Editor's Picks category, Page 228

Tim Geary is a man on a mission — again. The 77-year-old retired attorney from Aspinwall has resumed his hike on the Appalachian Trail in honor of his late wife, Gillen, who died after a seven-year battle with melanoma last year. Geary, formerly of Vandergrift, began his hike March 17...

After a challenging growing season in 2020, local farms are returning to normal levels of success with this year’s weather to produce much-anticipated sweet corn. Greg Forejt Jr. of Windy Heights Farm Market in East Huntingdon said last season was too dry, resulting in the loss of about half of...

Pennsylvania’s second-­most-­famous groundhog urges lottery players to “keep on scratchin’.” That advice resulted in some major scratch for Indiana County resident Randy Lytle. He won $3 million on a Monopoly 100X scratch-off ticket he purchased on Memorial Day at the Giant Eagle supermarket in Ligonier. He cashed in by risking...

For those who don’t have a fishing license, but would like to try it, the state Fish and Boat Commission is offering adults the chance to fish for free for Sunday. While people don’t need a fishing license Sunday, all other fishing regulations, including season and creel limits, still will...

Dealerships across Western Pennsylvania are cashing in on growing demand for RVs, a 2020 national trend that has continued through this year. John Park, general manager of Meyer’s Shreck RV in Washington Township, said his dealership sold 450 RVs last year, compared to 150 the year prior. This year, he...

Though many Fourth of July celebrations were nixed last year, fireworks are back throughout Western Pennsylvania this weekend. Here are some spots to watch the fireworks and enjoy other celebrations during the holiday weekend: Pittsburgh The City of Pittsburgh is hosting a Fourth of July celebration on Sunday from 6...

Latrobe’s Great American Banana Split Celebration is returning with an in-person format featuring entertainment and activities Aug. 21 at Legion Keener Park. After pandemic restrictions prompted the switch to a virtual festival in 2020, “We’re very excited to be able to return to an in-person format,” said Briana Tomack, president...

Critter count Amateur naturalists are invited to help with a “bioblitz” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Keystone State Park in Derry Township. Participants can hike the McCune Run or Davis Run trails during the day and and compile a list of all of the living things they can see...

Before she’s on “America’s Got Talent” next week, 9-year-old opera singer Victory Brinker of Unity used to play “AGT” with her 10 siblings as parents Christine and Eric took on the roles of the show’s judges. “All of my brothers and sisters would do acts, and sometimes I would pretend...

It’s the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Here are some ideas of how to spend it in Pittsburgh. Downtown Pittsburgh Pittsburgh’s Independence Day celebration returns this year. The traditional gathering at Point State Park will include patriotic music and food vendors from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the fireworks...

“Holy cow!” exclaimed Dominic Dean, his eyes wide as saucers, as he stared in awe and excitement at the towering sandwich placed in front of him. The 16-year-old Milwaukee native is an up-and-coming food critic with a special twist — a focus on positivity and kindness. Dominic, who is on...

The latest series from writer/producer Greg Garcia, best known for the comedies “Raising Hope,” “My Name is Earl” and “The Guest Book,” will film in Pittsburgh this summer. “Sprung,” which will stream on IMDb TV, the free, ad-supported streaming service from Amazon, centers on a group of former prison inmates...

In an unsurprising move, WTAE will replace low-rated talk show “Ellen” at 4 p.m. with a newscast anchored by Andrew Stockey and Kelly Sasso. Meteorologist Jeff Verszyla will provide weather forecasts. WTAE’s 4 p.m. newscast, which begins Tuesday, will compete head-to-head with news on KDKA-TV. WPXI-TV currently airs “Judge Judy”...

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...

Indiana Township’s Lucas Goeller had days to live. At 2 years old, he was laid up in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh with a serious liver infection. It was June 2015. At the time, he was diagnosed with a rare liver disease called biliary atresia. His only shot at survival...

Editor’s note: Neighbor Spotlight is a monthly feature that aims to let our readers learn more about the people in their communities who are working to make them a better place, who have interesting stories to tell or who the community feels deserve “15 minutes of fame.” If you would...

Gillian Jacobs, a 2000 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, isn’t a fan of horror movies, but she was up for the challenge in acting in several over the past year, including the Netflix “Fear Street” trilogy, based on the R.L. Stine books. “Its definitely a genre that I wanted...

As the WDVE countdown of 500 songs has become synonymous with Memorial Day weekend, WXDX-FM 105.9, known as The X, hopes to claim Fourth of July for its 420 list of music. “If you are going to a Fourth of July party you can put on ‘The X’ and you...

Daniel Seddiqui has a piece of Pittsburgh he helped create. The California native, who lives in Bend, Ore., came to the city as part of his quest to visit 65 cities to craft a meaningful piece of each destination that reflects its culture and industry. He is calling the venture...

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 — Cities and townships hoping to ban plastic bags within their borders may finally have the legal authority to do...

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: Do KDKA-TV on-air talent who have been with the station for a while get a ton of vacation time? I’ve noticed sports anchor Bob Pompeani...

Now you can get Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on the go. NBC News’ “Today” show is being made available in podcast form, giving the four-hour morning show a wider reach for viewers, the network announced Monday. “Starting today, listeners can get their daily dose of news, headlines and the...

The coronavirus pandemic isn’t done with the economic gut punches yet. As more and more people have been vaccinated, the covid-19 precautions have been slowly rolled back. On Monday, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate was lifted. That means the state isn’t requiring the unvaccinated to wear masks in public places anymore. Individual...

A series of mysterious lines carved on the seafloor off North Carolina’s Outer Banks have been identified as “highly unexpected” proof that icebergs once filled the horizon along the East Coast. It is believed the massive chunks of ice drifted up to 5,000 miles from Canada, and could be seen...