Pgh Native Phylicia Mitchell, 46, is 5th Trans Person to be Killed in 2018

Phylicia Coulson Brown

This past Friday, February 23, 2018, Phylicia Mitchell was shot and killed in front her Cleveland home at 6 PM in the evening. She was shot about 6 p.m. Friday on West 112th Street near Detroit Avenue, in the Edgewater neighborhood of Cleveland, according to police reports.  No arrests have been made and the shooting remains […]

Q&A with Erika Strassburger, Candidate for Pgh City Council District 8

Erika Strassburger yard sign

The Special Election to fill the City Council seat for District 8, formerly held by Dan Gilman is many things. It is a contested election with Democratic, Republican, and Independent contenders. It is a race full of big ideas on everything from pothole repairs to clean water and rent control. It is also a genuine […]

Why Are the Girl Scouts of Western PA, Woodland Hills High School Accepting Grants from the NRA?

Pennsylvania NRA

NRA Lobbyist Dana Loesch is a horrible human being. That must always be said. But she did make me stop and think about how the NRA engages Americans. Today, I dutifully contacted Amazon Prime about their involvement with the broadcast of NRAtv. Then I googled “NRA Foundation” and Pennsylvania. I found their 2016 Annual Report. […]

Fish Fry Friday: Riverview Presbyterian Church (Perry North) – Part One

Welcome to Fish Fry Fridays, 2018 Edition! Click here to learn more about this project. Name: Riverview Presbyterian Church (Perry North) Date: February 23, 2018 Time We Ate: really late Random review of #fishburgh adventures during Lent. Find a fish fry on this map! You can also follow them on Facebook and find tons of reviews and suggestions. And vote in The Incline’s […]

‘Christian’ Psychic, Dakota James Foundation Sharing Misinformation About Gay Bars in Pittsburgh

A self-described ‘Christian Intuitive Medium and Psychic Detective’ named Troy Williams is contacting members of the local LGBTQ community to help identify a so-called person of interest in the disappearances of Dakota James and Paul Kochu. This person of interest was photographed in Cruze Bar and Williams is circulating the photo looking for a name.  Note, […]

Fish Fry Friday: Church of the Assumption in Bellevue 2018

Welcome back to Fish Fry Fridays, 2018 Edition! Click here to learn more about this project. Name: Church of the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary (Bellevue)  Date: February 16, 2018 Time We Ate: 6:15 PM Random review of #fishburgh adventures during Lent. Find a fish fry on this map! You can also follow them on Facebook and find […]

The Confidence of an Olympian

One thing that always amazes me about Olympic athletes, especially the young ones, is their confidence. They might nervous or anxious, but they have demonstrated to themselves that they *can* do this thing, this feat of physical strength and grace. They know they are among the very best for a reason – they earned it. […]

My #Hysterecovery Pants

One thing I did not anticipate well was my post-surgical clothing. I assumed I would wear pajamas and sweats for weeks. I almost bought a few extra pairs of sweatpants, but I’m glad that didn’t work out. There’s this post-surgical condition that the HysterSisters call swelly belly.  First of all, the term “swelly belly” (Latin term: […]

UPMC v Highmark: Chapter 897689

Highmark UPMC

For the past several months, I have been interviewed by reporter Carolyn Johnson for a Washington Post piece on the Pittsburgh healthcare scene. More specifically, she was writing about the impact of two companies ‘stacking’ healthcare insurance with healthcare providers into what we know as UPMC and Highmark/Allegheny Health Network. I think vertical integration is the […]

Humane Action Pittsburgh Defends Collaboration with State Senator Guy Reschenthaler

Last week, I blogged about the plans by Animal Friends and Humane Action Pittsburgh to host State Senator Guy Reschenthaler – R for a conversation about animal rights at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 13 at the Animal Friends campus on Camp Horne Road.  Here is the response of Humane Action Pittsburgh as posted […]