April 6, 2022 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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FEATURING:

TIKA HEMINGWAY BOXING CHAMPION AND MENTOR

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APRIL 6-13, 2022 VOLUME 31 + ISSUE 14 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Director of Advertising RACHEL WINNER-EBERHARDT Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD A&E Editor AMANDA WALTZ News Reporter JORDANA ROSENFELD Arts & Culture Writer DANI JANAE Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Editorial Designer LUCY CHEN Graphic Designer JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Digital Editorial Coordinator HANNAH KINNEY-KOBRE Marketing + Sponsorships Manager ZACK DURKIN Sales Representatives OWEN GABBEY, MARIA STILLITANO Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, MIKE CANTON, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA Interns TIA BAILEY, PAM SMITH National Advertising Representative VMG ADVERTISING 1.888.278.9866 OR 1.212.475.2529 Publisher EAGLE MEDIA CORP.

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COVER PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM READ THE STORY ON PAGE 2

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BLACK-LED COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP BY DANI JANAE // DANIJANAE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM Editor’s note: This story mentions sexual assault.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Tika Hemingway works out inside Gold Medal Boxing gym.

HATIQUA “TIKA” HEMINGWAY, a North Side native and champion boxer, traveled a long and "'$ʉ'!3*2 0- " 2- %#2 5&#0# 1&# is today. Key pieces of her boxing career — which includes two medals and a championship belt — are on display at the Heinz History Museum, part of its Golden Gloves exhibit. But Hemingway’s story — one of faith and determination — was largely shaped by her experiences outside the boxing ring. She didn’t start out wanting to box; Hemingway was a promising basketball player recruited to play for Perry Traditional Academy. After scoring 30 points in a basketball game one night, 1&# %-2 -g 2&# 31 25- 12-.1 # 0*'#0

than usual. As she was walking home, Hemingway says a man grabbed her on the corner close to her house and beat her, then dragged her into an abandoned house and raped her for hours. She was 14 years old.

CHATIQUA HEMINGWAY facebook.com/tika.hemingway and instagram.com/tikahemingway Hemingway soon learned she was pregnant as a result of the rape, but she had not shared what happened to her

with anyone. She says that things at home weren’t easy, and she thought it would be better to keep the assault to herself. She was bullied at school, and eventually dropped out, putting an end to her dreams of playing pro ball. “I wanted to go to the WNBA. My name is Tika which starts with a T. I wanted to go to Tennessee State. Because it starts with a T,” she says. After dropping out, and with little hope for her future, Hemingway turned to criminal activity. Not because she was * !)',% 1&# 1 71 32 #! 31# 1&# ʉ'%30#" her life was over. One night, after snatching a purse, Hemingway says she felt overwhelmed, and started to pray. CONTINUES ON PG. 4

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THE PEOPLE'S CHAMP, CONTINUED FROM PG. 3

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Tika Hemingway

VISIT WWW.PGHCITYPAPERSTORE.COM “I’m praying to God all night,” she says. “My face is on the basement floor, the cold basement floor, and I was crying all night asking God ‘please change my life.’ This is when my life changes.”

“TIKA-MANIA” AT THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS MUSEUM

Heinz History Center. 1212 Smallman St., Strip District. heinzhistorycenter.org/exhibits/golden-gloves

She says the next morning she met a man in Army fatigues who her friend told her was a local boxing trainer. She approached him and jokingly asked him to train her. He was skeptical at first because, as he said, people always approached him about training but “no one ever showed up.” Hemingway decided she wanted to prove him wrong. They ended up going to the gym that day, and a year later she won her first national championship. Hemingway is now a four-time national champion, with an impressive amateur record of 100-13. She divides her

time between Pittsburgh and Pensacola, Fla., where she trains with boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. And in fall 2021, Hemingway founded Pittsburgh Girls Box, a mentoring program for women and girls that teaches self-defense. “We talk about life, we talk about goals, we talk about maintaining meaningful relationships. We talk about selfdiscipline, we talk about respect,” she says. “I just really want to mold another generation.” At the Heinz History Center, visitors can see Hemingway’s gold medal from the Pan-American games, silver medal from the World Games, and her 2009 USA Boxing Heavyweight Championship belt. She’s featured along with some wellknown male fighters. She didn’t tell anyone how her daughter — now 18 — was conceived for a very long time. Hemingway says that she’s sharing her story now to let people know two things: that all of her success is due to God, and that they can overcome anything. “I want people to know that they can achieve anything they want,” she says. “You really can. You really can achieve anything you want. The world is right there in front of you. You just have to have the courage to go and get it.” •

Follow arts & culture writer Dani Janae on Twitter @figwidow

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NEWS

COUNTING CASES BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HE ALLEGHENY COUNTY Health Department is no longer releasing daily COVID case numbers, a change signaling a shift in how the agency is monitoring the pandemic in the region. Acknowledging factors that complicate the accuracy of official case counts, Dr. Debra L. Bogen, director of ACHD, announced at a March 16 press conference that the health department has begun to move away from viewing case numbers as a primary metric to assess the extent of community spread of COVID-19.

tunity to look at our population as a whole and how much virus we are shedding into our sewershed,” said Bogen. She added that ACHD has been collecting samples of the county’s wastewater three times a week and sending them to a Fla. lab for analysis, although they plan to develop local testing capacity. ACHD hopes wastewater monitoring can help bypass some of the problems presented by official COVID testing data. In contrast to official case numbers, which require individuals to go out and get a COVID test in order to make it into

“WE ARE REALLY SWITCHING FROM TRYING TO PREVENT ALL CASES TO TRYING TO PREVENT SEVERE OUTCOMES." “As our case data becomes less usable because more and more people are, fortunately, able to test themselves at home, we are less able to rely on that as a source of information,” Bogen said at the press conference, “and hospitalizations lag so we can’t use that in real time.” “We are really switching from trying to prevent all cases to trying to prevent severe outcomes — hospitals and deaths — and trying to protect the health care system so that they can do the other important work out there,” Bogen told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on March 17. Going forward, ACHD plans to release weekly reports of COVID data every Thursday, which will include familiar pandemic measurements, such as numbers of hospitalizations, deaths, and new cases, as well as less-familiar metrics pertaining to the concentrations of COVID-19 found in the county’s wastewater. Because people infected with COVID19 shed the virus in their feces before showing symptoms, the CDC says wastewater monitoring can be an effective early warning indicator of increasing COVID transmission in a community. “Wastewater is a wonderful oppor-

health department data, individuals don’t have to opt into wastewater monitoring. Wastewater also captures the viral shedding of asymptomatic people, who may never think to get tested for COVID in the first place. Dr. Bogen said that wastewater monitoring can provide data on 80% of the population of Allegheny County. “We know from our historical data that our case data really overlies very nicely with the wastewater data, so we can see how that will predict what’s happening in the future,” said Bogen. Beyond that, ACHD continues to encourage people to get a booster, if they haven’t already. “It’s really important for people to get that third dose,” said Bogen. “This is not a farewell to the pandemic,” Dr. Bogen stressed. “We are not claiming victory or shifting to treating COVID like we do influenza. COVID is not done. We may face more surges. We may ask people to wear masks again for some limited time. New variants may emerge … The health department will continue to analyze data, provide guidance, do our best to anticipate trends, and keep people as safe as we possibly can.” •

CP ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN

Follow news reporter Jordana Rosenfeld on Twitter @rosenfeldjb PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022

PHOTO: COLEMAN RAY CLARK

Rehearsals for Papa

STAGE

A MAN OF FEW WORDS BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

LAYWRIGHT BAILEY LEE puts the age of her beloved grandfather, Hall Lee, at 87 years, but it comes with a caveat. “It’s a little bit funny because we don’t know his exact birth year,” Bailey says of Hall — or, as she calls him, Papa — who, as a teen, emigrated from rural China to the small western Pennsylvania town of McKeesport. “So every year for his birthday, we put a question mark on a candle.” Hall serves as the inspiration for Bailey’s play Papa, set to stage from Thu., April 7–Fri., April 8 at the New Hazlett Theater. Presented as part of its CSA Performance Series residency, which supports artists as they develop a new work for the New Hazlett stage, the show is described as using drama, music, and puppetry to recount Hall’s journey, and

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“unpack the Lee family’s memories, fantasies, and heartaches, tracing the complicated relationship between three generations of Asian Americans.” The small cast includes actor Bailey as herself, Arnold Y. Kim as Papa, and Francis Dell Bendert as Bailey’s mother. All the actors will also take on other roles throughout the play. While Bailey, an actress, writer, and “theater-maker,” has produced other works, the idea for Papa has stuck with her as a far more personal project. “So this has been a play that’s been with me for a long time,” says Bailey, who worked on Papa with her husband and creative partner, Coleman Clark. “I’ve had the seed of it for a while.” Though she lives in New York City, and Hall has moved in with a relative

in Chicago, Bailey felt that Papa should stage in Pittsburgh, especially since her grandfather was such a fixture in nearby McKeesport. She believes her time with the CSA Performance Series gave her the perfect opportunity to make the show a reality. “Very rarely will an organization open up resources and support to something not yet fully formed,” says Bailey. “And that’s what the New Hazlett has done for me. They accepted me as an artist, and with this idea, and over this year, has been a support system for me, like an incubator, a true incubator for me as an artist.” She adds that, while she initially envisioned the show as a staged reading, the CSA residency gave her the freedom to bounce ideas around and let the concept grow.

Help is available for Allegheny County’s housing crisis PHOTO: COLEMAN RAY CLARK

Bailey Lee

HER GRANDFATHER “LEFT A LOT BEHIND IN HIS IMMIGRATION,” REPRESSING MUCH OF HIS CHINESE HERITAGE IN ORDER TO ASSIMILATE INTO AMERICAN CULTURE. “And through their encouragement in partnership, it’s now bloomed into a full production,” says Bailey. “So really, this piece would look completely different if it wasn’t through the partnership with the New Hazlett.”

PAPA Thu., April 7–Fri., April 8. New Hazlett Theater. 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $15-25. newhazletttheater.org

Papa covers the relationship between Bailey, her late father, and Hall, who she says came to the United States in the mid1940s. He worked at one of McKeesport’s first Chinese restaurants (“There’s a funny old article about it in the paper,” Bailey laughs), which was owned and operated by members of his family. He then attended two years at the University of Pittsburgh, got married, and became a draftsman for Westinghouse Electric, where Bailey says he stayed for most of his career. Bailey calls her grandfather “one of

the most selfless people I know,” adding that he “left a lot behind in his immigration,” repressing much of his Chinese heritage in order to assimilate into American culture for what she calls “the safety and benefit of our family.” “And my Papa is a man of few words and many mysteries,” says Bailey. “So I’ve always grown up deciphering his stories in different ways.” Further complicating her relationship with Hall was the unexpected death of her father when she was just 15 years old. “Since then, every conversation that I’ve had with my Papa is in relation to the loss of my dad,” says Bailey, adding that the play not only covers her grandfather’s sacrifice, but “generational grief and love and the dreams that we sow into the next generation.” Even with the heavy subject matter, Bailey says the play will depict “all the fun and chaos that a family is.” “It’s fast paced, it’s a lot of fun,” says Bailey. “It has moments that I hope are really funny, and moments that I think will pull at the heart, I hope.” •

Follow a&e editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

s Allegheny County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program comes to a close on March 31st, a housing crisis in our community is looming. We strongly believe that mediation is the best option people can make before going to court since we are looking for the best resolution for both parties. Just Mediation Pittsburgh is a nonprofit organization that originated at the height of the pandemic in 2020 due to an overwhelming need to keep tenants housed and ensure rental payments were coming in for landlords.

JMP mediates landlord-tenant disputes to help landlords reduce unit turnover and keep tenants in their homes. Our mediation is free, confidential, and voluntary for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County tenants and landlords, and our mediators have a 93% success rate once both parties agree to mediate. JMP recruited and trained community members as mediators, facilitating dialogue to help participants construct positive solutions for themselves. This service is totally free and can help both parties by saving time and money and hopefully eliminating the need to go to court entirely. We also provide referrals to other agencies who can help with any needs that are identified during mediation, such as rental assistance and other support services. JMP acts as a neutral third-party and helps clear up confusion and/or miscommunication by ensuring that both the landlord and tenant receive the same information at the same time and to help set clear guidelines to move forward. Our community mediators do not serve as a judge or lawyer and if an agreement is reached, it is enforceable in court. JMP’s mediation sessions are remote via phone or video sharing platform and we offer a variety of 2-hour time slots to work with your schedule, though most disputes are settled within 1 hour. The process can save weeks and sometimes months of your time compared to starting and finishing the court process. “It went a lot smoother than expected - I came out with a clear idea of what I owed and what the agreement/outcome of our situation was.” - Tenant Participant Landlords have already lost money; mediation gives the opportunity for tenants to get access to funds to help alleviate debt through referrals to partnering agencies. The average cost to evict in Allegheny County is $5,000 -which includes lost rental payments, filing and attorney fees, funds lost while the property sits vacant, cost to market the property, and rehabilitation of the unit before a new tenant moves in. Mediation allows both parties the opportunity to come up with an agreement that is enforceable without giving up any legal rights. We work with many landlord partners who have successfully worked through disputes with their tenants and reached a solution that satisfied their responsibilities and needs as landlords. “As a Property Manager, I was apprehensive of the mediation process, but after completing my first session with Ms. Sharon (a JMP Community Mediator) I was completely impressed with the process and consider it my first approach when handling tenant/landlord disputes. The mediation process is efficient and concise, allowing both sides to e heard and resolution found.” - Landlord Participant While Just Mediation Pittsburgh helps to resolve nonpayment issues, tenants who participate can expect to benefit from mediation for a litany of reasons such as resolving habitability concerns, end of lease terms, and breach of lease disputes in addition to other housing-related issues. Many tenants have difficulty communicating clearly with their landlord, or even getting an audience with them; mediation offers them this opportunity to truly resolve long standing issues. JMP also partners with RentHelpPGH ‘s Resource Navigator who can connect tenants with community resources to help meet their needs. “Mairead (the Resource Navigator) made me feel at peace, going through this process, with giving me knowledge on how the protocol was done. She referred me to others that would be helpful. And she made herself available if needed for follow up.” - Tenant Participant If you are currently experiencing a housing dispute, or you know someone who could benefit from our services, please reach out to Just Mediation Pittsburgh at justmediationpgh.org/contact or call 412-228-0730 to be connected to a member of our Intake Team. PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022

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Extended School Year & summer recreation program for students ages 5-21 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. For more information & applications, visit our website at www.autismsocietypgh.org or contact us via email at SPEAK@autismsocietypgh.org

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continues on page 20

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

FOOD

Jamal Etienne-Harrigan, owner of Uncle Jammy’s Sauces

WELL SEASONED BY OWEN GABBEY // OGABBEY@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HERE’S NO RIGHT WAY to fight your way out of a downward spiral. Sometimes, however, there is a moment where you understand that things can go one of two ways. For Jamal Etienne-Harrington, that moment came in the middle of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in March 2020, surrounded by a huge event that was supposed to be his breakthrough and instead fell apart due to the pandemic. When I met with Etienne-Harrington, owner of The Smokey City’s 412 BBQ, a Pittsburgh company which produces Uncle Jammy’s Sauces and Rubs, I saw a man at peace with himself, with his business, with his trajectory. Yet, over a meal

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of chicken wings and sliders coated in his unique sauces, he shared the story of the rocky road to get to this point. Etienne-Harrington is a self-described “big guy,” jovial and funny but careful with his words, taking the time to make sure he gets his point across the way he wants. We met for dinner and a conversation in North Side’s Alloy 26 coworking space, where his office is located, to try his Uncle Jammy’s Sauces. The sauces are available for sale at a wide variety of local small shops like love, Pittsburgh and Tom Friday’s Market, and large chains like Whole Foods and Giant Eagle Marketplace. The first wing I was given to try was

dipped in Uncle Jammy’s classic Smile For Smokey BBQ Sauce, one of his few “standard” recipes, but one that still effortlessly marries sweetness and tomato BBQ flavor. As we sampled the sauces, the business owner shared the beginnings of his journey, which took shape in Connecticut, then State College. EtienneHarrington, who calls himself a “41-year old freshman who only learned how to party,” was at Penn State for 10 years, where he says he began experimenting with different food creations. This originated with turning cocktails into cakes, and took many different shapes from there. He started entering online BBQ sauce competitions. He’d

become the designated grill guy at gatherings. Even as he was paying the bills working at Red Lobster and Olive Garden, he was discovering what he really wanted to do for a career. Yet, as I tried a slider dipped in his Say Yes to Sriracha — my favorite sauce of the five I tried, a sauce so perfectly crafted, it would make you believe he’d been in this business his whole life — we dove into how his passion didn’t manifest success right away. He took the business full-time in 2017, which included his first distribution deal with Whole Foods, but that didn’t come without hiccups. By his own admission, he ”mishandled the money, I didn’t price the

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CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

A variety of Uncle Jammy's sauces

product correctly, and, at one point, had to go back to serving part-time at the Olive Garden.” He says there were moments where the bank accounts had reached their breaking point, the funding had dried up, and Etienne-Harrington was left wondering what to do next. He says he reached its breaking point on that fateful day in March 2020 during the annual Home & Garden Show at the Convention Center, where he had plans to introduce and sell his product to a massive amount of people. “The festival got canceled,” he says, “and I needed those last two days just to break even.”

UNCLE JAMMY'S SAUCES AND RUBS unclejammys.com

What followed could be called rock bottom for some, but for EtienneHarrington, it was just a fork in the road. “I had no money, but I had a ton of beer from two previous festivals I had worked,” says Etienne-Harrington. “So you just wallow and drink, and then the voice in my head is just trying to gauge where I’m at. ‘Is this the end, are we just going out and catching COVID and ending it?’ And that wasn’t the case! I still wanted to go on, I still wanted to do something.” Etienne-Harrington decided he had more to do, and he went out to prove it. Over his Hooray For IPA, a delicious sweet sauce brewed with Southern Tier’s

2X IPA, the story turned from struggle to success. Etienne-Harrington says he began sending out envelopes with his product and pitch to anyone and everyone in the industry. It worked. He landed a distribution deal with Giant Eagle, which turned into deals in Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio. “In business, you’re going to hit a fraction,” he says. “That’s all you need.” As we moved onto The Gods Must be Cajun, a Southern-inspired sauce that found a great balance of kick and sweet, we discussed his biggest breakthrough. The blind outreach led to a meeting with GetGo, followed by a series of productive conversations (“I didn’t know what I was even doing on Zoom,” he says), and now, Uncle Jammy’s Chicken Sammy, a signature sandwich created by EtienneHarrington, will be on GetGo’s menu for the summer. So what’s next? As we sampled the final sauce, the aptly named spice lord Your Arrogance Amuses Me, EtienneHarrington showcased his other recently found attribute, a trust in the process and in himself. He says he’s in a place where he can finally take a step back, understanding that the infrastructure is there for sustained success, with a 2022 goal of $3 million in revenue to match. It’s quite the turnaround from two years ago, where he believes it all could’ve fallen apart. “I’m blindsided on where I’ve come to," says Etienne-Harrington, “but I’m not blindsided by the moment.” •

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022

IRL / IN REAL LIFE EVENT VIRTUAL / STREAMING OR ONLINE-ONLY EVENT HYBRID / MIX OF IN REAL LIFE AND ONLINE EVENT

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

PHOTO: COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH EARTH DAY

^ Ecolution Fashion Show

THU., APRIL 7 LIT • HYBRID

Two authors will come together at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall to discuss a fascinating local artist during the latest Pittsburgh Arts & Lecture event. Maxwell King and Louise Lippincott will give some perspective on American Workman, a book about self-taught painter John Kane, who broke into the art world after a life working various blue-collar jobs, including as a steelworker and coal miner. Before his death in 1934, Kane produced a body of work depicting Pittsburgh’s industrial landscape. Learn more about Kane during an event co-presented by the Carnegie Museum of Art, and led by Sylvia Rohr, director and curator of the University of Pittsburgh’s University Art Gallery. 6 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. pittsburghlectures.org

MAGIC • IRL Join Liberty Magic in welcoming The Evasons for their show, Second Sight. Tessa and Jeff Evason, who have been performing together for decades, are described as “one of the few married couples in history who have mastered

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the art of two-person telepathy.” The couple has performed on TV, at parties and events, and on cruise ships, and are now bringing their special ability to Pittsburgh audiences. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., April 24. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $40-65. trustarts.org

FRI., APRIL 8 FEST • IRL

If you’re a pop culture nerd looking for a nostalgic good time, Steel City Con at Monroeville Convention Center is the event for you. The convention will feature a long list of celebrities from some of fandom’s favorite TV shows and movies spanning horror, sci-fi, and comedy. This year’s guests include comedy star Chevy Chase, Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future, Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci, Robert Englund of Nightmare on Elm Street, and many others. There will also be Q&A panels, costume contests, vendors, and more. Continues through Sun., April 10. 209 Mall Blvd., Monroeville. $30-60. Free for children 10 and under with adult paid permission (maximum of two kids per adult). steelcitycon.com

MUSIC • IRL The Looney Tunes come to life when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony at Heinz Hall. Hear music from the famed, longrunning Warner Bros. animated series, all while various iconic episodes play on the big screen. The orchestra will provide live scores for “What’s Opera, Doc?,” “The Rabbit of Seville,” and many others, as well as five brand new animated shorts. Bring the whole family to what PSO promises to be an “enormously fun blend of classical music and classic animation.” 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., April 10. 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $22-99. pittsburghsymphony.org

SAT., APRIL 9 ART • IRL

Enter The Magical World of Roman Golla, a new exhibition at The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination. The exhibit showcases paintings and drawings by late artist Roman Golla, his work described as recalling “memories, myths, and imagings with a folkloric simplicity and sense of wonder.” Born in the

mountains of southern Poland in 1917, Golla would later be captured by the Nazis during World War II and confined to a forced labor camp in occupied France. After being liberated in 1945, he emigrated to Chicago, where he began painting at 47 years old. Largely unrecognized, his art was later discovered by historian and collector Robert Nowalk, who serves as the show’s guest curator. Continues through May 6. 5006 Penn Ave., Garfield. Free. irmafreeman.org

SUN., APRIL 10 EVENT • IRL

Fans of game shows like The Price is Right and Double Dare should head to The Oaks Theater for The Weirdly O’Mazing Gameshow. Created by Pittsburghers Weird Eric, a magician and balloon artist, and O’Ryan the O’Mazing, a clown and juggler, the show offers interactive, familyfriendly entertainment, inviting guests to answer trivia questions about their favorite subjects, complete physical challenges, and win prizes in front of a live audience. 2-3:30 p.m. 310 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. $10-12. theoakstheater.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH CENTER FOR CREATIVE REUSE

^ Quilts by Ada S. Cyrus at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

MON., APRIL 11

WED., APRIL 13

The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse will present its fifth Artist in Residence gallery show, featuring handmade quilts by Ada S. Cyrus. The nonprofit art supply shop says that Cyrus’ quilts “utilize scrap fabric, a nod to the Center’s mission of inspiring creativity, conservation, and community engagement through reuse.” Cyrus, who specializes in scrap fabric patchwork quilting, learned her craft after moving to Wilkinsburg in 1978, and has since created over 150 quilts. See some of her creations this April. Continues through Fri., April 22. 214 N. Lexington St., Point Breeze. Free. pccr.org

Board Agatha Christie’s classic mystery story Murder on the Orient Express during a new Pittsburgh Public Theater production at the O’Reilly Theater. The play follows Detective Hercule Poirot, who, while traveling, must put his investigation skills to work after a businessman turns up murdered on the world’s most luxurious train. As every passenger becomes a suspect, he begins to see that the case is more complicated than he thought. Featuring Martin Giles as Poirot, this adaptation promises to be a must-see performance. 8 p.m. Continues through May 1. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. $32-80. ppt.org

ART • IRL

TUE., APRIL 12 MUSIC • HYBRID

The Pittsburgh Opera and City of Asylum will partner for a night of Spanish-language music, poetry, and culture. The opera’s Resident Artists will perform several Spanishlanguage works, including folk songs, children’s songs, satirical comedies, and more. The music of the night is inspired by poet Federico Garcia Lorca, whose work will be read during the event. All attendees and staff are required to be fully vaccinated to attend, and the event will be online as well for those who can’t attend in person. 7-8:30 p.m. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. Registration required. cityofasylum.org

STAGE • IRL

FASHION • IRL See local artists working in sustainable clothing when Pittsburgh Earth Day presents the Ecolution Fashion Gala at the Carnegie Music Hall of Oakland. Now in its sixth year, the event will feature a number of designers working under the theme “Earth Matters Now: For the World We Dream Of & The World We Have Now.” Included are pieces by Knotzland x Temper & Grit, Kat Belskey, Cheryl Capazzuti, KING RELD, and many others. Guests can also expect live dance performances, music, and an appearance by drag queen Miss Thea Trix as “Mother Earth.” 8-10 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $45-60. pittsburghearthday.org/ecolution PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022

Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

BOX SEATS BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coverage for their entire working life, through employer-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 ... f Look for coverage that helps pay for major services. Some plans may limit the number of procedures — or pay for preventive care only. f Look for coverage with no deductibles. Some plans may require you to pay hundreds out of pocket before benefits are paid. f 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

Previous dental work can wear out.

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.

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

Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

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

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

Consider these national average costs of treatment ... $217 for a checkup ... $189 for a filling ... $1,219 for a crown.3 Unexpected bills like this can be a real burden, especially if you’re on a fixed income.

1 “Medicare & You,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2021. 2 “How might my oral and dental health change as I age?”, www. usnews.com, 11/30/2018. 3 American Dental Association, Health Policy Institute, 2018 Survey of Dental Fees, Copyright 2018, American Dental Association.

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ACROSS

1. 1981 Genesis album 7. Very funny network 10. Outside the Lines network 14. Dirty up again 15. Baby’s bawl 16. Tiglon’s mother 17. Play about the Wingfield family 20. Going places? 21. Pizza flavoring 22. Abbr. in my snail mail address 23. Part of a Home Run Derby call 25. The Blindman’s Meal painter 28. Time And Free Will philosopher 30. Antiquated ed.’s request 32. UVa athlete 33. ‘80s hair style 35. Longtime fighter of the 49-Across 36. Some courses 38. Uplift 40. Search for 41. Apt. ad info 42. Hesitant interjections 43. Crime boss nicknamed “Lucky” 47. The Ballad of Czolgosz musical

49. Dark order 50. Oscars rental 51. Shoe attachments 54. 1994 No. 1 Lisa Loeb hit 55. Stuffed item during December 59. Journalist Oz 60. Symbol of the Conservative Party in England 61. Strong-arm 62. Soup base, perhaps 63. Liberal arts dept. 64. In the middle, in dialect

DOWN

1. Drawing room? 2. “Watch your mouth!” 3. Invariably 4. Some teeth 5. Be on the 30-Down 6. Bill in fashion 7. Ninny 8. Bête noire 9. Novelty carpet 10. Girls name that means “torch” 11. Mediterranean winds 12. Maui menu item 13. It’s around 1:00

18. Red serge wearers 19. Look in awe 23. Org. involved in the Berlin Airlift 24. Fertilizer compound 26. Syrian leader 27. Gametes 29. ___ notes (wine characteristic) 30. It shows people who are out 31. Go-go 34. Brooklyn ___ 35. Mountain myth, maybe 36. Basic particle 37. Per se 38. Chutzpah 39. It’s educational,

according to The Pixies 42. Takes drugs 44. Duds 45. Hint 46. It’s all around you 48. Urban pollutant 49. Fischer beat him to become the World Champion 52. Sports car option 53. “I ___ I’ve said, merely competent” (Billy Joel) 54. Spin, in a way 55. One who runs around airports 56. WellPoint offering 57. Starchy foodstuff 58. Guest’s offering LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

To place a Classified ad in Pittsburgh City Paper, call 412-685-9009 to speak to one of our representatives.

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IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-22-2850, In re petition of Elizabeth Butler parents and legal guardian of Lexx Anthony Butler for change of name to Lexx Anthony Harris. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ﬁling of said petition and ﬁxed the 28th day of April 2022, 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.

PRINCIPAL PROJECT ENGINEER HITACHI RAIL STS USA, INC. is seeking a Principal Project Engineer to work in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and at various unanticipated client and employer work locations throughout the U.S. The Principal Project Engineer will be responsible for technical delivery of transportation system, and elaborate design plan for CBTC project, including communication design and signaling design. Relocation is required. Domestic travel is also required up to 25% of the time. Apply at: https://careers.hitachi.com/

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Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Belleﬁeld Entrance Lobby, 341 South Belleﬁeld Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on April 12, 2022, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PGH. CARRICK AND WESTINGHOUSE • CTE Air Conditioning • Mechanical (HVAC) and Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on March 23, 2022, 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. We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT & COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE SOLUTION This Request for Proposal may be obtained from the District’s web page at: https://www.pghschools.org/domain/239. One (1) original and ﬁve (5) copies of the proposal, including any attachments and cover letter, must be prepared and submitted as described in the RFP by 5:00PM EST on Monday, April 18, 2022. The District reserves the right to reject any or all RFPs. Paula B. Castleberry Minority/Women Business Department Email: pcastleberry1@pghschools.org We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER APRIL 6 - 13, 2022