer vacation may look a little different this year. A survey conducted by MyBioSource.com, a biotechnological products distribution company, found that 51% of Pennsylvanians are more likely to vacation locally in their own state this summer to avoid traveling by plane and reduce the risk of contracting...
Live! Casino Pittsburgh gears up for hiring more than 500 positions in Hempfield
Officials with Live! Casino Pittsburgh at the Westmoreland Mall are starting to fill more than 500 positions needed to open the $150 million facility. Under construction in the former Bon-Ton store, the casino will include 750 slot machines and 30 table games. It is expected to open before Thanksgiving. Job...
Mt. Pleasant man jailed after shooting handgun, driving lawn tractor while DUI, police say
A Mt. Pleasant man who allegedly fired a handgun outside his home after an argument with his wife and then rode a lawn tractor down Main Street while displaying the gun surrendered Wednesday to borough police. David T. Howland, 32, was arraigned Thursday on 23 criminal counts including driving under...
Nonprofit has recruited 31,000 volunteers willing to undergo human challenge covid-19 vaccination trial
A grassroots group of scientists and researchers has brought together more than 31,000 volunteers worldwide — including from Western Pennsylvania — who are willing to take part in a human challenge trial to test potential covid-19 vaccines. A human challenge trial in this case would involve participants being administered a...
Pa. veterans’ clubs try to keep doors open after coronavirus shutdown
Two of Pennsylvania’s largest veterans’ organizations — Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion — say they remain committed to serving their local communities throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic, despite enduring financial strain. The nonprofits are required to spend 60 percent of their small games of chance funds on...
Pennsylvania could integrate 6 state universities, including Cal U, Clarion, Edinboro, Slippery Rock
The financially struggling Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on Thursday took the first step in a two-year redesign process that could see six of its 14 universities integrated into three operating units. The 20-member State System Board of Governors unanimously approved a resolution instructing Chancellor Daniel Greenstein to launch...
Mary Trump book already nearing 1 million sales
Mary L. Trump’s scathing memoir about her uncle, President Donald Trump, is nearly a million seller on preorders alone. Simon & Schuster said Thursday that Mary Trump’s “Too Much and Never Enough” had sold a company record 950,000 copies in combined print, digital and audio editions as of its date...
Western Pa. residents flock to campsites for safe, social-distanced summer fun
As people search for summer fun in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, camping has quickly become a popular alternative to bustling beaches and large crowds. At Ohiopyle State Park, park manager Kenneth Bisbee said attendance has skyrocketed this season. “Since the governor issued the stay-at-home order in March, our...
Pittsburgh man uses 27 billboards to display uplifting art exhibition
A man from Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is using 27 billboards to create an outdoor art exhibit, spreading messages of love, togetherness and resilience. The exhibition, titled “April in Paris of Appalachia,” will display Sean Rothermel’s artwork through July. Rothermel isn’t an artist by trade — he said he has a...
Massachusetts mayor steps in to save Pittsburgh couple’s wedding that was missing officiantVideo
MASHPEE, Mass. — A couple gathered with family for a Cape Cod wedding found themselves without an officiant minutes before being wed, until a Massachusetts mayor wrangled special permission to perform the ceremony. Carlo DeMaria, the mayor of Everett, Mass., was on vacation Saturday near the venue in West Yarmouth,...
New owners thrilled to purchase quirky Plum homeVideo
The couple that bought a unique house on Rainier Drive in Plum won’t change much about their new home. “It’s right up our alley,” said Nick Sarver, just days after he and his wife, Katelyn, moved into John Cope’s getaway house he rebuilt as Epoc I. The castle-starship-beach-hippie house in...
New poll shows Biden leading Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania
A new poll shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump by 13 points in Pennsylvania for November’s election. The Monmouth University poll of registered Pennsylvania voters shows Biden, the Democratic candidate, is supported by 53% while the incumbent Trump is favored by 40%. “Even taking into account any polling error from...
Game warden saves bald eagle mired in Lancaster County manure pit
The Pennsylvania Game Commission rescued a bald eagle stuck in a manure pit in Lancaster. The Game Commission said it received a report Saturday that a bald eagle was unable to fly out of a manure pit at a private farm in southern Lancaster County. The large mature male eagle...
Phish’s favorite artist designs image for Pittsburgh’s Commonplace Coffee
An artist noted for his work with the jam band Phish is teaming up with Pittsburgh’s Commonplace Coffee for a line of limited-edition merchandise. Jim Pollock, who has been creating iconic art for the music industry and many brands and businesses for more than 30 years, has designed coffee mug...
Apple ‘n Arts plans to scale back fall festival
While a final decision has not been made yet, organizers for the annual Apple ’n Arts Festival are considering paring it back to an apple cider drive-thru this year due to the covid-19 pandemic and the ever-evolving health and safety guidelines associated with it. Festival officials on Tuesday night laid...
Demand rises for robot cooks as kitchens combat covid-19
HAYWARD, Calif. — Robots that can cook — from flipping burgers to baking bread — are in growing demand as virus-wary kitchens try to put some distance between workers and customers. Starting this fall, the White Castle burger chain will test a robot arm that can cook french fries and...
Rivers of Steel to host drive-in movies at Carrie Blast Furnaces
With covid-19 forcing movie theaters to shut their doors, drive-in movies are making a comeback — sometimes at obscure destinations. Rivers of Steel, a nonprofit dedicated to the industrial heritage that gave Pittsburgh its Steel City moniker, is hosting a drive-in movie experience at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin....
