JoAnne Klimovich Harrop stories, Page 8

It began on a boat ride in 1999. The trip on the river included captains of industry, real estate folks, public officials, philanthropists and Pittsburgh’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough. “Make this a place where you want to bring the people you love,” McCullough told those on board. That...

Maria Rovers remembers being in UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, watching her son Sean fighting for his life. “I was hesitating if I’d buy food for myself because my husband lost his job at that time,” Maria, a mother of four sons, said. “And then Sean’s social worker came in...

In the early 1980s, Lisa Epps-Cuda was working at Horne’s Department Store in Downtown Pittsburgh. She saw an advertisement about becoming a City of Pittsburgh firefighter. “I mentioned it to my colleague and she said, ‘Here you are selling designer dresses and you think you can become a firefighter,’ ”...

Real estate broker Herky Pollock got a text from a member of his team earlier this week. “We’ve been fired,” Pollock said the message read. “I was out of the office with my partner, whose wife was having a baby. I had no clue,” he added. “This caught me totally...

Another Atria’s restaurant is closing. The Pleasant Hills location will become a Juniper Grill in October. Atria’s Facebook post said it’s a new chapter ahead. The restaurant will remain operating until the transition to Juniper Grill, a sister company. The last day for Atria’s will be Sept. 1 “We truly...

The first temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Western Pennsylvania is set to be dedicated on Sept. 15. Located in Cranberry, it encompasses 32,240 square feet and sits on 5.8 acres. It is 125 feet high, including the spire. Media were invited to tour the...

Lifting the lid and reaching in to sneak a cookie from a cookie jar is a childhood memory for many. There was nothing better than grabbing one — or more — of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies we knew were just waiting for us inside that ceramic, porcelain or...

Mark J. Christman works a puzzle called CryptoQuote. The player chooses letters to be used in place of other letters to figure out a famous quote. A recent one Christman solved was: “What do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” “I thought, ‘that’s a keeper,’”...

Next week’s pleasant weather forecast coincides with the summer edition of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week. With temperatures forecast in the high 70s to low 80s for the week of Aug. 12-18, it’s a perfect time to dine outdoors. More than 50 restaurants are participating in the semi-annual event. Chefs have created...

On a recent steamy Sunday evening in July, Bradley Herrmann maneuvered his power chair onto the sideline to capture some video. The same evening, John Lytle carried a bag with water bottles, Willy Winnowski checked to make sure the tee was set up for kickoffs, Brody Holles stood ready to...

Who has the best pizza between three shops along Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield? It will be determined at Little Italy Days, running Aug. 15-18. The annual festival features four days of food, games, crafts and live entertainment with more than 30 acts on three stages. New this year is a...

The former 40 North restaurant on the North Side will be called Alfabeto when it reopens later this month. The plan is to open by late August as a Northern Italian cuisine restaurant, according to executive chef Maurizio Esposito. An Australian native, Esposito came to Pittsburgh in December and was...

The restaurant 40 North on Pittsburgh’s North Side is closed, at least temporarily. A sign on the door Monday reads “Apologies — Unexpected closure in restaurant … re-opening 2-3 weeks after repairs.” But a social media post with an image of a single red flower from executive chef Beth Zozula...

A collaboration between Pittsburgh Brewing Co. and Pitt Athletics on a limited edition Pitt I.C. Light can has been brewing for about two years. The can features royal blue and university gold team colors in addition to the recognizable “Pitt” script and “Hail to Pitt.” It is available this week...

Italian food will be prepared from scratch in Lidia’s Pittsburgh kitchen once again. The owners of DiAnoia’s Eatery are leasing the kitchen space that once belonged to well-known chef, author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich of Lidia’s Pittsburgh, a former restaurant in the Strip District. Bastianich, an Emmy award-winning public television...

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is the country’s largest vintage racing event, and the only one run on city streets. There are more than a dozen events throughout the city that draw more than 200,000 visitors and raise money for Autism-Pittsburgh and Merakey Allegheny Valley School. Since 1983, the annual...

Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford once said, “Auto racing began five minutes after the second car was built.” That philosophy is the foundation of a race exhibition group that will be in Pittsburgh Aug. 3-4 for the annual Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Formed in 2018 for race cars manufactured...

Leave it to Pittsburgh to continue to make an even bigger big dill out of pickles. The annual pickle-inspired event — Picklesburgh — is produced by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and presented by Kraft Heinz. This year, there is a new competition and an extra day for the event voted...

Aperitivo is an Italian word meaning a small drink of liquor taken to stimulate the appetite before a meal. It is usually accompanied by a light snack. The Aperitivo Club near Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh brings this tradition to life. Tucked in the back of Market St. Grocery and...

Craig Wyke’s first job at Peoples Natural Gas was in the delinquent accounts department. “I had to inform people their gas was about to be turned off,” said Wyke, who grew up in Penn Hills and lives in West Deer, as he recalled his more than 40-year career with the...

Grace’s Garden will provide nourishment for the body … and the soul. Located on land at Carlow University in Oakland, the ground is being tended to grow fruits and vegetables for not only students, faculty and staff, but also anyone else in the community. The name of the Carlow Community...

The newest penguin in town got to meet the leader of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Head coach Mike Sullivan got a behind-the-scenes visit with a chick named for the hockey event when a player scores three goals in the same game. Hat Trick, nicknamed “Hatty,” is the newest penguin at the...

Facial hair is in. At least at Primanti Bros. it is. To honor Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, the restaurant will offer a free classic sandwich to any diner with a mustache at 8 p.m. during Tuesday’s MLB All-Star Game. Skenes was announced Friday as the starting pitcher for the...