Editor's Picks category, Page 2
Stephen Colbert and son will co-write a ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie
NEW YORK — Stephen Colbert, famous devotee to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is co-writing a “Lord of the Rings” movie with his son. Warner Bros. announced early Wednesday that Colbert will script “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past” along with series veteran Philippa Boyens and Peter McGee,...
Immersive dinosaur exhibition arrives at Pittsburgh Zoo
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has been teasing “something big” coming to the wildlife park on social media, garnering hundreds of comments. The first Facebook on post March 18 featured a set of pointy wide-set teeth. The comment section was full of hundreds of enthusiastic comments such as “If it...
Jersey Mike’s raises funds for nearly 100 Special Olympics athletes
Jersey Mike’s Subs locations across Pennsylvania are turning sandwiches into support, raising money to help send Special Olympics athletes to the 2026 USA Games. At sandwich shops across Western Pennsylvania, every sub sold on Wednesday will aid nearly 100 local qualifying athletes planning to compete on a national stage in...
AI is coming for the sommeliers
Like many people, Spencer Herbst finds choosing wines in restaurants to be stressful. He likes wine, he said, but considers himself relatively uninformed. “It feels like a quiz you didn’t prepare for,” he said. So, six months ago, Herbst, who builds artificial intelligence capabilities at PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, did...
Nemacolin’s Immaculate Reception Weekend during the NFL Draft starts at $10K
Love football but don’t want to deal with the NFL Draft hustle and bustle? Nemacolin Resort has the weekend for you — but it’ll put a linebacker-sized dent in your bank account. The luxury resort’s Immaculate Reception Weekend will score you access to a slew of football-related events, live music,...
Perfect homework, blank stares: Why colleges are turning to oral exams to combat AI
The assignment involves no laptop, no chatbot and no technology of any kind. In fact, there’s no pen or paper, either. Instead, students in Chris Schaffer’s biomedical engineering class at Cornell University are required to speak directly to an instructor in what he calls an “oral defense.” It’s a testing...
TV Q&A: Has WTAE picked a new traffic reporter?
Q: I see WTAE weekend anchor Lily Coleman has been filling in as weekday morning traffic reporter. Has she been promoted to the role Elena LaQuatra previously occupied before her promotion to morning news anchor? — Kevin, Cranberry Rob: My understanding is Coleman — as well as Sam Hall —...
‘Community over competition’: Modern Craft Market amplifies local artists, small business owners
Jocelyn Avila left her software development job over a year ago to run full time the small business that she and her husband started in 2019, a leather goods shop called Clark Morelia. Avila credits Pittsburgh’s low costs and strong community to the business’ growth, but she’s still looking for...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra holograms serenade travelers at Pittsburgh Airport
Airport travelers don’t typically get an orchestral welcome, but a new art installation at Pittsburgh International Airport has found a way. Ahead of next month’s NFL Draft, Joe Zeff Design, a Pittsburgh-based creative agency, on Tuesday debuted life-size holograms of performing Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians. Three hologram musicians, who appear...
Reality TV confronts a harsh TV reality
LOS ANGELES — MTV announced this month that “Jersey Shore Family Vacation,” a revival of the booze-soaked early-2010s reality series, was ending after its ninth season. A few months earlier, the network said it was ending another long-running reality series, “Catfish: The TV Show,” after nearly 300 episodes. HGTV has...
PennDOT requests public feedback on its winter road clearing
PennDOT is asking Pennsylvania residents to rate their satisfaction with how the roads were cleared this winter. Through an online survey, locals can add in their input by answering a series of questions. The responses are anonymous, according to PennDOT. However, at the end of the survey, people have the...
Young graduates face the grimmest job market in years
In January, an administrator from the career center at the University of Delaware posed a question on a private message board for educators: “Has anyone else noticed a decrease in employer fair registration for their spring events?” Responses came swiftly. “We are definitely seeing similar issues!” “It seems the current...
Here’s how to recycle those old laptops, iPhones and earbuds lying around
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle those items, or it seems costly and inconvenient. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste —...
A professional organizer’s guide to spring cleaning your life
The New Year has come and gone and with it your resolutions for doing a deep, cleansing purge. What has stayed, however, is the clutter. Piles of clothing, boxes of books, bags of crafts and cords. The start of spring offers a new opportunity to clean, well, everything, including your...
TV Talk: Current events echo in alt-history past of ‘For All Mankind’Video
Although Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video and Hulu had a decade head start, launching their streaming operations circa 2006-07, the streaming wars began in earnest in 2019 when Disney+ and Apple TV came online (HBO Max and Peacock followed in 2020). But there aren’t many series that debuted in 2019 that...
‘Lion King,’ ‘Phantom,’ ‘Beetlejuice’ among Cultural Trust’s 2026-27 musical season
From awe-inspiring production design to emotional award-winning musicals to old favorites, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh 2026-27 season will be one for the ages. The Trust revealed the new season in a video announcement Monday night, as well as a full slate of more than 50 other...
From Aspinwall to Antwerp: Pianist’s piece wins global competition
An Aspinwall pianist will have his original composition played on the world stage. Danny English, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, is the winner of the 2026 World Piano Day International Composition Competition in Antwerp, Belgium. “Sunset in Värmland,” his piece for piano and orchestra, will have...
Visit Pittsburgh marketing campaign hits road to take over Washington D.C.
A new Pittsburgh-branded marketing campaign titled “Forge On” — including bus wraps — will take over the Washington, D.C., metro area in June. Emily Hatfield, vice president of marketing and communications at Visit Pittsburgh, said Pittsburgh will undertake what she calls a D.C. “station domination.” “We’ll be taking over Metro...
Spring is here. Do you care?
For the past several years, autumn has been the star season, its popularity helped along by social media videos of influencers in cozy knitwear against backdrops of gaudy foliage. More than a calendric event, fall has become an aesthetic, a lifestyle, a vibe, complete with its own TV show (comforting...
March Madness ups threat of problem gambling, especially for younger men
March Madness tipped off this week, a collection of 67 single-elimination basketball games that not only will crown a champion in 2½ weeks but also draw billions of dollars in sports bets. Young men are particularly at risk of developing gambling problems, experts say. According to a 2024 survey conducted...
As demand for GLP-1 pills and shots surges, healthy habits are still key
Whether they’re using weekly shots or daily pills, more Americans than ever are turning to anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and boost health. About 1 in 8 U.S. adults say they are taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent survey by the health research group KFF. Just since January,...
People ‘bathe’ in nature to get respite from chaotic news cycle
RALEIGH, N.C. — For two hours, Claire Jefferies wanted to get away from the war in Iran and the rising gas prices and just commune with nature. And, so, she treated herself to a little forest bathing. “When I’m here, it’s almost like a protective bubble around me,” the human...
Welcome to allergy season. Here’s how to protect yourself
ATLANTA — Allergy season can be miserable for tens of millions of Americans when trees, grass, and other pollens cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing. Where you live, what you’re allergic to and your lifestyle can make a big difference when it comes to the severity of your...
‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ actor Nicholas Brendon dies at 54
Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has died. He was 54. Brendon’s family announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday. They said he died in his sleep...
TV Talk: Paul Van Osdol retires from WTAE after 26 years
WTAE investigative reporter Paul Van Osdol will retire from Channel 4 after 26 years with the station. His last day at WTAE will be Wednesday. Van Osdol joined Channel 4 in 1999 and his coverage included an investigation into fire response times, which earned a George Foster Peabody Award in...
