There's a new way to support local performing and visual artists — actually two new projects that do so — and they're previewed at tonight's Gallery Crawl. Details in Program Notes.

An idea new to Pittsburgh, community-supported art, has spurred two initiatives to launch practically at once. You can preview the art on offer at tonight's Gallery Crawl.

The concept is modeled on community-supported agriculture, in which shareholders in local farms get a weekly box in season of farm products. CSAs help farmers because it provides them with cash before the growing season, when they need it most.

Artists, as it happens, can use money upfront, too.

The New Hazlett’s Community Supported Art program — music, theater and dance. Shares cost $100, and shareholders gain admittance to six original performances at the theater — one every other month for a year starting in August.

Learn more about the artists and the program here.

The New Hazlett started selling shares this morning and had already sold eight by early afternoon, theater executive director Rene Conrad tells CP. She said the theater hopes to sell 300 shares.

Meantime, CSA PGH is offering physical artworks, from prints and sculptures to CDs. CSA PGH shares are $350 in exchange for six limited-edition artworks to be delivered to shareholders this summer. Learn more about the artists here.

CSA PGH starts selling shares next Tuesday. Only 50 will be sold. Casey Droege, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh assistant professor who spearheaded the project, tells CP she’s confident they’ll sell out quickly.

Several artists from both the New Hazlett CSA and CSA PGH will be at 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown, as part of tonight’s Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Gallery Crawl.

Look for more coverage of the art CSAs in an upcoming CP.

With the announcement of country singer George Jones’ death Friday morning, the next several days are sure to be filled with tributes and stories of the country great. Yes, he’s cheated death on more than one occasion and yes he used to ride his lawn mower to get booze after one of his wives hid the car keys.

But the greatest tribute to Jones is undoubtedly the music he left behind. You’ll find no shortage of videos or albums online of Jones singing his songs, but the best lasting impression of his talent comes in the tributes of other artists.

Jones’ death reminded me of a record released just a few months ago — while Jones was still alive — by a country artist that died nearly 39 years ago. Don Rich was the best friend of country music legend Buck Owens and the leader of his band, The Buckaroos.

Rich was destined for stardom thanks to his talent and the connection to his pal, Owens. During a recording session at Owens’ home in 1970, Rich recorded an album’s-worth of George Jones classic tracks. Think about that. By 1970, Jones had already created a catalog of hits worthy of a cover album.

Rich died in a motorcycle crash in 1974 and this record sat in Owens’ vault until its release in January. Don Rich sings George Jones is a straightforward tribute to Jones’ music by Rich. Rich doesn’t alter Jones’ melody but his big, sort of “okie-doke” country voice adds a fantastic flavor to songs like “The Race is on,” “She Thinks I Still Care,” “A Girl I used to Know,” and “Your Heart Turned Left.” The album also contains four Jones’ cover songs by Owens from the same session.

Rich’s voice is such a contrast to the raw emotion of Jones’. In the coming days, there will be a lot of tributes to Jones’ music. The fact that this one was recorded nearly 40 years before the stars’ death says a lot about Jones’ legacy.

The House Democratic Policy Committee will hold a public hearing on Community Blue customers' access to health care providers.

The hearing will be held from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mon., April 29, in the Allegheny County Council Gold Room, 436 Grant St., Downtown.

State Reps. Dan Frankel, Democratic Caucus chairman, and Tony DeLuca, Democratic chairman of the House Insurance Committee, requested the hearing. "The hearing will focus on specific contractual issues between Highmark and UPMC that have resulted in the denial of patient access to care, despite the patients' willingness to pay out-of-pocket for services rendered." according the press release issued by state Rep. Mike Sturla, chairman of the committee.

UPMC has been invited to testify but is currently not on the agenda to speak. The public is invited to attend.

The state of Pennsylvania took the first step toward legalizing online casino gambling Monday when state Rep. Tina Davis (D-Bucks) introduced House Bill 1235 with 11 other co-sponsors, including Pittsburgh’s own Dom Costa.

The bill, which can be read here, allows for casino companies already operating inside the state to offer online games including poker, blackjack, slot machines or “any other game approved by regulation of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to be suitable for use for Internet gaming activities.”

So while it will allow games with very low house edge — poker, blackjack and craps — it will also open the door for other forms of gambling that might be less friendly to a player’s wallet like roulette, slots and the Pick 6 wheel.

The bill should come as no surprise to anyone since other states including New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada approved online gaming this year. The games would be open only to state residents, but there is a provision in the law that would allow reciprocation agreements with other states.

The state of New Jersey is hoping to have its operation up and running by November, and although they originally hoped to raise about $180 million in extra revenues annually, figures released Wednesday put the estimate at closer to $113 million.

Operators who want to open an online operation will pay the state a one-time $5 million licensing fee and an annual renewal of $500,000. Gambling revenues will then be taxed at 28 percent. In New Jersey, the tax rate is much lower at 15 percent. The bill is a bit different than one that Davis unveiled in January which featured a nearly $17 million licensing fee.

Among the bill’s other components is the ability for the player to set certain safeguards to control “wagering activity.” Those include the ability to set a limit on the amount of money a player can lose in a given time period, place limits on the amount that can be wagered on any one turn in any game, and receive notices of wins and losses if the player “sustains continuous losses at a sufficient level.”

The bill has been referred to the House committee on gaming oversight.

On the morning of March 13, the driver of a car — described by witnesses as likely a Lincoln MKZ or a similar model — hit a cyclist at the corner of Liberty and Mathilda in Bloomfield. The driver fled the scene and was never caught; the victim, a longtime member of the local arts and music scene named MJai, sustained serious injuries, including a broken femur.

Tonight, friends and supporters have put together a benefit show at the Mr. Roboto Project to help defray the costs of MJai's treatment and medical needs. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7; bands include The Frantic Heart of It, Robin Vote, Chaibaba and Pairdown. It's a sliding-scale donation, from $5-15.

There'll also be a bike ride prior to the show, starting at Dippy the Dinosaur by the Carnegie Museums in Oakland at 5:30, and ending at Roboto.

For those who can't make it tonight but want to donate, there's a link on this website to do so.

Like other papers, we get a lot of unsolicited letters to the editor, in which folks unburden themselves on issues of the day. We tend not to run these, largely because they're often sent to other media outlets too, who are able to print them sooner. But this one was too good to pass up.

It comes courtesy of the Rev. Thomas Smith, a minister of the Monumental Baptist Church and a founder of the Western Pennsylvania Black Political Assembly, which was established a decade ago in an effort to put the concerns of black voters on the political agenda. (In some ways, Sala Udin's newfangled Black Political Conventionis a reprise of that effort.) Smith takes a look at each of the four candidates, and to some extent finds them all wanting. AJ Richardson isn't viable, Jack Wagner is too close to unions and other entrenched interests, and while Jake Wheatley's campaign is a "noble undertaking," he has a has too little visibility outside the neighborhoods he represents as a state representative -- and black voters don't get behind a candidate just because he's black. Smith seems sympathetic to Peduto, though he doesn't make an endorsement. In any case, his assessment of the candidates' strengths and weaknesses is worth a look.

The full text of letter below:

Hazelwood native Chevy Woods has been touring the world with Wiz Khalifa and their Taylor Gang conglomerate. This Friday, April 26, Pittsburgh can catch him live in concert as he returns home for an all ages show at Club Zoo. Also performing will be fellow Taylor Gang rapper Quay Meanz and Rostrum Records' latest signee Boaz.

Woods and Boaz share a particularly lengthy history working together. In 2007, Boaz's group The Govament unleashed their Election Day mixtape that sent ripples throughout the streets of the city. The group that hailed from Larimer featured Woods heavily on the project. Half a decade later, Woods and Boaz toured together on the first Under the Influence of Music Tour, which also featured Pittsburghers Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. In the midst of the tour, Fuse TV sat down at the table with Woods and Boaz together to discuss the 'hard-knocks Pittsburgh rap scene.'

Woods has been active in recent months, featuring on songs by up-n-coming Pittsburgh rap acts Hardo and Crystal Seth. Following up on his Gangland mixtape from June 2012, Woods is preparing for the release of Gangland 2, which will be hosted by popular street rap personality DJ Drama. Woods has already released several music videos from this upcoming project, the latest, "M'fer," features Wiz Khalifa.

One of my personal favorite songs of Woods' is set to be released on Gangland 2 as well. "Things Change" finds Woods reflecting on his humble beginnings to his current success as an artist in the music business.

Fri., April 26th
Club Zoo & Taylor Gang Present CHEVY WOODS: Welcome Home Show
Special guests: Boaz, Quay Meanz, and DJ GQ
All Ages | Doors at 9pm | $10-15.
Tickets here 412-720-1396

The Heinz History Center gets a bit edgier than usual with tomorrow’s public discussion called “Cultural Bodies: Sex, Violence, and the Body in the 1960s.”

The discussion is led by Brian Horrigan, the Minnesota-based curator who helped develop 1968: The Year That Rocked America, a touring show now at the History Center.

Horrigan “will explore the major shift in understanding and representation of the human body in art, culture, science and medicine throughout the 1960s,” according to the press release.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you “The Twist” and Axis: Bold As Love.

Horrigan will use still images and video footage in his talk. Much of the discussion will revolve around the portrayal of the human body — soldiers, Vietnamese civilians — during the Vietnam War. And then there’s nudity in film and theater, and in public; sex and the pill; and medical advances. Like many movies from that era, the talk is “suitable for mature audiences.”

Admission is $10 (and free for museum members), and includes admission to the exhibit.

The talk runs 6-7:30 p.m. 1968: The Year That Rocked America continues through May 12.

This week, we wrote about where the three major Democratic candidates for mayor stood on social issues from LGBT rights to women's issues. Today, Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania PAC announced its endorsements for local primary races and special elections. (The organization also publishes a voters' guide on the candidates that is not yet published.)

Here are their local endorsements:

— For the special election for House District 42 (replacing Matt Smith, who was recently elected to Senate): Democrat Dan Miller.

— Pittsburgh Democratic Mayoral Primary: City Councilor Bill Peduto.

— Pittsburgh Democratic City Council Primary District 4: incumbent Natalia Rudiak

Other groups focused on social issues have released their slates as well — which we noted, in part, this week. But their full slates can be found online: LGBT groups Steel City Stonewall Democrats and Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh.