Music video: 2020k covers iamamiwhoami’s ‘b’
Pittsburgh-based queer pop and experimental electronic artist 2020k’s “b” music video opens with a shot of what looks like litter against a tree. It’s not a prop, however; it’s 2020k, covered in layers of plastic. As the lyrics kick in, the artist, whose real name is RJ Kozain, picks up a mic and reveals the…
Delta Foundation interim president apologizes for LGBTQ organization’s past failures as protesters demand change
UPDATE – 1:05 p.m., July 9: In a tweet thread released today, Delta Foundation interim president Jim Sheppard announced that four board positions would be opening up at the foundation, which is Pittsburgh’s largest LGBTQ group. Sheppard wrote the foundation is specifically seeking candidates who are from the trans, non-binary, lesbian, and QTPOC communities (queer…
STACKS unveils its next round of Pittsburgh musicians for their digital collection
A huge congrats to the artists who have been selected to join the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s living music collection, STACKS. Twice a year, the digital music platform, which debuted in 2018, selects a batch of Pittsburgh bands and musicians to feature in its exclusive streaming service. Each artist is paid a one-time stipend of $200 for…
Allegheny County extends ban on indoor dining but allows some bars and restaurants to serve outdoors
After Allegheny County experienced a spike in coronavirus cases over the last two weeks that were partially linked to people visiting bars and restaurants, county officials closed bars, prohibited on-site alcohol consumption, and eventually closed down all indoor dining for a week. Today, Allegheny County Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen has announced an extension of…
New ICE rule threatens international students’ stability, and Pittsburgh’s diversity, if local colleges go online-only
UPDATE – 3:40 p.m. July 14: The Trump administration has rescinded its executive order barring international students from living in the U.S. if they are only taking college classes online. This comes after several entities, including Carnegie Mellon University, the administration of Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, and Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined a lawsuit against the…
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto offered a feet pic in exchange for voting in November at 12:16 a.m.
At 12:16 a.m. on Wed., July 8, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto responded to a tweet asking him to post a photo of his feet in exchange for voting in November. Peduto replied saying he would show his “ten toes” in exchange for 10 voting receipts. You post 10 different election receipts in November & you…
A list of locations to get tested for COVID-19 in Allegheny County
Pittsburghers who are concerned that they may have contracted COVID-19 have a number of different options for testing. Some require advance appointments to be made, or notes or orders from a physician, while others are walk-up friendly. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has put together a map for residents to find local testing sites; health…
Bloomfield Shursave to close at end of July, reopen as a Community Market operated by Giant Eagle
Get your $5 t-shirts, loose cans of pop, and kielbasa while you still can. After months of speculation about if and when the Shursave grocery store in Bloomfield would close, the time has finally come. On July 6, ECHO Realty, the developing company that purchased the site of Shursave earlier this year, announced that Shursave…
Pittsburgh Fashion Week goes digital and launches film festival with open submissions
Following the lead of many other events falling during the coronavirus pandemic, Pittsburgh Fashion Week (PGHFW) is moving its annual event online. This year’s PGHFW takes place Sept. 21-25. “While there will be no runway and no gatherings, there will be clothes and events aplenty,” reads Pittsburgh Fashion Week’s website. Those “events aplenty” include new…
The nation’s first Black brew festival goes digital for 2020
Rather than cancel the 2020 festival altogether due to COVID-19 restrictions, co-founder and producer Day Bracey teamed up with Work Hard Pittsburgh, an Allentown-based business incubator, to take the fest online. The event, aptly re-named Fresh Fest Digi Fest, will be their third consecutive year celebrating Black culture through “art, education, collaboration, and representation.” It…
Pittsburgh on verge of ending some off-street parking minimums, but advocates say banning curb-cuts is necessary too
In March, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto introduced a bill that would change the Pittsburgh city zoning code to end the current requirement that new single-family attached dwellings have at least one off-street parking space per unit. The proposal is meant to decrease the amount of row houses being built with a parking garage and a…
New Jamaican restaurant opens in Sharpsburg, NOLA closes permanently, and more Pittsburgh food news
Openings 2 Sisters 2 Sons Jamaican food comes to Sharpsburg with 2 Sisters 2 Sons, which opened on June 25. They serve traditional dishes like jerk chicken, oxtail, fried plantains, and rice and peas, as well as vegan options. They are open for takeout and delivery on GrubHub and UberEats. Cafe Liminal This health-focused restaurant…
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh rolls out next phase of curbside service
Curbside pickup and returns have been available at select Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) locations since June 23, and over the next two weeks, CLP is expanding that service. Pittsburgh’s public libraries are adding a few more contactless curbside service options as part of its phased reopening plan during the coronavirus pandemic. Current curbside locations are open Tue.–…
Lynn Cullen Live – 7/7/20
Video Archive Picking up on a topic from last week Lynn and Susan are once again talking about flying snakes, and other interesting facts of nature. In addition they are covering the newest Lincoln Project commercial, the latest developments in the NASCAR Bubba Wallace incident, and Covid-19. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last…
State legislators call for Gov. Wolf to extend eviction and foreclosure moratorium through December
The pandemic has spurred a housing-payment crisis across Pennsylvania, and the entire country, with many people out of work and unable to pay rent and mortgages as unemployment as risen to historic levels. Gov. Tom Wolf (D-York) placed a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, and already…
Lynn Cullen Live – 7/6/20
Video Archive The rise in Covid-19 in Western PA is startling. 25% of the state’s new cases are in Allegheny County. Lynn is talking about these new numbers, as well as the actions being taken in response. She is also covering Trump’s Mount Rushmore speech, the increase of candidates who believe QAnon conspiracy theories, and…
Shannon Reed shares the highs and lows of teaching in Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures virtual event: Why Did I Get a B?
Teaching was something “girls were supposed to do” when Shannon Reed was growing up in Johnstown in the mid-’90s. The idea of teaching, though, seemed foreign to her — she wanted a career in theater. But after earning a degree in theater arts, Reed returned home to Johnstown and couldn’t find work in her chosen…
PHOTOS: Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate against MAGA boat parade
Anti-Trump protesters finally came face-to-face with a MAGA rally on the North Side on Saturday afternoon, leading to a heated shouting match nearly two hours after kicking off their demonstration against the group on the South Side that morning. Organizers of the Fourth of July boat parade and rally for President Trump claimed more than…
PHOTOS: Civil Saturdays: Pittsburgh Black Out protest
Police donned riot gear and held out batons and pepper spray to a line of protesters during a Black Lives Matter demonstration Saturday afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh, but the event ended without incident after protesters marched for nearly four hours. Downtown’s protest was the fifth consecutive Civil Saturdays, organized by Pittsburgh’s Black, Young, & Educated,…
Pittsburgh Mask Maker Spotlight: Baiyinah Brookins
Name: Baiyinah Brookins, founder of Frank and Myrhh Etsy: etsy.com/shop/FrankandMyrhhShop Twitter: @frankmyrhh Facebook: Fb.me/frankandmyrhh Instagram: @frankandmyrhh Neighborhood: Highland Park What led you to start making masks? During the month of April, when the lockdown started, I noticed a number of sewists and seamstresses making masks for donation to various hospitals across the Pittsburgh region. I…
One arrested during BLM protest in Pittsburgh after marchers met by police in riot gear
Today, protesters held a demonstration that started in Freedom Corner in the Hill District and eventually marched down Centre Avenue towards Downtown Pittsburgh. Eventually, one person was arrested by police when they were kneeling in front of officers during a somewhat chaotic scene where traffic and marchers were intermingling at an intersection near the I-579…
Trailer drops for Pittsburgh-shot film An American Pickle, making up for the lack of Picklesburgh
In 2018, a film crew descended on Pittsburgh to film An American Pickle, a movie starring Seth Rogen as a European Jewish immigrant who falls into a vat of pickles, preserving him for 100 years, and waking up in a modern, trendy New York he doesn’t recognize. The story is based on “Sell Out,” a…
Farmer’s Market Stand, Accessible-Friendly Venue included in Best of Pittsburgh’s 10 new reader-submitted categories
Thanks to your feedback, there are now 10 new categories to vote for in Pittsburgh City Paper’s Best of Pittsburgh readers’ poll: • Best Local Farm • Best Tanning Salon • Best Veterinary Hospital or Clinic • Best Children’s Party Entertainer • Best Hummus • Best Good Cause • Best Accessible-Friendly Venue • Best Accessible-Friendly…
How to deal with fireworks when suffering from PTSD
Last week Pittsburgh City Paper posted an article with tips on how to deal with anxious pets and fireworks. In Pittsburgh, and around the U.S., fireworks have been going off much more frequently than normal. There was such an increase in complaints about fireworks in Pittsburgh that public safety officials announced the creation of a “fireworks…
Allegheny County tries to halt virus spread with one-week closure of bars, restaurants, and casinos
Only a few weeks after it opened back up, restaurant dining is shutting down again, along with bars, who were ordered to stop serving on-site alcohol last week, and casinos. After an alarmingly quick rise in cases this week, Allegheny County has issued an order for the closures, as well as the cancellation of all…
Dozens protest in Downtown Pittsburgh; some for bars to reopen, others to ease on-site alcohol restrictions
More than 40 people protested today in front of the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, against the recently announced bar closures and ban on on-site alcohol consumption at restaurants. The protesters stood on the sidewalk holding signs that read, “PA Service Industry Against PA and Allegheny County Government.” There were no speeches, and just a…
Pittsburgh Mask Maker Spotlight: Daniel Gurwin
Name: Daniel Gurwin Business: Daniel Gurwin Design Instagram: @danielgurwin www.danielgurwin.com Neighborhood: Lawrenceville What led you to create the mask designs? I had been collaborating with Public Print House, a partner in the effort, to initially print posters. Jewels [Despines] from Public Print House reached out about helping to print posters I had designed. He was…
Lynn Cullen Live – 7/2/20
Video Archive Steve Mendelson,owner of Mendelson Gallery, is joining Lynn today to remember David Lewis, the pioneer of urban design architecture, artist, and professor who recently died at the age of 98. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
For Sale With Baggage: You never know about the radio
Stuff can be complicated, especially when trying to get rid of it. The process reminds us that our things can have worth that’s hard to put a dollar amount on; they can call to mind people from our lives; they can bring up memories of what they were (or weren’t) used for. For Sale with…
Lynn Cullen Live – 7/1/20
Video Archive As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise, Lynn is sharing her struggles with going back to being more vigilant. She is also remembering the amazing life of Carl Reiner, who died at the age of 98 this week. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3…
A Trump labor department hasn’t been inspecting Pittsburgh workplaces for COVID-19 complaints
The federal Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) received a notice on April 9 from employees at Garden View Manor in Wilkinsburg that a worker had tested positive for COVID-19. Even though employees had worked in close proximity to that person, they were not told to quarantine after the employer found out about the result,…
Social Justice Pizza Project donates 100% of proceeds to organizations fighting against social injustice
Cooking one pie at a time in a portable pizza oven out of his own home, Stephen Turselli raised $3,571 in two weeks for five organizations fighting against social injustice. The plan for his Social Justice Pizza Project (SJPP) was simple: sell pizzas, then donate 100% of the proceeds to various charities. First, Turselli calculated…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY July 2-8, 2020
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Some readers wish I would write more like Cormac McCarthy or Albert Camus or Raymond Chandler: with spare simplicity. They accuse me of being too lush and exuberant in my prose. They want me to use shorter sentences and fewer adjectives. To them I say: It ain’t going to happen. I…
Somewhere between Juneteenth and July 4th
On Juneteenth 2020, one of my most beloved friends, who happens to be white, sent me a link to a petition: Make June 19th a Federal Holiday. I think she was sure I would be excited about this because: 1. Juneteenth is Freedom Day, a day to acknowledge the “end of slavery” in the United…
Seven Days of Music: July 1-7
Thursday, July 2 (Music to stream) TOBACCO. “Hungry Eyes” and “Can’t Count On Her” tobaxxo.bandcamp.com It’s been a few years since TOBACCO put out new music, but on June 5 the sludge-y metal electronic artist dropped a 7” featuring a distorted experimental cover of Eric Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” and an equally garbled original tune, “Can’t…
