Megan Swift stories, Page 3

The word “demure” is listed in the dictionary as meaning reserved or modest. But in the past week, the word has taken on a new meaning — and a life of its own on social media. Beauty influencer Jools Lebron started the viral trend on TikTok in early August when...

Western Pennsylvania is seeing an uptick in covid-19 cases just as the new school year is about to start. Dr. Carol Fox, chief medical officer for Independence Health System, said the system’s five hospitals have seen a slightly higher number of patients who are being hospitalized because of covid compared...

A portion of Crane Avenue closed Friday after a privately owned dump truck ran into a railway trestle bridge on Mount Washington in Pittsburgh. Crane Avenue was to traffic between Route 51 and Dagmar Avenue as of Friday afternoon, the City of Pittsburgh said. The truck hit the bridge overnight,...

Women will have an alternative Pap smear option starting this fall, the New York Times reported. The new option is a swab to screen for cervical cancer, rather than the speculum, which has been the norm during Pap smear examinations. The Times said a Pap smear requires a patient’s legs...

A Detroit judge thought he was making an example of 15-year-old Eva Goodman by threatening her with jail time for falling asleep in his courtroom. Turns out, she doesn’t have a permanent home, the Detroit Free Press reported. The teenager, who was on a field trip to the court this...

When a 9-year-old Fayette County boy attempted to follow a TikTok trend, creating what is known as a Jolly Rancher Grape, he tripped while carrying a bowl of molten candy liquid and suffered severe burns. “He tripped, and that’s when the boiling hot candy coated his whole hand and his...

Dunkin’ Spiked’s first-ever limited edition seasonal drink — a boozy Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte — will be available at Pittsburgh retailers starting this month. The drink will feature sweet, pumpkin, vanilla and fall spice flavors, the same taste as Dunkin’ Donuts signature fall drink without alcohol. The Dunkin’ Spiced PSL...

Runners can register for the 2025 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend on Wednesday. Registration opens at 10 a.m. online for the races, which will take place from May 2-4. The marathon takes place on Sunday, May 4. New this year, P3R is hosting an Opening Day Block Party on...

The northern lights made another appearance in Western Pennsylvania on Monday, raising questions about future visibility. Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said it’s possible that they’ll return. “Right now, as far as what we’re seeing from the Space Weather Prediction Center, it doesn’t look too...

A needle-free nasal spray has been approved for serious allergic reactions to food, medications and insect stings — an alternative to the well-known EpiPen, the Washington Post reported. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the alternative 2-milligram spray, which is called Neffy, on Friday, and it’s the first needle-free...

Days before the popular Schwirian Farm Sunflower Festival was set to begin, deer ate about a half-million sunflower blossoms at the farm, which gave organizers no choice but to cancel. Leslee Schwirian, who owns the Forward Township farm alongside her husband, Jay, said there were only about 10 flowers left...

Allegheny County Police are investigating a fatal vehicle crash on Sunday morning in Wilkinsburg. The crash happened in the intersection of Swissvale and Wallace avenues, and police were called at 7:24 a.m. Two unidentified juvenile males were in the vehicle. Police said the driver was found dead in the vehicle,...

Kylynn Kelsey, who is 6, said she started liking butterflies Saturday following the annual monarch butterfly release at the LeFevre Butterfly Garden behind the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center. Her favorite part was getting them to land on her wand made of flowers, made available at the event hosted by...

A man attempted to break into the visitors’ lobby of the Allegheny County Jail on Saturday morning, police said. Pittsburgh police detained the man, who police said was suffering from a minor injury. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Police said detectives that the man attempted to...

A motorcyclist was in critical condition Friday following a vehicle collision in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood. Initial investigation indicated that the driver of the other vehicle ran a red light while under the influence, Pittsburgh police said, and charges are forthcoming. Police, fire and EMS were dispatched at about 9:45 p.m....

Pittsburgh police are investigating a homicide that occurred early Saturday in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Following a two-round ShotSpotter alert, city police were dispatched just after 3:30 a.m. to the 7400 block of Idlewild Street. A man who had been shot in the head was found dead on the sidewalk...

Melissa Turner was in Montreal waiting to board her connecting flight to Austria en route to a Taylor Swift concert when she learned it had been canceled. Swift’s three Eras Tour concerts this week in Vienna were canceled following a foiled terrorist attack, the New York Times reported — affecting...

Elon Musk, owner of the social media platform X, is set to interview former President Donald Trump on Monday, the New York Times reported. Trump posted about the upcomping conversation on his social media site Truth Social, saying that details would follow, the NYT said. “ON MONDAY NIGHT I’LL BE...

A Braddock restaurant space, vacated by chef Kevin Sousa at the outset of the covid pandemic, is reopening with new ownership. Craft brewer Brew Gentlemen, which is also located in Braddock, is opening a restaurant and brewpub called Braddock Public House in the old Superior Motors space. Alaina Webber, co-owner...

The multistate listeria outbreak linked to deli meat has led to recalls of numerous Boar’s Head products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pennsylvania is one of the now 13 states affected by the outbreak, the CDC said. As of Thursday, there have been three deaths and...

He’s apparently never read from a teleprompter. Some Republicans bristled at his characterization of them as “weird.” And his Midwestern dad persona is trending. So, how is the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris‘ newly announced running mate playing on social media? The memes are...

Happy 21st birthday to Myspace. On this day in 2003, the first social media platform was launched. It’s now a platform for music sharing. Even alongside the launch of Facebook, Myspace overtook Google and Yahoo Mail in 2006 — becoming America’s most visited website, according to Hitwise data, TechRadar reported....

“Twoallbeefpattiesspecialsaucelettucecheesepicklesonionsonasesameseedbun.” Big Mac Day is here. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato has declared Friday as Big Mac Day in the county. To celebrate, local McDonald’s restaurants will offer $2 Big Mac sandwiches through Aug. 11. The offer is available solely through the MyMcDonald’s Rewards app. Big Mac Day is held...

The Adult Trauma Recovery Unit of UPMC’s Western Psychiatric Hospital has been renovated with murals and supplies after receiving $1 million from an anonymous donor. Now called the Zoe Atrium, the unit on the 13th floor features new welcoming spaces, books, magazines and board games, new flooring and murals in...