Editor's Picks category, Page 204

Trib Total Media on Thursday unveiled the winners and finalists of its popular Best of the Best community choice awards. More than 20,000 people voted in this year’s awards, casting over 270,000 votes to select their favorite local businesses in 136 categories. This is the second year for Best of...

For about 10 months out of the year, John Suhr is just a regular man with a regular job. But during the holiday season, he’s one of the most popular men on the planet. Suhr is Pittsburgh’s unofficial Santa Claus, having spent the last 14 Christmases donning his red suit...

Turning 82 isn’t exactly a milestone birthday. But for the friends of former Steelers and Penn State great and Jeannette native Dick Hoak, any excuse to give him a party is a good one. Fans of Hoak know him as a former Pro Bowl running back and the longest tenured...

Schramm Farms & Orchards in Harrison City — with its popular pumpkin patch, maze and fruits and vegetables for sale in its market — is closing at the end of the month after 40 years in business, the owner said Wednesday. “Everybody gets to retire. I’ve been working 8½ days...

Matthew Pagac, 32, of Centerville, Washington County, has a leg up on Christmas decorating. Pagac built a custom illuminated “leg lamp” for his front lawn, installing it Saturday. He said he was inspired to “go big” with his holiday decorating because it’s his daughter’s first Christmas and he was inspired...

The National Aviary has received an early Christmas gift, with renewed accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Glad tidings from the facility on Pittsburgh’s North Side also include the return of special holiday events after a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic. “AZA accreditation is the gold...

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: There are two DeLucas on the WPXI-TV news staff. Are they related? – Mike, Beaver Rob: We noted when reporter Pete DeLuca was hired at...

A neighbor alerted Joey Pierce to a growing hole in his front yard. Pierce, in turn, alerted Plum Borough officials. The ground was sinking, which created a huge crater because of a problem with a storm drain. Workers came to his yard and surrounded the hole with bright orange fencing....

Eighty years ago today, at 7:55 a.m. Pacific Time, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. The sneak attack killed 2,403 Americans, and 1,178 others were wounded. A total of 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. Only the 9/11 attacks have surpassed...

In this week’s episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including WPXI-TV hiring a new reporter. Originally from Penn Hills, Talia Kirkland is a Duquesne University grad (an undergraduate degree in journalism and a...

Krampus is coming back to Pittsburgh. Tonight. Krampus is a mythic cloven-footed figure known to appear on Dec. 5, who acts as an anti-Santa, punishing the naughty and sparing the nice. He’s known to appear on the streets Dec. 5 (Krampusnacht), the day before the Feast of St. Nicholas celebrated...

A selection of the best photos from Tribune-Review photographers from around the region from the week of Nov. 29-Dec 5. Previous weeks Week in pictures: Nov. 22-28 Week in pictures: Nov. 8-14 Week in pictures: Nov. 1-7, 2021 Week in pictures: Oct. 25-31, 2021 Week in pictures: Oct. 18-24, 2021...

Joe Weltner’s 90-year-old grandmother still tells the story. Back in the day, she and her husband were driving the grandkids around to look at the neighborhood Christmas decorations. From the back seat, young Joe — probably 6 at the time — was heard to mutter, “I hate white lights.” “From...

A factory supplying toys and games to people young and old is in high gear as the holiday season approaches. Dean Helfer Jr., who runs Channel Craft in Charleroi, said the 40 craftsmen and women have been working extra hours since June to catch up on a backlog of orders....

Everyone loves a good holiday movie. But how many good ones are there, really? Well, enough at least to make a short list. There are the obvious choices, which the following list includes. But there are also ones that seem less obvious because the movie isn’t focused solely on a...

Mark Cuban owns the Dallas Mavericks, a successful entertainment firm and a string of start-up companies — including a new drug company he hopes will lower prescription costs. And now the Dallas billionaire also owns an entire Texas town. Cuban, a native of Mt. Lebanon, just purchased the Navarro County...

Kiya Tomlin grew up watching “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” The crowd drew Tomlin’s attention. “I always marveled at her audience,” said Tomlin, a fashion designer and apparel manufacturer with a studio in Etna. “They were the best dressed. They always had their hair and makeup done. They looked great.” Now,...

These days, you often find Christmas decorations next to Halloween candy in the stores. In May, Better Homes & Gardens magazine made a case for decorating early. Among the reasons: • The decorations evoke feelings of nostalgia, excitement and happiness (harking back to childhood). • They foster feelings of coziness...

Getting a message to you The music of the Bee Gees is stayin’ alive with a tribute group called The New York Bee Gees, playing at 8 p.m. Friday in The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. The New York-based band includes musicians who have played with renowned acts including The Alan...

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips from 2021. While there’s still plenty of new TV this month — “Sex and the City” sequel series “And Just Like That…” streams on HBO Max Thursday but wasn’t available for review by deadline — December also offers an opportunity...

Thursday was a big night out for 3-year-old Laney Brannigan of Greensburg and her brother, Declan, 5. They joined their parents, Rachel and Tommy Brannigan, as they explored the many holiday activities offered in their hometown as part of the 52nd annual Luminary Night. “We’re enjoying the scenery and supporting...

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A proposal that would allow military planes to fly training missions less than a quarter-mile above a section of...