Roman Hladio

1 week ago | blueskypit.com | Roman Hladio

By Roman HladioPublished June 16, 2025Print/DownloadWhen Rudo Mathende was younger, she couldn’t stop noticing planes. Friends called her obsessed. But it wasn’t her peers or parents who inspired her to pursue a career in aircraft maintenance; it was a music video of Lady Gaga’s “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.”“I was just minding my business and then all of a sudden, on this big, 65-inch TV, a plane just goes in my face and … I was entranced,” Mathende said.

2 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Roman Hladio

Residents of Homestead, Munhall, Duquesne and 16 other municipalities can expect an oft-overlooked public service to roll through their neighborhoods more quietly this summer. In May, the Steel Rivers Council of Governments received its new Elgin 100% Electric Broom Bear Street Sweeper, replacing one of the two 2006 diesel models that previously made up its fleet. An Allegheny County Clean Air Fund grant paid for the $748,000 vehicle.

3 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Roman Hladio

When Hound Haus opens in East Liberty tomorrow, June 7, it’ll serve as a new coffee shop, bar, coworking space and dog park in the neighborhood. And much like its four-legged patrons, the business’ story is tightly woven into the lives of its owners. Tom and Danielle Lafe spent their 20s and early 30s in New York City, constantly trying to find time to take their Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Stella, out on the town while balancing their work and social life.

3 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Roman Hladio

Few places in Pittsburgh can claim to have (nonsimultaneously) hosted an artist market, a pickle festival or a temporary Ferris wheel. From their suspension chains and towers to their Aztec Gold finish and storied past, Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges are nothing short of iconic, according to Matthew Falcone, a member of the Historic Review Commission and board president of advocacy group Preservation Pittsburgh.

3 weeks ago | nextpittsburgh.com | Roman Hladio

Come Sept. 1, children 17 and under — including school groups — will be able to visit the Senator John Heinz History Center and Fort Pitt Museum for free. The aptly named “Free For Kids” program came about after an $11.5 million donation from Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin. It is the largest individual gift the museum has ever received, writes Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center, in a release announcing the gift.