🌟 Who should be on Pgh’s Walk of Fame?

📣 What Changes Could Trump Bring to Pgh?

Trump promised mass deportations, and some Latino residents are fearful of ICE sweeps. Monica Ruiz, executive director of Casa San Jose, says this could have a “ripple effect on the local economy and the fabric of the community.” Trump’s administration could also throw out Biden-era environmental regulations that limited fracking in Pennsylvania. [PublicSource]

• Go inside Monica Ruiz’s tiny Beechview office that doubles as a makeshift immigration courtroom. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]
• Here’s what else we’re watching for with the new administration. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

🏈 Two Steelers-Themed KFCs Open in Mexico

Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Mexico City and Guadalupe locations are decked out with black-and-gold colors, logos, and jerseys of past and present players. While many fans south of the border travel for games, it’s possible the Steelers could play in Mexico city this year. [Axios / KDKA]

• Did yinz know that you’re saying these Pittsburgh sports names wrong? [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

👀 Who Wants the Open City Council Seat?

Three Democrats and one Republican are running to replace Theresa Kail-Smith, who is retiring this year from her post representing District 2 in the West End. The Democratic candidates for the May primary include Kim Salinetro (who has Kail-Smith’s endorsement), David Binkoski, and Amanda Neatrour. Republican Erin Koper will be on the ballot in November. Find out more about the candidates. [TribLive]

We love celebrating our own in this city, and now there’s a new nonprofit creating a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame in the Strip District so visitors can learn more about homegrown stars.

The project’s founder and executive director, Nancy Polinsky Johnson, joins us on the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast to share how you can submit a nomination and how they’re planning to pick whose names go on those shiny stars.

To be considered for a star, ”they either have had to have been born here, spent their formative years here, or spent their creative or societally influential years here.” Nancy says. “And what they did must have had a national influence — or beyond, even globally”

⭐ Our Picks for Pittsburgh’s Walk of Fame

Fred Rogers, Rachel Carson, Andy Warhol, Roberto Clemente, and August Wilson — these are just a few of the hometown heroes we fully expect to see honored on Pittsburgh’s Walk of Fame. But what about some lesser-known legendary locals? Here are City Cast Pittsburgh’s nominations!

🎙️ Mary Dee Dudley

In 1948, Dudley became the nation’s first Black female disc jockey, mixing and controlling her daily 15-minute show “Movin’ Around”' on WHOD in Homestead. She used her platform to amplify the voices of Black artists, interviewing national acts like Cab Calloway, Jackie Robinson, and Sarah Vaughan. Dudley left Pittsburgh in 1956, but her work in Pittsburgh broke racial and gender barriers, setting a stage for DJs throughout the U.S. — Francesca Dabecco, senior newsletter editor

🎶 Charles Henry Pace

Pace is considered a pioneer of gospel music. After moving from Chicago to Pittsburgh in 1936, he and his wife Frankie Mae Pace founded the Pace Choral Union, which performed locally and on the radio. Charles Henry Pace also started one of the first Black-owned publishing companies in the Hill District. Pace’s company distributed music around the country, becoming a valuable resource for musicians in Pittsburgh and beyond. — Sophia Lo, producer

🩰 Martha Graham

Born in Allegheny City in 1894, Graham was a devoted and prolific artist and choreographer who danced and taught until her death at age 96. She rejected fascists, platformed fellow performers, and shared her time and talents with thousands of patrons and students. Her impact on what we now call modern dance is incalculable. She received many awards in her lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976. — Megan Harris, host

🏥 Thomas Starzl

Known as the “father of modern transplantation,” Starzl performed the first successful human liver transplant in 1963 and brought this revolutionary treatment to Pitt’s School of Medicine in the 1980s. Starzl’s medical breakthroughs — including his work preventing organ rejection — made transplants safer and more accessible, transforming the procedure and saving untold lives. — Mallory Falk, executive producer