Stephanie Kalina Metzger

/Entertainment
The family that laughs together makes memories they’ll always treasure.
At least that’s what Christian comedian Chonda Pierce hopes for when she takes the stage at Uniontown’s State Theatre Center for the Arts on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Dove Foundation, a nonprofit organization that offers movie, TV, book, and media reviews from a faith-based perspective, describes her show as “a funny and wholesome performance that will have everyone in stitches.”
The “Queen of Clean”
Pierce ho...

/Entertainment
Jukebox musicals built around the music of Abba, the Four Seasons, Neil Diamond, Alanis Morissette, Carole King and other A-listers have found success on Broadway and across the country over the last couple of decades.
Now, it’s Alicia Keys’ turn.
“Hell’s Kitchen,” a jukebox musical inspired by the singer’s life and career in New York City, is at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh through Sunday.
The story follows 17-year-old Ali, full of passion and eager to find her place in th...

According to a recent report, the Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System generate about $40 billion in economic impact across Maryland.
The report, titled “Quantifying the Economic Footprint and Catalytic Role of Johns Hopkins University and Johns Hopkins Health System,” by Philadelphia-based Econsult Solutions Inc. was released on October 10. The report measures job creation, economic impact, research activity, community investments and the potential challenges that lie ahe...

As the weather cools, Northeastern Pennsylvania gears up for the ski season, where the region’s resorts take center stage offering everything from family-friendly bunny hills to black diamond thrills.
But winter fun here isn’t just about skiing.
Those who would rather stay warm can retreat to cozy inns, luxury spaces and resorts that provide pampering, pools and plenty of relaxation.
Hitting the Slopes
Shawnee Mountain in East Stroudsburg celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
For five de...

Touching, inspiring and cheeky are just a few adjectives one can apply to the latest play to come to Little Lake Theatre.
Tim Firth’s 2008 stage adaptation of “Calendar Girls,” the hit 2003 film, will be at Little Lake in North Strabane Township through Sunday, Nov. 16. The production was inspired by real Yorkshire Women’s Institute members who posed nude for a charity calendar after one husband’s leukemia diagnosis.
One doesn’t always think of pin-up girls as being on the older side and yet ...

The Scotto family’s roots run deep in Harrisburg’s restaurant scene.
The patriarch, Giovanni, has owned several area Italian restaurants, including Tuscano in Swatara Township, Two Brothers Pizza in Strawberry Square and Papa Joe’s on Tecport Drive, according to his daughter, Rossella.
Then, in 2023, the family, which hails from Naples, Italy, opened Luna Italian Cuisine in Mechanicsburg’s Legacy Park. They figured a restaurant in a high-traffic area was almost a no-brainer.
“We saw the apart...

Fall is a great time to take a road trip to the many businesses and attractions in the northeast Pennsylvania region.
Shopkeepers in the area prepare early to welcome leaf peepers, festival-goers, Halloween fans and more.
Spooky Season
Two businesses that gear up to embrace spooky season are Reaper’s Revenge in Blakely and Horror Hall in West Nanticoke.
John Rinehimer, board chairman of Horror Hall, has been watching the attraction grow.
“When we started this in 1984, we had between 3,000 and...

A storied downtown Greenville restaurant has a new leader in the kitchen.
Soby’s New South Cuisine, 207 S. Main St., has ushered in a new culinary era by welcoming Jon Buck as its executive chef. A seasoned chef with deep Southern roots and a talent for building relationships with local farmers, Buck is energized by the endless possibilities available in a city rapidly expanding its foodie reputation.
Growing up on Hilton Head Island, Buck learned to cook alongside his family at an early age....

Key takeaways
vNOTES is a minimally invasive, incisionless surgery for fibroids.
Patients often return home the same day with faster recovery.
Dr. Farinaz Seifi of UMMC is among few Maryland surgeons certified in vNOTES.
Procedure also treats cysts and benign growths, and allows permanent birth control.
For women struggling with fibroids, the prospect of surgery has long meant scars, lengthy recovery, and time away from work. That’s beginning to change as an “incisionless” technique called va...

The University of Maryland Medical System has launched NEST — Neonatal Outcomes Impacted by Escalation Safety Telemetry — a groundbreaking remote fetal monitoring center that provides real-time monitoring of labor and delivery across its hospitals.
An extra layer of support
The NEST team is comprised of approximately 17 experienced labor and delivery nurses who provide oversight and assessment of baby’s heart rates when the mother is admitted in labor. NEST Nurse Manager, Cristina Haas, said,...

(The Upcountry History Museum is one of a cluster of museums on Heritage Green)
As many of you know, I’ve recently relocated to Greenville, South Carolina after spending my entire life in Pennsylvania.
As a travel writer, I’m excited to explore the South with the same curiosity and enthusiasm that I brought to my years of covering the Mid-Atlantic. Just last week I visited the Upcountry History Museum, where I learned about 300 years of cultural, social and economic development that shaped th...

New Cumberland has faced its share of challenges over the years with the closing of long-standing businesses like Coakleys, Dingledein Bakery and Avatar Natural Foods, along with shorter-lived businesses like Shugars and The Loft Eatery.
In more recent years, the town has shown signs of recovery with the adoption of a focused Master Plan in 2023, along with the return of the West Shore Theater, and the opening of Wild Rabbit Pies & Pints.
Owner Cindy Washburn of Oxford Hall Celtic Shop and Ca...

/Entertainment
Moviegoers don’t always think of film composers when enjoying a night at the multiplex, but without them, many films would fall flat.
Viewers who saw “Jaws” during a busy summer beach season a half-century ago can still recall the notes that evoked the terror of a circling shark.
And who can forget the famous five-note motif from “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”? Sometimes just a handful of notes are able to transport us back to that moment when we first felt the heart-stop...

/Entertainment
Chief John J. Zirwas of the Red Eagle Village is on a mission: to ensure that Native American heritage is not forgotten.
Zirwas is a member of the Shawnees-a tribe rooted in the northeastern woodlands. He is heading up the Pow-Wow Mountain Man Rendezvous at the Little A Town Arena in Avella.
The event, which is sponsored by the Native American Indian Cultural Society, celebrates Native American culture and will take place Saturday and Sunday.
This will be the inaugural year for...