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This Week in Pgh History

This Week in Pittsburgh History: Water Main Break Floods Gateway Center

The break sent a rush of water, two feet deep in some places, through Downtown streets and nearly knocked KDKA-TV off of the air.
Richard Cook,

Up to 30 million gallons of water flooded the 600 block of Stanwix Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard Downtown when a 36-inch water main ruptured 17 years ago this week. The Aug. 17, 2005 break dumped more water on that area of Gateway Center than the floods of 2004 and 1996, according to the Tribune-Review. Seven thousand people were evacuated…
Pittsburgh Magazine Events

Pittsburgher of the Year Celebration

PM Staff,

  On Monday, January 30, Pittsburgh Magazine hosted its annual Pittsburgher of the Year celebration in the Rivers Casino Ballroom. The event honored Rich Fitzgerald, a quintessential Pittsburgher, heading into his 12th and final year as Allegheny County Executive, where he has been working to reshape the region for the next generation. This home-grown father of eight has drawn praise…

Game 7 1979 Ws
This Week in Pgh History

This Week in Pittsburgh History: The Pirates Win Two World Series

On the same day in 1971 and 1979, the Pirates defeated the same team to become World Champions.
Richard Cook, Content Provided by The Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating History of Pittsburgh,

The Pirates’ last two World Series wins had a lot in common. Both wins happened on Oct. 17. Both wins were against the Baltimore Orioles. Both series went seven games. The final games were both in Baltimore, and, most importantly for the Pirates, their biggest stars finished as Most Valuable Players. In 1971, Roberto Clemente became the first Spanish-speaking ballplayer…

Halloweenkills
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Movie Review: Halloween Kills

Just as the original "Halloween 2" did decades ago, the sequel to the 2018 film picks up right where the last chapter left off.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO © UNIVERSAL STUDIOS From the earliest days of the horror genre, sequels have always promised more — more mayhem, more blood, more complications. Innovation and deviation is for new properties; the further adventures of an established villain are typically about increased intensity, not change. “Halloween Kills,” the sequel to 2018’s mega-hit “Halloween,” is no exception. The previous chapter of…

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House of the Week, Sponsored Content

House of the Week: Custom-Built Brick Home in Franklin Park

Located in the North Allegheny School District, this home is minutes from major highways, shopping, restaurants and North Park.
Content Provided by Howard Hanna Real Estate Services,

1512 Abby Rose Ct., Franklin Park, PA 15237 Presented by Malini Jaganathan Howard Hanna Real Estate Services This five-bedroom home sits on a cul-de-sac with a large, usable lot.  A grand two-story foyer entrance with Porcelain floors greets you.  The kitchen features an oversized granite island, tall cabinetry, stainless steel Bosch appliances, a beverage station, a walk-in pantry and a breakfast nook…

Lastduel
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Movie Review: The Last Duel

Three versions of the same tale make for a fascinating, entertaining film in Ridley Scott's medieval epic.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO COURTESY 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS When trying to figure out who is telling the truth, it’s often important to remember: Everyone is. And, simultaneously, no one is even close. Without turning a review of the quite good drama “The Last Duel” into a treatise on memory, it’s relevant to say that our cloudy understanding of the human mind has advanced…

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The 412

A Decade In, ‘Pittsburgh Dad’ is Still Going Strong

For Curt Wootton and Chris Preksta — and the zany characters they’ve created over the years — the sky's the limit.
Ollie Gratzinger,

Ten years ago, Curt Wootton was living in Los Angeles with the hope of making it as an actor. But success found him closer to home instead; today, the Pennsylvania native is better known as Pittsburgh Dad, the titular blue-collar, “everyman” from the online sitcom he co-created with his friend Chris Preksta. The series, soaked in yinzer nostalgia and based…

Salems2615rotated
PGHeats, The 412

Salem’s Market and Grill Selected to Open Hill District Grocery Store

The Strip District shop will expand into the former Shop ‘n Save storefront on Centre Avenue.
Ollie Gratzinger,

PHOTO BY LAURA PETRILLA A taste of the Middle East is coming to the Hill District. Mayor Bill Peduto announced Monday that the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh will enter lease negotiations with locally owned and family-run Salem’s Market & Grill to open a grocery store at the Centre Heldman Plaza.  The storefront was previously home to Shop ‘n Save,…

Bondsmall
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Movie Review: No Time to Die

The long-awaited James Bond epic, the final outing for star Daniel Craig, is impressive but weighty.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO COURTESY MGM STUDIOS If “No Time to Die” does mark the end of a 15-year movement in the endless James Bond series, it’s fitting. While the epic film is even more spectacular (and certainly longer) than the chapters that led to it, it bears the same albatross that has hung around Daniel Craig’s neck the whole way: An overly…

Lamb
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Movie Review: Lamb

The bizarre fable emerges as a powerful, surprising thriller — if you can accept its out-there premise.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO COURTESY A24 Yes, it’s a movie about a half-human, half-lamb child. But it’s a touching, very sincere movie about a half-human, half-lamb child. The efficiently named “Lamb” is a movie that will either work for you or not, based on how willing you are to accept the premise — a lonely farm couple adopts the chimera offspring of one…

Martinhomer
This Week in Pgh History

This Week in Pittsburgh History: The Most Exciting Game at PNC Park

The National League Wild Card game in 2013 rewarded a raucous crowd with an unforgettable win. Watch the game's pivotal moment.
Content Provided by The Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating History of Pittsburgh,

Until the first week of October 2013, post-season baseball had not existed in Pittsburgh for two decades. The Cincinnati Reds came to town for the National League Wild Card game, and the paid attendance that night was 40,487, the largest in PNC Park’s history at that time. The raucous crowd was engaged in every pitch. Attendees would later recount that…

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The 412, Things To Do

How Pompeii Made Its Way to Pittsburgh

“Pompeii: The Exhibition” runs through April 23 at the Carnegie Science Center.
Ollie Gratzinger,

PHOTOS COURTESY CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy erupted nearly 2,000 years ago, leaving the city of Pompeii buried beneath a layer of ash and pumice. But as the Carnegie Science Center says, what nature destroyed, it also preserved; the pall of ash from the very volcano that leveled the town and killed its inhabitants also preserved the…

20 Years Of Fears
The 412, Things To Do

Can a Self-Described Scaredy Cat Survive Pittsburgh’s Most Popular Haunts?

I recently walked through my first-ever Halloween attraction: ScareHouse. And I lived to write about it.
Ollie Gratzinger,

PHOTOS COURTESY SCAREHOUSE Let’s get one thing straight: I’m a wimp.  The dark creeps me out, spiders are liable to ruin my day and my tolerance for horror movies starts and stops with Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline.” My fondness of autumn comes from sweater weather and apple orchards; as for creepy jack-o’-lanterns and haunted houses — no thank you. But with…

Clemente
This Week in Pgh History

This Week in Pittsburgh History: Roberto Clemente Gets His 3,000th Hit

It was the last regular-season at-bat of his career.
Content Provided by The Odd, Mysterious & Fascinating History of Pittsburgh,

Struggling with injuries in the final days of the regular season in 1972, Roberto Clemente complained bitterly when he felt the official scorer deprived him of his 3,000th hit on Sept. 29. The next day, at Three Rivers Stadium, there was no dispute when Clemente smacked a double in the fourth inning off Jon Matlack of the New York Mets….

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Movie Review: Dear Evan Hansen

Pittsburgher Stephen Chbosky tries to save it from the director's chair, but the musical has problems too big to overcome.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO BY ERIKA DOSS / UNIVERSAL PICTURES The movie isn’t the problem. The story is. “Dear Evan Hansen” is a massive Broadway hit and a vacuum for Tony Awards and tear-stained tissues. Perhaps in its original form, the magic of live theater (and the infectious nature of cloying, heart-on-the-sleeve ballads) covers up the inescapable, deeply troubling problems in its story….

Thestarling
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Movie Review: The Starling

Netflix's star-studded dramedy sits on the edge between moving and sappy.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO BY HOPPER STONE/NETFLIX I want to like “The Starling.” I genuinely do. But it’s not making it easy for me. It’s a movie piled high with sentimentality, overtopped with cloying emotion, like a nacho platter with endless toppings and no visible chips. Yet it is also a movie that acknowledges and respects the difficulties of mental health and grief;…

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House of the Week, Sponsored Content

House of the Week: Newly Renovated Home on Mount Washington

The home offers panoramic views from Neville Island to Squirrel Hill.
Content Provided by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty,

427 Bailey Avenue, Mount Washington, 15211 Presented by Barbara Baker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty This unique property has been renovated from top to bottom with absolutely impeccable taste, state-of-the-art amenities, an open floor plan and chic decor. There are approximately 4000 square feet that feature original woodwork, rich moldings, high ceilings, beautiful stained glass windows and three stories…

Bluebayou
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Movie Review: Blue Bayou

A compelling Oscar hopeful wins with a grounded, fearless story of injustice.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES Many films about social issues opt to depict a time when things went right. When dealing narratively with big societal problems — particularly those matters that are still unresolved in the real world — filmmakers like to show the way things could be, or the time when the underdog triumphed against an unfair system. Such cases…

Ghostland1
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Movie Review: Prisoners of the Ghostland

Nicolas Cage stars in a deliberately weird bizarro western, with mixed but memorable results.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO © RLJE FILMS The poster for “Prisoners of the Ghostland” has a quote above the credits, as many movie posters do. These quotations are usually words of approval from reviews — never mine — or testimonials from fellow filmmakers. What’s unusual in this case, though, is that the quote comes from the star of the movie. The quote reads:…

Monroeville Mall Oct21
On Location

On Location: Monroeville Mall

A monthly look at Pittsburgh's starring role in the movies.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO BY CHUCK BEARD “Dawn of the Dead” (1978) “What are they doing? Why do they come here?” As a group of survivors lands on the roof of Monroeville Mall, Francine (Gaylen Ross) asks Stephen (David Emge) why zombies would bother with a shopping center. “Some kind of instinct,” he replies. “Memory of what they used to do. This was…

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The 412

Duquesne University Hosts Exhibit Commemorating 9/11 Anniversary

“September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World” includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum’s permanent collection.
Ollie Gratzinger,

PHOTOS BY OLLIE GRATZINGER To mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Duquesne University’s Gumberg Library is hosting an educational 9/11 Memorial and Museum exhibit featuring personal stories of witnesses and survivors. By the time most undergraduate students were born, 9/11 was already a part of history, memorialized by the power of collective memory. As the…

Malignant
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Movie Review: Malignant

Modern horror maestro James Wan tackles another tale of dread.
Sean Collier,

PHOTO BY RON BATZDORFF / WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT It’s certainly different. Director James Wan built his reputation as a crafter of crowd-pleasing horror, delivering a series of hits including “The Conjuring,” “Insidious” and “Saw.” His style created a cottage industry — all three of those films became franchises — and launched Wan into the lucrative realm of franchise blockbusters, as…

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The 412

9-Year-Old Latrobe Opera Singer Is One Performance Away From Winning ‘America’s Got Talent’

Victory Brinker is one of 10 contestants in the running to win the show’s $1 million prize.
Kaitlyn Nuebel,

PHOTOS BY TRAE PATTON | NBC This time next week, Victory Brinker, a 9-year-old opera singer from Latrobe, might be a millionaire. Or, something like that. After making it through the semifinals on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” Wednesday night, Victory is one step away from winning the show’s 16th season. If she does, she’ll go home with a prize of…