Editor's Picks category, Page 417
Harmar to build $84,000 dek hockey rink in Acme Park
Harmar Township has secured a $42,000 state grant which it will match to install a dek hockey rink and renovate the basketball court at Acme Park along Herron Avenue. The project was prompted by the lack of use of the park’s tennis courts, according to township officials. For more than...
‘Honest mistake’ sets off alarm about U.S. troops in Iraq
WASHINGTON — For a few tense hours Monday, the United States appeared to have announced that American troops were pulling out of Baghdad after nearly 17 years. Turns out, it was just an “honest mistake.” “Here’s the bottom line, this was a mistake,” Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint...
Oscar Mayer looking for this year’s Wienermobile drivers
If you’re a recent college graduate and looking for a job as a spokesperson for a large corporation that let’s you drive a funny car around the country, then this position with the Kraft Heinz Co. might be for you. Oscar Mayer is looking for its 2020 class of Hotdoggers....
Police probe release of bed bugs in Edinboro Walmart
EDINBORO — Pennsylvania State Police and store management apparently are itching to get their hands on who released live bed bugs Thursday in the changing room of the men’s department inside the Walmart at Edinboro. As of Saturday afternoon, investigators still were scratching their heads trying to find the suspect...
A new way of identifying state game landsVideo
Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are hoping a little change will have some impact. The agency — responsible for managing Keystone State wildlife for all residents, yet funded solely by hunters, trappers and shooters — is tweaking the names of its state game lands. Signs on the properties still will identify...
2020 predicted to have a super Groundhog Day
Feb. 2 is a loaded date this year. The usual celebration of Groundhog Day has some company in 2020. The day starts with Punxsutawney Phil’s 134th prognostication set to run 3 a.m. to 8 a.m. Then, the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Washington Capitals at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. Groundhog...
Winter is perfect time for Outer Banks oyster roastVideo
The beaches are uncrowded, lodging is cheaper and, for one day, oysters are being roasted outdoors in the Outer Banks. Take an off-season trip to North Carolina for the Hatteras Island Oyster Roast on Saturday, Feb. 1. A fire will warm visitors feasting on fresh oysters, seafood chowder, corn bread...
Pa. Farm Show draws farmers, families and the public for competition, education
For the Davis family, the holidays are not just Christmas and New Year’s. The annual Pennsylvania Farm Show also makes the list. The Fayette County family has been going to the Farm Show since 2005. Their youngest child, Maddox, now 12, is showing a dairy goat and cow at this...
Helltown Brewing to host Tecmo Super Bowl tournament in Murrysville
For Dave Samuelson, tasting room manager at Helltown Brewing, the Sega Genesis console represented the apex of his video-game playing days, and one of the games Samuelson remembers playing best is Tecmo Super Bowl. “It was the first (football) game that had the real players,” said Samuelson, 45. “It had...
U-Haul International to stop hiring smokers in Pennsylvania, 20 other states
PHOENIX — U-Haul International has announced plans to stop interviewing and hiring nicotine users, including people who use e-cigarettes and vaping products. The well-known truck and trailer rental company approved the nicotine-free policy set to go into effect Feb. 1 in more than 20 states where the company operates, the...
‘Quid pro quo’ tops banished words list
In an apparent nod to President Donald Trump, and to the great relief of newspaper editors near and far, the experts at Lake Superior State University announced Wednesday that “quid pro quo” topped its 45th Annual Banished Word List. The small public university, located on Michigan’s northern Peninsula, began publishing...
Port Authority buses use lasers to track bus crowding, shares data with riders
Port Authority of Allegheny County just made it easier for riders to know exactly how packed a bus is at any given minute, day or night — and it’s using invisible sensors to do so. The real-time bus crowding data is accessible through Port Authority’s TrueTime data service available online...
Legal weed in Illinois: First day of recreational marijuana sales features long lines, happy customersVideo
CHICAGO — Some revelers in Chicago celebrated New Year’s Eve by waiting for midnight to arrive. But hours later, a different crowd of merrymakers was waiting to celebrate at 6 a.m. when they were able to make their first purchases after the state’s long-awaited introduction of legal marijuana. So far,...
Westmoreland’s first baby of 2020 arrives week earlier than expectedVideo
Serena Rose Spino came into the world a week earlier than expected — just in time to be Westmoreland County’s first baby born in 2020. She emerged at 6:29 a.m. New Year’s Day at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Serena Rose, the daughter of James Spino, 31, and his...
New year, who dis? Songs to get you ready for 2020Video
2019 has run out of days on the calendar. The new year is almost here, so let’s get down to business. What songs are you going to listen to leading into and to start 2020? For that, here are some options: Death Cab for Cutie - “The New Year” Mariah...
Pig on the run eludes capture in Springdale Township until owner shows up
A wayward pig eluded capture for several hours Monday in Springdale Township after attempts by residents and police to lure and lasso the 100-pound, black-haired swine failed. No one was injured but jokes abounded on the Facebook page “Springdale Borough News,” with one poster wryly noting that Monday was National...
20 years ago, Y2K became the crisis that wasn’t
The lights stayed on. The lines stayed open. And 1999 ended with a whimper rather than a bang. I wrote those words in a news story for the Tribune-Review at the end of my shift as the calendar turned from Dec. 31, 1999, to Jan. 1, 2000. It had been...
Take it outside: Winter exercise is a snap with the right gear
It’s New Year’s Eve — time once again to make a resolution to do something better in the new year. Starting with Halloween candy, continuing with the Thanksgiving feast and finishing off with holiday indulgences in December, it’s no wonder that many of our resolutions have to do with getting...
‘Piggyback’ flight of World War II bombers recalledVideo
After what he endured on Dec. 31, 1944, while under heavy attack during an ill-fated bombing mission over northern Germany, Glenn H. Rojohn had no interest in popping a bottle of champagne and ringing in the new year. “We never celebrated New Year’s Eve,” said his son, David Rojohn of...
Sharon Stone blocked on dating app after users thought her profile was fake
Even celebrities sometimes have trouble finding a date. Award-winning actress Sharon Stone, best known for starring in “Basic Instinct” in 1992, got bumped from dating app Bumble after users thought her account was fake. But turns out it was actually her. Stone shared on her official Twitter page Monday that...
Barack Obama names Dan Rooney book as a favorite of 2019
Barack Obama included a Pittsburgh gem in his list of top books from of the year. The former president and avid reader shared via Twitter 19 titles that impressed him. One of his sports favorites was Jim Rooney’s “A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl...
New invasive species app for public promotes early detection of aquatic invaders
The Pennsylvania Sea Grant has developed an app for the public — primarily anglers, boaters and other users of waterways — to identify and report aquatic invasive species. These invasive species can harm natural resources and impact public use of waterways. According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, some...
East Deer family left homeless by fire to move into new place Monday
An East Deer family of six left homeless after a Friday morning fire is expected to move into a new place in the township Monday. The Red Cross initially assisted Aaron Ciccanti, his fiancee, Andrea Small, and Small’s four children, two boys and two girls, with a temporary place to...
Efforts underway to preserve and reuse former Carnegie Library building in HazelwoodVideo
Steve Paulovitch has fond memories of the old Carnegie Library branch on Hazelwood’s Monongahela Street. Paulovitch, 77, of Monroeville, grew up in Hazelwood and said he started going to the library at age 5 or 6. It was one of the town’s main social and cultural centers with a large...
East Deer neighbors pitch in to help family of 6 recover from fire that destroyed their home
A community is rallying in support of an East Deer family who lost everything in a Friday morning fire. The Red Cross is assisting Aaron Ciccanti, his fiancee, Andrea Small, and their four children with a temporary place to stay, clothing and food after their home at 405 Freeport Road...
