Protesters march in Downtown, Hill District to voice anger about Breonna Taylor outcome
As part of a nationwide night of action, protesters gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District on Wed., Sept. 23 to voice their anger about the lack of charges against the Louisville, Ky. police officers who shot Breonna Taylor in March. The protest of about 200 people began at Freedom Corner before marching through…
What’s a “naked ballot” and why it will lead to your Pa. mail-in ballot being rejected
Pennsylvania might have a very big problem with counting the upcoming election results, and it all could hinge on “naked ballots.” The term “naked ballot” refers to a mail-in or absentee ballot that is returned without its secrecy envelope. This is the first year that Pennsylvania has allowed no-excuse mail in voting, and the primary…
New Hazlett puppet show The Dragon of Polish Hill becomes a movie after cancellation
Not every live performance or event canceled because of the pandemic translates easily to a virtual setting. Some things just don’t work over Zoom. But The Dragon of Polish Hill, a puppet show originally set to be performed in March, turned out to be pretty easy to make into a film. The show’s creators and…
Film Pittsburgh gathers area film festivals together for virtual event
Some area movie fans have gone months without a trip to the theater, opting instead for viewing at home. (Though local drive-ins have seen a boom in business thanks to customers being able to social-distance in their cars.) Now they can look forward to a lineup of new options when Film Pittsburgh brings all the area…
Pittsburgh Art Commission unanimously votes to remove Christopher Columbus statue
The dispute over a long-standing Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park took a major turn today when the city’s Art Commission voted unanimously 5-0 to remove it. But reports indicate that the fight over the statue is not over. The decision over Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue adds to a growing list of public artworks being…
Song Spotlight: “Swoop Down Slide” by livefromthecity
For fans of mellow dance songs like DRAM’s “CHA CHA,” or “Toosie Slide” by Drake, Pittsburgh hip-hop artist livefromthecity has released “Swoop Down Slide,” a feel-good tune you can groove to while also supporting local music. “Swoop Down Slide” is driven by a rhythmic beat that’s not fast, but not too slow. It’s just the…
Report from transit advocates says reduced fares can increase ridership during pandemic
The coronavirus virus pandemic has hit public transit agencies hard, including the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Thanks to changes in commuting patterns and certain businesses moving to remote work, Port Authority ridership is down more than 65%. That not only hurts the agency’s operating revenue (Port Authority gets about 25% of its revenue from…
Parks Conservancy and Commonplace Coffee offering blends inspired by 5 city parks
Pittsburghers can now support and celebrate city parks just by drinking a cup of coffee. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and Commonplace Coffee are teaming up on a series of coffee blends, each named after five of the city’s large parks: Frick Park, Schenley Park, Highland Park, Riverview Park, and Emerald View Park. The coffee house…
The Rex Theater in the South Side to close indefinitely
For over a decade, The Rex Theater has been an intimate and welcoming home to live music and entertainment for Pittsburgh’s South Side community and beyond. But today, the venue joined the growing number of small businesses gravely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic as owner Ben Penigar announced The Rex will close indefinitely. “We want…
Toomey backs vote on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, despite feeling the opposite in 2016
After the death of U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last week, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Lehigh) issued a statement today saying that he will vote on the President Donald Trump’s nomination for the court. This vow to vote comes despite the fact that Toomey refused to vote in 2016 when President Barack Obama nominated…
Pittsburgh artists debut works for Get Out the Vote: Empowering the Women’s Vote poster campaign
In a time of seemingly endless sponsored social media and streaming ads, posters still wield a lot of power in elections – just think about the role Shepard Fairey’s works played in former president Barack Obama’s first campaign. As the general election nears, the Miller Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Carnegie Mellon University is…
Men, one dressed in Confederate flag garb, apparently paintballed Black Lives Matter mural in Pittsburgh
According to a video posted to social media on Sat., Sept. 19, two men were seen apparently shooting paintballs at a large Black Lives Matter mural in Downtown Pittsburgh. The mural adorns the wall that runs along a riverfront trail on the Allegheny River and connects to Point State Park. Video shows the two men,…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/22/20
Video Archive Susan is sharing with Lynn her thoughts on Ruth Bader Ginsburg lying in state at the US Capital. The Jewish tradition is to the bury the dead as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours. While it is an honor to lie in state, it’s a decision that goes against Jewish beliefs. They…
Steelers get 26-21 win at empty Heinz Field
Sunday’s first home Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Denver Broncos at Heinz Field didn’t include many of my favorite things. I did not get to enjoy my halftime $6 sandwich from Peppi’s. I did not get to experience out-of-town fans being yelled at by the crossing guard for disobeying the law. I did not get…
State Rep. Dan Frankel wants Allegheny County code altered concerning all-gender restrooms
If a business or organization wants to build an all-gender or gender-neutral bathroom in Allegheny County, it must seek a code variance from the Allegheny County Health Department. That means inclusive bathrooms for nonbinary and trans people are a lot more cumbersome to create in Allegheny County than some believe they should be. And one…
Song Spotlight: “A Temporary Feel” by Normal Creatures
Pittsburgh hip-hop/rock group Normal Creatures isn’t all that normal. It’s a genre-bending band previously known as Sikes and The New Violence, who on Sat., Sept. 19, announced its name change as a way to reflect the unity they have as a band, rather than just a frontman and some instrumentalists. This sense of togetherness is channeled in their…
Karen Kane out as managing editor at Post-Gazette, moved to editorial department
According to an email obtained by Pittsburgh City Paper, Karen Kane is no longer the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Newly appointed executive editor Stan Wischnowski announced today that Kane’s new role will be on the editorial side of the paper as Deputy Editorial Director. She will work under Keith Burris, who recently vacated…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/21/20
Video Archive The loss of one of the greatest jurists in American history, Ruth Bader Ginsburg is where Lynn is starting the week. Lynn is expressing how much this extraordinary woman means to her. She owes her career, and the way her life has been able to progress to RBG. What happens now that there…
OP-ED: Villanueva’s stunt shows he does not believe Antwon Rose should be honored
During last week’s Pittsburgh Steelers season opener, Alejandro Villanueva once again made himself a spectacle at the expense of the memory of slain Black American citizens. There are more eloquent ways to begin an essay, but it has become tiresome to try and find graceful words to comment on the mental gymnastics of those who…
How Pa. politicians reacted to death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the nation’s highest court, died Friday, at the age of 87. The cause was complications from metastatic pancreas cancer, the New York Times reported, citing a statement by the Supreme Court. In a statement released late Friday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader…
Song Spotlight: “One for the Road” by AE Honick
Breakups are tough, and everyone handles them differently. In Pittsburgh blues/rock artist AE Honick’s case, he’s smothering his sorrows at the comfort of a bar. “I drink ’til I’m wasted / we all know the cases / I’m trying to drown my thoughts of you,” Honick sings with gusto in his newest track, “One for…
Pittsburgh artist part of nationwide print sale benefiting Black trans community and sex workers
Anyone who follows local artist and photographer sarah huny young — or just huny — has seen her many portraits that revolve around her self-described mission of “exalting Black womanhood and LGBTQ+ communities.” Now one of her works is part of a large online art sale hosted by Towards Utopia, a nonprofit described on its…
Antwon Rose’s Wikipedia page edited to imply he was a “criminal” after two Steelers players broke away from Rose’s tribute
On Monday night, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva wore a helmet decal different from the rest of his teammates. While all other Steelers players were sporting helmets with the name “Antwon Rose Jr.” visible, Villanueva taped over Rose’s name to display that name of Alwyn Cashe, a Black Army Ranger originally from Orlando who…
LightPlay brings Carrie Furnaces back to life after dark
My Pittsburgh card should probably have been taken from me for having never been to Carrie Furnaces before, but I made sure I visited the historic landmark for River of Steel’s LightPlay interactive art show, featuring a number of familiar Pittsburgh artists across various mediums. Using lasers, projection video, and audio synced with recorded visuals,…
For Sale With Baggage: Early to the party
Stuff can be complicated, especially when trying to get rid of it. The process can remind us that our things can have worth that’s hard to put a dollar amount on; they can call to mind other people from our lives; they can bring up memories of what they were (or weren’t) used for. For…
Pa. Treasurer, 10 other state treasurers call on Gilead to lower price of COVID-19 drug
In late June, pharmaceutical company Gilead set its price for remdesivir, an antiviral drug that has been shown to diminish the recovery time of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. For Americans with private insurance, remdesivir costs $520 per dose, and $390 per dose for those with government-subsidized insurance. Patients typically have received a five-day treatment…
A subscription kit from three city restaurants, old-school pickles, and more Pittsburgh food news
Openings Pita My Shawarma The popular Mediterannean food truck, voted Pittsburgh’s best new food truck in 2019 by Pittsburgh City Paper readers, has finally opened its brick-and-mortar in Lawrenceville. Find shawarma and more at the Butler Street restaurant, open Wednesday-Monday. 3716 Butler St., Lawrenceville. pitamyshawarma.com Bridge City Brinery Are you growing tired of the same…
ELECTION 2020 VIDEO TRAINING: Voting at Home and Recruiting Poll Workers
The above video is the second in a four-part non-partisan webinar community training series aiming to help Pennsylvania nonprofits, community groups, and organizations ensure their hard-to-reach neighbors vote in the upcoming general election. The first video, a training on Tools, Key Dates, & Voter Registration Day, can be seen here: ELECTION 2020 VIDEO TRAINING -…
In new ad featuring a New Castle family, Biden makes pitch to Pa.’s Trump Country voters
It’s been said that football is the moral equivalent of war — with, likely, electoral politics finishing a close second. So perhaps it’s only appropriate that a new ad from Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential campaign throws both into the blender to make broad points about leadership. And if you can find a voter from a…
County-run center offering free, drive-up COVID tests now open in McKeesport
Yesterday, Allegheny County officials opened a new drive-up COVID testing site in McKeesport that is free to the public. Private and nonprofit health-care facilities have been undertaking most of the testing since the coronavirus pandemic started, but now the county has its own drive-up facility. Testing is free, but appointments are required. No insurance is…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/17/20
Video Archive Lynn is sharing some of the six word memoirs you sent her after yesterday’s show. She’s still struggling to come up with one, but you sent in a lot of great ones. She is also talking about jazz and cultural critic Stanley Crouch who died yesterday at 74. In upsetting news, Lynn is…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/16/20
Video Archive Lynn has been trying to create her six word pandemic memoir. Larry Smith, the creator of Six Word Memoirs, had a piece in the New York Times this weekend describing his project, and it has really challenged Lynn. She is also talking about Jack ‘Murph the Surf’ Murphy, the mastermind behind the biggest…
There are Indigenous People in the Present
Across the country, historic statues glorifying white men who have mistreated Black and Indigenous Americans are being taken down in light of Black Lives Matter protests. Discussions about what should happen with the Christopher “Let’s Get Lost” Columbus monument here in Pittsburgh tend to center around the thoughts and feelings of white Americans and Italian-Americans,…
Takeout review: The Lorelei sausage kart
Hot dog carts aren’t known for their culinary prowess. If I’ve learned anything from romantic comedies and their infamous New York City hot dog stands, it’s that most carts operate with a two-ingredient formula: a hot dog and a bun. This is not the case at Lorelei, East Liberty’s Alpine-inspired eatery. Lorelei’s sausage kart, developed…
Seven Days of Music: Sept. 17-23
Thu., Sept. 17 (Livestream & IRL) Rich Zabinski Quartet. 6-9 p.m. 1700 Penn Ave., Strip District. Free. Con Alma has expanded with their food truck to the Strip District. With Chantal Joseph on vocals, the Rich Zabinski Quartet is set to play outside of 1700 Penn Ave. Food will be available from Con Alma’s food…
Seven Days of Arts+Entertainment: Sept. 17-23
Thu., Sept. 17 Outdoor Theatre There’s no mystery in guessing who the killers are in South Park Theatre’s newest production. In Murderers, performed on South Park’s outdoor stage, the actors fess up right at the beginning. But, according to the program notes, the fun comes from listening to the three characters address the audience and…
Preserving Pittsburgh: How Pittsburgh’s 3-year-old archive department is working to make the city’s history more accessible
When the pandemic first began taking effect in March, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s office hoped to include an overview of how Pittsburgh responded to a previous pandemic, the 1918 flu, but found that any documentation of the response was lost or not preserved, except in newspapers. “If other City records were created, there doesn’t appear…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Sept. 17-23
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “At the necessary moment, going naked will be your most convincing disguise,” writes poet Dobby Gibson. As I apply his witty statement to your life, I’ll interpret it metaphorically. My sense is that you could really use the kind of “disguise” he’s talking about. What I mean is that you would…
Soulshowmike’s Album Picks: Jazz is Dead 1 by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Welcome to the first installment of Soulshowmike’s Album Picks. While combing through R&B, jazz, hip hop, and associated cross-fertilizations to create The Soul Show’s weekly playlist, I often post discoveries on social media to give heads-ups to listeners. Hopefully, you CP readers will find this enjoyable in your music-loving lives. As it turns out, this…
Q&A with Kahone Concept’s Ben Orrvick
2020 has been the year of quarantine and isolation, and Kahone Concept’s Ben Orrvick has been utilizing the alone time to discover more of himself as both an individual and an artist. Orrvick, a Pittsburgh musician who writes, records, and produces all of his own work, is a recent college graduate trying to navigate the…
Rivers of Steel illuminates artistic talent and history of Pittsburgh with LightPlay
During the day, Rivers of Steel leads tours through the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces, using the former Homestead Steel Works site as a way to highlight the industrial past that, for decades, defined the city. Now, the organization offers a modern illuminating experience with LightPlay, an evening exhibition featuring works by several local artists. Described…
