Editor's Picks category, Page 421
‘Sophie’ biography explores struggles, success of Pittsburgh’s Mayor Masloff
For historian Barbara Burstin, researching the life of Sophie Masloff, Pittsburgh’s first female and Jewish mayor, was a fascinating and rewarding project. She sees Masloff’s story of overcoming poverty, sexism and anti-Semitism as inspiring to everyone. Masloff served as mayor from 1988 to 1994. “Her story is a reflection of...
Jeannette revamps junior firefighter program
Isaiah Derry remembers his first fire. The adrenaline started pumping when the Jeannette boy heard the call over his pager. He got to go inside a North Second Street home after flames were extinguished and then help his fellow firefighters clean up. Derry, 14, is one of three teenagers recently...
Twisted Thistle eatery in Leechburg staying put with new menuVideo
The Twisted Thistle in Leechburg is here to stay. The historic eatery on Market Street is no longer on the market after being listed for $1.5 million in 2018. “Linda (Alworth, the owner) was interested in selling last year due to her desire to focus on other projects such as...
Elite athlete from Greensburg never thought she’d end up running for her lifeVideo
In the beginning, Cheryl Collins Gatons began running for fun. It was a great way to blow off stress after work. She never imagined she would end up as a two-time qualifier for the Olympic marathon trials, or that years later she would start running for her life. The 52-year-old...
‘End of an era:’ Retiring buses take riders on historic Downtown Pittsburgh route
Generations of public transit enthusiasts visited Downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday to “loop the loop” in honor of two retiring Port Authority of Allegheny County buses. The commemorative Downtown loop route, which has been out of service for the past 30 years, was reinstated Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the last...
Creative vision vs. real life often a balancing act for artists
In the 10 years that he devoted to his art, Vincent van Gogh created about 2,100 paintings. Though prolific in his output, the Dutch post-impressionist painter sold only one painting during his lifetime. “The Red Vineyard” went for 400 francs in Belgium in 1890, shortly before his death by suicide...
Officials at Beaver County home for disabled shocked by abuse allegations
Officials at McGuire Memorial Home said they were shocked to learn of allegations that two employees abused disabled residents of the Beaver County facility and immediately notified families of the alleged victims as soon as authorities permitted them to do so. Christopher Shay, president and CEO of McGuire, offered his...
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre sets stage for ‘The Nutcracker’
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre put the final touches on their production of “The Nutcracker” during a dress rehersal Thursday at the Benedum Center. There will be 26 performances of “The Nutcracker” from Dec. 6-29, at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Tickets start at $28, and are available at www.pbt.org, 412-456-6666...
Cartoon Network Hotel opening in LancasterVideo
There’s a hotel coming to Lancaster that you might want to check out. Cartoon Network Hotel will open Jan. 10, according to Lancaster Online, which attended a media tour of the site Dec. 6. The hotel’s website says a stay at Cartoon Network Hotel is like “having a sleepover in...
10 things that annoy us about the holidays
It’s that holiday season. The trees are up, laden with keepsake ornaments. The little lights are twinkling. The stockings are hung by the chimneys with care. Presents are wrapped, adorned with ribbons and bows. Nice and all, but seriously, the holidays aren’t all fun and games. Here are 10 things...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 6-8
It’s the weekend. And there’s plenty to do whether you like penguins, shopping for handmade items or meeting celebrities like Neve Campbell and Tony Danza. Parade time The Penguins on Parade at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in Highland Park is Saturday and Sunday, as long as the temperature...
Wood-fired pizzeria, bar coming to downtown GreensburgVideo
In a room filled with rubble, covered in graffiti and infested with pigeons, Chris Martin envisions a lively downtown Greensburg restaurant, with a wood-fired grill cooking made-to-order pizzas and a bar serving craft drinks. If renovations go according to plan, dŌ Wood-Fired will open its second location at 39 N....
Pittsburgh Dad stops at ‘The Price is Right,’ will have CBS game show-themed episode
Pittsburgh Dad and Drew Carey. How about that for a collaboration? Because something from Curt Wootton’s camp and “The Price is Right” host is coming. Mallory Mason, CBS entertainment communications director, confirmed that Wootton will be doing a special “The Price is Right” episode of “Pittsburgh Dad.” Wootton, however, did...
Retired astronaut talks to Pittsburgh students at Carnegie Science CenterVideo
Mike Foale’s home movies are out of this world. Foale, 62, is a retired NASA astronaut, and Thursday he was in Pittsburgh to celebrate the opening of the Bosch Soundsee Research and Test Facility in the Strip District. He also made a stop at the Buhl Planetarium in the Carnegie...
VP Mike Pence to meet with veterans at Beaver County VFW Post
Vice President Mike Pence will visit Rochester, Beaver County next week to meet with veterans supporting President Trump’s campaign, according to a release from the Trump campaign. The visit is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Pence will be at the Rochester Veterans of Foreign War Post 128,...
Show goes on at some Western Pa. drive-in theaters during the holidays
Flip-flops and lawn chairs might be replaced with Christmas lights and mittens, but one thing holds true at the drive-in theater — tradition. At Starlight Drive-In in Butler, Beth Chiesa-Manson and her husband John Manson are gearing up for their annual Christmas at the Drive-In, an event scheduled this week...
Lawn Pass back for 2020 at KeyBank Pavilion
If you want to go to every show at the Burgettstown amphitheater, you can. Lawn Pass is back. For $199 plus fees, the pass will get you a spot on KeyBank Pavilion’s lawn in 2020, including sold-out shows, according to a Live Nation release. General admission parking and fast lane...
A Pirate, a few Steelers and a movie star go to Penguins gameVideo
Pirates pitcher Joe Musgrove is becoming something of a tour guide for Pittsburgh. On Tuesday, the day before Derek Shelton was officially introduced as the Pirates new manager, Musgrove took him out for lunch at Primanti’s in the Strip District. Before you ask, yeah he's been there. Yesterday, @ItsbuccnJoe59 took...
Emaciated dog found tied to dumpster in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police are investigating a case of animal cruelty after finding a dog tied to a dumpster outside an apartment complex in the Knoxville neighborhood. Patrol officers from the Zone 3 station were waved down along Knox Avenue at around 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday by someone who spotted the dog,...
Study: Hair dye, straighteners linked to increased breast cancer risk
Some hair products could put women at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, especially black women, according to a study published by the International Journal of Cancer. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. It followed 46,700 cancer-free...
New Pirates manager Derek Shelton unafraid of fans’ expectationsVideo
When Derek Shelton was a college and minor league catcher, he was not afraid of home-plate collisions. So handling Pittsburgh Pirates fans’ dissatisfaction with the recent past is an issue he said he’s willing to confront. Shelton, 49, was introduced Wednesday as the 41st manager in Pirates history, but the...
Judge denies bail for woman accused of stabbing Terrelle PryorVideo
Terrelle Pryor’s attorney Wednesday contradicted accounts that his client was a “mutual combatant” in an altercation with his live-in girlfriend, in which she was charged with attempted murder for allegedly stabbing him in the chest and shoulder with a kitchen knife. Beaver attorney Steve Colafella said Pryor was bleeding to...
Abused farm animals get care at Kindred Spirits Rescue Ranch in Beaver County
When Lisa Marie Sopko walks around her 20-acre property in South Beaver Township, she unwittingly becomes the grand marshal of a barnyard parade. Goats, sheep and donkeys follow in her footsteps. Ducks and chickens waddle behind her, and a cow named Daisy pulls up the rear. “She’s a real Dr....
Phish jams out at Petersen Events Center
Phish rolled into Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center on Wednesday for its seven-date Fall Tour. The rock band, formed in 1983 on the campus of the University of Vermont, performed its massive catalog of songs to the delight of the crowd. Phish kicked off the show with “555,” “AC/DC Bag” and...
Petition wants to bring back giant rubber duck in honor of Steelers’ Devlin Hodges
Welp, it looks like Pittsburgh has a new cult hero in Devlin “Duck” Hodges. The third-string quarterback, who didn’t even make the final cut for the season but has recently been named a starter, is loved by some yinzers so much that they are calling for the 40-foot inflatable rubber...
