Tony Norman | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnso at Philadelphia City Hall, April 16.

Tony Norman: Memo to Starbucks — how to keep black people in your future

“If a customer has one of those African-inspired names that only they can spell, don’t attempt to spell it phonetically on the cup...”

1 day ago

A Norfolk Southern train passes under North Avenue heading southeast through Allegheny Commons Park.

Brian O'Neill: Taller trains, higher bridges, testy neighbors

The North Side battle over trains is getting hot. And if there’s anything more American than moving tons of consumer goods, it’s litigation.

2 days ago

Reg Henry: Fifty years after ‘2001,’ the future seems like old hat

Predicting space travel and various amazing scientific advances was the easy part. The hard part was getting details of our lives right.

3 days ago

Dan Simpson: If only my taxes were spent wisely

I wish more of my money went to education and bridges and less to debt and war.

3 days ago

A protestor pours out coffee in front of Starbucks at 18th and Spruce Streets, in Philadelphia, April 16.

Tony Norman: A bitter brew at a Philly Starbucks for two black men

There’s no point in trying to imagine a manager calling cops on white people chatting at Starbucks without having purchased something.

4 days ago

A bicyclist rides past a tree in Spring bloom along the trail in Riverfront Park on the South Side in 2014. The city's trees have been rated as good, but Tree Pittsburgh said there's plenty more work to be done.

Walkabout: After growth spurt, Tree Pittsburgh finally has roots

New solar-powered education center, expanded nursery and staff workshop will strengthen the organizations ties to the region.

5 days ago

Choo-choo: A Norfolk Southern train in Allegheny Commons Park, between West Ohio and North Avenue bridges.

Brian O'Neill: Two visions for trains collide in a North Side park

“They want the inconvenience to be on the city,” a North Sider said of decision-makers, “not on them.” They say: high bridges are only way.

6 days ago

Penguins Kris Letang heads to the bench with a bloody hand after taking a hit from Flyers Claude Giroux in the second period at game 2 of the first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Friday, April 13, 2018 at PPG Paints Arena.

Ron Cook: It could have been worse ... much worse

All things considered, this very unlucky Friday the 13th could have been so much worse for the Penguins.

1 week ago

At left: Mango's attack on Wagner. At right: vice versa.

Brian O'Neill: GOP sluggers Mango and Wagner take the low road, with high entertainment value

Nobody’s backing down in this intraparty battle for governor. This race has not just gotten down in the gutter, it’s been to the bathroom.

1 week ago

Over and out: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., at a news conference, April 11, announcing that he will not seek re-election in November.

David M. Shribman: The Paul Ryan story — a tragedy in multiple dimensions

Many conservatives believed Mr. Ryan would be a counterpoint to the president, or at least a checkpoint. Neither happened.

1 week ago

Dan Simpson: National security team No. 3 takes the field

It looks like a long season stretches before us; let’s hope it doesn’t see a war

1 week ago

Ruth Ann Dailey: America’s small towns are finding their niches

Far from the big cities, we’ve been seeing a lot of places where signs of life are growing stronger.

1 week ago

After a diamond with an insured value of $42,625 was stolen in July 1981, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History used that money to buy a replacement. It's the single loose stone mounted in the gem clipper below the necklace and above the suite of diamond crystals.

Brian O'Neill : That other Carnegie theft mystery, still unsolved

When Kurt Fischer read about the theft of millions of dollars of rare books from the Carnegie, his first thought was, “Oh no, not again.”

1 week ago

Roseanne Barr and John Goodman star in the 2018 reboot of “Roseanne” on ABC. The show originally aired from 1988 to 1997.

Keith C. Burris: Can Rosanne restore our sense of proportion?

Some Trump-haters are growing anti-democratic; please, let’s all settle down.

1 week ago

Walkabout: Communities must bring an end to violence against women, girls

Girls and women have the strength, numbers and responsibility to lead our country away from violence, but they need the community’s help.

1 week ago

David M. Shribman: Midterm massacre? Or Trumpian exceptionalism?

Presidents usually see their party badly beaten in midterm elections, but Trump is not a usual president.

1 week ago

“There Are Black People in the Future” by artist Alisha Wormsley rose above Baum Boulevard and Highland Avenue in East Liberty until the building’s landlord objected and it was taken down.

Tony Norman: Sign o' the times for future black people

Alisha Wormsley is an acclaimed artist who deserves a public explanation for why her art was removed from a space designated for art.

2 weeks ago

The Oliver Room at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Oakland.

Brian O'Neill: In a rare-book repository, a void that chills

Even those who make their living selling books were unaware of all the Carnegie had. Using the past tense only makes jaws drop farther.

2 weeks ago

Brian O'Neill: They survived old-school ‘free-range’ parenting. How?

A theory: We were raised by people who’d survived the Depression and WWII. They turned kids loose confident that the worst was behind them.

2 weeks ago

Dan Simpson: Get on with the nation’s work

At this point, we should just ignore the president’s antics and focus on what we can control.

2 weeks ago

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., January 1960.

Tony Norman: Upon MLK's death, the instant onset of moral amnesia

People forget, but by the time he was murdered in Memphis, MLK was one of the most unpopular people in the country.

2 weeks ago

Ruth Ann Dailey: Martin Luther King Jr.'s powerful belief and hope

To believe there is something greater than ourselves is to be inspired and humbled.

2 weeks ago

A view of McKinley Park and its 1930s era stone wall in Beltzhoover.

Walkabout: Pittsburgh parks are rolling in green, but some need maintenance

City parks: When we repair and restore them, they return the favor

2 weeks ago

David M. Shribman: Stirrings in the heartland

Census figures show most population growth in Trump country.

2 weeks ago

Brian O'Neill: The theory and practice of 'free-range' kids these days

Today’s parents need legislation to allow standards common back when I was a boy -— when “Go out and play” was the parents’ motto.

2 weeks ago

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in 2014.

Tony Norman: Americans without guns — a thought experiment

Even as crime drops precipitously, the gun lobby continues a drumbeat of fear and loathing that finds fertile ground in a divided country.

3 weeks ago

The home opener, April 2017. OK, it was cold and wet.

Brian O'Neill: ‘Getchyer cheap Pirates tix here ... anybody?’

My group has season tickets, as usual. But look at the low, low prices for tickets on the secondary market already. Fan fever has cooled.

3 weeks ago

Stormy Daniels tell Anderson Cooper her side on "60 Minutes."

Reg Henry: She was paid to say nothing about what didn’t happen

Maybe Trump said to his lawyer — give that fine young lass Stormy $130,000 out of your own money as a contribution to the arts.

3 weeks ago

Dan Simpson: Amid the chaos, hope

It’s hard to escape the circus in Washington, but perhaps our young people can change things.

3 weeks ago

Tony Norman: Santorum sneers, and #NeverAgain activists rock

The still-ridiculous former senator thinks that students should learn CPR to solve gun violence. These folks are way beyond his nonsense.

3 weeks ago

Ruth Ann Dailey: From Tutu to Graham, the struggle with truth and exclusivism

Sometimes, with only a few syllables, people inadvertently, or purposefully, reveal what they really think, where they really stand.

3 weeks ago

Late March according to the author: "The ground is soft, skies is runny."

Walkabout: 'Ode to March’s End'

Late March is a test of our character, but at least it’s consistent.

3 weeks ago

Brian O'Neill: Such a deal — Pa. milk for Cuban rum. A boy can dream ...

Pennsylvania has the cows and Cuba has the rum, so let’s make a deal. (OK, so there are some complications.)

3 weeks ago

David M. Shribman: Ball of confusion — conventional politics is giving way to contention and contradiction

One lesson of U.S. history: the past is always changing, the settled is always being revised, the reviled are sometimes being rehabilitated.

3 weeks ago

Penguins' Sidney Crosby shows his frustration after the Devils Nico Hischier scores in the second period Friday, March 23, 2018, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

Ron Cook: Devils continue to haunt Penguins as season rolls to a close

The Penguins probably won’t have to play the Devils in the playoffs. That’s a good thing because the Devils just might sweep ‘em.

4 weeks ago

Tony Norman: He's a terrorist by any other name

Before blowing himself up, Mark Anthony Conditt recorded a 25-minute video on how he built the shrapnel and nail bombs.

4 weeks ago

Brian O'Neill: Hey infrastructure geeks, let’s talk 'bout Amazon HQ2

If only I could get a talk radio show with a micro-audience ... the first-time caller would be this guy with great insight into Amazon.

1 month ago

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