📜 The anonymous tale of a 145-year-old Pittsburgh artifact

Plus, rent’s down but home prices are up.

By Rossilynne Culgan

Happy Friday!

Ever wanted a key to the city? Well, we can’t give you that necessarily, but we can show you what it looks like. Here’s the 1930s version vs. today’s version. We’re not picky; we’d take either one.

We can give you the key to today’s news, though, and there’s a lot of it. Read on for a development update, a big college education proposal, a tale 145 years in the making, and a tip for the first Fish Fry-Day of the season.

What Pittsburgh is talking about

Duck, duck, goose. | Tag #theinclinepgh to be featured in our Instagram of the Day. (📸: @1wheelken)

4 things to know today

🎓 Big scholarships are in a new proposal from Gov. Tom Wolf for some students who attend a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education university, but there are strings attached. Here’s how it would work and what critics are saying. (TribLive)

🏗️ In development news: The historic Arrott Building on Wood Street downtown is being transformed into The Industrialist Hotel. Meanwhile, the former David’s Shoes building in East Liberty is close to securing a buyer, but plans for the space are still up in the air. (WPXI / WTAE)

❄️ Trivia time: How much rock salt does Allegheny County get delivered each day? FOUR HUNDRED TONS. Yes, you read that right — tons. That’s because of the recent increase in severe weather, and the county says crews are working extended shifts during this week’s storm. (KDKA-TV)

🏠 Rent in Pittsburgh has dropped a bit over the last year, while housing prices are up. The demand to buy homes is up, too, with one local real estate agent saying, “I had clients that were outbid by three to four other people in a row for some homes.” (Pittsburgh City Paper)

4 things to make you smile

📜 After 145 years, a Kiddush cup found its way home to Pittsburgh’s Rodef Shalom. It’s a tale involving an anonymous retired engineer, “about 1,000 stamps,” and a long history. (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle)

🚙 Blue cars? So hot right now. But why? And how does the pandemic relate to that? A PPG color pro explains. (Pittsburgh Magazine)

🎻 A round of applause for Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra celebrating 125 years and weathering economic depressions, wars, and pandemics along the way. Here’s how to get tickets to the digital celebration. (Pittsburgh City Paper)

😻 Meet Fifty, a five-year-old cat, who’s ready for his fur-ever home. He’s this week’s Pet of the Week, and you can learn more about adoption through Animal Friends. (Pittsburgh Magazine)

Unlock the fun

Want in on next week’s puzzle? (📸: @rossilynne)

Today our members — a.k.a. Incline Insiders — got the answer to an exclusive round of I Spy in their newsletters. That's it above, a photo of the August Wilson mural in the Hill District.

Here's how it works: Yesterday we showed Insiders a closeup photo of the mural and asked them to tell us where the photo was taken. Today, we shared the answer, the winner, and some history about the spot.

Think you know the ‘Burgh and want to prove it? Become an Incline Insider and get exclusive access to I Spy, life hacks, virtual events, hand-curated job and apartment listings, and more. Yinzer Bragging Rights are on the line. Get started here.

Things to do

Submit your events to our calendar.

Today

🖼 Get timed tickets to see the acclaimed SWOON exhibition at Contemporary Craft’s new location — multiple dates (Upper Lawrenceville)

🐦 Learn about this year's finch superflight and how the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is using new technology to track winter movements of evening grosbeaks (Online)

Tomorrow

🐧 Hear from Charles Bergman, award-winning author and photographer, as he shares his quest to see every penguin in the world in this Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium program (Online)

💝 Keep the Valentine's Day love going with “The Valentine Tardy Ya Jagoff Party” with celebrity dueling duos (Online)

Sunday

☮️ Take inspiration from great works of art in a 30-minute live, guided meditation session from the Carnegie Museum of Art — multiple dates (Online)

📜 Learn unknown facts about Sojourner Truth's life and how Prime Stage Theatre created a streaming production of "Sojourner" by Richard LaMonte Pierce (Online)

Monday

➡️ Explore the hidden Jewish neighborhoods of Pittsburgh in this Doors Open Pittsburgh event (Online)

Tuesday

📊 Be inspired by Afua Bruce, chief program officer at DataKind, a global nonprofit that harnesses the power of data science and AI in the service of humanity, in this Carnegie Science Center Career Connections chat (Online)

Wednesday

👀 Enjoy a virtual exhibition featuring the work of Pittsburgh-based artist atiya jones and San Francisco-based Suzanne Stroebe — multiple dates (Online)

📣 Listen in on Mind Matter, a panel discussion about mental health in BIPOC communities hosted by "Listen, Lucy" (Online)

Thursday

📖 Learn about reclaiming cultural stewardship and decolonizing the archives with Bekezela Mguni of the Black Unicorn Library and Archive Project (Online)

👜 Hear Black makers and designers talk about the work, challenges, and importance of creating accessible entry points and visibility for Black creatives (Online)

One more thing ....

It’s the first Fish Fry-Day of the season.

So you might want to bookmark this Code for Pittsburgh Fish Fry map. You can use it to find a fish fry near you and filter it for takeout options.

See you back here on Tuesday.

— Rossilynne at The Incline

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