The Hunger Games prequel is completely unnecessary
Oh, the rush of pleasure that filled my body when I heard that Suzanne Collins was releasing The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. I bought the book as soon as it hit shelves, ready to immerse myself in the land of Panem. But while I enjoyed being back…
How and when local bookstores are reopening
Allegheny County is officially in the green phase. For book lovers, that means you can once again browse the aisles of your favorite local bookstore. Find out what indie stores are open and when, below. Amazing Books & Records, Downtown and Squirrel Hill. amazingbooksandrecords.com Reopened: Sun., May 24 Hours: Squirrel Hill: Sun-Thu. 12-9 p.m., Fri.…
At Black Lives Matter rally, attendees call on North Allegheny school board to implement anti-racist policies
Today, about 100 suburban Pittsburghers gathered in Blueberry Hill Park in the North Hills borough of Franklin Park for a Black Lives Matter rally. The crowd carried signs, gave speeches, and then participated in a drive-by protest through the North Hills. The rally was organized by NA for Change, a group of students and alumni from…
Update: Scott Township commissioner resigns after transphobic comments concerning Dr. Rachel Levine
Update: 2 p.m. June 17 Scott Township commissioner Paul Abel resigned his role on Wed., June 17, as per a post on the township’s Facebook. In a story from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today, Abel’s letter of resignation was quoted, “Residents took to social media to voice their opinions and vent their anger. That is their…
In Vivarium, Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots shelter in place (indefinitely)
When real estate agents refer to a “forever home,” it’s usually not taken literally — just that the lawn is green, the neighbors are nice, the schools are good, and that you may be compelled to stay there for a very long time. In Lorcan Finnegan’s 2019 sci-fi thriller Vivarium, the term should be taken…
Free Will Astrology (6/17 – 6/24)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “A finished person is a boring person,” writes author Anna Quindlan. I agree! Luckily, you are quite unfinished, and thus not at all boring — especially these days. More than ever before, you seem willing to treat yourself as an art project that’s worthy of your creative ingenuity — as a…
Antwon Rose’s mother says she ‘can’t stand the lies!’ after denying Trump’s claims he met with her family
Today, President Donald Trump, as part of an announcement of his executive order addressing police reform, claimed he met with a number of family members of Black people killed by police. And, he specifically mentioned Antwon Rose II, the Black teenager who was shot and killed by a police officer about two years ago in an…
Photos: Police brutality and environmental racism protest march in Downtown Pittsburgh
Youth-led protesters against police brutality and environmental racism marched today through Downtown Pittsburgh for more than four hours, starting and ending at the City-County Building along Grant Street. Around 150 people joined in, stopping a few times along Liberty Avenue and Grant Street. In response to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette management barring some journalists from protest coverage, the…
An extensive list of 2020 Juneteenth events in the Pittsburgh area
Last year, Juneteenth, the June 19 celebration and commemoration the emancipation of Black enslaved people at the end of the Civil War, was designated an official holiday in Pennsylvania. The holiday has long been celebrated by Black communities across the United States to honor Black history, culture, and freedom. Because of coronavirus quarantine precautions, many…
Carnegie Library launches curbside pickup and returns at select branches
Library patrons haven’t been able to browse the stacks for months, but next week, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will begin offering curbside pickup and returns at select locations. Starting Tue., June 23, CLP will offer pickup for items at the Allegheny, Brookline, East Liberty, Hill District, and Main branches. For now, pickup for materials will…
Buy this music, support a cause
Whether taking to the streets in protest, riding a bike for 412 miles, or even buying a t-shirt, people are finding different ways to support and raise awareness for their favorite causes and organizations. Below is a selection of albums, EPs, and singles from Pittsburgh musicians and bands who are donating the proceeds from their music…
Post-Gazette sued for allegedly violating civil rights laws when barring Alexis Johnson from protest coverage
Today, an attorney for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalist Alexis Johnson filed a civil lawsuit against the paper, alleging that the P-G violated the Civil Rights Act of 1866 by retaliating against someone who opposes or protests race discrimination. Two weeks ago, Johnson, who is Black, says she was barred from protest coverage after a tweet she…
Lynn Cullen Live – 6/16/20
Video Archive Gorsuch writing the decision in yesterday’s landmark LGBTQ+ Supreme Court decision is where Lynn and Susan are starting the show. They are also talking about the lack of news coverage of the continuing Black Lives Matter protests, and what defunding the police means. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows…
CMU responds to criticism of hiring former Trump cabinet member Richard Grenell
Last week, Carnegie Mellon University announced Richard Grenell, former ambassador to Germany and former acting Director of National Intelligence under the Trump administration, will be joining the school’s Institute for Politics and Strategy (IPS) as a senior fellow. After announcing Grenell’s position on social media, CMU and IPS were immediately met with criticism from students,…
LGBTQ people in Pa. finally have workplace nondiscrimination protections after US Supreme Court ruling
Today, the Supreme Court passed a landmark ruling expanding non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across the country. This includes Pennsylvania, where statewide civil rights protections for LGBTQ people have lagged, thanks to Republicans in the state blocking a bill to give people protections. Passed by a 6-3 majority, the ruling determined that employment discrimination on…
Level Up Studio launches #ArtIsEssential fundraiser
Since 2016, Level Up Studios has provided classes and studio space for Pittsburgh creatives of all ages interested in everything from creative writing to martial arts and dance. Now, to continue to bring its services to the area, the Bloomfield business is asking for help with the launch of the #ArtisEssential fundraiser. “Many of you…
Activist coalition delivers police-reform demands to Pittsburgh city and county leaders
Today, a coalition of advocacy groups from across the Pittsburgh region issued a list of demands of legislation and action relating to police reform in the city and Allegheny County. Many of the groups present at today’s press conference have been heavily involved in organizing protests related to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna…
Lynn Cullen Live – 6/15/20
Video Archive Two full page ad letters in the New York Times; “Dear white corporate America” by Omar Johnson, and ” Black America Speaks” by Byron Allen are where Lynn is starting the show this week. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro charges fracking giant Range Resources with environmental crimes
Yesterday, the large fracking company Range Resources pled no contest to charges of environmental crimes related to leaks and contamination at natural-gas wells in Washington County. The plea was in response to charges set forth by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D-Montgomery), which stemmed from a two-year investigation. “In Pennsylvania, clean air and pure water…
Protesters demand answers in death of trans activist Aaliyah Johnson
This story has been updated on Mon., June 15 with additional details from the protest and a statement from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner On Fri., June 12, a few hundred protesters gathered in McKeesport, calling for a thorough investigation into the suspicious death of Aaliyah Denise Johnson, a 32-year-old Black trans woman and activist.…
Dallas Beauty Lounge accused of racist remarks, unethical business practices
Dallas Beauty Lounge, a salon with two Pittsburgh-area locations in Market Square and Bridgeville, has come under fire after a recent Twitter thread accused the owner, Dallas Michelucci, of racist and unethical behavior. On Wed., June 10, Twitter user Maxxy Rainbow posted an extensive thread outlining how staff and clients experienced Michelucci using racist language…
Why two CMU professors wrote an essay criticizing their school’s response to protests against police brutality
When events as significant as the May and June protests against police brutality occur, major institutions like universities make public statements to address their community. Carnegie Mellon University released multiple statements addressing the killings and protests, but for some, they read more as risk mitigation than an honest address. Two Black faculty members, Jason England,…
The Vanishing Half melds fiction and fantasy, but its insights into Black identity in America couldn’t be more real
Really think about the following question: If you had the option to present yourself as either Black or white to the world, what would you choose? In Brit Bennett’s sophomore novel, The Vanishing Half, a set of identical light-skinned twin sisters end up on two very different paths when one marries a Black man and…
International Newsguild president calling on Keith Burris and Karen Kane to resign from Post-Gazette
Today, the head of the NewsGuild-CWA is calling for the immediate resignation of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette executive editor Keith Burris and managing editor Karen Kane. This comes just days after more controversy struck the Post-Gazette, as the paper’s management barred Black journalists from covering Black Lives Matter protest coverage, claiming staffers like Alexis Johnson and Michael…
Photos: Taylor Allderdice Black Student Union Organizes Protest
Around 200 people gathered at Taylor Allderdice High School today for a sit-in led by the school’s Black Student Union. The students shared their thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement, read biographies of victims of police brutality, and sang songs. Guest speakers included Rep. Summer Lee (D-Swissvale) and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree…
Group effort turns Black Lives Matter mural into community art project
On Sat., June 6, an area under the Fort Duquesne Bridge was transformed into a bold piece of guerilla protest art when a group of rogue painters wrote “Black Lives Matter” in huge, white lettering across the site. The graffiti mural appeared amidst days of protests in Pittsburgh and across the world spurred by the…
Lynn Cullen Live – 6/11/20
Video Archive Pittsburgh City Paper’s Ryan Deto is joining Lynn today to discuss the local story with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette that has become national news. Audio Only Archive Stream or download the last 5 shows on the MP3 downloads page.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editor’s photo with Trump proves own journalistic bias he claims to condemn
In 2016, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher and then-editor in chief John Robinson Block was photographed on a private plane with presidential candidate Donald Trump. The photograph was shared with Pittsburgh City Paper by a source who took a screenshot of it from Block’s Facebook page with the caption, “In 39 years of full time journalism I’ve…
Lynn Cullen Live – 6/10/20
Video Archive The distribution of disinformation is Lynn first topic of discussion today. She is also covering the happenings at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette as a lead up to tomorrow when Ryan Deto will be joining her to talk about this story. As the country continues to reopen Dr. Fauci is warning that the pandemic…
The Homeless Gospel Choir’s new album captures the punk rock family it was always meant to be
When Derek Zanetti’s dad died in 2018, he assumed it would be easy to write slow, sad acoustic songs. “But I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t get myself to write anything sad,” says Zanetti, who releases music under the moniker The Homeless Gospel Choir. “I was like, ‘My dad just died, my mom is sick…
Pittsburgh psychics and tarot readers talk divination in the time of COVID-19
People resort to a variety of methods to find some semblance of order in this chaotic time. For some, occult intervention could be just what they need to feel more in control. This is the kind of service being offered by mediums and readers of tarot and other divination tools. And readers throughout Pittsburgh are…
Over a week of Black Lives Matter protests expose Pittsburgh Police’s weakness in safely managing demonstrations
There have now been more than a dozen protests across the Pittsburgh region for George Floyd, a Black man killed by Minneapolis Police, and Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by Louisville police. The protests are condemning police brutality against Black people; the tens of thousands of Pittsburghers who have marched are calling for swift…
Free Will Astrology (6/10 – 6/17)
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to novelist Octavia E. Butler, “Positive obsession is about not being able to stop just because you’re afraid and full of doubts.” That’s what I wish for you in the coming weeks, Gemini: positive obsession. It’s also what I expect! My analysis of the astrological omens suggests that you will…
Avoiding COVID-19 during protests — recommendations and what Pittsburghers are doing to help
While protests against police brutality and racism in the wake of the death of George Floyd continue across the country and here in Pittsburgh, the other big crisis affecting the world hasn’t gone away. Transmission of COVID-19 remains a concern, even though Allegheny County moved into the “green” phase of Pennsylvania’s reopen plan on June…
Support local, Black businesses and your lobster-tail habit at Soul & Sea
Though many parts of the food industry have changed in the last three months, one thing has remained the same: the fried lobster tail is still a must-have when dining at Soul & Sea. Brittany Houser, co-owner of the three-year-old soul and seafood restaurant, introduced me to the dish the first time I visited their…
