Food pantry holds annual “Brunch Challenge” this Saturday
The Northside Common Ministries holds brunch challenge using only typical food-pantry items
U.S. Congressional candidate Rick Saccone tallying fiscally conservative, anti-union support
In union-heavy Southwestern Pennsylvania, Saccone is gaining support from groups advocating limiting government-spending and less workplace regulation.
In 2013, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher John Robinson Block said people of color needed to pull themselves up ‘by their bootstraps,’ according to one of his own papers
The reporter who interviewed Post-Gazette publisher in 2013 says “Of course John Block is a racist.”
Summer Lee touts Democratic-socialist policies in campaign event for District 34 state house seat
Lee supports universal health care, raising the minimum wage and ending the school-to-prison pipeline.
Pittsburgh foundations, journalists call out Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for editorial defending Trump’s ‘Shithole Countries’ remarks many have called racist
The editorial claims that “calling someone a racist is the new McCarthyism.”
Local artists win prestigious award
Vanessa German and Bill Shannon receives U.S. Artists Fellowships
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/16/18
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Source: God is not a Pittsburgh sports fan; Pirates trade Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco Giants day after Steelers bounced from NFL playoffs
Pittsburgh Pirates trade Andrew McCutchen to San Francisco
Let Pittsburgh Restaurant Week begin!
Pittsburgh Restaurant Week brings special deals on dining from Jan. 15 – 21.
Activists call for continuing protests and boycott of Pizza Milano after alleged assault
An employee of the Uptown pizza restaurant was caught on video beating a woman. Activists are calling for stricter charges against the employee.
Pittsburgh Steelers fall to Jacksonville Jaguars in freezing temps at Heinz Field
Photo highlights from the Steelers vs. Jaguars
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/15/18
Video Archive Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Here We Go!
Photo highlights from the Pittsburgh Steelers playoff pep rally at Stage AE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette moves Trump’s ‘shithole countries’ quote at behest of conservative publisher John Block
Yesterday, President Trump referred to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as “shithole countries.”
Victims of abuse don’t need hollow apologies
Following the #MeToo moment in the restaurant industry
Pittsburgh’s African-immigrant group responds to President Donald Trump’s ‘shithole’ comment about African countries
Many of Pittsburgh’s, and the nation’s, African immigrants are highly-educated and working in tech and health-care fields.
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/12/18
Video Archive Good morning from the shithole of Pittsburgh today, where Lynn is live and diving into today’s crazy news cycle. There’s going to be a lot of explicit language today I imagine, but then again that’s half of what makes Lynn Lynn. First, the show starts with the Post Gazette’s notable decision to not…
MLK Day means a weekend of activities in East Liberty
Three days of performances and activities at the Kelly-Strayhorn, Repair the World, and Union Project
MLK Day Writing Awards winners read Monday at CMU
High school and college writers to read their winning entries on difference and diversity
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/11/18
Video Archive Today, Lynn has a special guest to follow up on her blow up yesterday about the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s editorial. It’s Andrew Hoover, communications director for the ACLU of Pa. Lynn and Andrew will dive into the wrongheadedness of the editorial’s reasoning, which often calls on the legacy of marijuana’s criminalization for political…
Lynn Cullen Live – 1/10/18
Video Archive Buckle in, because Lynn is riled up in today’s show and she’s handing out some hot takes. Lynn starts the show with a blistering attack on the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s editorial board for its defense of Jeff Sessions’ hope to crackdown on marijuana. She takes umbrage with the assertion that seems to equate…
Downsizing
This science-fiction-flavored satire from Alexander Payne (Election, The Descendants) is perhaps more ambitious than successful, but I haven’t lately seen too many films I’ve thought about longer. Matt Damon plays a regular Joe named Paul, a Midwestern occupational therapist with money troubles who embraces our near future’s solution to both overpopulation and the cost of…
Savage Love
I’m a 67-year-old gay man. After a breakup 15 years ago, I believed the possibility of emotional and sexual intimacy with a partner was over for me. Then a couple of months ago, my desire for sexual contact increased dramatically. For the first time, I began using apps, and I felt like the proverbial kid…
The Last Jedi
For many fans, “Star Wars” is as much about ritual as anything, and this second installment of the franchise’s third trilogy ably restates the dynamic: It’s the mythic Hero’s Journey as filtered through a tale of Shaolin monks versus Nazis in outer space. Writer-director Rian Johnson’s entry revisits Rey (Daisy Ridley) as the new Luke…
The Little Deer
If you shoot the hunted and it stares back, who has failed? Kahlo gives herself antlers, paints nine bleeding arrows anchored in her pelt. Nine for her birthday, nine for the Aztec underworld and its phases. Nine arrows bleeding, but a stoic face, after Diego, and surgeons, and lovers, and the mirror scarred her body.…
Beyond: Microtonal Music Festival takes place Jan. 11-13 in Pittsburgh
BEYOND: MICROTONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL & SYMPOSIUM Thu., Jan. 11-Sat., Jan 13. See music.pitt.edu for times, locations and more information 412-624-4125 While assembling the program for the second Beyond: Microtonal Music Festival, the organizers wanted pieces that connected with the theme, “Cultural Roots/Cultural Intersection.” Western composers use the term “microtonal” for music built with pitches and…
Pittsburgh Juice Company to open the Heirloom Superfood Market in the Strip District
In a few months, residents in Lawrenceville and the Strip District won’t have to travel too far to access hard-to-find superfoods like chia, flaxseed, hemp seeds and fermented vegetables. This summer, Pittsburgh Juice Company will be opening the Heirloom Superfood Market in the space formerly occupied by the 31st Street Pub, at 3101 Penn Ave.…
Pittsburgh’s Just Fern’s All the Space I’ve Taken Up reflects its creator’s feelings
The title of Just Fern’s full-length All the Space I’ve Taken Up can be traced to a single moment in Illinois, as she and her band lay in a Zen garden. “We were a little more than halfway through the tour. We’d played a show every night so far, and it was the first silence…
Pittsburgh City Paper Booze Battles: Smoke vs. Pork & Beans
Each week, we order the same cocktail at two different bars for a friendly head-to-head battle. Go to the bars, taste both drinks and tell us what you like about each by tagging @pghcitypaper on Twitter or Instagram and using #CPBoozeBattles. If you want to be a part of Booze Battles, send an email to…
Richie Cole’s new album Latin Lover brings bossa nova to Pittsburgh
Alto saxophonist Richie Cole, a local resident since 2014, continues to add to his prolific catalogue with Latin Lover, a set of songs arranged in a Latin jazz style. He avoids obvious classics that helped establish that genre, playing instead a batch of originals and covers, several of which aren’t usually cast in a bossa…
Amaro Nardini
“I think of this as being a beginner’s Fernet Branca. I’ve fallen in love with it. It’s so easy to drink. It’s not too bitter, and the sweetness comes through. There are spearmint and tobacco flavors — very earthy and enjoyable.” Recommended Cameron Lehman, Muddy Waters Oyster Bar bartender and bar manager Amaro Nardini is…
New Local Release: Skeletonized’s Defleshed
Skeletonized Defleshed Self-released skeletonized.bandcamp.com Defleshed, Skeletonized’s latest cassette, is a raucous cacophony of saxophone, bass, drums, synths and electronics. The sounds, as arranged and constructed, are erratic, but the group manages to hang onto each other, locking into unconventional grooves. Unlike the self-titled release that came out a year ago, Skeletonized has split this new…
Pittsburgh City Paper talks sex- and body-positivity with two sex-industry insiders
Lawrenceville lingerie shop Calligramme just celebrated its third anniversary on Dec. 13, and owner Marissa Vogel wanted to mark the occasion by starting a sex- and body-positive speaking series in the shop, called Let’s Talk About Sex. The inaugural talk featured two young people who are working for positive change in the sex industry from…
This Week in Sports History
Jan. 11, 1906 The University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball team plays its first game, a loss to Wooster. The team would finish the season but not play again until 1911. Jan. 11, 1983 Steelers wide receiver and future Hall of Fame inductee Lynn Swann retires. Jan. 12, 1969 Beaver Falls native Joe Namath, of the…
Lessons from Paris from Pittsburgh sommelier Eric Moorer
Drinking wine in Paris for a month-and-a-half sounds like a vacation. But for Eric Moorer, sommelier at or, The Whale, it was a philosophical deep dive into wine and restaurant culture outside of the U.S. Last May, Moorer got married, and he and his wife’s Airbnb in Paris sat above L’Ivress Sentier, a wine bar…
Three video games to make you at least feel active this winter
It’s only January, but the weather outside is already as frightful as the thought of James Harrison plowing over Ben Roethlisberger in the event that the Patriots and the Steelers play each other in the upcoming AFC Championship. As I write this, the East Coast is currently being smacked around by something called the Bomb…
Pennsylvania Democrats need to cut ties with Lt. Gov. Mike Stack’s re-election campaign
In an online City Paper piece published Jan. 3, I did something that I never thought would ever happen — I wrote a column agreeing with Republican state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a.k.a. the Supreme Leader Snoke of the Pennsylvania House. Metcalfe had sent a surprisingly well-reasoned letter to Gov. Tom Wolf asking Wolf to release…
Duquesne’s men’s and women’s hoops teams keep getting better and better
I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, here comes Wysocki writing about Duquesne basketball again.” And, yes, you’re correct. I’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about how both the men’s and women’s teams are due for a resurgence after years of less-than-mediocre performances. Well, I’m not here to repeat myself. Because the revolution on…
Chef Csilla Thackray launches a new dinner series in support of Planned Parenthood
Chef Csilla (pronounced Chill-a) Thackray wants you to take a seat at her table. The 26-year-old chef has been cooking professionally for four years, having made a big impression in the Pittsburgh dining scene at the helm of The Vandal. She’s been the chef there since Joey Hilty opened the Lawrenceville restaurant four years ago.…
New Local Release: Amuck’s For My Own Amusement
Amuck For My Own Amusement Self-released amuck412.bandcamp.com Amuck’s rhymes are full of nerd-culture references, punk attitude and funny bars. It’s clear that Amuck prioritizes fun over anything else. “I’m like the tastiest atheist in the damn world,” he exclaims on “Amuck, No!,” while promising to kick out at two-and-a-half, if anyone tries to hold him…
Pittsbrrrrrrgh
The recent frigid temperatures have frozen Pittsburgh’s mighty three rivers. The Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio have accumulated inches of ice in many spots. This week has temperatures above the freezing point, but check out our recent Blogh to read why Lee Hendricks, of the Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service, says that doesn’t mean…
Critics’ Pick: Saint Ripper at Babyland Garage
[HXC] + FRI., JAN. 12 Boston has a penchant for producing mean-ass hardcore music, and Saint Ripper is no exception to the rule. Its aggressive hardcore punk has a bite, but it’s also the kind of music that begs to be enjoyed in a mosh pit full of friends. Joining Saint Ripper is Boston’s dark-punk/post-punk…
Pittsburgh’s #notwhite collective holds its inaugural exhibition
IN BETWEEN THE MIDDLE Opening reception: 6-8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 12 (free). Exhibit continues through Feb. 23. Brew House Association, 711 21st St., South Side. 412-381-2000 or brewhousearts.org In December, following the high-profile U.S. Senate election in Alabama, social media buzzed with the big discrepancies in support for each candidate between voters from different demographic…
Critics’ Pick: Driftwood, Arlo Aldo and Sam Stucky at Club Cafe
[ALT-FOLK] + FRI., JAN. 12 RESCHEDULED: THU., MARCH 15 As agreeable as they are enticing, the sounds of alt-folk group Driftwood are rooted in the land, but elevated to folk-pop radio standards. The band features a masterful fiddle player and offers warm live vibes, so it would be a shame to miss the kickoff of…
The return of Brazil’s gravity-defying Grupo Corpo
GRUPO CORPO 8 p.m., Wed., Jan. 17. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $10-60. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org While soccer might be Brazil’s best-known export, one of its most esteemed cultural products, dance company Grupo Corpo, returns to the Byham Theater on Jan. 17 courtesy of Pittsburgh Dance Council. The company was founded in 1975 and…
Critics’ Pick: Making Movies at Smalls
[LATIN ROCK] + TUE., JAN. 16 Making Movies isn’t new to the music scene (boasting creds with Arcade Fire and Los Lobos, to name a few). But the Kansas City-based band is fresh to the political scene, having dove headfirst into the 2017 political climate, by posing with a tarp reading, “We are all immigrants.”…
Paddington 2
Paddington 2 Directed by Paul King Starring Ben Wishaw, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville In the gloom of January — often a dumping ground for uninspired movies that nobody was going to see anyway — comes a rare bloom: Paddington 2, the sequel to 2014’s Paddington, is better than the first film. Yes, this…
Jo-Anne Bates’s Exploration of Color at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
In her Pittsburgh Center for the Arts Artist of the Year exhibit, Exploration of Color, Jo-Anne Bates focuses on the mono print: a one-of-a-kind piece. The exhibit is beautiful and joyful as you enter the gallery, filled with color and unique abstract shapes. Each piece is individual down to its form and surface. Bates plays…
Mayor Peduto promised transparency and accountability. Did his first term deliver?
In October 2016, as Mayor Bill Peduto was approaching the final year of his first term, the city’s Department of Innovation and Performance debuted a new app called Burgh’s Eye View. The app is an interactive map that displays different city-related data sets: 311 requests (non-emergency municipal services like reporting graffiti), information about building permits,…
Carnegie Mellon professor’s new memoir revisits her brain injury
After Carnegie Mellon University math professor Deb Brandon was released from the hospital following three brain surgeries in 2007, she took to books and the Internet to try to understand what life would be like. Although there were plenty of resources about the trauma that caused the injury, there was nothing about living with one.…
Four tasteless film classics from John Waters screen at Row House Cinema
It’s a four-pack of John Waters classics filling up the screen at Row House Cinema, starting Fri., Jan. 12. In today’s seen-it-all culture, these former midnight movies can never be as shocking as they once were, but they still offer enjoyable tasteless humor. Each film stars Waters’ greatest collaborator, Divine. MULTIPLE MANIACS. Waters’ 1970 spectacle…
