City Cast Pittsburgh

Friday is National Donut Day, and we’re celebrating early. The City Cast crew tasted 21 different donuts from all corners of Pittsburgh, including old standards like cinnamon sugar and glazed plus more creative fare like huckleberry and buckeye. Which would be crowned your favorite? Special thanks to all the shops we sampled, plus those we missed that were recommended by our Hey Pittsburgh readers...

Local celebrations kick off this weekend with concerts, marches, and festivals, including the Pittsburgh parade at noon on Saturday, June 3. QBurgh’s Jim Sheppard shares his best tips for how to thrive, some fun acts to catch, and how our modern celebration compares to the revolutionaries who started it all in 1973. Check out march details, and look for QBurgh’s free magazine celebrating 50 years...

When Andrew Carnegie began 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 librarie...

It’s the Friday news roundup! The team is discussing plans to close the Downtown homeless shelter on Smithfield Street and the push to make part of Lake Erie a national marine sanctuary — because it has so many shipwrecks. Plus, we travel back in time to celebrate a radical Pittsburgh painter who shares a birthday with a member of our team. We love to cite our sources! Kiley Koscinski with WESA ha...

One from the archives! Some tastes are just quintessentially Pittsburgh, and today the City Cast team is celebrating a summertime staple: the strawberry pretzel salad. Native Pgher and friend of the pod, Rossilynne Culgan, shared the classic dish with the world for Saveur Magazine and she brought us a cooler full of treats created in homage of its OG flavors, including Millie’s ice cream, Mary Mac...

Pregnancy and birth can be a time of joy and wonder, but it can also leave parents feeling overwhelmed and sad. An estimated one in five birthing parents face anxiety, depression or other mood disorders. Pennsylvania is doing better than average on providing mental health care before and after birth, but there’s a long way to go. Dr. Rebecca Brent, a clinical psychologist in Allegheny Health Netwo...

We’ve got one from the archives: ASMR is supposed to be relaxing, but for the creators behind the content, platforms like YouTube often fall well short of protecting the people who keep it so popular. Pittsburgh-based artist Lilliana Dee, aka Lily Whispers, is here to explain how she uses her day job in cybersecurity to help educate fellow creators on red flags like fetish mining. And stick with u...

Summer is just around the corner, which means anyone who takes care of kids will soon be looking for ways to stave off boredom — and maybe, just maybe, educate or entertain. Freelancer and City Cast contributor Meg St-Esprit is our guide for kid-friendly adventures, free and discounted tickets, and the best festivals for burning off energy. Find more of Meg’s work at Kidsburgh, including her wonde...

It’s the Friday news roundup! The primary election is over, but election season is just getting started. We’ve got your look-ahead for what’s coming in November. Plus, there’s a new artistic director at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and we’ve got a very special thank you to a listener in the South Hills. PBT’s first summer show, The Sleeping Beauty, opens tonight and runs through Sunday at the Be...

A few weeks ago, someone told the City Cast Pittsburgh team we should absolutely feel guilty if we don’t compost, and we take a personal challenge pretty seriously. Today we’re with Meg Graham of May Apple Gardening to talk about ways to get started, the biggest mistakes and misconceptions, a few handy tools, and her favorite recipe to get perfectly“cooked” compost every time. Not ready to DIY? Ou...

Friday is Bike to Work Day! There’s a new kind of bicycle gracing our fair city and Pittsburgh’s biggest bike advocacy group, BikePGH, thinks a little extra pedal power could get a lot more people on the road. Education manager Ted King-Smith shares why e-bikes are a great option for taking on Pittsburgh’s most intimidating hills. Plus, he explains e-bike etiquette for our city streets and cycling...

Just a few years ago, there were no high school wrestling programs for girls in Pennsylvania. Now, there are more than 100. And that’s a magic number for the state body that governs high school sports. The PIAA is voting this week on whether to officially sanction young womens wrestling… which would let them have different kinds of competitions and all the same stuff the boys have had for years. I...

More than 1,200 people have signed a petition asking officials to close a 40-year-old, city-owned, open-air gun range in Highland Park where city police train and pursue and maintain state-mandated certifications. Neighbors say the gun fire is so irregular and loud that it sometimes sounds like a mass shooting, and that some people have even moved away.  Mayor Ed Gainey backed off a Peduto-era pla...

It’s the Friday news roundup! Brittany Hailer from the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism joins host Megan Harris and lead producer Mallory Falk to discuss her court battle to make autopsies public in Allegheny County. They also talk about where candidates stand on making the county executive office more transparent and dig into the Pennsylvania roots of Mother’s Day. Turns out the woma...

Spring has already turned the leaves green in Pittsburgh, and many folks are thinking about what what kinds of fruits and vegetables they’d like grow in their backyard. For newbies, gardening can raise lots of questions from what to plant to how too much to water. We‘re with with Claire Matway, Community Garden Network Program Manager for Grow Pittsburgh, to get answers about how to make a garden...

The number of students at Community College of Allegheny County is just half of what it was 12 years ago. Emma Folts of PublicSource has been looking into what’s behind the shrinking enrollment and how it could hurt workers and the region in the coming years. She joins us to explain why the decline matters, and how school leaders are trying to boost enrollment. Want some more Pittsburgh news? Then...

Did you know that cats can get pregnant at just four months old, and they can birth as many as five litters every year? That’s a lot of kittens, and if they aren’t brought into a shelter as babies, they often end up in overpopulated outdoor cat colonies. That’s where local rescues like Conquer the Colony step up to help maintain the population through its trap, neuter, and return program. We’re re...

We’re two weeks into Pennsylvania’s new legislative session, and for the first time in years, Democrats have the House and Republicans have the Senate. We’re with Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA to talk about what bills are moving, including anti-discrimination protections for queer people, gun safety proposals and more.  You can find Stephen’s reporting on the state legislature here. Want some mor...

It’s the Friday news roundup! The team is discussing the best ways to experience the Pittsburgh Marathon and how elk became a huge tourism draw in the region after they were nearly wiped out a century ago. Plus, newsletter editor Francesca Dabecco shares her personal connection to the Make-a-Wish foundation ahead of its 40th anniversary. We love to cite our sources! Want to see if you’re on the ma...

The Bloomfield Saturday Market returns for the season this weekend. It’s the go-to spot for fresh produce, fancy cheese, homemade pies and more. But what’s the best way to navigate the market? Is it appropriate to ask vendors for recipes? Should you haggle for your tomato? Christina Howell, executive director of the Bloomfield Development Corporation and former market manager, is here to share som...

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 the (arguably) most detested parker in Pittsburgh...

It’s always good to show your loved ones you care, and it’s even better when you can do it while supporting local businesses. The City Cast team is sharing our top local gifts, treats and activities for all your Mother’s Day and May celebrations. From ways to get your sweat on for the fitness junkies out there to Pittsburgh-themed nail polish, we have local gifts for all of the caretakers in your...

At any given time, there are 1,300 children in foster care in Allegheny County, and almost one-third of those older kids identify as LGBTQ. They often have to live outside the homes they grew up in because they aren't getting the affirming love and support they need. We’re with freelancer and City Cast contributor Meg St. Esprit and Jaime Simmons, chief engagement officer for Every Child Inc., to...

It’s the Friday news roundup! Residents are raising a stink about bad — and possibly dangerous — smells around the Shell cracker in Beaver County, iffy allergies aren’t the only issues with our up-and-down Spring temperatures, and it’s Arbor Day! Stick around for how to request a free tree from the city and which little neighborhoods have the fullest canopy cover. We love to cite our sources: Coli...

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. Want some more Pittsburgh news? Then...