UPDATE: Duquesne University professor fired after using n-word multiple times in video class with student
UPDATE — 5:05 p.m. Oct. 7: Gary Shank, the Duquesne University professor who used the n-word during a virtual class last month, has been fired, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Duquesne University Provost David Dausey sent a letter to Shank, which read: “I have received the report written by Dean Generett regarding your conduct “I agree…
Officer under investigation for misconduct is one of Pittsburgh’s highest paid employees
According to public salary information for the City of Pittsburgh, Paul Abel Jr., a police officer currently under investigation for potential misconduct for an aggressive arrest he conducted near the Squirrel Hill farmers’ market, made $156,106 in total compensation last year. That makes him among the most highly-compensated city employees last year. Abel took home…
Song Spotlight: “Pray to God” by Slicky Williams
Pittsburgh’s Slicky Williams doesn’t leave the house without praying to God. Or, at least that’s what he claims in his latest single, “Pray to God.” Driven by a sonorous bassline, in “Pray to God,” the hip-hop/R&B musician chronicles the turbulent inner city way of life. Nothing is guaranteed, and even further, Williams never knows what…
6 different ways to celebrate Negroni Week at home in Pittsburgh
For eight years, Imbibe Magazine and Campari have hosted Negroni Week, a global, weeklong celebration of the traditional Italian cocktail. Typically, restaurants across Pittsburgh honor the classic drink, composed of sweet vermouth, Campari, and gin, with special menus, events, and more, donating a portion of the proceeds to a charity of their choice. It’s also…
Pa. plan to limit carbon from power plants approved; Wolf admin sets 2022 target date
A state environmental review board gave the green light to a statewide cap-and-trade program Tuesday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The Environmental Quality Board voted 13-6 Tuesday to let Pennsylvania enter the multi-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. However, the program will not immediately become law. A host of hearings, votes, and reviews…
United Steelworkers calls on Pittsburgh to vote with projected “batlight” campaign
The United Steelworkers is making a superhero-sized statement about voting with a new campaign in Pennsylvania and other battleground states. Last week, the United Steelworkers (USW) launched a nighttime campaign to project giant messages in support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his vice-presidential pick, Kamala Harris. Between now and Election Day, the outdoor projection,…
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Join a virtual webinar with Mayo Clinic and St. Clair doctors who are fighting against COVID-19
Do you have questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic? Ask the experts on the front line at a virtual town hall held by St. Clair Hospital and Mayo Clinic on Wed., Sept. 30. The free Zoom meeting will be moderated by KDKA-TV Health and Medical Editor Maria Simbra, M.D. Experts include St. Clair Physician and Chief…
Call log shows Wilkinsburg Police may have been chasing wrong man before shooting Romir Talley, says lawyer
When Romir Talley was shot and killed by Wilkinsburg Police, the account given by the police department was that officers were responding to a 911 caller who said they witnessed an assailant hold someone up with a handgun, and then claimed that Talley matched that description. Police officers pursued Talley, and within a minute, they…
EP Spotlight: Kyklos by kidmental
Pittsburgh live-looping beatbox artist kidmental is usually known for impromptu music he customizes for clients. But now he has taken to prerecorded music with the Sept. 1 release of Kyklos, an EP about racial tensions and disparity. Each track, which starts with kidmental’s signature letter k, highlights the ongoing injustices Black people have faced for…
Anti-Flag documentary to debut in October
27 years, 12 records, endless shows, and hundreds of songs — Pittsburgh’s politically-fueled punk rock band Anti-Flag has used its voice to share messages of activism, human rights, and anti-war since 1993. Now, with the direction of Ohio-based filmmaker Jon Nix, fans will get a look into the trials and tribulations of playing politically charged music…
Lawsuit against Allegheny County Jail alleges inadequate mental health care and “dehumanizing” conditions
Today, five current inmates at the Allegheny County Jail have filed a lawsuit against the county, Warden Orlando Harper, and county and jail officials in charge of mental health. The lawsuit alleges that the jail is “rife with systemic deficiencies that deprive people with psychiatric disabilities of necessary care, and, indeed, make their conditions worse.”…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/15/20
Video Archive Susan is sharing how she has been unable to read the newspaper recently. Normally she would get up before the show, and read up to figure out what to talk about with Lynn on Tuesdays. Even looking at the weather report has made her stressed out with the fires on the West Coast,…
Trump retweets QAnon-supporting account that called Pa. first lady a “stupid wife”
In a long tweet storm today, President Donald Trump retweeted an account that referred to Pennsylvania first lady Frances Wolf as a “stupid wife.” A @JohnFavere account declared on Sept. 12, “PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR TOM WOLF AN YOUR STUPID WIFE …..YOUR NOT GOING TO MURDER US !!! TRUMP 2020 … WE LOVE PENNSYLVANIA” and tagged Trump’s…
ELECTION 2020 VIDEO TRAINING: Tools, Key Dates, & Voter Registration Day
The above video is the first in a four-part non-partisan webinar community training series aiming to help Pennsylvania nonprofits, community groups, and organizations ensure their hard-to-reach neighbors vote in the upcoming general election. Each of the remaining sessions are free and broadcasted over Zoom, every Wednesday in September from Noon-1:30 p.m., and Pennsylvania nonprofits, neighborhood…
Song Spotlight: “The Pain Has A Purpose” by Some Faith
“The Pain Has A Purpose” is an eerie, hypnotizing debut track release from Some Faith, a new Pittsburgh dark synth-pop duo. Vocalist Indigo Baloch and producer Brian Sikes Howe plan to continue releasing music throughout 2020 — they already have an entire album ready — but, for now, are only sharing this first ghostly single,…
Federal judge in Pittsburgh declares Wolf’s key COVID-19 restrictions unconstitutional, Wolf plans to appeal
A U.S. District court judge in Pittsburgh has struck down the most significant portions of the Wolf administration’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that state-imposed limits on outdoor gatherings, its stay at home order, and its business shutdown orders were unconstitutional. Officials in four southwestern Pennsylvania counties: Butler, Fayette, Greene and Washington counties,…
Pittsburgh Steelers will display Antwon Rose Jr.’s name on helmets for whole season
Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers play their first game of the 2020 season against the New York Giants, and every single player’s helmet will display the name of Antwon Rose Jr. And his name will be there for the entirety of the season, a decision the entire team came together to make. Rose was a Black…
What you need to know to work the polls on Election Day in Pennsylvania
Hit by the one-two punch of the pandemic and an aging workforce, election officials across the commonwealth and nationwide are racing to deal with a shortage of polling place volunteers on Election Day. And with two months to go before the polls open, time is running out. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar,…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/14/20
Video Archive Lynn is covering a bunch of topics today. She is talking about a tweet from Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel. “Joe Biden can’t run from his disastrous record responding to the coronavirus.” She is also discussing hope, and an opinion piece in the Washington Post by E.J. Dionne. The line “Hope is…
Pittsburgh’s cat cafe bound for new Garfield location
The Garfield arts and business district will soon have a new resident when Black Cat Market relocates to Penn Avenue. The Black Cat Market, a cat cafe that has operated out of Lawrenceville since 2018, announced the move on its Instagram page. Indigo Baloch, who co-owns and runs Black Cat with Olivia Ciotoli, says they…
7 waterfalls to chase in Allegheny County, and one just outside of it
Allegheny County is known for its rivers, creeks, and streams. Sometimes, in the Pittsburgh region, even our roads turn into rivers when there is enough rain. And with fast-flowing bodies of water, come waterfalls. More famous Western Pennsylvania waterfalls include Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park and Buttermilk Falls in Beaver Falls. And while those falls…
Bernie stumps for Biden in digital Pennsylvania town hall
Pennsylvania progressives got a pep talk on Joe Biden’s left credentials for about an hour and a half Thursday night led by Vermont Senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. He was joined by union leaders, grassroots activists, and state elected officials from across the commonwealth to hammer home that while the Scranton-native may diverge…
Pitt bioengineers use fictional zombie outbreak to teach teens about viruses
Jokes comparing the pandemic to a zombie apocalypse are often thrown around, but students and faculty at the University of Pittsburgh took it as a way to teach teens about viral outbreaks. The Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation and CampBioE, a science program aimed at middle and high school students, joined forces to create a…
Track Debut: “How to Survive” by Dinosoul
Before announcing its newest track on Facebook last week, the last time Pittsburgh indie, darkwave pop band Dinosoul posted was in February, when the impending pandemic still seemed inconceivable. Today, the band — made up of Donny Donovan and Carolyn Hilliard — released “How to Survive,” a pulsing meditative track that asks the question, “How…
Bitter Ends’ spaghetti sandwich is simple and delicious
There are many restaurants whose food I have fantasized about throughout the pandemic, but none as often about Bitter Ends Garden Luncheonette. I miss getting in line on a Saturday morning and ordering a big sandwich full of all kinds of random vegetables, topped with an egg that ran down my hand as I ate…
Parked performance: Live music returns to Pittsburgh
“It means so very much to have an audience again.” The words by City Theatre Managing Director James McNeel couldn’t have been more true. Thursday night might’ve been a strange way of listening to a live concert, but the creativity by the team at City Theatre to safely bring live listeners to Hazelwood Green for…
Pittsburgh’s Black farmers work to grow a new future
In March and April, as the novel coronavirus pandemic took hold of the region, the program Ebony Lunsford-Evans designed to teach gardening to seniors on the North Side of Pittsburgh was shut down. It was also the first spring for her business, FarmerGirlEb, through which she sells a variety of produce grown in plots peppered…
Spirit-free beverage delivery, a new beer garden on the South Side, and more Pittsburgh food news
Openings The Open Road Bar Searching for a no- or low-alcoholic drink option? Find it on The Open Road Bar’s newly-launched website. The bar, which first popped up Downtown earlier this year, is now delivering spirit-free beer, wine, and liquor to your front door. openroadbarpgh.com Lagerlands Socially-Distant Pop-Up Beer Garden Kenny Gould, founder of Hop…
Song Spotlight: “Enough” by Leila Rhodes
“Enough” is the second single released from Lelia Rhodes’ forthcoming album, Attunement, and it opens with a flurry of noise. Rhodes is angry, and she expresses that with layers of vocals drenching in agony, psychedelic guitar flourishes, and a pounding drum beat. She’s had enough of the police brutality against Black lives. “I’m fed up,”…
Bill blocking Pa. from joining emission-reducing agreement clears Senate
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania state Senate passed a bill that would block Gov. Tom Wolf from entering into an agreement meant to require the commonwealth to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is a multi-state initiative and is modeled on a cap-and-trade program that sets a cap on carbon emissions. Facilities that…
For Sale With Baggage: Carry on alone
Stuff can be complicated, especially when trying to get rid of it. The process can remind us that our things can have worth that’s hard to put a dollar amount on; they can call to mind other people from our lives; they can bring up memories of what they were (or weren’t) used for. For…
Months after her disappearance, Braddock mural amplifies search for Tonee Turner
As the search continues for Tonee Turner, a young Hazelwood woman who went missing on Dec. 30, 2019, two local artists are working to keep her memory alive. Multi-disciplinary artist Marcè Nixon-Washington and muralist Sandy Kessler Kaminski recently installed a mural of Turner on Braddock Avenue, on the side of a building across from Bell’s…
OP-ED: To take it down or preserve? The fate of Pittsburgh’s Columbus statue
An Italian immigrant myself, and an art historian, I take great pride in a cultural identity steeped in a history that stretches back through millennia in a homeland far away. I revel in the poetry of Dante, the sculpture of Michelangelo, the paintings of Caravaggio and Artemisia Gentileschi, and the polymath works of heroic men…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/10/20
Video Archive Lynn is talking about struggles today. It’s important to remember that everyone is having difficulty in one way or another right now. Whether it is dealing with isolation, trying to learn and/or work virtually, or any of the various every day issues we are all struggling. On the West Coast the fires continue…
Lynn Cullen Live – 9/9/20
Video Archive Ryan Deto, Pittsburgh City Paper News Editor, is joining Lynn to discuss the Pittsburgh protests. A small group of protesters are part of a viral video that shows them clashing with people downtown. He’s explaining what happened, the national attention it received, and how it relates to all the other protests that have…
Anika Ignozzi of OOH BABY brings her hand-painted, upcycled clothing to new Millvale storefront
Anika Ignozzi has enjoyed a career trajectory that most professional artists would envy. At 22 years old, she has already established OOH BABY, a business where she makes original, hand-painted pieces out of upcycled clothing and accessories. Now, two years after creating OOH BABY, she has a storefront in Millvale. Located on Grant Avenue, the new…
Takeout review: Duncan Street Sandwich Shop
Almost two years ago, I tasted the “everything” pork sandwich from Duncan Street Sandwich Shop in Millvale for the first time. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. The shop’s housemade bread — thick, spongy, sporting the subtle funky touch of sourdough and finished with an ultra-chewy crust — is stuffed full with roasted pork,…
What will it take to defeat Mayor Peduto … if any legitimate candidate runs against him?
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has been under some serious heat this summer. The Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in late May in Pittsburgh are still ongoing. During a handful of these demonstrations, Pittsburgh Police have used force against protesters, including employing less-lethal weapons like tear gas, sponge rounds, bean bags, and pepper spray. With…
Seven Days of Arts + Entertainment: Sept. 10-16
Thu., Sept. 10 Art from the Heart Check out the new Contemporary Craft space with its opening exhibit, The Heart Lives Through the Hands. Featuring large-scale paper and mixed media pieces from artist Swoon, the pieces “marry the whimsical to the grounded, weaving in fairy tales, myth, and a recurring motif of the sacred feminine.”…
Seven Days of Music: Sept. 10-16
Thu., Sept. 10 (IRL) The Buckle Downs and The Living Street. 8-9:30 p.m. Hazelwood Green, 4734 Second Ave., Hazelwood. citytheatrecompany.org. $20-25. The Buckle Downs and The Living Street are kicking off City Theatre’s Drive-In Arts Festival for a night of rock and folk jams. For 12 nights, the fest takes place at Hazelwood Green and…
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY: Sept. 10-16
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo poet Mary Oliver was renowned for giving herself permission. Permission to do what? To become a different person from the self she had been. To shed her familiar beliefs and adopt new ones. To treat every experience as an opportunity to experiment. To be at peace with uncertainty. I think…
