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By The Incline Staff

Hello and welcome to Friday.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this coming Monday, and neither the man nor his message of equality for all were strangers to Pittsburgh. 

The civil rights leader visited Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District in 1956 and preached at Sunday services at Central Baptist Church in the Hill two years later. He also spoke to a rally of thousands at Forbes Field in 1960 and returned the following year. 

Three years after delivering his “I Have a Dream’' speech, King passed through for a final visit in 1966, speaking to an overflow crowd at the University of Pittsburgh’s student union. His tragic 1968 assassination kicked off devastating riots in the Hill District in addition to prompting unrest in the North Side and Homewood.

You can dig through the Post-Gazette’s archive of Dr. King's photos here or read Rick Sebak’s chronicling of King’s Pittsburgh travels for Pittsburgh Magazine here.

As for commemorating the day itself, Pittsburgh Magazine has six ideas for the weekend ahead, including a week of service, a virtual race, and a livestream of the annual “Let Freedom Sing!” concert. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater is still planning to move forward with its “Give Me Liberty” MLK Day event, which you can find more about here. 

But for today, let’s dive into the rest of the news you can use heading into the weekend. There are headlines about a local pup that walked 91 Pittsburgh neighborhoods, where to find the best breakfast sandwich in town and good news for yinzers with student debt. 

Without further ado…

Any of you getting married at the Pennsylvanian this year? 👀 And if so, can we get an invite? 📸: @ktk7895 | Want to see your picture featured here? Tag #theinclinepgh or @theinclinepgh and you could be our next Instagram of the Day.

🍔 On the hunt for a proper breakfast sandwich? How about some authentic Middle Eastern food? You can find both in the stands at Bitter Ends Food in Bloomfield. Read more about local must-try local food stops,  including hot fried chicken sandos worth salivating over, at the link. 👉 (Next Pittsburgh) 

🐶 Do you recognize this pup? You might — Chewie the Popular GoldenDoodle spent 2021 traversing all over Pittsburgh, exploring 90 of our neighborhoods with his parents. Wanna know what they learned along the way? Check out their adventures on their website here and be sure to give that good boy all the treats and belly rubs he deserves if you happen to see him. (KDKA) 

💰 Speaking of treats, some 15,000 Pittsburghers are in for a sweet one if they took out student loans through Navient. The student loan service has been forced to cancel $1.7 billion in debt and pay $95 million in restitution on loans owned by almost 66,000 people across the country. The massive refund comes after the company was found to have misguided borrowers into accepting expensive long-term forbearances instead of telling them about more affordable plans. In Pittsburgh, nearly 2,500 borrowers will have their debts canceled while 13,000 will get $3.5 million in restitution payments. (KDKA) 

🌮 Condado Tacos is expanding its footprint in the ‘Burgh. The popular Mexican-food joint has plans of opening two new locations this year — one in East Liberty in August and the other in Cranberry come September. (City Paper)

👀 Director of Strategic Growth at NextPittsburgh, Special Events Coordinator at Oakland Business Improvement District, Executive Chef at Fallingwater… These are just a few of the open positions around the ‘Burgh according to NextPittsburgh’s weekly job roundup. (NextPittsburgh)

• Related: Speaking of job alerts, have we mentioned that we’re hiring? 😉 We’re on the hunt for the next director of The Incline. Know someone who is energized about this community? The person who won’t shut up when talking to people about why Pittsburgh is so great? How about the friend who can acknowledge all of the city’s challenges while professing their love for it in the same breath? Someone who can do all of the above and happens to be a good writer who can whip up a loving ode to the ‘Burgh? Send ‘em over to us right now, pretty please, and thank you very much.  

🏆 Who’s old enough to remember the show “Let’s Make a Deal?” Local podcasters about ‘tahn, John and Rachael from YaJagOff!, are bringing the game show back. However, they’re changing it up a bit and making it all local. Starting Monday and running through Thursday, Jan. 27, participating local businesses will share what items to bring to their stores that day and then contestants have 48 hours to bring in said item and “make a deal.” If you play, there are some cool local gifts on the line. (YaJagoff! On Facebook)

🎨 Looking for a place to put on a show? Host a workshop? Teach a class? Ketchup City Creative in Sharpsburg is currently looking for local artists and creatives who are in need of an outlet. (Ketchup City Creative on Instagram) 

Today our members — a.k.a. Incline Insiders — are getting a weekend guide specially curated by us! It includes tips on music to jam to during Pride month, a botanical bash for nature lovers, where you can go sidewalk shopping, and more. Don’t miss out on next week’s edition.

Get in on the fun by becoming an Incline Insider today.

Submit your events to our calendar.

🗣️ Learn about the dangerous women that inspired art of the Victorian era during this virtual gallery talk hosted by The Frick (Online)

😂 Laugh with Jim Jefferies live at Carnegie Music Hall (Oakland)

🍪 Explore our city and state’s immigrant history during the turn of the 20th century with a deep dive into the beloved cookie table (Strip District) 

🎨 Learn to carve your next masterpiece in clay during a workshop at Contemporary Craft (Lawrenceville)

🍺 Sip on a brew while hanging with your furry best friend at Pups & Pints at Helltown Taphouse (Strip District)

💃 Dance like nobody’s watching at this silent disco party (Homestead)

🗣️ Follow storyteller Dr. Nelson Harrison on a journey of the Pittsburgh Jazz community (Online) 

🎨 Bring the kiddos to celebrate MLK day at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (Bloomfield)

🎨 Learn how to use a laser cutter at this hands-on DIY workshop (Bloomfield)

📚 Hear a reading from Emma Riva’s debut novel “Night Shift” in Tamaqua at Riverstone Books (Squirrel Hill)

🍷 Wind down with like-minded ladies at Wine Women Wednesdays at Oasis Taproom (East Liberty)

💆 Learn breathing techniques for relaxation at this yoga workshop (Online)

💰 Meet your future employer at this virtual job fair (Online)

😂 Laugh with Hasan Minaj’s new show, The King’s Jester at the Benedum Center (Downtown)

Stay safe and warm out there, folks. Per the Allegheny County Emergency Services, anything could happen with regards to the impending storm system, but we’re looking at three inches of snow across Western Pennsylvania on Sunday into Monday at the minimum. You can tune into its full 7-minute briefing here — there will be another update today at 1 p.m. 

Have a great weekend and see you back here on Tuesday. 

— The Incline staff

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