Megan Swift stories, Page 10

Increased prices can mean increased stress when it comes to planning holiday meals — especially at Thanksgiving. Shoppers at Aldi can expect some relief as they prep for the big feast, according to the discount supermarket chain. Aldi will offer its lowest-priced Thanksgiving basket in five years during this coming...

Music was bumping outside Pittsburgh’s Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum on Fifth Avenue Wednesday as part of a dance party encouraging people to vote early in the presidential election. Dubbed Party to the Polls, the event was part of a 40-stop nonpartisan Purple Tour across the country encouraging...

If Sarita Pearce had her way, Mason Rudolph would still be quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I don’t care what anybody says, I love Mason,” said Pearce, 64, of Lincoln Place. “Anytime they would bring him in, he did well.” She’s not thrilled with the Steelers’ current quarterback situation. “I’m...

Is that apple cider pasteurized? Your health might depend on it. Drinking unpasteurized glasses of apple cider could cause health risks, the Washington Post reported. Though most juice sold in the United States has been pasteurized, unpasteurized apple cider is more common at orchards and farmers markets, which are popular...

A new light installation will launch in Pittsburgh’s Mellon Square just in time for the holiday season. Titled “Aurora: Illuminating the Holiday Magic of Mellon Square,” the installation was created by Pittsburgh-based artist Joshua Challen Ice, and it will debut on Nov. 23 for Light Up Night in the city....

If you have ready-to-eat chicken and turkey products in your fridge, you might want to make sure they aren’t among the products that have been recalled due to possible listeria contamination. Millions of pounds of recalled foods produced by BrucePac, a pre-cooked meat producer out of Oklahoma, were sold at...

Starbucks will launch a “Wicked” drink collaboration on Oct. 22 — to celebrate the upcoming movie release in November. “Wicked” is the musical about two witches, Elphaba and Glinda, who become friends. The Broadway hit has been made into a movie that opens in November. A sequel will follow in...

The Bethany Beach firefly could be added to the Endangered Species Act list, the Washington Post reported. If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal goes through to classify it as threatened, it would be the first time a firefly is added to the list. The Bethany Beach fireflies emerge...

The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is renovating its grounds over the next 20 years. “It’s not a secret that a lot of our facilities are over 30 years old and at the end of their life,” said Jeremy Goodman, the zoo’s president and CEO. “What was state of the art...

Mary Beth L. Jenkins will be UPMC Health Plan’s next president and CEO starting Jan. 1, the health care provider announced Friday. She will also serve as president of UPMC Insurance Services Division and executive vice president of UPMC. “Mary Beth’s forward-thinking work within UPMC’s successful integrated health care delivery...

Kyle Swan evacuated from the Tampa area Wednesday morning after official notice that his family’s Sarasota, Fla., home would be in the path of impending Hurricane Milton. “It was very worrisome,” he said. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a Category 5 hurricane.”...

Jake Guentzel is gone, but the shake remains. It’s now being taken over by Penguins winger Bryan Rust. Formerly named Jake’s Shake, the Milkshake Factory favorite was discontinued after Guentzel was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes last March. In a new partnership with the Milkshake Factory, the Pittsburgh Penguins announced...

“Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?” Many are familiar with the answer: SpongeBob SquarePants. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the animated Nickelodeon show, Wendy’s launched a Krabby Patty Kollab menu in collaboration with Paramount. The menu items include a Krabby Patty Kollab Burger and Pineapple Under the...

The cast members of “Dancing with the Stars” will bring their ballroom moves onto the Benedum Center stage in Pittsburgh once again in February. The Dancing with the Stars: Live! tour will come to the city on Feb. 4, 2025, featuring professional dancers Emma Slater, Alan Bersten, Brandon Armstrong, Britt...

From ghosts to garland, scary to sparkly. You’re most likely familiar with Spirit Halloween, the pop-up retail chain that sells costumes and decor, sometimes in vacant big store buildings. Shoppers can soon welcome the holidays with Spirit Christmas stores. For the first time this year, some Spirit Halloween stores will...

A tree grown from a seed that orbited the moon is taking root in Pittsburgh. Allegheny Observatory and Riverview Park were chosen to be the caretakers of a Moon Tree, according to Kerry Handron, special events and outreach coordinator at the observatory. The small sweetgum tree was delivered this summer...

Shannon Riley, who watched her 9-year-old daughter, Thora, receive an adaptive bike and stroller Sunday, said the increased access the equipment will provide is “immeasurable.” Thora was one of 12 kids with disabilities who received adaptive equipment at Reason-To-Ride, a 28-week annual fundraiser hosted by Z&M Harley-Davidson in Greensburg. This...

Missing windows. Leaking pipes. Open sewage. Collapsed ceilings. No hot water. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and West Mifflin officials on Friday toured Mon View Apartments to assess conditions at the housing complex days after nuisance-related charges were filed against the company that owns it. The complex,...

One unnamed suspect has been targeted in the investigation of missing money from the McKeesport Police Department evidence room, according to Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. “It doesn’t matter what policies or protocols or procedues you have,” he said. “A lot of this is based on trust....

Viral TikTok videos showing a rug unearthed in a Columbus, Ohio, woman’s backyard sparked a police investigation and fueled social media speculation about the possibility of a buried body. However, the search ended Friday afternoon with no evidence of anything suspicious, the Columbus Dispatch reported. Katie Santry, who was digging...

Of the 400 richest people in America, 12 billionaires are located in Pennsylvania — with three in the Pittsburgh area, according to the Forbes annual list released this week. The list estimates Americans’ wealth as of Sept. 1. In total, the 400 are worth a record $5.4 trillion, up nearly...

A new round of free at-home covid-19 tests officially began shipping this week. Each household can request four free tests via mail through covidtests.gov, the Biden administration announced, according to the Washington Post. The free tests will detect current virus strains, according to the Associated Press. The revival of the...

Local schools across Western Pennsylvania will benefit from a McDonald’s restaurant fundraiser next week. From open to close on Wednesday, Oct. 9, dubbed Arch Support Digital Fundraiser Day, schools will earn 20% of all sales purchased through the McDonald’s app at their partner restaurant. Across the tri-state area, 131 schools...

A new round of free at-home covid-19 tests officially began shipping Monday, the Washington Post reported. Each household can request four free tests via mail through covidtests.gov, the Biden administration announced, according to the Post. The free tests will detect current virus strains, according to the Associated Press. The revival...