U.S. Senate candidate Joe Sestak discusses link between climate change and national security during a visit to Pittsburgh
The retired Navy Admiral and former U.S. Congressman Joe Sestak warns of potential new conflict zones and other national security issues associated with climate change at a University of Pittsburgh event.
TEDxPittsburgh Issues Call for Speakers for May Event
Nominations sought for inspiring and thought-provoking presenters for the next TEDxPittsburgh.
Listen Up! Feb. 24
Listen Up! Spotify playlist for Feb. 24
Uber expanding into Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, some question benefits to locals
The ride-hailing giant Uber is the first to announce development of the Almono site in Hazelwood, where it plans to test its driverless-car technology.
Jessica Wolfe campaign buys up old Jake Wheatley campaign websites to post unflattering articles
Pennsylvania house candidate Jessica Wolfe’s campaign purchased domain names previously owned by her opponent incumbent State Rep. Jake Wheatley.
Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest at Pittsburgh Public Theater
Winners announced in 22nd annual student competition
Aerion Abney drops challenge to Pennsylvania Rep. Jake Wheatley
Aerion Abney announced today he won’t be running for the 19th Legislative Pennsylvania House of Representatives seat.
Pittsburgh Opera’s “27”
Opera about Gertrude Stein memorably evokes characters and an era.
Stewart Copeland at the PSO
Police drummer’s world-premiere a hit with the Heinz Hall crowd
Documentary (T)ERROR, about counter-terrorism investigations in Pittsburgh, screens on TV tonight
In (T)ERROR, Saeed “Shariff” Torres becomes an FBI counterterrorism information and is tasked to ferret out, befriend and aid with the conviction of a “person of interest” in Pittsburgh.
MP3 Monday: Brewer’s Row
This week’s MP3 comes from self-described Rustbelt Americana band Brewer’s Row, who recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary of its first show. Stream or download “First Snow” from the new record, There Was a Time We Were Kids, below. This download link has expired, sorry!
Lynn Cullen Live 2/22/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. The viability of Trump and Sanders. Populist moments in our history. Kalamazoo shootings. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Campaign 2016’s Silly Season: A Weekly Tweet Roundup Feb. 19
This week Donald Trump has words with Pope Francis; the Red Hot Chili Peppers sing a jingle for Bernie Sanders’ website; Hillary Clinton visits a beauty school; and Marco Rubio tweets about Marcomentum.
What you need to know about Pittsburgh news this week
This week in Pittsburgh news, Allegheny County Council member pushes Port Authority to restore weekend bus service to Garfield and Wigle Whiskey becomes the first small business to receive free promotion from the city for raising its minimum wage to $10.10.
Wigle Whiskey first Pittsburgh small business to receive promotion for raising minimum wage
Wigle Whiskey is the first small business receiving free advertising in city bus shelters for raising their minimum wage.
Democrats vying for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat square off in Keystone Progress debate tonight, Attorney General debate tomorrow
A summit of progressive politicians and thinkers is hosting a debate between the three major Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate nomination tonight and a debate between the three Democratic candidates for PA Attorney General tomorrow.
Lynn Cullen Live 2/19/16
Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Trump supporters and the Pope. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.
Allegheny County Councilor Ranalli-Russell urges Port Authority to reinstate weekend bus service in Garfield
A unanimous motion sponsored by newly elected Allegheny County Councilor Denise Ranalli-Russell asks the Port Authority to add weekend bus service for the hills of Garfield.
WQED launches “mini docs” series tonight
Showcase for short documentaries begins with “Musical Mentors”
A conversation with this week’s cover artist Rashad Jamaal
Pittsburgh artist and musician Rashad Jamaal talks to City Paper about his career and the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Witch
Writer-director Robert Eggers’ psychological horror film The Witch takes place in 1630, among the earliest settlers of New England. There, a family of immigrant Puritans, headed by father William (Ralph Ineson), is banished from the small settlement, and heads out into the wilderness. They establish a hardscrabble farm on the edge of the woods, but…
Savage Love
My new girlfriend blurted out that she had a cuckolding past with her ex-husband. She says her ex badgered her into arranging “dates” with strangers and that he picked the guys. Her ex would then watch her having sex with a guy in a hotel room. The ex only watched and didn’t take part. I…
Boy and the World
In this Brazilian animated feature from Alê Abreu, a young boy from a small farm sets out for the big city searching for his father, who has left to seek work. In his travels, he finds delights small and grand, as well as helpful people. But he also finds tough times, especially for workers, whether…
This Just In: A look at local news online and on the tube
Wendy Bell Has an Existential Crisis (So You Don’t Have To) Wendy Bell is upset. More like angry, fretting for the future of the human race and, probably, blocking me from her “verified, public figure” Facebook page as you read this. While the thought of that cuts me deep, I cannot let it prevent me…
How To Be Single
Four ladies take on the challenge of being single in New York City in this mish-mash of a comedy directed by Christian Ditter. It’s an ensemble affair whose pieces never effectively knit together: Dakota Johnson wants to get back with her ex; Leslie Mann decides out of the blue to have a baby; Alison Brie…
Stuff We Like
The Sun. A beautiful, hopeful little literary magazine out of Chapel Hill, N.C., that focuses on the personal stories of writers from all over the world. thesunmagazine.org Fortitude. Few caught this U.K. thriller set at an Arctic research station when it aired on the Pivot channel last year. Catch up now: international ensemble cast; murder…
Snowtime!
During a school break, the kids in one snowbound town stage a huge snowball fight. This Canadian digitally animated family film is directed by Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson, and adapted from an earlier work, The Dog Who Stopped the War. It’s aimed at kids, with lots of frantic action and silly jokes. It’s rooted…
Short List: February 17 – 23
FREE EVENT: Fri., Feb. 19 — Fashion With New York Fashion Week coming to a close, it seems appropriate that Pittsburgh have its own apparel enlightenment. Pittsburgh native Tereneh Mosley — founder and creative director of Idia’Dega, a global eco-design collaboration in ethical apparel — will showcase her work at The Residence in the Mexican…
We Are F***ing Twisted Sister
You won’t hear Twisted Sister sing its mega hit “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” Or see any of those 1980s MTV glory days. Or hear frontman Dee Snider testify before Congress in the infamous Parents Music Resource Council hearings. Nope, this lively and surprisingly engaging doc from Andrew Horn depicts the long, slow and frequently…
Scratch Food & Beverage
Scratch Food & Beverage 1720 Lowrie St., Troy Hill. 412-251-0822 Hours: Tue.-Fri. 5-10 p.m.; Sat. 4-10 p.m.; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Prices: $6-14 Liquor: Full bar For years, dining options on the Troy Hill hilltop were thin on the ground. Pretty much, there were a couple of convenience stores, and there was Billy’s, a…
Ches Smith’s serendipitously formed trio brings abstract composition and improvisation to City of Asylum
CHES SMITH / CRAIG TABORN / MAT MANERI 7 p.m. Thu., Feb. 25. City of Asylum, 330 Sampsonia Way, North Side. Free, RSVP required. 412-323-0278 or cityofasylum.org Back in 2014, when reporting on the Winter Jazzfest in New York City for City Paper, I pondered whether our town would give a warm reception to percussionist…
Jeanette Harris’ Gluten Free Goat bakery offers tasty options for those on restricted diets
Awareness of gluten allergies might now be widespread, but when Jeanette Harris learned that she had celiac disease, a decade ago, her food options were limited. So she started baking her own gluten-free treats. “I had a lot of friends who told me, ‘Your stuff is really good, you should consider making it your job,’”…
On the heels of his sixth studio album, Kurt Vile is starting to feel famous … sort of
KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS with XYLOURIS WHITE 8 p.m. Mon., Feb. 22. Mr. Small’s Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $20. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com Kurt Vile has been off the grid. He speaks by phone from Coles Bay, Tasmania, where he, his wife and two kids are “just chillin’ out” after a few days in…
Bartenders can use sugar to enhance drinks rather than numb teeth
“Nothing sweet.” It’s a phrase familiar to bartenders everywhere. Bottled cocktail mixes and rampant abuse of cheap schnapps and liqueurs (Alabama Slammer, anyone?) have led many to fear anything but the most basic mixed drinks. But thanks to a revived interest in classic cocktails and widespread adoption of craft techniques, bartenders today know how to…
Pittsburgh music scene veteran A.T. Vish steps out as Carol Blaze
The roots of Carol Blaze, the one-man rock project by A.T. Vish, date back to his days as the drummer of Lowsunday. He pins it to around the year 2000, when he started recording atmospheric interludes to be played between songs or as pre-show loops at their gigs. Lowsunday ended in 2001, but Vish continued…
Larry E. Davis tackles race in Why Are They Angry At Us?
America is taking a hard look at race relations. The Black Lives Matter movement, founded in response to the Florida shooting death of Trayvon Martin and subsequent acquittal of his assailant, George Zimmerman, has expanded to address incidents from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore, Chicago, New York City and beyond. These deaths, all involving unarmed black…
Critics’ Picks, Feb. 18-24
[SYNTH ROCK] + THU., FEB. 18 Canadians-turned-Brooklynites TEEN are playing at Club Café tonight, with special guests Spacefish and Wayne Beck. TEEN’s single “Tokyo,” from its new album, Love Yes, is a confident number driven by Gary Numan-esque synths and a lot of attitude. I hesitate to use the word “swaggering,” but it really feels…
Paul Reiser returns for his first standup gig here in over 30 years
PAUL REISER 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 19. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall, 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $25-45. 877-435-9849 or librarymusichall.com Paul Reiser has a Pittsburgh story, and it helps conclude the full circle he’s made from standup comedian to sitcom star and movie actor, and back again. Around 1982, the young Reiser played the…
On the Record with Disappears’ Brian Case
DISAPPEARS 8 p.m. Tue., Feb. 23. The Andy Warhol Museum, 117 Sandusky St., North Side. 412-237-8300 or warhol.org Disappears’ Irreal is an exercise in subtle menace. It’s a sound that echoes swaths of David Bowie’s output, such as 1977’s Low. In 2014, Disappears recorded a live version of Low as part of the Museum of…
CLO Cabaret’s First Date
FIRST DATE continues through April 24. CLO Cabaret at The Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $39.75-49.75. 412-456-6666 or clocabaret.com There’s only one aspect of First Date you’ll need to process before you can get on with enjoying its CLO Cabaret production … and that’s, well, First Date. By which I mean you…
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald talks first-term successes and second-term goals
Rich Fitzgerald is the region’s No. 1 salesperson. It’s Jan. 12, the snowiest day of the year, but the Allegheny County Chief Executive is determined to attend all of his scheduled events, including announcements about the airport and a press conference for the Pittsburgh Marathon. “Not a lot of people outside the area know about the…
Saturday Night Fever at Pittsburgh Musical Theater
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER continues through Sun., Feb. 21. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $12.75-49.75. 412-456-6666 or pittsburghmusicals.com Those who are staying alive through the winter might wish for the daze of Summer. Think of this madonna and the era of disco comes back to life. Just a few of Donna’s classic tunes will thaw you,…
Pittsburgh’s snow-removal system has come a long way over the years
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there have been seven major winter storms — those dropping at least 17 inches of snow — in Pittsburgh’s 200-year history. The blizzard around St. Patrick’s Day in the spring of 1993 goes down as one of the most memorable for Bill Crean. Although a second blizzard,…
Peter Pan soars at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE’S PETER PAN continues through Sun., Feb. 21. Benedum Center, 719 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $28-105. 412-456-6666 or pbt.org Last performed by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2011, choreographer Jorden Morris’ box-office hit Peter Pan returned to the Benedum Center for another triumph. The family-friendly production was engaging, and entertaining with the kind of G-rated…
For sick patients in Pennsylvania, the medical-marijuana debate has gone on far too long
The fight for medical-marijuana legalization in Pennsylvania has now gone on for two-and-a-half years. The bill has passed the state Senate twice and has been stalled more times than anyone can count. Advocates claim they have the votes to pass it in the House, but more conservative voices in the House leadership have blocked it…
Troupe’s Pittsburgh debut explores minstrel parades from different cultures
CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 19, and 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 20. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Admission is “pay-what-makes-you-happy.” 412-363-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org Just as food and music have created connections between cultures, dance, too, has bound one culture to another. In her latest work, Bamboula: Musicians’ Brew, for Denver-based…
If white America truly thinks Black Lives Matter, our society has a strange way of showing it
Black Lives Matter. Those three words have been part of our lexicon for nearly two years now. You’ve heard them. You’ve read them. But do you really believe them? A lot of people of different races believe it; but do you? Before you answer yes, I want you to think about it. Think about your…
The Lady in the Van
The Lady in the Van Directed by Nicholas Hytner Starring Maggie Smith and Alex Jennings Starts Fri., Feb. 19. AMC Loews, Manor This “mostly true story” begins in 1970, in the Camden Town area of London. Playwright (and confirmed bachelor) Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) moves into the up-and-coming boho neighborhood, and discovers a fixture on…
Wysocki: Pitt softball is poised to take a big step in 2016
Hitting a baseball is supposedly the most difficult thing to do in sports. And in 1931, neither Babe Ruth nor Lou Gehrig could do it against someone who threw like a girl. Seventeen-year-old Jackie Mitchell struck out both of the legendary sluggers in an exhibition game in Chattanooga, Tenn. That moment is credited as the…
City Paper Podcast, or “Untitled” – Episode 005
The PA state pinball champion is crowned, and a local herb guru offers healing tips for the winter.
