January 8, 2025 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

BY: JESSIE SAGE

CALM BEFORE THE STORM

Exclusive Interview: Stormy Daniels says she’s “screaming into the void.” I might know why

BY: JESSIE SAGE // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

When my editor told me that Stormy Daniels was doing a stand-up tour with Father Nathan Monk at City Winery locations across the country (including Pittsburgh on Jan. 14, 2025) and asked me if I wanted to cover it for my column, I jumped at it. I love going to comedy shows, but more than that, I have long thought of Daniels as a woman in my industry who has refused to let sex work stigma, or threats from powerful men, stop her from speaking her truth.

As I said in a piece I wrote earlier this year about her Peacock documentary, when Daniels stood in front of press conference mics and proclaimed, “[Donald Trump] has never thought that women like me matter, and that ends now,” I badly wanted to believe that she would have the last word.

Women like us — women who have been discredited by our involvement in the sex industry, by our femme presentation and overt sexuality, and by our willingness to stand outside of respectability — but also all women , know what it is like to be silenced by men in positions of power. I hoped that if a feature dancer and porn star from Louisiana could stand up to the President of the United States, there would be hope for the rest of us, regardless of our particular battles.

does — I knew the show would be good.)

What didn’t occur to me — given her fame and the subject matter — was that she would be concerned about ticket sales. When I emailed Daniels to request an interview leading up to the Pittsburgh appearance, I was surprised when she emailed back herself, saying, “I’m willing to do [the interview] ... just losing hope that anything I do will overcome this shadowban. So much for free speech, eh?”

“IT’S A TRUE STORY OF SOMETHING THAT I’VE BEEN THROUGH OR EXPERIENCED.”

(Plus, anyone who has spent even a short amount of time in the sex industry knows that what we encounter at work often brushes up against the absurd; if she had even one comedic bone in her body — and her Twitter/X presence suggests she

For those unfamiliar with shadowbanning, it refers to the practice of social media companies (or, potentially, entities that may influence them — it’s largely unknown) either algorithmically or manually hiding or taking down creators’ posts

without telling them, making it difficult for them to connect with their friends and fans, and making it harder to promote events and businesses.

PJ Patella-Rey, assistant teaching professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Pittsburgh (and my spouse) wrote their dissertation based on interviews with adult content creators, many of whom talked about this phenomenon. “Over the past decade, social media companies have increasingly relied on shadowbanning as a mechanism to curate and moderate content for users,” they told me via email. “I think social media companies are motivated to employ shadowbanning for three reasons: 1.) they are under increasing government pressure to look like they are doing something to reign in problematic content, 2.) they are trying to create the social environment that best facilitates ad sales, 3.) they fear punitive action from 3rd-parties, like being removed from Apple’s App Store or being denied service by payment processors.”

wouldn’t want to hear her tell her story on stage over wine and a charcuterie board?

Daniels didn’t get into stand-up comedy out of any intrinsic desire. Over a long Zoom call in late December 2024, she tells me of her initial misgivings, “It’s a running joke when I go on stage that I’m terrified of speaking in public, [even though] I’ve seen my butthole on a jumbotron.” Her entry onto the comedy stage came only after her book Full Disclosure transformed from a book of short stories to a more traditional autobiography. Originally, she intended to write a book called Why Me? In her words, it would have been a “collection of short stories, funny things that happened in strip clubs and on set as an adult performer in my life. And yes, the Orange Hobgoblin [Trump] was going to be mentioned, but it was going to be like a page. It was a collection of funny things, and encounters with celebrities.”

With many of her stories cut from the book, her publicist at the time suggested she tell them on stage. Her first response was, “I would rather set myself on fire than get up

“THEY’LL TELL YOU ALL DAY LONG THAT YOU’RE NOT SHADOWBANNED, BUT THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.”

The sex work community has long talked about the impacts of shadowbanning on their businesses (I wrote about it in Pittsburgh City Paper as long ago as 2019), but it’s notoriously hard to prove. While many marginalized creators such as sex workers, people of color, fat folks, and others feel its impact in the dramatic declines of their online engagement, a report published in 2022 by the Center for Democracy and Technology (full disclosure: I am one of the interviewees) says that “social media platforms are designed in a way that makes it practically impossible for users to know for sure” if they are just being paranoid or if shadowbanning is a common practice that they are being targeted by.

I went ahead and interviewed Daniels as if the show would go on because, despite my experience with shadowbanning, I found it hard to believe that Daniels’ tour was in danger of being canceled. After all, who

and talk.” Famous last words; in March 2019 she did her first comedy show in Houston, Texas. “It blew up much bigger than they thought,” she reflects. “The press was all over it and it sold out.” After that initial show, word got out, and other venues started to book her.

Rather than stand-up comedy, which has its own culture and set of norms that Daniels admits to being outside of, she describes her show as comedic storytelling. “Everything I say on stage is true,” she says. “It’s a true story of something that I’ve been through or experienced.” When I ask her how she would characterize the show, she pauses and responds thoughtfully: “I think that it is comedic storytelling from someone who has lived a very strange and complicated life, [who] is comfortable telling it in a frank, honest way.” What’s more, Daniels takes audience questions at the end of every show.

While reviews of her show have been

positive, Daniels has received blowback from those who claim she should stay in her lane. “You’re not a comic, you’re a whore” is a refrain she’s heard more than once. That her history in the adult industry precludes her from other opportunities is upsetting to Daniels. “I can do both; no one is one thing,” she comments. But also, she points out the hypocrisy of this stance: “So you call me a whore, and you think porn is bad, and you want to ban porn,” she says. “You don’t want us to do porn, but you won’t let us do anything else. Explain that to me!”

This standard seems to only apply to sex workers; other folks can move between different roles without the same backlash. “I actually just responded to somebody on [X] a little while ago that said [in response to] a flyer for a comedy show, ‘You’re not a comedian, stay with what you know: spread your legs, you whore.’” she tells me. “And I retweeted it and said, ‘I promise to do that if the reality TV host goes back to what he knows and stays out of the White House.’”

Though just a few years ago she didn’t imagine herself on stage at all, she certainly wasn’t going to let haters push her off it once she got going. But here is where things got tricky: What if it wasn’t haters pushing her out, but algorithms?

Sometime at the end of August 2024, Daniels picked up that she was getting less hate on social media than normal. “I didn’t notice at first because I was already on tour, and my shows were sold out, and I wasn’t promoting anything, and it was busy and things were good,” she says. But then things took a dramatic turn. She went from selling out several shows in New Orleans, her hometown, to having trouble filling seats and having people ask her when she was coming, despite the fact that she had just been there.

She says, “They’ll tell you all day long that you’re not shadowbanned, but the numbers speak for themselves.” Indeed, a quick glance at her analytics showed her that on Oct. 7, posts about her show reached an audience of 41k, and a similar one on Oct. 8 reached 307. And this is true not just of Daniels’ social media, but also of the people who are working with her. Indeed, Father Nathan, who appears with Daniels,

recently wrote about the impact of shadowbanning on their joint tour in his Substack.

Certainly, a process that is intended to be deliberately opaque is impossible to prove. It is certainly possible that folks just stopped being interested in what Daniels has to say and no longer want to buy tickets to her shows or engage with her social media. But is it likely to happen that dramatically without any impetus to cause the change? As of September, shows were selling out within 24 hours of the tickets becoming available. On Tuesday morning, Daniels texted me to let me know that “[all City Winery tour stops have] decided to just cancel and not reschedule.” She added, “I can’t believe this is happening.”

I reached out to City Winery for comment and could not confirm the reason for the cancellation or whether it’s final. Pittsburgh’s guest service department responded via email, saying, “We have not been given much information on why the show was canceled in the Guest Services department yet! Apologies! But I do believe that they want to, and will try to get it rescheduled sometime in the next few months!”

Whether this is the product of shadowbanning or some other force, Daniels feels defeated. “The worst part about it is that I went through all of this for so long,” she says. “They took my job or [my film directing career] away from me once before [as a result of the intense publicity during the last Trump election and the crushing legal fees that were a result], but they couldn’t silence me. And now, after all of this, they have figured out how to take my voice. And it’s fucking terrible because I’m screaming into the void and nobody can hear it.”

This is certainly a familiar feeling to anyone who has experienced shadowbanning (and I do not know any sex workers, myself included, who do not feel like they have). It is often said that sex workers are the canaries in the coal mine; in other words, what happens to everyone happens to sex workers first. In this regard, the cancellation of Daniels’ tour can be seen as a cautionary tale of what can happen to anyone. While the internet was once a place for relative unknowns to build an audience and a career (indeed, I built both my writing and my sex work career on Twitter/X), this democratization of the internet may be in its last days — or perhaps it is already over given that just a few extraordinarily wealthy tech bros now control all of social media.

Of course, there isn’t a lot we can do, on an individual level, about an algorithmic system that is entirely opaque to its users. However, from Daniels’ perspective, she has fought too hard to be silenced now.

When I told her on the call that I felt like she did an amazing thing by standing up for women and articulating so many of our experiences with coercive men, she said, “Well, now I need [women] to stand up for me. After everything I went through, I feel like I stormed the castle, and I’m through the gates, and I’m like Braveheart saying, ‘Let’s charge.’ And then I turn around, [asking], ‘Where did everybody go?’” She goes on, “Just because the trial is over and just because the election is over doesn’t mean it’s over for me. It’s not even just a Stormy and Trump thing. It’s the women in a time of uncertainty and misogyny where we need to support each other.”

Certainly, if and when City Winery reschedules her tour and she comes to Pittsburgh, we can buy tickets, show up, and make it clear that she didn’t storm the castle in vain. •

weeks for $32

months for $150

year for $250

PITTSBURGH'S FORGOTTEN FLICKS

Stream these lesser-known movies shot in Pittsburgh

BY: RACHEL WILKINSON // RWILKINSON@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

In Alex Garland’s Civil War , a grim movie about journalists traveling through a war-torn U.S., the group drives under a highway overpass spray-painted with graffiti that says “GO STEELERS.” The location isn’t recognizable as Pittsburgh (and I’m omitting a gruesome reveal), but the suggestion of it was enough for the Pittsburgh audience at an advanced screening to clap and cheer. I know because I was among them, hooting and hollering, grateful that Pittsburgh pride remains undefeated.

Though the region has positioned itself as “Hollywood East,” it’s still a thrill to see it on screen, and, in my movie-watching at least, a relative rarity. We’ll always have our go-to Pittsburgh movies that make the city look magical, like Striking Distance, The Dark Knight Rises, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and horror classics Night of the Living Dead and Silence of the Lambs. But for those of you who get excited at the mere sight of the Smithfield Street Bridge, curl up and settle in with these lesser-known movies filmed in Pittsburgh.

DESPERATE MEASURES (1998)

This San Francisco-set, but mostly Pittsburgh-shot action thriller features Michael Keaton as a crazed serial killer bolting across the Bridge of Sighs. This comes to pass thanks to a high-wire plot where a police officer (Andy Garcia) finds that the only bone marrow match for his leukemia-stricken son is a convicted killer (Keaton). In a bizarro Pittsburgh version of John Q., Garcia’s character breaks Keaton out of a supermax prison to make the transplant. Predictably, things go awry, leading to a madcap chase through Downtown Pittsburgh — viewers will recognize the Allegheny County Courthouse and BNY Mellon Center on Grant St. — with explosions, helicopters, snipers, SWAT, and, of course, a bridge scene.

THE CLEARING (2004)

I happened to watch The Clearing, a movie about the kidnapping of a rental car company tycoon, the day after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and found it to be a rich text. (When the news broke, I immediately thought of another quickly forgotten Pittsburgh movie, Sweet Girl. In the 2021 Netflix release, a grieving husband, played by Jason Momoa, strangles a Martin Shkreli-like character who denied his wife life-saving care, inside the Carnegie Music Hall. Quarter-zip vests truly are the mark of the beast.)

The Clearing is a quieter, more contemplative entry in the eat-the-rich genre, loosely based on the real-life kidnapping of a Dutch businessman in 1987. The movie is anchored by a trio of heavy-hitting actors — Willem Dafoe as the abductor, Robert Redford as his captive, and Helen Mirren as Redford's stricken wife — and by Pittsburgh itself. Get hooked as you watch Dafoe take the T into Downtown, drive through the Armstrong Tunnel, and ominously pick up a briefcase and envelope, or stick around for a ransom drop at the Omni William Penn Hotel.

THE CEMETERY CLUB (1993)

Pittsburgh shines as an action movie backdrop, but what about for a '90s rom-com? The Cemetery Club is centered around three Jewish widows who pay a weekly visit to their husbands’ graves in Allegheny Cemetery (which has never looked better on film). The ensemble of "three divas" — as described by famed actor/director Bill Duke — includes Olympia Dukakis, Diane Ladd, and Ellen Burstyn, who make this movie a delight even before Burstyn’s character peels off for a date at the Original Oyster House with a suitor played by Danny Aiello. The movie is poignant on its own (and boasts a 12-year-old Christina Ricci), but Duke brings a Striking Distance -like reverence to filming scenic swaths of Pittsburgh, and I lost count of the number of recognizable locations. Dig in for Downtown vistas, a gaudy wedding with an 80-year-old groom at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association, and another memorable scene at the William Penn.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KINO LORBER The Cemetary Club

THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010)

I’m not sure how unsung The Next Three Days is (I suspect it might have a cult following already), but it should be considered a Pittsburgh classic. The crime thriller belongs in the yinzer canon if only for Liam Neeson leaning over during a prison visit to utter, with his full Irish brogue, “Pittsburgh’s tough.”

The Next Three Days kicks off with leading lady Elizabeth Banks nearly getting into a drunken fistfight at the Grand Concourse, getting wrongfully arrested for murder in the next scene, and then quickly evolving into its true form — a Pittsburgh jailbreak movie. Brennan’s mildmannered husband (Russell Crowe) stages her escape amidst the region’s bridges, tunnels, and inscrutable belt system, all looking spectacular with peak fall foliage. Enjoy the ride and some choice views from Mt. Washington (and don’t scrutinize the escape route too much).

MRS. SOFFEL (1984)

I’ve probably obsessed over Mrs. Soffel and the Biddle brothers enough, but we used to be a proper country that made these kinds of smoldering romantic dramas, and Pittsburgh should rightfully claim this one. Mrs. Soffel dramatizes the Biddle brothers' real-life escape from the Allegheny County Jail in 1902 (yes, that’s three jailbreak movies on this list), aided by the besotted prison warden's wife, Kate Soffel. The movie stars Mel Gibson and Matthew Modine as Ed and Jack Biddle, and Diane Keaton as Kate. I have mixed feelings reporting that the chemistry between Keaton and Gibson is absolutely out of pocket, and, on its own, makes Mrs. Soffel worth the watch.

But Mrs. Soffel took the true crime element to a new level by filming inside the Allegheny County Courthouse and the actual old Allegheny County Jail where the Biddles were imprisoned. If you know the story, you already know our protagonists' fates, but you can still buckle up for the chase with real-life police detective Charles “Buck” McGovern portrayed by Terry O'Quinn (aka John Locke from Lost). Mrs. Soffel celebrated its 40th anniversary on Dec. 26, and I’m raising a glass to it.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MGM/UNITED ARTISTS/WARNER BROS.

Mel Gibson, and Diane Keaton in Mrs. Soffel

BUDGET 2025

With a drawdown of police staffing and a bump in social services, the budget paves the way for priorities long sought by progressives. But it could give fuel to Mayor Gainey’s primary opponent

BY: MATT PETRAS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Just before Christmas, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey highlighted the efforts of first responders and the city’s advocate community when signing its 2025 budget, which decreases the number of police officers while maintaining similar spending on social programs.

matter what neighborhood you come from. You feel welcome all throughout the whole city and that you can believe that you’re safe, and we are.”

“WE’RE REALLY ENCOURAGED TO SEE MORE AND MORE OF THESE RESOURCES DEVOTED TO THE PREVENTION OF HARM.”

“This is about our values,” said Gainey outside Pittsburgh City Council Chambers on Dec. 23. “This is what I talk about, what I mean, creating a city where everybody feels they have an opportunity to thrive, no

The approximately $665.3 million budget removes funding for 100 police officers but gives slight pay raises to those remaining, resulting in nearly $2 million in savings, according to the latest document detailing the budget from November. Overall, social spending seems similar to that of previous efforts from the Gainey administration, which particularly touted on social media the continued

CP PHOTO: MATT PETRAS

Mayor Ed Gainey signing the budget for 2025.

funding for the Housing Opportunity Fund and other affordable housing spending.

In the Gainey administration’s approximately 20-minute conference, the mayor’s own remarks merely bookended the bulk of the presentation. Instead, spokesperson Olga George called to the podium several people who played more of an outside role in forming the budget.

Swain Uber, with the Community Justice Project, praised the administration’s past and present affordable housing efforts.

“Over the past three years, this administration has made affordable housing a priority, securing the city’s first affordable housing bond, leveraging millions … to keep and build housing in the city and ensuring that affordability is at the heart of the efforts to redevelop Downtown,” said Uber at the conference. “This adopted budget, it will continue this trend, preserving housing for those who need it most.”

Muhammad Ali Nasir, a local activist with 1Hood and Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board member who goes by Man-E, took to the podium to praise changes to public safety spending.

“We’re really encouraged to see more and more of these resources

devoted to the prevention of harm, to care for people more than ever before,” Man-E said. “For the first time ever, funding is being allocated to the hiring of community services.”

The administration also high lighted the city’s recently imple mented Freedom House EMT Training Academy, which offers paid 12-week programs for obtaining EMT certifications. Allyson Foster, among the program’s first graduating class, spoke at the conference about her long held desire to work as an EMT being thwarted by the impossibility of affording to train while also working enough to pay bills.

“The Freedom House Academy changed that for me,” she said. “I have always wanted nothing more than to be able to help people and care for those around me. No matter where I ended up, that was my one goal in life, was just to be there for others. This academy allowed me to become a part of something bigger and give back to my community in ways I never thought that I would be able to.”

Scott Bricker, executive director of advocacy group BikePGH, also spoke at the conference to promote the city’s commitment to Vision Zero — a pledge to reach zero traffic deaths by 2035.

“Imagine a Pittsburgh where no

more families were grieving their loved one because they were just trying to cross the street or play bikes with their friends outside their home,” Bricker said. “Crashes that result in death and life-changing injuries are unacceptable because they’re preventable.”

District 5 Councilor Barbara Warwick’s office released an email Dec. 20 praising the budget for police staffing that “better reflect[s] recent staffing realities” and that leaves room for more implementation of licensed social workers for tasks sometimes done by police. Her office also praised spending allocated to infrastructure, demolition of blighted buildings, better litter enforcement and more.

According to a Dec. 17 WESA article, the budget has had its critics, including City Controller Rachel Heisler and City Council members Bob Charland and Anthony Coghill, who have doubted the numbers add up on costs projected for staffing, such as overtime pay for police. The budget passed with almost

unanimous approval votes, but narratives that the Gainey administration spends and budgets recklessly, put forth by those such as Gainey’s primary challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, persist.

The next few months will prove important for the Gainey administration in proving to Pittsburghers that he should remain mayor, in advance of the May primary. Gainey’s priority of securing coalitions among advocates for several social issues may prove to be his biggest asset in fending off a primary challenge. After thanking the council in his concluding remarks about the budget, Gainey thanked Pittsburgh’s advocate community.

“Without your advocacy for a better city, we would not be here,” Gainey said. “Each one of y’all has played a pivotal role in legislation that was created, policies that are being funded and what the value of our city looks like. And I couldn’t be more proud of the work that you do.” •

CP PHOTO: MATT PETRAS

Man-E with Council President Daniel Lavelle

CP PHOTO: MATT PETRAS Mayor Ed Gainey

THU., JAN. 9

MAGIC • DOWNTOWN

Francis Menotti in Sisyphus and Siri. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Feb. 2. Liberty Magic. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $43-68. trustarts.org

FILM • DOWNTOWN

International Art House Classics: Harakiri 8 p.m. Continues on Wed., Jan. 15. Harris Theater. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $15. trustarts.org

PARTY • LAWRENCEVILLE

Sad Bear GVNG: RNB Hotline. 9 p.m. Belvedere’s Ultra-Dive. 4016 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. sadbeargvng.art/events

FRI., JAN. 10

FILM • SEWICKLEY

The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center showcases local cinema with Basic Psych, a “taut psychological thriller” directed by Melissa Martin, a Ross native, and starring

Pittsburgh-born actor David Conrad. The release follows a psychiatrist who must defend his family from a disgruntled patient. The film, written by Fox Chapel-based pediatrician Jim Tucker, was shot throughout Western Pa., including in Braddock. 4:45 p.m.

Continues through Thu., Jan. 16. 418 Walnut St., Sewickley. $8.75-11. thelindsaytheater.org

ART • NORTH SIDE

Collective Dreaming #2: Los Fantasmas and #thenotwhitecollective 6-8 p.m. Continues through Feb. 10. Artists Image Resource. 518 Foreland St., North Side. Free. airpgh.org/events/exhibitions

PARTY • LAWRENCEVILLE

Jellyfish with Mystery A air, Ariel Zetina, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Paula Jean, and Lemonline. 8 p.m. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $15-25. 21 and over. spiritpgh.com/events

SAT., JAN. 11

CONVENTION • DOWNTOWN

Pittsburgh RV Show 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Jan. 19. David L. Lawrence

IN PITTSBURGH JAN.

Convention Center. 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown. $6-15, free for kids 5 and under. pittrvshow.com

YOGA • WEXFORD

Cats on Mats Yoga. 12-1 p.m. Cats N’At Lounge and Adoption Center. 73 Shenot Rd., Wexford. $25. Registration required. catspgh.com/book-online

LIT • OAKLAND

Archives and Special Collections Treasures 2-3 p.m. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh-Main. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. carnegielibrary.org

ART • SHARPSBURG

Karl Mullen: Clarion Call. 5-8 p.m.

Continues through March 2. ZYNKA Gallery. 904 Main St., Sharpsburg. Free. zynkagallery.com

COMEDY • DOWNTOWN

PARTY • SQUIRREL HILL

Dig out your mesh tank top and pile on the black eyeliner for a new goth dance party at Squirrel Hill Sports Bar. The Gloom Room promises hits from the “greatest decades of goth music,” featuring iconic bands like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Depeche Mode, as well as modern favorites like She Wants Revenge, Boy Harsher, and Molchat Doma. Don’t miss this night that also includes a special appearance by the DJ AUXIDATE. 9 p.m. 5832 Forward Ave., Squirrel Hill. Free. 21 and over. facebook.com/sqhillsportsbar

SUN., JAN. 12

MUSIC • STRIP DISTRICT

Legends of Pittsburgh Jazz Brunch with Etta Cox, Kenny Blake, and Craig Davis 12:30 p.m. Doors at 11 a.m. City Winery Pittsburgh. 1627 Smallman St., Strip District. $25. pittsburgh.citywinery.com

OUTDOORS • MT. WASHINGTON

Venture Outdoors presents Full Wolf Moon Night Hike. 5-7 p.m. Olympia Park Parking Lot. 510 Hallock St., Mt. Washington. $15. ventureoutdoors.org

Jim Je eries: Son of a Carpenter. 7 p.m. Heinz Hall. 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $31-191. pittsburghsymphony.org

PHOTO: STEVEN PISANO Malpaso Dance Company at Byham Theater

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS International Art House Classics: Harakiri at Harris Theater

THU., JAN. 9

TALK • EAST LIBERTY

As the crisis in Gaza rages on, two figures from both sides will meet in Pittsburgh for a special event. Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian activist and journalist, and Maoz Inon, an Israeli entrepreneur, will meet at Kelly Strayhorn Theater for Building Bridges, a talk covering how the ongoing conflict has a ected their lives. The pair will discuss the tragic losses, violence, and devastation that led them to call for a peaceful and lasting resolution. 6 p.m. 5941 Penn Ave., East Liberty. Free. Registration required. kelly-strayhorn.org

MON., JAN. 13

TALK • OAKLAND

Moriarty Science Seminar: Gender in Mineral Names. 12-1 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Virtual access available. carnegiemnh.org

TUE., JAN. 14

LIT • BLOOMFIELD

Book Launch: Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Chloe Liese with Kristina Forest 7-8 p.m. White Whale Bookstore. 4754 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Free. RSVP required. Livestream available. whitewhalebookstore.com

LIT • NORTH SIDE

Story Club PGH presents Turning Points

7-8:30 p.m. Alphabet City at City of Asylum. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. Registration required. Livestream available. cityofasylum.org

WED., JAN. 15

ART • BLOOMFIELD

Material Matters. 5-7 p.m. Continues through Feb. 28. BoxHeart Gallery. 4523 Liberty Ave., Bloomfield. Free. boxheartgallery.com

BINGO • ALLENTOWN

Cher BINGO. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 5 p.m. Bottlerocket Social Hall. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $7. bottlerocketpgh.com

DANCE • DOWNTOWN

Malpaso Dance Company 7:30 p.m. Byham Theater. 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $20-79. trustarts.org

LYNN CULLEN LIVE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JANUS FILMS International Art House Classics: Harakiri at Harris Theater

HELP WANTED HEAD OF AQUACULTURE FEED OPTIMIZATION

MARKET PLACE

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 700 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. January 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM. 4205 Tanya Hall, 4128 JohNaya Horton, 3041 Lateeya Egleston, 2207 Richard Giles, 2030 Naquala Crosby, 1015 Sean Saputo. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.

Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s Lien at the location indicated: 3200 Park Manor Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 on January 22, 2024 at 1:00pm. 1114 Rodrick Forbes; 1124 Terry Holeva; 2035 Candace DyerBey; 2187 Danielle Larsen; 3010 Lisa Drennan; 3034 Allison Yates; 3134 Luguens Vancol; 3191 Amanda Franklin; 3205 Carrie Scheller; 4001M Joseph Keenan; 4008 Judy Brown; 5010 Augustine Mpemba. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.

Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a Public Auction to sell the contents of leased Spaces to satisfy Extras Space’s lien at the location indicated: 902 Brinton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 on Wednesday January 22, 2025 at 11:30am, 1225 Tamina Honaker, 2086 Davina Young, 2160 Ti any Steals, 3021 Carl Parker, 3066 Nicholas Moreno, 3130 Yoland Boyd. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1212 Madison Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. January 22nd, 2025 at 1:30 PM. Segun Fadeyi 123, Adam Beers 2077, Ellen Suleiman 2081, Terrance Austin 2128, Amanda Windisch 3098, Quinn Parham 3103, Kerastain Jackson 3128, Michael Wilmer 4129, Jazlynn Williams 5041, Elias Marte L104. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.

Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 111 Hickory Grade Rd. Bridgeville, PA 15017. January 22, 2025 at 12:30 PM Andrew Henry 1033, Gwen Rodi 2227, Guadalupe Puentes 3049, Heather Davidson 3220 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 880 Saw Mill Run Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15226, January 22, 2025, at 1:15 PM. Christopher Braunstein 1149, Marie Thompson 2001, Rashad Dent 2012, George Logan 2055, Saprina Lee Pickett 2111, Rebecca Schreckengost 2166, Tiana Hicks 3099, Wayne Copeland 3206, Bryan Mikulan 3208, Willie Goins 4005, Staci Patterson 4088, Shannan Morrow 4181 . The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.

PUBLIC AUCTION

“Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated 110 Kisow Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15205 January 22, 2025 at 11:15AM Reginald Irish -280 Virginia Johnston -333 Keith Steed -344 Ambrosia Preston -427 The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.”

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 141 N Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh PA, 15208 on January 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM. 1202A Carol Bauerle, 2051 Jessica Gainey, 2222A Tamieka Battle, 2264A Arthur Ford, 3007 Jennifer Jackson, 3050 Keisha Fisher, 3078 Jodi Birch, 3179A Alberta Oatmeal, 3242A Stephen Williams, 4040 Kevin Tyler and Kevin Tyler Jr. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

The Fishin’ Company’s Pittsburgh, PA, o ice seeks a Head of Aquaculture Feed Optimization to develop and maintain critical path “feed formulation” for our key aquaculture species (including, but not limited to Tilapia, Pangasius and Shrimp). Send cover letter, resume, references, and salary requirements to brenda@fishinco.com.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its a iliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1005 E Entry Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15216 on 01/22/25 at 11:30 AM. Rachel, Buchanan 2165, Roger Hammond 4137, Roger Hammond 4138, and Charmaine Charles 4143. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures. com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Public notice is hereby given that property placed in storage by the following persons at the following locations will be sold via public sale to satisfy Guardian Storage liens for unpaid rent and other charges. Bidding for property of persons renting space at the following locations will be held online at www.Storageauctions.com ending on January 21, 2025 at 12:00 pm, and day to day thereafter until sold at which time a high bidder will be determined.

350 Old Haymaker Road, Monroeville, Pa 14146: Unit #3102 Nadia Lee, Unit #3121 Flo Johnson, Unit #3533 Sherece Pritchett 1002 E. Waterfront Dr., Munhall, Pa 15120: Unit #1421 Morgan Dawson, Unit #1905 Kevin Carter, Unit #3704 Shelly Snyder 1390 Old Freeport Road, Pittsburgh, Pa 15238: Unit #3108 Nicole Verner

14200 Route 30, North Huntingdon, Pa 15642: Unit #1083 Scott Bognar, Unit #1112 Ezekeial Smith, Unit #1114 Chris Vargo, Unit #1124 Cherie White, Unit #1128 Suzanne Paul, Unit #2010 Howard C Bell lll, Unit #2080 Anna Byrne, Unit #3515 Joe Divald, Unit #3717 Liss Kunz 4711 William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146: Unit #12307 Laverne J. Jaramillo, Unit #13404 Jasmine Gri in, Unit 13710 Lucas Cressler, Unit #22620 Keith Edmonds, Unit #23103 Lucienda Reardon, Unit #23510 Krystal Moore 1028 Ridge Road, Tarentum, Pa 15084: Unit #21133 Casey Tomayko, Unit #32709 Nicholas Gonzales

5873 Centre Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206: Unit #207 Yiyang Luo, Unit #2940 Stephanie Finnegan-Dodson, Unit #2952 Brian Parnell, Unit #313 Terrell James, Unit #6406 Alegra Brooks

750 South Millvale Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213: Unit #1202A Corielle Staples, Unit #4321 Zienna M Palmiere

2839 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222: Unit #2002 Shyheim Thomas, Unit #2011 Morgan Barksdale, Unit #4013 Abass Kamara, Unit #6706 Timothy Clark

1599 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017: Unit #1201 Omar Beccan, Unit #2104 Marc Kaye, Unit #2504 Tyler Jones, Unit #51513 Sam Baldigowski, Unit #52112 Donte Johnson, Unit #52210 Samantha Carlisi 1300 Lebanon Church Road, West Mi lin, PA 15236: Unit #32204 Ashley Powell

401 Coraopolis Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108: Unit #12506 Tapestri Stolar, Unit #13004 Darlene Jones, Unit #21130 Marvin Segers, Unit #22403 Lindsay Thompkins

1067 Milford Drive, Bethel Park, PA

CURLING

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-24-012230

In petition of Zachary Rosser & Jessica Fabus-Rosser, parents and legal guardians of Charlotte Rosser for change of name to Charlotte Janice Fabus-Rosser.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 15th day of January 2025, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-24-001619

In re petition of Amie Nickelson for change of name to Amie Krenn.

ACROSS

1. Dig into

6. Slightly touch

10.

Beat to a pulp

14. Message from another Galaxy?

15.

Go fast

16. “Calling balls and strikes here,” initially 17.

Straddling a curler’s tool?

20.

Nile snakes

21. Letter that also means a small amount

22.

Veranda named after an island

23. Finish o

25. Word game played on a 4x4 grid

26. Ruins a curling surface?

32.

Place for a valve

33.

Put on

34. Heat in the microwave

37. Drinking bouts

38.

“Wasn’t expecting that!”

39.

Hoka rival

40.

Hurry-scurry

41.

Winner’s position

42.

Synthetic fabric

43.

Leave no

room to put a stone in curling?

45.

Hit head on

48. Rolling

49. Don’t exist

50. Soccer manager Mourinho

53. Best New American Play, e.g.

57. Is unable to get a stone where you want it in curling?

60. Mini revelation?

61. Somewhat hesitant

62. Craft similar to a pirogue

63. One to grow on?

64. Black stone

65. Starts the bidding

DOWN

1. ___ vu

2. Outback birds

3. Light source

4. Where the important people sit

5. Yale Bowl player

6. Boat Medea rode on

7. Caboose

8. JD Vance’s wife

9. It’s definite

10. “Now you see it, now you don’t” thing

11. In the midst of

12. Sailing hazard

13. Tight bro

18. Tiny complaints 19. Voting groups

24. “I sometimes

go by,” initially

25. Frequent flier?

26. Tijuana’s state

27. ___ runner

28. Thus, in proofs 29. Get back into music?

30. Bank job

31. You are here

34. Word after Yankee

35. One of the Twelve Minor Prophets of the Old Testament

36. Window section

38. It’s lit

39. Genre for Gil Scott-Heron and the Last Poets

41. “That’s the truth!”

42. “Ya think you’re sneaky, huh?”

43. Kicked on a fourth down

44. [Nudge] “Get me?”

45. Safety’s stat

46. “A Love Supreme” saxophonist, to fans

47. Girls5eva actress ___ Elise Goldsberry

50. Jett with a guitar

51. Grand Ole ___

52. River that’s totally forgettable?

54. Archaeological find

55. Representation

Scratches (out)

Company

___-warrior

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

STUDY SMOKERS WANTED

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

• 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. For more information, call (412) 407-5029

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

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

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:

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.