CPRB recommends firing officer involved in high-profile arrest of teacher in Homewood
The Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board tonight recommended the termination of Pittsburgh police officer Jonathan Gromek for conduct it deemed “egregious” in connection with his arrest of teacher Dennis Henderson outside a community meeting last June. On seven of eight counts of violations of bureau policy, the CPRB found Gromek’s actions to be either “very…
Defense fails to prove Jordan Miles admitted to having Mountain Dew bottle
Despite multiple attempts Tuesday, attorneys for the three officers accused of beating Jordan Miles in January 2010 failed to prove Miles lied in his testimony earlier this week. The defense planned to call Miles’ friend Ryan Allen to testify that Miles previously told him he had a Mountain Dew bottle in his pocket the night…
“Agenda for Women’s Health” gets support in Pittsburgh, but faces tough fight in Harrisburg
This morning, Pittsburgh City Council took a vote in support of the “Pennsylvania Agenda for Women’s Health,” a sweeping package of proposed legislation that backers hope the state legislature will take up over the following months. Council urged Harrisburg to act on the agenda in a unanimous voice vote … but legislators in the Capitol…
Second “Art CSA” Sale begins Saturday
Community-supported art project offers half-shares, more artists
Land Banking: It’s a battle of amendments
One of the biggest pieces of legislation under consideration in City Council right now — a land bank bill — has turned into a debate over competing ideas for amendments, some of which significantly alter Council’s authority over the land bank. City Councilor Deb Gross, who introduced the legislation Jan. 14, and has acknowledged her…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/25/14
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; Girl Scouts broke national cookie sales record; WTF is going on with the size of apples?; adventures at parking court; people don’t want to believe all lives lost on Malaysian flight; almost-funny bills in the legislature; cops’ attorney questions Jordan Miles about his….hair…during re-trial; Hobby Lobby vs. Affordable Care Act;…
Miles rests case in civil lawsuit against three officers
Photo by Heather Mull Jordan Miles A friend of Jordan Miles was scheduled to testify Monday that Miles told him that he did have a soda bottle in his pocket the night he was confronted and beaten by three plain clothes police officers in January 2010. But plans to call Ryan Allen hit a snag…
CMU Carnival features Icona Pop, Mac Miller; Arts Festival announcing lineup today
Jeff Tweedy and Jake Bugg head up the TRAF concerts in 2014.
Lynn Cullen Live 03/24/14
Video Archive Word of the day: Realitize; bald eagle eggs are going to hatch soon; couple brought together by best friend guide dogs; OH man denied kidney/heart donation requests; all jobs can be robotized; PA swim coach under scrutiny for his night job; 1993: best year in movies?; Pope Francis dishes some real talk to…
Local Composer’s Work Featured at Symphony This Weekend
Carnegie Mellon professor Nancy Galbraith’s “Euphonic Blues” is on the program tonight and Sunday, along with works by Wagner and Mendelssohn. Get the score in Program Notes.
Local Composer’s Work Featured at Symphony This Weekend
Nancy Galbraith’s “Euphonic Blues” to be performed alongside Wagner
NLRB asks federal judge to force UPMC to produce documents in unfair labor practices complaint
The National Labor Relations Board has asked a federal judge to force UPMC to turn over documents relating to whether or not UPMC is a single-employer and not merely a holding company with no employees as the non-profit corporation contends. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab who has scheduled a…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/21/14
Video Archive Audio Only Archive
Longstanding party leader and familiar foe prepare for 19th ward rematch
Never mind this year’s gubernatorial race. Forget the Erin Moclhany/Harry Readshaw match-up. The real political drama this spring is shaping up to be … the BATTLE FOR CONTROL OF THE 19TH WARD DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE. Wait! Don’t go away! What if I told you that the 19th Ward, which is centered in Beechview, is the political…
Jordan Miles: ‘They never said they were police officers’
At left is Jordan Miles the day after his encounter with Pittsburgh Police and Jordan Miles in 2012 Jordan Miles spent this morning detailing the night he says three police officers confronted and beat him as he walked to his grandmother’s house in Homewood. Miles says officers Michael Saldutte, David Sisak and Richard Ewing jumped…
Game Changers Film Screenings
The Game Changers Project screens its new documentary short films about black men who are “game changers” in their communities
TNY Presents Reading Series Continues Tonight
Local readers include three fiction writers and one “oral story telling recorder”
White Dog Café’s Judy Wicks Speaks Here Tonight
Famed entrepreneur, activist and author visits The Big Idea.
Lynn Cullen Live 03/20/14
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; face blindness; Bunny “Listerine Heiress” Mellon’s will; do all things fall the same?; globally warm winter; why, bumper stickers, WHY?!; K Cups & the Keurig; new pet apps for your phone; March Madness; Callers: PJ, Greensburg / Joe / Unknown. Audio Only Archive
“First 3D, Interactive, Generative Documentary” Pittsburgh-premieres at CMU Tomorrow
Innovative video created during fellowship at the school
Jordan Miles’ mother says son is ‘not quite his old self’
Jordan Miles and his mother, Terez, in 2011 As a packed courtroom waited for Jordan Miles to take the stand this morning on the sixth day of testimony of his civil trial against three police officers, Miles’ mother Terez Miles testified about her experience on the night of the incident in January 2010 and the…
The eighth annual Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival opens with a new bio-doc about Lech Walesa
The Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival: Faces of Work runs Thu., March 20, through April 5, with more than a dozen feature films and documentaries. Most films screen at McConomy Auditorium, on the CMU campus, and are $8 ($5 students/seniors). A complete schedule, including guest speakers and special events, is at www.cmu.edu. Three recent films…
Himalayas
Himalayas 20445 Route 19, Excel Center Plaza, Cranberry. 724-779-4454 Hours: Tue.-Sun. lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner Tue.-Thu. 4:30-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 4:30-10 p.m.; Sun. 4:40-9 p.m. Prices: Appetizers and soups $4-8; Nepalese dishes $6-11; Indian dishes $11-16 Liquor: BYOB Himalayas restaurant in Cranberry is a marriage of Indian and Nepalese cuisines — literally. A pair of…
Muppets Most Wanted
The action begins right on the heels on 2011’s The Muppets, when the re-united Muppets decide to embark on a world tour. Somebody makes a joke about sequels being inferior, but it’s unheeded by the gang. Thus, it’s no surprise when this outing, directed by James Bobin, turns out to be a disappointment. It’s missing…
Vegan offerings a welcome surprise on Piper’s Pub menu
From the sidewalk of East Carson Street, you could glance inside Piper’s Pub and assume that what you see is what you get: the tin ceiling, dark-wood bar and simple highboys of the classic English pub. You’d never guess that Piper’s is also a destination for vegan eating … unless you looked at the menu.…
Need for Speed
Cars, speed, crashes — but first, I want to talk about Catwoman. Remember when Halle Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress, then wiped out in that craptastic film? That’s pretty much how I feel about Aaron Paul, who has traded all the justly deserved accolades for his portrait of sad, doomed Jesse on Breaking…
Stay Tuned Distillery produces gin with local roots
Lee Ann Sommerfeld and Peter Streibeg are two craft distillers who dance to their own tune. While Pittsburgh’s emerging distillery scene has clustered in neighborhoods alongside the Allegheny River, their Stay Tuned Distillery occupies a former Munhall schoolhouse. And the Mon Valley ZIP code isn’t the only unexpected thing about it. After beginning to offer…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/19/14
Video Archive Maine is the closest US state to Africa & other fun TRUE facts; Girl Scouts in Pittsburgh don’t want anything to do with Barbie; Betty White IS older than sliced bread; Obit: Walter George Brule, wrote his own amazing obit; Oklahoma can’t find drugs to kill the people they have on death row;…
Juice Up 412 is bringing healthful juicing to new markets
Juice Up 412 isn’t just trying to capitalize on the increasingly popular juicing trend. The East Liberty establishment’s mission is to bring juicing to those who might need it most: individuals in low-income communities with little access to fresh foods. “When I travelled to other urban areas, seeing health-food stores in other black neighborhoods, I…
The War on Drugs’ timelessness is a product of calculated precision
THE WAR ON DRUGS with WHITE LACES. 7:30 p.m. Sat., March 22. Altar Bar, 1620 Penn Ave., Strip District. $13-15. All ages. 412-206-9719 or thealtarbar.com For Adam Granduciel, mastermind of Philadelphia rock outfit The War on Drugs, the challenge in compiling material for his third album was convincing himself that the quality of his output…
Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass
Additional Features: Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations To Pay or Not to Pay Notes on Location Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away Every profession has its secrets: a special language no one else fully understands, a…
Shelf Life String Band issues new album of cityfied bluegrass
SHELF LIFE STRING BAND CD RELEASE 9 p.m. Thu., March 20. Howler’s Coyote Café, 4509 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. $5. 412-682-0320 or howlerscoyotecafe.com It’s not easy being an urban bluegrass ensemble. Just ask Shelf Life String Band. Lead singer and guitarist Derek Dysart and fiddler Rocky Youhon recently stood outside Pitt’s Petersen Events Center, handing out…
The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations
Additional Features: Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations To Pay or Not to Pay Notes on Location Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away Like many Pittsburgh bands, The Gotobeds practice at ABC Rehearsal Rooms, a converted storage…
New Bums offer dynamic debut
NEW BUMS with FENSTER, PAIRDOWN. 9 p.m. Wed., March 26. Thunderbird Café, 4023 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $10-12. 412-682-0177 or thunderbirdcafe.net New Bums is a duo composed of Skygreen Leopards’ Donovan Quinn and Ben Chasny, probably best known for his work in Six Organs of Admittance. For their full-length debut, Voices in a Rented Room, the…
To Pay or Not to Pay
Additional Features: Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations To Pay or Not to Pay Notes on Location Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away Whether you’re a relatively new band hoping to make the move from your parents’…
The Winter Brave enjoys a trip to Austin
You could say South by Southwest is the perfect place to be for a band like The Winter Brave. After achieving a respectable number of plays for its EP, Metaphors, the band earned a spot in the top 100 of the Jansport Sonicbids Battle of the Bands competition, even breaking the top 10 before losing…
Notes on Location
Additional Features: Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations To Pay or Not to Pay Notes on Location Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away Sure, there are plenty of venues in, say, Lawrenceville. But there’s also inspiration to…
Critics’ Picks: March 19 – 25
[INDIE ROCK] + FRI., MARCH 21 Despite having a name ripped from an insurance company, Mutual Benefit is invested in a quiet and arresting beauty. The band — a loose conglomerate centered around main songwriter Jordan Lee — released its first proper full-length, Love’s Crushing Diamond, last fall, after some smaller cassette releases. It’s a…
Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away
Additional Features: Music Issue 2014: Backstage Pass The Gotobeds reap success with managed expectations To Pay or Not to Pay Notes on Location Musings on Pittsburgh as a music town from those who moved here from elsewhere — or moved away The ages-old tale is that of the musician from Pittsburgh who lights out for…
Grouplove returns with new album, pumped-up live show
GROUPLOVE. 6 p.m. Sun., March 23. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $25. All ages. 412-229-5483 or stageae.com Grouplove missed the sophomore slump with its latest album, Spreading Rumors, an emotional, accelerated piece that takes the energy of the band’s earlier work and compresses it into tight pop anthems that sound composed without…
At Wood Street, Erwin Redl’s light-based installations range from calm to capricious
STRUCTURES OF TIME AND SPACE continues through April 6. Wood Street Galleries, 601 Wood St., Downtown. 412-471-5605 or woodstreetgalleries.org In his own words, the work of Erwin Redl is a mouthful. As the Austrian-born, New York-based installation artist puts it in the statement for his exhibit at Wood Street Galleries, he investigates “the process of…
Leading Pittsburghers recall their first experiences making music
Ted Pappas Producing Artistic Director, Pittsburgh Public Theater First instrument: Violin Age: 11 Signature piece: Concerto in A Minor, Antonio Vivaldi Pappas learned how to play the violin in the state of Indiana, a place “famous for basketball and its orchestras.” Asked why he pursued the latter, Pappas says, “I was short and owned a…
Back from a successful New York show, Texture offers new work at the New Hazlett
TEXTURE BALLET COMPANY performs Shades of Light 8 p.m. Fri., March 21; 8 p.m. Sat., March 22; and 2 p.m. Sun., March 23. $20-25. New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square, North Side. 888-718-4253 or textureballet.org On the heels of a recent successful performance at New York’s Ailey Citigroup Theater, Texture Contemporary Ballet returns home to…
Sour Notes: When school funding is slashed, music education often suffers
When Pittsburgh Public Schools parent Molly May testified at a public hearing in February, she used song to convey the importance of arts education in public schools. “Where has all the music gone?” she sung. A former PPS music teacher who has also taught music in the Pine-Richland school district, May has been a champion…
Tribes at City Theatre
TRIBES continues through March 30. City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $15-55. 412-431-2489 or citytheatrecompany.org Whatever you can say about City Theatre’s production of Nina Raine’s Tribes, you can’t complain you don’t get your money’s worth. There are about four plays going on inside, sometimes consecutively, sometimes concurrently, and if one of them doesn’t…
Pittsburgh Stillers
The line snakes out the door into the Smallman Street parking lot. People wear parkas and mukluks against the late-winter chill. It’s been a year since Wigle, the first distillery to open inside Pittsburgh city limits since Prohibition, first offered its aged, deep-cut rye whiskey. One of Wigle’s more adventuresome bottlings, it comes at a…
An Iliad at the Public Theater
AN ILIAD continues through April 6. Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $15.75-55. 412-316-1600 or ppt.org Even after two-and-a-half millennia, a Homeric voice can still stir an audience — especially as embodied by Teagle F. Bougere in Pittsburgh Public Theater’s production of An Iliad. Notice the article: Yes, this 2012 play by Lisa Peterson…
No Place Like Home
When an arbitrator decided last week that Pittsburgh police no longer have to live within city limits, the uproar was predictable: We’re giving our tax dollars — and the power to enforce our laws — to people who won’t even live here? Get used to it. Pittsburgh may have big-city problems with crime and policing,…
Rob Delaney will give you more than pork chops
ROB DELANEY 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Thu., March 27. Rex Theater, 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. $18-20. 412-381-6811 or rextheater.com If you’re on Twitter, you’re likely one of Rob Delaney’s million-plus followers. He’s known for goofy jokes. (“I bet loggers call the guy who makes lunch the ‘Yumberjack.'”) But having survived addiction, depression and…
Savage Love
I am a liberal parent. I always thought that I could accept anything that parenthood might throw at me. I knew that I could embrace my son if he were straight, gay, bi, trans, etc. If there is a controlling consciousness of the universe, it has a nasty sense of humor. My son is sexually…
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel Directed by: Wes Anderson Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody Starts Fri., March 21. Wes Anderson has created a new language in his splendacious cinema, so let’s create a new vocabulary to describe it. The Grand Budapest Hotel hapcurs in Europe, between the two great wars, in the (decidedly mythical)…
Short List: March 19 – 27
Spotlight: Sat., March 22 — Exhibit Charles “Teenie” Harris was a peerless documenter of black urban life; he was also amazingly prolific. So when Sean Gibson was asked to guest-curate Teenie Harris Photographs: Baseball in Pittsburgh, for the Carnegie Museum of Art, he had 700 images to choose from. Gibson’s great-grandfather, Pittsburgh-based Negro League great…
