These topics air Friday June 27, 2014 at noon and 8pm on 90.5 WESA. Join the conversation LIVE between 12pm & 1 pm weekdays at 412-246-2002.
100th Anniversary of WWI
One-hundred years ago tomorrow, June 28, 1914, Arch-duke Francis Ferdinand, nephew and heir of the Austrian Emperor, was shot and killed while riding in an open car through the Bosnian capital. The tragic incident set in motion events that led to the start of World War I. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Len Barcousky has written a piece on the “political crime” that sparked the war and joins us to talk about the impact of these events on Pittsburgh.
South Side Steps
The city steps of Pittsburgh are as much a part of the city’s iconic geography as the bridges and tunnels. However, maintaining them is not easy, especially when so much the city’s infrastructure needs work. A South Side group has recently received a grant to make much-needed repairs to steps of the South Side Slopes. Brad Palmisiano, board member of the South Side Neighborhood Association.
The Last Billboard
At the corner of Highland Ave and Baum Blvd, above one of the most busy intersections in East Liberty, you may or may not have noticed an old fashioned metal framed billboard on one of the rooftops. If you’ve taken the time to read the billboard over the last 3 or 4 years you probably noticed that the messages change fairly often; the phrases are simplistic and not like a typical advertisement. Recent press from websites such as Buzzfeed have prompted curiosity about where the messages come from and why they’re there. We’ll profile Jon Rubin, the unique interdisciplinary artist behind the billboard project.
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