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The weather was perfect for Three Rivers Village School and Arts Excursions Unlimited’s open house celebration in April. There was fun for all ages at the Arts Excursions Unlimited and Three Rivers Village School open house.Photo by Lauren McNulty.

The architectural designs for the interior and courtyard renovations are complete and we are extremely excited about them. We hope to start construction this summer and serve our first customers by next spring.

In 2017, Pittsburgh led the way among U.S. cities by announcing its Climate Action Plan to prepare and protect against effects of climate change. The plan lists urban ecosystems strategies for achieving its goal to “increase carbon sequestration by 100% by 2030.” One of these strategies is to “halt the conversion of forest canopy to development.”

By Matt Peters, Hazelwood Initiative Community Gardens Manager. This year, Hazelwood Initiative is teaming up with Arts Excursions Unlimited to grow pumpkins for a neighborhood Pumpkin Carving Party in October. If all goes well, we will have free pumpkins for folks to carve!

Squonk Opera (below) performed its “Hand to Hand” show with gigantic puppet hands before an enthusiastic crowd as the finale of the Hazelwood Earth Day celebration on April 23. The festival happened at the former S&R Market site on the 4900 block of Second Avenue.

The loss of affordable housing stock to flippers and other speculators has accelerated during the pandemic, according to Leilani Farha, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Adequate Housing, and University of Pittsburgh H.J. Heinz Foundation Visiting Fellow in the Global Studies Center.

May is National Foster Care Month, a time to acknowledge the tremendous need for foster parents throughout the country. TRAC Services for Families helps foster kids and families stay on a positive path through a range of supportive services.Photo by Ja-Neen Jones.

I have a difficult relationship with my mother that makes Mother’s Day a challenge, to say the least. How do I handle my conflicting feelings around this time of year?. Any time there is a difficult situation, especially one that involves emotions, healing and boundaries, you must be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. During Mother’s Day, be gentle with yourself and try not to allow your emotions to beat you up. Your emotions are here for a reason, and you are meant to feel them because you need to realize something, process it and release what’s inside. Don’t ignore them. Look for ways to understand, process and release your conflicting feelings.

Straight Outta Hazelwood is a series of profiles written by Andrea Coleman, a lifelong Hazelwood resident and founder of the Garden of Different Abilities. I lost my first-born son, Aaron Tyrone Lamont Dennis five years ago this May 30, 2022.

Photo courtesy of Councilman Corey O'Connor's office. Recently, Pittsburgh City Council passed an ordinance to prohibit retail establishments from providing a single-use plastic bag at the point of sale or through delivery. Council Member Erika Strassburger introduced the legislation and Councilman O’Connor was proud to lend his support as a co-sponsor from the time that it was introduced until the bill was passed. The ordinance will go into effect in April of 2023.

To strengthen health protections for Pennsylvania workers, State Rep. Dan Frankel and I have introduced the Protecting Workers from Secondhand Smoke Act. The state’s Clean Indoor Air Act allows smoking inside casinos, private clubs and certain drinking establishments. But if passed, our legislation would eliminate those exemptions and expand protections for the employees inside those businesses.

Cracked. Uneven. A tripping hazard. At the Hazelwood community meeting in February, Pastor Lutual Love stood up to speak. He said he was tired of unsafe neighborhood sidewalks.

Straight Out of Hazelwood is a new series of profiles written by Andrea Coleman, a lifelong Hazelwood resident and founder of the Garden of Different Abilities. Tiffany C. Fuller, also known as Tibba, was born and raised in Hazelwood by Vernessa and Durwin Fuller Sr. Her family also consists of her siblings Danielle Fuller-Outlaw and Durwin Fuller Jr.

Family, friends, and neighbors gathered on March 11 and 12 to say goodbye and celebrate the life of Alexander Jozsa Bodnar, 79. Mr. Bodnar, who died on February 26 after a yearlong battle with cancer, was a beloved fixture in his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh—especially in Hazelwood, where he lived and worked over four decades.

A message from Tiffany Taulton, Hazelwood Initiative director of community initiatives. I am so excited to share this special April edition of Earth Day news coverage! The year 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and the start of a new series of community initiatives focused on the environment and sustainability here at Hazelwood Initiative.

District 5 Councilman Corey O'ConnorCourtesy of the office of Councilman Corey O'Connor. Pittsburgh residents elect their City Council members based on nine districts that are apportioned every 10 years in response to the United States census. That process is currently underway, with the City Council Reapportionment Advisory Committee using the 2020 census population data.

According to an annual report by the Anti-Defamation League, Pennsylvania led the nation in 2021 in acts of extremist and anti-Semitic incidents. There were 488 reported in the Commonwealth last year. These include white supremacist events, dissemination of white supremacist propaganda, and anti-Semitic incidents involving violence or property damage.

This month, The Homepage is launching a new section of updates on development projects in and near our circulation area. What development issues and projects would you like to see covered?

From their first show with cranes and earthmovers in a Pittsburgh junkyard, to their current project where music pairs with giant purple puppet hands, Squonk Opera has been focused on big, bold shows.

Erika "E" Johnson is a Pittsburgh native, a singer-songwriter, writer and founder of Beata Beatus Co. Find out more at www.erikadenaej.com.Photo courtesy of Erika Johnson. I feel dumb asking this, but what is the point of Earth Day? How am I supposed to make a difference on this one day that goes just as quickly as it comes?