Shucked, 50 maps, Jeeters, Target
Plus: A brief history of Earth Day.
Kennywood’s open!
And there’s no need to look down. (I hope yinz get that.)
Opening weekend is upon us at Kennywood, and just thinking about it makes me feel like a kid again.
There’s something so special about Kennywood — a park that’s managed to blend old-school charm with new thrills — where the Jack Rabbit still delivers that iconic double-dip and Phantom’s Revenge (forever known to me as the Steel Phantom) still gives me an epic thrill thinking I’m going to fall out on those bunny hops going at a speed.
Give me some Potato Patch fries and a slow walk around the park and I’m set.
And while I love a summer day there, nothing beats Holiday Lights — it’s hands-down my favorite time of year at Kennywood.
Here’s to the start of another season at my favorite place on earth.
Let’s ride.
🍒
Police investigating arson attack at Pennsylvania governor’s residence
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated early Sunday after a fire broke out at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg, the AP reports.
“While the fire was successfully extinguished, it caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” the Pennsylvania State Police said in a news release.
Authorities confirmed it was arson, but at the time of me sending this offered no further details.
The fire occurred on the first night of Passover, which Shapiro’s family had celebrated last night.
No injuries were reported.
‘Pittsburgh in 50 Maps’ charts city’s charm, chaos and change
A new book aims to help readers make sense of Pittsburgh’s famously confounding geography.
“Pittsburgh in 50 Maps,” released by Belt Publishing, explores the city's tangled layout through historical, cultural and infrastructural lenses.
Author Stentor Danielson is no stranger to mapmaking.
Known locally for their Mapsburgh Etsy shop, Danielson draws inspiration from fantasy maps, including “The Lord of the Rings.”
The maps cover everything from the notorious Pittsburgh left turn to local air pollution, racial distribution and transit quirks.
One map even highlights Mister Rogers’ controversial quote about his attraction to men and women, which City Paper notes caused a stir in 2019.
Others focus on lesser-known Pittsburgh landmarks like Al-Masjid al-Awwal, the first mosque in the U.S. founded by a non-immigrant community.
Finn Wittrock, Alexandra Daddario to star in ‘Hershey’ movie that will film in Pittsburgh
A feature film chronicling the life of Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine, is scheduled to begin filming in Pennsylvania next month, with scenes planned for the Pittsburgh area.
Titled “Hershey,” the movie will feature Finn Witrock and Alexandra Daddario in the lead roles.
The Pittsburgh Film Office says local crews and support teams are already preparing for the production, which is still finalizing specific shooting locations in the region.
The film will focus on the relationship between Milton and Catherine Hershey and the creation of the Milton Hershey School, which opened in 1909 to educate children from underprivileged backgrounds.
The school still operates today and is among the most well-funded private schools in the U.S.
Did you know? Hershey is not a real municipality? It’s true. Hershey, Pennsylvania, is an unincorporated community inside Derry Township in Dauphin County. That means it has no legal classification.
Broadway in Pittsburgh’s ‘25-26 season announced
The Cultural Trust announced the 2025-26 Broadway in Pittsburgh season — and it’s exciting!
Also, if we’re keeping track, I did very well on my predictions last week. One 🍒 notes that I got the show right, and 🍒🍒 notes that I also got the date correct.
8-show season:
“A Beautiful Noise” - Sept. 9-14, 2025
“Hell's Kitchen” - Nov. 4-9, 2025
“Clue” - Dec. 30, 2025 - Jan 4, 2026 🍒
“Wicked” - Jan. 14 - Feb 15, 2026 🍒🍒
“Disney's Beauty and the Beast” - Feb. 24-28, 2026 🍒
“Water for Elephants” - March 31 - April 5, 2026 🍒🍒
“Shucked” - April 14-19, 2026 🍒
“The Great Gatsby” - May 21-26, 2026 🍒
Season options:
“Six” - Oct. 7-12, 2025
“Les Misérables” - Nov. 25-30, 2025
“Chicago” - March 10-15, 2026
The Cultural Trust lists information on purchasing tickets here.
Let’s talk about the Target boycott
Target has faced significant consumer backlash following its decision to scale back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
The move — influenced by MAGA’s “everything that isn’t white, straight and ‘Christian’ should be banned” pressure and Trump’s nazi beliefs — has led to organized boycotts, including a 40-day campaign initiated by Black faith leaders during Lent.
Target's reversal undermines commitments the company made after the 2020 social justice protests following the murder of George Floyd in the company’s hometown of Minneapolis.
Rev. Jamal Bryant has urged people to withhold spending to protest the company's actions.
The impact of these boycotts is evident in Target's declining foot traffic.
In February, foot traffic dropped 9% year-over-year, followed by a 6.5% decrease in March.
No more Target runs for me.
I began scaling back my Target runs when the company caved to Republican pressure surrounding Pride displays in May 2024.
False information quickly spread from Republican operatives trying to paint a fake narrative of what was the truth, and Target caved to the uneducated outcry.
In January, when Trump began focusing his racist efforts on creating chaos and companies like Target quickly jumped on board, I was done.
For years, even before Floyd’s murder, Target had promoted itself as a welcoming and inclusive place, where Black-owned and LGBTQ-owned businesses were featured in stores and across marketing efforts.
To spend years promoting inclusivity, only to see that messaging suddenly trashed, was an alarming reminder that companies — and the people who run them — ultimately don’t care about doing what’s right for humanity.
Sheetz sets sights on new Erie County location
From Cheddar Bay Biscuits to Shmiscuits, Sheetz is looking to open a location at the site of a former Red Lobster near the Millcreek Mall in Millcreek Township, Erie County.
Sheetz applied for a zoning variance as the site is located in the township’s C2 regional commercial district, which does not allow convenience stores.
Nearby, Sheetz plans to demolish its West Ridge and Asbury roads location to build a larger store. The plan to raze the building was approved in November by Millcreek Township supervisors.
Quickly…
Here’s a look at other stories I’ve read recently:
Tracking Trump
FDA staffers dish on unhinged meeting with RFK Jr.: ‘The deep state is real’ (Mediaite)
Trump’s budget plan eviscerates weather and climate research, and it could be enacted immediately (CNN)
These are the lawsuits against Trump's executive orders (U.S. News and World Report)
Pennsylvania
Judge rules Pa. mail ballot date law violates political expression constitutional right (Erie Times-News)
Critics fear Trump admin’s logging order will harm mature trees, endangered species at Pa.’s only national forest (Next Generation Newsroom/Spotlight PA)
International students in Pa. and N.J. have had their visas revoked by the Trump administration, sparking anxiety on college campuses (Inquirer)
Visas for 5 foreign students in Erie revoked (Erie Times-News)
2 students, 5 recent grads from Carnegie Mellon University have visas revoked (WPXI)
News about the news
Newsmax defamed Dominion Voting Systems with false 2020 election claims, judge rules (CNN)
Nexstar orders stations to run news stories about FCC deregulation efforts (The Desk)
How student journalists are making national news local (The Nutgraf)
Entertainment
Review: In a musical comedy makeover, ‘Smash’ lives up to its name (NYT)
The Broadway Review: ‘Smash’ is a painfully unfunny farce (Broadway News)
Sen. Bernie Sanders makes surprise appearance at Coachella (CBS)
‘A Minecraft Movie’ director says ‘it’s weird’ cops are being called over ‘cheering and throwing popcorn’ at rowdy screenings (Variety)
Looking ahead
April 22 marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day — the global event that began as a grassroots environmental protest in the United States.
The concept was founded by John McConnell. It was first organized in 1970 by Sen. Gaylord Nelson and activist Denis Hayes.
The initial Earth Day mobilized an estimated 20 million Americans in response to mounting concerns about pollution, oil spills and environmental degradation.
The movement sparked widespread public support for conservation and contributed to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as landmark legislation like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
And, finally…
Just three friends hangin’ aht — Jeeters, Kenny and me! (I’m in the middle, btw.)
