Editor's Picks category, Page 392
New ‘Hunger Games’ book sells more than 500,000 copies
A decade after the “Hunger Games” series had apparently ended, readers were clearly ready for more. Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” sold more 500,000 copies last week, even as many of the country’s bookstores were closed or offering limited service because of the coronavirus pandemic. The total...
Completely kosher Baskin-Robbins open in Squirrel Hill
The first completely kosher Baskin-Robbins opened this week in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. While ice cream is kosher, visitors won’t see certain toppings such as gummy bears. All menu items have been certified by the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh. The store is located at the intersection of Forbes and...
Miniature Wash High gym showcases ‘underground hobby’ of paper stadiums
Trey Ashby never set foot inside Wash High’s basketball gym, but the Nebraska resident can describe the banners on the wall, the paint colors on the floor and the wooden seats that give the place its character. In fact, Ashby built himself a replica. “In Nebraska, all of our gyms...
Gym patrons ‘not worried,’ flock to open Penn Hills gym
Build it and they will come. Fortunately for patrons using Webb’s World of Fitness in Penn Hills, the gym is already built. All its owners had to do was open its doors. Earlier in May, that’s what owners Linda and Monty Webb did. And their members, and more, came. “I’m...
Hot dogs and hops? New Sheetz beer combines 2 summer favorites
Sheetz is going one better on the classic summer combination of a hot dog and a cold brew. The Altoona-based convenience store chain has announced the release of Project Hop Dog, a new, limited-edition craft beer brewed in partnership with Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. of Bucks County. “Now available at...
Poll: 1 in 5 teachers unlikely to return to school if classrooms reopen this fallVideo
One in five teachers in the United States say they are unlikely to return to in-person instruction if schools reopen in the fall, a USA Today–Ipsos poll revealed Tuesday. The survey found 25% of teachers 55 and older say they are unlikely to return for in-person classes, hinting at the...
Niche survey finds most students want to resume in-person classes
Recent surveys show that the nation’s students – both high school and college – are itching to return to the classroom for in-person learning. A survey from Pittsburgh-based Niche, an online school search platform, received more than 21,000 responses from students across the country. The survey found that students want...
From Grand View to National Road, here are 3 Pa. scenic byways road trips worth takingVideo
With many recreational activities and travel plans canceled because of the global coronavirus pandemic, a long, scenic drive is a great way to kick off the summer season. A great place to start are the three Pennsylvania Byways in our region. In all, Pennsylvania has designated 21 routes recognized for...
Three Rivers Arts Festival is now open — in the virtual world
As the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival goes virtual this year, the focus is on a new group of creative people — those who are creating digital content that will bring a different kind of festival experience to the public. “Usually, the digital team is marginally involved in the...
Boys let black widow spider bite them to gain Spider-Man-like powers
Three Bolivian boys landed themselves in the hospital after enticing a black widow spider to bite them in hopes of gaining super powers — a la Spider-Man, Telemundo reports. The boys, ages 12, 10 and 8, had gone into the fields to help goats graze in Chayanta, about 215 miles...
Woman fired as a result of backlash from racist Central Park confrontationVideo
NEW YORK — The verbal dispute between a white woman walking her dog and a black man bird watching in Central Park might normally have gone unnoticed in a city preoccupied by the coronavirus pandemic. That changed when birdwatcher Christian Cooper pulled out his phone and captured Amy Cooper calling...
Doobie Brothers postpone 50th anniversary tour, including Pittsburgh stop
Fans of the Doobie Brothers will have to wait until 2021 to “Listen to the Music” live. The classic rock band announced Tuesday that their entire 50th anniversary tour will be postponed until 2021. Former frontman Michael McDonald has rejoined the band for the trek, marking his first full tour...
Pittsburgh ranks as 7th best city to start a career
New college grads from Pittsburgh, take heart. While this might be one of the most unfortunate times to be starting a career, those in the Steel City have a slight advantage over their counterparts in other cities. A recent data analysis by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team finds that Pittsburgh is...
Familiar song returns to No. 1 in WDVE Memorial Day 500 countdown
“Stairway to Heaven” ascended back to the top. The Led Zeppelin song finished first in the DVE Memorial Day 500 countdown, which ended Monday night. It bested Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Guns ‘N Roses’ “Sweet Child of Mine,” “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink...
On Memorial Day, Trump insults Marine Corps veteran Conor Lamb by calling him ‘American fraud’
On Memorial Day, President Trump called Marine reserve officer and Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb an “American fraud” on Twitter. Almost a week before the state’s primary, Trump threw his support toward Sean Parnell, an Army combat veteran from Cranberry, who is running for Lamb’s seat in the 17th Congressional District....
U.N. virus therapy trial pauses hydroxychloroquine testing because of safety concerns
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Monday that it will temporarily drop hydroxychloroquine — the anti-malarial drug President Trump says he is taking — from its global study into experimental covid-19 treatments, saying that its experts need to review all available evidence to date. In a press briefing, WHO...
Efforts underway to get food from U.S. farms to needy
OMAHA, Neb. — As food banks have struggled to meet soaring demand from people suddenly out of work because of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been especially troubling to see farmers have to bury produce, dump milk and euthanize hogs. Now some states are providing more money to help pay...
Relive Penguins’ 1st Stanley Cup from May 25, 1991Video
Not much may be happening in the hockey world at the moment, so you might as well celebrate the 29th anniversary (props to the ol’ two niner, Phil Bourque) of the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup. On May 25, 1991, the Penguins stormed past the Minnesota North Stars, 8-0, in Bloomington,...
Amid pandemic, Memorial Day service marked privately at National Cemetery of the Alleghenies
The 2020 Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies was closed to the public Sunday in Cecil Township, but the media was allowed to document the ceremony while abiding by social distancing guidelines because of the coronavirus pandemic....
Huge crowds gather for Memorial Day weekend as coronavirus deaths near 100,000Video
Social distancing, crowd limitations and wearing face masks are all techniques of lessening the risk of coronavirus exposure. But during the Memorial Day weekend, many in the United States are doing away with such practices. As the national death toll of covid-19 neared 100,000, states across the country relaxed restrictions...
Pandemic a boon for the bicycle as thousands snap them up
SAN FRANCISCO — Joel Johnson hadn’t owned a bicycle since he was 15, but the pandemic changed all that. Johnson first bought a multipurpose bike to avoid the germs on crowded buses and trains but then discovered a passion for pedaling around San Francisco, where some streets are now closed...
Hempfield man on mission to document war memorials in Pennsylvania
Rob Domenick has become a magnet for war honor rolls. He knows all the right places to look, scouring Pennsylvania communities for memorials small and large to help with a national American Legion project. “You have to look for the right kind of community,” said Domenick of Hempfield. “Little places,...
AHN Jefferson’s new ‘Connection Rounding’ comforts patients, staff
Visitor restrictions at hospitals during the covid-19 pandemic have caused a lot of angst, said a nurse at Jefferson Hospital. “Family is a person’s support system,” said Irma D’Antonio, manager of nursing quality and patient experience at Allegheny Health Network’s Jefferson Hospital. That’s why she and her colleagues created “Connection...
Pitt-Greensburg’s SITREP program helps veterans transition to collegeVideo
You wouldn’t expect a veteran to be intimidated by the prospect of attending college, given the rigors of military life and the stress of active-duty service. But it happened to Jacob Snyder of Murrysville, and he sees it frequently when talking with incoming student-veterans at the University of Pittsburgh at...
Cornavirus pandemic claims another victim: Robocalls
Have you been missing something amid the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders? No, not human contact. Not even toilet paper. Robocalls. Industry experts say robocalls are way down — scam calls as well as nagging from your credit-card company to pay your bill. The coronavirus pandemic has inflicted millions of job...
