Pat Toomey: Still ready to crash through the ceiling
There’s been some talk recently about whether Republicans really have the stomach for a debt-ceiling fight, whose ultimate outcome could be a default on payments to government bond-holders. Even Newt “Voice of Reason” Gingrich predicted on MSNBC that the GOP won’t go through with it: “The whole national financial system is going to come in…
Heads Up: Morning headlines for Jan. 8
For Pittsburgh police, the death of Ka’Sandra Wade is shaping up to be what Curtis Mitchell’s death was for city paramedics: a tragic death that could raise some uncomfortable questions about how public safety works in this town. The Post-Gazette has more details on how police handled an earlier 9-1-1 call from Wade, a call…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/08/13
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; watching a game at Lambeau Field; Ray Lewis, Michael Vick rewarded for bad behavior; Stubenville rape case; social media driving the mob; oldest American dies….again!; Americans For Responsible Solutions — Gabby Giffords’ counter to the NRA; police leave house after 911 call without checking around, woman’s body found next day;…
Supreme Court picks date for DOMA cases
SCOTUS to hear DOMA arguments at the end of March
Education watchdog group seeking volunteers for principal interviews
A+ Schools looking for volunteers to conduct interviews for its School Works initiative
District Attorney releases statement on Wade case
As we noted this morning, the investigation into the police visit to the apartment of Anthony Brown prior to a murder-suicide later that left Brown and Ka’Sandra Wade dead is far from over. District Attorney Stephen Zappala released a statement on the case this morning, after calling for more details this weekend in a Tribune-Review…
Heads Up: Morning headlines for Jan. 7
Progressive hero Daylin Leach, a state Senator from Montgomery County, will be proposing a bill to legalize marijuana. Leach’s case for legalization sounds cogent and reasonable, which means of course that it has no chance of being passed in Harrisburg. The city of Pittsburgh has chosen 33 people to sit on a panel looking into…
Local Biking Doc to air on QED
Writer filmed his own journey from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.
Marcellus Shale Coalition launches ad campaign in light of Promised Land
Gas-drilling industry running ads before screenings of Promised Land
Nearing its last supper: Pop-up restaurant Crux announces final series of dinners
Nomadic chef Brandon Baltzley is hosting his final series of collaborations with Pittsburgh chefs at his pop-up restaurant, Crux.
Vigil for gun violence victims scheduled
Jan. 8 vigil will remember victims of gun violence
Winter/Spring Science Education Programming for Children at Phipps Conservatory
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens The season for ankle-deep grey slush doesn’t have to prevent your children from doing some nature-based learning. The Phipps Conservatory is offering a variety of Science Education programming to teach kids about conservation and ecology in an immersive environment. Tonight, Phipps hold one of its monthly “Evening Ed-Ventures,” 6:30-9:30 p.m.…
New video from Beedie: “Miss Me”
Just a heads-up that former CP cover boy Beedie released a new video, and it’s very nicely done and features zombies. Enjoy!
Heads Up: Morning headlines for Jan. 4
Hey, here’s some news: Outside of Las Vegas, Pennsylvanians are the biggest losers when it comes to gambling. We lose more money to slots machines than any other state. Although the Post-Gazette headline puts it a slightly different way: “Gambling revenue last year in Pa. second only to Nevada.” Speaking of bad bets, if Tom…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/04/13
Video Archive Drinking to stay warm isn’t a good idea; Corbett / NCAA lawsuit; Penn State business community suffering from the sanctions imposed; lawsuit NOT brought on by Penn State, but by the Commonwealth of PA; a senator’s bad grammar; women vs. men in government; can someone tell Republicans that the point of Congress &…
Groups to target LGBT teen bullying
Persad Center, GLSEN and PFLAG will co-host a Safe Schools summit this month to target bullying of LGBT kids in Pittsburgh schools. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wed., Jan. 16, at the Lexus Club at PNC Park. It will feature national speakers from the Trevor Project, GLSEN and PFLAG,…
Heads Up: Morning headlines for Jan. 3
Story of the day: In every politician’s career, there comes a moment to choose where you stand. Gov. Tom Corbett has apparently found his: opposing the NCAA’s sanctions against Penn State. You can watch the half-hour-long press conference itself here; it’s sort of remarkable. Corbett says the NCAA did an end-run around its own procedures…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/03/13
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; razors that leave stubble; thumbs down for Les Mis the movie; Cliffs Notes / Spark Notes — teachers use software to scan for students using these in papers; Corbett suing NCAA; speech slip-ups; weather people are the only ones with personality these days; “ethnic” people don’t cut it in southern…
Wind-power tax credits extended
Federal incentives should help wind projects advance
State lawmaker proposes allowing school personnel to carry firearms
Buried in the New Year’s Eve confetti was this news tidbit from our friends at Philadelphia’s City Paper: A Pennsylvania state lawmaker has proposed allowing school employees to carry weapons to school. In the wake of the tragic shooting of 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., on Dec.…
Downtown Tailgate for “The Chief”
While the Steelers themselves have limped off into the sunset, Pittsburgh Public Theater offers one more pro-football-related tailgate party within a Hail Mary pass of Heinz Field. Tomorrow at lunchtime, the Public launches its latest production of this popular one-man show about Art Rooney, Sr., with a tailgate in Katz Plaza (the one with the…
Heads Up: Morning headlines for Jan. 2
Welcome to 2013. You’ll be happy to hear that a majority of Congress — including all of Pennsylvania’s representatives — voted in favor of a deal to avert the so-called “fiscal cliff.” Which means that all of this debate over spending is resolved forever. Or for two months. Whichever comes first. Is this a good…
Final Thoughts
Turn the Clemente Bridge into a Park Pittsburgh is the city of bridges, yet there’s no single attraction that celebrates that fact. A community park and greenspace over the Allegheny River would be the perfect showpiece for our city. The park would be open to the public but could also be a source of revenue…
From “Super Mario Clouds” to cats playing Schoenberg, YouTube packrat Corey Arcangel’s work comprises a fascinating retrospective at the Carnegie.
CORY ARCANGEL: MASTERS continues through Jan. 27. Carnegie Museum of Art 4400 Forbes Ave. Oakland. 412-622-3131 www.cmoa.org Cory Arcangel: Masters offers a selection of works drawn from the renowned 10-years-to-date career of this 33-year-old artist. Digital/video/internet reworker Arcangel is charming and bemused — and his art is charming and bemused, too, which is neither surprising…
Packing Heat
During his 2010 campaign, Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey once joked, “My idea of gun control is a steady aim.” And even when horrors like the shootings in Newtown, Conn., shake the conscience of a nation, the National Rifle Association maintains a steady grip on Pennsylvania politicians. In the 2010 and 2012 election cycles, the NRA…
Anti-capitalists host weekly discussion series in Lawrenceville
CAPITAL’S END 6:30 p.m. Sun., Jan. 6. 4130 Butler St. Lawrenceville. Free. 724-388-6258 or facebook.com “When capitalism ends, humanity begins” is the statement that opens each Capital’s End event. Judging from the group’s frank open-mic discussions and diverse attendance, humanity seems alive and well. The weekly meetings at Lawrenceville’s Istanbul Grille have taken place every Sunday…
Locked and Loaded
Two years ago this month, I wrote a column after a mass shooting — the one that happened in Tucson — predicting that nothing would change. Arizona gun stores were already reporting record sales of the firearms and large-capacity magazines used in the attack, because gun-worshippers were afraid that government tyrants would rip those products…
Local author Michel Sauret mines everyday life more than his military experience.
Michel Sauret spent the first 10 years of his life in Rome, Italy. Then his Italian and French parents immigrated to Pittsburgh. He joined the military and in 2008, at age 22, he was deployed to Iraq for a year as an Army journalist. But all these circumstances, unusual as they might seem, don’t interest…
Savage Love
Can an open relationship work if it’s this type: dating two people, separately, both serious, neither relationship is the “primary” one? Define “work.” Most people define “work” — in the context of a relationship — as “a loving, lasting, long-term relationship that ends only with the death of one or both parties.” But I define…
Paul Chojnowski’s images are made on wood and paper with a propane torch.
NIGHT/LIGHT continues through Sat., Jan. 5. James Gallery 413 S. Main St. West End. 412-922-9800 or jamesgallery.net Fascinated by the way light plays off surfaces at night, Paul Chojnowski uses a propane torch to “draw” atmospheric images onto paper and wood. The exhibition Night/Light, at James Gallery, gathers work from two series that Chojnowski calls…
Short List: January 2 – 8
FREE EVENT: Fri., Jan. 4 — Art Chuckle if you must at the phrase “healthy artists.” But to Julie Sokolow, lack of access to health care is serious business: Despite spending more on health care than any other nation, the U.S. still doesn’t cover everybody, and artists, so frequently underemployed, are often among those who…
Promised Land
Promised Land Directed by: Gus Van Sant Starring: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski Starts: Fri., Jan. 4 Promised Land opens with a symbolic image — a close-up of its protagonist, Steve Butler, cleansing his face with water. But Steve (Matt Damon) is about to get dirty before he gets clean. Steve is a land…
Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh
Vallozzi’s Pittsburgh 220 Fifth Ave., Downtown. 412-394-3400 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat. 5-11 p.m. Prices: Appetizers and mozzarella bar $5.50-14; entrees $17-50 Liquor: Full bar While corporate chain restaurants tend to ring city centers by establishing links in suburban shopping centers, local restaurants branch out in more idiosyncratic patterns. An…
The Impossible
The Impossible begins and ends as a story of privilege: An affluent couple (Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts) and their three sons vacation in paradise, and a private jet later flies them away. But the paradise is Thailand, in December 2004, and they arrive just a few days before the tsunami. Directed by J.A. Bayona, The…
#EatForFree
Jaz White, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Pittsburgh, gets creative when it comes to finding free meals. At least once a week, her lunch comes from PITT ARTS’ “Artful Wednesday,” which lures students to the William Pitt Union with food to accompany a dance or music performance. Lectures in the creative-writing program (White…
The Loneliest Planet
In Julia Loktev’s spare drama, a young American couple (Gael Garcia Bernal, Hani Furstenberg) are enjoying a backpacking adventure in the remote parts of Georgia. They hire a local man (Bidzina Gujabidze) to guide them on a trek of the Caucasus Mountains. Things are going well, until one misstep (literally) happens that causes a deep…
Burgh’ers mixes up cocktail improvisations in Harmony, Pa.
The bar at Burgh’ers in Harmony, Pa., isn’t your typical watering hole. There are no cupcake-flavored vodkas, and if you order a Jack & Coke, you’ll be steered toward a more refined cocktail. “People want something that’s familiar, but you can use that to stretch their palates,” says Dee Hutto, who’s been running the cocktail…
Ben Opie’s Flexure takes up residence at the New Hazlett — at least for a few days
FLEXURE IN RESIDENCE PERFORMANCE. 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 5. New Hazlett Theater 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $12-16.? All ages. 412-320-4610 or newhazlett theater.org Given the chance to write, rehearse and record in any space in Pittsburgh, there are plenty of musicians who would head straight to the New Hazlett Theater on the North…
ThreeFiftyDegree Bakery offers baked goods through its website
Like many small businesses, Janie Crawford and Barb Reale’s bakery grew out of a hobby. “When we moved to Pittsburgh, we started making Christmas cookie baskets for friends and coworkers,” says Crawford. “When Barb got a serving job at Piper’s Pub, they liked our treats so much that they suggested we start making desserts for…
Parquet Courts are an American band
PARQUET COURTS with PSYCHIC BOOTS, CRAPPY FUNERAL. 9 p.m. Tue., Jan. 8. Kopec’s Korner 3523 Penn Ave. Lawrenceville. 412-683-4190 While the parquet floor of Boston Garden exists as but a memory for most Celtics fans, chunks of the defunct arena’s court have found new life in the form of collectible pens, cufflinks and key chains,…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/02/13
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; Happy 2013!; Django Unchained, Les Miserables, & Promised Land; watching CSPAN last night was more miserable than Les Miz; fiscal cliff agreement; our dysfunctional Republicans; Obama & debt ceiling negotiations; Hillary Clinton’s blood clot & hospitalization, what it means for next election; Dick Cheney’s heart problems prove he actually has…
Revival Series fill Mr. Small’s with local bands — for free
The credo of the Revival Series at Mr. Small’s Theatre — “Because in a perfect world: Shows are free, people show up, bands get paid and local music reigns supreme” — might sound like a pipe dream, but the system is pretty simple. Each of the four or five bands on a Revival bill is…
Critics’ Picks: January 2 – 8
[INDIE ROCK] + FRI., JAN. 4 You’d be forgiven for mistaking “Young, Dumb and Drunk,” the first single from Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, for a Beach House tune: Hernandez’s voice dips and soars not unlike Victoria Legrande’s, and the song has a meditative stillness about it. It’s a beauty that defies its title (which…
On the Record with Dessa
DESSA 8 p.m. Thu., Jan. 10. Shadow Lounge 5972 Baum Blvd. East Liberty. $12-14. 18 and over. 412-363-8277 or shadowlounge.net Singer, rapper and Doomtree collective member Dessa started out as a slam poet, but some of her output now is more like that of a torch singer. A longer version of this interview is available…
Bring the PedalPub to Pittsburgh
Like Santa Claus, the beer bike is known by many names. Fietscafe in the Netherlands. Das BierBike in Germany. Pedibus in London. The PedalPub in Minneapolis. While it’s called many things, it’s recognizable all around the world. It looks like a pub on wheels: a bar in the middle with a beer barrel at one…
Promote Ethical Eating: A majority of food-service workers lack reasonable wages and benefits
When it comes to dining, much ado is given the food: where it comes from, how it’s grown, how the people and animals behind it are treated. Not much attention is paid to the people who prepare it, cook it and serve it once it reaches your local eatery. For the last decade, the Restaurant…
Put All City and County Data Online
Across the country, cities and counties are freely releasing online public data that has long been locked in cabinets, hidden behind busy clerks or in ancient proprietary software. And efforts to make such data widely accessible are sparking innovation, helping to create new businesses and increasing the quality of life. In New Orleans, for…
