January 1, 2025 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

kicked in the head by a horse

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K.I.T.H.B.A.H. meld hardcore, screamo, and DIY punk for a sound as skull-crushing as their name

BY: ELI ENIS

AAKANKSHA AGARWAL

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALGORAT

PHOTO: CHRISTIAN WEST

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

COVER PHOTO: CHRISTIAN WEST

WHERE THE STORIES ARE BAKED IN

Sourdough and books rise together at Novel

BY: AAKANKSHA AGARWAL // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Novel Breads Co. in suburban Mars, Pa., is no ordinary stop for bread lovers. Bathed in warm shades of orange and yellow, this artisan micro-bakery and literary haven beautifully blends the love of stories with the art of sourdough. At this one-woman operation owned by Heather Sprague, the air is filled with the scent of yeast and herbs, and the shelves are lined not just with bread, but with books — titles that have inspired flavor explorations and shaped her creative process.

Behind the counter, Sprague is always game for a chat. She might ask about your favorite book-bread combo, or tell you how one of her offerings, The Gentlemen’s Black Bread, was inspired by A Gentleman in Moscow. It’s quirky creations like this that make Novel Breads stand out. That black bread? A dark, pumpernickel-rye masterpiece begging to be paired with some sharp cheddar or a hefty swipe of salted butter. Sure, the bread’s the hook, but it’s the stories that keep people coming back.

“It is always a fun discovery when

Breads Co.

I’m reading because bread is integral to all cultures and so many of our stories,” says Sprague.

Sprague launched her literary baking venture online in 2017, but her passion for baking started long before. She’s been baking bread in a hobbyist fashion since 2000, when she worked at Gould Farm in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, a therapeutic farm for adults living with mental illness. There, between farm chores and communal living, a coworker taught her to bake bread.

“What began as a practical skill

turned into a 25-year-old hobby that grew into a business”, she tell Pittsburgh City Paper

The Mars store wasn’t part of the original plan. It happened in 2020 when a tiny space became available. The idea was simple: a cozy nook for bread, books, and fun events. Before that, it was all online orders, home pickups, and farmers market runs (all of which still happen). The store brought everything together, plus an outdoor space perfect for book clubs and author chats when the weather cooperates. The Mars location made

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON Novel Breads Co. in Mars, Pa

sense — loyal customers from the farmers market were already there. But why books and bread? The inspiration came from a familiar entrepreneur dilemma: time. “The literary part of the business came when I was formulating my business idea, logo, and plan. I was bemoan ing the fact that I wouldn’t have any time to read once I started my baking business. It was my mother who suggested that I figure out a way to combine the two passions, bread and books.

“I STARTED

DISCOVERING BREAD REFERENCES IN NEARLY

"So, I wrote it into my business plan that part of my work is to read books and it was a good thing I made that a part of the work; I definitely wouldn’t have had time to read if it wasn’t part of my work. Then, when I started reading more carefully, I started discovering bread references in nearly all of the books I read,” says Sprague. This realization unlocked a treasure trove of culinary creativity. Sprague was raised in a family of artists, musicians, and chefs; her father’s side was filled with chefs and craftsmen, while her mother’s side boasted seamstresses and artists. But it was books that captured Sprague’s heart. As a teenager, she devoured the works of Isabel Allende and Pearl S. Buck, developing a voracious love for storytelling. This passion for stories — and, of course, bread — grew over time.

When choosing books to inspire her baking, Sprague relies on intuition rather than a structured plan. She’s always exploring — looking for unique stories, new flavors, and ingredients that spark her imagination. She gravitates toward more fiction than nonfiction, but she enjoys both. For example, The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton , a nonfiction tale about a man wrongly accused of murder, inspired her “Sun Shinin’ Biscuits” — golden, sweet potato biscuits that carry the warmth

meat, and olive salad. Inspired by Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table and her trips to the city, this sourdough riff on the classic bread is rich and full of flavor, taking it up a notch with rich brown roux (flour browned in extra virgin olive oil) that adds a deep umami kick.

Topped with toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor, the roux makes the bread soft, silky, and flavorful.

“I have a great love for New Orleans. My mother and I have visited that very alive city five or more times,” Sprague says. “Honestly, I often skip the sandwich altogether and just eat the bread on its own.”

Another standout creation is Orbisculate Bread, inspired by the story of siblings who campaigned to have the word “orbisculate” added to the dictionary after their father passed away from COVID. (The

“when a citrus fruit squirts in your eye.”) Made with Kamut flour and infused with yuzu puree and orange mint, this citrusy bread is bright and refreshing, true to the word it was inspired by.

Of course, one of the most beloved members of the Novel Breads Co. family is Sprague’s 13-year-old sourdough starter, Pearl. No, not a person. Not a pet. A starter, the wild, finicky beast of fermentation that makes sourdough the glorious bread it is.

Named after the free-spirited character from The Scarlet Letter, Pearl has been with Sprague since 2012, when she experimented with sourdough on her food blog, “The Word Magician’s Kitchen.” Over the years, Pearl has evolved into something special, a natural force that gives everything at Novel Breads a distinct flavor.

“She’s like a living thing,” Sprague

life — just like a good sourdough should be.”

Pearl’s journey is a case of evolution. “The very first time I tried [feeding] sourdough [starter], it was a disaster,” Sprague admits. “I was a case manager in Rhode Island, driving my budding starter around in the car because I had to feed it three times a day. The cookbook required adding fresh grapes ... Well, I was traveling all day long, visiting with clients in their homes, so the budding sourdough starter had to come everywhere with me.” The floor of Sprague’s passenger seat became the casualty of that first experiment. Now, Pearl thrives on a regular diet of King Arthur All-Purpose Flour and purified water, with the occasional treat of locally-sourced flours. “Her favorite is White Spring Wheat Flour from Frankferd Farms

in Saxonburg — it gives the bread a nutty, umami flavor.” Pearl’s become a bit of a celebrity, even earning a spot in the online Sourdough Library. It is worth noting that Sprague is not aiming for ultra-sour bread. She’s all about building layers of flavor that let the other ingredients shine. These days, everything at the bakery gets the sourdough treatment: croissants, English muffins, cookies, muffins, you name it.

At the heart of it all is Sprague’s commitment to creativity. “Balancing creativity with tradition isn’t a huge struggle,” she says. “I strongly lean into creativity.” This shows in the bakery’s menu: one-of-a-kind breads with flavors and ingredients you won’t find anywhere else, like Moroccan-inspired semolina flatbread, sourdough cookies, and even Thai banana bread.

Though she occasionally leans into tradition — like when customers ask for Italian bread — Sprague

is more often experimenting, finding inspiration from her travels and the local community. A visit to Three Brothers Bagels in Glenshaw led her to discover the bialy, a chewy, onionfilled delight, which has since joined the bakery’s growing list of creative breads.

Local partnerships are key to this breadmaking business. Sprague sources specialty flours, dried fruits, and honey from local farms like the aforementioned Frankferd Farms, along with Windy Ridge Dairy, and Harley’s Oak Spring Farm. Not only does this ensure top-notch ingredients, but it also builds lasting relationships with small businesses. “It’s not just about the ingredients,” she says. “It’s about creating connections with the people who provide them.”

Sprague is also deeply committed to her community. Whether she’s donating decorative breads for Ukraine fundraisers or collaborating with local libraries, she’s dedicated to supporting causes close to her heart.

Looking ahead, she hopes to expand her community-driven initiatives, including hosting literary events and offering space for Human Libraries, where people can “check out” a human book and engage in meaningful conversations about their unique life experiences.

In line with that sense of community, the Novel Breads Eaters and Readers Club is a food-themed book club that’s been running for over a decade. “We’ve done everything from chocolate-themed dinners at The Olive Vault [in Franklin, Pa.] to staging a group poisoning inspired by A Taste for Poison,” Sprague says. Their gatherings are culinary adventures, complete with experimental dishes and cocktails, all immortalized in a cookbook sold at the shop.

Heidi Resch, one of the first members of the book club who’s stayed with it throughout, says, “I first crossed paths with Heather when she was the events coordinator at

Enchanted Olive, and when I saw they were starting a book club involving food, I was like, ‘Where do I sign up?’ Fast forward, and Heather started Novel Breads, but she stayed super connected, so we ([meaning] the OG book club that is still going strong) still have our meetings there sometimes. And let me tell you, her bread is nothing short of magic. Seriously, it’s so good. As for Heather, she has been championing the local scene for as long as I can remember.”

The customers at Novel Breads are a vital part of this literary-baking ecosystem, too. They don’t just buy bread, they share their lives, their favorite books, and their flavor ideas. “I love knowing what my customers’ families are like or what’s happening in their lives,” Sprague says.

And in the end, isn’t that what every loaf of bread should offer — a warm invitation to sit down and break bread with others? •

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON An assortment of Christmas breads at Novel Breads Co. in Mars, Pa

PEOPLE OF THE YEAR 2024

THE HORSE IS HERE

Kicked

in the Head by a Horse meld hardcore, screamo, and DIY punk for a sound as skull-crushing as their name

BY: ELI ENIS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

There are many words that describe Pittsburgh’s rock scene in the 2020s — “thriving,” “eclectic,” “underrated.”

Another is “equestrian.” On the indie-rock side, the city’s biggest export in recent years are feeble little horse, the droll shoegazers who went from Oakland apartments to Coachella afternoon sets in two years’ time. Coincidentally, one of the most beloved young bands in Pittsburgh hardcore right now is called Kicked in the Head by a Horse. They haven’t made it to Coachella yet, but they did play Rhode Island’s Quahog Clam Jam to nearly 700 screamo kids earlier this spring — and the crowd went

absolutely apeshit.

Like feeble little horse, whose fuzzy sound resonated at a time when shoegaze interest was rising nationally, Kicked in the Head by a Horse — commonly shortened to KITHBAH — are gaining momentum in tandem with a nationwide surge in the exact type of mathy, moshy screamo music they specialize in. Since forming in early 2022, they’ve released several EPs and other short-form projects, most recently a must-hear November split with the comparatively mellow Pittsburgh screamo band Morning Dew.

KITHBAH have also become a known quantity on the local live circuit, pleasing Preserving

Underground crowdkillers and Mr. Roboto Project push-pitters alike. They even had a few skeptical jean jacket punks nodding along approvingly during a recent gig with Rock Room denizens Speed Plans and Big Baby.

KITHBAH’s sound is a unique amalgam of aesthetic screamo à la Saetia and Orchid and blast-beaten mathcore inspired by The Chariot and Converge — but peppered with the type of cartilage-crushing breakdowns that today’s hardcore moshers slaver for. The way their music offers both emotional catharsis and quickfire physicality allows them to straddle several hardcore micro-scenes that are often rigidly divided among

social and artistic lines. It probably won’t come as a surprise that a band named Kicked in the Head by a Horse started on lessthan-serious terms. The quartet — singer V. Kavanshansky, guitarist Larry Rupp, bassist Nate Hoff, and drummer Jacob Laurine — originated as a casual side-project; Rupp had some demos, and the other members asked to collaborate on them. Their patently absurd moniker originates from a list of reasons why people were allegedly sent to the insane asylum in the 1800s, including for getting kicked in the head by a horse.

“That is so stupid; let’s make that the name,” Kavanshansky recalls thinking. Between their silly name and their

PHOTO: CHRISTIAN WEST

cheeky use of Family Guy soundbites as mosh calls (Lois Griffin saying “Peter, the horse is here,” introduces the head-stomping breakdown of “Charles Bonnett”), KITHBAH don’t take themselves oppressively seriously. But they’re definitely not a joke band. Kavanshansky and Rupp both seem like well-adjusted adults while speaking with Pittsburgh City Paper on a chilly December afternoon, but as they begin talking about their unconventional upbringings, I learn about the real-deal darkness fueling KITHBAH’s music. Rupp was raised in a conservative Christian household in Kittanning, where he was both homeschooled and extremely socially isolated.

“The majority of my childhood, I didn’t really leave the house more than once a week,” he says.

stealing beer from their parents and experimenting with drugs.

“Growing up moving houses a bunch and not having a solid home to come home to, I was always trying to rebel,” Kavanshansky says.

Their drug and alcohol abuse snowballed in their early twenties and also coincided with some mental health turbulence. At 20, they were admitted into the psych ward and diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. “It was a really weird time because I was doing a lot of drugs, so everything was skewed,” Kavanshansky explains. “I had a psychotic break, and I just remember my dad bringing me into the hospital and them taking all my stuff.”

KITHBAH’s 2024 TV Therapy EP was specifically influenced by that period in the vocalist’s life, and

“I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT UP THERE … ALL THAT PENT-UP ANGER FROM THE YEARS GROWING UP JUST POURS OUT OF ME.”

Getting the internet at 14 years old liberated him from his bubble and introduced him to heavy music, and, eventually, he integrated into the Pittsburgh metal and hardcore scenes — the first secular community he’d ever been a part of. Rupp describes his current worldview as “the complete opposite” of what he was indoctrinated with growing up, and he uses KITHBAH to process the frustrating contradictions of conservative ideology through mindwarping riffage.

“Most conservatives are just full of fear,” he says. “They think that if they react in this certain way and have these certain beliefs, then that’s the proper way to react to that fear. In a sense, I try to channel that through music with chaos and randomness — but have it be controlled.”

KITHBAH’s convulsive music has been a crucial emotional outlet for Kavanshansky as well. Their parents got divorced when the singer was young, and they grew up bouncing between houses, leading them into “stupid kid stuff” in their teens like

expressive. Sometimes, they get so caught up in the performance that they completely forget that other people are watching.

“When we play live, it’s definitely very freeing,” Kavanshansky says. “I can do whatever I want up there and just flop around and scream and yell, and all that pent-up anger from the years growing up just pours out of me.”

band’s screamo side and ratchet up the metallic violence.

”It’s totally different from what we normally do, but it’s still us,” Rupp enthuses. “It’s very fast, heavy, and all over the place.”

many of the band’s lyrics, which Kavanshansky co-writes with bassist Hoff, deal with themes of addiction and self-hatred. Going forward, however, Kavanshansky hopes that their most trying times are behind them. The singer tells me, proudly, that they’re just over four months sober from alcohol.

“It’s a huge change,” they say. “Basically everything bad I’ve ever done or gotten arrested [for] has revolved around alcohol.”

Unless you tried to decode KITHBAH’s abstract lyrics on Bandcamp, you wouldn’t know anything about the members’ personal backgrounds. Their live persona, especially, seems shrouded in mystery. Kavanshansky’s onstage demeanor is shifty and cryptic; they rarely make eye contact with the audience and never address the crowd between songs. With one arm tucked behind their back (a classic screamo stance) and the mic resting suavely beneath their chin, their shrieking fits appear both poetically coordinated and unconsciously

Kavanshansky doesn’t even have to say the band’s name. KITHBAH’s regular set opener, “method acting for playing dead,” begins with a sample of a comedian uttering the band’s titural phrase — which then snaps into a flesh-pounding riff. It’s one of the only predictable moments in the band’s otherwise frenzied live shows, but Kavanshansky, who wants to eventually become more talkative onstage, hopes they won’t be opening their shows with “method” for much longer.

“I’m not sick of it,” they clarify. “I just want to play some of this new stuff.” Rupp cuts in: “The new stuff is a whole other level of chaos,” he says, chuckling.

That “new stuff” encompasses not one, but two , fresh releases — and KITHBAH fans won’t have to wait long to hear them. In early spring of 2025, they plan to drop a split with another rising group of Pittsburgh heavyweights and then release an additional EP of their own material around the same time. Rupp says that the new batch of songs are “heavy as shit” — especially the four tracks on the split release, which tone down the

The songs on the accompanying KITHBAH EP are supposedly even crazier. “It’s basically at the limit of what me and [Hoff, bassist] can play musically,” Rupp says. “I actually hate playing some of the riffs because I’m like, ‘Why the fuck did I write this?’”

The band aim to bring those new songs on the road as much as possible next year. They have fans as far as California, and have been in talks with a label about a potential signing once they get some more touring under their belts.

But the most excited Kavanshansky and Rupp get during our interview is when they’re talking about Pittsburgh. They’re fully cognizant of how their band is uncommonly appreciated by several different factions of their hometown’s greater scene. In September 2023, they played a free EP release show at Mr. Roboto that brought screamo softies and hardcore tough-talkers together into one pit — and they hope to do it again early next year.

“I feel like over the years there’s been a slight divide between hardcore kids and DIY [punk] kids,” Rupp says. “But I like that, when we did that free show, it felt like both those scenes came together a little bit. It was just a mixture of everyone — it was awesome.” •

PHOTO: CHRISTIAN WEST

SWEEPING TO GLORY

The Pittsburgh Curling Club will soon host teams from six countries in a tournament specifically for new competitors

BY: ANTONIO ROSSETTI // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Curlers who began curling less than five years a o are sweeping their way to new heights by taking on global competition in Stowe Township.

The Pittsburgh Curling Club will host the inaugural World Five-andUnder tournament (5&U Worlds) from Thu., Jan. 9 to Sun., Jan. 12 at their four-sheet curling facility in Stowe Township. Teams from the United States, three teams from Canada, and single teams from Israel, the Philippines, India, and Japan

will compete in a 16-team round robin competition, split up into four groups. The top eight will move on to an ei ht team playoff.

Although they were originally just hosts, one U.S. team couldn’t make the tournament, and members of the Pittsburgh Curling Club will now

“WE HAVE MEMBERS IN WHEELCHAIRS. WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT SLIDE OUT TRADITIONALLY … EVERYBODY CAN DO IT.”

USA Curling made the decision to have the Pittsburgh Curling Club host the championships late last summer.

compete in their place. Dustin Devine, who is on the Curling Club board and has been

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

The Pittsburgh Curling Club

curling for eight years, has enjoyed organizing the tournament.

“We’ve done a lot of work with the teams and a lot of work with the co-founders of this tournament that reached out to us,” Devine says. “They reached out to us back in August about hosting this tournament, and it’s just been very good communicating with them, detailing exactly what they need from us, what we need from them.”

“Everybody is just excited, especially now that it’s almost here,” Devine tells Pittsburgh City Paper e re ust puttin the finali in touches on.”

The Curling Club already streams all the league games and tournaments they run, but now they will feature a sheet that focuses on one game with commentary. Devine says he’s grateful for the co-founders of the tournament and USA Curling for how well they worked together to have the championships come to fruition.

The 5&U tournament will allow those who are newer to curling get a taste of worldwide competition without any disparity in skill.

“What they found, after the big Olympic bump, was people were excited to try curling, but still a little intimidated to go to tournaments because you might be playing against people that have been curling for 20 years, and you’re just starting out,” evine says. They made these five and-under championships so that newer curlers can compete against people closer to their skill level and experience level.”

As for the team, captain (or “skip”) Trevor Mathey, vice-skip Ian Andrew, second Mark Longwell, third Kimberly Giles, and alternate/coach Constantin Kohler make up the 5&U Pittsburgh Curling Club team.

“I see them every week at the club playing in league games, maybe staying after the game, throwing some extra rocks to hone in on their craft,” Devine says. “They’re also

taking it very seriously as well … they re definitely seein this as an opportunity to really showcase their skills and measure themselves against the other top talent in the country.”

Devine added that some of those players have already pushed to compete in national USA Curling tournaments. He’s proud of the curlers and impressed with the skip and vice skip of the team.

“Trevor Mathey has been very involved, not only with learning curling and practicing curling, but he’s also been involved with the club, as he’s a board member,” Devine says.

“Ian Andrew is another curler that I know has gone to some sweeping clinics … he has a really good mind for the game, too.”

Although this tournament is the first of its ind, the ittsbur h urlin Club is no stranger to national competition. The club was founded in 2002 and, since then, has earned medals, including a 2016 Arena National Championship when they were still renting ice from RMU Island Sports Center. The club rented ice from RMU for 16 years before building their own facility.

teve uffin ton, the club president, was a curler on that gold medal team. Mark Robinson has captured a gold, silver, and bronze medal.

“We have leagues every night, we can have classes all the time, and we can expose the public to the sport so much more than we ever could [in the past],” Devine says.

“What makes curling a great sport is everybody can do it. We have members in our 20s. We have members in their upper 60s,” he says. “We have members in wheelchairs. We have people that slide out traditionally. We have people that maybe have bad knees; they do what they call stick curling … Everybody then can compete together. You’re not segreated off into these roups and these skill levels. Everybody can do it.” •

ROSES FOR RATS

The Ratchelor, an online dating sim designed by former Carnegie Mellon University students, lets you find romance as a rodent

BY: AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Dating in Pittsburgh can be rough — unless you’re a hot rat trying to choose between 21 eligible rat singles all competing for your rat hand in marriage.

Such is the premise of The Ratchelor , a free online game that takes a rodent spin on the long-running hit ABC dating reality show. For its latest season, the game, designed by a team of new media artists out of Carnegie Mellon University, takes its rat contestants to some of

Pittsburgh’s most notable landmarks.

First launched by Algorat on Valentine’s Day in 2021, The Ratchelor has generated a fanbase charmed by its crudely animated rat characters and absurd sense of humor. Players create their own “ratchelor” with limited customizations, then hand out roses to the contestants with whom they’re most compatible, leadin to a bi final proposal.

Algorat members Connie Ye, Tatyana Mustakos, Char Stiles, and Caroline Hermans tell Pittsburgh City

Paper that the idea for The Ratchelor came about while the team was making “lots of rat-based games.” At the time, Hermans started hosting watch parties for The Bachelor and “had the idea to make a game inspired by it.”

In the recently released third season of The Ratchelor — subtitled Rats in the City — dates occur at familiar Pittsburgh sites, including the Duquesne Incline, Phipps Conservatory, and Heinz Chapel. The Algorat team even pays tribute to its

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ALGORAT

Still from The Ratchelor: Rats in the City

alma mater with a date at the bus stop in front of CMU’s towering “Walking to the Sky” sculpture.

While the Algorat members no longer reside in Pittsburgh, they wanted to pay tribute to the city and colle e where they first connected.

“We knew we wanted to change the environment for the latest season of The Ratchelor and brainstormed doing a city environment, and thought we’d pay homage to the city where we all met,” Algorat says in a joint statement.

They add that, while brainstorming which landmarks to showcase, they chose ones that would “translate well to being recognized as a background.”

findin youn love at an elite school for birds. Other sims allow players to pursue terrifying creatures (Cryptid Crush and Monster Prom ), or, in the case of Dream Daddy, other men, in which you play as a dad trying to meet other hot dads.

Online dating sims have grown in popularity to the extent that, in 2019, KFC launched a game where you can romance a sexy version of its founder, Colonel Sanders.

Algorat calls the reception for The Ratchelor “surprisingly positive,” adding that “some people even enjoy it enough to play through multiple times for all the endings.” Those visiting the Algorat social media channels will find fan submitted comments,

“WE USUALLY MAKE GAMES FOR OURSELVES, SO WE’RE HONORED THAT OTHERS THINK OUR GAMES ARE FUN, TOO.”

Algorat was founded at FrankRatchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, a CMU College of Fine Arts department that intentionally marries (pun intended) technology and engineering with the humanities. The studio has facilitated and funded projects similar to The Ratchelor, including a game by local multidisciplinary artist Angela Washko that delves into the misogynistic world of pick-up artists.

“We actually all met through the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry,” says Algorat. “We were super grateful to have met there and the director at the time, Golan Levin, was an invaluable resource for providing feedback on our minigames and advice on how to proceed as an artist collective.”

The Ratchelor joins the ranks of other offbeat datin sims that ta e a more bi arre approach to findin love. Like Algorat’s creation, the Japanese game Hatoful Boyfriend: A School of Hope and White Wings lets you play as a sentient teen pigeon

play-through videos, and art of the game’s various rats (crowd favorites include Eggsalad and Martine from season two, and Philoxena from season three).

l orat offers even more ways to interact with The Ratchelor. Users visitin the al orat.club website will find Ratchelor -themed holiday e-cards that can be sent to “someone special” and opportunities to create rat clothing or a whole new rat character.

Algorat keeps the games free by collecting donations through the crowdfundin website o fi.

As for the future of The Ratchelor, fans can expect an expansion for the third game “with a little more content.” Algorat also plans on making new games that are “a little different than The Ratchelor.

“We usually make games for ourselves, so we’re honored that others think our games are fun, too,” says Algorat. •

LYNN CULLEN LIVE

MARKET PLACE

STUDY SMOKERS WANTED

The University of Pittsburgh’s Alcohol & Smoking Research Lab is looking for people to participate in a research project. You must:

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on January 21, 2025, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

– VARIOUS LOCATIONS

• Door Entry Systems Replacement

• Electrical Prime

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PITTSBURGH CARMALT PREK-8

• Ground Floor Piping Modifications

• Mechanical Primes

PITTSBURGH VARIOUS LOCATIONS

• Replace Pool Filtration System

• Plumbing and Electrical Primes

Contact T’yanna McIntyre at tmcintyre@pghcitypaper.com to advertise your

• Currently smoke cigarettes

• Be 18-49 years old, in good health, and speak fluent English

• Be right handed, willing to not smoke before two sessions, and to fill out questionnaires

Earn up to $260 for participating in this study.

PITTSBURGH BRASHEAR HIGH SCHOOL AND CARRICK HIGH SCHOOL

• Gym and Pool Lighting Replacement

• Electrical Prime

Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on Friday December 20, 2024, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

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• Chiller Plant Renovations

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Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on Monday, December 09, 2024, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

For more information, call (412) 407-5029 We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

BRITISH MOVIES

ACROSS

1. Whispery audio category that gives people tingles

5. Skilled

10. Choices of time

14. Seehorn of Better Call Saul

15. Massacre site of 1968

16. Scholastic sports grp.

17. British version of a 1969 Peter O’Toole?

20. America’s Got Talent judge Mandel

21. Certain fraternity chapter

22. ___ Hot American Summer

23. “Zip it!”

25. 1992 Robert Redford caper set in England?

27. Tightwad

31. 1985 coamedy with the joke “Flames, on the side of my face, breathing-breatheheaving breaths”

32. Singer Shannon

33. Michael of R.E.M.

35. Nose-in-the-air type

38. Moo goo ___ pan

39. 1960 Jack Lemmon rom-com set in England?

42. Prefix with dermis

43. Aretha Franklin’s singing sister

45. Because of 46. Are We There ___? (Ice Cube comedy)

47. Not to mention

50. Fade away

52. With 62-Across, 1983 Chevy Chase comedy set in England?

55. High-speed Internet inits.

56. Smelter input

57. Small intake

58. Stupid

62. See 52-Across 67. Alpine transport

68. Sherpa’s home

69. TV’s Nick at ___

70. Best Breakthrough Athlete award, for one

71. “I rock!”

72. Till stack DOWN

1. Exasperated outcry

2. “Get lost!”

3. Response to 2-Down

4. Salad slice

5. Adams of The Fighter

6. Salon application

7. The Liberty Tree was one

8. Fruit-peeling device

9. It’s always sold in mint condition

10. Cuckoo bird

11. Publishing house started by Dave Eggers

12. ___ Moon (1973 Ryan and Tatum O’Neal film)

13. Spars 18. Bidding 19. Commuting option

24. “What ___ God wrought?”

25. NHRA drag racing class

26. Greek letters

27. ___ of Tomorrow (2014 Tom Cruise movie)

28. Archie Bunker’s creator

29. Graphical representation of prevailing weather patterns of an area

30. Variegated 34. Atlas abbr. 36. Grp. with Venezuela and

Algeria as members

37. Sample

40. Some

41. Throat part

44. Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala

48. C-worthy

49. Like some salad dressings

51. Weather-a ecting current

52. Nick of Lorenzo’s Oil

53. Ka iyeh wearers

54. Sleep disorder

59. Tennis score

60. Stand-up comic Bargatze

61. ___ Wide Shut (Kubrick’s final movie)

63. Be nosy

64. Jason Bourne, e.g.

65. Western omelet ingredient

66. Bullring cheer

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, throughemployer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put off or even go without care.

Simply put — without dental insurance, there may be an important gap in your healthcare coverage.

When you’re comparing plans ...

 Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only.

 Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop for coverage with no annual maximum on cash benefits. Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1

That’s right. As good as Medicare is, it was never meant to cover everything. That means if you want protection, you need to purchase individual insurance.

Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

The best way to prevent large dental bills is preventive care. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice a year.

Previous dental work can wear out.

Even if you’ve had quality dental work in the past, you shouldn’t take your dental health for granted. In fact, your odds of having a dental problem only go up as you age.2

Treatment is expensive — especially the services people over 50 often need.

Consider these national average costs of treatment ... $222 for a checkup ... $190 for a filling ... $1,213 for a crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be a real burden, especially if you’re on a fixed income.