6.14.23 NPC

Gainey, URA team up to tackle city’s affordable housing crisis

Up to $42 million to be earmarked for affordable housing over next three years

by Rob Taylor Jr.

Courier Staff Writer

Pittsburgh, the most “livable” city?

Talk to many African Americans, and they’ll tell you that short of a lit-

eral kick in the rear end, it’s very difficult to think they’re wanted within city limits. Not only have residential buildings been bulldozed in favor of retail stores or high “market-rate” housing, but

housing prices in general have skyrocketed.

The issue of housing is the primary reason why more than 7,000 African Americans left Pittsburgh’s city limits between 2014 and 2018,

according to the U.S. Census. The good thing is, local officials are aware of the problem. Getting more affordable housing into Pittsburgh has been a priority for Mayor Ed Gainey,

and on May 31, he called the day “historic,” a “day that’s been worked on for many years.”

He announced that the city had partnered with the Urban Redevelopment Authority of the City of

Pittsburgh to tackle the affordable housing crisis head on, and right now. The city would invest $2.5 million annually for

SEE URA TEAM B12

Stewart Johnson—the barrier-breaker, basketball icon, and very proud father

Clairton’s own comes home, drops diamonds of knowledge on and off the court

by Genea L. Webb

For New Pittsburgh Courier

For many players, the basketball court is the place to show your bravado. But for Stewart “Stew” Johnson, the court is his pulpit.

“Being in basketball, I’ve been surrounded mostly by young men and women who were at least a generation younger than me,” said Johnson, who is 79.

Now, he voluntarily coaches young Swedish kids in the sport to not only teach about the fundamentals of basketball, but the fundamentals of life as well.

“People say, ‘why don’t you get a job where you get paid?’ My payment is to watch these kids grow,” Johnson told the New

Pittsburgh Courier in an exclusive interview. “I do a lot of counseling there, too. I like that kind of challenge.”

Let’s take it back some years. Standing 6 feet, 8 inches tall, it was a no-brainer that Johnson would play basketball.

“In my early years I was ridiculed a lot because I had the biggest feet, I could never get shoes my size, could never find pants long enough, mama would let the cuffs out trying to make the pants long enough,” Johnson recalled. “I felt like the odd man out because you want to be like your friends and be able to do the things your friends do and I couldn’t do that because of my height. Kids are brutal with nicknames like ‘dad-

dy long legs’ and all those different names, especially when you’re going into your teen years...none of the girls would dance with me because I was too tall.”

Johnson made major strides in the sport on both the collegiate and professional level. In 1963 he burst on the scene as the first Black varsity scholarship basketball player at Murray State University, in Kentucky, something they never saw down in those parts. Johnson was the first Black Division I basketball player to receive a scholarship in the entire South.

“That happened mainly because in those days when they took photos of the game, everything was black and white, and I was light-skinned,” Johnson told the Courier. “A lot of schools were recruiting me thinking I was a White player. And when the recruiters came here and found out (that I was Black), I believe one of the things that influenced

them was my parents—my father was a policeman, and my mother was a religious woman—the coach promised to do things to protect me and he did that.”

For “Stew” Johnson, he said he cried “twice a day, but my father said, ‘you started this, so you finish it.’ It was rather difficult being down there. Being the only Black is one thing but all the other players on the team were White, from the South who never played with a Black player, and I had to fight with my own teammates. We traveled to games in Mississippi, Alabama and places like that and the team would go in restaurants and eat and they would bring my food out in a brown paper bag. We’d go to hotels and the team would go in and sleep and I would sleep on the bus. The coach

Supreme Court rules in favor of Black voters in Alabama and protects landmark Voting Rights Act

by Rodney Coates Miami University

In a surprising ruling on June 8, 2023, the conservative leaning U.S. Supreme Court threw out Republican-drawn congressional districts in Alabama that a lower court had ruled discriminated against Black voters and violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

At issue in the case that was before the court, Allen v. Milligan, was whether the power of Black voters in Alabama was diluted by dividing them into districts where White voters dominate. After the 2020 census, the Republican-controlled Alabama legislature redrew the state’s congressional districts to include only one out of seven in which Black voters would likely be able to elect a candidate of their choosing.

Black residents make up about 27 percent of the state’s population, and voting rights advocates argued that they deserved not one but two political districts.

Rodney Coates is a sociologist who studies race and ethnicity and has followed efforts by politicians throughout American history to use redistricting to disenfranchise Black voters. The Conversation asked him four questions about the ruling and its implications.

What does the decision mean for Black voters in Alabama?

The decision means that Black voters in Alabama, and across the country, will retain the last remaining voter rights protections. Specifically, Alabama lawmakers will need to redraw their legislative districts to include two districts that reflect the Black population.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted to prohibit racist practices by Southern states that were used to prevent Black people from voting. Those measures included literacy tests, poll taxes and voter intimida-

This Week In Black History A Courier Staple

• JUNE 14

1811— White anti-slavery activist Harriet Beecher Stowe is born. Stowe was the author of one of the best-selling books of 1852—“Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” The book addressed the brutality of slavery and featured the character of “Uncle Tom”—a slave who, perhaps unfairly, came to symbolize the accommodating Black person who showed complete deference to Whites. The book was such an indictment of slavery that when President Abraham Lincoln met Stowe he remarked, “You’re the little woman who wrote the book that started this great [civil] war.”

1970—Cheryl Adrienne Brown wins the Miss Iowa pageant and becomes the first African American to compete in the Miss America beauty pageant.

• JUNE 15

tion.

Prior to the law’s passage, less than a quarter of voting-age Blacks were registered to vote across the nation. In 1969, that figure had risen to 61 percent.

The ruling will also set an important precedent for redistricting cases alleging discrimination as voters and their representatives challenge state maps. Among Democrats there is the belief that the ruling will impact pending cases and require Alabama, as well as Louisiana and Georgia, to add new majority-minority districts prior to the next congressional elections.

Why was this decision considered a surprise?

The ruling in Allen vs. Milligan was a surprise because of the voting by conservative Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh with the three liberal justices.

In his opinion for the majority, Roberts traced the importance of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. He explained how racially motivated voter suppression after the Civil War led to the initial passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

In order to avoid creating racially designated legislative districts, Congress established that the electoral process should allow for the equal participation of all racial groups, Roberts wrote in his opinion.

Roberts’ thinking in Allen vs. Milligan is radically different from the one he held

for voting rights activists, this ruling does not mean that White conservatives will cease their attack.

GOP-controlled congressional maps diluting or eliminating Black districts have been drawn in multiple states, including Louisiana, Georgia, Ohio and Texas. These efforts could significantly alter the 2024 electoral map.

Several lawsuits are currently working their way through the courts across the country in states such as Florida, Arkansas, South Carolina and New York.

What are the remaining obstacles to full Black voting power?

Across the country, there has been a concerted effort to restrict voting and control the election machinery and even the outcome of these votes.

Dozens of Republican-controlled states have passed a series of laws that will curtail voting of Blacks and many other Americans.

These laws are in Florida, where registration is harder; in Nebraska, which has enacted more stringent voter identification measures; in Mississippi, which placed restrictions on absentee ballots; and in Georgia, which increased voter scrutiny by allowing anyone to challenge the qualifications of other voters.

Uncertainty prevails at the state and federal level, and according to Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford, only

1864—Gen. Ulysses S. Grant outfoxed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee by switching an attack strategy from Cold Harbor to Petersburg, Va. The assault, spearheaded by Gen. Charles Paine, knocked a mile-wide hole in Lee’s defenses and resulted in the capture of hundreds of rebel soldiers and helped speed up the end of the Civil War. Several Black regiments were involved in the assault and siege. Grant would later become the 18th president of the United States and use his office to deal a series of crushing blows to the rapidly growing forces of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1870s.

1877—Henry O. Flippea becomes the first Black graduate of the U.S. military academy at West Point.

1921—Bessie Coleman becomes the first woman of any race to obtain an international pilot’s license. But she had to leave the United States and study in France in order to accomplish her goal. She was barred from U.S. flight schools because of her race and her sex. Born in a small town called Atlanta, Texas, Coleman would move to Chicago where she was influenced by several prominent Blacks including Robert S. Abbott, publisher of the Chicago Defender. When she returned to the U.S. from France, Hollywood wanted to do a movie about her amazing feat. She walked off the set because she felt the film actually degraded Blacks. Coleman died in a plane accident April 30, 1926.

• JUNE 16

1822— This was the rumored start date of the Denmark Vesey-led slave revolt in the Charleston, S.C., area. Vesey, a former slave who had bought his freedom, had organized what is still believed to be the largest and most comprehensive slave revolt in American history. Aware of how “house slaves” tended to be loyal to their slave masters, Vesey had given strict orders that none were to be included in the plot. But so many Blacks (both slave and free) were involved that word eventually leaked out and just as Vesey feared, a house slave told the authorities. Military forces were moved into the city and scores were arrested. Thirty-five Blacks, including Vesey, were hanged. [There is some historical debate as to whether June 16 was the actual start date for the rebellion. There is some authority that July 14 was to be the start date. But what is clear is that military forces moved into the city on June 16 to put down the planned revolt.]

He died in an automobile accident in 1938.

1928— The “Godfather of Soul” James Brown was born on this day in Pulaski, Tenn. He was also referred to as “Soul Brother Number One” and “Mr. Dynamic” for his sensational dancing. Brown died in December of 2006.

1948— Actress Phylicia Rashad is born on this day in Houston, Texas. Rashad is best known for her role as Bill Cosby’s wife in the once highly popular NBC television series, “The Cosby Show.”

1980— Tennis great Venus Williams is born in Lynwood, Calif. Venus is the older sister of fellow tennis great Serena Williams.

• JUNE 18

1941— Labor and civil rights leader A. Phillip Randolph initially rejects a plea by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to call off the first-ever Black-organized March on Washington designed to protest unfair employment practices by the military and the defense industry. The march was planned by Randolph, Bayard Rustin and A.J. Muste—all relatively unsung heroes of the early civil rights movement. The march was not cancelled until Roosevelt signed the Fair Employment Act. Ironically, more than 20 years later, Randolph would be one of the principal figures helping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize his historic 1963 March on Washington.

1968— The United States Supreme Court bans racial discrimination in the sale and rental of housing. The decision came in a case known as Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. The court used as its precedent the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to state that housing discrimination by either the government or private industry was unconstitutional. 2010— A study gains widespread publicity indicating that a growing number of Black males are abandoning Black females when it comes to marriage . The report, analyzing data from 2008, found that 22 percent of Black male newlyweds married a woman who was not Black. Meanwhile, 9 percent of Black female newlyweds married a man who was not Black. The study was compiled the Pew research Center and based on data from the Census Bureau’s “American Community Survey.” The actual report had been released in early June.

• JUNE 19

1865— The Juneteenth Celebration begins. June 19, 1865 marks the day that many Blacks actually became free, especially those in Texas. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation technically freed all slaves in 1863, slavery actually continued in Texas until the end of the Civil War. It was not until June 19, 1865 that many slaves learned they had been freed. They called the day of freedom “Juneteenth.” It is normally marked with picnics, barbecues and commemorations. In 1980, the day became an official holiday in Texas.

when he was an attorney serving in the U.S. Department of Justice during the Reagan administration. Then, Roberts wrote 25 memos in opposition to the VRA, specifically in reference to section 2.

Only Roberts knows why his perspective has changed over time. But perhaps Alabama went too far, too fast and was too partisan.

“States shouldn’t let race be the primary factor in deciding how to draw boundaries but it should be a consideration,” Roberts wrote. “The line we have drawn is between consciousness and predominance.”

Roberts went further by citing the repugnant racial history of Alabama.

Even as the Black population increased to over 27 percent of the state’s population over the past 30 years, the number of Black districts remained at one, largely because White conservatives have used their control of the state legislature to dilute the strength of Black voters.

a national law aimed at eliminating the various suppression tactics that target Black voters will remedy the situation.

How do these laws typically affect Black people?

As many as 42 restrictive voting-rights laws in 21 states have been passed since 2021.

Among these, 33 contain at least one restrictive provision that will impact elections in 20 states. These restrictive provisions would make it harder for eligible Blacks to vote. These laws are being vigorously challenged by groups such as the ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters, Fair Fight Action and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which are mobilizing protests, organizing voters and launching legal challenges.

(Rodney Coates, Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, Miami University)

(This article is republished from The Conversation under a

1969— The United States Supreme Court rules that the suspension of Harlem Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr. from the U.S. House of Representatives on alleged corruption charges was unconstitutional. Powell, who had first won election to Congress in 1945, was returned to the House but without his seniority. Powell had been one of the most powerful men in Congress. He had fought civil rights battles in New York and had followed his father as pastor of the city’s influential Abyssinian Baptist Church. He often told Blacks “Mass action is the most powerful force on earth.” He also frequently reminded his supporters to “Keep the faith, baby.”

• JUNE 17

1775— Blacks fight in two of the major battles of America’s war of independence from England—the battles of Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill . Two of the most outstanding soldiers were Peter Salem and Salem Poor.

1871—James Weldon Johnson is born in Jacksonville, Fla. Johnson is clearly one of the most multi-talented men in Black American history. He was a poet, writer, lawyer, diplomat and civil rights activist. Johnson was one of the leading figures in the Black cultural revolution of the 1920s known as the Harlem Renaissance. He was the first African-American admitted to the Florida bar to practice law. He was the first Black executive of the NAACP. He served as one of the first Black diplomats to Latin America and he is co-author of the “Black” National Anthem—“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.”

1918— Ebony and Jet magazines founder John H. Johnson is born in Arkansas City, Ark. He moved to Chicago to build his publishing empire. Johnson was the first African-American to appear on the Forbes magazine list of 400 richest Americans with an estimated wealth of $500 million. Johnson died in August 2005. However, both magazines are now in financial trouble.

2009— The U.S. Congress issues a formal apology to Black Americans for the slavery of their ancestors. The resolution acknowledged the “fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality and inhumanity of slavery and Jim Crow laws” which followed slavery. However, the resolution specific rejected paying Blacks reparations for past, discrimination, mistreatment and brutality.

• JUNE 20

1871— The first anti-Ku Klux Klan trials begin in Oxford, Miss. The trials were part of an effort begun by President Ulysses S. Grant to crush the Klan, which was populated by defeated Confederate soldiers from the Civil War and which was becoming increasingly powerful throughout the South. In Mississippi, White doctors, lawyers and even ministers were indicted for violating Black rights and conspiring against the U.S. government. More than 900 were indicted in Mississippi and 243 convicted. Similar trials took place throughout the South—most notably in South Carolina and North Carolina. Grant’s efforts succeeded in crushing the terrorist organization and it would not rise again until 1915.

SELMA, ALA., demonstrate for voting rights protections on March 6,

“States shouldn’t let race be the primary factor in deciding how to draw boundaries but it should be a consideration. The line we have drawn is between consciousness and predominance.”

—Chief Justice John Roberts Jr.

Stewart Johnson—the barrier-breaker, basketball icon, and very proud father

JOHNSON FROM A1

with people saying they were going to bomb his house, too.”

On the court, things turned out great for Johnson. He scored a total of 1,275 points at Murray State, including averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds in his junior season. He helped Murray State to an Ohio Valley Conference

championship, and served as team co-captain in his senior year. Johnson was inducted into the Murray State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979.

Members of the city of Clairton welcomed Johnson back to his hometown earlier this spring. They had lunch with him and reminisced on the old times in Clairton, as well as saluting him for an in-

credible career.

“Stewart is truly an icon,” remarked Clairton resident Cynthia Diann Long, to the Courier. “He integrated a school at the age of 18. I can’t imagine all the things he went through.”

“There was no pattern for, ‘what do you do with a Black player?’ because integration had never been done before,” Johnson re-

Sounds. Johnson scored 10,538 points during his nine years in the ABA.

When the ABA dissolved, Johnson played on various teams overseas. He played in 17 different countries including France, Spain Argentina, and Switzerland. He’s lived in a dozen countries. In 1978, Johnson joined the Icelandic Division I club Ármann as player-coach.

After spending the next two seasons with River Plate in Argentina, Johnson returned to Iceland in 1981 and joined a team there called “KR” as player-coach. He led them in scoring in 1983 while finishing second in 1982.

“Back then, my favorite places were Argentina and Switzerland,” Johnson told the Courier. “Europe didn’t have that slavery history that we have here in America. “I’m just a little ole’ country boy from Clairton who got the chance to visit and live in places and explore the different cultures.”

Johnson inspired his cousin, Sherry Buckham, to shoot hoops.

called when he set foot at Murray State. But Johnson said he’s glad that his experience, regardless of how traumatic it was, helped pave the way for more Blacks to attend the university.

In his early 20s, Johnson turned professional and was selected by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1966 NBA draft, but he elected to join the American Basketball Association. He played for seven different teams including the Kentucky Colonels, the New York Nets, the Houston Mavericks, the Pittsburgh Pipers, the Carolina Cougars, San Diego Conquistadors and the Memphis

“Looking up to him was magnificent,” she said. “We have tall people in the family but not as tall as him. I was very proud of him for all he has accomplished playing internationally and all. He inspired me and my twin to play basketball. We played it for four years. I can still see after so many decades that he is still being recognized and everyone respects him for the person that he is. The family is proud of him and his daughter.”

Johnson has been married three times and has six children: James Stewart Johnson Jr.; Steve Johnson; Gundrum Hattie Emil; Kenya Emil; Jason Johnson and Precious Johnson.

When his time on the court as a player ended, Johnson began coaching his daughter, Precious, who just graduated from Duquesne University in May. Johnson returned to

Pittsburgh from Sweden to attend Precious’ college graduation. Precious will continue at Duquesne to earn her master’s degree.

Precious Johnson is 6-feet-4, and so it’s no surprise that she starred on the Duquesne University women’s basketball team. She averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds in 2022-23. Precious Johnson was born in Helsinborg, Sweden.

“It’s been a pleasure watching her,” father Stew Johnson said. “I coached only men, but when Precious was about 10 years old and began bouncing the balls sitting on the sidelines, I decided I was going to start a girls basketball team.”

“It started with just Precious’ friends, I saw her developing,” Stew Johnson added. “I knew she was going to play basketball because I am a coach and I saw her potential. All of a sudden, she was sixtwo, six-three and six-four. With her knowledge, talent and background, she’s going to be better than I was and that’s what a parent wants, for their child to be better than themselves.”

STEWART JOHNSON WATCHED PRECIOUS JOHNSON GRADUATE FROM DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY IN MAY 2023.

STEWART JOHNSON, IN HIS ABA DAYS.

PPS celebrates its CTE graduates

Courier Exclusive: With push from CTE Exec. Dir., Pittsburgh Public Schools makes personal finance course a graduation requirement

by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer

At this point, Pittsburgh Public Schools' CTE (Career and Technical Education) program runs like a welloiled machine.

Year after year, hundreds of students are graduating from the 16 various CTE programs that are offered at six PPS high schools.

They're celebrated in a high-energy affair with PPS' top brass and others, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers building on the South Side serving as host.

This year's celebration occurred on May 4, as CTE Executive Director Angela Mike said that 118 seniors earned 170 industry certifications in areas like carpentry, cosmetology, machine operations, information technology and culinary arts.

Mike told the New Pittsburgh Courier that 86 percent of those CTE seniors will attend college, 8 percent will enter the workforce, 5 percent are union-bound, and 1 percent are enlisting in the U.S. Military.

"I am gratified that CTE programs and supports have positioned our seniors to be on a career pathway leading to upward mobility and independence," Mike said in part in a press release pertaining to the CTE commencement ceremony.

One of the 16 CTE program focus areas is finance technology, where students learn how to use generally accepted accounting principles in manual and computerized formats. Students also learn how to prepare financial statements, business law and office procedures.

But also within Pittsburgh Public Schools is an elective course on personal finance, so students learn how to manage their own money, in addition to possibly working in finance. The course falls under one of the 30 or so elective courses that fall under the CTE umbrella. Students can elect to take

the single period course, whether or not they're in one of the CTE industry certification programs.

Mike told the Courier she felt so strongly about students' learning of their finances, she lobbied for it to become a graduation requirement for all PPS high school

students. The Courier has learned exclusively that beginning with the 2023-24 school year, all rising ninth grade students will be required to take the personal finance course. "A lot of our young people, when they graduate, they don't have a sense of how to manage their

finances," Mike told the Courier. "They might go off to school (college), (unsure) how to start a savings account, or about stocks and bonds...who's teaching our young people about this? I just think our students will be ahead of the game instead of starting from behind."

Dollar Bank is also going to help establish each student who takes the course next year with a new bank account, Mike said.

Just five years ago, there were only six states that required its high school students to take a personal finance course. And momentum is growing throughout the nation, led by financial education advocates like the National Financial Educators Council and Next Gen Personal Finance, to

make personal finance a requirement for all U.S. high school students.

As of March 2023, there are 23 states that have made personal finance a requirement.

Pennsylvania is not one of them.

But Pittsburgh Public Schools seems to have joined the personal finance party for its high school students. The Courier has learned the course will be taught by what's called a "Certified Business Elective Teacher," who resides in each PPS high school. The topics in the course include understanding income and how it affects choices, applying money management skills, spending and credit, and saving and investing.

"You can pick up bad habits real quickly around your finances,"

Mike said. "If students have this course before they graduate, a lot of them are turning out more successful than others when it comes to debt."

“In addition to graduating students who are academically sound, we must ensure they are financially literate,” said Dr. Jala Olds-Pearson, PPS’ Chief Academic Officer. “Financial literacy is essential to ensuring students graduate with the skills to economically thrive and have the resources to manage their earnings, build good credit, purchase homes, raise their families, and ultimately achieve their dreams.”

MADINA MADA, MALICHI SIMMONS, SAMANTHA LIGHTFOOT, LANIYA ZELLOUS-SANDERS AND JAH NESIA MCCOY, DURING PPS’ CTE COMMENCEMENT, MAY 4.

(PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

ROBERT ANTHONY, GOING TO CCAC

ROBERT CATONE JR., NINA ESPOSITO-VISGITIS AND ABIJAH LIDDELL

LEGEND HEMINGWAY HOBDY WITH SUPERINTENDENT DR. WAYNE WALTERS

ZIAIRE LOWERY, GOING TO RMU

THESE CTE GRADUATES ALL WORKED WITH THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH, WHICH IS REPRESENTED BY EDUCATION COORDINATOR ALEXIS WALKER, CENTER.

(PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18

Three books that reinforce fatherly love

by Nosakhere Griffin-EL For New Pittsburgh Courier

One of the amazing things about picture books is that they have the power to teach children and adults powerful lessons. Yes, picture books can even teach adults lessons, but only if we pay attention. This Father’s Day, June 18, I wanted to share books that serve as tools for fathers at all stages and ages. First, I like to share with you the book titled “Irene’s Wish.” This book stresses the importance of fathers spending time with their children. The main character, Irene, wants to spend time with her father, who is an expert planter, but she cannot because her father is too busy working. So guess what she does? She makes a wish and it comes true. Well, not in the way you’d expect. The author takes creative liberty and transforms the father into something that cannot move—a tree. As a result the little girl is able to spend time with her father. This book presents a powerful lesson to fathers—spend time with your children and do not choose to work hard all of the time!

The second father’s day book is titled “I Love You More Than…” This must-read book provides fathers with the language to express how much we love our sons and daughters. The author tells his son that he thinks about him all the time. The author clearly communicates to his son how valuable he is! The vibrant illustrations capture the playful and seriousness of a bond between a father and child. The purpose of the book is to highlight the importance of loving communication between father and child, while also providing fathers with words and phrases to use when talking with our children.

The last book, titled “Daddy Speaks Love,” is another must-read book. One of the things I love about this book is that it captures every aspect of fatherhood. The book captures the joy of a father holding his child for the first time. It illuminates the power of a father affirming his child after a mistake. It holds space for fathers as protectors who teach their children how to approach an unjust world. It elevates fathers as men who provide comfort to their children when they are scared. Yes, this book is a teaching tool for fathers to re-remember

what it means to be a father. For new fathers, this book serves as a tool to guide you in your early days as a new dad.

I selected these three books because they help fathers realize the important role they have in raising their children to maximize their potential. These books also serve as tools to assist us in being better fathers and better men. Third, these three books provide us a language that we fathers can use when engaging in conversations with our children. Lastly and most importantly, these books center love as both the language and practice of fatherhood.

Reading these books to will energize fathers to continue their process of loving our children to become great people! These three books can be found at TheYoungDreamersBookstore. com. (Nosakhere Griffin-EL, M.Ed., Ph.D, who resides in Pittsburgh, is co-founder of The Young Dreamers’ Bookstore, a semi-finalist for the BNY Mellon Up Prize Social Innovation Challenge Award, and the 2018 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Community Advocate of the Year.)

shown you. OH man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you, but to do JUSTLY, and to LOVE MERCY, and to WALK HUMBLY with thy GOD.” - Micah 6:8

“He

REV. WALKER SAYS: On a very personal note, I want less me and more of the Holy Spirit. I know that the Holy Spirit is in the believer, so help me (us) to listen and obey.

NOSAKHERE GRIFFIN-EL

6 books that explain history and meaning of Juneteenth

by Corey D. B. Walker

Wake Forest University

After decades of being celebrated at mostly the local level, Juneteenth—the long-standing holiday that commemorates the arrival of news of emancipation and freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, in 1865—became a federal holiday in 2021. In honor of this year’s Juneteenth, The Conversation reached out to Wake Forest University humanities professor Corey D. B. Walker for a list of readings that can help people better understand the history and meaning of the observance.

Below, Walker recommends six books.

‘ON JUNETEENTH’

Combining history and memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed’s “On Juneteenth” offers a moving history of African American life and culture through the prism of Juneteenth. The award-winning Harvard historian presents an intimate portrait of the experiences of her family and her memories of life as an African American girl growing up in segregated Texas. The essays in her book invite readers to enter a world shaped by the forces of freedom and slavery.

Reed’s exploration of the history and legacy of Juneteenth is a poignant reminder of the hard history all Americans face.

‘O FREEDOM! AFRO-AMERICAN EMANCIPATION CELEBRATIONS’

William H. Wiggins Jr.‘s “O Freedom!

Afro-American Emancipation Celebrations” is the historical standard for African American emancipation celebrations. It offers an accessible and well-researched account of the emergence and evolution of Juneteenth. Wiggins brings together oral history with archival research to share the stories of how African Americans celebrated emancipation. It explains how Juneteenth is part of the tapestry of emancipation celebrations. These celebrations included such dates as January 1, in North Carolina, April 3, in Richmond, Virginia, and April 16, in Washington, D.C.

What began as a local holiday has evolved into a national celebration.

al fairs and exhibitions, artistic performances and historical reenactments.

Lectures and public conversations, community feasts and religious services are also part of the celebrations.

‘JUNETEENTH’ Ralph Ellison, perhaps best known for his novel “Invisible Man,” offers multiple meanings of Juneteenth in African American and American life in his posthumously published novel “Juneteenth.”

The ambivalence of Juneteenth is of a freedom delayed but not denied. Ellison’s spiraling novel captures this in the entangled and tragic lives of the racist Senator Sunraider—previously known as Bliss—and the minister who raised him, the Reverend A. Z. Hickman. For Ellison, Juneteenth represents more than just a celebration of emancipation. It also represents the shared fate of white Americans and African Americans in the quest to create a just and equal society. The promise and peril of Juneteenth is elegantly captured in Hickman’s words, “There’s been a heap

emancipation celebrations and their influence on African American identity and community. Juneteenth joined a longer tradition of emancipation celebrations. Those celebrations included ones at the end of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the United States on Jan. 1, 1808. They also included the August First Day/West India Day celebrations that marked the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire on Aug. 1, 1834.

With an eye for historical detail, Kachun narrates a complex history of how Juneteenth and other freedom festivals shaped African American identity and political culture. The celebrations also displayed competing meanings of African American identity. In Washington, D.C. in the late 19th century, different groups of African Americans held distinct celebrations. These variations underscored tensions around political ideals, status and identity. Kachun’s book reminds us that Juneteenth served as a crucible for forging a collective and contested sense of African American com-

munity. ‘RITES OF AUGUST FIRST: EMANCIPATION DAY IN THE BLACK ATLANTIC WORLD’

Similar to Kachun’s book, Howard University historian Jeffrey R. KerrRitchie’s “Rites of August First: Emancipation Day in the Black Atlantic World” reminds readers of a broader history and geography of emancipation celebrations.

Kerr-Ritchie focuses on how various African American communities adopted and adapted West India Day celebrations. He also explores how they created meaning and culture in celebrating the abolition of slavery in the British West Indies. Kerr-Ritchie’s book details how these celebrations moved across political borders and boundaries.

‘JUNETEENTH: THE STORY BEHIND THE CELEBRATION’

Contemporary invocations of Juneteenth often overlook its military history.

Edward T. Cotham, Jr.‘s “Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration” fills the void by exploring the Civil War origins of Juneteenth.

Cotham renders explicit the military context leading up to the events on June 19, 1865, in Galveston. This is when enslaved Black people there finally got word that they had been freed more than two years prior. Cotham reminds readers that the history of Juneteenth involves ordinary actions of many individual people whose names may not be widely known.

Collectively, these books about Juneteenth offer fresh perspectives on the history and culture of African Americans on a quest to fully express their freedom. Juneteenth is also an invitation for all Americans to continue to learn about and strive for freedom for all people.

(Corey D. B. Walker, Wake Forest Professor of the Humanities, Wake Forest University)

(This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.)

Juneteenth celebrations are known for the variety of programs and events that highlight African American history and culture. In the 1960s, students at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, informed faculty that classes would not be held on Juneteenth. In Milwaukee, the local Juneteenth parade includes a group known as the Black Cowboys riding their horses along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Juneteenth celebrations also feature cultur-

of Juneteenths before this one and I tell you there’ll be a heap more before we’re truly free!”

‘FESTIVALS OF FREEDOM: MEMORY AND MEANING OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EMANCIPATION CELEBRATIONS, 1808-1915’

Mitch Kachun’s book, “Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning of African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915,” traces the history of

A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION in Prospect Park in New York City in 2022. (Michael Nagle/ Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

TEXAS. The

RALPH ELLISON’S NOVEL ‘JUNETEENTH’ was released posthumously. (United States Information Agency/PhotoQuest via Getty Images)

Nation’s debt limit bill more a financial reprieve than resolution

Concerns emerge on new food stamp work requirements, student loan payments

Last-ditch negotiations to spare the nation a first-ever debt collapse resulted in Congress passing a legislative remedy that attracted bipartisan support. But exactly what the bill known as the Fiscal Responsibility Act actually accomplished and its effects on America’s people is still largely unknown.

Instead of a final resolution on America’s borrowing ability, the enacted bill provides a two-year window for the Treasury Department to borrow—as needed—funds to pay the nation’s already more than $31 trillion of debt. When January 2025 arrives, a new session of Congress will face the deferred problem. Until then, according to the Congressional Budget Office, cutbacks on discretionary spending would result in a drop in projected budget deficits of about $4.8 trillion over the next decade, and a savings of $0.5 trillion in interest.

Charlene Crowell

took office,” Biden added. “When I came to office, the deficit had increased every year the previous four years.

And nearly $8 trillion was added to the national debt during the previous administration.”

Commentary

Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal characterized the new law more candidly. “It could have been absolutely devastating and I think the nation has dodged a bullet.”

For millions of Americans, however, a ‘financial bullet’ will hit home soon—especially for Black Americans, other people of color, and the poor.

8 Black CEOs reach

breaking high on Fortune 500 list

(Black Information Network)—Eight Black CEOs lead companies that have landed on the 2023 Fortune 500 list, the most since the rankings’ debut in 1955, per the company’s website.

Southern Company, an Atlanta-based gas and utility company, is also a new entrant to the group of Black CEOs after earning the top position in May.

On June 2, President Joe Biden briefed the nation in a televised appearance.   “No one got everything they wanted, but the American people got what they needed,” said the President. “We averted an economic crisis, an economic collapse. We’re cutting spending and bringing the deficits down at the same time… [O]ver the next ten years, the deficit will be cut by more than $1 trillion. And that will be on top of the record $1.7 trillion —$1.7 trillion I already cut the deficit in my first two years of office”  “We’re on a much more fiscally responsible course than the one I inherited when I

“The deal avoids the calamity of default, but weakens environmental protection, IRS capacity needed to collect revenue, and adds burdensome requirements for Americans seeking public assistance,” stated Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO. “The debt ceiling should never be used to pass legislation that would fail to stand on its own merit.”

For example, 45 million people now carrying $1.7 trillion in student loans will resume monthly payments, including interest charges, beginning in late August. That monthly payment translates into an average of $393, according to the College Investor’s analysis of updated research by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. This report also states that 45 percent of borrowers still grapple with growing debt balances.

“There’s some concern now that, as those

When it comes to your money, you should know where you are, where you’re going, and how you’ll get there. This all starts with the dreaded B-word, BUDGET. The very mention of the word budget sets off a feeling of confinement, restriction, limitation and loss of control. I admit there is a sense of confinement, restriction, and limitation associated with managing money—but it has nothing to do with a budget. What confines, restricts and limits us is our income! So if you want to spend more, have more, and save more without sacrificing your lifestyle, you simply need to earn more. A more formal definition of a budget would be a plan for spending, saving, and investing money. The importance of making a budget and sticking to it is to save for future goals while meeting present obligations.

Nobody wants to be tied down and confined—especially when it comes to our money. Most of us hold the position that it’s my money and I’m going to do as I please. You showed up to work, bust your butt and earned it. I’m with you—do as you please! Just do it purposefully with a plan that includes your needs, goals, desires, responsibilities and commitments. Otherwise doing what pleases you today without planning can be the catalyst for what will destroy you tomorrow—financially speaking.

Two of the eight Black executives joined the Fortune 500 list for the first time ever. Calvin Butler Jr. jumped up the ranks in December 2022 as the CEO of energy provider Exelon, which landed at No. 218 on the list. Christopher Womack, the CEO of

A third Black executive, René Jones of New York’s M&T Bank, returned to the ranking after the bank was dropped from last year’s list due to a decrease in revenue. Though the ranking holds a record number of Black executives, they still only make up less than

2 percent of all Fortune 500 CEOs. Black CEOs face higher expectations to prove their qualifications despite being more educated than their White counterparts, according to a 2022 study published in the Strategic Management Journal.

“There are a plethora of talented, qualified, extraordinary leaders who happen to be Black. It’s never a surprise when they advance to the C-suite, or even to the CEO position,” said Laura

Morgan Roberts, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. “It says more about the company’s and the board of directors’ ability to recognize, develop, and advance talent from all backgrounds than it says about the representation of leaders themselves.”

Organizations also tend to rely on “prototypes of effective leadership that factor in attributes like skill set, personality, interaction style, and relationships with internal and external stakeholders. These marks of a quality leader have traditionally skewed White,” Fortune reports.

“There are a plethora of Black leaders who are qualified for CEO positions, but they aren’t selected for those positions because they don’t necessarily have the relationships or fit the prototype of who the next CEO for said corporation should be,” Roberts said.

Despite these obstacles, eight Black CEOs have made it on this year’s Fortune 500 rankings.

Now that we have a basic understanding of why a budget is important, how do we know that our budget is something that needs to be followed or something that needs to be changed?

If you’re barely making it month to month or have “too much month left at the end of your money,” the telltale signs are evident—SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE. But what is that something? How do you quickly identify the area in your budget that’s causing you problems? What if the telltale signs are not so apparent? You pay your bills on time each and every month. You have a few dollars left after the dust settles. Are you moving in the right direction? You manage to get the numbers to balance, but are you sacrificing your children’s college fund, your retirement plan, your entertainment and recreational activity or tithing? If you’re currently doing well financially, wouldn’t you like to do better? A healthy budget recognizes that there are a lot of things we need, want, and desire in life – all of which have a price tag attached to them. A healthy budget does not limit or restrict

you to pursue the things you desire in life. It simply helps you to understand that money is finite. There’s only so much of it that will flow through our hands and we have to make the most of it.

I’ve compiled some budget percentage guidelines that will help guide you to ensure that as you spend money and obligate yourself to payments, you have considered that there are other things you want to do in life that require money. These budget percentage guidelines will ensure that you’re not overspending or under funding a particular category.

• Tithing/Charitable Giving—10-15%

• Housing—25-35%

• Food—5-15%

• Utilities—5-10%

• Transportation—10-15%

• Clothing—3-7%

• Savings—5-15%

• Medical/Health—2-7%

• Insurance—5%

• Personal—5-7%

• Recreation/Entertainment—5-10%

• Child Care/School—5-10%

• Debts —5-10%

These are guidelines and are not the universal standard. They are flexible and can be manipulated to line up with your priorities. The important thing to understand as you slice your money pie is that a bigger slice in one category will require a smaller slice in another category. For example, you can cheat up on the housing category allocating 40 percent of your income as long as you reduce your transportation category down to 5 percent.

Here’s how it works. You want to total the amount of money you bring home in your paycheck each month. We’re only concerned with our take home pay (net income) since what we take home in our paycheck is the only thing we can spend. From there you want to look at what you’re currently spending on a particular category. To calculate the percentage of a specific budget category, all you have to do is divide the amount budgeted for that category by your net income. For example, let’s assume that your net income is $2,000 per month. Each and every month you bring home about $2,000. Let’s further assume that your house payment is $900 per month, your car payment is $450 per month and your debts (personal

record-

ROSALIND (ROZ) BREWER, Company: Walgreens, Boots Alliance 2023, rank: No. 27 Marvin Ellison, Company: Lowe’s, 2023 rank: No. 39

Brown Duckett, Company: TIAA, 2023 rank: No. 103

Womack, Company: Southern Company, 2023 rank: No.

Black women face dire consequences when unemployment rates rise

by Stacy M. Brown

For New Pittsburgh Courier (NNPA Newswire)—In a setback to the progress made in narrowing the racial unemployment gap, an increase in joblessness among Black workers has raised concerns over the waning prospects for the Black labor force.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics revealed that the unemployment rate for Black individuals rose from 4.7 percent to 5.6 percent between April and May.

Earlier this year, unemployment rates among Black workers reached their lowest levels in over a year, narrowing the gap with their White counterparts.

However, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), the economic fate of Black women in America provides compelling evidence of the enduring impact of gender and race discrimination on workers and families.

Researchers at the EPI found that employer practices and government policies have historically disadvantaged Black women compared to White women and men, leading to unfavorable labor market positions.

Negative representations of Black womanhood have reinforced these discriminatory practices and policies.

Additionally, the EPI highlighted that the view of Black women as primary workers, dating back to the era of slavery, has contributed to their devaluation as mothers with caregiving

responsibilities at home.

“The unique labor market history and current occupational status of African American women reflect these beliefs and practices,” concluded EPI researchers.

Black women have consistently exhibited the highest levels of labor market participation among all women in the United States, regardless of age, marital status, or the presence of children at home.

According to Nick Bunker, the director of economic research at the Indeed Hiring Lab, the latest report’s increase in the unemployment rate was its most concerning feature.

Approximately 50 percent of the increase in the number of unemployed workers was attributed to a rise in Black unemployment, suggesting that Black workers may bear a disproportionate burden during joblessness.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the impact was particularly pronounced among Black women, especially those working in the public sector. Their unemployment rate rose from 4.4 percent in April to 5.3 percent in May.

As Black workers constitute around 13 percent of the labor force, the significant increase in unemployment among Black women in May contributed significantly to the overall unemployment rate, Michelle Holder, an associate professor of economics at John Jay College at City University of New York, explained to NBC News.

Black men’s unemploy-

ment rate increased from 4.5 percent to 5.6 percent.

presence in the public sector and work in retail, lei-

particularly pronounced among Black women, especially

cent.

Holder highlighted that more Black men work in transportation or warehousing compared to Black women, who have a strong

sure, and hospitality. The unemployment rate for Black workers reached its lowest level in over 50 years last month, driven by

Celebrating Juneteenth in the Pittsburgh community

One way that DLC is showing up this month is through direct involvement with local Juneteenth events. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States. On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced the end of slavery, two years after the Emancipation Proc-

lamation. Juneteenth (or Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day) celebrates freedom, African American heritage, and the ongoing struggle for equality. In 2019, Pennsylvania recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday, and in 2020 the city of Pittsburgh followed suit. The 2023 Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Homecoming Celebration events focus

on education and commemoration throughout the community, with plenty of time for music, dancing, and celebration.

Duquesne Light Company has always been a proud supporter and partner of Juneteenth events through sponsorship and direct involvement. DLC employees have opportunities to participate in its sponsorships.

This year, sponsoring the Pittsburgh Symphony’s performance and Stop the Violence during its parade participation are two ways DLC honors the community celebrations. The BRIDGE employee group also plans to continue its annual tradition of hosting a Juneteenth event for employees and their families for the third year in a row.

the substantial job growth in the transportation and warehouse sectors, which added one million jobs in the past three years, primarily benefiting Black men. Experts underscored that while the loss of income from unemployment affects all households, it poses additional economic challenges for Black families, who are less likely to have savings or multiple earners. Nonetheless, they said it’s worth noting that despite the recent increase, the overall unemployment rate for Black people has been declining since 2020, when it reached historically high levels, peaking at 16.8 per-

“The rise in unemployment among Black workers counts as another example of systemic inequalities that have failed to ensure equal opportunities for all individuals in the labor market,” EPI researchers asserted.

“Efforts to dismantle discriminatory practices, promote fair employment policies, and support marginalized communities are vital to ensuring sustained progress and inclusive economic growth for everyone.”

(Stacy M. Brown is NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent.)

Stay informed with Social Security’s social media pages

by Josh Grant

For New Pittsburgh Courier

We strive to provide the public with accurate and helpful information.  In addition to the resources available on our website at www.ssa.gov, we also regularly post useful information on our blog and on social media.  We invite you to read our posts and share items of interest with your family and friends.

1. You can subscribe to our blog.  We post articles about programs, policies, current topics, and new online services.  Read more and subscribe at blog.ssa. gov.

2. You can follow us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/socialsecurity. You can also share Facebook posts with family and friends.

3. We have many informative videos on YouTube.  Our videos cover online services, applying for retirement and disability benefits, Social Security-re-

Nation’s debt limit bill more a financial reprieve than resolution

loan repayments restart at the end of August, you’re going to see higher delinquency rates on credit cards and other types of loans. That is one of the big concerns

I think economists are paying close attention to,” Michael Jones, an economics professor at the University of Cincinnati, said in a recent interview with New York Magazine.

Additionally, the enacted bill imposes new work requirements for older Americans ages 50-54 receiving food stamps, technically known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Until now, work requirements for food

stamp recipients affected those aged 49 or younger.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, this change will harm its already financially-challenged population:

“Beginning October 1, 2023, almost immediately after the first change would take effect, the work-reporting requirement would expand further to also apply to 51- and 52-year-olds; it would then expand to apply to 53- and 54-yearolds beginning October 1, 2024. Once fully phased in, this requirement would remain in place until October 1, 2030.”

“We estimate that almost 750,000 older adults aged 50-54 would be newly subject to

SNAP’s work-reporting requirement and at risk of losing benefits under this bill, ” continued the Center. “Nearly half (48 percent) of those who would be newly at risk of losing SNAP are women.”

Long-time older American advocates like the National Council on Aging (NCOA)made plain their opposition to this new food stamp requirement.

“NCOA appreciates that the agreement protects Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, which serve as the bedrock of retirement and health security for tens of millions of Americans, said Ramsey Alwin, its President and CEO.

“However, the agreement fails to include revenue

to reduce the deficit by requiring wealthy Americans and large corporations to pay their fair share. We live in the same society, and we all need to contribute to it.”    Alwin makes an important point. Unfortunately, public policy trends still tend to shortchange the millions of people who do most of the living, working, and dying in this country. This lack of equity—specifically racial equity—ought to be addressed at every level of government.

(Charlene Crowell is a senior fellow with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.)

lated scams, and much more.  We also offer some of our videos in Spanish.  You can view and easily share our videos at www.youtube.com/SocialSecurity.

4. You can join our many Twitter followers at www. twitter.com/socialsecurity.  We use Twitter to announce new my Social Security features and other service or program changes.

5. We’re also on Instagram.  We share stories and resources that can help you and your loved ones.  Check out our Instagram page at www.instagram. com/SocialSecurity.

Connect with us on social media to learn helpful information.  Follow along and share our pages with a friend, neighbor, or loved one today.  Check out all our social media channels at www.ssa.gov/socialmedia.

(Josh Grant is Social Security District Manager in Pittsburgh.)

Budget Sculpting

loans and credit cards) are $300 per month. By dividing housing payment of $900 into your net income of $2,000, you calculate housing to equal 45 percent of your net income. By dividing car payment of $450 into your net income of $2,000, you calculate transportation to be 23 percent of your net income. By dividing your debt payment of $300 per month, you calculate debt to be 15 percent of your net income. By comparing these percentages to budget percentage guidelines, you see that you’re over spending in each category. By adding up the percentages in these categories you’ll see that housing, car and debt accounts for 83 percent of your net income and you still have to buy food and pay utilities,

among other things. This leaves very little, if any, for tithing, savings, entertainment and other things you aspire to do with money. Leave it to me to use an example that paints a grim picture. My example is a close depiction of what’s taking place in most households. They camouflage their reality by using credit to finance the rest of their lifestyle. Like money, credit is finite; at some point you’ll max out your credit and be forced to accept the wisdom in the budget percentage guidelines. I’d rather heed the advice now and begin to sculpt my budget to align with my priorities, values and goals and get the biggest bang for my buck.

Researchers at the EPI found that employer practices and government policies have historically disadvantaged Black women compared to White women and men, leading to unfavorable labor market positions.

ACCORDING TO THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, the impact was

those working in the public sector.

BUDGET SCULPTING FROM B1

Why Black Music Month is worth major celebration

Happy National Black Music Appreciation Month! It’s no secret that African American music exhibits the immense talent, creativity and trend-setting nature of Black people and culture; but, across genres, it’s also a symbol of power and perseverance.

Let’s really get right to the point—it takes enormous will and audacity, for a people whose cultures and traditions were robbed, to maintain the legacy of the original sounds, and, in turn, reimagine, innovate and elevate entirely new musical genres. That’s pure genius.

From the sacred music of “spirituals,’ and gospel—the former of which is often credited with beginning in slave fields—to jazz, blues, soul, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll, funk, pop, hip hop, rap and trap, Black musicians have created these genres as a means of resistance, often to racist and unjust societal structures.

“For generations, Black music has conveyed the hopes and struggles of a resilient people—spirituals mourning the original sin of slavery and later heralding freedom from bondage, hard truths told through jazz and the sounds of Motown during the Civil Rights movement, and hip-hop and rhythm and blues that remind us of the work that still lies ahead,” said President Joe Biden in his 2022 proclamation for National Black Music Appreciation Month. “The music created by Black artists continues to influence musicians of all persuasions, entertain people of all backgrounds, and shape the story of our Nation.”

Further, African American artists are often dubbed the Kings and Queens of musical genres due to their abilities to create new sounds, set cultural standards and dominate their fields. Think Michael Jackson: “the King of Pop,” Aretha Franklin: “the Queen of Soul,” James Brown: “the King of Funk,” and Tina Turner, who died on May 24 and has been called the “Queen of Rock.

While all those people are now ancestors, we mustn’t forget the woman often reminded of her royalty by millions of adoring fans—Queen Bey—Beyoncé Knowles Carter.

“During Black Music Appreciation Month, we honor Black musicians, singers, and contributors to the music industry—past and present—whose innovative talents unite us in joy as much as in sorrow and healing.  We pay homage to the musical legends whose artistic expressions help build community, generate empathy, and foster a sense of shared identity,” Biden proclaimed in 2022.

As injustices and inequities continue to face the Black community, it’s also important to note the artists remain in the fight for justice by raising awareness through their music, and inspiring conversations and action.

“We celebrate Black artists who have used their songs to stand up to injustice, fight for equality, and reflect a mirror on society—reminding us all of our enduring obligation to deliver the promise of America for all Americans,” Biden declared as last year’s celebration neared.

So this music month, turn up your radios and blast your favorite jams by your favorite Black artists, while checking out new musicians and old musical gems. This June, unapologetically appreciate African American music—sing it to the mountaintops. Then continue to celebrate and spread the joy, sound and variety that Black music brings, not only in June, but year-round.

(Reprinted from The Washington Informer)

Founded 1910

Rod Doss Editor & Publisher Stephan A. Broadus Assistant to the Publisher

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I woke up a few days ago expecting, almost hoping, that my day would be sufficiently uneventful so as not to aggravate my spirit.  Instead, while listening to “The View,” I heard Senator Tim Scott proclaim, “There is no Systemic Racism in America.”  He attempted to justify his assertion by using his home state of South Carolina as an example.  He mentioned there being a Black police chief.  Just one time, he mentioned America having a Black President.  Thoughtlessly, or maybe with full thought and consideration, he didn’t mention President Obama as being only one president out of forty-six in 247 years.

To be fair to him, he named two or three other Black people as examples for his premise, but he was speaking on “The View” where the hosts knew better.  His understanding of Systemic Racism was somewhere outside the realm of reality and Joy Behar told him so.

It was clear he was prepared for an adversarial response from Whoopi Goldberg, and he seemed somewhat surprised that he was confronted by Sunny Hostin.  She asked him to define what he believed to be Systemic Racism.  Responding as I’ve come to expect, Scott gave a solid ‘non-answer’ to her question, saying, “One of the things I think about, and one of the reasons I’m on this show, is because of the comments that were made, frankly, on this show that the only way for a young African American kid to be successful in this country is to be the

Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

exception and not the rule.”  He went on to say, “That is a dangerous, offensive, disgusting message to send to our young people today, that the only way to succeed is by being the exception.”

Scott’s other-worldly understanding of Systemic Racism in American history obviously does not include nearly 250 years of enslavement or the empirical data which caused Republican President Nixon to establish The Federal Affirmative Action Program (E.O. 11478—August 8, 1969) to correct the ills of an uninterrupted pattern of racial discrimination in the Federal sector.

Scott has obviously ignored the history and patterns of personal Black American achievement in post-enslavement America.  On one hand, are the “chosen few”—those Blacks whose demeanor, disposition, and/or unique circumstances present them as non-threatening to Whites and acceptable for favorable treatment.  On the other hand are those I characterize as indomitable—those who have the talent, courage, confidence, and perseverance to challenge any obstacle that confronts them.  Either of these personality types achieves because of their exceptionalism.  Unlike the

chosen few, those who are indomitable achieve without willingly compromising their principles.

While success is not always measured by wealth or position, opportunity and access or lack thereof are prime considerations.  Earl Graves, Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Wes Moore ARE exceptions because of the obstacles they overcame.

Scott and his black-robed judicial counterpart, Clarence Thomas, exemplify the ‘chosen few.’  Scott echoes the talking points of his handlers and denies the obvious realities of those who must live through the hazards of racism.  When appointed to coordinate with Corey Booker to create a bipartisan response to police violence, Scott initially spoke with knowing candor.  Somewhere in the process, he was reined in and unyieldingly embraced the qualified immunity doctrine for police which effectively ended any bipartisan effort.

Since joining the Supreme Court, Thomas has espoused the destruction of the same affirmative action initiatives which provided the lift necessary for his professional development.  All appearances suggest that these two ‘chosen ones’ ignore any indignity or violence inflicted upon Blacks and other people of color or upon members of “other out-groups.” Maybe guilt prevents the Senator from acknowledging his own complicity in the practices of Systemic Racism.

(H.E. Ambassador Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret) is President of thedickgregorysociety. org and author of “Wake Up and Stay Woke”-a tribute to Dick Gregory)

A whole lot of Black people still want to, and still try to, deny the Black reparations struggle. A whole lot bad mouth it: “We ain’t never gonna’ get no money!” We hear a lot of talk like that. But the Black reparations struggle is a real struggle. It is centuries-old. And it is now on the rise in the midst of a critical era in the history of the national Black community, of the United States of America, and of the whole world. The Pittsburgh-area Black community is forced to get on the case.

In the mix, with the rise of the open, self-confessed, and often violent White supremacy now sweeping across the United States, the national Black community is in the vanguard of the mass resistance struggle that is also on the rise.

In contrast, the Irish, Italian, Polish, German, and other European American ethic communities are deeply divided over White right-wing reaction.

Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor-Green, George Santos, Ron DeSantis, the January 6 White folks and their multitude of fellow travels now frighten millions of White Americans who heretofore had absolutely no concern about the historical or contemporary suffering of Black people. That is a major reason why so many anti-right-wing White folks are now earnestly seeking African American allies. We must be aware that many current avowed White critics of Black reparations are nevertheless closely monitoring the struggle and bidding the time to make their own reparations claims at the opportune moment. Some will try to coopt the reparations movement for their own benefit. Remember Langston Hughes’ poem, “You’ve taken my blues and gone?” And Jazz music, a world-renown artistic product of African American cultural, is now establishment-sanctioned, “America’s classical music.”

Contemporary US White Ethnic Studies rose on the academic “Campus and Community” groundwork of the Black Studies movement.

Fred Logan

Commentary

The reparations struggle will be and it must be an intense and hard fought inside Pittsburgh’s Homewood, the Hill District, and Northview Heights, just as it will be everywhere predominately African American communities are across the United States. Countless burning questions and issues must be intensely debated, retracted, revised, and revisited in these internal “Black folks to Black folks” struggles. How do we define the centuries-long historical state and church sanctioned crimes against Black people? How do we prevent reparations “compensation” from being chopped up into individual “compensation” that pits Black people against each other; “Hey, I got mine and gone on, you got to get yours and come on.”

And how does a Pittsburgh Black reparations plan, for example, concur or conflict with a Cleveland plan?

And what role can White folks, no matter how humane, play in the Black reparations struggle? If, say, a Mr. Rodgers or a Kris Kringle, both with impeccable angelic credentials, can’t discuss Black reparations with their own family members, or with many of their closest White friends, or in the White community at large then what can they tell us, and we, you and me about how to struggle for Black reparations?

On a global scale, the reparations struggles rise in the era when post1945 US global hegemony, global White supremacy is on the decline. In that context, the Black reparations struggle brings to the foreground an unprecedented national struggle over the United States’ fundamental promises and practices related to power,

wealth, status, and privilege. We must understand and strategize the African American reparations struggle in that global context.

The Black reparations debate alone has the potential to mobilize, educate and organize the Black community to unprecedented heights.

Some Black Elected Officials (BEOs) will run from the reparations struggle, “Hey! My district is multiracial. I can’t be too-Black” That will be a major struggle. And some “progressive” multiracial, multiethnic allies of the Black community will fight each over the Black Reparations question. For decades, multiracial self-proclaimed progressive organizations fought tooth and nail in the Black community over “The Negro Question.”

We must get on the case in the Hill District, East Hills, Wilkinsburg, and Northview Heights and keep up dated and informed on the progress, issues, and questions in the Black reparations struggle locally, nationally and worldwide.

In June 2023, the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) will hold its 34th annual conference. What do we know N’CORBA? We must acknowledge the long struggle and heed the invaluable lessons of the Pittsburgh N’COBRA where over twenty years ago the late Rob “Brother Oba” Penny and other N’COBRA members were demanding Black reparations.

Online, we must research the Black reparations movement in California.

Online, The Institute of the Black World 21st Century carries extensive coverage on the global Pan African reparation movement. Many other online sources are available. We must bring the Black reparations struggle to the family dinner table, to our religious and secular institutions, to our social clubs, professional organizations, to the street corners everywhere Black people gather in and around Pittsburgh.

Winning the fights that matter

by Ben Jealous

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I thought last week about the psalm that describes how the most exalted pays closest attention to the smallest, the most in need among us.

I was at the White House recently marking a major step that the Biden administration took to protect the Earth. The interesting part was it wasn’t related to the major news that day.

Earlier, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had proposed the tightest limits ever on coal- and gas-fueled power plants’ pollution. Those plants are the second largest source of planet-warming gases in the country.

The rules would require power companies to reduce their air pollution. Along with unprecedented federal spending to build clean energy, it’s a key step toward meeting the President’s pledge to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.

It’s a monumental step in a fight

I’ve been part of for more than a decade, since we launched the NAACP’s climate justice program and reported

on the disproportionate harm to Black communities from coal-fired power plants.

But we were on the White House lawn with Indigenous Alaskans and their allies in environmental groups celebrating the end to a decades-long fight to protect Bristol Bay from a proposed open pit gold and copper mine that would dump into the watersheds of two rivers emptying into the bay.

The EPA earlier this year made a final ruling under the Clean Water Act to prohibit the pollution. It was only the third such decision in the last 30 years.

Bristol Bay is a place where native culture and commerce both thrive. It’s home to one of the world’s last sustainable, salmon-based cultures in more than two dozen Native Alaskan villages and communities surrounding it.

The bay also is the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery, producing half the wild sockeye consumed annually and creating 15,000 jobs. The rivers and streams that run through Bristol Bay are vital spawning grounds for coho and chum as well as sockeye salmon and favorites for sport fishermen. In all, the pollution would have risked

$2.2 billion in economic impact.

“Salmon have sustained our indigenous ways of life and support thousands of American jobs. But for the last 20 years, the Pebble Mine has threatened to take all of that away—but our people stood up and fought back to protect what we hold sacred,” Alanna Hurley, who leads United Tribes of Bristol, told us.

President Biden noted that the commercial salmon season begins on June 1. Fishermen will “head out on the water at dawn, cast their nets, and fish the most abundant wild salmon on the planet. Just like fishermen have done for generations.” He added, “Just like they will do for generations to come thanks to all of you.”

It was a reminder that local fights turn into significant victories, that diverse groups from native peoples to sport fishermen can find something they all care about and protect it together. It’s how we will save the planet, keep it livable, and keep this democracy strong.

(Ben Jealous is executive director of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization.)

The Black reparations struggle is a real struggle here in Pittsburgh

Political hypocrisy should come with a political price

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—When serving as then-President Donald Trump’s attorney in 2018, Rudy Giuliani was a guest on the Sunday morning show Meet the Press. During the interview with host Chuck Todd, Giuliani gave what appeared to have been a contradictory and confusing comment that explains how supporters of the former president view the subject of truth. Giuliani said that “truth isn’t truth” when explaining that he would not allow special counsel Robert Mueller to rush Trump into testifying because he doesn’t want investigators to trap the president in a lie. Meaning Giuliani recognizes a Trump lie when he hears one. The same can be said about former Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Unlike lying to MAGA supporters, having Trump lie to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators carried legal consequences that the Trump team sought to avoid.

On the one hand, where Giuliani brought confusion regarding truth, former FBI Director James Comey brought clarity when he responded via Twitter: “Truth exists and truth matters. Truth has always been the touchstone of our country’s justice system and political life. People who lie are held accountable. If we are untethered to truth, our justice system cannot function and a society based on the rule of law dissolves,” Comey tweeted. Justice, as we know, must be based on the truth of what happened. The competing viewpoints illustrate how basic truth is under attack within our political and judicial systems. The one-sided culture war has distorted the truth. Elected lawmakers and appointed judges who place power, position, and prestige over the U.S. Constitution have blurred the truth. “Truth isn’t truth” is why some believe the pandemic was a hoax. “Truth isn’t truth” is why people believe critical race theory (CRT) is taught in K-12 schools and needs to be banned. “Truth isn’t truth” is why questions of ethics and conflicts of interest over Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are characterized as a witch hunt. Republican Congressman George Santos, indicted by a federal grand jury on 13 charges ranging from wire fraud and money laundering, also played the witch hunt victim card. Distorting the truth by playing the victim allows current and future lies, misinformation, corruption, and injustice to thrive within sympathetic echo chambers. Playing the victim in Santos’ case becomes a form of manipulating and misleading others by highlighting how much you are harassed and wrongly treated.

Yet, you leave out your own corruption that led to the scrutiny in the first place. Donald Trump has become the ultimate “victim.” In Trump, we have a former president twice impeached, found liable for sexual abuse, his company found guilty of tax evasion, and now he faces a 37-count federal indictment for retention of classified documents and conspiracy with a top aide to hide them from the government and his attorneys. “The ridiculous and baseless indictment of me by the Biden administration’s weaponized department of injustice will go down as among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country,” said Trump in his remarks to supporters in Georgia. Ironically, the criminal charges remind us that protecting classified material was part of Trump’s political platform in his 2016 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton. The hypocrisy is simply part of the overall corruption of a man who knows how to manipulate the emotions of his MAGA followers. Political hypocrisy should ultimately come with a political price of personal accountability. Therefore, if there is a willingness to avoid lying to a special counsel, there should be a willingness to avoid lying to the American people. Consequences should be paid in both cases. Trump has already vowed to stay in the race even if convicted. As a nation, we shouldn’t be put in that situation. Even Richard Nixon had enough decency left within himself to resign, go away, and spare the country further pain.

We don’t know how a federal indictment of a former president running for re-election will impact the upcoming presidential election. This is new territory for our nation. Despite how one political party has gone to great lengths to deliberately set the stage where confusion over the clarity of the truth is the ultimate goal, no one could have predicted a former president being this corrupt, resulting in being charged with what amounts to treason. And yes, he is innocent until proven guilty. Now it leaves us to question if Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge assigned to preside over the case, will maintain allegiance to the man who placed her on the bench or allegiance to her duties to administer blind justice. Trial judges have a tremendous amount of power. They can impact the timing of cases, rule on motions to dismiss counts and decide what evidence is admitted or excluded. Can the American people trust Cannon’s objectivity, or is she a “Truth isn’t truth” appointee? Cannon has previously made controversial rulings in Trump’s favor during the investigation into his possession of classified government documents. You must admit Mitch McConnell knew what he was doing when he made packing the courts and confirming conservative judges a primary focus.

(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization, TRB: The Reconciled Body, and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America. He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com.)

Jim Crow déjà vu or ‘am I oppressed?’

Thurgood Marshall spoke to many NAACP youth groups before the United States Supreme Court overturned segregation in 1954. Marshall, an NAACP lawyer, asked the Black children what they wished to be when they grew up. “I’m going to be a good butler,” they said, or “I hope I can get into the post office.”

Marshall concluded that segregation destroyed their aspirations, which was a legal concern.

One major psychological aspect influenced the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish segregation. The court ruled, “To separate Black children from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a sense of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in ways that are unlikely to be undone.”

Marshall felt that once Black children could compete with White children without special treatment, this ingrained sense of inferiority would disappear. The post-civil rights generation had a responsibility to rid themselves of that sense of inferiority so it wouldn’t carry on into the 21st century.

Unfortunately, there were a few missteps.

First, in his 1965 Howard University address, President Lyndon B. Johnson endorsed the notion of Black dependency. Johnson told the graduating Black students that in order to attain “equality as a result,” Black Americans would have to rely solely on their own efforts. But, unlike other ethnic minorities that have confronted intolerance and made great efforts to overcome poverty and discrimination, Black Americans cannot do it alone because their cultural tradition has been distorted and damaged by countless years of hatred and hopelessness.

Marshall believed the cultural tradition described by Johnson would self-correct, whereas Johnson believed it was perma-

nent.

Second, in the 1978 affirmative action case, Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun reached a judgment. “In order to move beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. And in order to treat some person’s equally, we must treat them differently.”

At this point, the post-civil rights generation needed to figure out what it meant to be Black in America since it was being defined for them, but the post-civil rights generation embraced the idea that Blacks were a historically oppressed group who still faced systemic racism and required special treatment in order to succeed.

If segregation resulted in a deep sense of inferiority, then the outcome of this post-civil rights Black identity is to identify as oppressed.

Right before the twenty-first century, California prohibited affirmative action in college admissions. The year the first freshmen class without racial preferences entered, Black linguist John McWhorter taught at UC Berkeley. McWhorter remembers speaking with an undergrad who was involved in the recruitment of Black admittees. He wondered why no one appeared to care about the Black students who had made it. The recruiter stated that there was a widespread fear that Black students who performed so well would be unconcerned with cultivating an African American presence. These high-performing Black students were the ones Marshall said would come without a sense of inferiority in the

future, but because they didn’t require affirmative action, their Black identity was called into question. Why?  It was assumed that high-achieving Black students would have little in common with the oppressed.

A Black teacher in Florida recently told an interviewer a story that was equally surprising as McWhorter’s. According to the teacher, one student, a Black girl, wanted to know if she was oppressed.

The teacher was taken aback and wanted to know where the student got this idea.

The student replied that everyone agrees that systemic racism oppresses Black people. The teacher recognized her as an upper-middle-class Black girl with affluent parents. So the teacher asked her if she thought she was oppressed.

The student stated that she didn’t think so, and the teacher didn’t think so either, yet the teacher missed an important teaching opportunity. The upper-middle-class Black girl was not inquiring whether she was oppressed. She was curious if she could still be Black without being oppressed.

Consider what would happen if that same Black girl went to her upper-middle-class home and watched the episode of The View in which each host voiced their issue with Black Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott. When Black co-host Sunny Hostin stated that Scott’s problem is that he thinks that because he made it, everyone can make it, ignoring the fact that he is the exception rather than the rule, Hostin’s co-host stated that Scott does not understand the systemic racism that Blacks endure throughout America.

Now imagine if that same Black girl absorbed these opinions from The View. Since these professional women insist that systemic racism is the rule, how can she rule out that she is not oppressed?

The woke derangement syndrome

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been touted as the presidential candidate who offers Trump without the drama, a Trump who can win rather than lose. He was supposedly able to forge a majority by uniting Trump’s MAGA base with disaffected Republican suburbanites. In recent weeks, he’s rolled out his presidential campaign platform, promising Americans a “war on woke.”

Say what? Americans face declining life expectancy—a product of a health care system that is failing despite costing about two times per person what other industrial countries spend. We suffer a debilitating inequality and increasingly pervasive corruption—a product of the big money that distorts our democracy. We face a literally existential threat in catastrophic climate change already costing lives and billions from extreme weather. We lost over 1 million people to a pandemic and ended with a public health system more discredited than when we started. We’ve made college education and advanced training more and more unaffordable even as they are more and more important. We are threatened by over 12 mass shootings a week, with schools now doing drills on how to escape. We’re spending more on our military than the next nine countries combined, and still find ourselves in wars without end and without victory.

These are not, however, what DeSantis thinks ails America. Instead, he plagiarizes Winston Churchill taking on Hitler in World War II, saying: “We will fight the woke in education, we will fight the woke in the corporations, we will fight the woke in the halls of Congress. We will never, ever surrender…”

What is “woke?” Donald Trump complained that half the people who use the term don’t know what it means. DeSantis’ general counsel, Ryan Newman, defined woke as “the belief there are systemic injustices in American society and the need

to address them,” adding that DeSantis doesn’t believe there are systemic injustices in American society. Really?

Those who were once sleep, are now “woke” because of the pressing issues affecting their lives. For example, people adjusted to watching “Amos and Andy” until they became acquainted with “The Huxtables.” Those who were told they could not vote became maladjusted until we were given the right to vote. Now we are voting with deliberate speed.

For DeSantis “waging war on woke” has entailed launching attacks on LGBTQ Americans, purging books from schools, distorting the teaching of history, and taking on businesses like Disney that disagree with him. He wants to cover up the history of slavery, put gays back in the closet, ship out some immigrants (not the Cuban Americans and Venezuelan-Americans who form part of his base), and outlaw acknowledgement of sexism, racism or nativism, much less doing anything about them. And he expects enough Americans to enlist in his war on woke to elect him president.

History, however, can’t simply be erased. And reality can’t simply be ignored. To deny that systemic injustices are part of the American reality is to demand that justice be blind, not equal.

DeSantis’ war on woke may succeed in dividing us, but it offers no answer to what ails us. Working people aren’t the cause of our unaffordable health care system —insurance and drug companies are.

LGBTQ Americans aren’t the defenders

of catastrophic climate change—big oil and King Coal are. Working people aren’t losing ground because African Americans have gained civil rights, they are losing ground because corporations have shipped good jobs abroad with the aid of conservative politicians in both parties that they finance. Immigrants aren’t the cause of the gun violence that terrorizes our children, the gun lobby and politicians like DeSantis, who oppose common sense gun reforms, are far more responsible. Those who object to racism, sexism or nativism don’t cause the injustice; they seek to remedy it.

In the end, DeSantis’ war on woke is an ugly con. He opposes investing in people, lifting the minimum wage, giving workers the right to organize, curbing big money in politics. He opposes taxing the rich and corporations, rolling back subsidies to big oil, cracking down on pervasive corruption. As a congressman, he favored cutting Social Security and Medicare while defending tax breaks for the wealthy. He is the champion of the contented, the protector of the privileged.

That isn’t exactly an attractive agenda.

So, DeSantis offers up his war on the woke, seeking to turn us on one another, peddling a big lie in the name of truth, cruelty in the name of morality.

Despite his multi-million-dollar war chest, his campaign to date has been a dud. In Florida, parents are mobilizing against his attempt to censor the curriculum, ban books, and terrorize teachers. His assault on Disney cost the state thousands of jobs and gave his wealthy sponsors second thoughts. More importantly, voters don’t seem to be buying what he’s selling. Even as Trump’s legal troubles deepen, DeSantis has lost ground in the polls. Perhaps Americans aren’t as dumb as he thinks they are. Perhaps hate isn’t as potent as hope.

Anti-LGBTQ+ bills mar Pride Month

(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“We are powerful because we have survived, and that is what it is all about- survival and growth.”—Audre Lorde Pride Month should be a time for celebrating love, the freedom to love whom we choose, and triumph over the prejudice, ignorance, and fear of the past.

The prejudice, ignorance, and fear of the present, however, have cast a dark shadow over this year’s celebration.

In the past few years, there has been an astonishing increase in the bills restricting the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning people of the community (LGBTQ+). In this legislative session alone, state legislators have introduced a record 491 proposals to undermine and weaken nondiscrimination laws, limiting access to books and performances like drag shows, blocking medically-necessary and gender-affirming health care.

Nearly half of the bills target our most vulnerable young people, attempting to prevent trans students from participating in school activities like sports, to force teachers to out students, and to censor any in-school discussions of LGBTQ people and issues.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed four bills on May 17th as well as expanded on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. This law has restricted sexual orientation and gender identity discussions in the classroom from kindergarten to third

H. Morial

To Be Equal

grade. The updated law will expand the prohibited discussion to eighth grade.  How will our youth express their authentic selves if it is illegal?

On June 28th, 1969, in New York City, police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Such raids were commonplace, as the expression of LGBTQ identity— cross-dressing, holding hands, kissing, or dancing with someone of the same sex —was illegal. This time, however, instead of complying, the crowd fought back. This spark ignited a fire, which led to five days of rioting to defend LGBTQ rights in America.  History is being reversed. Politicians hoping to ride a wave of hatred and ignorance into higher office are driving the nation backward toward the dark days of shame before Stonewall.  Black, indigenous, and people of color LGBTQ individual experience far more discrimination than their White counterparts. They already face systemic

hurdles in employment and the justice system. They also experience discrimination in situations that impact their basic needs: 24 percent reported discriminatory treatment from a healthcare provider, 44 percent share that discrimination has impacted them from renting or buying a home, and 48 percent have an income of less than $40,000 a year.

While not all of the anti-LGBTQ bills will become law, they all have a devastating effect.

In 2022, 41 percent of LGBTQ youth contemplated suicide. This rate is twice as high as the general population of youth. Further, 11 percent of White LGBTQ youth attempted suicide while double the amount of BIPOC LGBTQ attempted suicide.

The legislation that wishes to ban important conversations about the LGBTQ community will not witness progress, only children’s deaths.

Throughout history, figures such as Audre Lorde, Marsha P. Johnson, James Baldwin, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Gladys Bentley, Ron Oden, Lorraine Hansberry, and Phill Wilson have paved a path of hope. They will continue to inspire today’s LGBTQ youth of color and their needed allies. These icons will not be forgotten; we will fight for their history and our youth’s futures.

Jesse Jackson Sr. Commentary

David W. Marshall Commentary

Marc

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Legal Notices

Order dated February 6, 2023. Peter B. Lewis Counsel., Neighborhood Legal Services, 928 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15222,

Estate of TERRENCE F. MCMANUS, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-23-03738, Teresa L. O’Conner, Executor, 2093 Majestic Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or to EMILY H. HAMMEL, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

LEGAL ADVERTISING

Bids/Proposals

DOCUMENT 00030-AA

ADVERTISEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

The Allegheny County Airport Authority will be receiving scanned PDF proposals through Submittable, and a submission link will be sent to each registered plan holder. Submissions are to be submitted via Submittable by 1:00 p.m. prevailing local time on July 12, 2023, and bids will be opened by the Airport Authority and results will be emailed by end of business day of bid opening for the following project:

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

PROJECT NUMBER 56G1-23 (GENERAL)

2023 SHORT TERM PARKING GARAGE REHABILITATION AT PITTSBURGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

A pre-bid conference will be held at 11:00 a.m., on June 20, 2023, in Conference Room A at Pittsburgh International Airport Landside Terminal, 4th Floor Mezz, Pittsburgh, PA 15231. A site visit will follow the pre-bid conference. Attention is called to the fact that not less than the minimum salaries and wages, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, must be paid on these projects. Proposals must be made on the Authority’s form and in accordance with the Plans and Specifications and the “Instructions to Bidders”’.

The non-refundable charge of $150.00 for the Bid Documents and the Plans, and Specifications through the bidding platform Submittable at https://acaacapitalprograms.submittable.com.

Please note that Submittable does not support Internet Explorer 11. Submittable recommends the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Apple Safari.

This project has DBE participation goals; DBE firms must be certified with the Pennsylvania Unified Certification Program) (PA UCP). Firms must be certified prior to award of contract. A searchable database of DBE firms can be found on the PA UCP web site: https://paucp.dbesystem.com/

The Airport Authority reserves the right to reject any and all bids or waive any informalities in the bidding.

No bidder may withdraw his bid for a period of sixty [60] days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

To view a complete advertisement, which is also included in the bidding documents visit www.flypittsburgh.com – ACAA Corporate – Business Opportunities or call 412-472-3677 or 412-472-5647.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D.B.A. PRT

Electronic Proposals will be received online at PRT’s Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org).

Proposals/bid submittals will be due 11:00 AM on June 20, 2023 and will be read at 11:15 AM., the same day, through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conferencing, for the following:

Estate of MICHAEL W. ONDOS, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No. 02-12-06239, Mark M. Ondos, Administrator, 30 Club Drive E, Pittsburgh, PA 15236 or to ROBIN L. RARIE, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Meetings

OFFICIAL NOTICE

BOROUGH OF THORNBURG

Notice is hereby given that the regularly scheduled meeting of Monday, July 3rd, 2023 has been changed to Wednesday, July 5th, 2023. The meeting will take place at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Center, 545 Hamilton Road, Thornburg, Pennsylvania.

Dorothy Falk Borough Council Secretary/Treasurer Borough of Thornburg

HACP BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

JUNE BOARD MEETING

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh’s (HACP) Board of Commissioners regularly scheduled monthly Board Meeting originally scheduled for May 25, 2023 is rescheduled for June 29, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. The HACP’s regular scheduled June 22, 2023 Board Meeting is rescheduled for June 29, 2023. Due to the COVID-19 protective guidelines set forth by federal, state, and local government, the meeting will be held remotely, with public access to be provided online. The HACP will provide a direct link to a livestream of the meeting, and instruction on how to make a public comment. Details will be made available on http://www.hacp.org , in advance of the meeting.

LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The Allegheny County Department of Human Services recently issued a Request for Proposals for Opioid and other Substance Use Disorder Interventions that are Led, Designed and Operated within and by Highly Impacted Communities.

Due Date: 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 2.

For more details and submission

information, visit: www.alleghenycounty.us/Human -Services/Resources/Doing-Business /Solicitations-(RFP/RFQ/RFI). aspx.

Erin Dalton Director

OFFICIAL BID NOTICE

TOWNSHIP OF UPPER ST. CLAIR

Sealed and separate bids will be received by the Township of Upper St. Clair, 1820 McLaughlin Run Road, Upper St. Clair, PA 15241, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania until 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, July 18, 2023, and the BIDS will be publicly opened and read thereafter in the Township Building at the same address for the following:

DEERFIELD MANOR PUMP STATION DEMOLITION

Please refer to https://www.twpusc. org/business/bid_information.php, for details regarding specifications and Bidding requirements.

Matthew R. Serakowski Township Manager

Electronic Proposal - Ebusiness website (http://ebusiness.portauthority.org)

Bid Number Bid Name

1 B23-05-32A Pantograph Carbon Strips

2 B23-05-33A Coach Replacement Parts - Brake Systems

3 B23-05-34A Bagged Rock Salt

4 B23-05-35A Oil, Fuel and Antifreeze Analysis Services

5 B23-05-36A 2011/2013 Coach Radiator Assemblies

6 B23-05-37A Cleaning of Oil/Water Separators

7 B23-05-38A Bus Build Inspector Services

To join the bid opening through Microsoft Teams meeting on your computer, mobile app or room device Meeting ID: 213 819 640 485 Passcode: rggNHb

Or call in (audio only) (412)-927-0245 Phone Conference ID: 469 259 920#

No bidder may withdraw a submitted Proposal for a period of 75 days after the scheduled time for opening of the sealed bids. A Pre-Bid Conference will be held via tele-conference on each of the above items at 10:00 AM, May 31, 2023 through your web browser via Microsoft Teams video conference.

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device Meeting ID: 222 614 872 718

Passcode: 7y64rB

Or call in (audio only) (412) 927-0245

Phone Conference ID: 996 309 218#

Attendance at this meeting is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Questions regarding any of the above bids will not be entertained by the PRT within five (5) business days of the scheduled bid opening. These contracts may be subject to a financial assistance contract between Port Authority of Allegheny County d.b.a. PRT and the United States Department of Transportation. The Contractor will be required to comply with all applicable Equal Employment Opportunity laws and regulations. Contractor is responsible for expenses related to acquiring a performance bond and insurance where applicable. All items are to be FOB delivered unless otherwise specified. Costs for delivery, bond, and insurance shall be included in bidder’s proposal pricing.

Port Authority of Allegheny County d.b.a. PRT hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively insure that in regard to any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprise will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, or national origin in consideration for an award.

The Board of PRT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

NOTICE TO PROPOSERS

The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County (SEA) and the Stadium Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (SA) will receive proposals for fire protection systems testing and monitoring services at the Gold 1 Garage, West General Robinson Street Garage, and North Shore Garage at the Sports & Exhibition Authority office as identified below. The contracts for this work will be with the Alco Parking Corporation. The Request for Proposals may be obtained after the date identified below from Bill Williams, email: bwilliams@pgh-sea.com.

This Advertisement applies to the following Request for Proposal:

Project: Fire Protection Equipment Testing and Monitoring for Gold 1 Garage, West General Robinson Street Garage, and North Shore Garage RFP Available: June 8, 2023

Pre-Proposal Meeting:

West General Robinson Street Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Time/Date/Location for

ADVERTISEMENT

Bids are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following:

Bid Proposal No. 1115 – Senstar

Software Maintenance Renewal

Bid Proposal No. 1116 – Infoblox

Maintenance Renewal

Bid Proposal No. 1117 – Asphalt and Concrete Repairs on an as-needed basis – College Wide

RFP 3145 – Emergency Generator

Inspection and Maintenance

Due date: 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Any bid or proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer. Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications. No bidder may withdraw his bid or proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.

The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids.

The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu.

BID ADVERTISEMENT

CONTRACT NUMBER: 47-32-15

COMMUNITY CENTER

STORM SEWER RELOCATION

Sealed Bids are requested by the Borough of Thornburg. Bids will be received by the Borough’s Consulting Engineer, NIRA Consulting Engineers, Inc. at 950 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, PA 15108 until 4:00 P.M. prevailing time, Wednesday, July 26, 2023 for the Community Center Storm Sewer Relocation. Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud immediately after the closing time for receipt of Bids. Interested parties may view the Profile and Bid Schedule for this Project on the internet at: www.niraengineers.com.

Copies of the Bid Documents may be examined at the office of NIRA Consulting Engineers, Inc., 950 Fifth Avenue, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania 15108. Copies thereof may be obtained from the office of NIRA Consulting Engineers, Inc., upon payment of a non-refundable sum of $75.00. An additional charge of $15.00 will be required for handling of Plans and Specifications when shipping is requested. Checks are to be made payable to NIRA Consulting Engineers, Inc. Bids must be submitted on the forms provided, and completed in strict accordance with the instructions provided.

Each Bid must be accompanied by a Bid Bond, in the form of a Certified Check or Corporate Surety Bid Bond, in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the Bid Proposal made in the favor of the Borough of Thornburg. Only documents obtained directly from the Engineer will be valid at bid opening.

A Performance Bond, Labor and Material Payment Bond, and Maintenance Bond in the amounts specified within the Contract Documents will be required of the successful Bidder.

Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the Provisions of the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act 442. The Prevailing Wage Scale is included in these Specifications. Bidders on this work will be required to comply with the Provisions of the Public Works Employment Verification Act (PWEVA).

Adherence to Instructions to Bidders is required. No Bid or any part thereof shall be withdrawn by Bidder for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the Bid Opening. The right is reserved by the Owner to reject any or all Bids or parts of bids and to waive technical defects in any Bid.

LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Contract No. TRCI-1700, Social Determinants of Health Assessment and Resource Navigation for Public Housing Tenants

Three Rivers Communities, Inc. (TRCI) is requesting proposals from qualified firms to assess, refer and mitigate social determinants of health barriers, and reduce healthcare disparities for existing or likely eligible Health Choice Members. Request for Proposals and Contract Documents are on file and may be obtained at no charge from Three Rivers Communities Inc., 301 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks, PA 15136, or by contacting Guy Phillips @ gphillips@achousing.org, 412-402-2435.

Proposal submittals are due no later than 10:00 a.m., Monday, July 10, 2023 and the “hard copies” documentation must be received in-hand and time-stamped by TRCI by no later than the date and time above.

TRCI encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for TRCI. Three Rivers Communities, Inc. reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.

Three Rivers Communities, Inc. Frank Aggazio, Executive Director

ACHA-1699, INSURANCE BROKER OF RECORD AND ALL RELATED CONSULTING SERVICES

Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) is seeking Proposals from qualified vendors to provide Insurance Broker of Record and all related Consulting Services, per specifications in the RFP. ACHA is now conducting all competitive solicitation on an internetbased eProcurement Housing Marketplace. ACHA is paying for all costs for the use of the Marketplace so, there will be no additional charges for your company to use the Marketplace to download documents or submit responses to ACHA.

AGENCY CONTACT PERSON: Guy Phillips, Purchasing Manager Telephone: (412)402-2435, E-mail: gphillips@achsng.com.

HOW TO OBTAIN THE RFP

DOCUMENTS ON THE EPROCUREMENT MARKETPLACE:

1. Access ha.internationaleprocurement.com (no “www”)

2. Click on the “Login” button in the upper left side.

3. Follow the listed directions.

4. If you have any problems in accessing or registering on the eProcurement Marketplace, please call customer support at (866) 526-9266.

PRE-PROPOSAL CONFERENCE:

No Pre-Proposal Conference: If you have any questions regarding this proposal or any of the documents, use the “Question and Answer area in the eProcurement Housing Marketplace Website.

QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE

Friday, June 30, 2023, 2:00 PM ET

HOW TO FULLY RESPOND TO THIS RFP BY SUBMITTING A

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL:

1. As instructed within Section 3.5 of the RFP document, submit One (1) Original and Three (3) copies of your “hard copy” proposal to the Agency Administrative Office.

PROPOSAL SUBMITTAL RETURN & DEADLINE

* Monday, July 17, 2023, 2:00 PM ET 301 Chartiers Ave, McKees Rocks, PA 15136, the “hard copy” documentation must be received in-hand and time-stamped by the Agency by no later than 2:00 PM ET on this date).

The Authority encourages responses from §3 business concerns, small firms, minority firms and firms that have not previously performed work for the ACHA. The Allegheny County Housing Authority reserves the right to reject any and all submissions.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

Frank Aggazio, Executive Director

CONDITIONS OF SALE

Effective with the August 3, 2020 Sheriff Sale of real estate and all such monthly public sales thereafter shall be conducted virtually through video conferencing technology or live streaming. The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office shall provide for up to twenty-five persons to participate in person with physical distancing in the Gold Room, 4th Floor Allegheny County Courthouse. ALL PARTICIPANTS OR BIDDERS MUST BE REGISTERED AT LEAST 7 DAYS BEFORE THE DATE OF THE SALE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE (VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON) AT THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SALES OF REAL ESTATE. REGISTRATION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SHERIFF’S WEBSITE: SHERIFFALLEGHENYCOUNTY.COM. The Successful bidder will pay full amount of bid in CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK OR CASHIERS CHECK at time of sale, otherwise the property will be resold at the next regular Sheriffs Sale; provided, that if the sale is made on MONDAY, JULY 3, 2023 the bidder may pay ten percent of purchasing price but not less than 75.00 in CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK, OR CASHIERS CHECK THE DAY IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE SALE, e.g. WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2023, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:30AM AND 2:30PM IN THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE. And the balance in CASH, CERTIFIED CHECK, OR CASHIERS CHECK, on or before MONDAY, JULY 10, 2023 at 10:00 O’CLOCK A.M. The property will be resold at the next regular Sheriff’s Sale if the balance is not paid, and in such case all money’s paid in at the original sale shall be applied to any deficiency in the price of which property is resold, and provided further that if the successful bidder is the plaintiff in the execution the bidder shall pay full amount of bid ON OR BEFORE THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE FOLLOWING MONTH, OTHERWISE WRIT WILL BE RETURNED AND MARKED “REAL ESTATE UNSOLD” and all monies advanced by plaintiff will be applied as required by COMMON PLEAS COURT RULE 3129.2 (1) (a).

FORFEITED SALES WILL BE POSTED IN THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND LISTED ON THE SHERIFF OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY WEB SITE.

AMENDMENT OF THE CODE SECOND CLASS COUNTY NEW CHAPTER 475 THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 475, ENTITLED TAXATION IS HEREBY AMENDED THROUGH THE CREATION OF A NEW ARTICLE XII, ENTITLED, “SHERIFF SALES”, AND COMPRISED AS FOLLOWS: SUBSECTION 475-60: RECORDING OF DEEDS AND NOTIFICATION OF SHERIFFS SALES TO TAXING BODIES.

A. FOR ANY REAL PROPERTY OFFERED AT SHERIFFS SALE DUE TO NONPAYMENT OF REAL ESTATE TAXES AND PURCHASED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH SUCH SALE, THE SHERIFF SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FILING THE DEED AND, WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF FILING OF THE SHERIFFS DEED, PROVIDE WRITTEN NOTICE OF THE CONVEYANCE TO THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS. THE WRITTEN NOTICE REQUIRED PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION SHALL INCLUDE THE DATE OF THE SALE, IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROPERTY SOLD BY BOTH ADDRESS AND LOT AND BLOCK NUMBER, AND THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE INDIVIDUALS OR OTHER ENTITY THAT PURCHASED THE PROPERTY.

B. AT THE TIME OF THE SALE THE SHERIFF SHALL COLLECT ALL REQUISITE FILING COSTS, REALTY TRANSFER TAXES AND FEES, NECESSARY TO PROPERLY RECORD THE DEED.

C. WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF RECEIPT OF WRITTEN NOTICE FROM THE SHERIFF, THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY OFFICE OF PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS SHALL FORWARD COPIES OF SUCH NOTICE TO ALL TAXING BODIES LEVYING REAL ESTATE TAXES ON THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE MUNICIPALITY AND SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED.

AS REQUIRED BY SECTION 14 OF ACT NO. 77 OF 1986, THE COST OF ALL DOCUMENTARY STAMPS FOR REAL ESTATE TRANSFER TAXES (STATE, LOCAL, AND SCHOOL) WILL BE DEDUCTED BY THE SHERIFF FROM THE PROCEEDS OF THE SALE. Purchasers must record their deeds and pay the necessary recording fees. Pursuant to Rule 3136 P.R.C.P. NOTICE is hereby given that a schedule of distribution will be filed by the Sheriff not later than 30 days from date of sale and that distribution will be made in accordance with the schedule unless exceptions are filed thereto within 10 days thereafter. No further notice of the filing of the schedule of distribution will be given.

A Land Bank formed under 68 Pa. C.S.A. 2101 et seq. may exercise its right to bid pursuant to 68 Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d) (2) through Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d) (4) on certain properties listed for sale under the municipal claims and Tax Lien Law, 53 P.S. 7101 et seq. The Sheriff of Allegheny County will honor the terms of payment which the Land Bank has entered with any municipalities having a claim against the property. If the Land Bank tenders a bid under Pa. C.S.A. 2117(d)(3) or 2117(d)(4) the property will not be offered for sale to others and the Property will be considered sold to the Land Bank for the Upset Price as defined in P.S.7279 and no other bids will be accepted.

NOTICE IS GIVEN THAT ALL SHERIFFS DEEDS TENDERED TO PURCHASERS WILL CONTAIN THE FOLLOWING:

“This document may not sell, convey, transfer, include, or insure the title to the coal and right of support underneath the surface land described or referred to herein and the owner or owners of such coal may have the complete legal right to remove all of such coal, and in that connection damage may result to the surface of the land, any house, building or other structure on or in such land.”

1 JULY 23

DEFENDANT: Karen J. Marchitello

**************************************

CASE NO.: MG-22-000766

***********************

DEBT: $16,986.64

NAME OF ATTORNEY: Robert P. Wendt, Esquire

**************************************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY: 275 Curry Hollow Rd., Bldg. 1, Ste. 280, Pittsburgh, PA 15236

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER: 914-219-5787 x 490

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

***************************************

All the following described real estate situated in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, and Borough of North Braddock. Having erected thereon a residential dwelling being known and numbered as 1314 Grant Street, Braddock, PA 15104.

Deed Book 9552, Page 47. Block and Lot No. 374-N-122.

2 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) DIANA L. ACCETTULLA

********************

CASE NO. MG-22-000866

************* DEBT $150,062.19

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

SONNY BOY

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128

as 3055 Marie Drive, Gibsonia, PA 15044. Document Number 2014-17816, Deed Book Volume 15655, Page 138. Block and Lot Number 1355-S-00189-0000-00.

7 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) Chris A. Bozeman

CASE NO. MG-18-000027

******** DEBT $118,069.12

********

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Manley Deas Kochalski LLC

**********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS

P. 0. Box 165028 Columbus, OH 43216-5028

************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

614-220-5611

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Municipality of Penn Hills:

Having erected thereon a dwelling being known and numbered as 505 Veronica Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235. Document Number 2007-701, Deed Book Volume 13111, Page 422. Block and Lot Number 0369-L-00292-0000-00.

8 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) JASON J. WILLETT AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CASE NO. MG-23-000082

ALLEGHENY, TOWNSHIP OF STOWE:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 902 WOODWARD AVENUE, MC KEES ROCKS, PA 15136. DEED BOOK 11796, PAGE 307. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 73-P-47.

12 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) ELLEN MORGAN SOLELY IN HER CAPACITY AS HEIR OF JAMES

MORGAN, DECEASED, THE UNKNOWN

HEIRS OF JAMES MORGAN DECEASED

CASE NO. MG-22-000048

DEBT $47,023.13

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(215) 627-1322

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF BRADDOCK:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 26 MOODY STREET, BRADDOCK, PA 15104.

DEED BOOK 12832, PAGE 91. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 302-A-283.

13 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) DANIEL J. AUBEL AKA

DANIEL AUBEL, ROBERTA L. AUBEL AKA

ROBERTA AUBEL

************* CASE NO. MG-19-000442

DEBT $47,023.13

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(215) 627-1322 *******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

******************* IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF BRADDOCK:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 26 MOODY STREET, BRADDOCK, PA 15104.

DEED BOOK 12832, PAGE 91. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 302-A-283.

14 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) CHRISTOPHER JOSEPH

DAMICO, ANGEL N. DAMICO AKA ANGEL N. D’AMICO

695 SHADE AVENUE PITTSBURGH, PA 15202 DEED BOOK 34895 AND PAGE 57 BLOCK & LOT NO. 160-B-268

9 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) VICTORIA SEISS ************* CASE NO. MG-23-000061 ******** DEBT $52,735.19 NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) KML LAW GROUP, P.C. ********************** ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (215) 627-1322

SHORT DESCRIPTION

******************* IN THE COMMONWEAL TH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF WHITAKER: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 217 MIFFLIN STREET, HOMESTEAD, PA 15120. DEED BOOK 13109, PAGE 294. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 180-R-18.

10 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S)

CASE NO. MG-19-001185

DEBT $366,699.81

********

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

**********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(215) 627-1322

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF BRADDOCK:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 26 MOODY STREET, BRADDOCK, PA 15104.

DEED BOOK 12832, PAGE 91. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 302-A-283.

15 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) RYAN C. KISS, TRACY L. ROTHBAUER

************* CASE NO. MG-21-000253

******** DEBT $83,064.47

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

********************** ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(215) 627-1322

SHORT DESCRIPTION

NUMBER

of Allegheny, 7TH WARD OF THE

ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS

GROVER AVENUE, MCKEESPORT, PA 15132. DEED BOOK VOLUME 12305,

233, BLOCK AND LOT 0381-G00039-0000-00.

JULY 23

Andrew B. Maul

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 1611 NEW YORK AVENUE, MCKEESPORT, PA 15133. DEED BOOK 10928, PAGE 330. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 466-0-180.

ATTORNEYS:

FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF PENNSYLVANIA, s/b/m/t NORTHSIDE BANK, 100 Federal Street4th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15212

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (412) 465-9718

SHORT DESCRIPTION

******************* ALL OF THE FOLLOWING DESCRIBED

OF ATTORNEY(S) 525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 ************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (412) 281-0587 ******************************* SHORT DESCRIPTION In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Borough of Pitcairn:

Having erected thereon a two story frame house being known as 572 4th Street, Pitcairn, PA 15140. Deed Book Volume 15819, Page 562. Block & Lot No. 747-B-142.

43 JULY 23

NO.

29 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S) Penn Hills School District and Municipality of Penn Hills vs DEFENDANT(S) Tyrina Taylor ******************** CASE NO. GD 22-005924

DEBT: $22,321.73

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Jennifer L. Cerce, Esquire ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS 424 S. 27th Street, Ste. 210 Pittsburgh, PA 15203

REAL ESTATE SITUATED IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, IN THE 27th WARD OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH.

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3963 BRIGHTON ROAD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15212, BY DEED DATED APRIL 30, 2003, AND RECORDED ON MAY 2, 2003, IN THE DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY AT DEED

BOOK VOLUME 11637, PAGE 298.

BLOCK 114-G, LOT 54

35 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S) DEER LAKES SCHOOL

DISTRICT vs

DEFENDANT(S) NATALIE M. HAUSHALTER

********************

CASE NO. GD-22-013060

DEBT: $14,687.65

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

CHRISTOPHER E. VINCENT

PLAINTIFF(S): North Hills School District vs. DEFENDANT(S): Tracy R. Hunt

WRIT NO.: GD 21-014519 ******** DEBT: $4,892.28

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Joseph W. Gramc, Esquire ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) 525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (412) 281-0587

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Township of Ross:

Having erected thereon a two story frame house known as 500 Jacks Run Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15202. Deed Book Volume 9858, Page 166. Block & Lot No. 161-E-87.

44 JULY 23

ERECTED THEREON A TWO

DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 7444 MOUNT CARMEL ROAD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15235. DEED

18420, PAGE 581.

AND LOT NUMBER 173-H-113.

30 JULY 23 PLAINTIFF(S) Wilkinsburg School District and Wilkinsburg Borough vs DEFENDANT(S) VICKY L. DENNISON ******************** CASE NO. GD 22-008424

DEBT: $14,350.61

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Jennifer L. Cerce, Esquire ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS 424 S. 27th Street, Ste. 210 Pittsburgh, PA 15203 ************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (412) 242-4400 ******************************* SHORT DESCRIPTION ******************* In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Borough of Wilkinsburg:

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

546 WENDEL ROAD, IRWIN, PA 15642

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

724-978-0333 ******************************* SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, TOWNSHIP OF WEST DEER:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 26-28 OAK STREET, RUSSELLTON, PA 15076. DEED BOOK 16467, PAGE 127. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 1361-M-251.

36 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) Lisa A. Connelly ********************

CASE NO. MG-14-001448

DEBT: $108,532.80

PLAINTIFF(S): Township of South Fayette vs. DEFENDANT(S): Donna J. Taper

CASE NO.: GD 19-015753

********

DEBT:$3,114.14

********

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Joseph W. Gramc, Esquire **********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) 525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110

DIANE BLAZEYEWSKI

************* CASE NO. MG-20-000057

DEBT: $122,142.97

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KMLLAWGROUP,P.C. ADDRESS OF ATTORNEYS SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (215) 627-1322

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF BRENTWOOD:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 111 KAPLAN AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15227. DEED BOOK 13179, PAGE 427.

BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 137-J-l 01.

26 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) CONSTANCE I. STREET, KNOWN HEIR OF JOHN V. STREET,

DECEASED; L.G. STREET, AIKIA L.G.

WILSON, A/KA LAWRENCE G. STREET,

NKJ A LAWR.ENCE G. WILSON, KNOWN

HEIR OF JOHN STREET, DECEASED;

UNKNOWN HEIRS, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, AND ALL PERSONS, FIRMS, OR ASSOCIATIONS

CLAIMING RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST

FROM OR UNDER JOHN V. STREET,

DECEASED

CASE NO. MG-19-000363

DEBT: $229,720.91

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Stephen Panik, Esquire

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 2197 VILLAGE DR, PITTSBURGH, PA 15221. DEED BOOK 17557, PAGE 390. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 296-P-205.

31 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S) Wilkinsburg School District and Wilkinsburg Borough vs DEFENDANT(S) Anthony A. Lucas, Jacqueline Terry and the United States of America ******************** CASE

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Gary W. Darr, Esquire McGrath McCall, P.C. ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) Four Gateway Center, Suite 1040, 444 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 ************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER 412-281-4333 ******************************* SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Township of Pine: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING HOUSE KNOWN AS 220 S. CHAPEL DRIVE, WEXFORD, PENNSYLVANIA 15090. DEED BOOK VOLUME 12457, PAGE 125, BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 1499-D-7.

Page 523, Block & Lot 257-M-15.

45 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S): Borough of Pitcairn vs. DEFENDANT(S): Susan E. Geiger

CASE NO.: GD 22-012959

DEBT: $4,365.48

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Joseph W. Gramc, Esquire

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(412) 281-0587

*******************************

SHORT

D. Holt

of the Estate of Jeffrey

CASE NO. MG 22-000899

******** DEBT $68,623.50

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Jeffrey R. Lalama, Esquire

**********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, LLP 535 Smithfield Street, Suite 1300 Pittsburgh, PA 15222

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

412-456-2876

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, City of Pittsburgh,

17th Ward:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS

2602 QUARRY STREET, PITTSBURGH,

PENNSYLVANIA 15210, DEED BOOK

VOLUME 10357, PAGE 481.

BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 0014-H00109-0000-00

60 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S): JENNIFER WHITAKER

A/KlA JENNIFER L. WHITAKER; ALEXANDER

WHITAKER A/KlA ALEXANDER

STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 ************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER (215) 627-1322 ******************************* SHORT DESCRIPTION IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF WEST MIFFLIN:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 4107 OUTLOOK DRIVE, WEST MIFFLIN, PA 15122. DEED BOOK 17673, PAGE 446. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 238-G-82.

71 JULY 23

DEFENDANT: Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under E. Carol Farmer, deceased

CASE NO. MG-22-000292

******** DEBT: $123,717.42

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

LOGS Legal Group LLP ********************** ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) 3600 Horizon Drive, Suite 150 King of Prussia, PA 19406

************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(610) 278-6800

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, MUNICIPALITY OF BETHEL PARK:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 1101 LENOX DRIVE, BETHEL PARK, PA 15102. INSTRUMENT NUMBER 2004-35098, BLOCK AND LOT 0392-P-00225-1101-00.

73 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S): Pennsbury Village vs. DEFENDANT(S): Richard M. Hartin

CASE NO. GD 22-010204

DEBT: $2,419.87

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Joseph W. Gramc, Esquire

**********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) 525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(412) 281-0587

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Pennsbury Village: Having erected thereon a two story condominium being Unit 423 in the Pennsbury Village Condominium, known as 742 Carriage Circle, Pittsburgh, PA 15205. Deed Book Volume 18306, Page 477. Block & Lot No. 150-S-96-423.

74 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S): County of Allegheny vs.

DEFENDANT(S):Kevin R. Rice & Sally

L. Rice

CASE NO. GD 17-005269

******** DEBT: $9,087.79

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Joseph W. Gramc, Esquire

**********************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

525 William Penn Place, Suite 3110 Pittsburgh, PA 15219

************************ ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(412) 281-0587

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Township of Findlay:

Having erected thereon a two story frame house known as 382 Pickens Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Deed Book Volume 7554, Page 99. Block & Lot No. 1051-J-75.

75 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S):Raphael Coto, Trustee of the PH Urban Family Trust dated September 30, 2019

CASE NO. MG-22-001049

DEBT: $72,489.52

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Manley Deas Kochalski LLC

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) P. 0. Box 165028 Columbus, OH 43216-5028

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

614-220-5611

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of

79 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S): Michael D. McNeely

CASE NO. MG-22-000082

DEBT: $234,893.41

******** NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Manley Deas Kochalski LLC

********************** ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

P. 0. Box 165028 Columbus, OH 43216-5028

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

614-220-5611 *******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Municipality of Mt. Lebanon: Having erected thereon a dwelling being known and numbered as 251 Twin Hills Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15216. Document Number 2008-15379, Deed Book Volume 13626, Page 311. Block and Lot Number 0063-E-00317-0000-00.

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, MUNICIPALITY OF

PARK (FORMERLY THE BOROUGH OF BETHEL PARK):

ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 4484 FIRST STREET, BETHEL PARK, PA 15102. DEED BOOK VOLUME 9797, PAGE 189, BLOCK AND LOT 0317-F-00143-0000-00. 70 JULY 23

Anthony J. Falvo

Estate of Catherine Weaver, AKA Catherine M. Weaver; Unknown Administrators of the Estate of Catherine Weaver, AKA Catherine M. Weaver

*******************

CASE NO. GD-19-012415

DEBT: $58,794.31

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Manley Deas Kochalski LLC

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

P. 0. Box 165028 Columbus, OH 43216-5028

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

614-220-5611

*******************************

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County

81 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S): Allen King and Michelle Rogers, Known Heirs of the Estate of Cynthia King, and The Unknown Heirs, Executors and/or Administrators of the Estate of Cynthia King, ******************* CASE NO.MG-22-000585

DEBT: $16,776.66

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Kristine M. Anthou, Esquire

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

Grenen & Birsic, P.C. One Gateway Center, 9th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER

(412) 281-7650

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Borough of Versailles:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A TWO STORY BRICK AND VENEER HOUSE WITH INTEGRAL GARAGE KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 4600 3rd STREET, MCKEESPORT, PA 15132. DBV 10528, PG 291, B/L #555-S-246.

82 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S): Joseph Szewczyk, a/k/a Joseph F. Szewczyk, ******************* CASE NO.MG-22-000231

DEBT: $68,316.12

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Kristine M. Anthou, Esquire,

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

Grenen & Birsic, P.C. One Gateway Center, 9th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

(412) 281-7650

SHORT DESCRIPTION

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Borough of Castle

Shannon:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 3518 ROSALIA AVENUE, PITTSBURGH, PA 15234. DBV 13249, PG 224, DEED WAS RE-RECORDED ON 8/23/2007 IN BOOK 13350, PG 224 & ON 9/12/2007 IN BOOK 13373, PG 66, TO CORRECT MARITAL STATUS. B/L #190-N-188. 84 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S) Penn Hills School District and Municipality of Penn Hills vs DEFENDANT(S) JOAN S. FISHER, WILLIAM C. DIETTINGER and HENRY C. CORSON, JR. AND REID E. ROTZLER CO-EXECUTORS FOR THE ESTATE OF MARTHA M. CORSON, DECEASED ******************** CASE NO.GD 22-003495

DEBT $32,568.70

1434 WOODBINE STREET, PITTSBURGH, PA 15201-2010. Deed Book Volume 12775, Page 554. Block and Lot Number 0120-M-00293-0000-00.

88 JULY 23

CHARRI C. ELMORE; KEVIN S. ELMORE CASE NO. GD-19-016024

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Stephen Panik, Esquire

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) Brock & Scott,

546 WENDEL ROAD, IRWIN, PA 15642

TELEPHONE

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, TOWNSHIP OF

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 465

ROAD, BAIRDFORD, PA

DEED BOOK 14458, PAGE 152.

AND LOT NUMBER 1669-K-382.

94 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) JOSEPH GILPIN A/KIA

JOSEPH R. GILPIN; TERRIL. GILPIN

CASE NO. MG-22-000684

DEBT $257,174.25

*********

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

133 GAITHER DRIVE, SUITE F MOUNT LAUREL, NJ 08054

****************************** ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

855-225-6906

16338, PAGE 202, BLOCK AND LOT l 133-K00205-0000-00.

104 JULY 23 DEFENDANT: Justin J. Salinetro CASE NO.

109 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) THE UNKNOWN

HEIRS OF DON SZYMAREK DECEASED, LYNSEY SZYMAREK SOLELY IN HER

CAPACITY AS HEIR OF DON SZYMAREK,

DECEASED

************ CASE NO. MG-22-000672

************ DEBT $34,442.74

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

*******************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

(215) 627-1322

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

**************************** IN THE COMMONWEAL TH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, 9TH WARD CITY OF MCKEESPORT:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS

2409 COLLINS STREET, MC KEESPORT, PA 15132. DEED BOOK 12817, PAGE 445.

BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 464-D-63.

110 JULY 23

DEFENDANT(S) BETTY SHARROCK

AKA BETTY ANN SHARROCK

CASE NO. MG-22-000499

************

DEBT $69,059.46

********* NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

*******************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

(215) 627-1322

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

**************************** IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, BOROUGH OF WHITE OAK:

JULY 23

CITY OF CLAIRTON VS.

PETER D. EDWARDS

NO. GD-22-009711

$6,999.12

HAVlNG ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 136 MARIETTA DRIVE, MC KEESPORT, PA 15131. DEED BOOK 12457, PAGE 251. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 549-N-223.

111 JULY 23

**************************** In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, TOWNSHIP OF ELIZABETH: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 1412 EMERSON AVENUE, MCKEESPORT, PA 15135. DEED BOOK VOLUME 1078, PAGE 545, BLOCK AND LOT 0553-P00288-0000-00.

101 JULY 23

DEFENDANT: Gayler W. Brown And Linda M. Brown ************ CASE NO. MG-22-000637

DEBT: $62,221.09 NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Jill M. Fein, Esquire; Hill Wallack LLP

OF ATTORNEY(S) 777 Township Line Road, Suite 250 Yardley, PA 19067

ERECTED THEREON A 2 STORY DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 340 - 342 KENNEY

E. VINCENT

OF ATTORNEY(S)

WENDEL ROAD, IRWIN, PA 15642

TELEPHONE NUMBER:

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, CITY OF CLAIRTON: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 126 CONSTITUTION CIRCLE, CLIARTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 14498, PAGE 38. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 1002-C-080.

107 JULY 23

PLAINTIFF(S) CITY OF CLAIRTON VS. DEFENDANT(S) JEROME ANDERSON, JR.

CASE NO. GD-22-003401

************ DEBT $5,700.64

*********

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

CHRISTOPHER E. VINCENT

*******************

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

546 WENDEL ROAD, IRWIN, PA 15642

DESCRIPTION:

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, CITY OF CLAIRTON: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 331 BAKER AVENUE, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 15183, PAGE 318. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 878-N-238

DEFENDANT(S) CORY ESTES AS ADMINISTRATOR AND HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF ANDREA L.ESTES, DECEASED ************ CASE NO. MG-22-000180

************ DEBT $38,804.61

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

KML LAW GROUP, P.C.

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S)

SUITE 5000, 701 MARKET STREET PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106 ******************************

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

(215) 627-1322

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

**************************** IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, TOWNSHIP OF NORTH VERSAILLES:

HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOvVN AND NUMBERED AS 811

WESTBURY ROAD, NORTH VERSAILLES, PA 15137. DEED BOOK 9551, PAGE 179.

BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 377-M-103.

112 JULY 23 DEFENDANT, ALEXANDER MAMUTOV AND STEFANIIA MAMUTOVA CASE NO. MG-22-000922

DEBT $177,123.19

********* NAME OF ATTORNEY(S)

B. BASSI, ESQUIRE

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) BASSI, VREELAND & ASSOCIATES, P.C. 62 EAST WHEELING STREET WASHINGTON, PA 15301

228-7000

RANCH DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 4509 BATTLE RIDGE ROAD, OAKDALE, PA 15071. DEED BOOK 18682, PAGE 139 BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 328-J-40

113 JULY 23 DEFENDANT(S) TOMBRI GROUP, LLC CASE NO. MG-23-000001 DEBT $1,359,049.68

********* NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) DANIEL R. TOBIN

C.W. HEIR OF LORIANNE M. HURTACK; MARGUERITA A. MILLER, IN HER CAPACITY AS ADMINISTRATIX AND HEIR OF THE ESTATE OF LORIANNE M. HURTACK ************ CASE NO. MG-22-000321 ************ DEBT $108,203.36

NAME OF ATTORNEY(S) Stephen Panik, Esquire ******************* ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) Brock & Scott, PLLC 2011 RENAISSANCE BOULEVARD, SUITE 100 KING OF PRUSSIA, PA 19406 ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER: (844) 856-6646

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, BOROUGH OF MCKEES ROCKS Having erected thereon a dwelling being known and numbered as 1141 WAYNE AVENUE, MC KEES ROCKS, PA 15136. Deed Book Volume 14377, Page 65. Block and Lot Number 0072-L-000860000-00

118 JULY 23

DEFENDANTS: Julie Gilliam, known Heir of Earnestine Gilliam, deceased, Eva Gilliam Jackson, known Heir of Earnestine Gilliam, deceased, Crystal Figueroa, known Heir of Earnestine Gilliam, deceased, Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under Earnestine Gilliam, deceased

DESCRIPTION:

the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, MUNICIPALITY OF PENN HILLS: HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 94 WOODS ROAD, PITTSBURGH, PA 15235. DEED BOOK VOLUME 9125, PAGE 299, BLOCK AND LOT 0230-P-00097-0000-00.

PARCEL ONE HAVING ERECTED THEREON VACANT

LAND BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS N. 4TH STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 14738, PAGE 594. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 657-P-334.

PARCEL TWO HAVING ERECTED THEREON VACANT LAND BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS ELM STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 14738, PAGE 594. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 764-B-205.

PARCEL THREE HAVING ERECTED THEREON A DWELLING

BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 523

N. 4TH STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025.

DEED BOOK 14738, PAGE 594. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 764-B-206.

PARCEL FOUR HAVING ERECTED THEREON A COMMERCIAL

STRUCTURE BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS 523 N. 4TH STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 14738, PAGE 594. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 764-B-274.

PARCEL FIVE

HAVING ERECTED THEREON VACANT LAND BEING KNOWN AND NUMBERED AS N. 4TH STREET, CLAIRTON, PA 15025. DEED BOOK 14738, PAGE 594. BLOCK AND LOT NUMBER 764-B-277.

ADDRESS OF ATTORNEY(S) 2000 CORPORATE DRIVE, STE 350 WEXFORD, PA 15090

ATTORNEY TELEPHONE NUMBER:

724-940-7720 SHORT DESCRIPTION: In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, County of Allegheny, Township of

NOTICE

IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

Notice is hereby given to the following persons, their heirs, successors or assigns, and to all persons whatsoever, that the City of Pittsburgh, by John Miller, Assistant City Solicitor, 328 City County Building has petitioned the Court of Orders quieting title to the following tax acquired real estate, pursuant to Act No. 171, approved December 11, 1984.

GD –2023-002344 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Northside Tenants Reorganization Educational Program, aka Northside Tenants Reorganization Education Program; Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 25th Ward, Pittsburgh. Hazelwood Avenue. Pollitt Plan Part 2. Lot = 3.62 x 164.85 x 21.71 x 72.53 x 16.53 x100. Block & Lot 22-H-203. Rights or claims of parties in possession not shown by the public records. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002726 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Stanley Klein; Gloria R. Klein; Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County; Jordan Tax Service; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 12th Ward, Pittsburgh. Maxwell Way Lot 30X64.8 Maxwell Way. Rights or claims of parties in possession or under agreements of sale not shown by public records. Excepting and reserving that portion of the premises lying in and along the roadbed(s); subject to public and private rights thereon. Subject to all roads, public or private, affecting said premises. Block & Lot 124-K-176. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002738

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Mohawk Diversified LLC; Ruth Smith; Mark Johnson; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Revenue; Pennsylvania Attorney General; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 27th Ward, Pittsburgh. 3567 Elmhurst Ave Burwood Place Plan 47 PT 48; PT 30X100 in all Elmhurst St. Block & Lot 75-B-48. Easements, or claims of easements, not shown on public records. Subject to all matters shown on the Plan as recorded in the Recorder’s Office of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in Plan Book Vol. 8, page 265. All roads public and private affecting the premises and the rights of others therein. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-002744 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Adrien Shawn Falls; GLS Capital, Inc.; National Tax Funding L.P.; Caulis Negris, LLC; Allegheny County Health Department; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 12th Ward, Pittsburgh. R Thompson Plan Pt 46. Lot 13.50 X 121.87 Paulson Ave. Rights and claims of parties in possession of the land not shown by the public record. All roads, public or private, affecting the premises. All matters set forth in Richard Thompson’s Plan of Lots, as recorded in the Recorder’s Office of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania in Plan Book Volume 5, Pages 294 and 295. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-003079 CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

James McCoy; Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County; Allegheny County Division of Court Records – Criminal Division; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 22nd Ward, Pittsburgh. 1232 Butterfield Way. Lot 15 x 110 Reddour Street between Eloise and Sampson Streets. Rights or claims of parties in possession or under agreements of sale not shown by public records. Excepting and reserving that portion of the premises lying in and along the roadbed(s); subject to public and private rights thereon. Block & Lot 23-K-388. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-003099

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Harold Holland; Ronald Holland; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents/ 25th Ward, Pittsburgh. 1614 Brighton Road. Lot 20 x 133 Brighton Rd. Block & Lot 22-H-205. Rights or claims of parties in possession not shown by the public records. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-003100

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs Russell U. Beymer; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 21st Ward, Pittsburgh. #1027 Lamont St. Lot 19.43 x 47 Lamont St. Block & Lot 22-G-109. Rights or claims of parties in possession not shown by the public records. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

GD –2023-003147

CITY OF PITTSBURGH Vs

Frederick Rideout; Barbara Rideout; Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County; Allegheny County Department of Court Records – Criminal Division; their heirs, successors, assigns and respondents. 15th Ward, Pittsburgh. 156 Hazelwood Ave. Hazel Hill Plan Pt 7. Lot 12.5 X 120 Hazelwood Av bet Monongahela & Sylvan Av. Block & Lot 56-B-338. Rights or claims of parties in possession of the land not shown by the public record. All roads, public or private, affecting the premises. All matters set forth in Martin and Evans Plan of Hazel Hill as recorded in the Recorder’s Office of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in Plan Book Volume 18, page 190. SUBJECT TO ALL ADDITIONAL EASEMENTS, ENCROACHMENTS, AGREEMENTS, ETC. OF RECORD.

WHEREUPON the Court granted a rule on the aforesaid persons, and all persons, whatsoever, to appear and show cause within thirty days from this notice why the title of the CITY OF PITTSBURGH to the aforesaid real estate should not be adjudicated and decreed valid and indefeasible as against all mortgages, ground-rents, rights, title, interest in or claims against the aforesaid real estate, and to further show cause why the sale of the said real estate should not be made free and clear of all the aforesaid claims whatsoever.

JOHN MILLER ASSISTANT CITY SOLICITOR CITY OF PITTSBURGH

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Help Wanted

MASTER PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT COACH (MULTIPLE OPENINGS)

City of Pgh seeks a Master Performance Improvement Coach (Multiple Openings) in Pgh, PA responsible for working collaboratively in the development of continuous improvement programs. Apply at www.pghjobs.net

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGISTS (MULTIPLE OPENINGS)

West Penn Allegheny Health System, Inc. seeks Medical Technologists (Multiple Openings) to work at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA, and perform complex medical laboratory tests for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Apply at ahn.org/careers with job code: J226884.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE FY 2023 ANNUAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE CDBG, HOME, ESG, AND HOPWA PROGRAMS

Notice is hereby given by the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA that it will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 1:00 p.m., prevailing time. The location of the public hearing will be City Council Building, 414 Grant Street, 5th Floor, City Council Chambers, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. The building is handicapped accessible through the Ross Street entrance. If special arrangements need to be made to accommodate persons with disabilities and/or persons with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), translation services, to be able to participate in the public hearing or comment on the FY 2023 Annual Action Plan, please email community.development@pittsburghpa.gov or via phone at (412) 2552667 or the TDD number is 711, by Friday, June 30, 2023

The City of Pittsburgh has prepared its draft FY 2023 Annual Action Plan.

The City intends to submit its FY 2023 Annual Action Plan in the amount of $13,597,804 for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds; $2,557,679 in HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds; $1,207,044 in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds; and $1,410,014 in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) funds. The FY 2023 Annual Action Plan will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on or before Tuesday, August 15, 2023.

In order to obtain the views of citizens, public agencies and other interested parties, the City of Pittsburgh will place its draft FY 2023 Annual Action Plan online from June 15, 2023 through July 14, 2023, at the City of Pittsburgh’s website (http://pittsburghpa.gov/omb/communitydevelopment-documents).

The City of Pittsburgh’s proposed activities for funding under the FY 2023 Annual Action Plan, are on display or maybe viewed on the City of Pittsburgh’s website (http://pittsburghpa.gov/council/capital-budgets). The entire FY 2023 Capital Budget for the City of Pittsburgh is also listed.

Information will be available for review for a period of 30 days. Written or verbal public comments on the draft FY 2023 Annual Action Plan will be received until 4:00 P.M. on Friday, July 14, 2023. To provide comments, please email community.development@pittsburghpa.gov or via phone at (412) 255-2667.

If the City would undertake an activity that would result in the displacement of families or individuals, then the City would utilize its policy for minimizing such displacement. Furthermore, the City is responsible for replacing all low- and moderate-income housing units that may be demolished or converted as a result of the use of CDBG Funds.

All interested persons, groups, and organizations are encouraged to attend this public hearing and will be given the opportunity to present oral or written testimony concerning the proposed plan and use of FY 2023 Federal funds. To provide comments, please email community.development@pittsburghpa.gov or via phone at (412) 255-2667. Written comments may be addressed to the City of Pittsburgh’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) , Community Development Division, attention Mr. Kelly L. Russell, Assistant Director/Labor Compliance Officer, 414 Grant Street, Room 501, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

Mr. Kelly L. Russell Assistant Director/Labor Compliance Officer Community Development Division, OMB

SENIOR MANAGER – IT

Evoqua Water Technologies LLC’s Pittsburgh, PA, office seeks a Senior Manager – IT. The Senior Manager - IT is responsible for leading our MS Dynamics IT team and will work closely with key stakeholders to streamline business processes and deliver state-of-the-art solutions. Apply at https://careers.evoqua.com, #33754.

PRODUCT DESIGNERS, GRAPHICS

Duolingo, Inc. seeks multiple Product Designers, Graphics (Pittsburgh, PA) to use graphic dsgn skills to create amazing, engaging, & intuitive digital experiences across Duolingo platforms. Requires bachelor’s dgr (or frgn equiv) in Graphic Design, Entertainment Technlgy, Visual Communication Design, or rltd fld. Exp or coursework must involve: Visual Design; Time based dsgn; Brand identity systm; Figma; Info architctr; Interaction dsgn; & Info dsgn. Lcl telecmmtng prmtd up to 2 dys/wk. Email resumes to jobs@duolingo.com, ref code 7306444

ADVANITY TECHNOLOGIES LLC.

MULTIPLE OPENINGS

Advanity Technologies LLC has multiple openings for the following positions:

Bachelor’s+5yrs exp/equiv.: SAP ABAP Developer (ASAD23): SAP HANA, SAP ABAP, JIRA, Fiori, Odata, REST and HTML.

Master’s+2yrs exp/equiv.: Oracle

HCM Consultant (AOHC23): Oracle, HCM Data loader, Jira, Confluence, Ivanti and BI reports. Master’s only/equiv.: Splunk Engineer (ASPE23): Create and configure reports and dashboard applications log monitoring. Mail resume with job ID # to HR:201 Penn Center Blvd., Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15235. Unanticipated work site locations throughout U.S. Foreign equiv. accepted.

AI RESEARCH ENGINEER I, DEEP LEARNING

JOB OPPORTUNITIES Help Wanted

SOUTH

Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for AI Research Engineer I, Deep Learning in Pittsburgh, PA to perform following duties: Identify problems, prototype solutions, evaluate return on investment, & implement best solution at scale; Develop new applications of deep learning that improve Duolingo’s products; Design & build the infrastructure, tools, & libraries needed to train, experiment, debug, & launch machine learning models at scale; Provide expert guidance on topics involving AI & data; Perform research w/respect to the optimization of machine learning software & hardware performance; Write tests to validate system performance & compliance.

Reqs: Master’s degree in Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Science or related technical field. Must have 1 yr exp. in AI Research, resulting in published AI papers. Must have knowledge of: (1) Programming Languages (C++ & Python); (2) Algorithms & Data Structures; (3) Deep Learning; (4) PyTorch; (5) Machine Learning; (6) Problem Framing for AI. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. AIResEngDLearn6/23 & title “AI Research Engineer I, Deep Learning” in subject line.

AI RESEARCH ENGINEER

Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for AI Research Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA to perform following duties: Develop highly scalable computer technology based on state-of-the art areas of computer science, such as machine learning & neural network methodologies; Combine broad & deep knowledge of relevant software & technology research domains along w/ability to synthesize wide range of technical reqs. to make significant contributions to Duolingo’s products across platforms; Adapt existing tech., such as machine learning & neural network algorithms & architectures, to best, exploit modern parallel environments (e.g., distributed dusters, multicore SMP, & GPU) & develop highly scalable algorithms based on state-of-the-art machine learning & neural network methodologies; Collaborate w/other AI Research Engs. & AI Research Scientists to facilitate research that enables learning data semantics (images, video, text, audio, & other modalities); Design & implement core software components for platform development projects. Reqs: Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cognitive Science or related technical field. Must have 1 yr exp. with: (1) AI research, resulting in published AI papers; (2) Python; (3) Machine Learning; (4) PyTorch; (5) Distributed Clusters & GPU; (6) Data Mining; & (7) Pattern recognition. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. AIResEng6/23 & title “AI Research Engineer” in subject line.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER, DATA ENGINEERING Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for Software Engineer, Data Engineering in Pittsburgh, PA to perform following duties: (i) Under supervision develop end-to-end delivery of data engineering products, from architecture & design to implementation to maintenance & growth; (ii) Collaborate across internal business teams & cross-functional stakeholders to design & develop high-quality software & architectures for data eng.; (iii) Partner w/other engineers to build scalable data eng. processing systems; (iv) Support technical strategy, by breaking problems into deliverable components, & working closely w/engineering teams; (v) Develop &/or implement next-generation data-driven models & algorithms; (vi) Architect & deploy robust data eng. infrastructure that can support training, evaluation, deployment, & monitoring; (vii) Build & deploy data eng. infrastructure on cloud services: (viii) Write & present summaries of data eng. analysis of features to relevant stakeholders; (ix) Submit code to be reviewed by superiors, & review coding of peers & contractors; & (x) Submit finished projects to quality assurance team. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Language Technology, Computer Science or Computer Science related field. Must have knowledge of (i) Statistical techniques or theory; (ii) Probability distributions;

(iii) Algorithms; (iv) Data Analysis &

(v) Programming languages (Python or Java). Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SEDataEng6/23 & title “Software Engineer, Data Engineering” in subject line.

SENIOR SOFTWARE

ENGINEER,

CLOUD OPERATIONS

Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for Senior Software Engineer, Cloud Operations in Pittsburgh, PA to perform following duties: Perform capacity, availability, & issue resolution & organizational change processes for cloud environments; Partner w/software engs., infrastructure engs., & enterprise architects to plan, implement, & maintain software solutions & systems architecture technologies; Contribute in operational proj. design reviews, infrastructure implementations & automation efforts; Lead transformation & implementation of DevOps processes, frameworks & automation initiatives; Provide direction & architecture guidance on best practices to deploy solutions in AWS environment; Contribute to incident root cause analysis. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics or related field. Must have 18 months exp. in: (1) Deploying, maintaining, & scaling microservices & infrastructure in cloud solutions; (2) Delivering cost-effective performance & reliability improvements; (3) Reducing organizational overhead associated w/infrastructure & code changes. Must have knowledge of: (1) Systems design & engineering; (2) Cloud Technologies; (3) Data storage & compute technologies (RDS, S3, MySQL, Docker, Kubernetes); (4) DevOps tools & processes; (5) CI/CD pipelines; (6) Java & Python. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SrSECloud6/23 & title “Senior Software Engineer, Cloud Operations” in subject line.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER, MOBILE APPLICATIONS Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for Software Engineer, Mobile Applications in Pittsburgh, PA to perform following duties: (i) under supervision, triage & resolve violations of mobile application distribution service guidelines; (ii) monitor mobile application platform release notes to find backward compatibility issues or new opportunities for features or improvements; (iii) implement user interfaces that adapt to variety of mobile devices; (iv) manage mobile application release process; (v) analyze software application reqs. to determine feasibility of design within time/ cost constraints; (vi) design test plans, scenarios, scripts, &/or procedures & run A/B testing on new/changed application features, & analyze data structures; (vii) identify, analyze, & document software application defects, changes, & implementations; (viii) write & present summaries of data analysis of features to team; (ix) submit code to be reviewed by superiors, & review coding of peers & contractors; & (x) submit finished projects to quality assurance team. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science or related field. Must have knowledge of (i) Algorithms; (ii) Data Structure; (iii) Programming languages (Python & Java); (iv) Linear Algebra; (v) Probability; & (vi) PSPACE. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SEMobileApp6/23 & title “Software Engineer, Mobile Applications” in subject line.

SOFTWARE ENGINEER Duolingo, Inc. has multiple openings for Software Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA to perform software engineering tasks on Duolingo’s language education software. Duties: (i) under supervision, research, design, & develop software in conjunction w/language educ. product design; (ii) collaborate on full-stack software projs.; (iii) analyze & plan implementation of specifications from design team to change/add features of mobile application; (iv) work in team to determine deadlines & time frames; (v) apply principles & techniques of comp. sci., engineering, & math analysis to analyze software application requirements to determine feasibility of design within time/cost constraints; (vi) design test plans, scenarios, scripts, &/or procedures & run A/B testing on new/changed features of application, & use statistical analysis/techniques to analyze test data; (vii) identify, analyze, & document software application defects, changes, & implementations; (viii) write & present summaries of statistical analysis of features to team; (ix) submit code to be reviewed by superiors, & review coding of peers & contractors; & (x) submit finished projects to quality assurance team. Reqs: Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science or related field. Must have knowledge of (i) Java or Python; (ii) full-stack engineering; & (iii) statistical modeling. Email resume to: jobs@duolingo.com with Job No. SoftwareEng6/23 & title “Software Engineer” in subject line.

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS… THE ONLY WAY TO GO!

Help Wanted

BI ANALYST – REVENUE CYCLE

UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside seeks a BI Analyst – Revenue Cycle to work in Pittsburgh, PA (Allegheny County). Analyze broad datasets and transform data patterns, relationships, anomalies, and trends. Model and manage data using demographic predictive modeling, Cognos reporting tools, SQL programming and advanced Excel/Access capabilities. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Data Science or closely related field, plus three (3) years of programming, data analysis or related experience developing, maintaining, and performance tuning databases; applying data analysis and data matching in a business intelligence environment; translating business requirements into physical models and application processes; creating and manipulating data models for management decision-making; analyzing and identifying data trends for actionable insights and metrics; utilizing analytical software and data modeling technologies including Oracle, Cognos ReportNet, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Excel, SQL, SAS, SPSS, and Qlik. Some telecommuting permissible. Apply by following these steps; visit http://careers.upmc.com and enter 230001KX in the “Search Keyword/Job ID” field and click Go. EOE

OPHTHALMOLOGIST

University of Pittsburgh Physicians located at U. S. Steel Tower, 600 Grant Street, Pittsburgh PA 15219, seeks an Ophthalmologist to examine, diagnose, and provide medical and surgical treatment of ocular and visual system disorders at UPMC Ear and Eye Institute, 203 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh PA 15213, UPMC Mercy, 1400 Locust St., Pittsburgh PA 15219 and UPMC Ear Center at Natrona Heights, 2853 Freeport Rd., Natrona Heights PA 15065. Participating in taking Retina, Trauma, and Consult call is a primary responsibility of this position. Supervise residents and fellows when they are working in the clinic, operating room, and performing inpatient consultations. This ophthalmologist will work very closely with ophthalmic genetic counselors and their trainees. Requires travel to worksites within 25 miles. Applicant must have a Medical Degree (M.D.) or its foreign equivalent, must have a completed a residency in Ophthalmology and a fellowship in Medical and Surgical Retinal Electrophysiology and Retinal Dystrophies, including Vitreo-Retinal Surgery, laser treatment, ophthalmic genetics and evaluation and treatment of patients with retinal dystrophies, and must have a valid Pennsylvania medical license. Apply by following these steps; visit http://careers.upmc.com and enter 230001GU in the “Search Keyword/Job ID” field and click Go. EOE/Disability/Veteran.

The New Pittsburgh Courier salutes the...

SENIOR SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNER

HITACHI RAIL STS USA, INC., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a Senior Supply Chain Planner to work in Pittsburgh, Pa, and unanticipated locations throughout the US. The Senior Supply Chain Planner will be required to ensure the issuing of an estimation of the overall external costs on “high complexity” Bids Finalization & submission of make and buy external cost estimation. Relocation required. Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com/

HEAD OF ENGINEERING INSTALLATION –NORTH AMERICA

HITACHI RAIL STS USA, INC is seeking the Head of Engineering Installation – North America to work in Pittsburgh, PA and be required to ensure the identification, management and fulfillment of the Engineering Installation scope of work for the entire life cycle of the project. Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com/

SENIOR AUTOMATION TESTING & COMMISSIONING ENGINEER

Hitachi Rail STS USA, Inc. seeks a Senior Automation Testing & Commissioning Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA, to Determine the test objectives and test strategies for medium to high complexity projects. Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com/

To place a display ad in the New Pittsburgh Courier call 412-481-8302 ext. 128

COURIER CLASSIFIEDS

STATE REPRESENTATVE LA’TASHA MAYES WAS THE GRAND MARSHAL FOR THE PARADE, JUNE 10, IN DOWNTOWN PITTSBURGH. (PHOTO BY CHAD ISAIAH/QBURGH)

PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY (PHOTO BY CHAD ISAIAH/QBURGH)

PA. LT. GOVERNOR AUSTIN DAVIS (PHOTO BY G. MICHAEL BEIGAY/QBURGH)

CONGRESSWOMAN SUMMER LEE (PHOTO BY G. MICHAEL BEIGAY/QBURGH)

(PHOTO BY CHAD ISAIAH/QBURGH)

(PHOTO BY G. MICHAEL BEIGAY/QBURGH)

(PHOTO BY G. MICHAEL BEIGAY/QBURGH)

RECLAMATION Andrew McCutchen rightfully will be part of Pirates lore forever

The Pittsburgh Pirates and MLB great Andrew Stefan McCutchen recently achieved the feat of collecting 2,000 hits in his career. It occurred on a sunny day at PNC Park, Cutch’s first at-bat in the first inning against the New York Mets on Sunday, June 11.

However, that endeavor was far more than just a mere statistic joining other MLB statistics. The fact that Andrew McCutchen achieved such a milestone while facing innumerable obstacles makes the achievement even more remarkable.

Andrew McCutchen made his Pittsburgh Pirates MLB debut on July 9, 2009, at PNC Park, surrounded by much fanfare. At that time, his was a story of greatness that was patiently waiting in the wings of Major League Baseball to be told. Before the 2008 season had even begun, Baseball America named him the #14 prospect in the minor leagues, and Baseball Prospectus named him the #24 prospect. Also, in 2008, McCutchen was a mid-season International League All-Star, an All-Star Futures Game selection, and the Triple-A All-Star Game top star.

McCutchen wasn’t standing around waiting for greatness; greatness had already been bestowed on him based on talent and an insatiable work ethic. He was also a facilitator of excellence,

motivating those around him to strive to be better athletes, teammates, and human beings.

However, during the initial McCutchen era, the Pirates perverted the term, “farm team.” Most “farmers” may plant, grow, and harvest crops to sustain the general population, but always reserve enough of the harvest to feed and sustain their immediate family, friends, and neighbors through the next harvest season.

It appeared to many fans and foes alike that the Pirates organization was not “growing” players to compete for championships, but management was “fattening” up players to be harvested by more affluent markets. It was almost like they were raising and selling the finest Angus beef at the highest prices for public consumption, but the family of the farmer very seldom heard a fat steak sizzling on a hot grill, because they were forced to eat Vienna sausage in order not “eat up the profit.”

As far as the Pirates ownership was concerned, the “Cutch era” was not about building a championship team, but was more about building a championship “bottom line.” Andrew McCutchen suffered through it like a kid developing relationships with other kids only to have many of those connections severed by the nomadic actions of their parents. Yet, he remained loyal, steady, and

dignified through a very undignified and uncivilized process.

Once upon a time, Andrew McCutchen had teammates such as Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, Neil Walker, Josh Harrison, Pedro Alvarez, Gerrit Cole, and Charlie Morton, but in the end, they, too, were shipped off with little or no fanfare.

However, his former teammates had the ultimate respect for him.

home for him, I don’t think that’s anything anybody would take lightly. Things come full circle.”

Following a tumultuous decade that included rampant drug use and fiscal mismanagement, the late Syd Thrift took over as the Pirates GM on Nov. 7, 1985. At the time, Mr. Thrift had a less-than-positive analysis of the state of the Pirates franchise saying: “It ain’t easy resurrecting the dead.”

Neil Walker had this to say about McCutchen: “Getting to watch him on a daily basis, how athletic he was, the things that he couldn’t do were so few. I still to this day say that he was probably the best player I ever played with.”

Former teammate infielder Josh Harrison, himself a former MLB All-Star, talks about the impact of McCutchen returning to Pittsburgh saying: “Think about everything he’s been through. Even in Pittsburgh, just in general. When you leave a place, you never know if you’re going to get to come back or when the next time you are going to come back. So, for him to be able to come back and do that at a place that’s

Well then, if Mr. Thrift could be heralded by many as “Lazarus number one” regarding the restoration of the Pirates during the 1980s-90s, then it is not an unreasonable stretch of the imagination to anoint Andrew McCutchen as “Lazarus number two” regarding the restoration of the Pirates seeking to reclaim competitive decency during the mid-2010s.

Look at it this way. If McCutchen had not been traded and passed around like a journeyman and had remained on the Pirates roster for his entire career, it is a distinct possibility that he could be approaching 2,700 to 3,000 hits as opposed to just now accomplishing the feat of 2,000 hits. The Pirates didn’t sacrifice him to sign multiple players to strengthen their roster, he was simply sacrificed to increase their bottom line, in my opinion. Yet he remained steadfast, while fat cats sat in smoke-filled back rooms, chomping on

fat cigars, chillin’ in leather-covered easy chairs, making ill-advised deals, infected with the pathogen of narcissism.

Meanwhile, Andrew McCutchen inevitably became the Phoenix whose only purpose was to lift his franchise from the

ashes of incompetency and navigate them back to the arena of competitive competency. We should all be so lucky to have a person like Andrew McCutchen in our corner, in a time of need.

Gainey, URA team up to tackle city’s affordable housing crisis

the next 25 years to spur between $25 million and $42 million for affordable housing to be built or acquired, basically as soon as possible. The URA’s board approved a “bond issue” of up to $42 million, and the money from the City of Pittsburgh will help pay back the “bond,” or loan. Now it’s up to Pittsburgh City Council to approve the legislation from the mayor’s office, and let the affordable housing blitz begin.

“We know this is just the beginning,” Mayor Gainey said, “and it will take time to yield results; however, the need to move with urgency is upon us and we are committed to doing just that to provide affordable housing in our city.”

Habitat For Humanity has estimated that there is a shortage of 15,000 affordable homes in Pittsburgh.

When real estate developers invest in apartments that are classified as “market rate,” they look to the Area Median Income of the city, which, for Pittsburgh, was $58,100 for one person in 2020. For a family of four, the AMI was $83,000. With that in tow, developers are placing rent prices out of the reach of many Pittsburgh African Americans.

The website Rent.com estimates the average rent price in Pittsburgh as of June 2023 is $1,502

per month. Economic research firm Moody’s Analytics reports average rent in Cleveland, Ohio, is $1,214, and in Columbus, Ohio, $1,135, both as of 2022.

When developers decide to invest in housing that’s classified as “affordable,” oftentimes certain subsidies and grants are warranted to help offset the costs that developers feel would be lost by the reduction in rent prices.

“Real estate development, in general, has gotten to be increasingly difficult in recent years due to industry-wide trends” such as “rising interest rates, supply chain issues and construction costs increases,” voiced the URA’s chief housing officer, Quianna Wasler.

“These issues are even more difficult to overcome for real estate developers who are trying to build affordable housing. The URA sees this as an opportunity to create innovative solutions to complex housing problems and we have demonstrated a commitment to responding to the current affordable housing market demands.”

When “affordable housing” comes into the mix, one must pull out their calculators. Single people or families can be classified as making a yearly gross salary that’s 30, 50, 60 or 80 percent of the AMI. As an example, for a family of four, 50 percent of the AMI was $41,500 in 2020.

Thus, if an apartment or home was renting to families at 50 percent of the AMI, the rent price would have been no more than 30 percent of the family’s gross monthly income. At $41,500, the gross monthly income is $3,458, meaning the rent would be no more than $1,037. The family of four at “market rate” ($83,000 for 100 percent AMI) would pay $2,075 per month if the landlord kept the rent at 30 percent of the family’s gross monthly income. But at “market rate,” the landlord could make the rent even higher.

As more and more African Americans have left, or “were forced” to leave Pittsburgh due to the rising prices, they moved to places like McKees Rocks, Wilkinsburg, Penn Hills, out of the county, or even out of the state. According to the U.S. Census, Pittsburgh’s population is 22.9 percent Black (69,363). Compare that with a city such as Akron, Ohio, which, even though it has almost 120,000 less people as a whole, the Black population there is 56,741, only 13,000 less than Pittsburgh.

During the news conference, a representative from Congresswoman Summer Lee’s office said that constituents always bring up the affordable housing issue to them, “saying it’s getting worse. We have people struggling every day, pleading with somebody to just do some-

thing about it.”

Pittsburgh Councilmen Rev. Ricky Burgess and R. Daniel Lavelle have always fought for more affordable housing in Pittsburgh. Mayor Gainey saluted Rev. Burgess for his tireless efforts on the issue. Reverend Burgess was not present at the news conference. But Councilman Lavelle was there. “We hear it every single day...that the cost of renovating, rehabbing or building affordable housing has been exasperated, and the cost of providing affordable housing is more expensive than it ever is, so we have to get extremely creative,” Councilman Lavelle said.

Part of that creativity includes the city and URA not showing their hand as to exactly where in the city they’re targeting for the new or acquired affordable housing. Representatives from the URA and the city said that once the funding is secured, then they will begin outlining to the public exactly where the housing will be focused. Speaking too soon on it could jeopardize the pricing of said housing, officials said.

What is known, though, is that neighborhoods like East Liberty and Lawrenceville have been negatively impacted by the lack of affordable housing, but through the efforts of

officials like Rev. Burgess, housing is in the process of being built in locations like Larimer Avenue and Meadow Street, in Larimer. The URA’s executive director, Susheela Nemani-Stanger, said at the news conference that “Mayor Gainey’s trust in us is a testament to the transformative work through the URA’s housing department. We believe that these types of efforts combined with the City of Pittsburgh’s important work to revise zoning codes to spur housing development will create a city where everyone can live and thrive.”

URA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SUSHEELA NEMANI-STANGER (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)

URA TEAM FROM A1

ANDREW MCCUTCHEN SALUTES THE PNC PARK CROWD AFTER GETTING HIS 2,000TH HIT, JUNE 11. (PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH PIRATES)