🥔 Kennywood’s building Potato Patch bumper cars

Gainey’s New Budget — And Roadblocks Ahead

In Mayor Ed Gainey’s “State of the City” address on Monday, he presented a 2024 budget proposal that doesn’t include any tax increases or new capital projects. Instead, it focuses on completing backlog projects from the past decade. But some officials are worried that with the end of the American Rescue Plan Act funding and debt payments scheduled over the next few years, the operating budget will be too slim. [PublicSource]

• Next stop: City Council will review and adjust the proposal in a series of public meetings.

Kennywood Announces Potato Patch Bumper Cars

The classic ride is getting a fresh look for the 2024 season in celebration of Potato Patch’s 50th anniversary. The 20 new, red-and-white, tray-style bumper cars will be filled with fries, decorative cheese sauce, and an oversized fork. [KDKA-TV]

• 🎢 The amusement park celebrated its 125th anniversary this year. Hear how Kenny’s Grove became our beloved Kennywood. [🎧City Cast Pittsburgh]

Donnie Iris Marks End of Chemo With a New Show

Local legend Donnie Iris announced that he is cancer free and will return for his first performance in over a year at the UPMC Events Center on March 16 — with a portion of each ticket donated to the American Cancer Society. Tickets for his “Luck of the Iris” show go on sale Friday at 10 a.m, but presale starts today. [KDKA-TV]

New Website Honors Hill District History

The new project shares stories about places, people, and life in the neighborhood, all gathered by community historians and residents. Community members can now digitally tour the neighborhood through audio, photos, videos, and written archives. [Hill District Digital History]

• 🏠 Have you ever seen those suburban-style homes that don’t really look like they belong in the Hill? Historian David Rotenstein shares how developer Charles E. Davis built around 500 homes all across the city for Pittsburgh’s Black middle class from the 1940s through the 1990s. [NEXTpittsburgh]
• ➡️ Hear more Hill District history from Rotenstein. [🎧City Cast Pittsburgh]

The tree-lined East End neighborhood sits to the right of Frick Park, between the valley of Fern Hollow Creek and the Nine Mile Run. But Regent Square isn’t its own thing; the neighborhood is actually made up of four different municipalities — Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Swissvale, and Wilkinsburg. Its conglomeration of little towns is sometimes confusing, which is maybe why it had so many names: Gunn Hill, Devon Plan, Wilkins Plan, Regent Place, and ultimately, Regent Square.

Land acknowledgement: Long before white settlers gave it a name, though, the land belonged to Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Osage, and Shawnee peoples.

Eat & Drink

Morning: Grab a cup of coffee or tea from the eclectic Biddle’s Escape, then mosey down Trenton Avenue for a treat from Madeleine Bakery and Bistro that will transport you to Paris. The croissants, baguettes, and other pastries are the stuff of dreams.

If you want a sit-down classic breakfast, find Famous Cafe on S. Braddock Avenue. There’s also the convenient coffee window at 61B Cafe and good-for-you fuel at Live Fresh Cold-Pressed Juice & Smoothie Bar on the same stretch.

Mid-Day: Looking to spice up your lunch? Get tacos or burritos from El Burro Dos or a cozy noodle or curry dish from Thai Cottage.

Evening: Grab a cocktail at Frick Park Tavern’s bar and enjoy home cooking like “Pittsburgh Panko Chicken Salad” or “Jimmy’s Signature Meatloaf.” Also try: a blend of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Turkish flavors at Bosphorus Mediterranean Cuisine. For a late night bite, D’s Six Pack + Dogz has you covered until 10 p.m.

Shop Local

Shop for the artsy plant-lover in your life at WorkshopPGH on Trenton Avenue. They have local pottery, candles, food products, clothes, accessories, and greeting cards for every occasion. Or, buy a ticket to their crafty workshops.

Read the rest of the Regent Square neighborhood guide on the City Cast Pittsburgh website.

Thursday, Nov. 16

• 🎻 Carnegie Mellon Chamber Series: Violins of Hope with the Clarion Quartet at Kresge Theatre | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | free | Oakland

Friday, Nov. 17

• 📣 15th Annual Inclusive Voices at Fairmont Pittsburgh | 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | $100 | Downtown
• 🎄 Holiday Kinsey Vintage Market at Kinsey Events | 5-8 p.m. | $10 | Oakdale
• 🎨 Wellness Painting Sessions with "pAint No Stress" at East End Food Co-op | 6-7:30 p.m. | $15-20 | Point Breeze

Saturday, Nov. 18

• 👟 Hibernation Hike with Pittsburgh Park Rangers at Riverview Park | 1-2 p.m. | free | Perry North
• 🍷 Wine Tasting & Food Pairing at The Forge Urban Wine Bar | 3 p.m. | $30 | Homestead

Are 450 Shelter Beds Enough For Pittsburgh’s Unhoused?

It’s officially winter, according to Allegheny County’s emergency winter housing plan, which is supposed to expand our capacity to provide for unhoused people when the temperatures start to fall. Officials say we’re ready for the cold, but with the Smithfield shelter still closed and encampments getting cleared, it’s not clear how we’ll provide for everyone who needs help. PublicSource photojournalist Stephanie Strasburg has been chronicling these stories.