City Cast Pittsburgh City Cast

It’s the Friday news roundup! Change is in store for some big summer events: Pride is moving back to the North Side, and the city isn’t sponsoring the annual Juneteenth celebration at Point State Park. Plus, Pittsburgh is expanding the controversial ShotSpotter technology into a new neighborhood, and a local company is sending self-driving tractor trailers onto a Texas highway.
We always cite our sources:

Pittsburgh Pride organizers told KDKA-TV that they’re moving back to the North Side after they were denied access to Point State Park, but the state claims they didn’t submit a completed application.

The news outlet QBurgh, which is part of the Pride planning group, says it has filed complaints with the state’s LGBTQ Commission over “institutional barriers.”

Juneteenth is still taking place at Point State Park, but the city is not sponsoring it this year, and the Black Musical Festival has been canceled.

The Pittsburgh-based company Aurora Innovation will be putting self-driving tractor trailers on the road later this year – but for now, only on I-45 in Texas.

Pittsburgh City Council approved a contract expansion with the company behind ShotSpotter; the technology will now be installed in Carrick.

Don’t miss our episode about ShotSpotter, and PublicSource’s primer on Pittsburgh’s history with the controversial technology


Check out the lineup for Allegheny County’s free summer concert series at South Park and Hartwood Acres

We talked about the Steelers’ report card on a previous show; players had gripes about a lot of things, including their training facility. Now the space has received a major upgrade.

Sign up to meet the team and celebrate women’s role in journalism at the Heinz History Center this Sunday, May 5.
Learn more about our sponsor, the Pittsburgh Opera. They’re presenting The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson through May 5 at the Byham Theater.
Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh!
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The Bloomfield Saturday Market is back this weekend! And in addition to being a go-to spot for fresh produce, fancy cheese, homemade pies, and more, it’s also a resource for customers and vendors at any bustling market to learn how to be a good neighbor and get the most from your selling and shopping experience. The City Cast team is asking all your burning questions: Is there a right way to walk through it? 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 some farmers market etiquette ahead of opening day.
The Bloomfield Saturday Market happens weekly May 4 through November 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here’s a full list of vendors. Find more about market season elsewhere in the city here.
**This episode originally published on May 4, 2023.
Learn more about our sponsor, the Pittsburgh Opera. They’re presenting The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson through May 5 at the Byham Theater.
Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? 

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We’re on Instagram @CityCastPgh.

Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893.

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If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you, with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Pittsburgh community. 
The sun is out, flowers are in bloom, and the City Cast Pittsburgh team has tons of recommendations to help you take advantage of the beautiful weather. From farmers markets to music fests, we’re bringing you the best tips and suggestions for enjoying May in the Steel City. And if you’re looking for even more outdoor activities, don’t miss our recent episode about how to forage mushrooms in Pittsburgh.
For even more tips on how to make the most of May in Pittsburgh, check out Hey Pittsburgh’s take on what to do this month. 
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Kennywood is open, and it might be in legal trouble. We’re digging into the new lawsuit from a disgruntled season passholder. Host Megan Harris explains why we don’t need to worry about trillions of cicadas – or their zombies – in our area, but we do need to watch for lanternflies. Plus, producer Sophia Lo shares fun new ways to enjoy a bunch of shows and museums for free all summer long.
We always cite our sources:

The NFL Draft always features fun videos of students celebrating, and occasionally lamenting, their new employers. Philly’s WTTW Podcast shared a particularly funny one this year.

Someone’s suing Kennywood over the Steel Curtain’s closure, and his lawyer argues that people aren’t getting their season pass value if this major roller coaster isn’t running.

Two broods of periodic cicadas are coming above ground this year, but you won’t see them in Pittsburgh. 

Learn more about a fungus affecting periodical cicada broods all over the nation. Scientists from our region were hopeful some of that fungus could be useful for pharmaceuticals someday!

Them reported it like this: “A Sexually Transmitted Fungus Is Making Trillions of Cicadas Hypersexual and Gay”


It’s almost spotted lanternfly season, but you can squash egg masses before the bugs hatch.

RAD is launching a summer staycation program where you can book free tickets to some of Pittsburgh’s museums starting May 1.

Pittsburgh CLO’s summer shows and schedules have been announced.

The student-led Gaza solidarity encampment is coming to a close, but organizers still plan to pressure the university to divest from Israel.

Learn more about our sponsor, the Pittsburgh Opera. They’re presenting The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, April 27 through May 5, at the Byham Theater.
Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh!
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beaver County’s Shell cracker makes nurdles — those lentil-sized pellets that become our plastics — but the glowing, riverfront facility is just the part we can see. There’s a 97-mile underground pipeline that delivers its raw materials, and state investigators say its construction led to thousands of gallons of hazardous drilling mud spills in all three Pennsylvania counties it passes through. The Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier explains why whistleblowers came forward, what the Attorney General’s office found, and how these 13 misdemeanor criminal charges could play out in court.
Learn more about our sponsor, the Pittsburgh Opera. They’re presenting The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, April 27 through May 5, at the Byham Theater.
Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter.

We’re on Instagram @CityCastPgh.

Text or leave us a voicemail at 412-212-8893.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the Friday news roundup, election edition! City Cast contributor Natalie Bencivenga joins host Megan Harris to talk about the winners and losers, what a few of those victories may tell us about what’s coming in November, and why we should be paying attention to all those write-ins, even if we never get a full or complete accounting of everything they said.
We always cite our sources:

Allegheny County election results


SpotlightPA has great info on the candidates for attorney general.

More than 60,000 voters statewide chose the write-in option in the Democratic presidential primary, but we may not get a complete count of how many people voted “uncommitted” because of the way Philadelphia tallies write-ins.

Learn more about our sponsors: 

City of Asylum is hosting International Jazz Poetry Month from May 2 – 23 at Alphabet City. 

The Pittsburgh Opera is presenting The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, April 27 through May 5, at the Byham Theater.

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh!
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices