Oct. 2022 Est. 1985
The Northside Chronicle
Volume 38 Issue 10 - FREE -
The Community Newspaper of Pittsburgh’s Historic Northside
Man behind the mic: Larry Berger
Contributed photo
Larry Berger is the founder and executive producer for Saturday Light Brigade. By Diya Singh | Chronicle Intern
Saturday Light Brigade (SLB) is a radio show which aims to take youth seriously and elevate their voices. The man behind the mic for the program? Larry Berger, who is both the founder and serves as executive producer. Berger had a passion for radio from the very beginning. When he was 13 years old he began working at a community radio station in Pittsburgh. At that point he had been more interested in the technical side of the radio, soldering wires, making recordings and things of that nature. Eventually, he became an engineer for bilingual and specialty programs, which he said is what sparked a deeper appreciation for the capabilities of radio; giving a voice to others, and soon being on the air himself. In 1978, when he was a junior in high school, he founded SLB for an audience of everybody, no matter the demographic. “I pitched an idea for a radio program that would bring together people from all walks of life — youth and adults, rural and city,” Berger said. “The Saturday Light Brigade was born and has aired since 1978.” As graduation loomed the following year, he decided that he wanted to pursue math and science, but he also had a deep intrigue in the world around him and learning about diverse
Photo by Sean P. Ray
Pittsburgh City Councilman Bobby Wilson, right, speaks to residents of the Virgin Way area at a community meeting held on Sept. 12 at Bistro To Go Cafe on East Ohio Street. The meeting pertained to the issue of crime and increased homelessness occurring around Virgin Way.
City officials hear residents’ concerns over crime, drug use along Virgin Way By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor
Packages stolen off of doorsteps. Trash haphazardly thrown into residents’ yards. Syringes, condoms and spilled blood found on the sidewalk and street. These were only some of the experiences Virgin Way area residents discussed in a Sept. 12 meeting with Pittsburgh city officials, as they look for solutions to the predicament their neighborhood has found itself in. The meeting, which was held at Bistro To Go Cafe on East Ohio Street, was attended by around 50 community members, while representing the city were City Councilman Bobby Wilson, Pittsburgh Police Zone One Commander Shawn Malloy, Laura Drogowski of See Radio, Page 15 the Office of Community Health & Safety, and
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East Allegheny Community Council President Doug Kamper. Barbara Burns, a community member who organized the gathering, said she didn’t expect the meeting to “solve anything significant tonight,” but thought it was important that neighborhood residents be heard. The residents and city officials spoke for more than an hour and a half. The meeting began with the community members taking turns to voice their individual concerns. What they said lays out a grim picture of the alleyway. One resident said one of his tenants was moving out because they heard “a dozen or so gunshots fired in the alley” on April 2. “I have people shooting up,” the man continued. “I had someone overdose in my back-
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yard. I had people defecate inside my backyard, I’ve had people having sex in my backyard and I paid to get a fence up but that hasn’t really solved the problems in the alley.” A frequent complaint was residents seeing drug deals or prostitution occurring fairly openly within the alley, as well as people high on drugs. Many community members said they felt unsafe living in the area. “I don’t like living here as much,” one woman said. “I feel threatened when I go outdoors sometimes.” Residents also reported many beggars operating in the area, some of them even going into stores to ask for money. Homeless people and those staying in tents were also reported. After the community members were all See Meeting, Page 9
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