JoAnne Klimovich Harrop stories, Page 52
Restless Road getting back on the road as opener for Kane Brown at PPG Paints ArenaVideo
As Nashville country music singer Kane Brown’s career was moving forward, he took some time to look back. Brown invited singers he met years before through “The X Factor” the U.S. version of a show created by British producer Simon Cowell that appeared on Fox, to perform a few songs....
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this Mother’s Day weekend
It’s been awhile, but we’re back with our listing of things to do in and around Pittsburgh this weekend. Happy Mother’s Day. Hopefully, we’ll dodge the rain. Enjoy. Walk for a cure The annual Susan G. Komen Greater Pennsylvania Virtual More Than Pink Walk is Sunday. The event, which raises...
1st Pittsburgh International Literary Festival to get people talking, reading
The Pittsburgh International Literary Festival, known as “LitFest,” hopes to get people talking through reading. Hosted by the City of Asylum @ Alphabet City based on Pittsburgh’s North Side, the virtual event will feature authors from all over the world discussing topics that encompass Black, Indigenous and all people of...
Safe at home: Pierogies will once again race inside PNC Park
The racing pierogies are back where many fans believe they belong. Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, Jalapeno Hannah, Bacon Burt and Oliver Onion will once again be participating in the “The Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race” inside PNC Park starting Monday. Brian Warecki, Pirates senior vice president for communications, confirmed the races...
Hood ornament exhibition opens at The Frick PittsburghVideo
They sit perched on the front of a car. Each represents a specific brand. At first they had a purpose. These days, they are mainly for show. A collection of car hood ornaments are on display at “Cast in Chrome: The Art of Hood Ornaments,” an exhibition at The Car...
Guardian Angels on earth: Highmark sponsored service dogs assist veterans
Charlie and Blue are more than a man’s best friend. The German shepherds are lifesavers. If Dan Smith’s blood sugar is approaching dangerous levels at night, Charlie, who sleeps on a cot next to Smith’s bed, wakes him up. Right before Shar’Ron Harris is about to have a seizure, Blue...
Shaler woman plays the harp to help soothe people in pain, help them relaxVideo
She’s known as the “Harp Lady.” Stephanie Miller, of Shaler, plays the musical instrument with ease. Watching her fingers glide across the strings to produce harmonious sounds soothes those around her. Often they forget about a medical issue or problem. Some fall asleep. “Music allows for a way to release...
Former Sewickley woman is trainer for Hidden Stash in Kentucky Derby
Victoria Humphrey Oliver said she knew there was something special about Hidden Stash when she watched the 3-year-old thoroughbred run. “I could just see he had talent,” said Humphrey Oliver, of Lexington Ky., who lived in Sewickley from second grade until the end of her freshman year at Sewickley Academy....
Rick Sebak signature cocktail available at Independent Brewing in Squirrel Hill
If WQED film director Rick Sebak ever does another unusual television program about to-go cocktails, he’s got the perfect drink to serve his viewers. The Independent Brewing Co. in Squirrel Hill created “The Rick Sebak Cocktail,” also known as “A Gentleman’s Breakfast,” back in 2014. It had previously only been...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild set to open for summer of food, rides, slides
Summer cannot be far away. The official opening of Kennywood in West Mifflin is May 8. Sandcastle in West Homestead and Idlewild & SoakZone in Ligonier aren’t far behind. They are planning for a May 29 debut. After shortened schedules last year because of the pandemic, the parks are focused...
Pasta food truck to sling spaghetti in Western Pa.Video
Peter Williams came up with a pasta pandemic idea: He decided to sling spaghetti from a food truck. The manager of the Wilkinsburg-based Revival Chili food truck spent his time at home experimenting with sauces. He started with a classic red sauce and from there created grilled chicken with artichoke...
Get it twisted: New Bloomfield shop makes handmade German soft pretzelsVideo
Connor Claussen mixes three types of flour, dry yeast, sea salt and filtered water. He divides the dough into equal parts, rolls it into logs, forms each into a distinctive pretzel shape, scores the tops, dips them in lye and puts them in the oven to bake. This Swabian German...
UPMC Magee encouraged by study of pregnant women receiving covid vaccine
Early findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine show the possible side effects of covid-19 vaccines in pregnant women were similar to those for all women. The first published results were released last week. Of the 35,691 participants ages 16 to 54 — at all stages of pregnancy...
California (Pa.) University dance ensemble more than takes the stage to help Tarentum’s HOPE CenterVideo
The dance is about more than choreographed steps on a stage. It’s a performance created to encourage people to take action. The Dance Ensemble from California University of Pennsylvania in Washington County creates dances that focus on the art of movement and advocacy for topics such as autism awareness, suicide...
Strike a pose: Yoga returns to Market Square
Take a deep breath. Yoga in the Square is returning. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership will once again partner with a variety of local yoga studios for twice-weekly classes in Market Square. Each 60-minute outdoor session is free. Classes will be held at 10 a.m. Sundays starting May 2, and at...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to reopen galleries in June
After being closed for more than a year because of the pandemic, the galleries and visual arts spaces of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will reopen on June 4. The first installation, “We Are The Global Majority,” will appear in the Space Gallery on Liberty Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. It will...
Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild raise pay for employees
Kennywood, Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone announced Friday the three parks will be raising the hourly rate for most workers from $9 to $13. Hourly pay rates at Kennywood and Sandcastle for employees at least 18 years old, or graduating high school seniors —will be $13 an hour. For...
Giant Eagle’s GetGo opens market at PPG Paints Arena
A GetGo Cafe and Market opened inside PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday. “We are extremely excited to have a GetGo inside a sports venue,” said Rug Phatak, senior director of marketing and chief of staff for GetGo, a brand within the Giant Eagle family. The market will be located behind...
A stable home: Former horse barn converted in Sewickley Heights, listed at $1.2MVideo
The four horse paddocks remain in the basement of the barn-turned-luxurious home in Sewickley Heights. The details in the former working horse farm preserve its history, while modern additions create a spacious up-to-date living space. The barn house is on the market for $1,185,000. “This is an incredibly well-built home,”...
It’s your move: Pittsburgh police invite the public to play chess in Market SquareVideo
David Shifren carries a chess set in his car. It’s more than a childhood game that his late father Leonard, who died in October, taught him to play. “Chess puts everyone on an utterly equal playing field,” said Shifren, a Pittsburgh Police Community Resource Officer for Zone 4 in Squirrel...
The Manor movie theater to reopen in Squirrel Hill
Just in time for the Academy Awards on Sunday, movies will be back on the big screens at The Manor movie theater in Squirrel Hill. The return is Friday, two days before the 93rd Academy Awards recognizing the best in motion pictures. The first show time will be announced later...
Starlite Lounge in Blawnox to be back on Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives’
For the second time, the Starlite Lounge in Blawnox will be on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” “It’s pretty cool,” said Starlite owner Ron Esser. “We really appreciate this. The show is popular. So many people I know watch it.” Esser, whose nickname is “Moondog,” also owns Moondog’s...
Pittsburgh-area music venues, theaters hamstrung by issues with Small Business Administration website
Local music venues are facing another shutdown. The Small Business Administration website where venues submit an application for money is not working. The glitch is holding up federal relief money for venues and causing frustration. The Save Our Stages Act was passed as part of a covid-19 relief bill in...
Artist and preschool teacher open Squirrel Hill studio for children to paint
Tucked away on a Squirrel Hill back street, the top level of a two-story parking garage hums with activity — not that of cars, but of little hands, messing with paint. In the converted garage space, Laura Wagner and Kevin Wenner opened Raw Space Art in January with the motto...
Change in course: Pirates move pierogies race from PNC Park to Clemente BridgeVideo
Alana and Jimmy Maxey came from Austin, Texas, to PNC Park Thursday to catch a Pirates afternoon game. They had heard about the racing pierogies as well. “Friends and family told me about the pierogies race, so I was excited to see that,” said Alana Maxey, a huge Pittsburgh sports...

