Duquesne Adjunct Petition Surpasses 17,000 Signatures
The media storm has quieted since the death of Mary Margaret Vojtko, a Duquesne University adjunct whose story became a symbol of the financial struggles of part-time faculty across the country. But efforts to rally public support to cajole Duquense into recognizing the adjuncts’ union have spilled into an online petition that has received over…
Lynn Cullen Live 10/22/13
Video Archive Guest: Susan. UPMC says it has no employees. Subsidiaries do all of the hiring but who pays UPMC CEO then? ACA website is poorly designed and not user friendly. New USPS stamp pulled because they showed kids participating in sports with not all the necessary safety equipment. Scandal TV show well written but…
Lynn Cullen Live 10/21/13
Video Archive Car troubles; fun facts about the ostrich; talk radio piece in the Post-Gazette; local cyclist w/ a car bumper on his bike; last night’s 60 Minutes; campaign fund loopholes; radio stations beginning w/ K on this side of the country; Hannity, Obamacare & small business; US deficit history; boy scout leader knocks down…
Don’t call them conspiracy theorists: JFK assassination experts come to Pittsburgh
This week, experts from around the world are in Pittsburgh for “Passing the Torch: An International Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy,” at Duquesne University. The group of scientific, legal and investigative, scholars, journalists and authors were brought together to discuss what are often referred to as “conspiracy…
Multiple benefit shows on Saturday to support local and national causes
Benefit shows to support The Pittsburgh School for the Choral Arts, WhyHunger, and the Arts Department of Braddock Hills High School will take place this Saturday.
2013 BEST OF PITTSBURGH PARTY
The Best Of Pittsburgh Party was held on October 15th at Highmark Stadium this year. Check out the photos from the event! Sponsored by: MINI of Pittsburgh and Bud Light
Lynn Cullen Live 10/18/13
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; government has some serious issues, but not-so-serious people dealing with them; how the locals voted; Democrats want to get rid of Murphy; stenographer breakdown on House floor; Colbert roasts Cardinal Dolan, Bloomberg at Al Smith dinner; Ted Cruz looks a little too much like McCarthy; shutdown, sequester, & spending; Iran…
SEIU Nurses Converge on Market Square, Tout the Affordable Care Act
Photo by Alex Zimmerman SEIU Nurse Handing out ACA Information in Market Square If you were walking around Market Square Thursday afternoon, there’s a chance you were approached by Sandra O’Connor. Not the former Supreme Court jurist (though she gets that question a lot), the Jamaica Hospital emergency room nurse from Queens, New York. She…
Hill District gains first grocery store in decades
Ribbon Cutting After struggling for more than three decades, Hill District residents are no longer living in a “food desert.” Today, they joined community stakeholders, activists, and government officials for the grand opening of the neighborhood’s new Shop ‘n Save on Centre Avenue. “This is a wonderful thing that has happened to us,” said Eunice…
Second Empire and other local hard rock bands to perform at Rocktoberfest
Local hard rock bands, including symphonic metal band Second Empire, will perform at Mr. Small’s this Saturday.
Keith Rothfus took a vote that would have destroyed the country, but it’s kinda hard to tell
Late last night, local Tea Party Republican Keith Rothfus cast a vote against the bill that ended the shutdown of the federal government, and that avoided a potentially cataclysmic default on government debt. That vote was so reckless that even several other Pennsylvania Republicans — like Erie’s Mike Kelly, Hazelton’s Lou Barletta, and our very…
Lynn Cullen Live 10/17/13
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; US not going to default, gov’t workers are back in the grind; Ted Cruz got the finger at dinner; even Republicans are turning on Republicans; Malala on Jon Stewart; schools banning playing at recess; does Cal Ripkin’s mom have Munchausen Syndrome?; cow farts cause ozone problems; eagle detained in Beirut…
Full interview: Ezra Furman
A longer version of our interview with Ezra Furman.
Best Local Store to Buy Music
Dave’s Music Mine 1210 E. Carson St., South Side 412-488-8800 or www.davesmusicmine.com At Dave’s Music Mine, most of the records are still used, but there’s something new happening, too: vinyl. Yep, the LP format, left for dead 20 years ago, is back. Sales of new vinyl, though still just a percent or two of all…
Seeking Council: Two candidates lead field of five in race to represent District 7
Maybe more than any part of Pittsburgh, City Council District 7 contains both relics of the region’s industrial past and signposts for its future. Lawrenceville’s steel-era sheds have been given over to robotic engineers, while Bloomfield’s historic “Little Italy” bristles with non-Italian restaurants. The Strip District, long Pittsburgh’s open-air market, faces a potentially huge development…
Best Tattoo Artist
Jason Angst, Artisan Tattoo 5001 Penn Ave., Garfield 412-661-0503 or www.artisantattoogallery.com Jason Angst recalls that he “started drawing before I could read, maybe even before I could talk. Which is kind of sad, because maybe I should be better at this by now.” But if City Paper readers are any judge, he’s got nothing to…
Shut Out: PennDOT to spend $240,000 to fence off homeless camps under highways
For the second time in four months, Tony Ferguson is facing eviction from his home — a spot he’s found beneath a highway overpass. And in both cases, the reason has been the same: a PennDOT decision to fence off homeless camps Downtown. “In a way, I can understand why they do that,” says Ferguson,…
Most Fan-Friendly Local Professional Athlete
Charlie Batch www.charliebatch.com www.batchfoundation.org For former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, fan interaction is a two-way street. Once, for example, Batch was driving through McKees Rocks in the middle of the afternoon when he saw a young man walking down the street. “So I stopped and I asked him, ‘Shouldn’t you be in school?'” Batch…
Divested Interests
Every week, it seems, arrives fresh confirmation that human-caused climate change is real, and new evidence that its effects will be even worse than expected. For instance, a recent report published in Nature predicts that in just three decades, every year will be hotter than 2005, the hottest year ever globally. Yet week by week,…
At Wood Street and Space, three artworks strive to immerse the viewer
POL and MODEL 5 continue through Oct. 20 Space 812 Liberty Ave. Downtown; 412-325-7723. HIVE continues through Dec. 31 Wood Street Galleries 601 Wood St. Downtown; 412-471-5605 trustarts.org At its best, art will refashion one’s way of seeing. This is true of the latest exhibits by Kurt Hentschlager, an Austrian-born artist who now teaches at…
How the West is Being Won
Not so long ago, when some folks in Elliott conceived the idea to convert an empty lot from an eyesore into a Veterans Memorial — complete with small pool, pathway, brick work and fencing —50 people showed up to help. And when Ericka DiVito set about to transform another empty lot into an Edible Garden…
E.L. Doctorow heads a roster of authors visiting town for the Prague Writers’ Festival.
PRAGUE WRITERS’ FESTIVAL Fri., Oct. 18, and Sat., Oct. 19. Point Park University, Downtown. Free. 412-392-3938 or lmonahan@pointpark.edu Holding the Prague Writers’ Festival in Pittsburgh is not as curious as it might sound. This was, after all, the site of the Pittsburgh Agreement, the 1918 pact that created Czechoslovakia. That country no longer exists, having…
Savage Love
My boyfriend and I have been together for two years and we live together. Recently, his ex was killed in a car accident. They were not on good terms, and he often made scathing statements about her. I made the mistake of saying the following several days after her death (after offering him sympathy on…
Sold at Pittsburgh Playwrights
SOLD continues through Sat., Oct. 20. Pittsburgh Playwrights at Bricolage 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $20-30. pghplaywrights.com Renn Woods has enjoyed an amazing career. Hit radio singles before she was 15 years old, a role in the legendary television show Roots, stage triumphs and, especially, her definitive performance of “Aquarius” in the film version of Hair.…
Lynn Cullen Live 10/16/13
Video Archive Gov’t deal being made today?; quotes of the day by John Adams, Michelle Bachmann & Tom Clancy; new parking meters already out of order; more white Evangelicals believe Israel was a gift from God than American Jews; special election in NJ today; Callers: George, Moon / PJ, Greensburg / Joe. Audio Only Archive
The Savoyards’ Princess Ida
PRINCESS IDA continues through Sat., Oct. 20. Pittsburgh Savoyards at Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, 300 Beechwood Ave. Carnegie. $12-25. 412-734-8476 or pittsburghsavoyards.org When a princess foregoes her arranged marriage to start an all-female academy, her father ends up in chains. And her prince has no choice but to storm the academy to…
Short List: October 16 – 24
SPOTLIGHT: Wed., Oct. 16 — Dance Martin Zimmermann and Dimitri de Perrot say of their works, “We do everything very seriously, but take nothing seriously.” The award-winning duo’s Zurich-based Zimmermann & de Perrot combines circus arts, dance, theater and a whole lot of wackiness. The troupe makes its Pittsburgh debut with the U.S. premiere of…
Measure Back is an edgy theater work about the origins of war
MEASURE BACK 8 p.m. nightly Tue., Oct. 22, through Sat., Oct. 26. Baum Building (fifth floor) 818 Liberty Ave. Downtown. $25. 412-456-6666 or pifof.org When is theater most exciting? T. Ryder Smith says it’s not when everything goes right, and the audience knows the performers are in control; it’s when, for instance, an actor forgets…
Apsara Café
Apsara Café 1703 E. Carson St., South Side. 412-251-0664 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun. noon-9 p.m.; late night express Thu.-Sat. 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Prices: Appetizers, soups and salads $3-8; lunch entrees $8-10; dinner entrees $11-17 Liquor: BYOB Before it gained its reputation as Party Central, East Carson Street was renowned for its historic architecture…
Three questions for Irish comedian Dylan Moran
DYLAN MORAN 8 p.m. Mon., Oct. 21. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. $32. 800-745-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org In the U.S., at least, Irish comedian Dylan Moran is a cult favorite, thanks to his award-winning U.K. TV series Black Books and a role in 2004’s Shaun of the Dead. But standup comedy is the backbone…
At local conference, concern about the rise of GMOs
By now, you probably know what the words “organic” and “locavore” mean. The East End Food Co-op wants this year’s buzzword to be “GMO” — the acronym for genetically modified organism. GMOs, such as Monsanto’s “Roundup Ready” crops, are born when genes from one species are inserted into another to obtain a desired characteristic. Currently,…
Best Desserts
Best Desserts La Gourmandine Bakery 4605 Butler St., Lawrenceville 412-682-2210 or www.lagourmandinebakery.com Story by Jessica Server info@pghcitypaper.com Consider this the next time you find yourself trapped in traffic outside a tunnel: Road congestion can change your life. That’s what happened to Fabien and Lisanne Moreau, owners of La Gourmandine. If they hadn’t gotten stuck in…
Un Flic
Un Flic Directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville Starring: Alain Delon, Richard Crenna, Catherine Deneuve In French, with subtitles Mon., Oct. 21, through Thu., Oct. 24. Harris In a deserted French seaside town, drenched in winter rain, four middle-aged men in an American sedan prepare to rob a bank. The execution of the heist unfolds smoothly and…
Brooklyn Brewery comes to Pittsburgh in a celebration of all things beer
As Pittsburgh’s food and drink culture continues to develop, comparisons to Brooklyn — the hippest of hipster enclaves — are bound to pile up. Now, Brooklyn Brewery is helping to make that connection a little more overt by bringing its nationwide “Brooklyn Brewery Mash” tour here, from Oct. 21-27. Pittsburgh is one of 11 cities…
Best Food Truck
Pgh Taco Truck 412-841-9234 or www.facebook.com/pghtacotruck It makes sense that the first winner in the Best Food Truck category would be the Pgh Taco Truck. After all, the truck represented a movement even before it started moving. “I started a blog in 2010 called Burgh Gourmand and at that time, I committed digitally to opening…
GBF screenwriter George Northy muses about who’s who in teen movies
GBF screens at 8:30 p.m. Sat. Oct. 19. Harris. $15 (includes party at ToonSeum). See reelQ.org for complete festival schedule. The ensemble comedy GBF — in which three A-list girls in high school fight over the hottest new accessory, a gay best friend — closes out this year’s Reel Q film festival. CP caught up…
Regent Square finally gets a coffee shop
If you like Squirrel Hill’s 61C Cafe, you’ll surely enjoy Regent Square’s new 61B Cafe. It’s got the same owners, the same menu and some agreeable new wrinkles. Gary Kaboly and Kate Knorr opened the B in September, nearly a year after they were first approached by the owners of the old Katerbean coffeehouse, who…
Best Indian Restaurant
Taj Mahal 7795 McKnight Road, North Hills 412-364-1760 or www.thetajmahalinc.com There’s no mistaking this single-story restaurant on retail-heavy McKnight Road for the actual Taj Mahal, India’s most famous and spectacular structure. But if you’re searching for the delights of Indian cuisine, you have come to the right spot. Taj Mahal boasts an impressively long menu,…
Sewickley-via-Asheville artist Jackson Scott fights off boredom with critically praised Melbourne
JACKSON SCOTT with UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA, WOLF PEOPLE. 7 p.m. Sat., Oct. 19. Altar Bar, 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District. $13-15. 412-206-9719 or thealtarbar.com. While describing his Sewickley-area upbringing, Jackson Scott takes a bit of a detour. “I don’t know if this is relevant,” he says, “but I feel like mentioning that the Sewickley police…
Best of Pittsburgh 2013
When we published our last “Best of Pittsburgh” edition, in the fall of 2012, humanity was breathlessly waiting to see whether the end-times prophecies of the ancient Mayans — who predicted an epochal shift in mankind’s destiny that December — would come true. City Paper scoffed, which is kinda what we do around here. In…
Best Bartender
Tim Quinlan, Gooski’s 3117 Brereton St., Polish Hill 412-681-1658 If you’ve been to Gooski’s in the last 17 years — whether for a post-work beer, a weekend Bloody Mary or to see a band — you’ve probably been waited on by Tim Quinlan. For many patrons, in fact, Quinlan practically is Gooski’s. Built like a…
Ezra Furman indexes his thoughts
EZRA FURMAN AND THE BOY-FRIENDS with BRENDAN COPE OF WILLIAM FORREST, ADDISON STEELE. 7 p.m. Thu., Oct. 17. Club Café, 56 S. 12th St. South Side. $10. 412-431-4950 or clubcafelive.com Editor’s note: A longer version of this interview can be found on our music blog. Ezra Furman established himself as a lyrically driven rock songwriter…
Best of Culture & Nightlife
Best Local Theater Company City Theatre 1300 Bingham St., South Side 412-431-CITY or www.citytheatrecompany.org Led by longtime artistic director Tracy Brigden, City is Pittsburgh’s largest theater company focusing on new work — including occasional world premieres by name playwrights. Recent seasons’ polished productions have included Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs’ edgy, Andy Warhol-themed musical…
Best Metal Band
Dethlehem www.dethlehem.com To explain the legend of Dethlehem, it’s best to begin at the beginning. So: Fëanor, son of Finwë, created the Silmarils. But these jewels were stolen by Melkor, who fled with them to Middle Earth and made war on elves and men alike. Skipping ahead a bit, we come to 2008, when a…
James A. Richards’ new book teaches bands how to self-promote
Marketing 101 is available at some local bookstores, and can be ordered through Richards’ website:james-richards.com. James A. Richards has been involved in entertainment — and marketing — for more than 20 years, having put together publications like Applause, a local entertainment-trade mag. But his latest venture concentrates on musicians … and addresses a problem he’s…
Best of Food & Drink
Best New Restaurant (*as of August 2012) Matteo’s 3615 Butler St., Lawrenceville 412-586-7722 or www.matteospgh.com For anyone worried that Lawrenceville is inevitably destined for hipster preciousness, Matteo’s is able to serve up a retort. A sophisticated but unpretentious wine list, familiar cuts of meat and classic pasta preparations — when done by owner Matthew Cavanaugh,…
Best new bar, Best cocktail list
Tender Bar + Kitchen 4300 Butler St., Lawrenceville 412-402-9522 or www.tenderpgh.com If you go into Lawrenceville’s Tender Bar and order a Captain-and-Coke, don’t expect to get one. But don’t expect to get laughed at, either. “While we don’t have Captain Morgan,” says general manager Jason Carr, “our bartenders will work with you to get something…
Critics’ Picks: October 16 – 19
[SYNTH-POP] + FRI., OCT. 18 Singer-songwriter Carolyn Berk’s poetic lyrics have touched the hearts of many over the years, especially registering with those in the LGBT community. Blending a feminist outlook with sonic and lyrical complexity, her Portland-based band Lovers has recently been incorporating more synth and electronic sounds into its bedroom-pop music. The trio…
Best of Goods & Services
Best Local Bookstore Caliban Books 410 S. Craig St., Oakland 412-681-9111 or www.calibanbooks.com It’s easy for a used bookstore, especially one that offers first-editions and other rarities, to get stuffy. But not a lot of dust gathers at Caliban, whose offbeat taste and wry humor are apparent in its window displays, and whose shelves offer…
Best bike shop
Thick Bikes 1408 Bingham St., South Side 412-390-3590 or www.thickbikes.com Walking into a bike shop can be intimidating. There are people in Spandex, bicycles that cost as much as, if not more than, a mortgage payment, and lots of tiny tools. But at Thick Bikes, owner Chris Beech strives to get more people on two…
New Releases
“Weird Paul” Petroskey Still Going Strong (Thick Syrup) The first new full-length in a couple of years from local treasure Weird Paul starts with characteristically dry and funny introspection on his recent success with YouTube videos he made from home movies from his childhood. (The track is called “Delusions of Grandeur.”) And who else would…
Best of People & Places
Best Local Twitter Parody Account Pittsburgh Dad @Pittsburgh_Dad Fans of the web-based series Pittsburgh Dad can expect to see much of the same Pittsburgh pride and Yinzerisms on this Twitter account, manned by Pittsburgh Dad actor Curt Wootton and writer Chris Preksta. “That giant duck cost $20,000?! If they paid that much, this duck better…
