Pittsburgh City Paper staff clinched four first place finishes during last night's 2022 Golden Quill Awards ceremony, a regional journalism competition honoring “professional and student excellence in print, broadcast, photography, videography and digital journalism in Western Pennsylvania and nearby counties in Ohio and West Virginia."

Art Director Lucy Chen won for Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, Illustration – News or Feature with her illustrated recipe in the 2022 Winter Guide, "Two belly-warming meal recipes for cold weather days."


News Editor Jamie Wiggan added to our roster of wins for Excellence in Written Journalism, Profile – Division 3 with his ever-popular profile of Downtown's last cobbler, written right as he was closing up shop for good: "A 'Pittsburgh institution' prepares to shutter after 48 years."


Arts and entertainment editor Amanda Waltz won for Excellence in Written Journalism, Arts/Entertainment – Division 3 for her groundbreaking work investigating a culture of sexual harassment within Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre (PICT) in her story "Pittsburgh theater company accused of canceling show over alleged 'sexual misconduct.'"


And finally, Digital Editorial Coordinator Hannah Kinney-Kobre won for Excellence in Written Journalism, Criticism – Division 3 for her reviews of films that played in Pittsburgh in 2022, including a double feature of Dragon Inn and Goodbye, Dragon Inn, We're All Going To The World's Fair, and Mississippi Masala.

City Paper staff and collaborators were also named as finalists in multiple other categories. The full list is below:

Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, Spot News Photo
Finalist: “Being a Queer Pastor Isn’t for the Faint of Heart,” Jared Wickerham

Excellence in Written Journalism, Spot/Breaking News – Division 3
Finalist: “Local Officials, Advocates Respond to Death of Roe v. Wade,” Jamie Wiggan

Excellence in Journalistic Craft Achievement, Illustration – News or Feature
Finalist: “Cali Sober Heads East as Pittsburghers Ditch Booze for Pot,” Lucy Chen

Excellence in Written Journalism, News Feature – Division 3
Finalist: “From Steelworkers to Baristas: The New Face of Pittsburgh’s Evolving Labor Movement,” Jamie Wiggan

Excellence in Written Journalism, Public Affairs/Politics/Government – Division 3
Finalist: “County Prosecutors and Public Defenders Demand Fair Pay as Bargaining Negotiations Break Down,” Jordana Rosenfeld

Excellence in Written Journalism, Education – Division 3
Finalist: “What You Need to Know About Pennsylvania’s School Funding Trial,” Jordana Rosenfeld

Excellence in Written Journalism, Medical/Health – Division 3
Finalist:  “After Dobbs, Some Pittsburghers Opt for Sterilization as Permanent Birth Control,” Amanda Waltz

Excellence in Written Journalism, History/Culture – Division 3
Finalist: “Downtown Pittsburgh Celebrates Chinatown’s Official Recognition as Historic Landmark,” Jordana Rosenfeld

Excellence in Written Journalism, Arts/Entertainment – Division 3
Finalist:  “Former WYEP Host, Listeners Call for Station Changes After Show Cancellation,” Lisa Cunningham
Finalist: “How a New Nonprofit Is Finding Pittsburgh Film’s Future in Its Past,” Hannah Kinney-Kobre

Excellence in Written Journalism, Criticism – Division 3
Finalist: Reviews of 2022 Art Exhibits in Pittsburgh, Amanda Waltz

Excellence in Written Journalism, Columns/Blogs – Division 3
Finalist: “Black Life in Pittsburgh,” Tereneh Idia, Pittsburgh City Paper

Excellence in Written Journalism, Enterprise/Investigative – Division 3
Finalist: “Pittsburgh’s Growing Latino Community,” Jamie Wiggan, Maria Manautou-Matos, and Ladimir Garcia

Don't remember the first one? That's okay... we guess. A short explainer: last year, we launched our daily email newsletter, City Pigeon, and a city pigeon mascot to go with it. One of the ways we decided to mark our little bird friend taking flight was by celebrating all things pigeon.

So once again, we’ll be using this week to bring you the best Pittsburgh pigeon content we can find, including a caption contest (more on that below), games, and even some pigeon fun facts from our pals at the National Aviary!

We'll also be hiding a pigeon in this week's print issue for you to find, plus unveiling new surprises all week long on our Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

This year, we're asking you to put words in her mouth. Come up with the best caption for the image below, and not only will it end up in print but you'll ALSO win a grand prize that includes VIP tickets to the National Aviary's Night at the Tropics event, a Pigeon Bagels gift card, City Paper swag featuring our pigeon friend, and much more!

A few guidelines:

1. All entrants must submit an email address along with their caption, not only so that we can contact you if you win but also so we can sign you up for our daily City Pigeon newsletter if you aren't already on the list.

2. While City Paper prides itself on being Pittsburgh’s most fun publication, please keep your captions basically appropriate for CP readers of all ages.

3. And most importantly: get creative with it!

The winner will be notified on Fri., May 19. We will also reveal the winning caption then!

The winner will be notified on Fri., May 19. We will also announce the winning caption then. So what are you waiting for? Enter to win here!

Name: Hannah Kinney-Kobre
Age: 24
Pronouns: She/Her
Title: Digital Editorial Coordinator
CP Start: January 2022

Hannah Kinney-Kobre is a fast talker—a skill she’s channeled into a full-time gig as Pittsburgh City Paper’s Digital Editorial Coordinator.

Getting the words out on CP’s socials (with speed, accuracy, and a side of punchy sarcasm) has been Kinney-Kobre’s main mission since joining the team in 2022. However, she’s had all kinds of opportunities at City Paper and her role has expanded since her start – she’s a self-described “jack-of-all trades."

One of her biggest accomplishments has been revamping City Paper’s newsletter, turning it into a daily email digest named after the paper’s mascot: City Pigeon. She’s broken election results, written film reviews, run contests, and even got the chance to write a feature for this year’s fall guide.

“It’s good to work somewhere that is so connected to the city,” she says. “I feel like I know everything that’s happened in Pittsburgh this past year!”

A North Carolina native, Kinney-Kobre was raised by two “hippie-ish” parents who were around for the heyday of alt-weekly popularity. “I’ve been exposed to this type of stuff since I was a kid,” Kinney-Kobre says, acknowledging that her “cultural references are over the place.”

One example of this is her taste in books and movies. “I watch a lot of movies… anything really, but lately it’s been screwball comedies,” she says. “I collapse my hobbies into every aspect of my life.”

At Boston University, Kinney-Kobre majored in English and Film Studies before finding her way to the ‘Burgh for a different job. One click on LinkedIn and she rerouted to City Paper, where she’s been click, click, clicking ever since.

As the voice of City Paper’s social presence, Kinney-Kobre posts a handful of newsy items daily on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. (She prefers Twitter because “it’s fast.” Go figure.)

When not at work, she finds herself on the hunt for vintage clothing scores, reading or watching movies, or being terrorized by her pet cat.

Kinney-Kobre says the collaborative work environment and unique character of the Paper suits her.

“There are stories in here that other papers aren’t telling, like under-the-radar arts stuff, social justice issues,” Kinney-Kobre says. “I grew up reading alt weeklies… and there’s something even now that is just cool about being an alt-weekly. It’s not a paper of record; it has a personality."

I started at Pittsburgh City Paper at the end of January and was immediately thrown into the deep end doing the social media for our Love and Sex issue. Now, 45 weeks later, 45 issues that have hopefully found their way into the recycling, and ... well, I'd like to have some sort of wisdom here but I got nothin'. All I can say is this: we've published some insightful stories, some funny ones, and some that just pissed people off. And some of them quite a few of you read!

So, without further ado, let me count down our top online stories of the year:

Small Pittsburgh gay bar still stands, despite big development // June 1, 2022

This story from our Pride issue is about one of the oldest woman-owned gay bars in the city, and the threat it faces in the form of massive development occurring all around it in the Strip. My favorite detail? The fact that the bar has a “buffet table out with a crock pot stewing, plus cookies and slices of pizza for the taking; red plastic bowls of popcorn sit on the bar” in addition to nude dancers.

Controversial Pittsburgh media figure Wendy Bell goes national on Newsmax // Jan. 27, 2022

Ah, Wendy … we hate to see you back in the news, but we love to see people getting into psychotic arguments about you in our Facebook comments whenever you pop back up like a jack-in-the-box with — I hate to say it — brilliantly subtle cosmetic work.

Five underrated pizza places in Pittsburgh // Jan. 7, 2022

If Wendy Bell always gets attention for the wrong reasons, we know that pizza will get your attention for the right ones.

Wilkinsburg officer strikes protester during demonstration against police brutality // April 16, 2022

The center of this story is a striking shot from Jared Wickerham, our staff photographer. At a protest against police brutality, he captured this moment of police brutality: an officer striking a protestor. We recently published an article with an update on the officer after a former partner filed a restraining order against him.

A “Pittsburgh institution” prepares to shutter after 48 years // Nov. 16, 2022

The story read around the city! This was by far our most popular story of the year, and for good reason: who can resist a little old Italian cobbler? News editor Jamie Wiggan had just the right touch when it came to capturing the distinctive features of a world that – next year – will no longer exist.

---

But you know what? Enough of your favorites! Let's talk about me. While it's hard to pick examples of my best tweets of the year, I also do a little writing, too. Here's what I'm most proud of this year:

How a new nonprofit is finding Pittsburgh film’s future in its past // Sept. 14, 2022

Working on this piece (my first in print here) was beyond nerve-wracking, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. The work Steven Haines and Steve Felix are doing with Sound + Image manages to be thoughtful without being remote or humorless — a tricky sweet spot to hit. I loved being shown around Haines's Munhall basement crammed with wall-to-wall film prints, something our photo intern Rayni captured beautifully. (And P.S. while you're reading this: you gotta check out their next screening on Fri., Dec. 30. They'll celebrate the end of the year with all sorts of rare semi-apocalyptic films, including one that famously got the people screening it sent to jail for obscenity in the sixties.)

...the lizard that came to Gooski's // Sept. 23, 2022

I love this lizard so much, and I loved talking to his owner. What a cutie! (Stay tuned for a hopefully revamped Stay Weird in 2023.)

Little known fact: the Squirrel Hill Tunnel is one of the sexiest spots in Pittsburgh. After all, where else is everyone united in screaming about someone riding their ass?

Check out the rest of our V-Day pins here: https://t.co/220mjWDPLo pic.twitter.com/nVuef8Es5V

— Pittsburgh City Paper (@PGHCityPaper) February 4, 2022

This tweet // Feb. 3, 2022

And last but not least: while I don't remember most of my career in posting, this one has stuck in my mind because it's one of the ones I did my very first week for the Love and Sex issue. I will probably die remembering Lisa (our editor-in-chief at the time) coming up to my desk stunned that the nice Jewish girl with the very professional writing samples dove in headfirst like this. It was a wonderful moment.

During my seven short months at City Paper, I've quoted Mark Cuban calling a local pharmacist a troll, chronicled the rise of a new labor movement in Pittsburgh, spoken with Latino entrepreneurs creating vibrant new communities in Coraopolis and Monroeville, and poked fun at Guy Fieri's new chicken joint — which actually wasn't too bad.

As an editor, I've been lucky to work with our talented staff and freelancers on a breadth of illuminating and sometimes daring work. Sometimes that can be more rewarding.

But City Paper tradition has us shamelessly promote our own favorite pieces each year, so here are my top five (in no particular order):

West View pharmacist says he inspired Mark Cuban’s low-cost drug venture // July 6, 2022
Most CP stories touch on either the serious or the silly. In this profile of a local pharmacy, I found myself dealing with a bit of both as I explored the murky underworld of medical drug prices. (Yes, it's the one where Cuban gets enraged.)

Coraopolis is becoming a community hub for Pittsburgh’s growing Latino // Aug. 10, 2022
The first of a three-part series, this collaborative project with Presente Magazine explores the challenges and triumphs of a growing number of Latinos who call Coraopolis their home.

From steelworkers to baristas: the new face of Pittsburgh’s evolving labor movement // Aug. 31, 2022
"Pittsburgh is a union town" is a refrain you're as likely to hear now as in the heyday of big steel. Behind that is a resurgent labor movement branching into new industries like retail, tech, higher education, and healthcare.

A “Pittsburgh institution” prepares to shutter after 48 years // Nov. 16, 2022
It was sad to report on a veteran cobbler's plans to close up shop at the end of this year. But it was a joy to watch Gabe at work and hear him reminisce on his boyhood in Italy and his long career in Pittsburgh.

A fine Scottish pub serving mostly American food // Aug. 3, 2022
It probably should raise alarm bells when a news editor opts to try his hand a food writing, but that's the kind of latitude CP (and our beloved former editor Lisa Cunningham) has always afforded. In any case, as a Brit living in Pittsburgh, I had fun assessing the recreation of a Scottish pub in Hazelwood.

Not all my illustration work appears on the cover. In fact, some of my best work is making quick illustrations for online or print articles. Here are my five favorites from the past year and a couple of honorable mentions.

How to have a hot Tinder profile // Feb. 9, 2022

This issue was full of various illustrations I made, including the cover. so it’s hard to choose just one from the issue. But I think this story yielded one of my favorite illustrations. I love the characters' interactions with the phones.

Will Starbucks fire its way out of unionization? // Aug. 17, 2022

I’ve always wondered what would happen if you combined the Starbucks logo and the girl from The Ring.

What would I tell a Black woman about moving to Pittsburgh? // Nov. 16. 2022

I love illustrating opinion pieces because you get to work with the writer’s voice to direct an illustration. I’ve enjoyed illustrating many of the pieces from Tereneh Idia’s Views column over the past year, but I would say my favorite illustration would be for her final piece.

Two belly-warming meal recipes for cold weather days // Jan. 26, 2022

This is actually one of my own articles where I shared and illustrated two of my favorite recipes to make in the wintertime. This was certainly fun to share and looked great in print!

Pickles and Giggles brings comedy to Picklesburgh // July 13, 2022

The great thing about working for an alt-weekly like City Paper is that you can get away with most ideas no matter how bizarre they are. This piece is no exception.

And a couple of honorable mentions:

Cali Sober heads east as Pittsburghers ditch booze for pot // April 20, 2022

I’ve always struggled with color and shape and I think this illustration turned out so great in both those areas.

Volunteers successfully rescue abandoned South Side guinea pig // Oct. 17, 2022

This story will warm hearts and I hope this illustration does, too.

As 2022 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper's editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. Relive A&E editor Amanda Waltz's 2022 highlights below:

After Dobbs, some Pittsburghers opt for sterilization as permanent birth control // Nov. 9, 2022

After the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down Roe, people across the country started making big birth control decisions, and Pittsburgh was no exception. I was honestly surprised at the number of people willing to speak with me about getting salpingectomies and vasectomies and saw it as an important step to destigmatizing and opening conversations about the various realities of this issue.

Saint Ravioli brings heavenly pasta to Bloomfield // Aug. 17, 2022

Justin Avi took a pandemic hobby and turned it into a business, becoming a one-man ravioli machine turning out thousands of little dumplings. More interviews should end with someone insisting you take home a box of homemade ravioli.

Pittsburgh theater company accused of canceling show over alleged "sexual misconduct" // June 30, 2022

For years, rumors swirled about PICT Classical Theatre's artistic and executive director, but it wasn't until the theater company suddenly canceled its anticipated production of Boys in the Band that people came forward. After City Paper ran this story, PICT announced that the person in question was fired.

Bottlerocket Social Hall wants to spark a comedy scene in Allentown // June 29, 2022

Allentown has slowly become a destination for vegan food, coffee, music, and more. Then Bottlerocket swooped in with a plan to attract some of the country's most innovative comedy acts to the neighborhood. From the time this article ran, the venue has presented multiple, often sold-out shows, as well as film screenings, DIY theater shows, dance parties, and so much more.

Mattress Factory group exhibit finds artists caught in middle of conflict // April 27, 2022

Curator Tavia La Follette provided valuable insight into how the Russian invasion of Ukraine disrupted the long-planned Pop-Aganda: Revolution & Iconography group exhibition. The show stood as a tangible example of how war impacts lives, paying ode to missing pieces and informing audiences of measures taken to protect the identity of Russia-based artists. I was also floored by the works of Syanda Yaptik and Sonya Kelliher-Combs, which demonstrated, with heartbreaking severity, the impact colonization, and organized religion have had on Indigenous populations in Russia and Alaska. 

I started at Pittsburgh City Paper in January 2022 — Mayor Ed Gainey's inauguration was my first assignment — and as my first year here ends, I made a list of some of my most unique stories, stories that City Paper told first or distinctively.

North Side family alleges transphobic harassment from neighbor // May 27, 2022

We were the first outlet to cover this North Side family's legal battle with their neighbor. It was a privilege to sit and talk with them at various stages of the difficult process. You can read my series on what happened in our LGBTQ section.

Downtown Pittsburgh celebrates Chinatown's official recognition as historic landmark // April 13, 2022

When I began researching Pittsburgh's historic Chinatown in preparation for this story on their official designation, I was immediately struck by the fact that most media coverage of Chinatown included more or less the same set of facts and quoted the same one or two sources. I was so pleased to get to talk to Shirley Yee, the daughter of the late Yuen Yee, the informal mayor of Pittsburgh's Chinatown, about her family's history and add something new to the surviving historical record.

CP Jail Watch: Do vendor contracts incentivize poor food service? // Oct. 27, 2022

As complaints of inedible and unsanitary food at the Allegheny County Jail continue to surface, I spent a long time researching this story about the structure of food service contracts at Allegheny County Jail. This story includes just a fraction of that research but offers a compelling possible explanation for the alleged poor quality of food at the county jail over the last few years. The contracts in question have now expired. At this month's meeting of the Jail Oversight Board, jail administration reported the execution of a contract with a new commissary vendor, Oasis Commissary Service, which, they say, will not be the same as their new, as-yet-unannounced food vendor.

Giant Eagle consumer info could be used to target pregnant shoppers. // Aug. 9, 2022

Although the underlying investigation into the sale of pregnancy data isn't ours, we were the only Pittsburgh media to consider the implications of the discovery that Giant Eagle is the likely source of digital data on pregnant or potentially pregnant shoppers for sale on the open market.

Volunteers race against the seasons to catch dumped guinea pig // Aug. 22, 2022

This cute story came from a post on the r/pittsburgh subreddit, and I was inspired by the dedication of the volunteer guinea pig rescuers.

Honorable mention

My memorial essay on the sex appeal of one of television's most compelling Jewish mothers (and former Tarentum resident), Estelle Harris. Thank you to our art director Lucy Chen for the lovely illustration.  

Notice anything missing from our site?

Pittsburgh City Paper is happy to announce that we’ve removed ads from within the content of our stories, with the goal of providing a better experience for readers, creating more valuable opportunities for advertisers, and avoiding any conflicts of interest between the two departments.

While ads can still be purchased to appear next to stories or as banners across the top of City Paper’s website, ads will no longer appear within any stories written by our editorial department.

CP Ad Director Rachel Winner says the revenue from Google ads, which used to run repeatedly throughout stories, is not worth it if they take away from the company’s strong editorial product.

“Advertisers can still reach our wide audience by placing ads elsewhere on our site,” according to Winner, “and we’re hoping that audience will be more appreciative knowing that our company has a clear editorial and advertising separation.”

Clients interested in advertising their services can also look forward to new opportunities to be unveiled in the near future, including the ability to place more targeted banner ads within sections, and a new "buy local" feature coming soon.

Editor in Chief Lisa Cunningham says she’s grateful for Winner continuing to work with their editorial team on making City Paper's products the best they can be for their audience.

“In addition to making our site easier to read, without the distraction from ads within our stories, it also eliminates a frustration we’ve had with some ads appearing in our stories that are the antithesis to our editorial mission,” says Cunningham.

She gives the example of a recent offensive right-wing Google ad that was automatically published within a story, even though City Paper had set up a filter to eliminate such political ads from appearing.

The change has been made effective immediately, and includes all current and previously published stories.

Here are the facts: From the nominees in the first round to the top 10 finalists in the voting round to the top three winners you’ll find in this issue, everyone in this year’s Best of Pittsburgh was decided by Pittsburgh City Paper readers.

What sets City Paper’s poll apart from others? Besides the obnoxiously large number of categories (yeah, we know — we keep trying to edit them down, but every year, we hear from readers who tell us we’ve missed some important ones), the Best of Pittsburgh is 100% determined by reader input. We use SecondStreet, an online voting platform, which automatically tabulates the results. No, City Paper staff members aren’t allowed to vote. And no, despite rumors which have existed since the poll first launched 30 years ago, no one can win a category by buying an ad. (But yes, winners are notified before this issue hits the stands and our sales team does sell them ads, which help support our local journalism throughout the rest of the year.)

What we do, though, is fact-check your noms. And we don’t just check them for spelling errors or to make sure you actually nominated Pittsburgh folks. We spend months checking each entry and eliminate any nomination we find to have posted anything racist, sexist, homophobic, Islamaphobic, transphobic, or harmful to others. We also listen to your feedback and adjust the categories before the poll starts every year based on your recommendations. Did we miss a category you’d like to see next year? Spot one you’d rather we delete? Reach out and let us know. This is your poll, after all, and we aim to have each year’s poll better than the last.

Why the space theme? Well, besides making this issue look cool as hell, there are space-themed events happening all over the city this year. For one, Pittsburgh is home to the Allegheny Observatory in Riverview Park and a planetarium at the Carnegie Science Center, where yinzers can dream of life in another galaxy. The Science Center also just launched a new exhibit, Sun, Earth Universe, focusing on the solar system, the universe, and “the big questions NASA is trying to answer about each.” In November, the Center will also debut its Mars: The Next Giant Leap exhibit, which explores the possibilities of traveling to and living on the Red Planet. But mostly, we were inspired by the Moonshot Museum, Pennsylvania’s first-ever space museum, opening soon in the North Side. We can’t wait to see if it ends up on next year’s winners' list.