🏴‍☠️ Hands off the bootleg merch

Shapiro Pitches Pittsburgh

Gov. Josh Shapiro spent the first morning of the draft pitching the region to out-of-state site selectors, who help large companies decide where to invest, relocate, or expand. He and other officials hope to sell the Pittsburgh area as a leader in advanced manufacturing, energy, tech, and robotics. [🔒 Post-Gazette]

• Shapiro recently moved to keep two coal-fired power plants open in Western PA to meet the growing energy demand from data centers. [Allegheny Front]

Giant Eagle’s Giant Buggy Rolls into Draft

The grocery chain's massive motorized shopping cart is cruising around Pittsburgh, stopping at PPG Plaza for photos, games, and giveaways. The buggy will be in town through Saturday. Giant Eagle doesn’t plan to make the street-legal cart a permanent fixture, but it could reappear in the future! [Pittsburgh Magazine]

Counterfeit NFL Gear Seized

Authorities seized bootleg NFL merchandise from at least one Strip District business in the lead-up to the draft. PA's Attorney General is warning fans to beware of deals that seem too good to be true. [TribLive]

• "What is the Strip District without a whole rack of Pirates shirts with a tortured-looking P?" Hear our take on the pre-draft crackdown. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

PPS Considers Tweak To Religious Opt-Out Policy

Pittsburgh Public Schools could start requiring teachers to provide advance notice to parents when "instruction is planned that may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs." Under state law, families already have the right to opt out of lessons, including ones with LGBTQ+ themes. Critics say the change could put an undue burden on teachers and cause "advanced censoring." [WESA]

How well do you know our city’s neighborhoods? Test your knowledge in this quiz!

City Cast Pittsburgh is celebrating 1,000 podcast episodes by making a list of ✨ 1,000 things we love about living here ✨

We need your help to build it out! Submit your favorite things about our city, and we'll publish the list when it's finished!

Need inspiration? Check out the City Cast Pittsburgh team’s picks and some of these great submissions:

• 😍 “The view of Pittsburgh when coming out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel.” — Kelly S.
• 🚴 “Casually biking around the different neighborhoods and checking out cafes, restaurants, and markets!” — Lizzie B.
• 🌳 “The Three Rivers Heritage Trail!” — Zach P.
• ✊ "The labor history! The Pump House memorial to the Battle of Homestead is a rare and beautiful thing. Pgh soil has been hallowed by those who fought and died for a better standard of treatment.” — John C.