Opinion When my son was a toddler, he used to watch Barney. While I found the purple dinosaur a bit annoying, each year when the days begin to grow shorter and the cicadas commence their symphony, ironically, I find myself singing a Barney song called “I Like Autumn.” That’s because I do like this season and, for a number of reasons, I think it is Pittsburgh’s
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Liz Dunn, 25, had always been an active person. “I snowboarded and played soccer,” said the Warren, Pennsylvania native, and she still is even though a car accident five years ago left her with a spinal cord injury. On September 12, Liz will compete in her first 5K race, the 15th Annual President’s Challenge Run/Walk/Wheel, hosted by the Western Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association (WPTLA). The
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The people who settled Western Pennsylvania were a resourceful lot, making use of everything at their disposal and wasting nothing. Those characteristics are still present in residents here today. The first settlers in this area faced a savage wilderness. They were isolated; they warred with the native peoples they were displacing; and their lives depended upon scratching out an existence from the untamed land. Most
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In 2003, CBS News ran a segment on a California wine called Charles Shaw that was selling phenomenally well. The reason? Prior to the report, Charles Shaw’s Shiraz had beaten out 2,300 other wines to garner the gold medal at the Annual International Eastern Wine Competition. The wine was pretty tasty and cost a mere $1.99 a bottle. When CBS spotlighted the inexpensive wine, its
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What do transparent tape, fishing lures, surf boards, and antihistamines all have in common? They are just some of the 6,000 or more products made from oil and natural gas. When most people hear the words oil and natural gas, they think of the fuel that powers their car or keeps their home warm. That’s a correct if limited idea. Our modern life depends on
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Marty Allen, Frank Gorshin, Dennis Miller: those are some of the funny guys the Pittsburgh area has produced over the years. The latest one to cause belly laughs is Pittsburgh native Billy Gardell. Billy Gardell, the “Mike half” of the CBS smash sitcom Mike & Molly, which also costars actress Melissa McCarthy, was born in Pittsburgh on August 20, 1969. The Swissvale native moved to
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We all know what a game changer the Marcellus Shale play has been for our local economy. What you may not know is that the oil and gas industry may also be the golden ticket for financial independence and career satisfaction for women. Presently, and in the coming decades, the American Petroleum Institute sees vast employment opportunities for women: well-paying, life-long careers. API recently conducted
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We all marvel at the giant redwood trees that dot the coastal area of Northern California, but did you know that at one time the eastern part of the nation had another colossal tree? Nicknamed the “redwood of the east,” the American chestnut grew to 100 feet or more and had trunks that often spanned 16 feet in diameter. Unlike the Cowardly Lion in the
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PNC Park, the new home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, opened to rave reviews in 2001, and is still regarded as one of Major League Baseball’s premier fields. PNC is the fifth home of the Pirates. It combines the charm of Forbes Field, the team’s third home, with the scenic riverside location on the North Side of an even earlier venue, Exposition Park. After touring all
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Pittsburgh is well-known for steel, sports, higher education and medical facilities, but what many may not expect is the great beauty the city and surrounding communities have to offer. A perfect way to explore this natural splendor is the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. The 24-mile-long trail will wind you through various neighborhoods of the city along all three of Pittsburgh’s rivers. Popular among walkers and bikers,
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