City Cast Pittsburgh

There are hardly any independent butchers left in the region, but these seven institutions — most of them more than 50 years old — offer high-quality meat with service you can’t find at the big-box stores. In one of his final stories for Pittsburgh Magazine, City Cast contributor Hal B. Klein talk about his local favorites and why this could be *the* moment for more would-be butchers to learn the...

Today marks the 130th anniversary of the Battle of Homestead. No, it wasn’t part of any war, and technically, it didn’t even happen in Homestead. Just outside the Pump House in what is now the Waterfront, labor leaders walked out for six days to defend their rights while on the job. What followed was a brutal clash with Pinkerton “detectives” that ended with dozens of injuries and the slow collaps...

Super Bowl champ — and forever Pittsburgher — Ryan Mundy thrived on the field in the shadow of groundbreaking concussion research. But as he pondered his post-game career, he wondered what was out there for folks like him looking for guidance on how to heal himself from the inside out. Now he’s created a tech platform, Alkeme Health, aimed at addressing mental health by and for the Black community...

The Friday news roundup is back! This week, the team discusses a GOP move to block state funding for Pa. schools that use fetal tissue for medical research; new legislation that could allow companies to test driverless vehicles in Pittsburgh; and one woman’s gripe with the Pittsburgh city flag. Plus an update on local Starbucks unions. As always, the Friday roundup is powered by great local (and n...

A handful of school boards across the country are causing a fresh stir, alleging a growing number of schools are putting litter boxes in bathrooms to accommodate kids who identify as furries and only communicate by barking or meowing. Some politicians and political candidates have spread the rumors, including in Nebraska, Texas, and even one south central PA school.  On the eve of Anthrocon — Pitt...

You know the one — Stephen Foster is well-dressed and seated, looking down over a barefoot Black man playing a banjo at his feet. After 118 years in Oakland, the controversial piece came down by unanimous decision in 2018, and we wondered where it’s been since. It turns out, it’s still in a local basement. But there’s a museum director in LA who’s got a plan. We’re with co-curator Hamza Walker of...

Ridership along Norfolk Southern’s Pennsylvanian train line has been growing in recent years, and the state says the whole operation needs a little TLC if it’s going to accommodate expanded service from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg. Today we talk to City Cast subscriber Keegan Gibson during his commute back to the ‘Burgh about what he’s seeing, how he figures the experience could be improved by a newl...

We knew it was coming: the landmark doctrine legalizing choice in America was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday. Abortion rights in Pennsylvania are protected, but not guaranteed, and with a governor’s race coming in November, abortion rights advocates say Pittsburgh should expect a wave of out-of-state patients in the coming months and years. The Pittsburgh team talks about the immed...

The coffee giant prides itself on being an inclusive workplace for the LGBTQ+ community, but Pittsburgh workers say the benefits it offers — like gender-affirming health care — are often inaccessible. City Cast’s Francesca Dabecco talks to union organizer and author of “On The Line,” Daisy Pitkin, about how queer folks are at the center of this historic workers rights movement. Plus, local Starbuc...

The temps last week were brutal, and now we're in the midst of another stretch of near 90-degree days. While most of us take cover indoors, City Cast’s Morgan Moody & Megan Harris share their favorite ways to get a little sunshine while also staying safe and cool around the ‘Burgh.  Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh!

This Sunday is Juneteenth, so we took a trip to the Heinz History Center in the Strip District to walk through their From Slavery to Freedom exhibit. Today, hear from Director of African American Programs Samuel Black about the cultural importance of the nation's newest bank holiday — and Pittsburgh’s abolitionist roots! Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @...

Pittsburgh students struggled with math even before the pandemic, but the latest round of standardized test scores paints a dire picture. Learning gaps have only gotten worse, especially for Black, brown and low-income children — at some local elementary schools, the math proficiency rate among Black students was 0%. Reporter Mary Niederburger with the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism...

Isn’t it more fun to eat alfresco? Outdoor dining got a boost during the pandemic, and Pittsburgh is blooming with pretty patios, rooftop tables, beer gardens, and sidewalk seating. We invited Pittsburgh foodie blogger Sophia Chang — aka @sopheating on Instagram — to help us dish on some of the best spots for romance, ambiance, and a strong summer sipper. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Si...

Five years ago, a refrigerator caught fire in an apartment inside the Grenfell Tower in London. It burned to the ground, ultimately killing 72 people — many of them children. And there’s a Pittsburgh manufacturing firm at the center of that story. Local filmmaker and multimedia artist Chris Ivey has interviewed dozens of survivors about their trauma. He’s with us to talk about how he got involved,...

Since the pandemic, Pittsburgh’s Pride has been kinda muted. Still proud, but a little quieter. That’s likely to change this weekend as the Steel City welcomes back dozens of community concerts, craft fairs, marches and more, plus a slew of new celebrations in smaller boroughs. QBurgh’s Jason Shavers and Jim Sheppard are here to talk through them all, share their top recommendations and explain an...

It’s been two weeks since Pennsylvania’s primary election, and we still don’t know everyone who’ll be on our ballots for the general election in November. But we can expect at least two defining talking points — gun control and abortion access. Today on the pod, the City Cast team talks through the big takeaways, what we've learned since the Uvalde shooting and what's likely to come next.  Our new...

Pittsburgh is consistently rated among the nation’s worst cities for air quality, but how does that affect our mental health -- especially in the hardest-hit lower income communities along the Mon Valley? Environmental Health News journalist Kristina Marusic explains how folks are coping with the continued effect of "climate anxiety," and what you can do to help.  The series is a collaboration bet...

Pittsburgh doesn’t just not have an NBA team. A lot of locals straight-up loathe professional basketball. But why all the venom? City Cast’s Morgan Moody is with Steel City transplant Tyler Batiste to talk about the ‘Burgh’s on-court legacy and whether — someday — we just might get a team of our own.  Keep up with Tyler’s basketball coverage for The Athletic here, and pay homage to our ABA squad,...

The food scene here in Pittsburgh has been booming for years, but like a lot of businesses, the pandemic hit hard. City Cast contributor Hal B. Klein is here to talk about his annual Pittsburgh Magazine list of the city’s best restaurants and why he tightened it to just 25 in 2022. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh!

We have a huge primary election today to decide the major candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, Pat Toomey’s old U.S. Senate seat, several for the newly-redistricted U.S. House, gobs of state legislators and more. The field is crowded, and since the City Cast team hasn’t had the opportunity to meet a ton of candidates personally this round, we thought we’d check in with someone who has.  J...

With names like Billy Porter, Toi Derricote, Jan Beatty, and Sharon Flake, the first-ever Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books promises to have a little something for everyone. The all-day celebration is free, family-friendly, and spread across six locations in East Liberty, each paying tribute to Pittsburgh's rich literary community and love of reading. Co-chairs Marshall Cohen and Laurie Moser s...

Since news broke that SCOTUS is likely to strike down Roe v. Wade, folks in Pittsburgh have been coping in different ways. Today, City Cast's Megan Harris is with a few educators who’ve decided to address their fear and frustration by sharing their knowledge with others.  And we’ve got a full house!  Alecia Ott is an abortion doula and community resource for folks navigating reproductive care. She...

For sisters Raynise and TaRay Kelly, gardening is more than a seasonal hobby — it's a means of self-sufficiency, opportunity, and food access far beyond their bursting home nursery in Mount Oliver. City Cast's Morgan Moody and Megan Harris stopped by the Soil Sisters’ home base and took away a few pointers for any novice planters out there looking to cultivate their own green thumbs.  Our newslett...

Disciplinary action against Pittsburgh police officers has doubled over the last 10 years, but community activists and experts wonder whether an uptick in internal investigations represents a problem or a solution. The detailed data dump is unprecedented in Pittsburgh, and City Cast’s Megan Harris is here with Rich Lord of PublicSource to talk about what the more than 5,600 allegations really mean...

Happy (almost) Arbor Day to all our fellow tree huggers! Ahead of celebrations on Saturday, we’re talking about why it can be so complicated to get a tree planted in some parts of the city — from high rentorship to bad sidewalks to absentee or investor homeowners who can’t be located to even get permission.  Danielle Crumrine is about to celebrate her 15th year leading the nonprofit Tree Pittsburg...