February 21, 2024 - Pittsburgh City Paper by Pittsburgh City Paper

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Boomers own much of Pittsburgh housing. That eye-catching fact belies the ways corporate buyers, inflation, and stagnant wages have tipped the scales against younger would-be homeowners. BY MATT PETRAS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: HOUSING 04 Boomers own a disproportionate

MUSIC 14 What’s the “Lady Gaga of Vietnam”

doing here in Pittsburgh?

share of Pittsburgh-area houses. Is that their fault?

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18 Biblical bitches, bread service, FOOD

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10 Kelli Shakur and FroGang empower COMMUNITY

Black girls through natural hair care, dolls, and more

BY SARAH HAMM

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EVENTS

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STAY WEIRD, PITTSBURGH

Pastors John and Cynthia Wallace want to make Homewood an “Oasis” for locals

Beer and no clothing at the 2024 Pittsburgh Cupid Undie Run

BY MAIA WILLIAMS

BY JAMES PAUL

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HOUSING

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The view from the kitchen window of Ben Banyas’s house on Feb. 19, 2024

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WHO’S HOARDING ALL THE HOUSES? Boomers own much of Pittsburgh housing. That eye-catching fact belies the ways corporate buyers, inflation, and stagnant wages have tipped the scales against younger would-be homeowners. BY MATT PETRAS // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

rettney Duck, a realtor, is frank with her clients: she tells them early on that she’s sometimes going to have to bring her two-year-old son along to showings. Her clients don’t mind — often, this actually makes them warm up to her, she says. “I think that’s what allows me to connect with a lot of my clients, is the fact that I’m also a mom,” Duck tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “And they get it, and they meet my son.” The director of homeownership for Catapult Greater Pittsburgh and, for about three years, a realtor, Duck has witnessed and spoken to a lot of local people struggling to buy a house. About 90% of her clients are parents, she estimates — having kids often motivates people to shop for houses. However, there aren’t a lot of options for young families or couples looking to have children. The rising cost of basic necessities and

low wages compound the problem, she’s noticed. “If it’s just one person, you can be a little less selective about what kind of house you get, but if you have four children … there’s not a lot of affordable four-bedrooms in Allegheny County, I’m noticing,” Duck says. “So if you have multiple children, trying to find the space and still stay within your affordability is an issue.” It’s difficult for millennials to buy a house around the country, especially in cities like Pittsburgh. Ultimately, though, it’s not a generational conflict. Millennials stuck renting and boomers staying in large houses happens because of a system equipped to maximize profit rather than provide people homes that meet their needs. At the beginning of the month, a New York Times article referenced a January report from the Seattlebased real estate company Redfin WHO'S HOARDING ALL THE HOUSES?, CONTINUES ON PG. 6

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WHO'S HOARDING ALL THE HOUSES?, CONTINUES FROM PG. 5

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analyzing 2022 Census numbers. It featured Pittsburgh in the No. 1 spot of an unflattering top ten ranking. NYT identified Pittsburgh as the city with the highest percentage of large houses (more than two bedrooms) owned by boomers (those born from 1946 to 1964) without children living at home, at 32%, with 13% owned by millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) with children.

“IT’S NOT REALLY HELPFUL TO FRAME THIS AS A CONFLICT BETWEEN GENERATIONS BECAUSE IT’S REALLY A MUCH MORE COMPLICATED SCENARIO.” Nationally, empty nest boomers own 28% of large homes compared to 14% by millennials with children, according to the Redfin report. It lists a series of explanations that boil down to some basic facts about the current state of the two generations: Boomers have lived longer, allowing

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them more time to accrue wealth and house-hunt; and many millennials can’t afford a house or have lost interest in trying. The disparity in ownership of large homes between the two generations implies a simple truth — if boomers without kids won’t leave their large houses, it’s only going to make things harder for millennial parents looking to buy those kinds

of homes. While the nature of scarcity means there’s some inherent accuracy to this, the full picture is more complicated and, at the root, goes far beyond discussions of age, especially in Pittsburgh, where a disproportionately large number of seniors live.

MAKING SENSE OF THE NUMBERS When local economist Chris Briem first saw the New York Times article, he initially thought of the lack of incentive for local seniors to sell houses they don’t need anymore. But then he considered what he now says is a potentially more important fact — Allegheny County has a disproportionately large population of those aged 65 and older.

[people],” Briem tells CP. “So, if there’s a challenge right now in terms of someone going out and trying to buy their first home, it’s not this.” Jackie Smith, a University of P i t t s b u rgh s o ci o l o gi s t w h o s e research primarily focuses on housing, blames the difficult market on a global treatment of housing as a commodity — a product to be sold for profit, in other words. Echoing and

“THEY DON’T EVEN CARE IF THERE’S ANYBODY IN THE UNIT. IN FACT, THEY DON’T LIKE TENANTS, BECAUSE TENANTS WANT THINGS FIXED AND REQUIRE A LITTLE MORE MANAGEMENT.” Census figures from 2021 show older residents make up about a fifth of Allegheny County, second only in percentage to boomer haven Palm Beach County, Fla. in a ranking of the country’s 40 largest counties, according to a 2022 University Center for Social and Urban Research report coauthored by Briem. This flows from the economic history of the region — when the steel industry collapsed, young people left and started families elsewhere, he says. This doesn’t mean that the percentage of houses owned by emptynester boomers compared to millennial parents isn’t relevant, according to Briem, but it doesn’t necessarily make the case that it’s harder for a millennial to buy a house in Pittsburgh compared to other places. “There’s a lot of issues that we’re studying right now that have to do with national real-estate investors buying up these middle-value homes that I think are really displacing

fleshing out one of the explanations offered by the NYT article, she says boomers wouldn’t be able to afford houses on today’s market, either. While seniors are typically wealthier, they often have astronomical healthcare costs, she notes. “It’s not really helpful to frame this as a conflict between generations because it’s really a much more complicated scenario, and, also, within generations, there’s a lot of variation in people’s situations,” Smith tells CP. “I think it’s more about class than age.” In addition to her work in academia, Smith is involved in community organizing around human rights, which has helped her learn that housing ends up being the most pressing need for many people, she says. “If we look at who’s buying up both rental properties and homes for sale, it’s these private equity firms that are really just looking to make profits and sometimes just park their money in an asset that is pretty guaranteed,”

WHO'S HOARDING ALL THE HOUSES?, CONTINUES ON PG. 8

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WHO'S HOARDING ALL THE HOUSES?, CONTINUES FROM PG. 7

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Real estate agent Brettney Duck stands Inside the Life Venture Buy Choice Homes building.

Smith says. “And they don’t even care if there’s anybody in the unit. In fact, they don’t like tenants, because tenants want things fixed and require a little more management.” Pittsburgh’s high student population relates to particular challenges in the region. Smith says the University of Pittsburgh, her employer, brings a lot of people needing a place to live without a proportional amount of student housing. And the housing market doesn’t fill those gaps. “A lot of the new building in Oakland are these real-estate investment trusts building luxury student housing,” Smith says. “All those new high-rises, those are student luxury housing, not student affordable housing.”

NAVIGATING A DIFFICULT MARKET Duck learned she’d be a mother shortly after becoming a realtor. Even though the now-35-year-old spent much of her time figuring out how

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to buy affordable houses, she didn’t immediately start to house-hunt for herself. She eventually decided on a three-bedroom house in Munhall. Factors concerning her son’s wellbeing ranked highly in her decision making — she wanted to be close to loved ones who help her care for her son, for example. “I think I had been so focused on helping everybody else that I didn’t even think about, "when is it gonna be my time?” Duck says. Just when Ben Banyas, another millennial who recently became a homeowner, was planning to leave Pittsburgh, he started dating a woman he now lives with in Millvale. He heard talk of promising moneymaking opportunities in Seattle and almost left the region he’s lived in since growing up in Castle Shannon, but now he owns a house in the area. When Banyas, an Uber driver, and his partner, a teacher, began shopping

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Ben Banyas stands in the kitchen of his home in Millvale that he and his partner purchased back in 2021.

for houses, they had a budget in the ballpark of $130,000. Their search began in Bloomfield, which appealed to them as a central location to work and friends, but that proved fruitless. The most promising houses revealed to them some of the darkest aspects of the local housing market. “There were a couple places that we looked in in Bloomfield that we maybe would have been interested in, but they clearly had long-term renters in, and it was clear that the owner basically was just going to wait until they got a buyer to kick them out,” Banyas, now 39, tells CP. “And we did not feel comfortable doing that.” After a long house search that sent them in and around the city, they bought a two-bedroom Millvale house for about $138,000. They’re satisfied for now but unsure about how long they’ll stay in the house, he says. “I honestly don’t know,” Banyas

says. “Sometimes, we are like, less than five years, but then sometimes we’re like, it could be 20 years. It could be our whole lives.” The two have considered adopting or fostering children but not until years down the line — as he sees it, they’re in the midst of career changes, especially for himself. He makes less and less each year as an Uber driver and hopes to break out into nonprofit fundraising, a field in which he’s already dabbled. When discussing the larger issue of affordable housing in the Pittsburgh area, Banyas becomes distraught. He references Lawrenceville residents pushed out during the 2008 financial crisis and the loss of affordable housing in East Liberty. He’s had difficulties, and many others have had difficulties — some especially dire. “It just sucks, man,” he says. •

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 21-28, 2024

COMMUNITY

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(From left to right) Derrein Robinson, Tayvon Kahlil-Smith, Ariel Gentry, and Jordan White stand in front of the FroGang mural with founder Kelli Shakur on Jan. 26, 2024.

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BEYOND HAIR CARE BY KAHMEELA ADAMS-FRIEDSON // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

elf-expression — our individuality and the features, skills, and personality traits we choose to highlight — sets us apart from others. While that's often good, at some point in our lives, most of us have felt that we don’t belong. For some, finding your tribe can take time, but once you do, your whole world will completely open up. Pittsburgh-born Kelli Shakur found her tribe while attending college. Growing up, most of the Black women and girls around Shakur were wearing their hair chemically straightened or with a weave. When Shakur attended Miles College in Birmingham, Ala., an HBCU, she found many women living a life free from chemicals and expensive weaves. She liked what she saw and

was eager to follow suit. “And I took the weave out, cut out all my perm, and had this itty bitty fro,” Shakur tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “So I went through the … never call it an 'ugly stage'. I call it a growing stage.” To the non-Black population, this may not seem like much of a statement. But for a Black woman in America, to make this choice feels like a revolution. Shakur returned to Pittsburgh with a new outlook, only to notice young girls experiencing these same insecurities about their hair. “It really triggered me to my own trauma that I dealt with growing up,” Shakur recalls. “And I said, ‘We need a space. We need something where we can gather and we can have these conversations.’”

This is when she created the FroGang Foundation. What started as a hashtag in 2016 became a movement and a nonprofit organization that unapologetically promotes, empowers, and encourages natural hair and Afros and the symbolic power they hold. From the moment our ancestors were brought to this country, Black women were told there was something wrong with the way our hair naturally grew out of our heads. Laws, harmful hair rituals, and media campaigns were created, resulting in the ingrained belief that we don’t measure up to the American standard of beauty. Through FroGang, Shakur, with the help of Candace Walker and Crissy Stubbs, created a sisterhood that thrives upon representation and BEYOND HAIR CARE, CONTINUES ON PG. 12

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 21-28, 2024

BEYOND HAIR CARE, CONTINUES FROM PG. 11

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Kelli Shakur, Founder and CEO of FroGang LLC, poses in front of a wooden mural in Beltzhoover.

celebration. Though each woman is heavily involved with the organization, they each offer a specialty. Walker operates as the creative coordinator and wrote the official FroGang theme song. Stubbs leads the social and emotional learning and mediation.

days, and performances of the original FroGang theme song. Bu t m o s t i m p o r t a n t l y, t h e Sessions provide a safe space for the young girls. “People don’t understand that Black people having their own spaces is a form of self-care,” Shakur

“THERE ARE CERTAIN WORDS THAT THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY IN THE SPACE, LIKE ‘NAPPY.’ WE DON’T SAY NAPPY. THAT IS A CUSS WORD FOR FROGANG.” “And then I’m me, I’m the mom,” Shakur happily offers. Through their weekly Successful Sister Sessions and various other community initiatives, FroGang focuses on teaching young Black girls to embrace their natural beauty. During the Sessions, the girls participate in workshops on hair care and leadership skills, cultural activities, and field trips, and prepare for upcoming community events, which include clean-ups, youth self-care

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explains. “We just eliminate all the -isms, -schisms, and excuses and let them know this is a sisterhood. We give them expectations. There are certain words that they’re not allowed to say in the space, like ‘nappy.’ We don’t say nappy. That is a cuss word for FroGang.” FroGang also created The Black Doll Giveaway, described as “building positive representation and self-esteem” for Black girls through “gifting dolls who look like them.” The

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(From left to right) Tayvon Kahlil Smith, Kelli Shakur, Jordan White and Ariel Gentry talk in Beltzhoover.

initiative began on Christmas 2017 as a community-wide doll drop-off challenge with meet-up locations in Homewood, The Hill District, and Beltzhoover. With an overwhelming response of donations from organizations, neighbors, and even Mattel, the drive now happens all year round, with Shakur giving dolls to little girls she comes across wherever she goes. “If I see a little girl walking with her mom, I hop out and give her a doll,” Shakur says. “I let her know that she’s beautiful.” The FroGang website boasts that, so far, the organization has given away over 5,800 dolls.

As for 2024, FroGang has already started collecting and distributing COVID Care Kits. “So, we’ll be doing a three-month initiative for the kids to come out and learn how to stay COVID-free,” Shakur says. This will also include lessons on healthy eating, the immune system, and yoga and meditation. Being pro-natural hair in no way indicates The FroGang wants to exclude those who don’t choose that route. The goal is to educate, unify, and uplift Black girls throughout the city in a way that they learn to advocate for themselves. •

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MUSIC

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MAI KHÔI, BAD ACTIVIST Once dubbed “the Lady Gaga of Vietnam,” the former pop star now lives in Pittsburgh — and she’s gearing up for an ambitious new premiere. BY ETHAN BECK // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM

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Artist, composer, and activist Mai Khôi poses for a portrait wearing her grandmother's traditional áo dài dress at her home on Feb. 13, 2024. Áo dài is the traditional dress worn during the Tét holiday in Vietnam.

ai Khôi, the former popstar who left Vietnam in order to avoid arrest for her anti-censorship activism, has steadily worked on an autobiographical, multimedia show of songcraft and storytelling since arriving in Pittsburgh. Now, Khôi is hosting a performance of the completed Bad Activist at an Artivist Academy Showcase through 1Hood Media on Mar. 1. “At first, I did a lot of solo performances with Bad Activist. Now, I have a band behind me with different, bigger arrangements,” Khôi tells Pittsburgh City Paper. “I’m so proud of our band. The arrangement is excellent, full of energy, and has many layers of emotion. It matches very well with my story.” Khôi’s story begins in Cam Ranh, Vietnam, where she grew up learning guitar and writing songs. Her foray into stardom began when she won the Vietnam Television album and song of the year awards in 2010, the latter for her patriotic hit “Vietnam.” But after advocating for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, along with refusing to submit her lyrics to censors, Khôi was blacklisted from performing, moving her shows underground. Her band, Mai Khôi and the Dissidents, changed their name to Mai Khôi Chém Gió when musicians received threats from the police. “In Vietnam, you’re not allowed to get more than seven people together without commission. I had to organize secret shows in our studio to fight the censorship MAI KHÔI AND THE DISSIDENTS, CONTINUES ON PG. 16

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MAI KHÔI AND THE DISSIDENTS, CONTINUES FROM PG. 15

“BECAUSE I’M AN ARTIST, I ALWAYS WANT TO CREATE EVERY TIME, EVERYWHERE I AM. [PITTSBURGH] PROVIDED A SAFE PLACE FOR ME TO DO THAT WITHOUT FEAR, WITHOUT BEING UNDER SURVEILLANCE.”

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Artist, composer, and activist Mai Khôi poses for a portrait at her home

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system,” says Khôi, whose 2018 live album Dissent – Live at Phú Sa Lab opens with a jazz-pop plea for freedom of expression titled “Xin Ong (Please, Sir)” that pairs vibrant saxophones and acoustic guitars with Khôi’s impassioned vocals. Having been detained by the police and evicted from her Hanoi apartment, Khôi moved to the United States in 2019, arriving in Pittsburgh a year later. Through the International Free Expression Project, University of Pittsburgh’s Scholars at Risk program, and City of Asylum, she was given an Artist Protection Fund fellowship. “The program brought me to a beautiful city and they provided me with a beautiful house to stay in for a year. Not just that, but they introduced me to many local artists,” says Khôi. “Because I’m an artist, I always want to create every time, everywhere I am. They provided a safe place for me to do that without fear, without being under surveillance.” Since then, Khôi has developed Bad Activist tirelessly, sharing various iterations of the show in venues at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, a recent performance in February at New York’s Joe’s Pub, and even in Las Vegas. For the show, the Dissidents reformed in Pittsburgh, bringing together a rotating cast of saxophonists, pianists, drummers, and bassists. With the help of director Cynthia Croot and musical director Mark Micchelli, Khôi feels secure in this version of her autobiography. “We’ve been working on many different things in the last four years. The main thing is [that] the production design hadn’t been completed until last month’s Joe’s Pub show,” explains Khôi. “We had a very good production designer, Aaron Henderson, who helped me work with the videos and pictures that I collected in the past 10 years [and] some new footage that we made together.” While tinkering with Bad Activist, Khôi has regularly performed concerts of new material. With the Dissidents, she occasionally shares songs like 2022’s vibrant “We Never Know,” which exorcises grief through wailing vocals and morphing jazz instrumentation, or “La� m Gì Đe� �(What to Do),” which appeared on a benefit compilation for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund late last year. Once Khôi’s City of Asylum artist-in-residence program ended, she moved to Garfield and started hosting shows in the common room, naming it Stage MK and announcing shows regularly on her Instagram. This coincided with Khôi being named a member of 1Hood Media’s 2023 Artivist Academy cohort of more than a dozen local artists. Pittsburgh’s array of talent keeps Khôi optimistic and inspired. “We organize two concerts a month [at Stage MK]. When I am here in Pittsburgh, I’m able to do concerts in my own house with other musicians and artists,” says Khôi. “We like to support each other.” It’s the same room where the Dissidents plan on recording in March, when Khôi is hoping to capture

Feeling Nostalgic?

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Artist, composer, and activist Mai Khôi

some of the excitement of her live show. At heart, Khôi feels most comfortable as a performer, thriving upon the give and take of the live setting. “We can feel the energy of everyone in the room. Live performance

always gives me adrenaline,” says Khôi, with a laugh. “When I come on stage, with the lights and the sound and the audience and the applause, it gives me this magical energy. I can perform for hours without tiring.”•

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FOOD LIT

YES, CHEFS I

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Lilith co-owners Dianne DeStefano and Jamilka Borges pose for a portrait in the dining room.

BY SARAH HAMM // INFO@PGHCITYPAPER.COM f you don’t like dynamic wo m e n , d e co r fe a t u ri n g mushrooms with callipygian backsides, or craveable, seasonally-driven food, you probably won’t like Lilith. The 36-seat spot at the former Cafe Zinho location in Shadyside is the passion project of Pittsburgh culinar y main stays Jamilka Borges and Dianne DeStefano. With their collective industry knowledge and James Beard-nominated talent, they set out to create a space that’s deeply

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personal, yet homey and inviting. When Pittsburgh City Paper chats with Borges and DeStefano on a Friday afternoon before service, they can’t stop yawning. As beat as they are from the previous night, a companionable energy arches between them; they often finish each other’s sentences or interrupt to add details. At one point, Borges nonchalantly brushes some crumbs off of DeStefano’s pant leg. They have known each other and worked together off and on for 10

years. Their ease of communication is evident in Lilith’s menu, which combines the two chefs’ cultural backgrounds and culinary experiences with an awareness of place and seasonality. “Collaboration has always been our ethos,” Borges tells City Paper. “We’ve known each other’s styles for so long. There are things that are very much Dianne with a little hint of Jamilka, and then vice-versa. It’s a nice little melting pot of ideas.” “A lot of the savory foods are

very Jamilka, as they should be,” DeStefano tells CP. “I’m really proud of my dessert menu right now.” Here, Borges interjects that the mango torte is amazing (I agree). “We have so much fun playing with textures and colors.” Borges describes their cuisine as “Sicilian Puerto Rican heritage in Pittsburgh, with Appalachian roots.” “We said Puerto Rican and Sicilian because they’re both islands, both have flavors that are warm and beautiful. We didn’t want to call it ‘island’

cuisine because people would expect crab fritters or something like that.” So, no crab fritters, but Lilith does have a pierogi offering. With dough made by DeStefano and a yuca filling inspired by Borges’ Puerto Rican roots, the dish is exemplary of their culinary partnership. While some pierogies are dense like memory foam pillows, this is downy and feather-light thanks to the yuca’s texture and vegetality. Another dish emblematic of their partnership is the lobster roll with achiote aioli on pan sobao, a Puerto Rican bread that played a key part in the pair’s professional meet-cute in 2014, when, as DeStefano recalls, a local restaurant owner hired her without first consulting Borges. “He was like, ‘Here, Jamilka, here’s a pastry chef.’ ... I don’t really know how [Borges] felt about it; I know some of the other kitchen staff were a little annoyed. I just had to prove myself.”

to Adam. Lilith then moved to the desert, birthed demons, and ate babies — you know, girl things. But surely, this cozy little restaurant is named for someone’s grandma, and not a monster redeemed as a patron saint of the rebellious feminine? “Oh, it’s totally that,” laugh Borges and DeStefano, though DeStefano adds, “Sometimes we say it’s Jamilka’s grandmother. You know, depending on the audience.” “The moment a woman doesn’t quite follow the rules, the story and how she’s perceived is so exaggerated,” Borges says. “‘She’s a bitch, she’s a demon.’ [Lilith] wasn’t subservient, she wanted to gain independence. Meanwhile, the optics of how people perceived her were like "‘She’s a witch, she’s this and that.’ And that happens today. You don’t follow the rules, you’re a bitch, you’re non-conforming, you’re stereotyped, you’re labeled as difficult.” Lilith the restaurant is a nonconforming space

“WE’VE WORKED ON AND OFF TOGETHER IN DIFFICULT KITCHENS THAT WERE OWNED AND RUN BY MEN, WITH MOSTLY MEN AS STAFF. THERE’S THIS UNDERTONE THAT WE BOTH HAVE TO PROVE OURSELVES, EVEN THOUGH WE’RE BOTH EXTREMELY ACCOMPLISHED CHEFS.” She proved herself by recreating the pan sobao and Mallorca bread, two bakery items from Puerto Rico that Borges couldn’t find elsewhere in Pittsburgh. “It was like, ‘Surprise, pastry chef!’” says Borges. “But it worked out. We stayed friends. I truly consider her the best pastry chef, not only in town, but I’d put her against anybody. That’s my personal biased opinion.” DeStefano and Borges note that the dismissive introduction via top-down male management is nothing new for women in a profession where you sometimes have to dance backward and in heels to demonstrate your worth. “We’ve worked on and off together in difficult kitchens that were owned and run by men, with mostly men as staff,” says Borges. “There’s this undertone that we both have to prove ourselves, even though we’re both extremely accomplished chefs.” Even the name “Lilith” is a reaction to and reclamation of their experience in male-dominated spaces. The name recalls an apocryphal biblical predecessor to Eve who was booted from the Garden of Eden for refusing to be subservient

in a sea of spare dining rooms and impersonal counter service. The walls are decadent phthalo green; the dinnerware is a harmonious jumble sale of patterns and shapes. DeStefano and Borges emphasized the pre-pandemic hospitality they missed during COVID, which is why a Lilith meal starts with bread service and could end with a dessert as nostalgic and festive as the can’t-miss baked Alaska. It feels less like a stuffy fine dining establishment and more like you’re at a dinner party at a cherished friend’s house (a friend with great taste and some James Beard nominations, but still). “That was very intentional,” said Borges. “I think more and more you see these dining rooms that are monochromatic and don’t necessarily have a sense of who’s behind them. This is a very personal restaurant; it’s not for everybody. We had a review where somebody said that we had too much clutter and we should get rid of our plants, and I say to that, well...” Here, Borges and DeStefano say, practically in unison, “Go to a different restaurant.”

CP PHOTO: MARS JOHNSON

Lilith co-owners Dianne DeStefano and Jamilka Borges

Lilith 238 Spahr St., Shadyside instagram.com/lilithpgh

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 21-28, 2024

NEIGHBORHOOD

SEVEN DAYS IN PITTSBURGH

TUE., 7 FEB. 2

BY CP STAFF

SAT., FEB. 24 FESTIVAL • NORTH SIDE

Flamingo Fest. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Continues through Sun., Feb. 25. National Aviary. 700 Arch St., North Side. Included with regular admission. aviary.org

LIT • GREENFIELD

Stories Like Me One-Year Anniversary Party: Feed Your Neighbor, Feed Your Mind. 1-4 p.m. Stories Like Me. 4381 Murray Ave., Greenfield. Free. RSVP required. littsburgh.com

CONVENTION • VIRTUAL

Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit. 1-6 p.m. Zoom event. $20-40, Pay what you will up to $10. Registration required. PRJS-Summit-2024. eventbrite.com

WORKSHOP • ALLENTOWN

Twin Peaks Candlemaking Night with North Ave Candles. 2-8 p.m. North Ave Candles Production Studio. 829 Industry St., Allentown. $22-38 for candlemaking supplies. Registration required. instagram.com/northavecandles

FASHION • SOUTH SIDE

PHOTO: COURTESY OF JULIETA CERVANTES

PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh presents The Book of Mormon

THU., FEB. 22

FRI., FEB. 23

ART/DANCE • NORTH SIDE

OUTDOORS • NORTH SHORE

Experience a multi-disciplinary performance at Mattress Factory when artist Andrea Peña leads ART & The Body. Peña, whose Montreal-based dance company is described as creating “queer choreographic encounters,” will provide a behind-the-scenes look at her new installation. The reveal includes a performance by Pittsburgh dance duo slowdanger, as well as a conversation between Peña, robotic designer Dr. Madeline Gannon, and queer historian Dr. Harrison Apple. 6-8 p.m. 509 Jacksonia St., North Side. $5-10. Registration required. mattress.org

LIT • OAKLAND

Pittsburgh Polar Plunge. 11:30 a.m. Acrisure Stadium. 100 Art Rooney Ave., North Shore. $25-50, free for students K-12 and Special Olympics athletes. give.specialolympicspa.org

SAT., 4 2 FEB.

LIT • OAKMONT

Book Launch: At Any Cost by Jeffrey Siger. 7 p.m. Mystery Lovers Bookshop. 514 Allegheny River Blvd., Oakmont. Free. Registration required. mysterylovers.com

MUSIC/FILM • DOWNTOWN

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents Fiddler on the Roof. 8 p.m. Continues through Sun., Feb. 25. Heinz Hall. 600 Penn Ave., Downtown. $25-105. pittsburghsymphony.org

THEATER • OAKLAND

University of Pittsburgh Department of Theatre Arts presents Cheating Fate. 8 p.m. Continues through March 3. Henry Heymann Theatre. 4301 Forbes Ave., Oakland. $15-25. play.pitt.edu

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures presents A.S. King. 6 p.m. Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. Free. Registration required. pittsburghlectures.org

Sabai with If Found. 8 p.m. Enclave. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side. $20. enclavepgh.com

PHOTO: PUBLIC DOMAIN

The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum and Pittsburgh Area Theatre Organ Society present Girl Shy

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

GALA • DOWNTOWN

Quantum Theatre presents Q Ball 2024: Quantum Leap. 7 p.m.-12 a.m. The Union Trust Building. 501 Grant St. 10th Floor, Downtown. $150. quantumtheatre.com

MUSIC • MILLVALE

Vento, Ziggy, Hawk & McCarthy with Joe Birch, Joey Wodarek, and Elliana Koulouris. 7:30 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. Free. RSVP required. mrsmalls.com

FILM • MT. LEBANON

MUSIC • SOUTH SIDE

Get ready with Brew House Arts when the gallery’s Distillery resident Imani Batts presents an evening “embracing Black hair, Black culture, and the Black experience.” The #GRWM Runway Experience includes fashion, music, and more, with new styles by Batts, a performance by the Sankofa Village African Drummers and dancers, and a short documentary, among other happenings. The event takes place at Velum Fermentation. 6-10 p.m. 2120 Jane St., South Side. Donation-based entry, VIP tickets $50. brewhousearts.org

Return to the golden era of trolleys with a special silent film screening at Keystone Oaks High School. The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum presents a showing of Harold Lloyd’s 1924 comedy Girl Shy, with live musical accompaniment by the Pittsburgh Area Theatre Organ Society. The program also includes an original 2023 silent film shot on one of the Museum’s restored streetcars. 7:30 p.m. 1000 Kelton Ave., Mt. Lebanon. $20-25, free for students preschool-college. pittsburghtheatreorgan.com

SAT., 4 2 FEB.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ELLIOTT CRAMER

Flamingo Fest at the National Aviary

MUSIC • STATION SQUARE The Polkamaniacs with Inco Fido. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Hard Rock Cafe. 230 W. Station Square Dr., Station Square. $15-120. hardrockcafe.com

SUN., FEB. 25 DRAG • EAST LIBERTY

The Dark Humor Brunch with Danielle Attme and Friends. 11 a.m. Blue Sky Kitchen and Bar. 211 N. Whitfield St., East Liberty. $10. 18 and over. instagram.com/blueskypgh

PARADE • SQUIRREL HILL

Hop into the year of the dragon during the Lunar New Year Parade in Squirrel Hill. The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation will serve as grand marshal of this year’s gathering of Pittsburgh’s pan-Asian community, with various local organizations presenting traditional dance, music, and more. The Jewish Community Center will also host free activities ranging from Chinese origami and lantern making to live performances. 1-2 p.m. Murray Ave. at Phillips Ave. and Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. Free. facebook.com/LunarNewYearPGH

TUE., FEB. 27 THEATER • DOWNTOWN

PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh presents The Book of Mormon. 7:30 p.m. Continues through March 3. Benedum Center. Seventh St. and Penn Ave., Downtown. $40-130. trustarts.org

MUSIC • MUNHALL

Aimee Mann with Jonathan Coulton. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall. 510 E. 10th Ave., Munhall. $39.75-79.75. librarymusichall.com

MUSIC • LAWRENCEVILLE

Jhariah with PIAO and Feralcat and the Wild. 8 p.m. Doors at 7 p.m. Spirit. 242 51st St., Lawrenceville. $18 in advance, $20 at the door. spiritpgh.com

WED., FEB. 28 FILM • NORTH SIDE

Reel Q presents Out of Uganda. 7 p.m. Alphabet City at City of Asylum. 40 W. North Ave., North Side. Free. Livestream available. Registration required. cityofasylum.org

MON., FEB. 26 THEATER • DOWNTOWN

Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest. 7 p.m. O’Reilly Theater. 621 Penn Ave., Downtown. Pay what you can up to $50. culturaldistrict.org PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 21-28, 2024

MARKETPLACE MARKET PLACE TO PLACE A CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISEMENT, CONTACT SIERRA CLARY AT SIERRA@PGHCITYPAPER.COM OR 412-685-9009 EXT. 113

HELP WANTED

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 880 Saw Mill Run Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15226, March 6, 2024, at 1:15 PM. True Lowrey 1504, Paris Wright 2083, Carmella Jones 4010, Ed Gordon 4028, Chris Zimmerman 4189. 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.

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Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 141 N Braddock Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 on March 06, 2024 at 11:00 AM. 2179A Christopher Jackson, 3101A Shanelle Smith, 3266A Augustus J Lewis III and 4040 Kevin Tyler. 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.

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 111 Hickory Grade Road, Bridgeville PA 15017, March 6, 2024 at 12:30pm. Abimael Tani 3398. 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.

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 902 Brinton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15221 on March 6, 2024 at 11:30 AM. 2199A Dominique Chrisler. 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

PUBLIC AUCTION

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. seeks Lead Quality Assurance Analyst for Pittsburgh, PA to debug software products through the use of detailed automated QA tests to develop, apply, and maintain quality standards. Role holder is eligible to work remotely with manager approval. Send resume+cvr ltr to: TARecruitment@Broadridge. com. Ref. code required: Lead Quality Assurance Analyst. 6873840

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 110 Kisow Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 on March 6th, 2024 at 1:00pm. Kelly Zacharias 459. 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.

BIT ENGINEER

System One Holdings, LLC seeks a BIT Engineer in Pittsburgh, PA. Qualified applicants must have a MS Degree and two (2) years of experience. Teleworking is permitted. Qualified applicants email resumes to Work4SystemOne@gmail.com

SERVICES

LEAD QUALITY ASSURANCE ANALYST

PUBLIC AUCTION

WWW.PGHCITYPAPER.COM

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 6400 Hamilton Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206 on March 6, 2024 at 1:45pm. 2067 Michelle Batko, 4013 Marita Purter, 5050 Shekena Thompson, L013 Taylor Earle. 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.

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1212 Madison Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. March 6, 2024 at 1:30 PM. Rhiannon Huff L97. 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.

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 700 E Carson St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. March 6, 2024 at 12:15 PM. Tamara Darson 1016A, Marylyn Brooke 1077, Nathan Speron 2143, Joyce Boyle 2188, Ravonne Royster 4073, Lisa Campbell 4090, Joshua Tassone 4162. 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.

PUBLIC AUCTION

Extra Space Storage, on behalf of its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 3200 Park Manor Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 on March 6, 2024 at 1:00pm. 1028 Micah Eppler, 1197 Kathy Edwards, 2170 Matthew Merhaut, 3179 Morgan Manko. 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

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OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT

THE BOARD OF PUBLIC EDUCATION of the SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PITTSBURGH

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS Sealed proposals shall be deposited at the Administration Building, Bellefield Entrance Lobby, 341 South Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15213, on March 05, 2024, until 2:00 P.M., local prevailing time for:

VARIOUS SCHOOLS

• Water Cooler Replacement Phase 7 • Plumbing and Electrical Primes

VARIOUS SCHOOLS

• EM Generator Maintenance Inspections • Electrical Primes Project Manual and Drawings will be available for purchase on February 12, 2024, at Modern Reproductions (412-488-7700), 127 McKean Street, Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 between 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. The cost of the Project Manual Documents is non-refundable. Project details and dates are described in each project manual.

We are an equal rights and opportunity school district.

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LEGAL

ESTATE NOTICE

Need Help with Family Law? Can’t Afford a $5000 Retainer? Low Cost Legal Services- Pay As You Go- As low as $750-$1500Get Legal Help Now! Call 1-844-821-8249 Mon-Fri 7am to 4pm PCT (AAN CAN) https://www.familycourtdirect. com/?network=1

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Letters of Administration in the Estate of Charles L. Clark, late of the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who died on January 2, 2020, have been granted to Pamela Lawton-Clark, Administratrix. All persons indebted to said Estate are requested to make payment and those having claims or demands are requested to present the same without delay to: David E. Schwager, Esquire 183 Market Street Suite 100 Kingston, PA 18704-5444

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Letters of Administration in the Estate of Brenda Souaiby, late of the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who died on November 29, 2018, have been granted to James B. Ballew, Administrator. All persons indebted to said Estate are requested to make payment and those having claims or demands are requested to present the same without delay to: David E. Schwager, Esquire 183 Market Street Suite 100 Kingston, PA 187045444

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Letters of Administration in the Estate of Walter J. Tavis, Jr., late of the Township of Baldwin, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, who died on March 2, 2019, have been granted to Shelley Inez Tavis, Administratrix. All persons indebted to said Estate are requested to make payment and those having claims or demands are requested to present the same without delay to: David E. Schwager, Esquire 183 Market Street Suite 100 Kingston, PA 187045444

PUBLIC NOTICE

ACROSS

1. Uncontrollable facial movements 5. It takes figuring 9. Unclear 13. “Didn’t see you there” 14. Professor’s suit material 16. Perennial swing state 17. Try to win over gently 18. Shakespeare collection 19. Cinematographer’s selection 20. “Give Me Everything” rapper vs. “My Adidas” rappers (7/21/1861) 23. Muslim’s journey 24. “Until next time” 25. “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards” band vs. DJ born Richard Melville Hall (2/23/1836-3/6/1836) 33. Navy tracker 34. Pulled a 31-Down 35. Place to see lions, tigers, and bears 36. Activist Brockovich 37. Pigs 38. Hit on the head 39. Rapper’s heater 40. Immovable 41. Gift recipient 42. “Take On Me” one-hit wonders vs. “Every Breath You

Take” singer vs. “Angel of Death” metal band (10/14/1066) 45. Pitch catcher? 46. Bills conf. 47. “Round and Round” glam band vs. “Twin Infinitives” punks (sometime in the 1100s B.C.) 54. Nasty shock 55. “Bag” in the back of the throat 56. Girl in the chorus 58. Birthstone for this month 59. Danger 60. One less? 61. It might give you green eyes 62. R&B singer ___ Ora 63. “I know”

DOWN

1. Front matter list: Abbr. 2. Thick ‘N Fluffy French Toast chain 3. Coffeehouse tea type 4. First player off the bench 5. High point in a Japanese vacation? 6. Off-base? 7. Show’s partner 8. One with will power? 9. Poker variant 10. [nudge, nudge]

11. Multivitamin additive 12. Attention-getting yelps 15. Wimbledon competition 21. Boxer Max 22. Swimmer Diana 25. Scroll through the Old Testament? 26. Santa ___ (California racetrack) 27. Breakfast fruit 28. Stabbing projection 29. Fast food chain with a 10-gallon hat in its logo 30. Stratospheric layer 31. Huge flub-up 32. Saddle with something

33. Sonic company 37. Saddle component 38. Like one really into studs 40. WARP, e.g. 41. ___ Punk 43. Take up residence 44. “I’m not paying attention to you” 47. Clue weapon 48. Actor Cumming 49. “___ my dead body!” 50. Cosmonaut Gagarin 51. Got grounded? 52. Beekeeper of crosswords, I mean, movies 53. More, in adspeak 54. Track outing 57. “That sounds interesting” LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

A petition for Involuntary Transfer of Ownership of a Vehicle has been filed by Sayfatova, Sanam, Case No. GD-24-000319 for a 2016 Mazda Miata, Vin# JM1NDAB71G0117347. A hearing is scheduled on the 18th day of March, 2024, at 11:30 a.m. before the Civil Division Motions Judge of Allegheny County.

LEGAL NOTICE

DISTRICT COURT CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA CASE NO.: D-23-678339-D, DEPT: R Diana Kamami, Plaintiff, vs. Ronnie Garrett, Defendant. SUMMONS NOTICE! YOU HAVE BEEN SUED. THE COURT MAY DECIDE AGAINST YOU WITHOUT YOUR BEING HEARD UNLESS YOU RESPOND IN WRITING WITHIN 21 DAYS. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW CAREFULLY. To the Defendant named above: A civil complaint petition has been filed by the plaintiff against you for the relief as set forth in that document (see the complaint or petition). The object of this action is: Divorce. If you intend to defend this lawsuit, within 21 days after this summons is served on you (not counting the day of service), you must: 1. File with the Clerk of Court, whose address is shown below, a formal written answer to the complaint or petition. 2. Pay the required filing fee to the court, or file an Application to Proceed In Forma Pauperis and request a waiver of the filing fee. 3. Serve a copy of your answer upon the Plaintiff whose name and address is shown below. If you fail to respond the Plaintiff can request your default. The court can then enter a judgement against you for the relief demanded in the complaint or petition. STEVEN D. GRIERSON, CLERK OF COURT, By: Amber-Leigh Otero, Deputy Clerk, Date 11/13/2023. Family Courts and Services Center, 601 North Pecos Road, Las Vegas, Nevada 89155, Issued on Behalf or Plaintiff: Diana Kamami, 1290 8236 W. Ocean Terrace Way, Las Vegas, NV 89128, In Proper Person. Published in Pittsburgh City Paper: Feb 14, 21, 28, March 6, 13, 2024.

PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER FEBRUARY 21-28, 2024

Drive yourself to a new career. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is proud to be recognized

Consider a career as a PRT driver. asbus a 2024 Military Friendly® Employer for its Join us for our upcoming hiring event. to supporting veterans in continued commitment

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March 15, 2024 This marks the third consecutive year PRT has received this 9:00 AM-3:00 PMand we remain committed to hiring, retaining and distinguished honor Heinzcareer Building promoting advancement in the workplace for active military employees 345and Sixth Avenue, Floor military families in other capacities. veterans, as well7th as, assisting More than 200 active military employees and Pre-register by calling 412.566.5162 veterans are currently employed at PRT and we look forward to growing that number in the future. Learn more about a career with Pittsburgh Regional Transit.