Blogh, Pittsburgh City Paper

County Democratic Chair: Harris must leave party post

Chris Potter — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:45:00 -0400

Nancy Patton Mills, the chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, didn't mince words. City Councilor Darlene Harris cannot serve as a Democratic ward chair now that she's registered as an independent.…

Fashion Show Benefits Habitat for Humanity

Bill O'Driscoll — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:20:45 -0400

Post by Olivia Lammel

Habitat for Humanity, Macy’s and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh have collaborated on a night of quirky couture for a good cause.

On Fri., May 31, Downtown’s Double Tree Hotel hosts the second annual Hard Hats & High Heels Fashion Show to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s Veterans Build program.

Models will strut down the runway in outfits designed by students at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, getups assembled entirely from home-renovation items found at the Greater Pittsburgh Habitat ReStore.…

Will Peduto face a "third" party challenger in the fall?

Chris Potter — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:50:00 -0400

Sort of a funny piece of business in this Post-Gazette story about Bill Peduto's win in this week's mayoral primary:

One of Mr. Peduto's critics, city council President Darlene Harris, switched her registration from Democratic to independent a month before the primary. Beyond confirming her changed partisan status, however, Mrs. Harris would not elaborate on the switch...…
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A different look at AJ Richardson

Charlie Deitch — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:28:00 -0400

A funny thing happened last week during our cover shoot with Sheraden resident and mayoral candidate AJ Richardson — he lost his tattoos.

Our photographer Heather Mull shot this week’s cover in the studio of fellow photographer Jason Snyder.…

A Tale of Two Wards: Measuring the enthusiasm gap in mayoral race

Chris Potter — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:47:00 -0400

In days to come, pundits and politicos will be doing all kinds of analysis of yesterday's mayoral primary, looking for big-picture trends and story lines in Bill Peduto's triumph over Jack Wagner. But if you want to start getting a feel for how this race played out, you can do so by starting small -- looking at results in just two city wards, the 14th and the 19th.…

Peduto, and his coalition, sweep city elections

Chris Potter — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:38:00 -0400

Yesterday's municipal primary was a big night for Pittsburgh -- the election not just of a new mayor, but of a new governing coalition -- even if the number of people paying attention was small.

City Councilor Bill Peduto won the primary, which will almost certainly make him the city's next mayor -- a post he has sought for the better part of a decade.…

New Package Deal Provides Staycation Alternative

Bill O'Driscoll — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:40:00 -0400

Miranda Bauer likes Sandcastle and all. She just found that when she bought a membership there for herself, her husband and her young daughter, she wasn’t getting her money’s worth.…

Election Day thoughts

Chris Potter — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:27:00 -0400

Today is, obviously, a potentially historic day, pivotal for the future of our region. It's the day that Pittsburgh's men and women, workers and retirees, students and citizens of all kinds, go to the polls and ask themselves the question at the heart of our republic:

"Who the fuck are these judicial candidates?"

But there's a mayoral race too, as you may have heard.…

Former city cop acquitted in insurance fraud/road rage case

Lauren Daley — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:55:00 -0400

A former city traffic officer accused of insurance fraud, reckless endangerment and related charges in a 2010 road rage case was acquitted this afternoon in a non-jury trial.

Common Pleas Judge Jill E. Rangos granted Garrett John Brown's motion for insufficient evidence in the case that stemmed from an encounter — first recounted in this City Paper story — with donut deliverymen Matt Mazzie and Blaine Johnston in the early morning of Nov. 18, 2010.…

Arts Funding Protest Draws Mayoral Candidate

Bill O'Driscoll — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:38:00 -0400

Bill Peduto was the lone mayoral candidate at today’s Downtown event demanding enforcement of the city and county’s percent-for-art laws.

The protest was highlighted by a couple dozen CAPA high school students mimicking the classic “eyeballs in tophats” costumes of cult band The Residents.…

Venture Outdoors Festival in Point State Park on Saturday

Bill O'Driscoll — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:38 -0400

The free annual hands-on expo for all things rugged or just plain recreational is set for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

If you ever wanted to try a climbing wall, in other words, now’s the time. Plus things as low-impact as horseshoes.…

War of words escalating in final days of mayoral campaign

Chris Potter — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:32:00 -0400

We're now in the final days of the city's mayoral campaign, which means all the campaign rhetoric you've been hearing for the past several weeks is about to get dialed to 11. And based on a pair of dueling press conferences this morning, the race's two frontrunners -- City Councilor Bill Peduto and former Auditor General Jack Wagner -- are going to be attacking each other over ... the fact that they've been attacking each other.…

New Aviary Show Highlights Misunderstood Birds of Prey

Bill O'Driscoll — Thu, 16 May 2013 10:00:56 -0400

You’ll see some spectacular stuff in Talons!, the new indoor free-flight show at the National Aviary. If you’re lucky, you might even get buzzed by a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, a cat-sized bird with deep orange eyes.…

Demonstration for Arts Funding Set for Friday

Bill O'Driscoll — Wed, 15 May 2013 16:05:10 -0400

A movement to get Pittsburgh to enforce a 36-year-old city law requiring that public construction projects set aside “1 percent for art” holds its first big press conference and rally Downtown, on Friday afternoon.

The Pittsburgh Percent 4 Art Campaign assembles artists, students and others at 1 p.m. at Katz Plaza — home of artist Louise Bourgeois’ landmark “eyeball” sculptures.…

Jordan Miles gets high-powered legal team for second trial

Charlie Deitch — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:43:00 -0400

Civil-=rights attorney Joel Sansone, who in 2008 secured a $28 million jury award against two state troopers who shot an unarmed 12-year-old in the back, will be leading Jordan Miles' second civil trial against the three police officers Miles in January 2010.

Sansone, who filed his notice of appearance on May 2, told City Paper today that Miles' new trial team will be led by himself and Detroit-based civil rights lawyer Bob Giroux and also consist of Miles' lead attorneys in the first civil trial, J. Kerrington Lewis and Tim O'Brien.…

In mayor's race, intriguing footprints on the money trail

Chris Potter — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:25:44 -0400

With one week to go before the May 21 mayoral primary, the money trail is becoming increasingly convoluted — as reflected by financial activity involving the campaigns of the race's two frontrunners.

For starters, a contractor whose work on Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's home has become the subject of stories in the Post-Gazette appears to be a financial supporter of Jack Wagner.…

Event reminder: Ride of Silence tonight

Lauren Daley — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:16:00 -0400

Tonight, cyclists will gather to remember those injured in crashes around the city, during the annual Ride of Silence.

Cyclists can meet between 6:15 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. at Dippy the Dinosaur at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Schenley Drive by the Carnegie museum in Oakland tonight.…

ACLU seeking same-sex couples for survey

Lauren Daley — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:29:00 -0400

The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking same-sex couples whose stories can be used to help shape public and legal opinion, as well as demonstrate harm due to not being able to marry.

From the organization's website:

"The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting to ensure all same-sex couples have the legal protections necessary to sustain their relationships and families.…

National Bike to Work Day This Friday

Bill O'Driscoll — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:02:52 -0400

Commuting can be a solitary enterprise, the bike kind no less than the car-bound variety. But on National Bike to Work Day, you can rally in two-wheeled solidarity with your fellow working-stiff cyclists.…

New Wagner ad appeals to young voters

Chris Potter — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:42:00 -0400

There's been a long-running debate about whether young voters can make a difference in a Pittsburgh election -- see here, for example, and here and the comments here. But there's evidence that mayoral candidate Jack Wagner, at least, is taking young voters plenty seriously.…

Analyzing Keystone Analytics

Chris Potter — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:36:00 -0400

From the outset, I've been a little wary of the poll findings from Keystone Analytics, an outfit owned by the state Realtors Association who has been providing almost all the polling data in this year's mayoral race. It's nothing personal; I just never heard of them, and they have no track record in predicting races at all.…

New poll shows Peduto taking lead in mayoral race

Chris Potter — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:41:00 -0400

Bill Peduto has regained the lead in the city's mayoral race, according to a polling firm whose owners support his rival, Jack Wagner.

Keystone Analytics, which is owned by the state Realtors Association and which only began polling political races this year, shows Peduto over Wagner by 39-32 among likely voters.…

Herb Society to hold annual plant sale Saturday

AmyJo Brown — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:30:00 -0400

The members of the Western Pennsylvania unit of the Herb Society of America will hold their annual herb plant sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, 614 Dorseyville Road, Fox Chapel.…

Wheatley goes Online with new ad in Pittsburgh Mayor's Race

Charlie Deitch — Mon, 13 May 2013 11:21:00 -0400

The Jake Wheatley for Mayor campaign is on the air with its first commercial…sort of.

The new ad, called "Fairness," is an online-only advertisement that will be targeted to individuals based on their Internet usage says Wheatley spokesman Daren Berringer.…

Wheatley spokesman on Luke's $10k gift: "We were just as surprised as anybody"

Chris Potter — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:21:00 -0400

As noted here a short time ago, an early surprise in today's campaign-finance reporting period is that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl donated $10,000 to the mayoral bid of state Rep. Jake Wheatley.

And guess what?…