
City Cast Pittsburgh
🤢 Goodbye to the creator of Mr. Yuk
September 11, 2023
Christmas in September?! We’re talking with a local expert on how Pittsburgh is already searching for its holiday tree on today’s City Cast Pittsburgh podcast. Plus, I’m sharing my Pittsburgh-made gift picks for this month, because supporting local businesses is fun year-round!

What's CITY Talking About?

Goodbye to the Creator of Mr. Yuk
The founder of the iconic, sickly green sticker and retired pediatrician from Pittsburgh, Dr. Richard W. Moriarty, has died at 83. Moriarty played an integral role in developing the Pittsburgh Poison Center, where he was director, and the 1971 Mr. Yuk campaign that saved the lives of so many kids. His surviving husband, David Hairhoger, said “I would never get tired of hearing his story because I was so proud of what he did and the accomplishments he made to medicine.” [TribLIVE]
- Mr. Yuk just got its mascot debut this year. [KDKA]
Pgh to Get National Museum of Broadcasting
Pittsburgh was instrumental in the birth of commercial broadcasting with the nation’s first broadcast via KDKA on Nov. 2, 1920, announcing the Harding-Cox presidential election results to 1,000 listeners. To mark this history, Pittsburgh is getting a National Museum of Broadcasting in the former Mellon Bank in East Pittsburgh, just a few hundred yards from where KDKA first hit the airwaves. [Pittsburgh Magazine]
- ➡️ Learn about the innovative technology from Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad. [Hey Pittsburgh]
Free Technology Courses
Pittsburgh is a tech city now, and the Community College of Allegheny County is stepping up to make sure residents keep up. The Homewood-Brushton Center is offering free, for-credit courses in topics like hardware and operating systems, networking concepts, security, and troubleshooting. The 12- and 14-week, in-person courses start tomorrow and Sept. 18. All costs are covered through CCAC’s LevelUp412 program. [TribLIVE]
Steelers Get a Week 1 Reality Check
After a perfect 3-0 preseason, San Francisco’s No. 1 ranked defense creamed Pittsburgh 30-7 in front of a disappointed home crowd. Starting QB Kenny Pickett got sacked five times, and both defensive tackle Cam Heyward and wide receiver Diontae Johnson left mid-game with injuries. One bright spot: linebacker T.J. Watt tied a franchise record for sacks. [Megan Harris, City Cast Pittsburgh]

What To Do
📽️ ReelAbilities | Monday - Wednesday | Various Times
Watch award-winning films that celebrate the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people living with disabilities at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. [$18, Downtown]
☕ Gather | Monday | 6 p.m.
Meet-up with sober and sober curious folks at the Lawrenceville Market House to chat, learn, grow, and play together without alcohol. [free, Lawrenceville]
🎶 Songs of Black America | Monday | 7:30 p.m.
Hear Chamber Music Pittsburgh’s opening night concert featuring pieces that champion Black American Music and its history at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. [$35-53, Downtown / virtual]
🍷 Wine Tour with The Cheese Queen | Wednesday | 4 or 6 p.m.
Relax at a luxury Picnic in the Vineyard, paint your own wine glass, design a charcuterie board, and learn about fall wine pairings at Ripepi Winery. [$100, Monogahela].
- 🎧 Can’t make it? Learn The Cheese Queen’s charcuterie tips on City Cast Pittsburgh.

Today on City Cast

Why Pittsburgh’s Already Searching for a Holiday Tree
Labor Day is over and Pittsburghers are in full-Fall mode — buying their Halloween candy and getting their pumpkin spice fix, even if it’s still best served over ice. But the city has its eye even further out, because officials are hunting now for our next enormous Christmas tree. Bobby Cherry, the local writer behind itsChristmas365.com, shares how Public Works anoints its annual evergreen, plus his top tips for holiday events you may want to plan for in advance.
I’ll be off for a couple of days, but my colleague Natalia Aldana will have you covered.
Hope you have a great week!
– Francesca Dabecco
Thanks to City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris for editing this newsletter.
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