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It’s the Friday news roundup! The City Cast team is talking about how anxiety dominates the state’s medical cannabis industry, why a bridge rumored to be unsafe in 2018 is only now getting closed, and how one local artist is turning regional folklore into a tarot deck. As always, our Friday shows are powered by great local journalism.  Ed Mahon in Spotlight PA on anxiety disorders and medical cannabis  Our episode with Ed Mahon on misleading claims about cannabis treatment for opioid use disorder.  Oliver Morrison with WESA on the City of Pittsburgh shutting down The Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge in Oakland after it failed a safety analysis.  Matthew Monroy in Pittsburgh City Paper on Killerpancake Illustration’s Appalachian Tarot Deck. Want to get your hands on the Haunted tarot deck? You can check out the Kickstarter here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every February 2, the lore of a mythical groundhog draws thousands of spectators from all over the world to a small town 80 miles north of Pittsburgh. Punxsutawney Phil sits on his stump and predicts the weather; if he doesn’t see his shadow, that means an early spring. But how accurate are his predictions — and why does PA ride so hard for a rodent? We're teaming up with City Cast Philly this Groundhog Day to learn whether Punxsutawney Phil is the true "seer of seers" or just a groundhog who digs meteorology. They’re joined by two people who spend a lot of time around groundhogs: AJ Dereume, who is Phil’s handler, and Dr. Stam Zervanos, who has studied groundhogs for two decades.  Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Pennsylvania, there’s one cemetery that can offer a sustainable afterlife – and it’s just outside of Pittsburgh in Verona. City Cast host Morgan Moody and producer Mallory Falk are touring the grounds of Penn Forest Natural Burial Park, the state’s only certified green cemetery, to find out why more people are going out green. And if you want to become a volunteer river ice spotter, check out the National Weather Service's virtual training here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pittsburgh is packed with medical centers and doctors, but it can still be a challenge to get an appointment with a trained mental health professional. It was even trickier in the early days of COVID, until the pandemic gave rise to third-party psychiatric platforms. Remote therapy and virtual prescriptions helped increase access to mental healthcare. But as freelance journalist Meg St-Esprit reports, some of the platforms are starting to come under scrutiny. She joins us to discuss her recent article for PublicSource. You can read Meg's reporting here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pittsburgh prides itself in our strong steel background, but before this city was the world leader in steel production, we were known for a much more delicate material: glass. Anne Madarasz, chief historian at the Heinz History Center, joins us to discuss Pittsburgh’s legacy as “Glass City U.S.A.” You can learn more Pittsburgh glass history at the Heinz History Center exhibit Glass: Shattering Notions. And if you’re a fan of Blown Away — the popular glassblowing competition on Netflix — there’s a new exhibition featuring artwork from Season 3’s top three finalists at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. It opens this Friday, and there’s a free artist talk with the finalists at 6:30 p.m. More information is available here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Not a fan of social? Then send us a text at 412-212-8893. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the Friday news roundup! The City Cast team is discussing one school’s attempt to keep cell phones out of classrooms, why more teens are gathering Downtown, and Mayor Gainey’s plan to review whether Pittsburgh non-profits should start paying property taxes. As always, our Friday shows are powered by great local journalism.  Terryaun Bell in PublicSource on cell phone bans in schools An-Li Herring and Sarah Schneider with WESA on high schools students spending more time Downtown — and the reaction from local businesses Kiley Kosckinski with WESA on city council shifting its focus from enforcing a youth curfew to opening resource centers Kiley Kosckinski with WESA on Gainey’s plan to review tax-exempt properties Charlie Wolfson in PublicSource with more on Gainey’s plan Our episode “You Pay Taxes, So Why Don’t Colleges & Hospitals?” Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’re planning to get something sweet for Valentine’s Day, need to load up the cookie table at your Pittsburgh wedding, or just want to know where to get the flakiest croissants in the city, the City Cast team has you covered. We're rounding up some of the best treats we've tried from local bakeries that cater to everyone. Our recommendations in this episode: Jean-Marc Chatellier's French Bakery in Millvale Five Points Artisan Bakeshop in Squirrel Hill Enrico Biscotti Co. in the Strip District Nancy B’s Bakery in West Homestead Bethel Bakery in Bethel Park Allegro Hearth Bakery in Squirrel Hill 350 Bakery on the South Side The Butterwood Bake Consortium in Lawrenceville La Gourmandine Bakery in Lawrenceville, Mt. Lebanon, Hazelwood and Downtown Prantl’s Bakery in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and on the North Side Madeline Bakery & Bistro in Wilkinsburg Paddy Cake Bakery in Bloomfield Country Pie Shoppe in Mount Pleasant and Donegal Driftwood Oven in Lawrenceville Pink Box Bakery in Squirrel Hill Piebird in Lawrenceville  Giant Eagle sheet cakes Eat’n Park pies You can listen to our episode about why local hospitals and universities don't pay property taxes here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This time of year, it can seem like Pittsburgh’s been stripped of every color except gray. But if you look closely enough, you might catch a pop of color from a ghost sign. They’re the faded, old-timey advertisements painted on the sides of brick buildings. To beat the winter blues, we’re revisiting our conversation with City Cast contributor (and self-proclaimed ghost sign hunter) Rossilynne Skena Culgan about how to find these relics, what they teach us about Pittsburgh’s history, and what it could mean if we lose them. If this episode inspires you to spend a winter day searching for Pittsburgh ghost signs, let us know what you find! Take a photo and tag us on Instagram @CityCastPgh. You can check out Rossilynne’s photos of these fading local treasures on Instagram @ghostsigngrrl Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pennsylvania House is in disarray. Lawmakers haven’t been able to agree on basic rules and the House has recessed indefinitely. Now, Speaker Mark Rozzi is going on a listening tour to address the partisan gridlock — and his first stop is in Pittsburgh. Spotlight PA’s Capitol Reporter, Stephen Caruso, joins us to explain how Allegheny County inadvertently set this chaos in motion and where we go from here. You can read Stephen’s ongoing coverage of state politics here. Want to make your voice heard? Rozzi and members of a bipartisan work group will meet tomorrow, January 25th, at 6 p.m. at the Simmons Auditorium at CMU’s Tepper School of Business. The public is invited to attend and will be allowed to comment. You can listen to our episode on City Steps (which we mention in today’s newscast) here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a college student, poet and archivist Silas Maxwell Switzer realized he knew almost nothing about Pittsburgh’s queer history — even though he’d grown up here. And when he set out to fix that, he realized there were gaps in the history. Silas’ forthcoming poetry collection, "Nine Parts Water, One Part Bleach," focuses on the AIDS crisis in Pittsburgh and its erasure. He joins City Cast Producer Elizabeth Kauma to talk about digging into the archives and tracking down elders to create his new collection. You can pre-order "Nine Parts Water, One Part Bleach" here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the Friday news roundup! City Cast host Morgan Moody and producer Mallory Falk are joined by Pittsburgh City Paper’s Jordana Rosenfeld to discuss her recent reporting on a new proposal to enforce Pittsburgh’s youth curfew, concerns about LGBTQ book censorship in Moon Township, and the Twitter storm around an Allegheny County Council race. As always, our Friday shows are powered by great local journalism. Jordana Rosenfeld’s reporting in Pittsburgh City Paper on Pittsburgh’s youth curfew, Moon Library Township censoring books, and the controversy around Joanna Doven’s Twitter history. City Cast Philly’s episode about teen curfews. Ryan Deto in TribLIVE on the Twitter storm surrounding the county council race. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the city’s most popular vegan spots, Apteka, is shifting into burger mode. Crapteka is a three-weekend-long event where the nationally celebrated Bloomfield restaurant switches out its typical Eastern European fare, like pierogi and schnitzel, for burgers. The vegan patties are so popular, they've developed a cult following.  Kate Lasky, co-owner and co-chef at Apteka, joins us to talk about how she and her partner built a beloved restaurant and pop-up by following their own recipe — and how things have (or haven’t) changed since Apteka was named one of America’s Best Restaurants in The New York Times. Crapteka runs Fridays through Sundays from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m between January 20th and February 5th. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pittsburgh’s local healthcare giants — UPMC and Allegheny Health Network — are investing billions of dollars to expand throughout the city and surrounding counties with several new specialized and neighborhood hospitals. TribLIVE senior reporter Deb Erdley joins us to talk about how these elaborate construction costs could be added to your next hospital bill. You can read Deb’s reporting on hospital expansions here. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the weeks since Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after a hit during a Monday Night Football game, the McKees Rocks native has recovered enough to go home and the NFL has kept on playing. But what does the future look like for the young athlete, who was just starting his career? And can we continue to justify watching a sport that leaves so many players with life-changing injuries? Martenzie Johnson, senior writer for ESPN’s Andscape, joins us to talk it all through. You can read Martenzie’s article, “The Racial Makeup of the NFL is Why the Games Go On,” in Andscape. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the Friday news roundup! City Cast host Morgan Moody and producer Elizabeth Kauma are joined by Brian Conway of the Pittsburgh Independent to discuss his reporting on the fate of Pittsburgh’s iconic “orange-lemon flavored drink” and the historic bakery that owns the recipe. Plus, they talk about the latest updates on conditions at the Allegheny County Jail and the Gainey administration’s ambitious plan to put more money toward affordable housing. As always, our Friday shows are powered by great local journalism.  Brian Conway with the Pittsburgh Independent on what happened to Lemon Blennd: https://pghindependent.com/what-happened-to-lemon-blennd/  Brian Conway with the Pittsburgh Independent on Byrnes & Kiefer firing its workers: https://pghindependent.com/historic-western-pa-bakery-byrnes-kiefer-fires-workers-by-the-dozen-over-holidays/  Julia Zenkevich with WESA on possible rights violations in the Allegheny County Jail: https://www.wesa.fm/courts-justice/2023-01-06/jail-board-members-raise-concerns-about-potential-constitutional-rights-violations  Julia Zenkevich with WESA on the attempt to censure Bethany Hallam: https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2023-01-11/county-council-delays-bill-to-censure-hallam-for-vulgar-remark-at-jail-oversight-board The Confluence interview with Rich Fitzgerald: https://www.wesa.fm/show/the-confluence/2023-01-05/allegheny-county-executive-rich-fitzgerald-reflects-on-his-three-terms-growth-under-his-tenure Our episodes about deaths at the County Jail, featuring PINJ reporter Brittany Hailer: https://pod.link/citycastpittsburgh/episode/a0ad088bf379a45e00e1a0ac2c6f0c13 and https://pod.link/citycastpittsburgh/episode/f771da06780bf0755905bd34d41632e1 Margaret J. Kraus with WESA on the Gainey administration’s investment in affordable housing: https://www.wesa.fm/development-transportation/2023-01-10/gainey-administration-plans-a-massive-investment-in-affordable-housing Our episode about inclusionary zoning: https://pod.link/citycastpittsburgh/episode/0b917935ab5e0fba4d2e3b425d6094fb Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With big local startups like Argo AI and Fifth Season closing last year, remote work enabling people to do their jobs anywhere, and the possibility of a recession looming large, we started wondering whether the death knells are ringing for Pittsburgh’s tech and startup industries. We took the question to Becca Szkutak, a senior writer at TechCrunch+. She joins us to discuss our city’s future as a tech hub.  Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City Cast Pittsburgh launched one year ago today! To celebrate, the team is sharing some interesting things we’ve learned about the Steel City — with help from our very first guest, writer Damon Young. In the newscast, we mention the new digital archive documenting the attack at Tree of Life synagogue. You can access the website here: https://october27archive.org Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

City officials and daily commuters celebrated the reopening of Fern Hollow Bridge last month, but dozens more Pittsburgh bridges are rated poor and in need of repair. Don’t expect to see construction soon though; Mayor Ed Gainey’s 2023 budget doesn’t include much funding for fixing our bridges.  So how nervous should we be to cross them? And why isn’t the city budgeting for repairs right away? Charlie Wolfson, the local government reporter for PublicSource, is here to explain. You can read Charlie’s reporting on bridge repairs here: https://www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse-condition-fern-hollow-mayor-gainey-budget/ Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our beloved alternative weekly, Pittsburgh City Paper, just got bought by the same company that owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — where union members have been on strike for better working conditions since October. The purchase has raised eyebrows…and questions about the paper’s future under the controversial Block family. Ryan Deto, former managing editor at City Paper and current journalist at the Trib, is here to help us make sense of the deal and figure out what it means for Pittsburgh media. Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the Friday news roundup! City Cast host Morgan Moody and producer Mallory Falk are joined by writer and historian David S. Rotenstein to talk about why reopening Fern Hollow Bridge is so important to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. Plus, they discuss the surprising pick for PA’s new Speaker of the House and how to help Bicycle Heaven after the local gem (and world’s largest bicycle museum) got flooded. As always, our Friday shows are powered by great local journalism.  David S. Rotenstein in Next Pittsburgh on Fern Hollow Bridge and the Jewish community: https://nextpittsburgh.com/pittsburgh-for-all/reopening-of-fern-hollow-bridge-reconnects-vital-link-for-pittsburgh-jewish-community/  The Spotlight PA Staff on Mark Rossi: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/01/pa-house-speaker-mark-rozzi/ and https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2023/01/pa-midterm-election-2022-house-majority-democrats-speaker-election/  Ryan Deto in the Tribune-Review on the flood damage at Bicycle Heaven: https://triblive.com/local/bicycle-heaven-looking-to-raise-money-after-major-flood-damage/ You can donate to help Bicycle Heaven recover from flood damage here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bicycle-heaven-museum-flooded-devastating-damaged Our newsletter is fresh daily at 6 a.m. Sign up here. We’re also on Twitter @citycastpgh & Instagram @CityCastPgh! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices