Nicole C. Brambila stories

Nicole C. Brambila
Nicole C. Brambila 724-226-7704
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Entrepreneurial women get targeted support from the Next Act Fund 
Alison Alvarez doesn’t talk about her daughter when she’s pitching her software company to potential investors. For Alvarez, it’s the unspoken fear that – if she has a family – she’ll not be taken seriously. So, she keeps the conversation about business. “There should be a wide variety of venture...
Pittsburgh insurance company seeks donations, volunteers for soldiers’ ‘care’ packages
For troops deployed oversees – especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan – getting a bottle of body wash isn’t as easy as making a quick trip to the Post Exchange. The base PX isn’t always accessible in isolated and hostile areas. Operation Reach Out by Pittsburgh-based GBU Financial Life, which...
Pennsylvania exceeds national rate of rising STD cases
The number of sexually transmitted diseases climbed again last year in the United States, with Pennsylvania’s rate of increase exceeding the national average. It was the fifth consecutive year that gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis cases went up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual surveillance report. The...
Hold the liquor: Sober bars growing in Pittsburgh 
Before social media dramatically changed the way Americans interact, the local bar was where people gathered to unload about the day’s events and get together with friends. These days, though, a growing number of people are looking for an alternative to a mid-week hangover. “The younger generation is choosing to...
Allegheny County releases partial data on swimming pool incident victims
The Allegheny County Health Department has released previously redacted information on victims involved in swimming incidents over the past three years. The Tribune-Review sought the information in a Right-to-Know request. The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records decision was a partial win for the newspaper, which sought basic information on 61...
Allderdice student builds ‘Keeping Up With Kindness’ program at Colfax Elementary 
At the close of her one-hour program, Lauren Haffner asked Mrs. Grujich’s second-grade class at Colfax Elementary in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, “Are you going to stand up to bullies?” Nineteen students – in unison – responded enthusiastically, “Yes!” That was the answer Haffner, a 17-year-old senior at...
Maker of shingles vaccine working to overcome shortfall
Kathie Geary waited 10 months for a shingles vaccine. It was five months longer than her husband, who got the in-demand shot series through the VA. “The last time, you could go right in and they had it,” said Geary, 69, of East Deer. “Right now, it doesn’t seem like...
On National Voter Registration Day, 16,000 Pennsylvanians got on the rolls
Initial estimates show that 16,000 Pennsylvanians registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day, which was Sept. 24. Nationwide, roughly 400,000 people registered, a number touted by organizers as unprecedented for an off year, when there is neither a presidential nor midterm election. More than 800,000 voters were registered nationally...
‘Unprecedented’ demand for shingles vaccine leads to shortage
High demand for the shingles vaccine means Pennsylvanians wanting to protect themselves against the painful, blister-causing virus might have to wait. “The demand has been unprecedented,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician. “We want to...
‘United for Women’ helps local women emerge from crisis 
Andreá Long never expected to be a fulltime caregiver to her teenage son. But, after an injury in a pickup football game left the 14-year-old unable to walk, Long’s daily routine became a grueling blur of caretaker tasks, hospital visits and mounting bills that the single mom juggled in between...
Job fair for military veterans on Thursday to feature over 40 employers
RecruitMilitary is holding a job fair for Pittsburgh-area veterans from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 3 at Heinz Field. More than 40 employers who are hiring will be at the fair. Among the organizations expected to attend Thursday’s event are the FBI, DeVry University, Catholic Cemeteries Association, Colonial Life...
Millions of Americans still don’t have Real ID as 1 year deadline looms
An estimated 99 million Americans do not have federally compliant identification cards to fly domestically before the Oct. 1, 2020, deadline, a study by the U.S. Tourism Association has found. “We’re a year out,” said Tori Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy for the association. “That means...
Want to live car-free? Pittsburgh is 11th-best metro area in nation
As more people in American cities are reducing their use of cars, Pittsburgh rates high as a place where one can live car-free. In the Metro Car-Free Index released this week by CityLab, Pittsburgh came in at No. 11 among large metro areas with over 1 million people. The report...
Pittsburgh ranks 15th among best cities in nation to retire
Pittsburgh makes a lot of lists — the best cities for its Oktoberfest, for coffee drinkers and to celebrate the Fourth of July. It even made the top three for the best Rust Belt comeback story. Yet as a retiree destination, it rarely outshines Sun Belt locales. But in a...
‘Smoketown’ author Mark Whitaker to speak at Neighborhood Academy event
The history of Pittsburgh is a complex tapestry that includes August Wilson’s plays about working-class residents of the Hill District and an era’s most widely read black newspaper, with an impact that rivaled far larger African-American communities in Chicago and Harlem. Author and journalist Mark Whitaker captured the latter in...
‘Rick and Morty’ fans — Real Ricks — pop up for meet-and-greet with Pickle Rick in Pittsburgh 
The Rickmobile isn’t just a merch truck. For “Rick and Morty” fans, it’s an experience. About 400 Real Ricks circled through in the first 45 minutes of opening the popup event Friday outside East End Brewing Co. in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. In all, roughly 800 die-hards braved the line for...
Allison Park man dies in crash on I-79 in Butler County
An Allison Park man was killed in an early morning crash Friday on Interstate 79 in Butler County. According to state police, Joshua P. Travis, 22, was traveling northbound on I-79 in Muddy Creek Township when he lost control of his Dodge Ram 1500 at about 6 a.m. After over-correcting,...
Police search North Side gas station after assault as protesters vow to continue 
Protesters who camped for a second day outside of the Exxon gas station on Pittsburgh’s North Side where two sisters were beaten over a $17 dispute, expressed concern Sunday that the owners and an employee who allegedly assaulted their customers will only be charged with a misdemeanor. The Friday assault...
2 people flown to hospitals after head-on collision in Sewickley Township
A head-on collision in Sewickley Township on Saturday afternoon sent two people to the hospital, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. The crash happened shortly after 5 p.m. in front of 540 Dick Station Road. One vehicle remained on the road while the other careened into the woods. Both drivers...
Dogs have a field day at Harrison Hills Park during Animal Protectors fundraiser 
Saturday’s play date at Harrison Hills Park in Natrona Heights, Harrison was for the four-legged member of the family. Nearly 50 dogs turned out with their owners for the 10th annual Tails on Trails Dog Walk benefiting Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley, a no-kill shelter in New Kensington. The annual...
KFC tests chicken and doughnut sandwich in Pittsburgh region 
Finger lickin’ good at Kentucky Fried Chicken is taking on a whole new meaning. KFC is testing — for a limited time — the public’s appetite for its fried chicken and glazed doughnut pairing in just two markets: Norfolk, Va., and the Pittsburgh region. On Wednesday, Leo Wozniak tried KFC’s...
Study: Affordable Care Act dropped uninsured rates in Pa. to 6.5%
A new report shows the number of uninsured people in Pennsylvania declined by more than 5 percentage points under the health care reform of the Affordable Care Act. Conducted by the Urban Institute, the research examined national uninsured rates from 2013 through 2017, using U.S. Census Bureau data. Among the...
Pitt study: Police, firefighters become passive when public perception sours
New University of Pittsburgh research has found a correlation between public perception and police officers’ and firefighters’ job performance and that when community opinion sours, public safety officials become passive. In the era of the Black Lives movement, the implications are important for community relations, particularly for police officers, the...
Support your local java joint (with a $1,000 sweetener)
Self-described Starbucks junkies, please apply. Business.org, a community of small-business advocates, is going to pay java addicts $1,000 to ditch corporate establishments for locally-owned coffee shops. The job requirements are: Must be a Starbucks fanatic; must be willing to share your experience going local and must commit for a full...
‘Rick and Morty’ fans get chance to mingle over an East End beer
Are you a Real Ricks fan and want the T-shirt to show a little love for “Rick and Morty” on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim? You’re in luck, swim nerds. On Friday, the show is bringing the store, also called the Rickmobile, to East End Brewing in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood....


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