Community Corner
Halloween Parties in Town + Honoring Tree of Life Victims + Voting
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Pittsburgh.
Hi all! I'm back in your inbox this morning to walk you through the most important things happening in Pittsburgh these days. Today you'll find these stories and more...
- Honoring Tree of Life victims through art
- Halloween parties happening in town
- Mail-in ballots in Allegheny County invalid without 'voter's declaration' label
Here we go!
Clouds giving way to sun. High: 58 Low: 35.
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Here are the top stories in Pittsburgh today:
1) A new homeless center is set to open in Pittsburgh. This initiative started in hopes of addressing the homeless encampment areas that have been expanding along the river walk parallel to Fort Duquesne Boulevard. Mayor Ed Gainey isn't confirming that timeline, or naming a date, but he makes it known that the timing depends on the opening of the new Second Avenue Commons that will serve and provide shelter for homeless Pittsburghers. "What we're doing is waiting for the Second Ave Center to open up. We're going to be making sure that we're already out there recruiting the homeless and unsheltered to go into the center. We're working on that right now as part of our plan," Gainey said. Public and private partners in the Commons effort are lining up social services and communicating with individuals about current and coming resources. Currently, the website for the new shelter says it will be opening in early November. No official date has been publicly announced.
2) The 11 lives lost at the Tree of Life synagogue shooting are being honored in memory through art. Young members of the Pittsburgh Jewish community are paying tribute via a project that they describe as: a project of hope, a message of healing and a symbol of resilience. Sixth graders shared their artwork with Ron and Andrea Wedner. Andrea was inside the synagogue when the gunman attacked. Her mother, Rose Mallinger, died. These students were only in the second grade when the shooting happened, but they have vowed to not let the tragedy stop them. "We can't be stopped by this," said 12-year-old Iggy Goodman. "We are going to rebuild and we're going to be even more together." Ron Wedner thought bringing in voices of the future would be important to include in the memorial ceremony, so he asked the Community Day School to help create something. Ron and Andrea admired the artwork and the message behind it. They not only talked about what happened that terrible day but also how the community can move forward. "Just to appreciate everything that we have and the people that you're with," Andrea Wedner said. You have to be kind to people and accept people for their differences." The Tree of Life shooting remains the worst antisemitic attack in American history.
3) Halloween is coming up next Monday, and many local businesses are hosting their celebrations heading into the weekend. Here's a rundown of what's happening in the 412. On Thursday, Oct. 27 at 9 pm, Belvedere's Ultra-Dive will host Brutalism Post-Punk Night presents Halloween Forever. Fans of post-punk and synth music won't want to miss this night of Halloween-themed tunes from DJs Rachel Ruckus and Bedlam Boy. Plus, snack on free candy and see how you stack up against other fits in a costume contest. On Friday, Oct. 28, at the same location and time, the bar will host 2000's Takeover Halloween Extravaganza. This hip-hop and R&B night turns spooky with a set from DJ ADMC. Also on Friday are: Diamond Life at Spirit, starting at 9 pm; and Hyperbop Halloween at Brillobox, starting at 9 pm. On Saturday, Oct. 29, the party moves to the Bottlerocket Halloween Party at Bottlerocket Social Hall at 7 pm, then Nightmare on 44th Street: II at Cattivo starting at 8 pm.
4) A problem with mail-in ballots caught the attention of the Election Protection Coalition, which alerted the ACLU. Mail-in ballots have an outer envelope that is mailed back to the Election's Division and should have a voter's declaration label printed on the envelope; it must be signed by the voter. If not, it is rejected and not counted. However, the ACLU says some outer envelopes are missing the voter's declaration."We had a lot of concern because if the voter doesn't sign the outer envelope of the ballot, their vote will not count," said Sara Rose, deputy legal director. Dave Voye, manager for Allegheny County's Elections Division, said less than a dozen out of 180,000 mail-in ballots were missing the voter's declaration, and that was due to a printing error. "We were in touch with our printer and we think two envelopes got stuck together. It's very minimal," Voye said.
5) The FBI recently shared out an alarming warning that criminals are using ride-sharing companies to abduct children. The FBI said since the pandemic, law enforcement has received several reports of ride-share services being used to target children and abduct them. It's been happening across the country, predominately in states like California and Oregon, and internationally in Mexico City. According to the federal agency, criminals use ride-share services like Uber or Lyft because they are easy to book and don't have very strict security protocols as other forms of transportation. They also said detection is less likely. Additionally, due to COVID-19 guidance, masks make it harder for witnesses to identify criminals. But in Pittsburgh? FBI special agents report additional ways that children can be targeted. "What we have seen is subjects talking to children online and they are looking to groom those children in order to meet them for a sexual encounter. Oftentimes they will offer to send an Uber or a Lyft to pick the child up to bring them to a location where they can meet in person," said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent, Tim Wolford. The special agent said this has happened around here a handful of times in the last two years and now they are warning families in the local area. The FBI shared some tips. If you notice any suspicious behavior in an Uber or Lyft, report it. Don't let minors ride alone. Keep your receipts, and parents: be extra aware of what kids are doing online.
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Today in Pittsburgh:
- Boo-tique Crawl - Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership (5:00 PM)
- Story Spooktacular! - Mount Lebanon Public Library (6:30 PM)
- Silence of the Lambs Screening - University of Pittsburgh (7:00 PM)
- Classic Horror at the Library - Carnival of Souls (7:00 PM)
- Band performance - Halloween - Brentwood SHS (7:00 PM)
- MWSS STOOP NIGHTS! - Mexican War Streets Society (7:00 PM)
- Greylan James at Jergel's Rhythm Grille (7:00 PM)
- Spy Ninjas Live (7:00 PM)
- Soul Sessions: Angelique Kidjo (8:00 PM)
- One Minute Film Festival Screening - University of Pittsburgh (8:30 PM)
From my notebook:
- Tree Pittsburgh: "Don't wait until Midnight, squash 'em when you see 'em" (Tree Pittsburgh via Facebook)
- The Andy Warhol Museum: "Shop for unique gifts from The Warhol Store online during our Pre-Holiday Sale! Now through October 30, enter coupon code HolidaySale at checkout and receive 15% off your order (online only): https://bit.ly/3ewwHBb" (The Andy Warhol Museum via Facebook)
- Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh: "👻 🎃 The celebration of cuteness is on!🎃👻 Send your best pet costumes to submit@humaneanimalrescue.org for a chance to be featured across our social channels. 🐶 😺 🐰 👹" (Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh via Facebook)
- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium: "Looking for a great night out? Sip & Swirl is next Friday, November 4th! This event includes wine tastings, small bites, small animal visits, live music, and more. Buy tickets ➡️ https://bit.ly/3R9Es2f" (Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium via Facebook)
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: "With a little less than one week left, make sure you plan your visit for our Fall Flower Show: Blooms Under the Big Top! This show is only open until Sun., Oct. 30. You don't want to miss this! Book your tickets today" (Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens via Facebook)
- Carnegie Science Center: "On All Hallows' eve when the moon is around, the giant blue star Rigel points us in the direction of the Witch Head Nebula. The Southern Taurid meteor showers also will be back, emerging from the constellation Taurus the Bull." (Carnegie Science Center via Facebook)
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That's it for today! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with another update.
— Rachel Tasker
About me: Rachel is a native Pennsylvanian with stops in Erie and State College before making Pittsburgh her home in 2020. She's got a background in a little bit of everything... from working in media newsrooms and public health to the 2016 Presidential election in Washington, D.C. and the 2019 Super Bowl where (surprise!) Tom Brady won... AGAIN. She loves good coffee, bad reality T.V., attending local events and trying new food in the 412. She resides in the South Hills.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Pittsburgh Daily? Contact me at pittsburgh@patch.com
