November 3, 2021 - Pittsburgh City Paper

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ISTANBUL CORNER FIGHTS TO STAY OPEN DURING THE PANDEMIC

Marwan Elkardoudi, owner of Istanbul Corner

PGHCITYPAPER.COM PGHCITYPAPER PGHCITYPAPER PITTSBURGHCITYPAPER

NOV. 3-10, 2021

FIRSTSHOT BYY JARED WICKERHAM

The Netflix movie, Rustin, films Downtown along Grant Street on Thu., Oct. 28.

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NOV. 3-10, 2021 VOLUME 30 + ISSUE 44 Editor-In-Chief LISA CUNNINGHAM Director of Advertising JASMINE HUGHES Director of Operations KEVIN SHEPHERD Managing Editor RYAN DETO A&E Editor AMANDA WALTZ Staff Writer DANI JANAE Photographer/Videographer JARED WICKERHAM Editorial Designer LUCY CHEN Graphic Designer JEFF SCHRECKENGOST Digital Marketing Coordinator DARYA KHARABI Sales Representatives ZACK DURKIN, OWEN GABBEY, HANNAH MORAN-FUNWELA Circulation Manager JEFF ENGBARTH Featured Contributors REGE BEHE, MIKE CANTON, LYNN CULLEN, TERENEH IDIA Interns TIA BAILEY, ISABELLA DIAZ, JASON PHOX 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 4

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9/23/21 PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

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3:45 PM

THE BIG STORY

RESTAURANT RESCUE

BY JASON PHOX // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

F

OR 17 YEARS, Marwan Elkardoudi

worked in kitchens making unique dishes. During that time, he also learned the skills needed to manage a business and always hoped to operate his own restaurant one day. In late 2020, he finally achieved his dream and opened Istanbul Corner, a take-out Turkish restaurant on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Unfortunately, Elkardoudi’s dream is in peril. Since the initial highs of opening the space, Elkardoudi has watched as his customer numbers dwindled until profits were gravely affected. Within six months, his chances at building a thriving business seem near-impossible, some of it affected by things out of Elkardoudi’s control. He began to notice prices for supplies doubling, likely a side-effect of the pandemic, including how the price of chicken more than doubled.

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On East Ohio Street in the city’s historic Deutschtown neighborhood, Istanbul Corner resides alongside numerous other small businesses, such as Priory Fine Pastries and Lillen’s Pizza and Restaurant.

The area has a wide variety of small shops, banks, barbershops, and restaurants enjoyed by the community.

Once inside Istanbul Corner, one might notice the restaurant’s blue walls or wood paneling on the buffet table, holding the restaurant’s colorful array of take-out dishes. However, the first thing to usually catch customers’ eyes is the kitchen. It isn’t hidden behind a wall or in another room; its prominence in the space ensures that it isn’t missed. This allows customers to see Elkardoudi prepare their meals and take orders at the same time. They also get to see how humble and charming the take-out restaurant is, with Elkardoudi

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Marwan Elkardoudi, owner of Istanbul Corner, at his North Side restaurant on Fri., Oct. 29 CONTINUES ON PG. 6

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

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RESTAURANT RESCUE, CONTINUED FROM PG. 5

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Marwan Elkardoudi, owner of Istanbul Corner, at his North Side restaurant on Fri., Oct. 29

ready to greet customers as soon as they enter the front door.

Elkardoudi said he has been thankful for the community support in his short time running Istanbul Corner, and for those who patronize his business.

“They [the North Side community] try their best,” he said. “There is always a limit for what a person can do, and a kind word motivates me. It means a lot when someone stops by to say nice words to me.”

While Elkardoudi keeps fighting these challenges to help keep Istanbul Corner open, the North Side community has been rallying behind him. To assist with expenses, Elkardoudi created a GoFundMe page asking for financial support for his restaurant. The funds from his request will go towards keeping Istanbul Corner from closing and to help with the supply shortage many restaurants face today due to the pandemic.

Before he opened his own restaurant, Elkardoudi had an extensive background working in the restaurant industry. After he got his culinary degree, Elkardoudi worked with Istanbul Grille owner Coskun “Josh”

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Gokalp, where he was taught the ins and outs of the kitchen.

ISTANBUL CORNER’S GOFUNDME tinyurl.com/GoFundMeIstanbulCorner

Using his experience working with various chiefs, Elkardoudi decided to have his restaurant specialize in Turkish dishes, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. According to Elkardoudi, 60% of his customers choose vegan and vegetarian choices.

“The area in the North Side didn’t have any different food outside of the usual,” Elkardoudi says. “The lack of vegan and vegetarian, or Middle East or Turkish foods, made me work on a menu that has variation and a lot of options, including specialty meat dishes.”

Istanbul Corner provides a wide variety of Turkish meals. Some of Elkardoudi’s favorite dishes include his cook’s special, which is cabbage, chickpeas, beets, and a salad. He also offers customers the choice of a small or large meal, which comes

with salad, rice, three sides, and a choice of meat or rice, and a choice of six sides as a vegan option.

These dishes have become noticed by some in the North Side, who support Elkardoudi’s effort.

“We’ve always been impressed with the food and service, and when we heard they were struggling we really wanted to help out,” says North Side resident Chris Rapier. “We wanted to do what we could to keep a good restaurant alive.”

On social media, North Sider Craig Melichar has voiced his support for

Istanbul Corner and called the restaurant a “neighborhood asset.”

“This is a great hard working guy, tried to do everything right but needs a little help right now,” wrote Melichar in reference to Elkardoudi. “Excellent healthy food always served with a smile and a thank you!”

But that support can’t stop all the hurdles of running a restaurant during the pandemic.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2020 that meat prices increased 16% in May 2020, the most significant jump since the index was first published monthly in

“THERE IS ALWAYS A LIMIT FOR WHAT A PERSON CAN DO, AND A KIND WORD MOTIVATES ME. IT MEANS A LOT WHEN SOMEONE STOPS BY TO SAY NICE WORDS TO ME.”

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Marwan Elkardoudi, owner of Istanbul Corner, at his North Side restaurant on Fri., Oct. 29

December 1993, and the cost of vegetables increased over 2% between March and June of 2020.

Supply chain issues were not the only thing affecting his profits. Due to the restaurant initially requiring repairs and the op ening being constantly delayed due to COVID-19, Elkardoudi says it cost over $175,000 for Istanbul Corner to finally open.

On top of those costs, Elkardoudi says his bills started to pile on top of one another. Not being able to pay his landlord over the last three months, he received a court-ordered notice to recover the property.

“This could not have come at a worse time,” Elkardoudi says, adding that he is also the father of a new “beautiful baby girl.”

Elkardoudi is not the only restaurant owner affected by the pandemic. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4.3 million Americans, or 2.9% of the entire workforce, quit their jobs in August. Labor Department data shows that about 892,000 workers in restaurants, bars, and hotels quit in August.

While some businesses were given federal grants and funds, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and Small Business Administration loans, Elkardoudi could not receive any financial assistance

due to opening just last year. Small businesses that opened before Feb. 15, 2020 were eligible for PPP loans, but Elkardoudi opened Istanbul Corner in December of that year, thus making him ineligible to apply.

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ISTANBUL CORNER 541 E. Ohio St., North Side. istanbulcornerpa.com

“ Being a small, new business owner definitely depresses you trying to keep your doors open while trying to meet your needed budget,” says Elkardoudi. “Since we do not meet the requirements with previous sales tax, you are faced with the reality that we are on our own.”

Si nce Elkardoudi launched the GoFundMe page asking for donations, the business has obtained nearly $1,700 of its $10,000 goal.

“My wife and I have poured our life savings, blood, sweat, and tears into this business. We have maxed credit cards and used all resources to stay afloat to date,” Elkardoudi wrote on his GoFundMe page.

“I’m humbly asking and hoping to get help to keep my business doors open so that I can provide for my family and continue to serve this up-and-coming community with delicious and unique food.”

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.NEWS.

Oath Keepers logo and Pittsburgh Police logo

EXTREMISM IN POLICE

BY RYAN DETO // RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

A

CCORDING TO A REPORT in Rolling

Stone magazine, a Pittsburgh Police officer used their department email to sign up for the Oath Keepers, an anti-government extremist organization.

The Southern Poverty Law Center says the Oath Keepers are a group that claims to defend the U.S. Constitution, but the entire organization is “based on a set of baseless conspiracy theories about the federal government working to destroy Americans’ liberties.” SPLC has designated them an extremist group, and the Oath Keepers are known participants and organizers in the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

Nothing in the Oct. 26 Rolling Stone report indicates that the Pittsburgh Police officer who joined the Oath Keepers participated in the Jan. 6. insurrection, but the report says the officer did attach a note to his membership request highlighting his experience as a firearms instructor, and added that he would “spread the word to my students.”

When reached, Pittsburgh Police spokesperson Cara Cruz said Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Department “is aware of the matter and the Office of Municipal Investigations is conducting an internal investigation.”

The revelation has garnered criticism from local groups who have been critical of Pittsburgh Police actions over

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the years, and from national extremism experts. An investigative researcher at the Center on Extremism, which houses the Anti-Defamation League, told Rolling Stone that the revelation was “really alarming.” One local group told Pittsburgh City Paper that the Pittsburgh Police employing such an officer, let alone one who trains others in firearms, is “extremely concerning” and should lead to more oversight within the department.

Oath Keepers were formed in 2009 by Steward Rhodes with a mission to defend the U.S. Constitution from perceived, unrealized threats from the government. The group has been known to have current and former law enforcement officers as

members. Oath Keepers have made appearances at protests across the country following police killings of Black civilians in 2014, 2015, and 2020, during which heavily armed members of the Oath Keepers were seen on rooftops in what they said was an effort to protect businesses from alleged riots. Members of the group also carried out similar activities for businesses that reopened against COVID-19 public health measures, and patrolled locations during the 2016 and 2020 elections to discourage and report alleged “voter frauds.”

Several Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to charges related to the group charging the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and court records show that Oath Keepers were among the most organized and

“THAT SHOULD BE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF BEING A POLICE OFFICER. THERE SHOULD BE NO QUESTION THAT THEY SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO, AND NEED TO RESPECT ALL OF PEOPLE’S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.”

coordinated of the hundreds charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The list of purported Oath Keeper memberships was obtained through a hack and leak by the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets. Of the 38,000 names in the membership rolls, Rolling Stone identified nearly 40 members linked to public-sector work emails such as city.pittsburgh.pa.us.

There were several former and current law enforcement officers in the leaked list.

According to an Oct. 1 BuzzFeed article, one police officer in Ferndale, Wash. who was on the list has been sued at least twice for allegedly committing civil rights and use of force abuses while in uniform. The next week that officer was placed on leave.

Quinn Cozzens, staff attorney at the public interest law firm Abolitionist Law Center, says the inclusion of a Pittsburgh Police officer in the report of purported Oath Keepers is extremely concerning, especially if that officer is interacting with the public. Cozzens says the Oath Keepers are known for picking and choosing which Constitutional rights align with the group’s far-right, extremist views, and that a Pittsburgh Police officer potentially sharing those views shouldn’t be tolerated within the department.

“That should be an essential part of being a police officer,” says Cozzens. “There

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should be no question that they should be expected to, and need to respect all of people’s Constitutional rights.”

The Abolitionist Law Center has criticized and sued the Pittsburgh Police department over its use of force, particularly for cases involving police violence against Black Lives Matter protesters in 2020.

Cozzens says this report should motivate the Pittsburgh Police department to conduct more and better screening for officers who share extreme views, since they directly counter their duty as officers.

He says the Oath Keepers also have ties to white supremacist idealogy.

“I think it is incumbent on all city police departments to root out any inkling of white supremacist or far-right views from those in their ranks,” says Cozzens.

According to The Washington Post in 2017, Oath Keeper leader Rhodes seemed to be concerned about being associated with white supremacist movements at that time, and he spoke out against racism as well as the alt-right then.

However, other local groups who are critical of the Pittsburgh Police department see the report of an Oath Keeper potentially in the department as evidence of wider extremism in the region’s police force.

“News of a Pittsburgh Police officer with ties to the Oath Keepers is unsurprising, not only because of the preponderance of racist, fascist groups throughout Western Pennsylvania, but because of the origins of policing itself as a white supremacist institution built on a legacy of strike breaking and slave catching,” reads a statement from the Pittsburgh chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. “The ever-increasing power and money directed to police and the rise of racism and fascism aren’t accidental.

The police have become an extra-judicial force, tasking themselves with the role of maintaining a very specific type of order.

This isn’t a new phenomenon; one doesn’t have to look very hard to see historical examples of the police working with white supremacist groups.”

Follow managing editor Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

9

.FOOD.

SHARING CULTURES

BY RYAN DETO RYANDETO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

C

OFFEE SHOPS CAN BE FAST-PACED

places with drinks ordered on busy mornings and customers looking to perk up for the rest of their day. It’s all part of the bustle of American life.

But coffee shops can also serve another purpose as community centers, a place to meet friends and relax. A place to come together and share quality time, and escape from that same bustle of everyday life.

And a Latin American coffee shop in the North Hills exudes that energy all the way down to its name, Tú y Yo Café, which means “you and I” in Spanish.

TÚ Y YO CAFÉ 3447 Harts Run Road, Glenshaw. facebook.com/tu.y.yo.cafe

“We wanted to open a place for everyone. ‘You and I,’ so we can sit down and share,” says cafe owner Grace BetancourtJones. “It’s about having a cup of coffee and sitting down and sharing.”

Betancourt-Jones opened Tú y Yo in 2019 on Harts Run Road in a small Indiana Township strip mall. Originally from Venezuela, she has lived in the Pittsburgh region for over 40 years, and says starting a coffee shop was inspired by how her and her daughter have enjoyed cafes when visiting Latin America.

“When we go to a coffee shop in Latin America, it is really to relax and to spend time together,” she says. “It is a designated place to relax and be with family and friends.”

Betancourt-Jones says that Tú y Yo showcases the flavors of Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Cuba, and plans to keep expanding the flavors of other Latin American countries. The cafe offers arepas, empanadas, Cubanos, and Latin American-style coffee, as well as typical coffee shop staples like lattes, drip coffees, and Americanos. Tú y Yo sources coffee from Pittsburgh’s La Prima, as well as some Guatemalan and Colombia offerings.

The cortadito is a Latin American specialty that Betancourt-Jones says is Spanish inspired. It’s one part espresso and one part steamed milk, and sweetened well with sugar. There is also Toddy, a Venezualan

CP PHOTO: RYAN DETO

A cortadito inside Tú y Yo Café in Indiana Township

hot chocolate drink for non-coffee drinkers.

As for snacks, Betancourt-Jones says the Arepa Sifrina is the most popular, and her family’s favorite. It’s a cornmeal baked bun filled with shredded chicken, gouda cheese, spices, and avocado. There are also empanadas, which BetancourtJones says are a bit different than the traditional kind, featuring dough made

with flour instead of cornmeal. But the filling is a classic South American combo of salty and sweet with ground beef, capers, olives, and raisins.

There are also homemade sweets, with a focus on another Latin American staple: guava. Sweet pastries are filled with guava paste and mild cheese. A subtle sweetsalty combo.

BETANCOURT-JONES SAYS THAT TÚ Y YO SHOWCASES THE FLAVORS OF VENEZUELA, COLOMBIA, PERU, AND CUBA, AND PLANS TO KEEP EXPANDING THE FLAVORS OF OTHER LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES. Follow managing editor Ryan Deto on Twitter @RyanDeto

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“We eat guava, we eat it for everything,” says Betancourt-Jones. “We eat it with salty cheese, we drink it, we eat by the tablespoon. Our fruit, for us, is very important.”

Tú y Yo also sells some specialty Latin American products with a focus on fair trade, women-owned businesses.

Betancourt-Jones says the cafe is about bringing cultures and people together, so that they can share experiences.

“Besides the fact that we are working to continue showcasing other countries from South America, it is a coffee shop for you and I to meet,” says Betancourt-Jones.

“That is our slogan, we believe that, for you and I to share.”

Betancourt-Jones adds, “Pittsburgh is my home, I have been here 40 years.

I get the opportunity to share about my native country. Pittsburgh is really getting there and is opening up the doors to different countries and cultures. It takes all of us to learn about everyone’s different countries, and where they come from.”

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

11

.VIEWS.

CP ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN

BLACK ARTS MATTER

BY TERENEH IDIA // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

I

FIRMLY BELIEVE I was born at the

wrong time, even though being born in June of 1969 meant I saw the moon landing at one month old which shaped my love for the cosmos, if not my ability to get good grades in physics.

No, if I could choose any time to be born in, I would time it so I was 21 years old in the 1940s. I would go to all the jazz clubs from Manchester to the Hill to Downtown.

I would be like my dad who saw every show that Charlie Parker performed, and witnessed every John Coltrane set at The Crawford Grill. I would have listened to Sarah Vaughan sing with Billy Eckstine, had my photo taken by Teenie Harris, jammed out to Mary Lou Williams, and smoked cigarettes with Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. There would be at least one evening when I would have danced with one of the Nicholas brothers. Oh! I have it all mapped out in my head.

As a kid, I watched Black Horizons on WQED. We went to the Selma Burke Art

Center in East Liberty. But I felt more surrounded by Black art inside my house than outside of it. As I got older, fewer and fewer places existed in Pittsburgh, and nothing like the multiple spaces of the mid-20th century that segregation, a larger population, and comparatively livable wages provided.

Like so many Gen Xers, I rushed out of Pittsburgh in the late 1980s. But unlike many of them, I returned in the early 2000s.

There, I found Bridgespotters, a collective of Black artists who would do everything from exhibitions to happenings to just walking around town talking about art.

(Isn’t being Black in Pittsburgh a form of creative expression, afterall?)

Of course, there was the legendary Shadow Lounge. If there had been a Pittsburgh-based Love Jones film, it would have made the perfect setting.

However, like those spaces before them, many of the people moved on and moved out. Or were pushed. Black and Brown

artists who spoke too much truth to the too powerful could see their funding stopped (if they got any to begin with) or were asked to have it returned. Amazingly talented Black-led groups weren’t given the same multiple-year funding options as their white-led counterparts.

Where Downtown Pittsburgh once asked for Black artists to show in the empty storefronts, Black artists then had to say, “Hey we want to show in Downtown again, how do we do that?” only to be met with silence.

Now, in the wake of the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, we’re seeing more attention and funding once again going to Black arts. It is now not enough to have a BLM sign in your yard, folks want to have Black art hanging on their walls, offices, and boardrooms.

Though small compared to the investments made in white-led, white legacy organizations, some Black artists and Black-led arts groups have seen an increase in financial

Follow featured contributor Tereneh Idia on Twitter @Tereneh152XX

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support and attention.

But how can we make sure this isn’t a wave that will subside? And more importantly, how do we make sure we’re not just part of consumer content, commodities, trends to devour and eventually expel for the next thing? And most importantly, how do we make sure all marginalized people are invested in throughout all forms of creative expression, so we can move beyond the Black-and-white binary of representation in Pittsburgh?

If we could really and truly invest in Black arts and Black creatives as the professionals they are, dismantle the white supremacy of the philanthropic community, and leave the often patronizing process of funding too little behind for real dollars ... If we could bring true leadership — including time and space, so precious to all, so precious to artists — then I would know that now is the perfect time for me to be a Black creative living and working in Pittsburgh.

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

13

A PLAGUE IN PITTSBURGH

BY REGE BEHE CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

The COVID-19 pandemic eerily mimicked many of the same conditions that occurred during the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918.

In Lawrence Wright’s The Plague Year, parallels are drawn between the two health-related disasters.

Notably, Pittsburgh did not fare well in 1918. Wright notes that Philadelphia had “the secondworst mortality rated in the nation.

“It was exceeded only by Pittsburgh.”

While Pittsburgh didn’t record its first case until Oct. 1, Philadelphia had already recorded 635 deaths in 24 hours. The state’s health commissioner, Benjamin Franklin Royer, responded by banning public gatherings and closing bars, movie houses and theaters, and ending parades and public funerals.

But Pittsburgh’s rate of infection increased. City leaders responded by suspending jury trials and ending church services, banning alcohol sales (except in drug stores), and finally closing schools on Oct. 24.

Resistance to the bans and closings was fierce. Wright writes: “Business interests were furious at the shutdown — saloon keepers in particular — and under pressure, the mayor (Edward V. Babcock) declared the city open for business on November 9. As a result, the epidemic dragged on, month after month. Pittsburgh would not celebrate forty-eight hours without the flu until April 21, 1919, tallying a staggering death rate of 806 people per 100,000.

Together, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh contributed many of the 40,000 to 50,000 orphans that the flu left behind in its march through Pennsylvania.” • 14

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PHOTO: KENNY BRAUN

Lawrence Wright

.LIT.

PENNING THE PANDEMIC

BY REGE BEHE // CPCONTRIBUTORS@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

W

HEN LAWRENCE WRIGHT started

to research his latest book, The Plague Year (Knopf), he knew there were stories to tell beyond the media headlines and the failures of government agencies that didn’t do enough to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 virus.

What surprised him was how many people, just by doing their jobs, impacted their communities. Dr. Ebony Hilton, an anesthesiologist at the University of Virginia, volunteered to go to communities of color near Charlottesville to provide testing.

Iris Meda, a retired nurse, taught nursing students at a small college near Dallas because she believed it was important to train new frontline workers. She contracted COVID while teaching, and died.

And Barney Graham, an epidemiologist Wright met while researching his novel The End of October, “deserves a Nobel Prize,” according to Wright, who appears Mon., Nov. 8 in a virtual event for Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures’ Ten Evenings series.

“To him, it’s just science and he loves to do it,” Wright says of Graham, who is a

deputy director at the National institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “He’s very curious. It was pure science that got us this vaccine so quickly. He and his partner Jason McLellan had been working on other coronavirus vaccines and, had it not been for that, we would still be struggling to have a vaccine, even now right.”

TEN EVENINGS WITH LAWRENCE WRIGHT 7:30 p.m. Mon., Nov. 8. Lecture will be available to screen virtually online for one week. $10-15. pittsburghlectures.org.

“Just imagine what it would be like if we were running around with a Delta variant circulating and no workable therapy,” Wright adds. “The nation would be crippled. The whole world would be.”

Graham and McLellan’s work is in counterpoint to the many missteps and miscalculations that Wright examines in the book. One of the most egregious errors was the Trump administration’s decision to jettison a playbook, a meticulous

step-by-step guide for “combatting a pathogen of pandemic potential,” prepared during the Obama presidency.

Citing a report issued in 2019 that ranked the U.S. as one of the best prepared nations to fight a pandemic, Wright says that because of such mistakes, the county was “one of the worst in terms of performance. We totally failed.”

And one of the reasons the U.S. failed, he says, was that there was a lack of trust in the country’s leadership, compared to Taiwan, New Zealand, Australia, and a few other regions where citizens followed and adhered to quarantine measures.

“If you look at the countries of the world that did well with the pandemic, it correlates with the degree of trust in authority, and especially with their government,” Wright says. “I think that is a huge indication of what happened in America, the absence of trust in government, in the press. ... Almost everything in society was crippled, and it hobbled our ability to fight this horrible disease.”

The Centers for Disease Control, according to Wright, also failed the

Drug & Alcohol Addiction Treatment The Plague Year by Lawrence Wright

country during the initial stages of the COVID outbreak. Noting that the agency was in decline when Trump became president, Wright says the CDC suffered because of the weak directors he appointed: first, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who was dismissed after six months when it was learned she bought shares in a tobacco company less than a month into her tenure at the CDC; and then, Robert Redfield, who Wright calls “a nice man but not a strong leader.”

“The CDC desperately needed someone who could stand up to Trump, but instead, Redfield was compliant,” Wright says. “His organization was undermined by political hacks and attacked by other government agencies. ... They cut $200 million out of the CDC budget for an ad campaign that supported the president’s perspective on

the pandemic. That was humiliating.”

Midway through The Plague Year, Wright states that he believes the country is at “another inflection point, when society will make a radical adjustment, for good or ill.” Almost a year after finishing the book, he still isn’t sure if the country will emerge better or worse.

“I think it’s still an open question,” he says. “We’ve faced huge challenges before.

We weathered the Depression and were able to recreate our society and make it stronger and more compassionate in the middle of that economic depression. After World War II, we created the most powerful country in the history of the world.

“But after 9/11, we invaded Iraq and tortured people. So, it’s not a certainty that tragedy can lead to enlightenment, but it’s a possibility.”

•

“IF YOU LOOK AT THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD THAT DID WELL WITH THE PANDEMIC, IT CORRELATES WITH THE DEGREE OF TRUST IN AUTHORITY, AND ESPECIALLY WITH THEIR GOVERNMENT.”

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Follow featured contributor Rege Behe on Twitter @RegeBehe_exPTR PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

15

.THEATER.

THE FACE BEHIND FRANKENSTEIN

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

T

HE LATE BORIS KARLOFF has

remained one of the most famous names in cinema history, bringing to life Frankenstein’s monster and other characters with the help of makeup and prosthetics, as well as ample screen presence.

Now, a Pittsburgh theater company will honor the English actor with a one-man show at New Hazlett Theater.

Prime Stage Theatre will present Karloff: The Man and The Monster, a show written by Randy Bowser and directed by Art DeConciliis, and starring David Nackman as the titular subject. The production is described in a press release as exploring Karloff’s “illustrious 60-year career in the entertainment industry and his enduring legacy.”

The show — staging at New Hazlett from Nov. 5-14 — will serve as a celebration of Prime Stage’s 25th season, its return to live, in-person performances, and the 90th anniversary of the iconic Frankenstein movie starring Karloff, which opened on Nov. 21, 1931.

“This is a must see performance for all Karloff fans, horror fans, and younger audiences to discover this incredible person and his wit,” says Wayne Brinda, producing artistic director for Prime Stage.

Brinda points out that Karloff became familiar to generations, not only through his many, often horrific film roles, but for his voice work in the 1966 animated holiday television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In a funny twist, the latter, which was adapted from a Dr. Seuss book, ended up winning the horror actor a Grammy Award in the Best Recording for Children category.

Karloff: The Man and The Monster originally premiered in 2014 at the Level B Theater Pub in Salem, Ore., and starred Bowser in the lead role. The play sees Karloff interacting with other invisible characters as he “re-lives moments in his life which spontaneously occur to him,” according to website New Play Exchange.

It’s further described as being told in a “kaleidoscope of fast-paced, time-hopping, and often very funny vignettes which celebrate art, life, and the indomitable human spirit.”

The play has also been touted as being endorsed by Sara Jane Karloff, the only child of Boris Karloff.

Born William Henry Pratt in England, Karloff immigrated to Canada around 1909, where he began taking acting jobs.

He then went on to Hollywood, where he landed roles in numerous silent films before finding fame in Frankenstein under director and fellow Brit James Whale. From there, he was mostly cast in horror, sci-fi, and noir films right up until his death in 1969.

PRIME STAGE PRESENTS

KARLOFF: THE MAN AND THE MONSTER Fri., Nov. 5-Sun., Nov. 14. New Hazlett Theater. 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $15-30. newhazletttheater.org

While his ability to add emotional depth to heavy makeup effects made him a household name, it also contributed to racist practices that were common in early Hollywood. Karloff, like many white actors at the time, often used yellowface to play a variety of Asian characters, including the Chinese villain Fu Manchu, giving him a more complicated legacy.

“Karloff is a deeply personal look into Boris Karloff’s life,” says Prime Stage managing director Tina Marie Cerny. “In theater, we often want to play against our type. This is a person who knew his type, embraced it, and shared it with the world.

Today, not many people know who he is, but they know the Grinch. I am beyond excited to show how much he is ingrained into our cinematic and theatrical history.”

Nackman, whose credits include performances with companies in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York, says playing Karloff is “a high point” of his career as an actor.

“Playing Karloff is an exhilarating challenge,” says Nackman.

He says the work of bringing Karloff to life has been “filled with surprise and delight,” adding that Bowser’s script “reveals much more” about Karloff “than most of us ever knew.”

“And I can’t say enough about the Prime Stage production team, led by the amazing, consummate ‘actors director,’ Art DeConciliis,” says Nackman. “Their work to put on an amazing show has been breathtaking. It’s going to be a thriller.”

•

Follow a&e editor Amanda Waltz on Twitter @AWaltzCP

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PHOTO: LAURA SLOVESKO

David Nackman as Boris Karloff in Karloff: The Man and The Monster

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PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

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PHOTO: U.S. NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE

Donora

.MUSIC.

SEEING THROUGH THE SMOG

BY TIA BAILEY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

S

PENCER JAMES, the singer/songwriter

of post-alt band Special Messages, grew up in Donora, Pa. in the 1970s before his family relocated to Maine, and was intrigued by the history of the town. He did some research and spoke to the directors of the Donora Smog Museum, a small outfit dedicated to the 1948 industrial-caused disaster that impacted thousands of residents in and around the former mill town, located just an hour south of Pittsburgh.

James, who now resides in North Carolina, then wrote the lyrics to “Donora,” combining it with music by bandmate Craig Elliot. The song is now part of Scribbles and Splashes, the new LP from Special Messages. The band’s Facebook page defines their genre as “post-alt chill punk,” their sound a mix of alt-rock and alt-country.

Scribbles and Splashes, available now on most music streaming music platforms, is the duo’s first album, and “Donora” fits in perfectly with the smooth, nostalgic rock sound of the 13-track record.

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James sings about the current state of Donora with “And the stores are open just for show / But there’s nobody in them, no one I know.” Although Donora may seem desolate, the lyrics, “This is my hometown, this is where I’m from,” conveys a sense of pride.

The music video features footage and photos from Donora’s past and present.

Low-tempo music and sad lyrics accompany archival images of old-school Kennywood and a 1950s home movie of I Dream of Jeannie actress Barbara Eden when she visited the Donora Frontier Days festival.

“I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ‘MOVING ON’ THAT I NEEDED TO DO. CONTRIBUTING TO A BETTER FUTURE IS MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE THAN PINING AWAY FOR THE PAST.”

“Through the process of creating the video and talking with current residents, the experience became transformative,” says James. “I realized that there was a certain amount of ‘moving on’ that I needed to do. Contributing to a better future is much more productive than pining away for the past.”

The video and song release coincides with the 73rd anniversary of the deadly Donora smog incident, when a temperature inversion trapped toxic smoke from the American Steel and Wire Co., Zinc Works, and coal furnaces in the valley.

The smog, which lasted from Oct. 27 to Oct. 31, 1948, killed 20 people over the course of those days, both from Donora and the neighboring town of Webster, just across the Monongahela River. It darkened the town for the entire five days, and left thousands suffering from respiratory illnesses. Hospitals were overflowing, and people were left unable to breathe.

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Craig Elliott and Spencer James of Special Messages

The smog eventually dissolved after the mills were ordered to shut down, despite initial refusal from the people who ran it. Additionally, on the last day, a storm helped sweep much of the pollution away.

Despite being dubbed by The New York Times as America’s worst air pollution disaster, the Donora smog event did little to immediately change policy.

American Steel and Wire was hit with lawsuits stating that they were responsible for the deaths, which they settled, and the company continued running the facility because of how much of the town worked there. It wasn’t until 1952, when a similar smog event occurred in London, England, that the U.S. finally changed its laws concerning air pollution. The mills then closed due to worker strikes and environmental legislation.

Both Donora and London were important factors in lawmakers finally recognizing air pollution as a public health issue, leading to the 1955 Air Pollution Control Act and subsequent environmental legislation being passed.

Though James left Donora in 1979, he returned to his hometown a few years ago to help put his last living Donora-based relative into a personal care home. He says

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that relative, his aunt Dorothy Marinkovich, had lived in Donora her entire life and worked in Pittsburgh, at one point selling suits to star Pirates player Willie Stargell, and later serving as a clerk and translator at the Yugoslavian consulate.

James says he hopes the song and video will make people see the beauty and soul of the town he grew up in.

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SPECIAL MESSAGES specialmessages.org

“Donora is geographically well placed for businesses to set up shop on the river and thrive,” he says. “The valley is so naturally beautiful — my hope is that more companies will take notice and move in.”

However, he also wants people to see beyond Donora’s tragic past or its potential future.

“Admittedly, the song itself is the ‘usual’ sad story of an ex-mill town, but along the way, I realized that it was never the amount of stores, industries, or the population that made Donora great, but more about the heart and soul of the people that defined it as a wonderful community,” James says. “I will forever cherish the memories.”

•

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19

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

IRL

IN REAL LIFE EVENT

HYBRID

MIX OF IN REAL LIFE AND ONLINE EVENT

VIRTUAL

STREAMING OR ONLINEONLY EVENT

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

^ Carnegie Museum of Art

THU., NOV. 4 STAGE • IRL Two literary icons collide when Kinetic Theatre Company presents Oscar and Walt at City Theatre. The award-winning play

by Donald Steven Olson dramatizes an encounter between 62-year-old American poet Walt Whitman and 28-year-old Irish writer Oscar Wilde in 1882. Oscar and Walt won the 2019 Best Full-Length Play award from the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights/City of West Hollywood Reading Festival, and the Kinetic production will be the play’s U.S. premiere, so catch it while you can. 8 p.m.

Continues through Nov. 20. 1300 Bingham St., South Side. $20-45. kinetictheatre.org

FRI., NOV. 5 FILM • IRL Get ready to say “Oh hi, Row House Cinema” when the single-screen theater hosts an interactive screening of the cult film The Room. Audience members will be provided with cues and props to help them fully enjoy the 2003 hit known for its enigmatic star Tommy Wiseau, inexplicable use of green screens and footballs, and

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many, MANY quotable lines. 10 p.m.

4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $13. rowhousecinema.com/events

SAT., NOV. 6 EVENT • IRL Celebrate Paganism at the Pittsburgh Witches Ball and International Pagan Music Awards this weekend. Taking place at the American Serbian Club, the event will feature six Pagan authors, live music, food, and vendors. There will also be healers, readers, and an opening and midnight ritual. Presented by The Pittsburgh Black Hat Society Network, the event description promises a “sprinkle of magic, and a chance to wear a costume or best Witchy Wear.” 6 p.m. 2524 Sarah St., South Side. $40-50. tpbhs.com

MARKET • IRL Fans of quality second-hand clothing, accessories, decor, and more will rejoice when the Pittsburgh Vintage Mixer returns for in-person shopping at NOVA Place. The family-friendly event will feature over 50 vendors selling everything from kitschy gems to one-of-a-kind fashion, as well as food and beverages. There are also 8 a.m. Early Bird tickets available for $20 that come

with a free reusable tote. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

100 South Commons, North Side. $6, free for kids under 12. pghvintagemixer.com/events

EVENT • IRL The city’s biggest public library and adjoining museums are welcoming people to experience the buildings in all their splendor with Crash the Carnegies. The weekend-long event invites participants to enjoy free museum admission, live performances, tours, hands-on artmaking, story-time, live animal encounters, a scavenger hunt, and more at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Main Branch, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Masks required inside the buildings. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Continues through Sun., Nov. 7. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registrations recommended. crashthecarnegies.org

SUN., NOV. 7 FEST • VIRTUAL The Slovak Heritage Festival returns with a virtual event hosted by local celebrity Rick Sebak. Touted as the second largest Slovak Heritage Festival in North America, the celebration will feature submitted videos

by Pittsburghers who are proud of their

Slovak heritage, as well as lectures, craft demonstrations, and traditional musical and folk dance performances. The virtual event can be accessed through the Slovak Heritage Festival YouTube channel. 1 p.m.

Free. facebook.com/SlovakHeritageFestival

EVENT • IRL The David L. Lawrence Convention Center will have everything for your big day when it presents the Pennsylvania Bridal & Wedding Expo. Find your dream photographer, caterer, or venue from a selection of vendors.

There will also be DJ demos, prizes, and giveaways, as well as a fashion show to help you say yes to the dress. 1-5 p.m. 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Downtown. Free advance passes available online. $10 at the door. bridalshowspa-dl.com

MON., NOV. 8 MUSIC • IRL The Carnegie Mellon University School of Music will present an evening of outstanding classical music at the Kresge Theatre with Carnegie Mellon Chamber Series: The New B’s Bologne and Beethoven. The free concert series combines the talents of CMU faculty members with the Pittsburgh Symphony

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Orchestra. The New B’s Bologne and Beethoven will feature the CMU Honors String Quartet for a Bologne piece and members of the PSO for the Beethoven quintet. 7:30-8:30 p.m. 5000 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. cmu.edu/cfa/music

TUE., NOV. 9 LIT • IRL The North Hills-based Riverstone Books recently expanded into Squirrel Hill and, as promised, the new location has been putting on events for literary fans ever since gathering restrictions have allowed for it. For poetry fans, the book store is hosting a Pittsburgh Poetry Society Reading, which is sure to delight those in love with verses, rhymes, stanzas, and other poetic marvels.

7-9 p.m. 5825 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill.

Free. riverstonebookstore.com

ART • VIRTUAL Join The Frick Pittsburgh for the virtual panel John Ruskin, Booker T. Washington,

and African-American Connections to the Arts & Crafts Movement. Experts Dr. Michael Bieze and Dr. Marie Lo will discuss the “19th-century Black industrial education movement in the United States” and its connections to the British Pre-Raphelite Brotherhood and the international Arts & Crafts movement.

7-8 p.m. $10, $5 for students, free for members. Registration required. thefrickpittsburgh.org/calendar

WED., NOV. 10 MUSIC • IRL Multi-Grammy winning artist Gary Clark Jr. brings his talents to Stage AE on the heels of his new album release This Land.

Clark is known for combining blues, rock, and soul music into one sound, as well as incorporating hip-hop elements into his music. He will be joined by the Southern hip-hop/rap duo Blackillac. Concert goers must provide proof of full vaccination status. 7 p.m. 400 N. Shore Drive, North Side. $45.50-99. promowestlive.com PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

21

ROYALS

BY BRENDAN EMMETT QUIGLEY // BRENDANEMMETTQUIGLEY.COM

ACROSS 1. Slight amount 6. Don’t touch 11. “Proud” parent 15. Red River city 16. Rams defensive tackle ___ Donald 17. One held in high regard 18. Sudoku solving technique reminiscent of a Star Wars fighter ship 19. Dinosaur plaza?

21. Side with curry 23. Abbr. above the Rio Grande on a map 24. Bug that can make you sleepy 26. Switch forerunner 27. College bigwigs who advise actress Cybil?

34. Fruit-filled treats 35. Parade entry 36. Metz Mrs. 37. He gave us all a lift 38. Shop holder 40. Bad attitude 41. What some athletes supposedly have in their veins 42. Jerks make them 43. Cub Scout leader 44. Winner overseeing the UK’s withdrawal from the EU? 48. Sick as a dog 49. Italian theater 50. Paris SaintGermain star Lionel

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53. Easily tagged?

56. Popular daily fantasy sports gambling site, and a hint to this puzzle’s theme 58. Belgium-based instrument manufacturer 62. Sushi selection 63. Dwarf in the garden 64. “Powering Business Worldwide” sloganeer 65. One giving a hand: Abbr.

66. Predilections 67. Award won by José Abreu in 2020

DOWN 1. “U R da best” 2. Untouched 3. Independent music icon DiFranco 4. General ideas 5. Slices of pizza, often 6. Former counterpart 7. Bring home 8. Logician’s chart 9. Not very aerodynamic 10. 40% of a penny?

11. Pope who oversaw the First Vatican Council 12. Representative Kinzinger 13. Sweat spot 14. Moffat of SNL

20. “I’m trying to get things done!”

22. Mooch off of 24. Roof covering 25. League with Juventus and Inter Milan 26. Lunch choice that (surprise) has the same calories as a regular sandwich 27. Hardly emotional 28. C neighbor 29. Guns ‘n Roses guitarist 30. Small spitz 31. “Get in line, pal, my turn first!”

32. Estefan who’s won 19 Grammys 33. Program, as a thermostat 38. Unwanted item in a stocking 39. OK hours

40. Not fleshed out?

42. Broke in two 43. Lost endorheic lake of Kazakhstan 45. Odd man out 46. Kills off a character?

47. Lobster eater’s covering 50. Molly, in four letters 51. They last for a number years 52. ___ Fifth avenue 53. Number of fruit of the Holy Spirit, according to Christianity 54. Mystery writer?: Abbr.

55. “Kids” band 57. Red spook org.

59. Right now, in texts 60. State ldr.

61. Nation’s output: Abbr.

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IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-21-7233 In re petition of Lani V. Owens for change of name to Lee Vaughn Owens. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 5th day of November, 2021, 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.

Robert S. Disney, esq. 515 California Ave. Avalon PA, 15202 412-999-5765

Glencore Ltd (Pittsburgh, PA) Oversee assessmnt & dvlpmnt of nickel opprtnities as part of US commrcl team, ensring prcsses are alignd acrss cmmdties & assets. Act as key commrcl cntct for cstmrs & lead commrcl dscussns to cnclude B2B biz deals that dlvr max custmr value/ proftablty. Implmnt key wrkflws acrss the org & train prsnnl on new commrcl strategies & due diligence prcsses. Reqs a Bach Deg in Mrkting, Finance, Econ, a rel fld or frgn equiv, fllwd by 5 yrs prog resp exp w/nickel ops/traffic. Reqs 40-50% domestc & internat’l travel (Canada, only). CV to Glencore, Attn: M.Magnano, 330 Madison Ave, NY, NY 10017 or email jobpostings@glencore-us.com Ref: SG1

Join us at PHIPPS CONSERVATORY for the holidays! Phipps is looking for individuals with friendly smiles and extraordinary customer service skills to assist with general admissions, gift shop, and events operations. Applicants must have flexible schedules, including weekend & holiday availability.

Interested candidates can apply by sending a resume to hr@phipps. conservatory.org or go to www.phippsjobs.org

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THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on November 30, 2021, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

PITTSBURGH WHITTIER K-5 • Play Area Upgrades • General Prime

PITTSBURGH BRASHEAR HIGH SCHOOL • Finish Floor Replacements and Miscellaneous Work • General Prime

Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on November 1, 2021, 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.

Dr. Stacy Lane, D.O. • 412-515-0000

HELP HEal all WITH NO JUDGEMENT

your body & soul

are welcome

• ALL INSURANCES ACCEPTED • WALK INS WELCOME • tRANSPORtATION PROGRAM • NO INSURANCE? WE CAN HELP North Shore - 127 Anderson Street - Suite 101 Timber Court Building, PIttsburgh, PA 15212 Phone: (412) 322-4151 washington, pa - 95 Leonard Avenue Suite 203, Washington PA 15301 Phone: (724) 249-2517 beaver county - 2360 hospital drive Suite 1, aliquippa, pa 15001 Phone: (724)707-1155 Erie - 3104 State Street, Erie, PA 16508 PHONE: (814) 619-4009

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER NOVEMBER 3-10, 2021

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