

CP Year in Review: Editorial designer Jeff Schreckengost’s favorite illustrations of 2024
Relive editorial designer Jeff Schreckengost’s 2024 highlights.
CP Year in Review: Staff writer Rachel Wilkinson’s favorite stories of 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper‘s editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. These are the picks from staff writer Rachel Wilkinson.
The ball never drops in Pittsburgh on New Year’s Eve
The Future of Pittsburgh Ball returns this New Year’s Eve with a brand-new look and a timeless message of hope.
CP Year in Review: A&E editor Amanda Waltz’s favorite stories of 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper‘s editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. These are the picks from arts & entertainment editor Amanda Waltz.
My first experience with a Hitachi Magic Wand vibrator shook me — literally
My friend Hunny Daniels talked me through the experience, checking in throughout, while I stubbornly said I wasn’t getting anything out of it. Then a funny thing happened…
CP Year in Review: News editor Colin Williams’ favorite stories of 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper‘s editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. These are the picks from news editor Colin Williams.
Lynn Cullen Live – “One Toke Over the Line” (12-23-24)
Lynn ranted about the new “tradition” of Christmas Adam, celebrated in some churches on 12/23 before Christmas Eve, because Adam came before Eve. On a happier note, Lynn recalled how a clueless Lawrence Welk had his fresh-faced singers do a bouncy rendition of “One Toke Over the Line” in 1970 thinking it was a Christian…
CP Year in Review: Audience engagement specialist Stacy Rounds’ favorite stories of 2024
As 2024 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper‘s editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. These are the picks from audience engagement specialist Stacy Rounds.
What if Pittsburgh had its own Hallmark holiday movie?
While we can’t blame Hallmark for jumping on the meteoric rise of the Chiefs’ cachet, which may or may not have something to do with the real-life romance between superstar Taylor Swift and Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, we think Pittsburgh can do way better when it comes to a Hallmark holiday movie.
Now Hiring in Pittsburgh: Hill Community Development Corporation, Duquesne Club, Trying Together, and more
Looking for a new job? We searched through local employment guides to curate a list of the best job openings around Pittsburgh this week including a butcher, Director of HR, COO, and more.
Pittsburgh lawmakers say averted government shutdown is bad for Pittsburgh, Rep. Lee calls Elon Musk an “oligarch”
Another government shutdown would see pay frozen mere days before the holidays for Pittsburghers collecting federal paychecks.
Yinzer Yums of Yesteryear: Holiday duck
If you’re tired of turkey and aren’t fond of holiday ham, consider the holiday season “duck season” instead.
Affordable-ish Housing in Pittsburgh: Homestead to Whoville edition
Are we being trolled here? Because this place is entirely monochromatic and minimalist except for Grinch stuff, which is everywhere.
Lynn Cullen Live – “Nothing on the Dollar Menu is a dollar.” (12-19-24)
Lynn reported that at a McDonald’s drive thru where she ordered 3 items from the Dollar Menu, she was told the charge was $8.31. When she protested she was told “Nothing on the Dollar Menu is a dollar.” She thinks that’s wonderfully emblematic of capitalism circa 2024. Also, the obit of the doorman at the…
What would you bring to the holiday cookie table?
Pittsburgh City Paper asked notable locals what treats they would contribute to a seasonal version of the wedding cookie table.
Lynn Cullen Live – Trump’s deportation promise and how it is going to effect peoples lives. (12-18-24)
Lynn shared the story of a 33-year old man brought to this country by his parents from Mexico when he was 10 months old. He’s married to an American, has four American children, a good job and is terrified he’ll be deported when Trump takes office, as Trump has promised. His father-in-law, who voted for…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Labor: West Penn Nurses
“Pittsburgh is a union town,” people love to say. But when the rubber meets the road, unionizing can be a long and difficult process, as some local workers have found. That difficulty didn’t slow down the nurses at West Penn Hospital, run by Allegheny Health Network. After Service Employees International Union nurses at Allegheny General…
People of the Year 2024
We the People of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh is known as many things: a union town, a tech darling, an “eds and meds” mecca, a haven for pierogi obsessives. But maybe Pittsburgh’s real treasure is, as they say, the friends we make along the way. It’s the people — our neighbors — who embody the true spirit…
Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2024 — Visual Art: Emmai Alaquiva
To call Emmai Alaquiva a multihyphenate would be an understatement. The multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and musician now primarily represents the local filmmaking scene as a documentarian whose works cover urgent issues in Pittsburgh and beyond. It’s a pursuit that has resulted in four Emmy wins and being featured on Good Morning America, and in Forbes…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Music: Vicious Blade
The Steel City is, literally and figuratively, a metal town, and Vicious Blade is one of its strongest local alloys, combining the blistering speed of thrash with the ferocity of black metal. Nationally, this has put them firmly on the radar of extreme music fans everywhere. Locally, it’s put Vicious Blade at the top of…
Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2024 — Food and Drink: Nik Forsberg of Fet-Fisk
After its much-anticipated opening in March, Fet-Fisk was quickly met with national accolades. The Nordic eatery — whose name means “greasy/fat fish” in Swedish — caught the attention of the New York Times, which listed it as one of 50 best restaurants in America. In November, Eater recognized it as one of the best new…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Business: Khamil Bailey
Khamil Bailey, founder and executive director of the Greenwood Plan, has built her career around advancing entrepreneurship for minorities in Pittsburgh. As a community curator, she leads the nonprofit organization in its mission to advance economic justice for Black communities. The Greenwood Plan’s current direction, Bailey says, is rooted in the vision she, along with…
Pittsburgh’s People of the Year 2024 — Activism: Students for Justice in Palestine
Students for Justice in Palestine set out to advocate for full and equal Palestinian rights, raise awareness of and protest Israeli occupation, valorize Palestinian art and literature, and promote justice and peace. This year, the organization’s University of Pittsburgh chapter (SJP at Pitt), has seen more forward movement than they have in a decade. Though…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Politics: Barb Warwick
Before she became a Pittsburgh City Councilmember, Barb Warwick (D-5) saw the impact of getting involved on a local level. A working mother of four, Warwick moved to the Four Mile Run section of Greenfield in 2014. Soon after, the city announced plans for the Mon-Oakland Connector, a system of driverless shuttles decried by residents.…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Literature: Michael Wurster
“Pittsburgh is a poetry city just like it’s a jazz city,” Michael Wurster says, but that hasn’t always been the case. The Pittsburgh Poetry Exchange, the organization Wurster co-founded and has led for the past 50 years, is partly to thank for solidifying that identity. Founded in 1974 by Wurster, Dieter Weslowski, Lloyd Johnson, Vic…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Health: Alecia Ott, Auto(nomous) Body Shop
Whether you’re dancing to house music at Jellyfish or perusing the Bloomfield Saturday Market, chances are the Auto(nomous) Body Shop is nearby. Since she fixed up her 1995 Chevrolet Astro last year, Alecia Ott has been meeting Pittsburghers where they are, and supporting their reproductive health. The Auto(nomous) Body Shop was founded to meet multiple…
Pittsburgh’s People of Year 2024 — Performing Arts: Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl and Staycee Pearl
For over 20 years, Herman “Soy Sos” Pearl and Staycee Pearl, the dynamic married duo behind PearlArts, have collaborated to blend sound design and dance. Under their visionary leadership, their organization has championed Black arts in Pittsburgh, producing and touring numerous works described as probing themes of “personal expression, race, freedom, and gender to immerse…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Dec. 19-25
This week’s FREE WILL ASTROLOGY prompts some to nourish the parts of themselves that got tossed to the backburner, and encourages others to search for the blessings of yesteryear.
Pittsburgh’s top events: Dec. 19-25
Don’t be a Scrooge this holiday week! From a festive drag cabaret show at Spirit to a winter solstice celebration in Allentown to an avant-garde film showcase at Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh has a little something for everyone, both naughty and nice.






