10 protest signs from President Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh
During protests today against President Donald Trump’s visit to the Shale Insight conference in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City Paper photography intern Joie Knouse documented the day’s events through portraits of protesters carrying signs.
Trump visits Pittsburgh to boost fracking amid environmental and impeachment protests
President Donald Trump visited Pittsburgh today and gave a keynote address at the Shale Insight conference taking place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown. His speech was given in front of a mix of conference attendees enjoying a fancy luncheon at the front of the room, and public attendees in the back,…
31 Days of the Undead: 28 Weeks Later
In honor of Romero Lives!, the city’s month-long George A. Romero tribute, Pittsburgh City Paper presents 31 Days of the Undead, a series of reviews and essays about zombie media. Look for new posts going up every day from now through Oct. 31. 28 Weeks Later [This review contains spoilers for both 28 Weeks Later…
Protesters condemning white nationalism and Trump’s visit arrested
This morning, before a planned appearance by President Donald Trump to Downtown Pittsburgh, more than a dozen protesters gathered to denounce white nationalism. After a march, several protesters entered the streets and 12 were eventually arrested and hauled away by Pittsburgh police in zip ties. The group, which included representatives from the progressive Jewish organization Bend…
Pitt pauses testing on food delivery robots following reports of impeded accessibility
If you have visited The University of Pittburgh’s campus in the past week, you’ve likely noticed the cute, six wheeled Starship Technologies food delivery robots rolling about Oakland. The innocent-looking robots, however, are proving more dangerous and inconvenient for people with disabilities than proponents thought. Emily Ackerman, PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh and…
PIT airport plans to become completely powered by solar and natural gas microgrid
The Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) is primed to become the first major U.S. airport to be completely powered by its own microgrid with a new project. PIT recently announced plans to build a first-of-its-kind microgrid that would use on-site natural gas wells and solar panels to generate power for the entire airport, including the airfield,…
31 Days of the Undead: 28 Days Later
In honor of Romero Lives!, the city’s month-long George A. Romero tribute, Pittsburgh City Paper presents 31 Days of the Undead, a series of reviews and essays about zombie media. Look for new posts going up every day from now through Oct. 31. 28 Days Later (2002)I don’t watch many horror or zombie films but…
The peculiar history behind Marsy’s Law, the victim rights referendum on the Pa. ballot
On Nov. 5, Pennsylvanians will vote on a ballot referendum known as Marsy’s Law, which proponents deem a crime-victim rights amendment to the Pennsylvania state constitution. The referendum states the amendment would “grant certain rights to crime victims, including to be treated with fairness, respect, and dignity.” The law passed unanimously in the state Senate…
State legislators introduce ‘heartbeat bill’ that would effectively ban abortion after six weeks
On Oct. 18, two state representatives introduced a restrictive abortion bill at the Capitol in Harrisburg. House Bill No. 1977, nicknamed the “heartbeat bill,” is being spearheaded by state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton/Centre) and Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams/Franklin), and would effectively ban abortions after a heartbeat can be detected. “When you hear a baby’s heartbeat,…
Protests against President Trump, a workshop on renters’ rights, and more educational and social justice events this week in Pittsburgh
Is your dial always pre-set to talk radio? Always asking how you can make a difference in the world? Are you just hungry for some learning? Peruse our curated list of educational, volunteer, and social-justice events this week in Pittsburgh. Solidarity Defeats White Nationalism 8:30-9:30 a.m. Wed., Oct. 23 Outside Gateway T Station, Downtown This…
Lynn Cullen Live – 10/22/19
Video Archive Lynn welcomes Susan to talk about snot, Trump’s incoherent cabinet meetings, and failure of our education system to teach applicable history. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
31 Days of the Undead: REC
In honor of Romero Lives!, the city’s month-long George A. Romero tribute, Pittsburgh City Paper presents 31 Days of the Undead, a series of reviews and essays about zombie media. Look for new posts going up every day from now through Oct. 31. REC (2007) Found footage fell into a bit of a retread after…
ScareHouse’s “Scream District” won’t open in time for the Halloween season
After a series of delays, ScareHouse’s new 2019 Strip District haunted house has been canceled for the time being. The opening of the “Scream District” was first postponed on Oct. 1, then again on Oct. 10. Today, Scott Simmons, creative director of ScareHouse, issued a statement that the attraction “will not operate as planned this…
What to expect from President Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh on Wednesday
President Donald Trump will visit Pittsburgh on Wed., Oct. 23 to give a keynote address at a Shale Insight conference taking place at the David Lawrence Convention Center Downtown. Trump will be speaking about natural-gas drilling (aka fracking) and plans to laud some of the growth the industry has experienced in Southwestern Pennsylvania. But, as…
Disrespecting the Border mural project brings visibility to Pittsburgh’s Latinx community
There is plenty of notable street art around Pittsburgh, but few works have a political or social message. A new collaborative mural project will change that. Disrespecting the Border, a mural project funded by the University of Pittsburgh as part of the school’s Year of Creativity initiative, will show at the Unblurred: First Fridays Bloomfield-Garfield…
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh receives major grant to update Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
An important asset to Pittsburghers with disabilities will get a major upgrade thanks to a state grant. It was recently announced that the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (CLP-LBPH) received $750,000 through the state Department of Education’s Keystone Library Grant program. The grant will go toward a $2.7 million…
Chelsey Engel’s debut novel, A Summer of Fever and Freedom, explores life as an LGBTQ person during the turbulent summer of 1969
What a historic time the year 1969 was. In that summer alone, the first human walked on the moon, members of the gay community rebelled against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village, and over 300,000 music fans gathered in upstate New York for Woodstock. It’s a period that’s frequently revisited in movies, books,…
Lynn Cullen Live – 10/21/19
Video Archive Lynn discusses the work ethic and courage of Nancy Pelosi and Elijah Cummings; how if democrats don’t win the 2020 election, there will be no recovery for our democracy; and superhuman contributions of Dr. Bernard Fisher. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Check out new releases from Flower Crown and Paddy the Wanderer before their show Saturday at Brillobox
Tomorrow, three great Pittsburgh acts playing Brillobox. Dream-pop band Flower Crown and basement rock group Paddy the Wanderer are both performing, along with a DJ set from Jonathan Chamberlain of Chariot Fade. Both Flower Crown and Paddy the Wanderer uploaded new releases this week. Check them out ahead of the show, below. Flower Crown – “Bender Szn”…
Pitt remembers Holocaust survivors and Tree of Life victims with Lest We Forget art installation
On Oct. 18, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh unveiled Lest We Forget, an outdoor art installation by German-Italian artist Luigi Toscano. On view outside the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt’s campus, the public installation is presented as part of Toscano’s traveling art exhibit featuring more than 200 large, high-resolution portraits of Holocaust…
Gab, social media site that helped radicalize Tree of Life shooter, is on its last legs, according to AG
After the Tree of Life mass shooting last year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on the extensive social media use of the alleged shooter Robert Bowers, and the extreme anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant rhetoric he spread. The vast majority of Bowers’ posts were done on a social media site called Gab, which is based in Lackawanna County, Pa.,…
C. Scott champions deep house, hip hop, and funk on his official debut, Phase Shifting
When C. Scott announced his new album, Phase Shifting, as his “debut,” it sounded like he might have misspoken, or possibly forgotten the past 10 years of his life. Anybody half paying attention to Pittsburgh music in the past few years has seen his name pop up in production credits and liner notes, DJing around…
Now playing: Weekly Pittsburgh film round-up, Oct. 18-24
Every Friday, Pittsburgh City Paper compiles a round-up of new releases and second-run films playing around the city. This only covers films that are new to theaters this week; check out what movies opened last week here. Since it’s October, there are literally dozens of horror/spooky movies playing around the city. They’re not all listed…
Get a taste of Short Fictions’ upcoming album with single ‘Really Like You’
Local band Short Fictions’ latest single, “Really Like You,” tells a story to which we can all relate. Vocalist Sam Treber chronicles the anxiety that comes along with having a crush, like, really, really liking someone. So much so, sings Treber, that he “get[s] fucked up for weeks” after seeing his wannabe SO in the…
City Paper Live – 10/18/19
Video Archive Senior Arts & Entertainment writer Amanda Waltz welcomes Tobin Seastedt, entomophagist and owner of Crickets to Betsy, to talk about baking with bugs. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Concert Announcements: Pop Evil goes acoustic, CeeLo Green sings holiday hits, and more
Stay up-to-date with your favorite artists and musicians coming to Pittsburgh. Each week, Pittsburgh City Paper will bring you the most recent concert announcements so you never miss a show. R&B/Soul CeeLo Green. Wed., Dec. 11. Jergel’s, Warrendale. Alternative/Indie Sinai Vessel, Absinthe Father, Woolbright. Thu., Nov. 14. Cafe Verona, Verona. Peaer. Tue., Oct. 22. Mr.…
Roll the dice on Mana Boardgame Tavern in the North Side
When husband and wife Shannon and Vince Ebbitt decided to open a board game bar, they settled on the site of the old Shamrock Inn, the North Side watering hole once owned by Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr.’s brother-in-law, John Laughlin. Then the walls collapsed. “It’s been completely rebuilt since then,” says Shannon Ebbitt, adding…
Bike Pittsburgh counted 123 vehicles parked in city bike lanes yesterday
For bike lanes to function properly, they have to be reserved for cyclists, scooter riders, or anyone else traveling about the speed of a bicycle. They obviously don’t work when cars park in them, forcing cyclists to exit the lane and ride in traffic where cars are typically traveling much faster. This leads to unsafe…
SEIU Healthcare labor union endorses independent DA candidate Lisa Middleman
As the Nov. 5 election nears, Lisa Middleman — the independent candidate for Allegheny County District Attorney — is steadily gaining endorsements. SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania’s largest health-care union, became the most recent name on Middleman’s list of supporters after announcing their endorsement on Oct. 16. The union represents more than 45,000 people in Pennsylvania…
31 Days of the Undead: Orange World
In honor of Romero Lives!, the city’s month-long George A. Romero tribute, Pittsburgh City Paper presents 31 Days of the Undead, a series of reviews and essays about zombie media. Look for new posts going up every day through Oct. 31. Orange World (2019) Fiction writer Karen Russell doesn’t always write about zombies in her novels…
Lynn Cullen Live – 10/17/19
Video Archive The horrible news of the death of Congressman Elijah Cummings this morning is the first topic Lynn is discussing. As the show airs Gordon Sondland, US ambassador to the EU, is testifying in the Impeachment Inquiry. His opening statement has been released and Lynn is talking about what we know so far. She…
New Found Glory comes to Roxian Theatre on Nov. 19
New Found Glory’s new movie covers EP, From The Screen To Your Stereo 3, is available now on Hopeless Records! See New Found Glory hit the Roxian stage with Hawthorne Heights, Free Throw and Jetty Bones on 11/19! Purchase tickets to New Found Glory today!
Amy Rigby’s memoir, Girl to City, details her life in music
At the end of Amy Rigby’s memoir, Girl to City, the Mount Lebanon native writes, “I loved the world like I loved New York like I loved Elton John, and I had to keep doing as best I could.” That sentence summarizes four decades of her persistent belief that art, specifically music, makes a difference…
Weekly Food Truck Schedule: Oct. 16-22
Are you tired of tracking down food trucks? Welcome to the Pittsburgh City Paper food truck roundup, where we do the hard work for you. Each week, we’re compiling a list of city trucks and their schedules. (For the most up-to-date schedule, visit each truck’s website.) AFRICAN Kilimanjaro Flavour @kilimanjaro_flavour Wednesday: Pittsburgh Career Institute. 421…
Lynn Cullen Live – 10/16/19
Video Archive Lynn will be joined by Ryan Deto, Senior Writer for the Pittsburgh City Paper later in the show. He’ll be discussing his recent article on the turmoil in Allegheny County’s Democratic Committee, and many other stories interesting him. First she is covering last night’s debate, and her reactions. Lynn is also talking about…
No need to get the jitters when eating these critter fritters
Tobin Seastedt’s apple fritters look like you might expect: fried to a golden brown, with a drizzle of icing soaking sweetly into hot dough. But when you bite into it, a worm might fall out. Seastedt is the owner of Crickets to Betsy, a company rooted in entomophagy (the practice of humans eating insects). Everything…
How playing Untitled Goose Game helped me understand the plight of horrible waterfowl
My grandmother loved geese. Loved them. So much so that anytime we drove by the pond near her house where dozens of Canada geese would gather, she would look upon the birds, with their dark plumage and striking white chinstraps, and smile, soaking in the breathtaking sight. What beauty, thought 8-year-old me. What grandeur. To…
Q&A with Fiddlesticks of The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Someone lives inside Heinz Hall. Who is lucky enough to call the performing arts center and concert hall their home, you ask? It’s Fiddlesticks! The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s (PSO) friendly, furry musical ambassador. Fiddlesticks helps make sure everyone who attends concerts at the PSO discovers new things, gets involved, feels comfortable, and enjoys the show,…
Pittsburgh Alligators: Where do they come from; where do they go?
On May 18, a loose alligator was found in Southside Riverfront Park. On June 6, another was spotted in Beechview. On June 8, a third turned up on a porch in Carrick. Seven gators in total passed through the Humane Animal Rescue in 2019, which is where Pittsburgh Animal Control takes them after capture. The…
These two local Instagram accounts show life with a tarantula and exotic birds
@della_champagne For Dani Janae, the journey to owning a tarantula did not come naturally. First, she had to get over her lifelong fear of spiders. “As a kid, I once swore I saw a tarantula in my basement,” says Janae, who now admits it was more likely a wolf spider. “So I felt like that…
How Michael Killen went from Taco Bell to making a career out of filming animals
When it comes to directing animals, Michael Killen started with one of the world’s most famous Chihuahuas — the “Yo Quiero Taco Bell?” dog from the fast-food giant’s hugely successful ad campaign. While he served as an animator on that project, it led to a career that, over the past couple of decades, has included…
Pittsburgh’s mobile eatery for our four-legged friends
Imagine you’re a dog and it’s been a long day of chasing tennis balls. All you want to do is lay in the grass, get a belly rub, and relax with a bottle of Texas’ finest Good Boy dog beer. Enter the Rollaway Dog Café, Pittsburgh’s first dog food truck. The only thing for humans…
Free Will Astrology (10-17 — 10-22)
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In ancient holy texts from India, soma was said to be a drink that enhanced awareness and alertness. According to modern scholars, it may have been a blend of poppy, ephedra, and cannabis. In Norse mythology, the beverage called the Mead of Suttungr conferred poetic inspiration and the ability to solve…
If my dog can mature, I must be able to
Months before our first child was born in 2013, I read an article about how you will hate your dog after you have a child. I remember thinking, “This person is out of her mind.” Then Marty was born. Our dog was used to being the center of attention and was not all that interested…
Pittsburgh artists create line of pet sympathy cards for other animal lovers
When a dog they knew passed away, Dave and Pat Klug couldn’t find the perfect sympathy card to send their friend, so they made one themselves, leading to a business creating pet sympathy cards for over 10 years. “We love all animals and have great respect for them,” says Dave, an artist and designer, and…
Animals are muses for artists all over Pittsburgh
Animals have long been artists’ muses, from their humble beginnings 40,000 years ago as Paleolithic sketches on cave walls to the brightly colored screen-printed cows seen just inside the front doors of Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum. Today, Pittsburgh artists continue to incorporate animals into their pieces in exciting ways, from new takes on traditional mediums…
Live-animal cams are so boring they’re almost exciting
In January 2019, hip-hop artist Aesop Rock released a song with electronic musician and Pittsburgh artist TOBACCO called “Churro.” The song’s lyrics describe, in specific detail, the scene of an eagle caught on camera eating a cat to the shock of its viewers. It’s a reference to a 2016 incident in which a live-cam set…
Finding the freedom to ‘f*ck like an animal’
When I was first starting to have sex as a teenager in the mid-90s, Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” was like a generational anthem. I have vivid memories of having sex in a car in a park-and-ride, the bass of that song reverberating throughout the vehicle. I have since learned that Trent Reznor wrote the song…
Ordering off the dog’s menu
It’s not hard to find a dog-friendly restaurants and bars in Pittsburgh. Grist House Craft Brewery in Millvale is so dog-friendly that they created an entire Instagram page dedicated to pups at the brewery. It’s not uncommon to see them lounging underneath tables at cafés year round. But finding a spot where you and your…
Solving the mystery of the swarming birds of ALCOSAN
On some summer evenings in Pittsburgh, a swarm of small birds can be seen whipping and zooming over the intersection of the McKees Rocks Bridge and Ohio River Boulevard. Hundreds, if not thousands, of small birds fly around with impressive speed and coordination. It looks like an intricate dance taking place directly above the Allegheny…
