December 14, 2022 - Pittsburgh City Paper

A MATTER OF FAMILY BUSINESS

BY JAMIE WIGGAN // JAMIE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

SONNY JANI always maintained he would stay in McKees Rocks until his mother died.

The 1988 Sto-Rox graduate moved to the suburbs as soon as he could, after amassing a small property empire and eventually winning a landmark lawsuit against the NFL on behalf of Mike Webster. But until a few months ago, he continued to work out of a small office at the back of Blue Eagle, his family’s Broadway Avenue convenience store.

Seven years earlier, a Muslim family from Pakistan who bought a rival store two doors down, would have seemed like unlikely candidates. But a slow blos soming friendship led to a transaction which, they now say, came to represent much more given their distinctive family histories.

“For the longest time I was raised up to hate Muslims,” Jani says, noting his sister was once held captive for 48 hours by a neighboring Muslim family while the

Six days a week, after tending to business, Jani would sit down to eat with his mother in the flat above where she lived before driving back home to Cranberry Township.

When Kamlaben Jani became sick in the spring at age 85, Sonny and his siblings knew they had some tough decisions to make. They settled on selling the store, as long as they could agree on an owner to entrust with their parents’ legacy.

Janis still lived in India.

Hindu-Muslim animosity in the Indian subcontinent extends back cen turies, and has recently reasserted itself there at the center of political life through the rise of Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. But for many families connected to either side, the feuding is fused with personal history.

Anytime Market owner Mohsen Khan says his upbringing was rare in the sense that his father had some Hindu friends

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

(from left to right) Mohsen Khan, Sonny Jani, and Usman Khokhar pose for a portrait at the Jailhouse Saloon.

who would occasionally come over to watch cricket. But the Khans, who have lived around Pittsburgh since the 1990s, haven’t been spared from the sectarian trauma. Mohsen’s grandmother was forcibly uprooted from her home and marched to the newly formed nation of Pakistan during the Indian partition.

“She was actually forced to leave India in 1947,” Khan tells City Paper. “One day, her dad was like, ‘Alright, we gotta go.’ And she had to travel like 200 miles to Lahore, and she was probably only like 8 or 9 years old.”

Although leaders like Mahatma Gandhi had fought for a unified independent India, the separatist faction eventually won out and the Indian subcontinent was split into two nations at

the time of its emancipation from British rule. The larger portion, today’s India, was apportioned for the Hindu majority, while Pakistan and West Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were formed for the Muslim minority. It’s estimated up to a million people died crossing the borders following the partitioning.

“Could you imagine hundreds of millions of people all at the same time were told, ‘leave your home and go somewhere else?’” Khan says.

When Jani arrived in the U.S. at age 15, he felt he had more to fear from white American teenagers than the small number of Pakistani Muslims who then lived around Pittsburgh.

His business success meant some of those former bullies later called on him

for help, and he would usually find them a job or an apartment when he could. Yet he continued to keep Pakistanis (he has had long friendships with Muslims from other parts of the world) at arms length for several decades.

Somehow, though, as rival business owners, Jani and Khan came to be close friends -- drawn together by a similarly mischievous sense of humor. The prank that secured their friendship was supplied by a handful of difficult customers known to both store owners, who took turns sending them next door, promising the other proprietor had what they were looking for.

“You know people get real hurt, and they don’t know how to take a joke,” Khan says. “When I hear a joke from Sonny, I

just give him one back straight away…So over the course of the years, I mean, I got to know his family, too. I got to know his mom, his sisters, his brother, his brother in law.”

But when it comes to the fate of a 40-year family legacy, as was the Blue Eagle to the Janis, intergenerational conflict can quickly reassert itself.

Kamlaben traveled 7,000 miles from Gujarat, India to build a better life, and Blue Eagle came to represent the security and permanence her family had made for themselves in America. For nearly forty years she worked there seven days a week, Jani says, without ever closing for major holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.

For Jani and his siblings, their bond with the family business was also strong.

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM (from left to right) Usman Khokhar, Sonny Jani, and Mohsen Khan pose for a portrait at the Jailhouse Saloon.

“Blue Eagle was not just a corner store to me because I raised my two kids there, Mike Webster was there. When I got kicked out of my house, I was living there,” he says.

immediately have his whole family’s backing.

“I think it was harder for people in his family to accept it,” Khan says. “Just because they’re older and they’ve been

Jani was 22 and running a sports card store when he ran across a down-and-out Mike Webster sleeping in a Downtown bus shelter. But where others may have dismissed the brain-damaged former Steelers star, Jani found a way to improve both their fortunes by setting him up on a signing and speaking circuit, and splitting the profits. Jani eventually became a close friend and caregiver to Webster, and, after he died, he successfully sued the NFL on behalf of his estate.

Khan says he discussed his interest in Blue Eagle before Kamlaben became ill, asking simply if he could make the first offer. Jani agreed, but he didn’t

through stuff in India.”

Kamlaben, who Jani says, came to like Khan despite her lifelong dislike of Pakistanis, helped settle the matter with her vote of support.

She said, according to Jani, “I want you and your brother to live happily, and if this would make you happy, then do it.”

When Kamlaben died in August, Khan was among the small circle of friends and family invited to her Hindu memorial ceremony. They closed the deal on the store several weeks later.

“We’re not in a war, we’re in a friendship,” says Jani. “And now our friendship is growing.”

•

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Follow news editor Jamie Wiggan on Twitter @JamieWiggan

“Blue Eagle was not just a corner store to me because I raised my two kids there, Mike Webster was there. When I got kicked out of my house, I was living there."

CP PHOTO: JARED WICKERHAM

Sonny Jani shows his Mike Webster Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl ring.

PLANNING AHEAD?

The future of Pittsburgh Public Schools

AFTER INITIALLY PROJECTING a fund balance depletion by the end of next year, the Pittsburgh Public School District is now preparing to pass a budget that will keep them afloat at least through 2023 without a tax increase.

Propping it up, though, is approximately $61 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding from the American Rescue Plan’s Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief. But this will soon dry up, leaving tough choices ahead for school officials.

“Regardless of ESSER funding, our cost drivers remain the same,” CFO Ronald Joseph tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “The true cost of charter schools did go up. We’ve had escalating mandated costs at the state level, such as our retirement reimbursement that has increased. We have rising costs everywhere and our costs are rising at a higher rate than our revenue rises.”

The PPS 2023 preliminary budget of $675.9 million was released to the public on Nov. 23. It projects an operating deficit of $9.2 million, which will draw down the

unreserved fund balance to $59.1 million by the the end of 2023.

Last year, the district released a deficit presentation anticipating its reserves would be depleted by 2023 if school officials couldn’t find a way to cut costs or raise revenue.

The ESSER funds, which can be used until 2024, are helping protect the district from the worst effects of its rising costs. Alongside these, the district also carried over some budgetary reserves and implemented a tax increase in 2022.

Joseph’s strategy for deploying the ESSER funds has been to limit longterm investment spending to prevent future funding drops. Instead, he says, the funding is being predominantly allocated to one-time expenditures, like enrichment programs to address lost learning, as well as technology and building upgrades.

CP ILLUSTRATION: LUCY CHEN

“We were intentional about not just using it to purchase a whole bunch of staff because we know that if we’re not targeting specific interventions and programs, then at the end of the funding we’ll fall off a cliff and won’t have a means of continuing those expenditures,” Joseph says.

Joseph says the district’s financial woes began in 2011, when there was a significant reduction in revenue from the state. Since then, continued rising costs have added to the troubles, Joseph says.

“We’re always at a point right now where our costs are growing at a rate that’s higher than our projected revenues, so that presents the structural deficit,” Joseph says.

Declining enrollment is among the key factors driving the district’s structural deficit. Consequently, the revenue contributed by the state is lowered, and costs to charter schools have risen.

Staff salaries and charter school expenses make up 66% of the total 2023 appropriations, with charter schools costing PPS roughly $120 million and staff costing around $329 million. This is coupled with increases to the general fund requirements that outpace growth in enrollment.

School board members are set to vote on the budget at the Wed., Dec. 21 legislative session. As for future decisions to address the district’s persistent budgetary concerns, nothing has been announced, but district board members have a multitude of options to consider.

EFFORTS TO INCREASE REVENUE

TO ADDRESS future funding issues, the district may have some options for increasing revenue streams, but Joseph warns the effort can be ultimately problematic.

“That’s not really the game that we’re in. There are ways we might be able to generate some revenue, but it’s about who we’re charging,” Joseph says. “The main service we offer is education, and we’re not charging our residents for education because it’s free public education and they already indirectly pay via taxes.”

During recent years, the district has sold unused buildings to generate revenue, but that, Joseph notes, is not sustainable. The district has also recently implemented a program using cameras on buses to help fine drivers who unlawfully pass stopped school buses. Some revenue will be generated from the program, but the average revenue per year is unknown.

Alternatively, the district could try to invest in efforts to increase enrollment or continue to petition the city to return to an earlier wage tax formula that would provide around $20 million to PPS.

In 2005, Pittsburgh reformed the formula for wage taxes to address the city’s fiscal distress at the time. City residents paid a 3% wage tax and 2% went to the school district. After the reform, only 1.75% went to the schools. In 2021, the school board requested that the formula be converted back since the city’s fiscal distress had passed and the city was proposing that the district was in a state of financial distres. The city resisted returning the funds.

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EFFORTS TO DECREASE COSTS

LIMITING COSTS to the district might be a more feasible option for the budget in the next couple years, but Joseph is uncomfortable proposing options before the board indicates what actions it wants to take.

With legacy and structure costs already consuming large portions of the budget every year before funding can be manipulated to meet district goals, there are limited options as to how the district can cut costs while maintaining its education initiatives.

With growth in staff not corresponding to the growth in enrollment, limiting staff is a possible solution. Closing schools to sell buildings and consolidate resources is also plausible.

“What I can say is those discussions have to occur between the board of administration, and I anticipate those

discussions will be held publicly,” Joseph said. “Any plans that we will have for addressing our projected shortfalls will be a discussion that will be had publicly and will require tons of stakeholder engagement.”

PPS CFO Ronald Joseph said there were no new major investments or reductions to the budget because of the recent transition in the district’s leadership from previous superintendent Anthony Hamlet to Dr. Wayne Walters.

“Now, with that permanent leadership, we can expect that there will be more changes coming forward because we do need to address this issue. But this year, for this budget, it was just basically about maintaining services, not any major new investments or any reductions, but just maintaining the services we need to provide to our students.” •

PUBLIC WEIGHS CONCERNS ON BOOSTED SECURITY SPENDING

BY ALICE CROW // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

COMMUNITY MEMBERS raised concerns over increased security funding in the 2023 Pittsburgh Public Schools preliminary during a Dec. 5 public hearing. Security personnel received an estimated $74,000 increase, while safety and security received an estimated $25,000 increase. The security budget now totals a little over $4 million.

criminalizing Black and Brown young people instead of supporting them.”

This sentiment was echoed by community advocates on behalf of 412 Justice, a nonprofit focused on economic, environmental, and educational justice.

“There is a need to divest funds from resources that harm and criminalize our students and invest in restorative pro -

Despite the transitional nature of the budget, community members expressed their opposition to any sort of increase to the security budget.

“PPS has an obligation to make sure that students are getting the resources and support that they need to get a quality education,” said community member Joy Evans. “When PPS pours money into ineffective and harmful policing practices in schools, while failing to fund restorative justice expansion and student support services, it expresses value in controlling and

grams that show positive outcomes,” said advocate Paulette Foster.

“I do understand that public school funding has taken many cuts, and many hits over the years, and continues to decline. So I am super clear that we gotta get really creative when creating budgets moving forward,” said Angel Gober, also with 412 Justice. “We should divest from safety personnel and invest in full-time school climate coordinator positions, one for each school, dedicated to implementation of restorative justice programs through the school district.”

•

“PPS has an obligation to make sure that students are getting the resources and support that they need to get a quality education."

ART CAST IN SILVER

BY KIM PASKORZ // KIM@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

THE EVOLUTION of Evan Sanders' photography comes full circle, and out of the box, with his new project.

Sanders released Elegant Vessels: A Century of Southwest Silver Boxes, a book that memorializes a collection of 171 Native American-crafted silver boxes. The work, now for sale at Four Winds Gallery in Shadyside and online, was produced in conjunction with a similarly titled exhibit at the Heard Museum, a nonprofit institution in Phoenix, Ariz. with the stated mission of presenting, interpreting, and advancing Native American art.

5512 Walnut St., Shadyside. fourwindsgallery.com

Sanders, now creative director at Four Winds Gallery, garnered images of silver boxes from the collection of shop owner John Krena, who first took interest in Native American jewelry in the 1970s as a steelworker looking for a way out of the mill. Krena and his wife, Carol, often traveled southwest to camp, where they visited reservations, bought jewelry, and brought it back to customers in Pittsburgh.

“We fell in love with it. We started meeting the artists,” says Krena, who has run the shop on Walnut Street for nearly five decades. In 1978, he purchased his first silver box, an item often made for artists to show off skills or woo tourists.

Today, Krena’s box collection, which still includes that first purchase, totals around 150. The collection increases and ebbs as Krena sells some and purchases others.

PHOTO: CARY SHAFFER

Evan Sanders

Heard’s exhibit, which runs through March 5, 2023. The Heard, since 1929, has shared works by Native American artists. “Silver jewelry and metalworks are part of the very earliest items collected,” says Diana Pardue, chief curator at the museum. “An exhibition of silver boxes is a perfect thematic fit.”

If you can’t make it to Arizona, Krena welcomes the public to Four Winds, where a portion of the collection is displayed.

“This book is years of work … to celebrate that these boxes exist,” Sanders says. “This is an art form that I didn’t know about until I found it. It found me. John and I’s worlds collided. He had this collection that needed to be brought to life, and I was like, ‘Let’s do this.’”

Sanders, 41, first recognized the power of photography while growing up in Westmoreland County. His dad was a Navy man active in Desert Storm, and communications were limited. So, Sanders leaned heavily on the likes of National Geographic and Time magazine to gain glimpses into his father’s world. He was blown away.

“Someone was there … across the world. And somehow those images ended up in my hands. That blew my mind,” he says. “I studied those photos. I was obsessed.”

Beginning his photographic journey humbly, doing school projects with a light-leaking box camera, Sanders later shadowed a friend who photographed snowboarding. “I learned that the camera is such an effective tool,” he says.

Working from Home?

Sanders attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and later obtained a staff position at a Greensburg-based newspaper, where he did more than a decade of photojournalism. “Every photo was my favorite assignment, and yet I believe I’ve yet to take my favorite assignment,” he says.

challenging to photograph. The knife wings and thunderbirds; the stamp work and inlays; the shiny silver and vibrant hues of turquoise inherent to Native American jewelry appealed to Sanders’ aesthetics.

Sanders says he’s never surprised by the path photography leads him on, and

As a photojournalist, Sanders memorialized moments “in a community that was relying on me to be their eyes.”

“No matter where I was, that’s where I needed to be,” he says. “Little League championships, car accidents … I had an important role. I was supposed to be there.”

Still, he says, he believed there was “something greater out there” for him. He left his full-time gig in 2016 to photograph personal interests, like “rally racing and the human condition. I’m just interested in beautiful things … sunsets, landscapes, my neighborhood.”

Sanders says he’s drawn to Native American metal art because “all this work has a soul,” and because silver is

everything he’s done previously prepared him for this project. “It’s full circle.”

He has ideas for future photographic adventures and would like to catalog and present images to historical societies of the communities he covered as a photojournalist. He might document artist workspaces “to preserve that legacy, that moment in time.”

And he definitely will continue involvement at Four Winds.

“Wait,” says Sanders, quickly flipping the Elegant Vessels ’ glossy pages. He pauses on a page to thump a finger onto a corner, ironically, with no photo. Instead, there’s a text excerpt of a traditional Navajo blessing: “It is finished in beauty.” •

“This is an art form that I didn’t know about until I found it. It found me.”

PHOTO: CARY SHAFFER John Krena

OLYMPUS RISES

BY MATTHEW MONROY // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

HIGH-SCHOOL music projects don’t often outlive freshman year of college. Still rocking after two decades together, Olympus Mons has managed to break the mold. The four-piece celebrated its 20-year anniversary last month and recently released another album.

Audiences will get a live taste of the new album No Lights Left but the Sun when Olympus Mons performs it on Fri., Dec. 16 at Brillobox. Dropped on Dec. 13, No Lights Left but the Sun marks the third album from the Pittsburgh-born and raised band, and its first release in 10 years.

For a band that has been around as long as Olympus Mons, three albums may seem like an underachievement. Or maybe it’s the secret to their staying together this long.

“I don’t think we ever had grand aspirations of ‘make it or break it,’” says bassist

Mike Bechtold, who plays in the band with his twin brother, keyboardist Brian. “It was more just, we’re enjoying what we’re doing and the experiences we’re getting with it. Just good friends getting together, making some music, sometimes playing it out.”

OLYMPUS MONS WITH SHADE AND DJ MIKE CUNNINGHAM

9 p.m. Fri., Dec. 16. Brillobox. 4104 Penn Ave., Bloomfield. $10. brilloboxpgh.com

The Bechtolds, along with drummer Kurt Threlfall and singer Mike Ummer, launched the band in high school over a shared love of music creation. Their past two albums, Olympus Mons in 2008 and The Mink Trapper’s Daughter in 2012, established their space rock, shoegazeinspired sound.

The new album was conceived over three wintry days in November 2019 at an Airbnb on Somerset County’s Indian Lake. The setting’s icy, gloomy atmosphere seeped into their recording process, which took place before the start of the pandemic.

“I’d say over three quarters of the album is kind of melancholic,” says Threlfall. “It kind of seemed to foretell what was coming, not just for us, but the whole world.”

No Lights Left but the Sun builds off the band’s backlog of noisy songs driven by The Cure-style guitar melodies into a more mature songwriting perspective. Over the album’s seven tracks, Ummer drones and wails over steady bass lines. Think U2 arena rock but for a dimly lit dive bar.

The press release for the new album describes Olympus Mons as “rather reclusive.” In person, Pittsburgh City

Paper finds them less withdrawn than expected, as they share stories about college recording sessions fueled by Night Lite beer, and hanging show flyers on light posts in the freezing cold.

The Pittsburgh music scene looks a lot different than when they first started, and they’ll be the first to admit that they’re behind the times when it comes to social media (they only recently launched their Twitter). But since high school, their focus has been on simply playing good music.

“I think we’ve been pretty consistent,” says Threlfall. “I don’t think we could do this with anyone else. It’s either the four of us or nothing.”

The band got its start kicking it at clubs and bars in the South Side, shaking hands with promoters and getting in at small local venues while they were still 18 and 19 years old. Most of the places where they played — Howlers, 31st Street Pub, The Rex Theater, Z Lounge — have gone belly

PHOTO: ERIN BECHTOLD

up as a new wave of Pittsburgh venues takes their place.

“People still remember those days. Everything used to be word of mouth,” says Threlfall. “I’m kind of struggling to adapt to the new things. Everything seems to be much more social-media heavy.”

Even though the music scene has changed, the band’s chemistry remains the same.

the ground” serves as an apt metaphor for devastating everyday emotions and a neat summation of the band’s deceptively layered melodies.

Despite Olympus Mons’ gloomy aesthetic and heavy sound, the album closes with two future-looking tracks, the bright and jangly “Wishing You Well” and the contemplative “A Celebrated Triumph.” Backed by a quick keyboard riff and

RECORD STORE SPOTLIGHT

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

Record Store Spotlight is a regular column listing new releases at Pittsburgh vinyl shops. Support local businesses and find your next favorite album.

Síntesis

Moderna:

An Alternative Vision Of

Argentinean Music (1980-1990)

Various Artists, Soundway Records

What do you buy for the music lover who has everything? Soundway Records, a a Britishbased independent record label, offers this collection described by Bandcamp as capturing “a kaleidoscopic landscape of Italo disco, prototechno, and loungy ambient sounds.”

No Light In Heaven

Strange Ranger, Fire Talk

Fire Talk released Strange Ranger’s new mixtape, described by the Brooklyn label as holding some of the indie band’s “most experimental and ambitious work yet,” possessing “something both abstract and astute; the product of a band in transition and a group of people making something effortlessly transcendental out of their new surroundings.”

Paintin’ The Town Brown Live 1990-1998

GOVERNMENT CENTER

715 East St., North Side. thegovernmentcenter.com

“We all learned to play together,” says Bechtold. “We’ve had people come over and jam, but it never seems to quite fit chemistry-wise. It doesn’t really feel the same.”

The new album starts with “Automate,” a soaring intro track underscored by Threlfall’s pounding drums. Ummer’s vocals, initially soft-spoken, rise up and over the song by the end chorus, reverbing in swirling guitar trails.

The next track, “The Faintest Sounds,” erupts into an attention-grabbing guitar melody before sliding into the vocals. “If I was the only one/On the bottom of the moon,” sings Ummer. The song picks up with a far-away-sounding wail on the chorus: “The faintest sounds/They shake

underlined by Threlfall’s steady drumbeat on the tried-and-true Pearl drum kit he’s been using since ninth grade, “A Celebrated Triumph” ponders conclusions and hard-earned moments of rest with “There’s not lights left but the sun/ This is my salutation/So draw the curtain for the ovation.”

Is this the last bow for the 20-year-old band? Little chance. As long as it remains fun, making music together won’t stop for a long time, Bechtold says.

“It’s an odd thing — getting together with your friends, just being a part of something else. Being a part of a team almost,” Bechtold says. “For us, it’s never been out forcing anything. We’re looking forward to just keeping it going.” •

Ween ATO Records

We all have that weird friend who just loves Ween. Or maybe you are that weird friend. Either way, ATO Records’ reissue of the oddball rock band’s 1999 live album captures some of their very first shows.

Genius Of Modern Music

Thelonious Monk, Blue Note Records

This selection from Blue Note Records’ Classic Vinyl Reissue Series contains four sessions recorded in 1947 and 1948, with Monk in trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet settings performing compositions including “’Round Midnight,” “Ruby My Dear,” “Epistrophy,” “Well You Needn’t,” and “Thelonious.”

“I don’t think we could do this with anyone else. It’s either the four of us or nothing.”

BY AMANDA WALTZ // AWALTZ@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

THEDANCE COMPANY announced two sensory-friendly performances of its annual holiday production that combines spectacular ballet with the classic story of a young girl transported to a magical world by a handsome Nutcracker prince. Taking place Fri., Dec. 16, and Tue., Dec.

27, the shows will, according to a press release, provide a "judgment-free zone where performers, theater staff and patrons are accepting of additional sound and movement in the audience and lobby."

>> MORE ONLINE

SCREEN DEC., 9

Two documentary projects shed light on Pittsburgh's Black history

OWEN GABBEY // OGABBEY@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

S THE PITTSBURGH FILM SCENE continues to expand, so does the scope of the local stories filmmakers are able to tell. Malhari Media has taken this approach, resulting in films highlighting social issues and important figures. This weekend, the production company will show Pittsburgh audiences just the kind of stories they’re looking to tell.

>> MORE ONLINE

FEATURED STORY

WEED DEC., 9

BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

WHILE GOV. WOLF SAID he hoped to offer “thousands of Pennsylvanians” a chance to clear their records of minor marijuana charges, last week, the Board of Pardons voted to advance the applications of just 231 of the roughly 2,600 individuals who applied for clemency.

Only standalone charges for possession of a small amount of marijuana were eligible for pardon, meaning individuals with prior charges of any kind were not eligible. The project ran only for the month of September and is no longer open to applicants.

JUSTICE DEC., 8

BY JORDANA ROSENFELD // JORDANA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

ASADVOCATES statewide celebrate the recently announced closure of an infamous Pennsylvania immigrant detention center, they're also demanding the release of the individuals currently held inside. On Nov. 30, Berks County officials announced the end of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s contract to detain migrants at Berks

County Residential Center. "We celebrate this victory but remain steadfast in once again demanding the immediate release of women from this prison; we will not accept the transfer of people currently detained at Berks to other immigrant prisons," according to a statement from the Shut Down Berks Coalition.

>> MORE ONLINE

Pa. Board of Pardons approves less than 10% of Marijuana Pardon Project applicants

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RISHI SETHI/MALHARI MEDIA

JaQuay Edward Carter in Hazelwood Alive

PHOTO: ROSALIE O’CONNOR

The Nutcracker by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

PHOTO: SHUT DOWN BERKS COALITION

Members of the Shut Down Berks Coalition protest the Pa. immigrant detention facility in front of the White House.

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

THU., DEC. 15

FILM • MCKEES ROCKS

Horror isn’t just for Halloween. Check out a new holiday sick flick when the Parkway Theater screens Christmas Bloody Christmas, in which a small town finds itself at the mercy of a killer robotic Santa. The film is directed by Joe Begos and stars Jonah Ray, the new host of Mystery Science Theater 3000. This is the last night for local audiences to see it on the big screen, so don’t miss it. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. 644 Broadway Ave., McKees Rocks. $8 communityreelartscenter.org

MUSIC • NORTH SIDE

The Government Center presents Tough Pill #17, a performance series held at different venues throughout Pittsburgh. This installment features New York City jazz soloist Josh Sinton along with improvising brass and string musicians Mimi Jong, Mila Shadel, Mai Khoi, Jason Belcher, Jay Rauch, and Patrick Breiner. Expect a groovy night that, according to Government Center’s website, will “create space for practitioners while also expanding the scope of the experimental art audience.” 7 p.m. Government Center. 715 East St., North Side. $5-10. thegovernmentcenter.com/events/tough-pill-17

MUSIC • DOWNTOWN

Class up your holiday with cocktails and music in Joinery’s chic lobby. The newish Downtown spot will host Hotel Holiday

Listening Nights, a series showcasing local musicians. For this installment, acoustic artist Scott Riggle will play a mix of rock, blues, folk, country, and contemporary music, including covers from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, Old Crow Medicine Show, and more. 7-9 p.m. 453 Boulevard of the Allies, Downtown. Free. joineryhotel.com

FRI., DEC. 16

DRAG • STRIP DISTRICT

Get steamy at Club Pittsburgh with Bathhouse Betty, a queer dance music night from DJs Leonce and Clark Price (onethird of DJ powerhouse Honcho), and performances from Remy Black and moon baby, hot off her debut electro-pop album The One You Need. The event — named after Bette Midler’s ninth studio album — is the first Bathhouse Betty since the pandemic, so get ready for an all-night party till the early dawn. 12–6 a.m. 1139 Penn Ave., Strip District. $10-15. clubpittsburgh.com/events/1614235

OPERA • NORTH SIDE

New Hazlett Theater showcases two holiday operas with Amahl and the Night Visitors and The Ballad of the Brown King. Both shows revolve around the Biblical story of The Three Kings, with Amahl and the Night Visitors telling the story of a young boy and his mother’s miraculous run-in with the men on their way to Bethlehem. The Ballad of the

BY CP STAFF

Brown King makes an apt partner: the 1950s cantata was written in honor of Balthazar, one-third of the Three Kings. Plus, check out the world premiere of Nancy Galbraith’s holiday opera Rededication, performed by librettist Sara Stock Mayo. 7:30 p.m. Continues through Sun., Dec. 18. 6 Allegheny Square East, North Side. $15-52. newhazletttheater.org

SAT., DEC. 17

WRESTLING • MILLVALE

Head ringside when Enjoy Wrestling brings an event packed with drama, daring stunts, and dreamy athletes to Mr. Smalls Theatre Enjoy Odyssey will present two title matches, an appearance by AEW star Lee Moriarty, and an Enjoy Championship battle royale. Fans will also get to witness the debut of intergender wrestling legend LuFisto. Tickets are selling fast so get yours before it’s too late. 7 p.m.400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $25. linktr.ee/Enjoywrestling

EVENT • DOWNTOWN

All families are welcome at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center for its Holiday Community Day. The free event will highlight Kwanzaa, an African American holiday celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. Expect local vendors selling clothes, jewelry, and art. DEMASKUS Collective, a Pittsburgh theater collective, reggae group The Flow Band, and Kwanzaa dancers and

drummers will also present live performances to round out the afternoon. And don’t forget to take a pic with Santa and Mrs. Claus before you leave to re-up your holiday nice points. 12-4 p.m. 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown. Registration required. awaacc.org/event/ holiday-community-day

MARKET • NORTH HILLS

Pittsburgh can never get enough holiday events, and Necromancer Brewing has one packed with food, brews, fun, and more. The Night Before Krampus promises festive tap takeovers by various partner breweries, popups, flash (including a Necromancer design) by Evolver Tattoo, a mini drag show from Mostbeautifullest and the Doll House, and music by DJ Scottro. There will also be food by Black Sheep Barbecue and Pittsburgh Taco Boys, and the debut of Necromancer’s Holiday Mixed four-pack. 6-10 p.m. 2257 Babcock Blvd., North Hills. Free. necromancer.beer

SUN., DEC. 18

THEATER • MCKEES ROCKS

Bring the kids for a performance of Princess and the Pea at Gemini Theater Company Performed by an all-child cast, the play tells the story of King Viktor and Queen Nova, soon-retired rulers searching for a worthy successor who can pass their centuries-old family “test.” The hiring process gets a little complicated after Viktor’s embittered cousin

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MACGILLIVRAY FREEMAN

^ Himpback Whales 3D at Carnegie Science Center

enters the scene. Will they ever find a suitable ruler? Check out this musical, long delayed since its inception before the pandemic, and find out. 1 and 3:30 p.m. 420 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. $5-15. geminitheater.org

MON., DEC. 19

FILM • NORTH SIDE

See one of the ocean’s most majestic mammals when the Carnegie Science Center continues screening the short film Humpback Whales 3D. Presented on the Rangos Giant Cinema screen, the 40minute work by MacGillivray Freeman drops audiences into the waters of Alaska, Hawaii, and Tonga for an up-close look at these enormous creatures. Narration provided by famous actor Ewan McGregor will provide plenty of information about the habits of these fascinating animals. 12:15 p.m. Continues through Jan. 1, 2023. One Allegheny Ave., North Side. $6-7. carnegiesciencecenter.org

TUE., DEC. 20

FILM • ALLENTOWN

Local celebrity Rick Sebak returns to Bottlerocket Social Hall for Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh. Sebak will present the WQED documentary about December traditions in the ‘burgh, which has become a staple of many a family’s holiday season since its 2002 release. Watch the movie over the cidery winter edition of the bar’s specialty drink, the Bottlerocket Punch. Have questions for Mr. Sebak? Stick around for the Q&A after the movie. 7-9 p.m.

WED., DEC. 21

MAGIC • DOWNTOWN

Pick a card, any card when Ran’D Shine shows off his signature illusions for Evidence of Things Unseen at Liberty Magic. Described on the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust website as immersive, surprising, and unexpected, the show will put on display why Shine has appeared in over 25 countries all over the world. Beyond performing, Shine has also sought to diversify his industry by hosting a show featuring an all-Black cast of magicians, and by serving as the co-founder and past president of the International Association of Black Magical Artists. 5 p.m. Continues through Fri., Dec. 30. 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $40-65. trustarts.org

ART • NORTH SIDE

The new exhibition at here gallery will feature five sculptures that promise to examine “how boundaries can inform our own lived and deeply psychological experiences.”

Chains are a recurring theme in Rachel Mica Weiss: GRAVITY, with Weiss, a New Yorkbased sculptor and installation artist, amplifying or distorting their size and weight. “Net,” Weiss’ first wall-based chain work, draws the eye in with “a smoky-gradient of resin [that] adorns the wall as if it were cloaking an absent body.” Continues through Jan. 7, 2023. 527 North Taylor Ave., North Side. Free. gallery-here.com/RMW-Gravity

Why you need dental insurance in retirement.

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

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When you’re comparing plans ...

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

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

Medicare doesn’t pay for dental care.1

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

Early detection can prevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.

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

Previous dental work can wear out.

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

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

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

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Bottlerocket Social Hall. 1226 Arlington Ave., Allentown. $5. bottlerocketpgh.com

PHOTO: SEAN EATON/COURTESY OF JOINERY HOTEL

^ Hotel Holiday Listening Nights at Joinery

MARKET PLACE

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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: 7535 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, 11:00am December 22, 2022.

2002 Sunsune Bey; 2076 Shawn Pritchett; 4005 Shakeeya Simmons; 4023 Brenda Williams; 4076 Renee Howard; 5066 Jonette Hurt and 6076 Jose Ram. 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.

Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purOFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS PGH. CARMALT PreK-8 • Window Replacement and Envelope Repair • General, Electrical and Asbestos Primes PGH. LANGLEY K-8 • Finish Floor Replacements and Miscellaneous Work • General, and Asbestos Abatement Primes PGH. CONROY SPECIAL EDUCATION CENTER, SCHILLER 6-8, AND SPRING HILL K-5 • Whiteboard Installations • General Primes

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, December 22, 2022 at 11:30 AM.

Carmine Diulus, 2118, Brad Davis 3128, Daryle Rucker 5158, Brad Davis 8118. 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.

HELP WANTED BUSINESS MANAGER

MN Shadyside Inc., a multi-location retail food business, seeks a Business Manager in our Pittsburgh, PA office responsible for managing all financial and related aspects of MN Shadyside Inc.’s business. Applicants should email resumes to Hiring4710@outlook.com

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NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-22-14318

In re petition of Dana Marie Dzuriak for change of name to Dana Marie Traficante. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 23rd day of January, 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.

www.selfstorageauction.com ending on December 20, 2022 at 10:00 am, and day

time a high

be determined.

Old Haymaker Road Monroeville, PA 15146: Unit #1221 Ericka Elk, Unit #3314 Ashley Beley

Route 30, North Huntingdon, PA 15642: Unit #2066 Andrew Boardman, Unit #3061 Sean Welsh, Unit #3064 James Beard

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NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-22-13228.

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NAME CHANGE

IN The Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. GD-22-13561

A.M.

district. Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on January 10, 2023, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

William Penn Highway, Monroeville, PA 15146: Unit # 11108 Jacklyn Scullion, Unit #12911 Rebecca Tolliver, Unit #13603 Krystle Knox, Unit #21415 Mason Ranalla, Unit #22111 Michael Battle, Unit #22206 Rondell Barrett 1028 Ridge Road, Tarentum, Pa 15084: Unit #31204 Jacquelyn Touray, Unit #31713 Maurice Suggs, Unit # 32235 Anthony Naccarato 901 Brinton Road, Pittsburgh, Pa 15221: Unit #10114 Austiana Tate, Unit #10120 Unique Brown, Unit #11211 Jamie Durrant, Unit #11402 Michelle Quashie, Unit #2126 Dalynn Jones, Unit #2132 Deon Valentine, Unit #2210 Harold Green, Unit #3203 Maya Stephens, Unit # 4103 Mica Young, Unit #51041 Janelle Jones, Unit #6119 Candia Bullock, Unit #6229 Dock Fielder, Unit #9107 Ebony Anderson 7452 McKnight Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237: Unit #2534 Danielle Holley, Unit #430 Shareef Alexander, Unit #510 Carolyn Jones 401 Coraopolis Rd, Coraopolis PA 15108: Unit # 11122 Joshua Lamond, Unit #13007 Joy Marble, Unit #13202 Kari Schavolt, Unit #13602 Phillip Merritt, Unit #13605 Luann M Yetsick, Unit #22013 Michelle Lucas 2670 Washington Road, Canonsburg, Pa 15317: Unit #3413 William H Scherz 922 Brush Creek Road, Warrendale, Pa 15086: Unit #325 India Smith 5873 Centre Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206: Unit #2311 Clovies Boyd, Unit #2520 Ty Washington, Unit #8308 Toshshay Moore, Unit #L2912 Tonya McClain 2839 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222: Unit #4314 Fredrick Mcgill, Unit #4404 John Arocha, Unit #4605 Ayonna Lyman, Unit #4805 Nick Rizzo, Unit #5124 Billie Vaughn, Unit #5707 Iona Johnson, Unit #6008 Michelle Ford, Unit #6804 Tamira Johnson, Unit #6821 Cody Allen 750 South Millvale Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213: Unit #220 Justice Henry, Unit #257 Jontuea Lane, Unit #5612 Joel Malloy, Unit #6406 John Moore 1002 East Waterfront Drive, Munhall, PA 15120: Unit #1423 Shaun McArdle, Unit 1501 Lauren Margerum, Unit #1702 Theodore Plata, Unit #3521 Juanita Gibson, Unit #3602 Lawrence Ragin, Unit #3923 Cydnee Perry 1300 Lebanon Church Road, West Mifflin, PA 15236: Unit #12111 Corey Hawkins, Unit #21228 Lashontae Wyley, Unit #22105 Bill Miller, Unit #32115 David Crousey, Unit #42205 Mark Wilk 1599 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017: Unit #3210 Lexie Andrews, Unit #52410 Leann Monz

Purchases must be made with cash and paid at the location at the above referenced facility to complete the transaction. Guardian Storage has the right to refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.