Peanuts Worldwide Sends Cease and Desist Orders to John Placek, Worthington-West View Fire Department Over Racist Billboard

Franklin Armstrong Peanuts

Earlier in the month, we reported that the owner of a billboard displaying racist content in Worthington, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania had added an image featuring characters from the Peanuts comic strip. The image included characters Charlie Brown and Franklin Armstong with altered dialogue in which Franklin described Charlie Brown as a racist after he admitted […]

I Miss My Parents

Sometimes, I think about my parents or my brother or his children. Those thoughts are accompanied by deeply painful, gut wrenching feelings of loss, separation, and grief. We are not separated by death, but by the truths and transgressions of our lives. I haven’t spoken with my brother in nearly a decade and I last […]

I feel a kinship with Midge Maisel — do you?

Picture: Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) zips up the dress of a Parisian drag queen. (Screenshot from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) – – – – – – – – – So I just finally started watching “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime. I was resisting, because the reviews were so glowing, and I thought, “Meh, […]

Why Aren’t We Talking About The Ties Between the Armstrong County Billboards, White Nationalism, and Domestic Terrorism?

Peanuts Racist

Inflammatory question? Perhaps. John Placek denies that he is a racist white man, but spends thousands of dollars ‘trolling’ Worthington, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania with racist, white nationalist content. And as he told WPXI, he plans to erect two more billboards somewere nearby. When we look at the early deconstruction of white nationalism’s role in the […]

92-year-old Cat Colony Caretaker Receives Food Donation through #CatFoodDrivePgh

Cat Food Drive Pittsburgh

One of the advantages to donating bags of food to our drop-off either in person or via the Amazon wish list is that the food is in the hands of the caretakers within a matter of days. Someone recently donated this bag of food   Within a few hours after arrival, it was taken to […]

Fish Fry Friday 2019: Riverview Presbyterian Church (Partial Review) #FishFryFriday

Fish Fry Reviews Grand Jury Report

Welcome to the slightly-delayed inaugural fish fry Friday review in this #GrandJuryReport era. You can read more about this feature, including our criteria at this blog post.   ‘Name: Riverview Presbyterian Church (Perry North/Northside) Date: March 8, 2019 Time We Ate: Ordered at 5:20 PM, Order Picked Up at 6:40 PM In review, the factors we […]

Enter for a chance to win Ria Mae’s ‘Stars’ EP!

Ria Mae Lesbian

Enter for a chance to win Ria Mae’s Stars EP! Stars — the highly anticipated new EP from queer pop songstress Ria Mae!   Featuring “Hold Me,” “Trixi,” “It’s You” (Acoustic),” and “Not At Peace.” www.riamae.com Stars is available NOW! Connect with Ria on social media: Facebook: facebook.com/riamaemusic Instagram: instagram.com/riaisawake Rulez: You must be 18 and live in the continental […]

Madelyne, 19, Shares Her Story as a Lesbian Growing Up in Johnstown #AMPLIFY

Lesbian Johnstown

It’s important to hear multiple coming out stories and just listen for a while before assuming you know everything. Once you hear some stories, ask those individuals what you can do to help. Name: Madelyne “Maddie” Moore Age: 19 County of Residence: Cambria Pronouns: She/Her/Her’s How do you describe your identity? A happy lesbian Please describe your […]

Homeless Cats & Urban Residents: A Q&A With the Homeless Cat Management Team

Pittsburgh Cat Food Drive

Last month, we launched a cat food drive to support homeless caretakers in partnership with the Homeless Cat Management Team and CARMAA to support the good folks who are taking care of homeless cats. In that spirit, I reached out to one of the “cat ladies” who has been instrumental in educating me. Last year […]

Being Acknowledged on International Women’s Day by Statewide Pennsylvania Organization

International Women's Day 2019