May 24, 2023 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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PGHCITYPAPER.COM SERVING PITTSBURGH SINCE NOV. 6, 1991 IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: WHAT YOU MISSED FROM ONLINE 04 LGBTQ
developing policy
Meet the LGBTQ students finding comradery in
10 INFRASTRUCTURE North Side neighborhoods are still scarred by the “The Great Wall of Manchester”
LITERATURE
Sarah Cypher blends magic realism, queerness, and Palestinian culture in debut novel The Skin and Its Girl
EVENTS
top events: May 25-31
and Classifieds
Bookseller Spotlight: New releases at City Books
Crossword
17 LITERATURE Indie
Results: Progressive candidates clean up in Democratic primaries
18 NEWS Election
INFRASTRUCTURE Dead Developments: 10 promising Pittsburgh building projects that never happened
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FINDING THEIR

Meet the LGBTQ students building community in their struggle to be heard

4

VOICE

STUDENTS OF ALL AGES chat about Roblox and the spring musical as they filter into an after school meeting about transgender rights in the Mount Lebanon School District.

They’re working hard to change their community, and becoming friends in the process. They host meetings at each other’s houses over pizza, and gather in cafes as their parents sit at tables nearby. The students are responding to a growing movement in their district led by people who call themselves parental rights advocates. Proponents argue that, as parents, only they can know what is appropriate for their children and should be involved in what is taught day-to-day.

These kids disagree.

The conflict began in March 2022 after first-grade teacher Megan Williams read Introducing Teddy: A Gentle Story About Gender and Friendship on Trans Day of Visibility. The book chronicles the relationship between a boy and his teddy bear, who one day tells him, “In my heart, I’ve always known that I’m a girl Teddy, not a boy Teddy.” It is recommended by the American Library Association for children ages 3-6. It is also a frequently banned book.

During a school board meeting on April 11, 2022, parents expressed outrage that they did not receive a notice from the school before the book was read, or get a chance to opt their children out. Many said that they felt “blindsided” and “betrayed.” Shortly after, they mounted a lawsuit against Williams and the school district.

Gretchen Melten is one of the three plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and her child was in Williams’ class. During the April school board meeting, Melten said she respects “everyone’s choice to live the way they want to live” except “when you start involving my child.” She believes the book undermined her role as a parent.

“We are responsible for teaching the values that we think are correct,” she said.

Many speakers criticizing William’s choice of materials that night insisted their concerns were not homophobic or transphobic. “I don’t think that anybody is saying ‘transgenderism’ is wrong or evil or any of that,” attendee Lynn Crogan said. “I think the issue is more with the teacher and the principal and the administration, that this was able to happen behind parents’ backs.”

5 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023
4
LEAVE THEM KDIS ALONE, CONTINUES ON PG. PHOTO: PAM SMITH Janet Montgomery, high school senior, who launched a petition in June 2022 to create policies to protect LGBTQ students

Byrom, says comments like Crogan’s were painful for Byrom and her friends to hear.

“Adding an ‘ism’ to transgender makes being transgender an ideology, not a state of existence,” she says. “It is only used in a derogatory way and always in anti-trans rhetoric. If something is an -ism, then you can be against it. It’s a side you can take, The term intentionally strips away one’s humanity.”

In affluent communities across Pennsylvania, national groups like Moms for Liberty are mobilizing to take over school boards and implement policies that censor teachers and appease parents.

On the other side of the state, Central Bucks County shares common demographics with Mt. Lebanon as one of the wealthiest and whitest school districts in the Philadelphia area. Its school board has so far removed two books from school libraries while reviewing a slate of 65 volumes for possible bans. All those under review appear on lists created by Moms for Liberty.

Rachel Stein of educational advocacy group Campaign for Our Shared Future says that Allegheny County could be next

6 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5
PHOTOS: PAM SMITH Janet Montgomery walks around Mt. Lebanon High School

in the “parental rights” wave. “In other parts of the state, we’ve seen anti-equity candidates elected to school boards and implement very restrictive curriculum censorship policies, remove books from classrooms and libraries, and create a hostile learning environment,” Stein tells City Paper.

According to Mt. Lebanon parents, Moms for Liberty bankrolled five candidates for school board in 2021, but none were elected. The national consortium of conservative parent groups recently established a chapter in Allegheny County, and their homepage says they are “dedicated to the survival of America.”

“The general election happening in November will have an enormous impact on the future of our public schools in Western Pennsylvania,” Stein says.

A common theme across the public comments at the April 2022 school board meeting was that kids are too young to learn about trans individuals and gender

Soaring Temperatures and Hot Deals: Exploring the Summer Real Estate Market!

As the sun shines bright and the days grow longer, the summer season not only brings outdoor adventures and beach vacations but also presents an exciting time for the real estate market. The summer months often witness a surge of activity, with homebuyers, sellers, and real estate agents all seeking opportunities to make their moves.

One of the significant advantages is the increased availability of properties for sale. Many homeowners choose to list their properties during this time, resulting in a larger inventory. This expanded selection gives buyers a wide range of options to explore, allowing them to find their dream home more easily. Additionally, sellers benefit from the higher demand during summer, with a greater likelihood of attracting potential buyers due to the increased market activity.

The pleasant weather during the summer months plays a crucial role in driving the real estate market. With longer days and brighter sunlight, properties appear more appealing, showcasing their best features. Curb appeal becomes a powerful factor as well, as well-maintained lawns, gardens, and outdoor spaces can make a strong impression on potential buyers. Moreover, buyers can more comfortably attend open houses, visit properties, and envision themselves living in the space, enhancing their decision-making process.

During the summer, certain locations and amenities become particularly appealing to buyers. Proximity to beaches, lakes, parks, and recreational facilities often garners increased interest. Properties with features such as swimming pools, outdoor living spaces, and well-maintained gardens tend to attract attention as people envision enjoying the sunny season in their new homes. Real estate professionals emphasize the importance of location and highlight these desirable features when marketing properties during the summer months.

The summer season also presents unique opportunities for those interested in purchasing vacation homes or investment properties. Many buyers seek secondary residences near coastal areas, lakefronts, or mountain retreats to enjoy summer getaways or generate rental income. The demand for short-term rentals increases during this period, making it an attractive time to invest in properties that cater to tourists and vacationers. Engaging with local real estate agents who specialize in vacation properties can provide valuable insights and guidance for those interested in capitalizing on these opportunities.

The summer real estate market sees a surge in buyer activity. Families with school-age children often plan their moves during this time to ensure a smooth transition before the new school year begins. Additionally, first-time homebuyers who may have been waiting for the right opportunity often take advantage of summer to enter the market. This increased demand creates a competitive environment, potentially driving up property prices. As a seller, it’s essential to price your property appropriately and consider multiple offers carefully. For buyers, being prepared with mortgage pre-approvals and working closely with real estate agents can give them a competitive edge in a busy market.

Tips for Success in the Summer Market :

For Sellers:

1. Enhance curb appeal by maintaining a well-manicured exterior and staging the property to highlight its summer allure.

identity. Parents said things like “first grade kids still believe in Santa Claus” and “why make it so confusing at such a young age?”

“I would like to suggest that any topic like this that seems questionable should be something that the parents are warned about,” Crogan said.

Some went further in characterizing trans children as the result of bad parenting or medical misdirection.

“This is what I took away from that book: your parents don’t know what they’re doing. They might have made a mistake,” Melten said. “The doctor might have made a mistake telling you what gender you were.”

Byrom thinks that, in these meetings, LGBTQ representation is portrayed as threatening, or even scary. She wants parents to know what a positive impact inclusivity has on kids like her.

“I’d like them to just be able to come and sit in at one of the meetings and see

2. Price the property competitively based on current market trends and recent comparable sales.

3. Take advantage of online marketing platforms and social media to reach a wider audience of potential buyers.

4. Be flexible with scheduling showings and open houses to accommodate buyers’ availability during the summer season.

For Buyers:

1. Get pre-approved for a mortgage to strengthen your purchasing power and streamline the buying process.

2. Stay vigilant and act swiftly when a desirable property becomes available, as competition may be fierce.

3. Work closely with a trusted real estate agent who can provide insights into local market conditions and assist in identifying suitable properties.

4. Conduct thorough inspections and due diligence before making an offer to ensure the property meets your expectations.

The summer real estate market is characterized by increased activity, competitive dynamics, and unique opportunities. Buyers and sellers alike can benefit from understanding the trends, market conditions, and strategies specific to this season. Whether you’re looking to purchase a family home, invest in a vacation property, or sell your current residence, partnering with a knowledgeable real estate agent is invaluable. With the right preparation, research, and expert guidance, you can navigate the summer real estate market and turn the heat of the season into a successful real estate transaction.

7 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
"Adding an ‘ism’ to transgender makes being transgender an ideology, not a state of existence ... It is only used in a derogatory way and always in antitrans rhetoric ... The term intentionally strips away one’s humanity.”
LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE, CONTINUES ON PG. 8
— Stephanie Fedro-Byrom, mother of Lexi Byrom

how joyful everyone is,” she says. “It’s a space where these young people feel safe and comfortable being themselves for perhaps the only time that day.”

Fedro-Byrom says she’s loved watching kids in the group open up with one another.

“One of the students, they told their mom, ‘I’ll pay you $10 If I have anything to say,’ and by the end they couldn’t stop talking. It’s been really cool to watch them develop and find their voice,” she shares, chuckling.

my child to school to be a kid and to learn the fundamentals of reading, writing, arithmetic, and socializing; not to have my child told that he can wear dresses, make-up etc.” The lawsuit uses the phrase “gender dysphoria” over 60 times.

Byrom says the language in the lawsuit and comments at the school board meeting reveal people’s lack of understanding about the LGBTQ community.

“I think that was so indicative of the mindset that these parents are in, it’s like, they really think that this is a danger to

The group's demands were drafted into policy with the help of Beth Sondel, a state organizer for Campaign for Our Shared Future. The policy — if adopted — will apply to the 10 schools in the district. It establishes consistent protection for LGBTQ students with procedures to address harassment and bullying, designate gender neutral bathrooms at every school, and create guidelines for names and pronoun usage.

The policy also sets up protections for teachers so actions like the lawsuit last year are less likely to occur.

In an email included in court records, one parent wrote to the principal, “I send

children,” she says. “And I’m not entirely sure how to change their minds on that. Maybe it’s like exposure and saying, ‘Hey, I’m trans, let’s talk.’”

Byrom and the rest of the group spent the first weeks of 2023 preparing to present their policy at a school board meeting on Feb. 11. They did not expect the outpouring of public support that ensued.

“It was amazing,” she tells CP. “We had, like, 70 people from the community show up. It was a little conference room, and we just packed it. I was really excited for all the students that were giving speeches to have that crowd behind them.”

Byrom was the first student to speak.

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LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 7
“I think that was so indicative of the mindset that these parents are in, it’s like, they really think that this is a danger to children .. And I’m not entirely sure how to change their minds on that. Maybe it’s like exposure and saying, ‘Hey, I’m trans, let’s talk.'"
PHOTO: PAM SMITH Janet Montgomery stands outside the Mt. Lebanon High School Administrative Offices

“Behind me, I have a group of students that all have stories about being queer in Mt. Lebanon,” she said. She introduced the student-informed policy and urged the board to enact it swiftly. The next commenter was a parent who defined terms such as “queer” and “cishet” ahead of the students’ speeches.

Other students spoke out about the problems they’ve witnessed in school.

Oliver, a fifth grader, said that he has heard teachers say homophobic things. Amber, a seventh-grader, said she was called slurs when she started wearing girls’ clothing, and her bullies were never disciplined.

Sophia, a second grader, said that when a transgender student was being bullied, she had to be the one to check on them despite a teacher witnessing it. They all demanded change from the school board. After each student spoke, the room erupted into applause.

In a statement to CP, President Jacob Wyland says the school board is “committed to ensuring that all of our students

feel safe, welcome and included,” and that it’s “actively working to update our policies and procedures to better reflect our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

“We are actively working to update our policies and procedures to better reflect our commitment to diversity and inclusion. Last month, we held a joint DEI and policy committee meeting to work collaboratively on changes to these, while ensuring the opportunity for input from all voices,” the statement continues.

Byrom says the group is still working to get the policy passed as the end of the school year nears, but she’s optimistic about the board’s reception of the bill. She will be graduating and going to college for nursing, but she assures CP that won’t hinder her advocacy. “So in the near future, hopefully, we’ll still be showing up to board meetings, putting the pressure on getting them to pass this,” she says. “If they don’t, and I go to college, I will be making the 20 minute drive back for all the board meetings.” •

9 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023
Follow News Intern India Krug on Twitter @indialarson_
PHOTO: PAM SMITH A Statue of Liberty figurine in one of the Mt. Lebanon high school offices

INFRASTRUCTURE

"THE GREAT WALL OF MANCHESTER"

North Side neighborhoods are still scarred by the highway construction project that sliced them apart.

BUYING A HOME in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh during the 1960s posed particular challenges to some, like James and Betty Robinson, who, during that time, had reason to invest their money and lives there. James had been the University of Pittsburgh’s first Black varsity football player, and at one point, was in talks to join the Steelers. However, his life took another route when he became a pastor, and upon signing on to lead the Bidwell Presbyterian Church, he and Betty believed he couldn’t fulfill that calling without living among the congregation.

It wasn’t quite that easy, though.

Banks refused credit and real estate agents wouldn’t broker sales in the small neighborhood where decades of redlining, white flight, and general disinvestment had withered away profit margins. But the Robinsons were undeterred.

When a decaying mansion on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue captured their attention, they set their sights on it, resorting to driving around, knocking on doors, and asking whoever answered whether the building might be for sale.

They struck a deal with the owner to secure the 20-room Victorian estate for $10,000 (about $100,000 in today’s money, according to Forbes’ online

inflation calculator).

Within their first few years there, a riot erupted outside the Robinsons’ home after a young Black man was shot and killed by a white neighbor. Their son, James Jr., watched it from the top of their stone steps.

“All of a sudden, bricks started to be thrown and I’m standing right down along the steps there,” he tells Pittsburgh City Paper as a proxy for his aging parents. “It all started on my own door steps. It was a big, huge crowd ... it lasted all day from afternoon to evening.”

Similar — although usually smaller — outbreaks of anger and violence were

commonplace, he recalls.

LaShawn Burton-Falk, executive director of the Manchester Citizens Corporation, says that, in addition to instances of acute racism like the murder that sparked the riot, much local frustration stemmed from top-down development interventions that made Black communities pay the price for affluent white residents in other neighborhoods.

“Because this was a community of color, there wasn’t the investment that there should have been,” Burton-Faulk tells Pittsburgh City Paper . “And as a result, you know, African Americans did not have the same level of voice.”

10 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM
BEFORE AFTER
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HISTORIC PITTSBURGH Manchester neighborhood area in 1957 and 1993

AREAS BY GRADE

A "Best"

B "Still Desirable"

C "Definitely Declining"

D "Hazardous

Mapping out injustice

In the late 1930s, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration mapped out every American city to determine their fitness for a federal home lending program, almost all of Pittsburgh’s lower North Side was redlined “hazardous” — meaning unfit for government investment.

Of Manchester, the surveyor noted “Dirt, filth, smoke etc. low type community. One of the toughest sections of Pittsburgh,” and counted its proportions of “foreignborn” and “negro” residents as additional markers against it.

While the federal government pumped money into suburbs, Manchester suffered decades of population loss and disinvestment. By the time the Robinsons arrived, cities like Pittsburgh were exploring new road systems to cater to the suburban communities buoyed by these federal investments.

A PennDOT study published in 1954 proposed a plan for a highway extending the Ohio River Boulevard from its end point on California Avenue to the Fort Duquesne Bridge at the Point. According to Dan Rooney and Carol Peterson’s Allegheny

City: A History of Pittsburgh’s North Side, the study noted 2,700 residents and 830 buildings would need to be removed or relocated.

rezone Manchester’s western flank as the “Chateau industrial zone” and, further east, the destruction of the historic Allegheny Diamond. It also proposed leveling the

Route 65 because our forefathers legit stood in front of bulldozers to keep them from demolishing what’s currently intact residential housing, because they had already done demolition of the Chateau corridor,” Burton-Faulk says.

The project moved along despite organized local resistance. But it wasn’t completed for more than a decade. In the process, the community lost a thriving business district along Beaver Avenue, with grocery stores, pharmacies, retailers, churches, and a school, while surrounding residential blocks were cleared away by the city’s industrial program.

The same study proposed an alternative route that would cut through parts of the Mexican War Streets, but that option reportedly faced steeper opposition from those in positions of power.

Around the same time, the Pittsburgh Regional Planning Association published a proposal outlining sweeping changes for the North Side and bemoaning “the burden of obsolescence and decay” that supposedly characterized the area.

From this plan came the move to

Mexican War Streets to make room for new high rise dwellings — but this, of course, never happened.

When the Robinsons arrived, discussions about the Ohio River Boulevard extension were in full swing. Efforts to oppose it became a foundational motivation of the Manchester Citizens Corporation, which they helped form in 1965.

“MCC, as an organization, was formed as a result of [the proposed extension of]

Throughout the 20th century, highway construction made casualties of several other Pittsburgh neighborhoods — usually those with high proportions of people of color. Fifty years earlier, Pittsburgh’s thriving Chinatown community was ripped apart to make way for the Boulevard of the Allies, running from Downtown to Oakland. Several years after the Ohio River Boulevard tore through Manchester, another North Side community, Deutschtown, was similarly carved up by the construction of I-279.

11 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023
"THE GREAT WALL OF MANCHESTER," CONTINUES ON PG. 12
PHOTO: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND
AREA 6% 31% 36% 27% GRADE
MAPPING INEQUALITY: REDLINING IN NEW DEAL AMERICA
... almost all of Pittsburgh’s lower North Side was redlined “hazardous” — meaning unfit for government investment.

Righting past wrongs

“It’s truly a story — and it’s not just Manchester and Chateau — where these big infrastructure projects were cutting through literally the middle of particularly Black communities across the country,” U.S. Rep Summer Lee tells City Paper.

In hopes of one day putting things right, Lee and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey recently helped secure a $1.4 million grant to study ways of reintegrating Manchester and Chateau.

The money, awarded to the MCC, could help the organization realize a long-held objective. For years, its small staff has worked to find ways to topple

receiving an additional batch of funding to put the plan in action.

Lee says she’s cautiously optimistic.

“There was a wrong that was actuated by government forces, whether it be in terms of funding, policy, so there is a government solution too, and the responsibility to acknowledge the role in which these institutions and agencies have played.”

The Robinsons’ legacy

When the Robinsons learned their efforts to oppose the highway were falling on deaf ears, they turned their

— or at least puncture — what’s known within the community as the “Great Wall of Manchester,” a concrete palisade hanging below the raised highway and blocking all view of the other side.

Ideas so far include building aesthetically considered underpasses with parks and retail sections, to raising the parallel Beaver and Chateau Streets to the level of the highway to create multimodel transit routes with rapid busways and bike and pedestrian lanes.

But proponents are keeping open minds until the study is completed.

“We now have a responsibility of figuring out the most equitable way of connecting these communities,” Lee says. “A lot of the leaders in Manchester are, of course, present and have been present in this work for a really long time. We’re gonna talk more with them and we’ll know more specifically what they want to do.”

If the study impresses the Depart of Transportation, the MCC has a chance of

attention instead to meeting the needs it had helped create.

After witnessing the riot outside the family home, James Sr. felt compelled to find ways to help the community’s youth find constructive outlets for their deserved frustration, his daughter-in-law Debby recalls.

The church had saved up enough money to fund a new sanctuary, but James Sr. instead chose to spend the funds on a youth center where they built a basketball court and later a roller rink.

“It’s still there,” Debby notes.

James Sr. also spearheaded a trade school on Jefferson Street in Central Northside that later relocated into Chateau, where it came to be known as the Manchester Bidwell Center.

Betty, an educator, was meanwhile tending to the educational needs of the community. Sensing the city-run elementary school wasn’t entirely sufficient, she set up a free after school program that later morphed into one

12 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM
"... our forefathers legit stood in front of bulldozers to keep them from demolishing what’s currently intact residential housing, because they had already done demolition of the Chateau corridor."
"THE GREAT WALL OF MANCHESTER," CONTINUED FROM PG. 11
— LaShawn Burton-Falk, executive director of the Manchester Citizens Corporation CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM The West End Bridge is shown with flowers in bloom overlooking the Manchester neighborhood.

of the city’s first charter schools, where Debby, also a teacher, taught for more than two decades before recently retiring.

All this, according to Burton-Faulk, shows the resilience that’s held the Manchester community together despite the construction of a highway that physically tore it apart.

“In response to taking away a school, we’re gonna provide one in response to

… taking away food here. Even at the school, food is provided. With whatever the need was, there was something created to take care of that,” she tells CP

“This organization is in response to the attempt to demolish, and while some of the physical demolition did occur, the mental and emotional resilience was not trampled on. I mean, this community has figured it out, over and over.” •

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF HISTORIC PITTSBURGH Beaver Avenue Business District at the southwest corner of Beaver and Columbus Avenues taken on June 4, 1937 PHOTO: COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS The same intersection as the above picture in August 2021
“We now have a responsibility of figuring out the most equitable way of connecting these communities."
— Summer Lee, U.S. Representative

UNDER THE SKIN

WE ALL GROW UP with fairy tales and fables: stories of princes and princesses, the magical and the outlandish, the all-too-real and the out-of-this-world narratives.

But what about the stories we don’t hear, stories that didn’t start to emerge until more recently? Ones with Black mermaids or Muslim protagonists? Queer literature or tales featuring disabled persons?

Pittsburgh author Sarah Cypher’s debut novel The Skin and Its Girl serves many purposes. It delivers the kind of queer narrative Cypher never heard growing up. It seeks to rectify the whitewashing of Arab Americans in the U.S., recover and preserve Cypher’s Middle Eastern heritage, and look at parallels in the systemic injustices found in

America and Palestine.

“Representation matters,” Cypher tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “I wanted the readers to think about what stories they take for granted and where the gaps exist between what we have language for and what we don’t but still feels true.”

Steeped in magical realism, Cypher’s novel delivers a stirring, lyrical tale of a family through numerous generations and the stories that run through them, beginning with the birth of the Elspeth Noura Rummani, aka Betty Rummani, a queer Palestinian American with cobalt blue skin.

Cypher says she started the novel around 20 years ago. In a very early draft, characters gave birth to a cobalt blue baby. However, she didn’t know what to do with the idea then. Every time the Freeport Area High School graduate

tried to explain why the child was blue, the story fell flat.

“The longer I left it as an open question, the more I felt like the novel could explore what I wanted it to explore,” says Cypher.

Then the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon happened, and Cypher began thinking about what it meant to be Arab American in a post9/11 United States.

“I don’t think of myself as a woman of color, but a lot of my relatives do,” Cypher says. “Post 9/11, I leaned pretty hard into recovering that identity after seeing a lot of people forget it. We owe a lot to the work done in the 20th century to be considered equal. But at the same time, we look at stuff like how the U.S. census still doesn’t have a category for Arab Americans; there’s this kind of

whitewashing in America that I was really uncomfortable with. So, in a way, working on The Skin and Its Girl was an intervention in that.”

Cypher finished the draft but could not find an editor at the time, so she put it aside. She picked up The Skin and Its Girl again after joining the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, where she received her MFA.

“A lot had changed since I first worked on it; there was a lot more literary magical realism out there being published in English, I was reading a lot more queer literature, and more queer literature was getting published,” says Cypher. “When I finished it at the end of my MFA, I felt it was coming out into a different world from when I first started it.”

14 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM
PHOTO: JEN JOSEPH PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Cypher
LITERATURE
UNDER THE SKIN, CONTINUES ON PG. 16
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William Maruca

The Skin and Its Girl covers over 200 years of history as Rummani visits her late Aunt Nuha’s gravestone. Various family narratives and tales are explored in a stream-of-consciousness fashion, as Rummani decides whether to stay in the U.S. or head abroad with her lover. This style was a hard sell for editors as the novel was originally written in the first person.

“I was writing against that Western model of a single narrative arc and adopting more of the repetitions of traditional Arabic folklore,” explains Cypher. “So, I wasn’t willing to change how the story was told.”

Cypher. “I think it’s a way of the narrator having the authority to tell their story for the first time, and there’s a specific listener that they trust, and yes, it positions the reader outside of that communication, but there’s a charge around it, of overhearing a conversation or opening someone else’s mail. There’s that reflective space that I think matters.”

She wanted that “reflective space” for the characters in her novel.

“It’s not just about preserving the memories and family history in Palestine, and issues related to their immigration into the U.S., but also about

Then she had a middle-of-the-night revelation — what if she changed The Skin and Its Girl to the second person? After that, Cypher immediately found a publisher.

“I realized that [the second person] comes up a lot in queer literature,” says

what stories hold secrets — hold space for the truth — that a character like Nuha didn’t have the language to talk about, or didn’t have an audience who wanted hear the truth,” says Cypher, “and I felt that really keenly when I was working on the draft.” •

16 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM
Follow Featured Contributor Jordan Snowden on Twitter @snowden_jordan UNDER THE SKIN, CONTINUED FROM PG. 14
“I don’t think of myself as a woman of color, but a lot of my relatives do. Post 9/11, I leaned pretty hard into recovering that identity after seeing a lot of people forget it.”
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE The Skin and Its Girl

INDIE BOOKSELLER SPOTLIGHT

New releases at City Books

908 Galveston Ave., North Side. citybookspgh.com

INDIE BOOKSELLER SPOTLIGHT is a regular column listing new releases at Pittsburgh book shops. Support local businesses and find your next favorite read.

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

(HarperCollins)

The best-selling author of Babel returns with a bitingly funny story about a white writer who takes her dead Asian peer’s manuscript and pawns it off as her own.

Good Night, Irene

(Hachette)

Luis Alberto Urrea took inspiration from his mother’s Red Cross service to create this tale about a group of brave women on the frontlines of World War II.

The Late Americans by Brandon Taylor

(Penguin Random House)

A group of young friends find their lives forever altered during a cabin trip in this coming-of-age story from Brandon Taylor.

The Lost Journals of Sacajawea by Debra Magpie Earling

(Milkweed Editions)

An Indigenous author redefines the legacy of Sacajawea, the famed Shoshone guide and translator for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Chef’s Choice

(Simon & Schuster)

Two trans characters embark on a classic rom-com conceit in what Simon & Schuster calls a “swoon-worthy and heartwarming queer love story from a charming new voice in romance.” •

17 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023 Check out our digital edition at PGHCITYPAPER.COM PITTSBURGH’S ALTERNATIVE FOR NEWS, ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT SINCE 1991. LITERATURE
Follow A&E Editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HARPER COLLINS PHOTO: COURTESY OF HACHETTE PHOTO: COURTESY OF MILKWEED EDITIONS PHOTO: COURTESY OF SIMON & SCHUSTER PHOTO: COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

PigeonWeek

MAY 15-19

ELECTION RESULTS

Progressive candidates clean up in Democratic primaries

THANK YOU to all who participated in our caption contest for Pigeon Week.

ALLEGHENY COUNTY looks poised for a new generation of leadership, as progressive candidates seeking the highest local offices made major strides in the Democratic primaries.

Progressive lawmaker Sara Innamorato claimed victory in the executive race May 17, while reformist public defender Matt Dugan seized a win in the District Attorney contest.

COUNTY EXECUTIVE

INNAMORATO, a state representative for Lawrenceville and surrounding communities, entered the race as a relative underdog compared to veteran officeholders John Weinstein and Michael Lamb. Early polling showed her trailing the former frontrunners by double digits.

But her campaign quickly tapped into a progressive insurgency in county politics that saw Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep. Summer Lee overcome establishment favorites within the last two years. And both in turn lent their support to Innamorato.

As other Democrats scrambled for the middle ground, Innamorato rested on an unapologetically progressive campaign, vowing to use the tools of office to tackle climate change, racial injustice, and homelessness.

“Government should be a reflection of all of us — of our values, our priorities, and our morals — and if we do not see that reflected back onto us, it is our duty

to change that through organizing and voting,” Innamorato said in her victory statement. “Throughout this campaign we met people where they are at, engaged our neighbors in values-based conversations about housing, good union jobs, corporate accountability, and clean air and water.”

“We brought people who have been shut out of the political process into the conversation, centered the voices of communities that have been devastated by decades of disinvestment and environmental racism, and empowered community leaders who are doing the hard work building a better world each and every day.”

Innamorato’s win spells a heavy blow for Weinstein, a six-term county treasurer who entered the executive race as an early frontrunner after picking up the party endorsement and posting impressive fundraising reports out of the gate. Early polling showed him in the lead with more than a third of the vote share split between the six candidates.

But his candidacy took a beating from media reports claiming he was removed from the ALCOSAN board amid an FBI investigation and then attempted to strike a quid-pro-quo deal to regain his seat there. Other reports surfaced tying him to a federal racketeering lawsuit, implicating him in an absentee ballot investigation during a local election in the 1990s, and criticizing his glitzy campaign spending. His polling numbers plummeted as Innamorato’s spiked.

18 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM NEWS
"The Allegations are FALSE: I’ve never once wet my beak with public funds — my opponent on the other hand has run a campaign full of fowl play — he’s a jailbird and has been Robin the taxpayers!"
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Winning caption by Aaron Trojian
And
Aviary

ing incumbent Stephen Zappala, vowing to bring needed reforms to the county’s criminal system.

Zappala’s reputation has taken a hit in recent years following allegations he instructed his office to withhold plea deals to a Black lawyer who accused the district attorney of systemic racism in 2021. Two years earlier, his failure to convict Michael Rosfeld, a police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black youth, also tarnished Zappala’s reputation among progressives.

First elected in 1998, Zappala survived

Middleman now serves as a judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

Dugan has vowed to employ diversion approaches that spare low-level offenders from incarceration and permanent records.

Progressives have landed wins in other key races, with Bethany Hallam staving off a challenge from Joanna Doven to retain her at-large seat on county council, and party activist Erica Brusselars landing a decisive win in the county treasurer’s race. •

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS AT A GLANCE

ALLEGHENY COUNTY

Executive: Sara Innamorato

Controller: Corey O'Connor

Treasurer: Erica Brusselars

District Attorney: Matt Dugan

Court of Common Pleas: Patrick A. Sweeney

Council at-large: Bethany Hallam

PITTSBURGH

Controller: Rachel Heisler

Council District 1: Bobby Wilson

Council District 3: Bob Charland

Council District 5: Barb Warwick

Council District 7: Deb Gross

Council District 9: Kharis Mosley

19 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023 Call now! 1-855-385-3879 Dental50Plus.com/Citypaper See any dentist — save more if you stay in network Preventive care starts right away No deductible, no annual maximum Product not available in all states. Contact us to see the coverage and offer available in your state. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation including costs and limitations. This specific offer is not available in CO. Call 1-800-969-4781 or respond for a similar offer. In WV: To find a provider in the network visit us at https://www. physiciansmutual.com/web/dental/find-dentist. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E); Insurance Policy P150; Rider Kinds B438/ B439. In CA, CO, ID, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MO, NV, NJ, NC, ND, VA: Includes Participating Providers and Preventive Benefits Rider. Certificate C254/B465 (PA: C254PA); Insurance Policy P154/B469 (GA: P154GA; OK: P154OK; TN: P154TN). It doesn’t matter what dentist you see, we can help pay the bill. Get dental insurance from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. 6323 Get your FREE Information Kit DENTAL Insurance Get help paying big dental bills Follow News Editor Jamie Wiggan on Twitter @JamieWiggan
“Government should be a reflection of all of us — of our values, our priorities, and our morals — and if we do not see that reflected back onto us, it is our duty to change that through organizing and voting.”
— Sara Innamorato, Democratic candidate for County Executive

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

THU., MAY 25

ART • WEST END

Within and Without and Cluster: New Spring Group Show 5-8 p.m.

Continues through July 7. James Gallery. 413 S. Main St., West End. Free. jamesgallery.net

FILM • POINT BREEZE

Shakespeare on Screen, 1990s Style: Shakespeare in Love. 6:30 p.m. The Frick Art Museum. 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze. $5-15. thefrickpittsburgh.org

THEATER • OAKLAND

Kinetic Theatre presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Every Brilliant Thing, described by director Andrew Paul as a “comedy about depression.” Staging at the Univerity of Pittsburgh’s Rauh Studio Theatre, the “hilarious and heart-warming interactive play” by Duncan MacMillan tackles the difficult subject of suicide with the story of a child who looks for beauty in the world after the death of a parent. Volunteers from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will also attend performances as a way to inform and educate audiences on the show’s subject matter. 8 p.m. Continues through June 11. 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. $20-45. kinetictheatre.org

MUSIC • MUNHALL

Citizen Cope 8 p.m. Door at 7 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $38-58. librarymusichall.com

FRI., MAY 26

ART • NORTH SIDE

Andrea M. Smith: Praying for Wings.

11 a.m.-4 p.m. Continues through June 17. here, Gallery. 527 N. Taylor Ave., North Side. Free. gallery-here.com

LIT • DOWNTOWN

Lit Fridays presents Antonio Howard

6 p.m. August Wilson African American Cultural Center. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. Registration required. awaacc.org

SAT., MAY 27

MON., MAY 29

SAT., MAY 27

ART • OAKLAND

Joan Brown 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Continues through Sept. 24. Carnegie Museum of Art. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Included with regular admission. carnegieart.org

LIT • FRIENDSHIP

Broken Glass Reading and Book Signing with author Rebecca Ann Miles. 1 p.m. The Pittsburgh Glass Center. 5472 Penn Ave., Friendship. Free. pittsburghglasscenter.org

FESTIVAL

• NORTH SIDE

Over 20 artists from 13 American states, as well as Ukraine, will convene on the North Side for the Pittsburgh Riverwalk & Chalk Fest. Taking place on Allegheny Landing, the family-friendly event showcases incredible chalk artistry, as well as local musicians and vendors. Grab a drink from the Shorty’s “Chalk-tail Bar,” partake in games and activities, and more. A percentage of food and beverage sales will benefit Riverlife’s work to support Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. 1-6 p.m. Continues through Sun., May 28. Isabelle Street, North Side. Free. riverlifepgh.org

MUSIC • ALLISON PARK

WonderWorks Festival with Hozier and Jason Mraz 1:30-11 p.m. Continues through Sun., May 28. Hartwood Acres. 4000 Middle Road, Allison Park. $60-175, plus service fees. wonderworksfest.com

20 WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM
PHOTO: COURTESY OF A24 Showing Up at the Harris Theater PHOTO: COURTESY OF CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART Joan Brown at the Carnegie Museum of Art

SAT., MAY 27

MUSIC • LAWRENCEVILLE

Sweat Album Release Party with Stupid Head, OutsideInside, and DJ Hot Wheels 8 p.m. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $12. 21 and over. spiritpgh.com

SUN., MAY 28

OUTDOORS • NORTH SIDE/SOUTH SIDE

Dust off your bike, rollerblades, wagon, or other wheels for an activity-filled, car-free journey with OpenStreetsPGH

The annual series, which encourages people to explore the city on foot or manually-powered transportation, kicks off with North Shore to South Side. As the route progresses, participants will find stops featuring free yoga, dance classes, art-making activities, music, and more, all presented by local organizations and businesses. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Multiple locations, North Side and South Side. Free. openstreetspgh.org

MARKET • HOMESTEAD

I Made It! Market presents Summer Series Under the Bridge. 12-5 p.m. Continues through Sept. 24. High Level Bridge at The Waterfront, Homestead. Free. imadeitmarket.com

SAT., MAY 27

MON., MAY 29

FILM • DOWNTOWN

A24 fans should head to the Harris Theater for screenings of Showing Up. The latest film from celebrated filmmaker Kelly Reichardt stars Michelle Williams as a sculptor caught up in the drama of her personal and professional lives. Described as a “captivatingly funny portrait of art and craft,” the film marks yet another collaboration between Reichardt and Williams, who also worked together on Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, and Certain Women. 5 p.m. Continues through June 1. 809 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $11. trustarts.org

TUE., MAY 30

MUSIC • DOWNTOWN

David Throckmorton 5 p.m. Liberty Magic. 5 p.m. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Free. trustarts.org

WED., MAY 31

ART • LAWRENCEVILLE

The Grandeur of Power 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Continues through June 24. Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. 100 43rd St. Unit 107, Lawrenceville. Free. aapgh.org/power

21 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER MAY 24 - 31, 2023 C E L E B R A T E I N S T Y L E CORPORATE EVENTS | HOLIDAY PARTIES | WEDDINGS LIVENATION COM/SPECIALEVENTS | ROXIANTHEATREEVENTS@LIVENATION COM | 412 690 0996 LYNN CULLEN LIVE LIVE PODCAST 10 A.M. MONDAY THRU THURSDAY AT PGHCITYPAPER.COM
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE SYN The Blue Stones at WonderWorks Festival PHOTO: COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH RIVERWALK & CHALK FEST Artist Bridget Lyons at Pittsburgh Riverwalk & Chalk Fest

HELP WANTED SENIOR QUALITY ASSURANCE ENGINEER

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. seeks Senior Quality Assurance Engineer for Pittsburgh, PA. Role holder is eligible for hybrid work schedule with manager approval and must reside within commuting distance from the work location. RQRD: Bach Degree in Electronic Engnrng, Comp Engnrng Com Sci or rel +6 yrs of exp. Send resume+cvr ltr to: TARecruitment@ Broadridge.com. Ref. code required: Senior Quality Assurance Engineer. 6591694

MARKET PLACE

EXT. 113

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: 700 E Carson St, Pittsburgh PA 15203 on June 7, 2023 at 12:15 PM. Unit 1001 David Palladino, Unit 1074 Marylyn Brooke, Unit 1077 Marylyn Brooke, Unit 168 Jade Perry, Unit 2106 Jailah Porter, and Unit 2174 Elizabeth Beech . 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: 6400 Hamilton Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15206 June 7, 2023 at 1:45 PM. 2020 Thomas Apitsch, 4101 Lashawn Watkins, L013 Taylor Earle, L061 Erik Pajer- Rogers. 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 the Extra Space Lien at 3200 Park Manor Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 on 06/07/2023 at 1:00pm. 2071 Nicole Jackman and 4005 Dennis Fron. 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 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. June 7, 2023 at 12:30 PM. Jeff Thomas 1090. 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: 902 Brinton Rd, Pittsburgh, Pa 15221. June 7th 2023, at 11:30am. Lolita Chrisler 1043, Dana Lining 1146, Tiger Weaver 3011, Shaquana Grant 3049, Nikita Pitts 3133, Cameron Smith 3228. 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: 880 Saw Mill Run Blvd, Pittsburgh PA 15226 June 7, 2023, at 1:15 PM. 2048 Imani Alexander, 2064 Quintin Kittle, 2153 Mary Ngugi, 2192 Rae Terry, 3085 Breanna Venable, 3140 Sarah Hays. 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.

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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: 1005 E Entry Drive Pittsburgh PA 15216, June 7, 2023 at 11:30 AM. Kyla Gonder 6110, Robert Goodnight 9102. 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.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF MATWICZYK, PATRICIA A., DECEASED OF PITTSBURGH, PA

Patricia A. Matwiczyk, deceased of Pittsburgh, PA No. 022207896 of 2023.

Allen J. Augustine, Adm. 135 Shroyer Mill Road, Butler, PA 16001. Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF TUROCY, ANDREW J., DECEASED OF WEST MIFFLIN, PA

Andrew J. Turocy, deceased of West Mifflin, PA No. 022303426 of 2023. Janet Bryja Turocy, Adm. 1729 Gina Drive, West Mifflin, PA 15122, Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF MULLIGAN, LESLIE C., DECEASED OF PLEASANT HILLS, PA

Leslie C. Mulligan, deceased of Pleasant Hills, PA No. 022303037 of 2023. Katie Siemon, Adm. 3112 Siler Drive, Finleyville, PA 15332.

Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney.

68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF ANDRES, DAVID

R., DECEASED OF GLASSPORT, PA

David R. Andres, deceased of Glassport, PA No. 022301510 of 2023.

Terry Woytovich, Adm. 2207 Washington Boulevard, Glassport, PA 15045, Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF HEINRICH, ALICE M., DECEASED OF SOUTH PARK, PA

Alice M. Heinrich, deceased of South Park, PA No. 022300972 of 2023. Gretchen Daberko, Ext. 6305 Crestview Drive, South Park, PA 15129, Or to D. Scott Lautner, Attorney. 68 Old Clairton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236.

ESTATE NOTICE

ESTATE OF LUBAWSKI, JAY R., DECEASED OF BETHEL PARK, PA Jay R. Lubawski, deceased of Bethel Park, PA No. 3440 of 2023. Susan Lucas, Ext. 1340 Quail Run Circle, Bethel Park, PA 15102. Or to Michael L. Balzarini, Esquire. 310 Grant St., Suite

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ACROSS

runner’s goal

48.  Combined media barrage?

53.  Kao na nua cuisine

55.  Charismatic leader?

56.  “Where is the ___?”

57.  Things that hold up fashion doll toys?

61.  See 54-Down

62.  Typesetter’s selection

63.  “Turn on the ceiling fan, will ya?”

64.  Squeezed (by)

financial losses

13.  Platform with Face ID

19.  Real estate abbr.

21.  Bibimbap side dish

24.  Suit worn by jazz cats

25.  Undivided

26.  Around-theworld trip

27.  Mountain pool

29.  Key audience for influencers, for short

33.  Running things

34.  Curvy calligraphy style

of a jigsaw, often

40.  Food court building

46.  “___ Fideles”

48.  Real lulu

49.  Some hoodies emblazoned with rhinos

50.  “This’ll do”

51.  They get rotated in a garage

52.  Link’s princess

54.  With 61-Across, encouraging words

57.  Curator’s preliminary deg.

58.  Beneficial info

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-5405

In re petition of Fredrick Devon Jackson for change of name to Devon Qadir Boyd.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 20th day of June, 2023, 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-23-005138

In re petition of Bridget Mary Fare-Obersteiner for change of name to Bridget Fare Obersteiner.

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 9th day of June, 2023, 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. Shannon D. Sacca, Esquire, Attorney for Petitioner. Address: Bunde & Roberts, P.C., Benedum Trees Building, 223 4th Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Phone: (412) 391-4330

NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-23-005682

In re petition of Sarah Ann Riley for change of name to Sarah Ann Kain.

To all persons interested:

Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 20th day of June, 2023, 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-23-5868, In re petition of Karla Krull, parent and legal guardian of Viktor Karl Bill Doran-Krull, for change of name to Viktor Karl Krull. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 8th day of June 2023, 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.

22.  Trout native to Anaheim

23.  Doofus wearing Dr. Martens?

28.  Bother 30.  “I’m shocked,” initially 31.  FDR program 32.  A fiver 33.  Sporty Camaro 35.  Messing with other actors?

37.  Exasperated cry 38.  Exact copy of an excellent French city? 41.  Hosp. area 42.  Bozo 43.  Acting without thinking 44.  Put on

Come together 46.  Yahoo! portal

47.  Maze

65.  Alan of crosswords

66.  What || means

67.  Flat top land

DOWN

1.  Take it all off

2.  “Silly, silly, silly”

3.  Favored one side

4.  Unimaginably long time

5.  Programmer’s work

6.  Reach the top

7.  Summer time in Philly

8.  Documentarian

Garbus

9.  Allow

10.  Mixed-berry smoothie berry

11.  Sugar substitutes?

12.  Suffer huge

35.  ___ fruit

36.  Oxygen-using bacterium

38.  Home-care worker

39.  First focus

59.  Org. with the Rod of Aesculapius in its logo

60. In the Heights director Jon M. ___

61.  Real lulu

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WEEK’S ANSWERS
LAST
1.  Step on it! 5.  Common battery size 10.  Whatever it is, he’s against it 14.  Stand-up ___ Von 15.  Classic karaoke selection 16.  “Bye, babe” 17.  Reynolds who coowns Wrexham AFC 18.  Songs by airheads? 20.  Molecule with an a negative charge 21.  Actress Cattrall
45.

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