Stephanie Kalina Metzger

/Entertainment
One thing the Pittsburgh area continues to produce in abundance is theatrical talent-and Grace Marie Rusnica is a prime example.
From Irwin, Rusnica has been touring the country with the newly reimagined 30th anniversary tour of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” which is at the Benedum Center through Sunday. For the actress, the engagement is a homecoming of sorts that began with a dream and continues with a career.
Becoming Belle
Rusnica began honing her craft at the age of 2 a...

Key takeaways:
DIY wills in Maryland typically cost between $0-$200 compared to $500-$2,000 for attorney-drafted wills.
Common errors include witnesses signing incorrectly, vague beneficiary language and missing required witnesses.
Maryland law requires two witnesses for a will to be valid, not just a notary.
Experts recommend revoking old wills or using codicils to make changes rather than physical alterations.
When it comes to wills, individuals may have a range of reasons for drafting docu...

/Entertainment
For Who fans, it was a sad day when the band wrapped up its North American farewell tour last October, taking with them timeless songs like “Magic Bus,” “Who Are You,” and “Baba O’Riley,” along with the theatrical performances that cemented the group’s place in the pantheon of rock-and-roll greats.
While the original shows may be over, the music – unlike the lyrics to “My Generation” – has not simply faded away. Instead, audiences can experience the next best thing with Who Are...

A history-inspired spirits brand with deep local roots is expanding its reach nationwide: Six Nineteen of 1865 has launched an e-commerce platform that allows customers in 43 states and the District of Columbia to purchase its ready-to-drink cocktails, extending the footprint of the Upstate’s first minority-owned liquor brand.
“This new online shopping option marks a significant growth step for our brand and allows more people to experience our cocktails wherever delivery is available,” said ...

Monika Krol has built a career around making a statement — one rooted in passion, craftmanship and calculated risk. Twelve years ago, the entrepreneur opened Meeka Fine Jewelry in downtown Camp Hill, bringing a big-city design sensibility to a small-town setting.
This year marks Krol’s 12th year in the business as a designer-maker, featuring an exclusive collection of her own handcrafted fine jewelry line alongside a curated selection of designer-makers from around the United States.
How it b...

Making it to Oprah’s Favorite Things list is no small feat. Products must first be discovered by Oprah Winfrey’s internal team, then evaluated for quality, originality, usefulness and emotional resonance before being passed along to the celebrity herself, who makes the final decisions.
Philip Given, Co-Founder of The Pretzel Company, was thrilled when he heard the news.
“When we started out, all we hoped for was to share a truly authentic, bakery-fresh product with our neighbors. To see our p...

Gettysburg and American history go hand in hand, but one group of people often has been left out of the story.
Soon, that will change, as the Hopkins House Museum is set to become the town’s first museum devoted entirely to Black history.
Once home to Jack and Julia Hopkins, the 1840s log cabin is the last surviving Civil War-era house in Gettysburg historically owned by Black residents. The cabin, which was dilapidated and condemned just a few years ago, is in the process of being restored a...

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant disruptor of the legal profession. It’s here and is already being used by attorneys for researching, drafting motions, reviewing cases, billing and advising clients, among other tasks.
As AI improves, it will become even more useful for lawyers to use in all aspects of their profession. For now, however, lawyers face real risks by relying too heavily on the accuracy of generative AI tools.
Jim Sullivan, author of The Book on AI Doc Review and the...

After more than a century of performances, the Pelzer Auditorium is undergoing an ambitious upgrade to address aging infrastructure while improving comfort and accessibility for audiences and performers.
“Pelzer is on the verge of a rebirth,” said Will Ragland, founder of Mill Town Players, the nonprofit professional theater company that operates the historic venue. “Water and sewer systems are being upgraded and new residential construction is underway, so this $1.2 million renovation couldn...

/Entertainment
If you haven’t heard of “Wicked” by now, you might be living under a house.
The Tony-winning musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s bestselling 1995 novel, has become a pop culture phenomenon and now ranks as the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history.
“Wicked” returns to the Benedum Center starting Wednesday and continues through Feb. 15. It reimagines what transpired in the Land of Oz before Dorothy arrived and reveals what happens when a smart, feisty, misunderstood gr...

/Entertainment
Those who remember the clock on the wall being the most interesting thing in the history classes they slogged through in their school days might lament that Greg Jackson never had his hands on the curriculum.
Jackson, who has a knack for making history interesting, will be teaming up with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra to present “The Unlikely Union: A Storytelling Symphony of America” at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The performance blends imme...

Photo: Provided.
All it took for Madhavan Swaminathan was a little encouragement to jumpstart his career in innovation. The new head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in Penn State’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science comes to Penn State by way of Georgia Tech, where he spent 28 years leading the 3D Systems Packaging Research Center and the National Science Foundation Center for Advanced Electronics through Machine Learning.
Swaminathan, who was born in India, sai...

/Entertainment
Trey Kennedy, comedian and content creator, is bringing his brand of clean, family fun to the Palace Theatre in Greensburg Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
His Relatable Tour promises a night of laughter with his humorous takes on everyday life and the quirks that we all share.
Finding funny in the ordinary
Trey Kennedy wasn’t set on comedy; comedy seemed to choose him.
“I was in college studying finance and was goofing off on social media when one of my videos went viral,” he sai...

Greenville’s culinary reputation continues to grow, with national accolades stacking up like reservations at a Saturday-night hotspot. Over the past two years, the city has drawn growing attention from food media and culinary travelers alike. Now, a nonprofit has joined the mix — focused on assisting the next generation of entrepreneurs as they move from pop-ups to permanence.
Mill Village Ministries recently launched a restaurant incubator called Hone, a collaboration between the nonprofit a...

/Entertainment
The Harlem Globetrotters-set to celebrate their centennial season in 2026-will bring high-energy post-holiday family fun to the PPG Paints Arena on Friday, Dec. 26.
For generations, the Globetrotters have wowed audiences with their unique blend of athleticism, comedy and showmanship. Older fans may remember stars like Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal, while younger audiences cheer for more recent Globetrotters like Jet Rivers and Hot Shot Swanson.
Much has evolved over the years...