City Cast Pittsburgh

South of Schenley Park and just across the river from Page’s Dairy Mart, there’s blank plot of land — currently known as Hazelwood Green — that the city, its foundations, and developers have been dreaming about for a long time. It used to be a center of industry, one of dozens of steel-making centers along our waterways. But what it should become next is still up for debate. PublicSource reporters...

It’s the Friday news roundup! Pittsburgh is getting a trans-focused fertility clinic, and City Council passed a pair of bills to protect trans health — though it’s not clear how much power the city really has. The new COVID boosters are available and finally hitting shelves in Pittsburgh. Plus, neighbors who are still anxious about plans to build condos at the old Irish Centre site may have an unl...

Pittsburgh homes are a mixed bag — some are lavish and others very lived in. Sisters Hope Perri and Annie Perri Colehave made a study of neighborly nebbiness with their hyper-popular Instagram account @HousesofPittsburgh, and they’re taking us behind the scenes on how they take a neighborhood home tour, their approach to content creation, and tips and tricks for making the most of any home-scoutin...

This week 67 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower launched the sister cities program, and in the decades since, Pittsburgh has become an especially popular international partner. How do these diplomatic hook-ups happen, who greenlights the match, and how did Pittsburgh end up with so many? Kathy Risko, director of the Sister Cities Association of Pittsburgh, says some of it is personality and...

When Andrew Carnegie started opening libraries in southwest Pennsylvania in the 1890s, he wanted to bring books and knowledge to everyone — not just those who could afford to pay. Now libraries are taking that spirit beyond the printed word, offering everything from power tools to ukuleles to genealogy databases. We’re exploring the unique collections available for you to check out at local librar...

Labor Day is over and Pittsburghers are in full-fall mode — buying their Halloween candy and getting their pumpkin spice fix, even if it’s still best served over ice. But the city has its eye even further out, because officials are hunting now for our next enormous Christmas tree. Bobby Cherry, the local writer behind itsChristmas365.com, shares how Public Works anoints its annual evergreen, plus...

It’s the Friday news roundup! Kenny Pickett’s getting paid to look at new sofas and Cutch’s place with Pittsburgh may be in the past. We’ve got a snapshot of host Megan Harris’ hot sports goss, plus an update on the state of the South Side now that the summer is unofficially over and producer Sophia Lo’s suggestions for the best ways to enjoy RAD Days over the next few weeks. We love to cite our s...

Have you ever tried a pawpaw? The fruit is ripe for tasting this time of year, and they grow right in our backyard, in our forests, and near our waterways. Hey Pittsburgh editor Francesca Dabecco is here to share some history of this native tree, plus some tips and tricks for finding or foraging its tropical flavor. We love to cite our sources! Become a pawpaw nerd like Francesca and read “Pawpaw,...

The federal government is giving away billions of dollars to build hydrogen hubs across the country, and Pennsylvania lawmakers want in. They’re excited about hydrogen as a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels — and about the potential for new, well-paying jobs throughout the Commonwealth. But some environmental advocates worry that without the right regulations in place, these hydrogen hubs wo...

Almost a decade after it was created, Pittsburgh’s land bank made its first few sales this summer. Why did the land bank take so long to get off the ground, and does this portend a more productive future? Jon Moss, co-editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress, shares the renewed hopes and continued challenges for the city’s grandest residential housing experiment. Find Jon’s reporting on the land ba...

It’s the Friday news roundup! Many months after a study found we’re short on bathrooms downtown, city officials think they’ve finally found a solution — and they also want city residents to creatively take care of their deer problem. Plus, there’s a viral video floating around that asks a question Penn State fans should be very, very familiar with.  We love to cite our sources! Pittsburgh has a ne...

How do you mark the start of fall in Pittsburgh? The first crisp morning? The moment the leaves start to change? Or maybe even earlier than that — as soon as pumpkin spice lattes are back on the Starbucks menu and Halloween decorations hit store shelves. If you’re in the latter camp, then fall is already here! And the City Cast team is sharing some of our favorite local treats to get you into the...

Days after a standoff in Garfield over a home ejectment, the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group released a studythat found corporate home buyers have been buying more and more property in the region. Lead producer Mallory Falk joins host Megan Harris to break down the impact of corporate purchases on homeowners, including when buying practices become predatory. We love to cite our sources: Ch...

Where officially is the Steel City? It's a conversation we've all had plenty of times, everyone thinks they're right, and no one is ever fully satisfied with the answer. So we made it an official debate. We’re throwing it back to one of our favorite conversations ever on this show that, of course, came on the heels of a very silly social media moment. What do you think- Midwest, Appalachia, East C...

A record number of Pennsylvania teachers left the profession last school year, and experts say there aren’t enough qualified candidates to replace them. City Cast Philly and City Cast Pittsburgh are teaming up to unpack the problem, the causes, the consequences, and a few potential solutions. We always cite our sources: Check out PA’s teacher retention data for yourself, courtesy of Penn State’s C...

It’s the Friday news roundup! A new study found Pennsylvanians eat dinner surprisingly early so we asked yinz what time you eat. Big layoffs and a store expansion put a spotlight on Dick’s Sporting Goods this week. Plus, Duquesne City School District could get its high school back — which may bode well for other schools still struggling financially from our unconstitutional funding formula.  We lo...

Fermentation might sound tricky, but in Pittsburgh, we have an expert to guide you through everything from pickles and pop to kimchi and miso. Trevor Ring of Community Cultures hosts workshops that give you a tingly taste of the art of fermentation. Listen along as the whole City Cast Pittsburgh team makes delicious blueberry pop, and get the recipe to try at home! You can check out Trevor’s upcom...

We’re in the final few days of summer, school’s about to start, and traffic in Oakland is about to get a whole lot worse. But if you’re looking for a way to celebrate, the City Cast Pittsburgh team has got you covered with the perfect gifts to refresh, relax, and recharge. Support these local businesses: Virginia Montanez’ new book, “Nothing. Everything” Fresh flower picking at Shenot Farms, Soerg...

Pittsburghers tend to be pretty nostalgic — we love giving directions based on what something used to be — and our city is filled with relics from the past. But until recently, there hasn’t been a map of all these artifacts. Local writer Virginia Montanez (aka Jane Pitt) decided to change that. She joins us to discuss her interactive map project Pittsburgh Remains to Be Seen, and how you can get i...

The car parked outside of Evergreen Cafe on Penn Avenue in Point Breeze has frustrated Pittsburgh drivers for decades. Despite complaints to police and social media outrage, it’s remained there day after day. Hannah Kinney-Kobre from Pittsburgh City Paper got the man behind the dusty brown Buick to break his silence, and she’s here to tell us what(arguably) the most hated parker in Pittsburgh has...

It’s the Friday news roundup! The research is in and (surprise, surprise) Pittsburgh is not the fittest city in America; an iconic Kennywood ride is closing for preservation; and details are still trickling about about how and why a house exploded in Plum Borough — we’ve got a few ways you can help the affected families in the coming days. We love to cite our sources: Pittsburgh scored 29th overal...

The Steel City has a bunch of classic eats, but one of our all-time favorites — the pepperoni roll! — actually hails from West Virginia. We’re talking about its industrial history and modern reinvention with Katt Schuler, the altruistic, story-loving owner and founder of Rolling Pepperoni in Lawrenceville. Plus, why you really don’t need to eat them with sauce. ***This conversation originally publ...

When the city announced the appointment of new police Chief Larry Scirotto, they didn’t mention his gay and biracial identities. He said that’s because he wanted to be introduced on merit rather than factors outside his control, but that he’s proud to serve as Pittsburgh first openly LGBTQ+ figurehead and hopes his lived experience will have a lasting effect on local policing. So how did our LGBTQ...

Larry Scirotto is our city’s first openly gay police chief. And while he says that’s something he’s deeply proud of, it’s not something he’s spent a bunch of time talking about. Today, that changes. Hear his take on queer representation in the Pittsburgh bureau, why he decided to come out when he did, and how he hopes his identities — gay and biracial — will inform his tenure as chief. This conver...

Century III Mall is condemned, but that doesn’t mean it's getting demolished — at least not yet. But it is an eyesore and it's pretty unsafe, so if it's not possible to bring it back to life anymore, what should happen next?  Writer, publisher, and shopping mall enthusiast Matthew Newton is here to share our nostalgia and explain exactly what went wrong. Check out his beautiful tome “Shopping Mall...