Environmental education specialist at Point State Park, Jack Lachendro knows leaves like the back of his hand. Every fall, leaves litter forest floors. Local parks balance keeping paths and recreation areas clean and tidy for park-goers, while also considering the environment. “The best thing we can do—at least in my personal opinion—[is] see all of…
By: Evan Levine On Wednesday nights in Millvale, the sound of banjos, fiddles and mandolins drifts across the patio outside Mr. Smalls Cafe. That’s where the Smallsgrass Bluegrass Jam has become a weekly tradition, drawing pickers of all ages and skill levels. “It just feels like a group of friends hanging and playing music together,”…
By: Nicholas Brown Harvest Moon Coffee & Chocolates is quietly redefining local nightlife in the Alle-Kiski Valley, one acoustic set and Vietnamese iced coffee at a time. Founded in 2020, the cafe now operates at two locations, the original shop in Tarentum and the other in the Heights Plaza in Harrison’s Natrona Heights neighborhood. Utilizing…
By: Kaiya Russell Photo Courtesy of Kennywood Fog spills across the ground as shrieks echo from somewhere up ahead. The tunnel into Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest swallows you in with pulsing strobe lights and sinister laughter, a threshold that signals the summer park has shed its cheerful skin for something darker. What most visitors don’t…
By: Robert Fornataro Photo by Tommy Speranza Hundreds of people gathered outside the City-County Building in Downtown Saturday afternoon as part of a coordinated national series of “No Kings” protests. The events, held in all 50 states, were organized by Indivisible Pittsburgh and other advocacy groups in opposition to what organizers describe as the rise…
Due to the frigid weather that the City of Pittsburgh faced this year, the CitiParks warming centers were activated several times to offer shelter to those living in the surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods. But in Downtown, no CitiParks warming center exists. There are six CitiParks warming centers located around the city in Beechview, Brighton Heights, Greenfield,…
By: Gavin Petrone Walking through Riverview Park on a cool, late-March afternoon, one would be hard pressed to see any obvious sign of white-tailed deer. No tracks, no visible buck rub on tree bark, no droppings; no deer. The deer’s meal of choice, sprouts and seedlings, litter the ground along Riverview’s trails. These plants were…
By: Cilia Catello Jon Engle caught a black eye in the tiny, overcrowded room as “Short Fictions” new album “Fates Worse Than Death” pulsated around the cement walls of the Mr. Roboto Project. Engle’s friends snuck him into the venue and despite the board members’ best efforts, fists were flying and people were suspended in…
by Gavin Petrone Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) riders across the Downtown and Greater Pittsburgh area were invited to discuss the proposed Redesign of bus routes, which is set to be implemented in early 2026. “Draft 1.0” of the project proposes reducing the number of routes offered, rebalancing routes where rider demand has changed and making…
Kamala Harris addresses the crowd at “Get Out The Vote” rally at Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark in Pittsburgh, PA. | Michelangelo Pellis Volunteer for Project 26 encourages students at Point Park University to vote. | Gavin Petrone Volunteer sets up for the day in front of polling place on Pittsburgh’s East End. |…
