October 20, 2021 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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OCT. 20-27, 2021

E L E C T I O N

First-time voter

“Born and raised in [enter very specific Pittsburgh neighborhood]”

Wore a mask to vote

Posted obligatory “I Voted” sticker selfie

Excited to vote!

Didn’t get an “I Voted” sticker

Last-minute Googling to find your district/ward

Confused to see Tony Moreno as a Republican candidate

WPXI live feed of small voting lines

Watched a Mayoral debate

Too many Facebook arguments in your feed

VOTE BY NOV. 2

Glad there’s only 18 Common Plea candidates

Voted by mail/ absentee ballot

Voted at a polling place

“Raised in a union household”

Peduto tweet

Spotted a candidate at a polling place

“There was a mayoral election?”

Overheard voter fraud accustations

Moreno demands a recount

Voted before work

Couldn’t vote in the primary

Still need to research candidates

“There are that many Republicans in Pittsburgh?!”

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OCT. 20-27, 2021 VOLUME 30 + ISSUE 42 2

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B I N G O

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COVER ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS: LUCY CHEN

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8/31/21 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

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ELECTION GUIDE 2021

CAMPAIGNING ON PUBLIC SAFETY Neighborhood groups try to curb shootings as mayoral campaign puts political focus on gun violence BY CHARLIE WOLFSON // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

This story is brought to you in collaboration with our newspartners at

HE JULY 4 HOLIDAY has historically turned violent in some parts of Pittsburgh, but in a year of increased violence in the city and nationwide, one community group saw a breakthrough that day. MAD DADS, a group focused on street outreach, presided over a more or less nonviolent scene Downtown that night. When a confrontation started brewing between groups of young men, they got to work with their signature strategy: inserting themselves into a potentially violent situation, unarmed, until cooler heads prevail. “We kept hanging around until the groups dispersed, to the point where we said we had a good night tonight,” said George Spencer, the group’s president. There were no reports of violence Downtown that night.“That was several years in the making.”

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The group teamed up with the city’s Group Violence Intervention unit and city police to respond proactively to potential problems. “We try to say encouraging things,” Spencer said. “‘We want everyone to get home safe,’ ‘We don’t want to see anyone get arrested.’” Spencer and his group are part of a large, loosely connected set of community organizations working to curb gun violence in Pittsburgh. While they are driven by successes like Spencer saw on July 4, this year and particularly this summer have been all too tragic. There were 43 homicides from January through September this year in the city, a 30% increase from the same period in 2020 and a 38% increase from the same period in 2019. (Weapon data is available through August; 34 of the 38 homicides that occurred up to that point were committed with guns.)

The rise in gun violence has coincided with a campaign for mayor of Pittsburgh that pits a state representative against a former police detective. In separate events and at the first debate of the campaign, Democrat Ed Gainey and Republican Tony Moreno have made public safety the top issue of the campaign. Their speeches and exchanges split the issue into two sides. Gainey calls gun violence a public health issue, an epidemic alongside COVID. He says majority-Black neighborhoods are overpoliced. Moreno dismissed the public health notion and said more police presence is vital, even suggesting to put officers “on every corner” in certain areas. But community groups and activists, who work in the neighborhoods year after year without regard for the political calendar, say the issue doesn’t fall neatly along political lines and requires a community-led approach that goes beyond the mayor’s office.

Recent uptick Gun violence in Pittsburgh is up in 2021, as it is in many American cities, and community leaders were quick to point to the COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerator. Spencer said with many youth having spent a year or more out of school, tension and disputes brewed on social media. Now that students are back to in-person school, those conﬂicts that festered online can lead to physical violence. “You had people that to some degree weren’t as visible for a while now being visible,” Spencer said. Dr. Staci Ford, a youth trauma response specialist who works as a consultant to area schools, said she’s seen a “dramatic change” since the pandemic began. “They’ve been conﬁned during the pandemic with nothing

to do but be on social media, and it really escalates trauma-related issues that have been going on for years,” she said. Pittsburgh’s homicide rate is not exceptional; it’s similar to or lower than that of benchmark cities Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and others. But some neighborhoods are seeing homicides at up to 10 times the rate of the city as a whole. Pittsburgh’s gun violence is impacting the city’s Black communities the most. Of the city’s 43 homicide victims so far this year, 39 were Black, or 91%. Just 23% of the city’s population is Black. “It’s a leading cause of death for African Americans, and that’s pretty scary,” said Eileen Smith, a pastor and the director of the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace. PHOTO: QUINN GLABICKI/PUBLICSOURCE

George Spencer leads the Greater Pittsburgh Area MAD DADS in street patrols focused on reducing violence with positive interactions.

‘Public safety comes out of the community’

PHOTO: KAYCEE ORWIG/PUBLICSOURCE

Rashad Byrdsong, founder of the Homewood-based Community Empowerment Association, is trying to build a coalition across the city to focus on the root causes of violence.

Answering a mostly unrelated question about the use of federal funds during a debate hosted by 1Hood Media on Oct. 4, Gainey launched into an impassioned speech on overpolicing: “Pittsburgh, listen to me,” he said, “you can put 1,000 cops on every block, and they can’t stop the violence. They can make the arrest after the crime is committed.” He said policing minority neighborhoods more than others prevents trust from forming between police and communities. “That’s not how we build a police force where everybody feels that they’re protected and safe,” Gainey said. Moreno countered by calling for increased police presence: “We need to have a police officer on every corner until the violence stops” in high-crime areas, he said. “The first step in de-escalation is officer presence,” Moreno said. “We need to parallel

that with having the social workers come in behind and find out what’s going on with the family.” The debate between candidates presented police presence as a binary issue. But Spencer explains that it’s more nuanced: If police are a reliable presence in a community and gain trust, having more officers would be a good thing, he said. The 66-year-old recalled his childhood, when his youth football coach was a local police officer who knew his uncle. He spoke of such officers as a positive presence in the community, but said he doubts the Bureau of Police today has enough officers and resources to have that kind of presence in each community. “If you’re just proposing to put an armed guard on the corners, just someone with an assault rifle there in case there’s violence, then that’s a mess,” he said. “That doesn’t solve anything.”

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

CAMPAIGNING ON PUBLIC SAFETY, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5

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Tony Moreno

While mayoral candidates talk about what they would personally do to reduce violence in the city, some say the solution has to come from the community at the most basic levels, not from the top of city government. Jay Gilmer, vice president of MAD DADS and a violence prevention coordinator for the city, said city government can’t provide the services and impact that organizations such as MAD DADS do, no matter who is mayor. “Nobody’s paying us,” Gilmer said of MAD DADS patrol volunteers. “We’re there because we simply care about the residents. And residents get that, they know that.” “We believe public safety comes out of the community. You don’t not do something just because the police is going to get you, you don’t do it because it messes up your community.” Smith, of the South Pittsburgh Coalition for Peace, said her organization launched in 2005 in response to the shooting homicide of a 16-year-old Carrick High School student. One of their primary programs is very similar to the MAD DADS approach. A team of four people that includes a chaplain — Smith described the team as “culturally-trained violence interrupters” — patrols a handful of South Pittsburgh neighborhoods, referring youth to resources they may need. Rashad Byrdsong, a longtime Pittsburgh organizer and the founder of the

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Homewood-based Community Empowerment Association, is trying to build a coalition of inﬂuential people across the city to focus on the root causes of violence: inadequate education, mentorship, housing, food and more. His group holds community meetings on the subject of violence; a recent one drew Gainey and Homewood’s city councilman, Ricky Burgess. He said he invites the chief of police and the Zone 5 commander, county health department leaders and ofﬁcials from UPMC, Highmark, and the University of Pittsburgh to take part in discussions. “It’s going to take that coalition to come together and say, what do people need?” Byrdsong said. “Everyone who has a hand in this needs to come together. Sometimes organizations just don’t communicate with each other.” Byrdsong has been doing this work for decades, but the issue of gun violence became even more personal for him last year, when his grandson was shot and killed in Penn Hills in December. Fifteenyear-old Jafar Brooks, a Central Catholic football player, was “a good kid” Byrdsong said, and “a lot of people were hurt by his untimely killing.” His grandson was one of 19 Allegheny County homicide victims younger than 20 last year, and one of five who were not even old enough to obtain a driver’s license.

CP PHOTO: MEGAN GLOECKLER

Ed Gainey poses with CeaseFirePA during the 2020 Women’s March in Downtown.

Allegheny Co. officials refuse to protect your voting rights

Reality meets politics In the Oct. 4 debate, the candidates clashed over how to classify the gun violence crisis, with Gainey insisting on a public health view and Moreno calling it a financial problem. “We just can’t say it’s a public health problem, because it’s not,” Moreno said. “It’s a financial problem. I don’t know why he keeps saying it’s a health problem when it’s finances that causes violence.” Gainey rebutted: “This is what happens when you don’t understand trauma.” The concept of treating violence as a public health issue, which has grown more mainstream in recent decades, generally refers to using data analysis to assess and treat the root causes of violence, much like one would assess and treat the causes of health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has done violence prevention work since the early 1980s, and the Allegheny County Health Department established an Office of Violence Prevention in 2016. Organizers interviewed by PublicSource said poverty is one of the factors that lead to violence, but a public health plan is needed to tackle violence’s root causes comprehensively. “Violence is curable, just like a disease,” Smith said. Spencer echoed the non-binary view: “I think you could say it’s related to public health and finance. I don’t like when someone tries to say, ‘This is not because

of X.’ You could say, ‘I think it’s more of A, B and C,’ but it’s hard to say, ‘It’s not because of X.’” Asked for their views on the candidates’ statements, the advocates pointed out that city politics, and the mayor’s ofﬁce, don’t deﬁne or dictate the direction of their work. “This city is a lot bigger than the mayor,” Byrdsong said. “Whoever takes over the mayorship, if it’s [Gainey] or Moreno, is going to find that out very quickly. And that’s why we need a coalition.” Spencer paused when asked what he wished politicians would do or say differently on this issue. He said he doesn’t think about it much. Instead, he emphasized the nonpartisan nature of his work. “Whoever wins the election, we’re going to be here and be ready to work with them,” Spencer said. “We attend meetings and we’ll get to work with the next mayor, no matter who is elected.” Ford, the youth trauma specialist, said she’s frustrated that the issue is primarily discussed and debated during campaign seasons. “We need to be doing this work all the time,” she said. And Smith, of the South Pittsburgh Coalition, said: “I don’t know what the candidates are arguing about. The community needs to get involved. Ministry, businesses, everyone needs to get involved to stop the violence.”

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County leaders like Rich Fitzgerald are jeopardizing ballot access

llegheny County election officials are making decisions today that may jeopardize your voting rights. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is refusing to protect residents’ freedom to vote by limiting access to the polls. Despite having a population of more than 1.25 million people - and being home to the Pittsburgh metro area-- , Fitzgerald is content with having just one drop box and one early voting site for ALL of Allegheny County in 2021. Tell Fitzgerald and other Allegheny County election officials that they can’t play with your right to vote. Ultimately, election officials work for the voters. It’s their duty to listen to the community and ensure the freedom to vote for us all — in every election. So make yourself heard — demand the Allegheny County Election

Board safeguards the right to vote. Officials must implement consistent policies and procedures for each and every election designed to minimize voter confusion, maximize voter access, and engender voter trust. And they need to hear from you. These policies help give voters an equal voice in the decisions that shape our future and ensure that our elections are fair, free, and accessible for years to come. That’s exactly what we need in Allegheny County. Every eligible voter in Allegheny County must be able to cast a ballot. Help protect voter freedoms today. — All Voting is Local Get familiar with the resources in your state by following us on Facebook - @ allvotingislocal, Twitter - @votingislocal, Instagram - @allvotingislocal, and Tik Tok - @allvotingislocal!

Tell the Allegheny County Election Board it’s time to adopt a pro-voter agenda at ProtectAlleghenyVoters.com Paid for by The Leadership Conference Education Fund PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

ELECTION GUIDE 2021

PENNSYLVANIA SUPREME COURT

CANDIDATE

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is the state’s highest court and has made many important decisions over the last several years. A ruling by the court in 2018 struck down the state’s partisan-gerrymandered Congressional districts. In 2020, the court also rejected a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law. Five Democrats and two Republicans currently make up the court. BY RYAN DETO

A native of Lycoming County who graduated from Lycoming College and Widener University School of Law. Has experience in private practice law in commercial litigation. Served as NAME OF CANIDATE Commonwealth Court Judge since 2010, and was elected President Judge of that court in 2020. Highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

Endorsed by The Philadelphia Inquirer in part because of recent actions taken by Republicans in an attempt to gain access to Pennsylvania voters’ private information, including driver’s license and partial social security numbers. The paper’s editorial board says she is the better choice in protecting voters’ privacy rights.

Brobson wrote an opinion in a 2020 ruling that thousands of mail-in ballots shouldn’t be counted in a Pittsburgharea state senate race because they lacked handwritten dates. That decision was reversed by the state Supreme Court, citing unnecessary voter disenfranchisement. A federal, Trump-appointed judge upheld the state Supreme Court ruling. He also ruled against Pa.’s partisan-gerrymander lawsuit.

The PA Working Families Party made their first-ever judicial endorsements this year, backing McLaughin with an emphasis on criminal justice reform. In 2021, wrote opinion denying appeal for a man seeking a shorter sentence after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a case where defendant’s 4-year-old stepdaughter accidentally shot herself with the defendant’s gun.

Handed down past rulings supporting pro-gun groups from suing municipalities’ efforts in passing gun-reform laws. In 2020, froze a new state policy requiring gun stores to report sales of “ghost guns.” Police say these assembled guns have seen increased use, and have been used in recent killings.

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

In a dissenting opinion, said a sexual assault conviction shouldn’t have been thrown out since accused recorded the “encounter with the victim in case there was any question of the voluntariness of the intercourse.” Endorsed by Planned Parenthood PAC.

Endorsed by anti-abortion Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation PAC.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, U.S. Reps. Conor Lamb and Mike Doyle, Allegheny County Exec. Rich Fitzgerald, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, Clean Water Action, SEIU, United Mine Workers, AFL-CIO of PA, Teamsters, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, PA State Correctional Officers, PA National Organization for Women, etc.

Pa. Auditor General Timothy DeFoor, Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity, National Rifle Association, Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Boilermakers Lodge 154, PA Coal PAC, Pa. State Troopers Association, a dozen police unions located throughout Pa., etc.

VOTING RIGHTS

BIOGRAPHY

A West Philadelphia native who graduated from Penn State University and Delaware Law School at Widener University. Served on Philadelphia’s CourtNAME of Common and has OFPleas CANIDATE experience in family law and children’s rights. Has been seated on Pennsylvania’s Superior Court since 2017. Highly recommended by the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

GUNS & CRIMINAL JUSTICE 8

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KEVIN BROBSON

ENDORSEMENTS

MARIA McLAUGHLIN

ELECTION GUIDE 2021

PITTSBURGH CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 Pittsburgh City Council District 4 represents the South Hills neighborhoods of Beechview, Bon Air, Brookline, Carrick, and Overbrook, as well as parts of Mount Washington. It is represented by incumbent Councilor Anthony Coghill (D-Beechview).

CANDIDATE

BY AMANDA WALTZ

ENDORSEMENTS

INFRASTRUCTURE

POLICING

HOUSING

BIOGRAPHY

ANTHONY COGHILL Incumbent candidate. Born and raised in Beechview. Previously worked as constituent liaison for state Sen. Wayne Fontana. Elected as an Allegheny County Democratic Committeeman in NAME OF CANIDATE 2010, and chairs the committee’s 19th Ward. Lives in Beechview.

CONNOR MULVANEY Brookline resident running as a Green party candidate. Works as a bike technician, and has previously worked as a union baker member of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776, NAME OF CANIDATE as well as a cross-country coach. Has served as a community organizer with Re-imagine Beaver County, and is active in the South Hills Safe Streets group.

Does not see affordable housing as an issue in his district. In January 2021, expressed concern over a proposal to increase city spending on affordable housing and how that might increase any potential new debt.

Wants to enact policies guaranteeing all renters and homeowners protection from “predatory developers and artificial markets.”

Has defended need for increased police presence. In December 2020, expressed concern about a vote to divert $5.3 million from the police to fund the new Stop the Violence initiative, reportedly citing local sporting events and the city’s hilly terrain as justifications for more policing.

Believes in reallocating police funding to other city departments focused on addressing community issues, such as addiction, homelessness, and traffic enforcement. Pledged to refuse endorsements and contributions from police unions.

Says his record shows progress on improving snow removal and winter road maintenance in his district. Points to successes like revitalizing the Las Palmas taco stand on Brookline Boulevard and tearing down dilapidated St. Basil’s school on Brownsville Road.

Wants to better the environment and public health of Pittsburgh by investing in less car-reliant infrastructure. Criticized recent cuts to departments such as Mobility and Infrastructure and Public Works that were proposed last year.

Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Allegheny County Labor Council, Pittsburgh Paramedics, Pittsburgh Fire Fighters, Fraternal Order of Pittsburgh Police, state Sens. Jay Costa and Wayne Fontana, Pittsburgh City Councilors Theresa Kail Smith, Deb Gross, Bruce Kraus, Corey O’Connor, and Bobby Wilson, etc.

Green Party of Pennsylvania, The Pittsburgh chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, No Cop Money PA, Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh, Sierra Club Pennsylvania, PA Working Families Party, Socialist Alternative Pittsburgh, etc.

Breaking the Grass Ceiling at goodblend Pennsylvania

oodblend, Pennsylvania, a new medical marijuana growing, processing andretail company in Pennsylvania, is not only bringing a new patient experience to the medical marijuana community, but it’s also working to “break the grass ceiling” in this heavily male-dominated industry — from the top down. Liz Conway, the President of goodblend, Pennsylvania, joined Parallel, the parent company of goodblend PA and one of the largest privately-held multi-state operators in the country, in 2019. She originally worked as a Director of their California market operations, and then was promoted to President of the Florida market. Now, she is leading the rollout of goodblend in Pennsylvania. With a leadership team that values diversity and inclusion, Liz is supported by women leaders at every level, like Samantha Buffoni, the Assistant Operations Manager at goodblend in Pittsburgh. Samantha joined the goodblend team in 2021 but started with the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Program herself in 2018 while completing her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Pittsburgh. “The positive impact medical marijuana made on me inspired me to focus on advocating for the plant’s benefits and for the communities negatively impacted by its prohibition,” Buffoni shared. She joined the industry at the ground to learn about what patients wanted from this program

but joined goodblend with hopes of setting a new standard for the medical marijuana industry. “I truly love working for goodblend,” she continued, “It has created such a welcoming, collaborative environment that is inviting to all, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.” Jervonne Singletary, Community Relations Manager at goodblend, also started with the organization in 2021 but began her career in this industry five years ago in New York City, where she led the NYC Mayor’s Cannabis Legalization Task Forces Land Use & Licensing and Economic Opportunity sub committees. “I initially started in this industry because I believe in the transformational power of medical marijuana for one’s health but also for those that choose to work in this fast-growing industry,” Singletary shared. “And I love working at goodblend because each day is a chance to make a difference and educate someone about the benefits of medical marijuana.” And last but certainly not least, Marci Keffer, a proud born-and-raised Pittsburgher, serves the Pittsburgh medical marijuana community as the Store Manager of goodblend Pittsburgh. For Marci, improving patients’ well-being is truly fulfilling. “I’m incredibly passionate about providing patients with a genuine, compassionate - and of course, fun – experience,” shared Keffer. Stop by the goodblend Pittsburgh dispensary located at 5502 Baum Blvd to meet these extraordinary female leaders that are truly “breaking the grass ceiling” in Pittsburgh!

ELECTION GUIDE 2021

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 Allegheny County Council District 1 covers sections of Western Allegheny County, and some northern suburbs close to the city. Includes Findlay, North Fayette, Moon, Coraopolis, Glen Osborne, Aleppo, Haysville, Glenfield, Kilbuck, Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, Emsworth, Ross, and West View. Incumbent councilor Tom Baker (R-Ross) is not seeking re-election.

Says that District 1 “absolutely” needs improved public transportation. As Ross Township commissioner, says he worked with Port Authority to ensure community considerations were included in the authority’s recently released long range plan, which has proposals for extended light-rail and bus service to District 1 communities.

Touts his experience saving Moon taxpayers money through fiscally responsible spending. Did not respond to questions about public transit policies.

Applauds county’s recently passed paid sick leave law. “Especially in these times where there is widespread skepticism of public health experts, I was pleased that the final version of the ordinance was drafted by the County Health Department, and done in such a way as to better ensure it could survive legal challenges.”

Campaign website says he wants to bring county council “back to basics.” Did not respond to questions about paid sick leave policies.

In Ross, supported changes to township’s zoning code to encourage mixed-use development (combination of residential, retail, and services in the same zone). Says county council can provide guidance on best zoning practices to encourage the best development, and rules to ensure new buildings don’t exacerbate problems with stormwater runoff.

Campaign website says he is most proud of his efforts in Moon to “help secure the development of the Hilton Garden Inn complex on University Boulevard, formerly one of the area’s most visibly blighted properties, and the reconstruction of several important roadways, including the $9.5 million Robert Harper Interchange.”

Says he has never accepted any corporate or special interest PAC contributions and won’t be held hostage to the demands of outside interest groups in order to get their endorsement. “The needs of the residents of Allegheny County will always come first,” says Betkowski.

Lodge #91 of the Allegheny County Fraternal Order of Police

BIOGRAPHY

A native of Moon who worked in communications and public relations for years in Washington, D.C., including for former U.S. Rep. Austin J. Murphy. Returned to Moon in 2006 and now NAME OF CANIDATE serves on board of Moon Township supervisors.

Off Butler Street. Enter on 51st St.

100 50TH ST. • LAWRENCEVILLE • 412-687-2010 CAVACINIGARDEN CAVACINIGARDENCENTER.COM

PAID SICK LEAVE

CAVACINIGARDENCENTER

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JOE WISE

A resident of Ross and a current commissioner on the township board. Retired after a 34-year career with the Federal Reserve of Cleveland. Graduated with a Master’s in Business NAME OF CANIDATE Administration from Robert Morris University. Says serving on County Council would be an opportunity to give back to the community.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

(Delivery available for bulk materials)

JACK BETKOWSKI

DEVELOPMENT

• Weekly fall arrivals including: mums, asters, pumpkins, gourds and Cole crops • Fall novelty items including: indoor and outdoor decor, lanterns, metal yard signs and wooden porch signs • Weekly fall specials on perennials, shrubs, trees and houseplants • Wide variety of gardening supplies including soils and mulch

MONDAY - SATURDAY ::10AM 10AM - 6PM SUNDAYS: 10AM - 4PM

ENDORSEMENTS

Fall in love with autumn at...

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BY RYAN DETO

ELECTION GUIDE 2021

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 Allegheny County Council District 3 emcompasses some North Hills suburbs and Allegheny River towns including Reserve, Millvale, Shaler, Etna, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, O’Hara, Fox Chapel, Hampton, Indiana, and West Deer. Councilor Anita Prizio is the incumbent.

Need Help Getting Social Security Disability Benefits?

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SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR OVER 25 YEARS!

Former O’Hara town supervisor and current Allegheny County Councilor. Served as a delegate for former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in 2016. Works as an outreach specialist NAME OF CANIDATE for Steel Valley Authority, the Swissvale agency that provides layoff-aversion services to small and medium-sized Pennsylvania manufacturers. Lives in O’Hara.

MEREDITH DOLAN Graduated from Ohio University and worked as staff for Republicans on Capitol Hill. Volunteers with North Hills Community Outreach. Lives in Fox Chapel. Works for Illinois-based NAME OF CANIDATE media startup Freedom Fries, a company named after the GOP-led push to rename french fries during the Iraq War. The company runs an aggregation site focused on right-wing cultural issues like the “transgender discussion” and “big tech censorship.”

Proposed legislation with other progressives to ban natural-gas drilling, aka fracking, within Allegheny Countycontrolled parks. Led the creation of a public database of all fracking sites in the county. Wants county to transition to 100% renewable energy, and when fracking does occur, wants additional oversight.

Says additional environmental regulations will cost the county jobs. Criticized Prizio, saying her focus on climate change and green infrastructure is a “tenant of a lot of the socialist platform.”

Until recently, owned her family’s engine parts business, and says her experience as a small business owner gives her the knowledge on how government policies can help or hurt business. Wants to increase county funding to apprenticeships and community college, as well as better public transit to help those without cars access more jobs.

Opposed to any tax hikes, but said she wants to ensure police are wellfunded. Says her main focus if elected would be balanced budgets and says she would look for places to shrink county spending.

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Advocates for a regional flood policy so that District 3 towns in floodplains don’t bear disproportionate costs to manage floods. Wants to explore coordination and supports grantseeking to fund floodcontrol infrastructure, without raising fees on Allegheny County residents.

While working in Washington, D.C., says she gained experience on measures to fund wastewater treatment, transportation, and other infrastructure. Says she will participate in regular meetings with local elected officials to provide a consistent, accurate assessment of community needs.

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State Rep. Sara Innamorato, Allegheny County Councilors Bethany Hallam and Liv Bennett, The Sierra Club of Allegheny County, Clean Water Action, Working Families PA, Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, SEIU 32BJ, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, etc.

Campaign committee consists of Allegheny County Councilors Sam DeMarco, Cindy Kirk, and Tom Baker; former U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus, state Sen. Devlin Robinson, state Reps. Lori Mizgorski, Rob Mercuri, Carrie DelRosso, Natalie Mihalek, and Valerie Gaydos, etc.

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ELECTION GUIDE 2021

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 8 Allegheny County Council District 8 consists of Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Monroeville, North Braddock, Pitcairn, Plum, Rankin, Swissvale, Trafford, Turtle Creek, Wall, Whitaker, and Wilmerding. Incumbent councilor Paul Zavarella (D-Plum) is not seeking re-election.

CANDIDATE

BY JASON PHOX

ENDORSEMENTS

POLICING

lynncullen.pghcitypaper.com

ENVIORNMENT

Socially-distancing herself but still broadcasting LIVE every Monday thru Thursday at 10 a.m. at

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

BIOGRAPHY

MICHELLE NACCARATI-CHPKIS

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ERIC CASTEEL

Working in the nonprofit field for 20 years, Naccarati-Chapkis serves as executive director of Women for a Healthy Environment. Works closely with communities, elected officials, NAME OF CANIDATE government agencies, nonprofits, foundations, and corporations. Has spoken at national, state, and local conferences. Grew up in Wilkins and lives in Plum.

Casteel grew up outside of the small town of Hopwood in Fayette County and has lived in Plum since 1991. For 38 years, he has worked in the tech field with software development and cyber NAME OF CANIDATE security architecture. Volunteers for religious organizations that serve meals to the homeless and conduct international mission trips.

Seeks to improve access to public transportation. Also intends to help combat urban renewal that has displaced older, low-income residents from urban areas to distant suburbs, where there is less access to public transportation and health services.

Doesn’t mention transit funding in campaign materials. Says primary goal is to fund law enforcement and emergency services and develop budgets that prioritize public safety, infrastructure, and necessary services in District 8.

Aims to improve environmental health for county residents, especially in lowincome areas. Has spoken against a proposed fracking waste injection well in Plum. Says the county must work on a holistic plan to address climate change. Supports council’s effort to reduce emissions at industrial facilities.

Before working at his current job at Westinghouse, Casteel ran companies that focused on renewable energy. He believes municipalities need more economic development funds to help improve their environmental issues.

Says she would need more information before supporting an investigation into Allegheny County Jail’s alleged abuse against inmates, and would rely on the county’s Jail Oversight Board to lead any inquiry. Daughter of former Wilkins police chief.

If elected, he would prioritize law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services. In addition, Casteel says he would be open to investigating the county jail for mistreatment of individuals.

Pittsburgh Hub of the Sunrise Movement, Steel City Stonewall Democrats, Women for the Future Pittsburgh, Young Democrats of Allegheny County, state Rep. Brandon Markosek, state Sen. Jim Brewster

Firearm Owners Against Crime (FOAC), LIFEPAC, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 9

ELECTION GUIDE 2021

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COMMON PLEAS JUDICIAL ELECTIONS BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM With 18 candidates running for 10 open seats on the Common Pleas Court of Allegheny County, this election cycle offers a paramount opportunity to remake the county’s criminal justice system. Common Pleas Judges are responsible for overseeing trials for criminal, civil, and family cases and delivering sentencing. Pittsburgh City Paper has highlighted three categories for this year’s judicial candidates: legal, reform, and LGBTQ. Legal rankings come from the Allegheny County Bar Association and have four different results: highly recommended, recommended, not recommended at this time (which means candidates could be recommended later, but aren’t currently), and unqualified.

A criminal justice reform coalition (formed from police-reform, progressive, and Black-led advocacy groups) provided endorsements for candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to equitable justice. Lastly, two of the largest LGBTQ political organizations — Steel City Stonewall Democrats and the Gertrude Stein Club of Greater Pittsburgh — handed out endorsements for several judge candidates. Voters will be able to select up to 10 of the following candidates on the ballot. They are placed in the order they will appear on the general election ballot.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY COMMON PLEAS JUDICIAL CANDIDATES

CHELSA WAGNER, DEMOCRATIC (POINT BREEZE) Served as Allegheny County Controller since 2012. Before that, served as a state representative.

SABRINA KORBEL, DEMOCRATIC/REPUBLICAN (ROSS)

ALLEGHENY COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION RATING

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WRENNA WATSON, DEMOCRATIC (HILL DISTRICT)

RECOMMENDED

LISA MIDDLEMANN, DEMOCRATIC/REPUBLICAN (FRANKLIN PARK) Public defender who previously ran as a progressive independent for Allegheny County District Attorney.

NICOLA HENRY-TAYLOR, DEMOCRATIC (ROSS) Private attorney working in family and criminal courts. Attended Duquesne University Law School.

ELLIOT HOWSIE, DEMOCRATIC (CHURCHILL)

RECOMMENDED HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Incumbent Common Pleas Judge through appointment. Former director of Allegheny County’s public defender office.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TIFFANY SIZEMORE, DEMOCRATIC (CHURCHILL)

RECOMMENDED

Clinical law professor at Duquesne University. Experience working as a public defender.

BRUCE BEEMER, DEMOCRATIC/REPUBLICAN (BRADFORD WOODS) Incumbent Common Pleas Judge through appointment. Former Inspector General of Pa.

JESSEL COSTA, DEMOCRATIC (SOUTH SIDE) Worked as prosecuting attorney and public defender. Worked for former Pittsburgh City Councilor Darlene Harris.

TOM CAULFIELD, DEMOCRATIC (FOREST HILLDS) Served as a Magisterial District Judge since 2010. Before that, worked as a public defender.

JOSEPH PATRICK MURPHY, REPUBLICAN (PINE) Private practice lawyer for 20 years and has served as an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Arbitrator.

ANTHONY DELUCA, REPUBLICAN (MT. LEBANON) Former law clerk and Assistant District Attorney. Experience working as criminal defense attorney.

DANIEL J. KONZIECZKA, JR., REPUBLICAN (SHALER) Served as Magisterial District Judge since 2018, with experience as a prosecuting and defense attorney.

WILLIAM BILL CAYE, REPUBLICAN (SOUTH FAYETTE)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED UNQUALIFIED HIGHLY RECOMMENDED NOT RECOMMENDED AT THIS TIME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Private attorney, has taught at Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

CHUCK PORTER, REPUBLICAN (SHALER)

RECOMMENDED

Trial lawyer. Worked in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office.

MARK PATRICK FLAHERTY, REPUBLICAN (MT. LEBANON) Former Allegheny County Controller. Practiced law for 20 years in the areas of tax, finance, corporations, government.

RICK HOSKING, REPUBLICAN (UPPER ST. CLAIR) Trial lawyer and certified mediator with experience in class actions, business torts, insurance coverage, and more.

RICKARD L. WEISS, GREEN (BETHEL PARK) Worked as attorney for the federal government and internationally for development projects.

STEEL CITY STONEWALL DEMOCRATS / GERTRUDE STEIN CLUB OF PITTSBURGH

NOT RECOMMENDED AT THIS TIME

Legal Director of the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh since 2002.

Serves as a Magistrate Judge in Pittsburgh Municipal Court and Chair of Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM COALITION

NOT RECOMMENDED AT THIS TIME RECOMMENDED

NOT RATED

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

.VIEWS.

OPEN LETTER TO PITTSBURGH’S NEXT MAYOR BY TERENEH IDIA // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Author’s note: Elections are not over until they are over. In this column, I am presupposing heavily favored front runner Ed Gainey will win the mayoral election.

“I

’M NOT THE PRESIDENT of Black

America. I’m the president of the United States of America,” so said former President Barack Obama in 2012. You may be thinking this to yourself as we near the Nov. 2 general election, “I will not be the mayor of Black Pittsburgh. I will be the mayor of the city of Pittsburgh.” If so, like President Obama, you would be wrong to take such a stance. In fact, I will push it even further. I am asking you to be the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s Black women. I am asking you to begin every day asking yourself, “What can I do to improve the lives of Black women today?” And end every day answering, “This is what I did to improve the lives of Black women today.” Of course, this is not in the oath of office. Within the actual oath, we cite documents, a nation, and a place dedicated not to equity and justice, but to white supremacy, shown, in part, in the lack of fair representation of elective officials. Evidenced, in part, that you could be the first Black mayor of Pittsburgh in 2022. However, improving the lives of essential bellwethers of justice, Black women and femmes who in Pittsburgh find ourselves often the lowest paid, most disrespected, unprotected people in our city is a moral obligation, opportunity, duty, and, I would contend, a privilege of the incoming mayor. Recently, while speaking to two wellinformed and engaged white Pittsburghers, I noted that Pittsburgh was named one of the worst places for Black women “for just about every indicator of livability.” To my surprise, they had never heard any of the statistics and reports, despite the efforts of a few local and national news outlets. It seems nearly impossible to speak loud enough to temper the glaring and gaslighting: the “Most Livable,” “Look, another list saying how great Pittsburgh is ...” stories that take up so much space.

A photo of a gorgeous sunrise over the Golden Triangle clouds the fact that the air quality is some of the worst in the country and that lead levels in the water of our commonwealth is a continuing fight. I haven’t forgotten the outgoing administration gaslit us on that fact, too. All of this to say that in an effort to shake off the coal dust of insecurity of our former steel town selves, we have overcorrected so much that we fear honest and necessary conversations. In a city that has been multicultural from the beginning, we can now begin to tell the complete story of Pittsburgh and not just WhitesBurgh. How can one be the Mayor of Pittsburgh’s Black women? Why would you want to? Well, can we stem the tide of Black flight out of Pittsburgh due to racist housing and economic policy? Can we increase the health of Black children? Dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline? Increase the health of Black families, mothers, and children? Can the most educated group in America, Black women, find a home, partner, life in Pittsburgh? On Juneteenth of 2020, a year before the largely ceremonial adoption of the day as a national and city holiday, PublicSource published a piece I wrote about Black Women in Pittsburgh and in America. In the piece is a summary of many ideas taken from our neighbors locally and throughout the country, Black women and femmes, who are doing the work. Some highlights of things you can do as mayor include: • Ensure Black women and femmes are at the table for any and all health care issues. • Invest time and resources to Black women-led organizations; directly invest, not trickle down economics. • Hold each and every government agency accountable for how Black women and femmes are cared for

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

R S BLAC T

MAY K OR

and represented. • Redeﬁne the concept of health care to include multidisciplinary skilled people and paraprofessional care givers. • Demilitarize education, including getting rid of police in schools. • Equal pay for women, and close the pay gap based on race and gender. • Look outside systems of oppression for partnerships and collaborations.

You have a lot on your plate, with many mountains to overcome even from within the building on Grant Street. However, you have built a coalition of people who are wishing you the very best and want to see you succeed. In 2021, it is bittersweet to have a “First Black” anything, but here we are. While your current thoughts may turn to your first day in office, I want you to also think about your final day in office, years from now. Sitting at your mayoral desk, on the eve of the inauguration of the next next mayor of Pittsburgh. When you reflect on if you’ve been the Mayor of Black women Pittsburgh, if the answer is “yes,” I promise you the entire city will be the better for it. And Pittsburgh will become a shining example of equity for the region, the country, and the world.

•

TO E T VO TECT PROE VS. RO ADE W

E C I L PO M R O F E R

! W NO

IN A CITY THAT HAS BEEN MULTICULTURAL FROM THE BEGINNING, WE CAN NOW BEGIN TO TELL THE COMPLETE STORY OF PITTSBURGH AND NOT JUST WHITESBURGH.

Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX

I VO FOR TED TH E FI

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

.RETAIL.

MEAT CUTE BY AMANDA WALTZ AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HERE’S A DEMAND for locally made

gifts in Pittsburgh. This becomes more than apparent as I sit with Kelly Sanders and Monica Yope of love, Pittsburgh in their new Strip District location at 1728 Penn Ave. In the short time I spent with them in the then unopened store, several passersby yanked at the front locked door, then eyed the hand-poured candles and other enticing items displayed in the window. “This is all day,” Sanders said at the time. The shop ofﬁcially opens on Thu., Oct. 21 in the older section of the Strip, where long-standing, no-frills businesses like Wholey’s ﬁsh market stand close by to the trendier Smallman Street side of the historic neighborhood. The new love, Pittsburgh shop will open a block away from the shiny new Terminal building, but not in the new development. To Sanders and Yope, the Penn Avenue side feels perfect. They have already started getting to know their neighbors, having beers at the nearby Helltown Brewing taproom and buying hummus from Labad’s Mediterranean Cafe and Grocery across the street.

LOVE, PITTSBURGH

CP PHOTO: AMANDA WALTZ

Kelly Sanders and Monica Yope of love, Pittsburgh at their Strip District location

Multiple locations. lovepittsburghshop.com

In terms of selection, love, Pittsburgh has more than anyone looking for locally made gifts could want. Besides candles, there are art prints, clothing, tea and coffee, and other goodies, all made and sold right here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Strip District location has also given the women — who also operate locations in Downtown and Mount Washington — the chance to expand into some new territory: meat, namely from next door neighbor Parma Sausage. The women say they created a new gift box called Pittsburgh Loves Parma, which pairs items from love, Pittsburgh with Italian meats from Parma. The shop occupies a former Parma storefront, and Sanders explains that the family-owned and operated business decided to lease it out and relocate next door after turning its focus more on wholesale instead of retail.

The women say it was serendipity that the space became available just as they started looking for a Strip District location around two years ago. “They welcomed us like family from the beginning,” Sanders says of Parma, who still owns the property and now serves as their landlord. “They have been so kind to us.” There are also love, Pittsburgh stores in Downtown and Mount Washington. While they say they will feature the same mix of products in all three of their stores, they plan on using the Strip District location to test some “more elevated” home goods. They point to delicate colored glassware by ﬁrst-time vendors Penn/ Fairmount. They also plan on selling Strip District branded T-shirts, stickers, and other fun items. Kelly and Yope say the relationship with Parma emphasizes love, Pittsburgh’s

focus on working with and supporting women-owned businesses. Parma, which has operated for over 40 years, is touted as being women-owned, and Sanders says around 80% of the over 100 small businesses they work with are owned by women. Yope adds that this mission extends beyond their inventory and into services related to the store, such as hiring women photographers, or the painter they have doing sign work on their windows.

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

•

SANDERS SAYS AROUND 80% OF THE OVER 100 SMALL BUSINESSES THEY WORK WITH ARE OWNED BY WOMEN.

Follow a&e editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

Sanders and Yope look forward to integrating into the neighborhood and honoring what makes it distinct. The owners say the new location will try to reﬂect the Strip District’s reputation as a food-centric hub for groceries and restaurants, as well as wholesale, by centering edible goods and kitchen items, while also staying true to their brand and aesthetic. “We’re just super excited to be here, and being on Penn Avenue just feels really right to us,” says Yope.

Come One! Come All! to the DOWNTOWN HALLOWEEN Night Market & Cocktail Crawl! A Downtown Halloween Experience NOT TO BE MISSED!

Night Market at Market Square 5pm – 10pm LIVE MUSIC! Local Vendors to shop!

Stop at the City Paper & Bacardi Booth to get your Cocktail Crawl Map Plus - Play some games, win prizes and get a picture in front of the Night Circus backdrop!

Saturday, October 30

15+ Restaurants & Bars with Creative Cocktails & Halloween Festivities For more info visit the Facebook event page on Pittsburgh City Paper & Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership pages!

Make your way around the downtown trail of spooky themed cocktails !

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Please drink responsibly PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTIANE DOLORES

“Navigating White Spaces,” a scratchboard drawing by Christiane Dolores for a song by the same title, part of a visual/musical project highlighting the themes of love, joy, liberation, and chaos

.COMMUNITY.

AGAINST ERASURE BY DANI JANAE // DANIJANE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HE QUESTION OF HUMAN CRUELTY

is one that Christiane Dolores has explored through much of her art over the years, utilizing different mediums to really get at the root of societal ills like racism and white supremacy. And these questions have been a part of Dolores’ personal narrative since she was a young child. With a mother from Germany and a father from Pittsburgh, Dolores grew up in a family who were under a lot of scrutiny. She describes being called both the N-word and a “honky” and asking herself, “How does this happen?” Back in August, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

announced Dolores, also known as Madame Dolores, as its new Artist-inResidency. Presented in partnership with the Garﬁeld-based arts hub BOOM Concepts and The Pittsburgh Foundation, the Artist-in-Residency program, which was established in 2020, features four to six artists annually, and was primarily launched to give Black and marginalized artists a space to create and showcase their art. Dolores, who will be in residence until February 2022, is a multi-platform, cross disciplinary artist who is described as employing “sound, vision, text, and performance as storytelling tools to create

radical, sometimes controversial, cultural engagements.” “It’s utilizing different art forms to kind of grapple with this question of human cruelty and human inhumanity. What are we doing on this planet? Is it possible to have peace? Has peace ever existed for humans throughout our whole history?” says Dolores. “So it’s this kind of question, and it can be spurred by what’s happening in the news or anything, but it’s still the question of, why do we act like this? Why do we treat each other like this?” Dolores says she began to question why we, as humans, hurt each other and judge each other even from a young age.

She says we’re all people, and not in some “kumbaya” way. As humans, she believes there should be some understanding and compassion for one another, as we all live under the same conditions. “I wanted to be an astrophysicist and an anthropologist. So my mind goes into science. I simply don’t understand how we forget ourselves — I think we forget our essence,” she says. Creating art that speaks to these questions comes with a lot of personal work, so a comfortable environment is crucial. Dolores says she is very mindful and concerned about waste, so most of the preparation work she has to do, she’ll try

to do in her head. Instead of sketching out ideas, she projects them in her mind until she reaches the right version. She says The Book of White People, her ﬁrst exhibit at BOOM Concepts, took her 10 years to ﬁgure out. She also focuses on healing after each creation. She says that after doing a project on mulatto slavery — mulatto being a historically derogatory term used to describe children of both Black African and white European ancestry — she became very ill, and still deals with that illness in some ways. “It’s taught me that hate, discrimination, and racism, all of that, it’s a critical health issue. What it does to you. I think about all my illnesses, and they’ve all been precipitated by extreme interactions with racism, and it gets in your body. And so I’ve had to teach myself how to handle that energy and how to not let it overtake my health,” she says. Dolores says she spent time at some of the top art schools, but left them after not seeing enough Black artists covered in the learning materials. She says that in her home growing up, Black artists were

championed, and so spending money to learn in an environment where that wasn’t the case didn’t make sense to her. “I’m not paying you to teach me to erase myself. I’m not going to pay you thousands of dollars to be blind to the history of my father’s people. The history of my great, great grandmother’s Cherokee people. I’m not paying you this money to pretend that we didn’t do anything,” says Dolores. “You know, it’s so easy for them to look around and think, ‘Oh, we built the rooms. We built this.’ Well, of course you did, because you wouldn’t allow anyone else to do it. You think this justiﬁes your superiority, but no, it shows fear, just abject fear to me.” This residency presents Dolores with time to work on her many projects employing text, textiles, and more, as well as a horror movie. “I’m excited to have this time to kind of heal and get back to that space of excitement, that space of just living and breathing art, just for the sake of the fact that it exists and it challenges you and it makes you think, and it makes you grow,” she says.

CHRISTIANE DOLORES madamechristianedolores.com THE WESTMORELAND MUSEUM OF ART. 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. thewestmoreland.org

•

“I THINK ABOUT ALL MY ILLNESSES, AND THEY’VE ALL BEEN PRECIPITATED BY EXTREME INTERACTIONS WITH RACISM, AND IT GETS IN YOUR BODY.”

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHRISTIANE DOLORES

Christiane Dolores

Follow staff writer Dani Janae on Twitter @figwidow

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH THU., OCT. 21

IRL

ART • IRL Contemplate space and solitude with Defying Dimension and Seeing in Solitude, a dual set of exhibits at the James Gallery. Defying Dimensions artist Dan Droz uses sculpture to create and explore negative space and gaps in people’s perception through novel folding techniques with metal, glass, and mesh wire. Seeing in Solitude by Chuck Olson represents the artist’s experiences throughout the pandemic and his attempts to ground himself through collage paintings that explore contrasts in color, form, and medium. Continues through Fri., Nov. 19. 413 S. Main St., West End. Free. jamesgallery.net

make skateboarding more accessible, particularly for women and nonbinary people. The mini COVID-friendly workshop will include a short, yoga-based stretching session and options for all abilities and skill levels. Participants will receive goody bags with vegan snacks and stickers, and skateboards and safety equipment are included. Face masks are required. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. 7518 Dickson St., Swissvale. $40. shredyourfears.com/events

IN REAL LIFE EVENT

HYBRID

MIX OF IN REAL LIFE AND ONLINE EVENT

VIRTUAL

STREAMING OR ONLINEONLY EVENT

MON., OCT. 25 LIT • IRL The October Book Club at Riverstone Books will be discussing Firekeeper’s Daughter. Described as a “groundbreaking” YA thriller written by Indigenous author Angeline Boulley, the book follows an Ojibwe teen who goes undercover to solve a murder and get to the root of corruption in her community. The book is available for purchase at Riverstone, and the meeting is indoors, so we recommend bringing a mask. 7-8 p.m. 8850 Covenant Ave., McCandless. Free. riverstonebookstore.com/events

FRI., OCT. 22 COMEDY • IRL Comedy fans, get ready to laugh when the LIT AF Tour, hosted by legendary comedian Martin Lawrence, comes to PPG Paints Arena. Known for his roles in his own sitcom Martin and the Bad Boys movies, Lawrence leads a night filled with old favorites and new comedy acts. DeRay Davis, Michael Blackson, and B. Simone join Benji Brown and Tommy Davidson. Masks are recommended but not required. 7:30 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown. $39. ppgpaintsarena.com

DIY • IRL

SAT., OCT. 23 COMEDY • IRL Pittsburgh is known for its sports and drinking scenes, and Arcade Comedy Theater is offering a fun exploration of the latter for Pittsburgh’s Drunken History: A Comedy Walking Tour. The approximately 45-minute tour will explore six blocks on Downtown’s Penn Avenue corridor. While the tour itself will be kidfriendly — meaning no stops to sample establishments’ selections — guides will point out bars and restaurants that participants can return to after the tour. 1, 2, and 3 p.m. 943 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $20 for adults, free for children under 5. arcadecomedytheater.com/events

MARKET • IRL The Sorta Spooky Craft Faire at Black Cat Market is the perfect, family-friendly

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PHOTO: RENEE ROSENSTEEL

^ Among Women at DOORS OPEN

event for cat lovers this Halloween season. Featuring five local vendors, the cat cafe will feature everything from handmade jewelry to vegan soaps and creepy stickers. Featured vendors include La Mama Magia, Malevolent Kiwi, Sleepy Hollow Handmade, Spacecrafts, and Chaos Fairy Designs. As always, cat room visits are $5 per half hour. 2-6 p.m. 5135 Penn Ave., Garfield. Free. blackcatmarketpgh.com

ART • IRL Tour the newest art exhibitions in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District during a guided gallery tour. DOORS OPEN will take guests to the SPACE, 707, 820,

and 937 Galleries to view the exhibitions Among Women: Contemporary Art from Serbia, An<says>tors, Remnants, and This Sacred Thing. The tour will be under one mile and last two hours, and includes participation by guest curators. 12-2 p.m. and 2-4 p.m. 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $20. doorsopenpgh.org

SUN., OCT. 24 EVENT • IRL Jumping into any sport for the first time can be frightening, but Shred Your Fears at Switch and Signal Skatepark aims to

Spooky szn has officially arrived, and community art and studio space Ketchup City Creative is helping folks decorate for the holiday with a DIY workshop Creep It Real: Embroider with Rachel Makes Stuff. Learn basic stitching techniques while scoring a spooky keepsake. Participants will make a sweet “Bite me” pattern, featuring a fanged mouth, complete with dripping blood, or a slug carrying a devilish looking pumpkin on its back. 6-8 p.m. 612 Main St., Sharpsburg. $25, includes all supplies. ketchupcity.com

WED., OCT. 27 LIT • VIRTUAL White Whale Bookstore welcomes California-based poet Victoria Chang for a virtual reading and celebration of her most recent book Dear Memory: Letters on Writing, Silence, and Grief. Chang, a respected poet who has written several collections and served as the editor of the 2004 anthology Asian American Poetry: The Next Generation, will be joined in conversation with Kao Kalia Yang, author of The Late Homecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir. 7-8:30 p.m. Free with registration. whitewhalebookstore.com/events

DENTAL Insurance

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PHOTO: COURESTY OF JAMES GALLERY

^ “We’re In It Together” by Dan Droz at James Gallery

• Immediate coverage for preventive care

Call to get your FREE Information Kit

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF JAMES GALLERY

^ “Knot Yellow” by Chuck Olson at James Gallery

“Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2020 Includes the Participating (in GA: Designated) Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Product not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/ certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, LA, NY; call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN); Rider kinds B438/B439 (GA: B439B).

6255

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021

ARMY BASE BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

ACROSS 1. Country that is more than 80% Saharan desert 6. Evil villain’s laugh 13. Resident on the Persian Gulf 14. Inspected, as a worksite 15. Martin Sheen’s real first name 16. Two things needed to review for 57-Across? 17. “Smells delicious” 18. Japanese electronics manufacturer 20. Darth Vader, in his youth 21. The Godfather actor 23. Tending to be moody and covered in eyeliner 24. Be a super fan 25. English prog rock band that provides the soundtrack for 57-Across? 30. Get to 31. Plastic duck, e.g. 32. Ice cream maker 33. “That’s ... strange” 36. Person who grew up with a dot matrix printer, maybe 37. Crossword construction, for me

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

40. Deplete 42. Sweetie 44. Scalp during 57-Across? 48. Denon rival 49. “Personally,” initially 50. Dumbbell front raise target 51. Scrap of food 52. “No, really, my treat” 56. Hair application 57. 2021 Netflix series whose players hope to win won 59. Mazda best seller 61. Excel in every way 62. Up position? 63. Most humble 64. Stereo part

DOWN 1. Unpretentious unisex fashion trend 2. “Wow, just ... wow!” 3. Radioactive decay emission 4. Capital One’s online assistant (presumably whoever named it is a fan of Brian’s) 5. Coyotes prowl on it 6. The “B” in “N.B.” 7. Put on 8. PEN15 co-creator Konkle 9. Brick porter

10. Fly 11. Some temporary tattoo dyes 12. Actor Adam of Pig 14. Fast-moving hand 16. Apple, e.g. 19. Even so 22. Actor Cage of Pig, for short 24. Underhanded 26. Selected 27. Nickname for an El Paso pal 28. Big heart? 29. One of the Ionian Islands 34. ___ Comedy Jam 35. Bridge partnership, e.g. 37. Senator on the Space Shuttle Discovery

38. Fluffy breakfast 39. The Wizard of Oz star 40. Strummed instrument 41. Light refractors 43. ___ Soundsystem 44. Turning force 45. Observant 46. Tours girlfriend 47. Desperate code message 48. Chest 52. In neutral 53. Some grocery stores 54. GOP elephant cartoonist 55. Grp. named after Renaissance painters 58. “Yuck!” 60. Debtor’s paper LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

MASSAGE M2M Massage by Lee 24/7 • 412-628-1269

PERSONALS Female Companion wanted 30-40 y.o. Waist length hair and/or cornrows a PLUS PLUS! Permanent Position 724-223-0939 Wash. Co

ADULTS ONLY Hiring female swingers, Text 412-513-5796 Advertise in City Paper. Call 412.685.9009

MARKETPLACE

FINANCIAL SAVE BIG on HOME INSURANCE! Compare 20 A-rated insurances companies. Get a quote within minutes. Average savings of $444/ year! Call 844-712-6153! (M-F 8am-8pm Central) (AAN CAN)

CREDIT REPAIR Denied Credit?? Work to Repair Your Credit Report With The Trusted Leader in Credit Repair. Call Lexington Law for a FREE credit report summary & credit repair consultation. 855-620-9426. John C. Heath, Attorney at Law, PLLC, dba Lexington Law Firm. (AAN CAN)

FOR INFORMATION ON HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISEMENT, CALL 412-685-9009 ext. 106 HELP WANTED WANTED! 36 PEOPLE to Lose Weight. 30-day money back guarantee. Herbal Program. Also opportunity to earn up to $1,000 monthly. 1-800-492-4437 www.myherbalife.com

REHEARSAL

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Guaranteed Life Insurance! (Ages 50 to 80). No medical exam. Affordable premiums never increase. Benefits never decrease. Policy will only be cancelled for non-payment. HOURS: M-F 9a-10p & Sat 11a-2p EST 1-888-386-0113 (Void NY) (AAN CAN)

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-855-385-3879 www.dental50plus.com/ citypaper #6258

starting @ $150/mo. Many sizes available, no sec deposit, play @ the original and largest practice facility, 24/7 access.

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SERVICES

FINANCIAL

DISH Network. $59.99 for 190 Channels! Blazing Fast Internet, $19.99/mo. (where available.) Switch & Get a FREE $100 Visa Gift Card. FREE Voice Remote. FREE HD DVR. FREE Streaming on ALL Devices. Call today! 1-877-857-5995

SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Is the bank threatening foreclosure? CALL Homeowners Relief Line NOW for Help 1-855-4395853 Mon-Fri : 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Sat: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm(all times Pacific) (AAN CAN)

SERVICES

FINANCIAL

We Charge 50% Less Then ALL Our Competitors To Video Your Event

Struggling With Your Private Student Loan Payment? New relief programs can reduce your payments. Learn your options. Good credit not necessary. Call the Helpline 888-670-5631 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm Eastern) (AAN CAN)

We shoot video, photography for weddings, baby showers and most events. If family members and friends can not make it to your important event let us livestream it so they can enjoy the same moment simultaneously. Please, let this moment last a life time with “Pgh Video Streaming.” VISIT US AT: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=8yUY97JvjcY OR CALL: 412-407-7213

SERVICES AT&T TV - The Best of Live & On-Demand On All Your Favorite Screens. CHOICE Package, $84.99/mo for 12months. Stream on 20 devices at once in your home. HBO Max FREE for 1 yr (w/ CHOICE Package or higher.) Call for more details today! (some restrictions apply) Call IVS 1-877-350-1003

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-21-12465, In re petition of Weinian He parents and legal guardian of Shenchuan He for change of name to Aaron He. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ﬁling of said petition and ﬁxed the 22nd day of November 2021, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-21-11329. In re petition of Nicole Arnston, Anton Bunke, and Lena Bunke for change of name to Nicole Malen, Anton Christoff Malen-Bunke, and Lena Nicole Malen Bunke. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ﬁling of said petition and ﬁxed the 17th day of November, 2021, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

Free confidential testing HIV • stD • hep c

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Belleﬁeld Entrance Lobby, 341 South Belleﬁeld Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on November 2, 2021, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

Dr. Stacy Lane, D.O. • 412-515-0000

HELP HEal all WITH NO JUDGEMENT

VARIOUS SCHOOLS (PITTSBURGH BRASHEAR HIGH SCHOOL & PITTSBURGH SOUTH HILLS 6-8) • Replace Electrical Distribution System • General and Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on October 11, 2021, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

your body & soul

are welcome

• ALL INSURANCES ACCEPTED • WALK INS WELCOME • tRANSPORATION PROGRAM • NO INSURANCE? WE CAN HELP North Shore - 127 Anderson Street - Suite 101 Timber Court Building, PIttsburgh, PA 15212 Phone: (412) 322-4151 washington, pa - 95 Leonard Avenue Suite 203, Washington PA 15301 Phone: (724) 249-2517 beaver county - 2360 hospital drive Suite 1, aliquippa, pa 15001 Phone: (724)707-1155 Erie - 3104 State Street, Erie, PA 16508 PHONE: (814) 619-4009

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER OCTOBER 20-27, 2021