Plus, Giant Eagle’s massive cart ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Friday, April 24 

Your Daily Guide

A large crowd of football fans, many wearing Pittsburgh Steelers jerseys including numbers 14 (Pickens), 24 (Porter), 7 (Roethlisberger), and 34 (Mendenhall), gathered in front of the main stage at the 2025 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The stage displays a large 'NFL Draft Pittsburgh' logo on LED screens under an open-air arched structure on a sunny day.

An estimated 200,000 people per day are expected Downtown and along the North Shore for the 2026 NFL Draft. (Megan Harris / City Cast Pittsburgh)

Happy Draft Day 2 🎉 Executive Producer Mallory Falk here.

If you're on the fence about checking out the festivities, consider this your nudge to go! Our team headed to the NFL Draft stage yesterday and was impressed by how smoothly everything went. (Traffic wasn't a nightmare! The NFL was handing out free water!)

Just remember to bring a clear bag if you want to go inside the draft footprint. (We may have learned this one the hard way 🤦🏻‍♀️)

What Pittsburgh's Talking About

Shapiro Pitches Pittsburgh

Gov. Josh Shapiro spent the first morning of the draft pitching the region to out-of-state site selectors, who help large companies decide where to invest, relocate, or expand. He and other officials hope to sell the Pittsburgh area as a leader in advanced manufacturing, energy, tech, and robotics. [🔒 Post-Gazette]

Giant Eagle’s Giant Buggy Rolls into Draft

The grocery chain's massive motorized shopping cart is cruising around Pittsburgh, stopping at PPG Plaza for photos, games, and giveaways. The buggy will be in town through Saturday. Giant Eagle doesn’t plan to make the street-legal cart a permanent fixture, but it could reappear in the future! [Pittsburgh Magazine]

Counterfeit NFL Gear Seized

Authorities seized bootleg NFL merchandise from at least one Strip District business in the lead-up to the draft. PA's Attorney General is warning fans to beware of deals that seem too good to be true. [TribLive]

PODCASTThursday, April 23

Edible Mascots, New City Budget & Leave Our Bootleg Merch Alone!

PPS Considers Tweak To Religious Opt-Out Policy

Pittsburgh Public Schools could start requiring teachers to provide advance notice to parents when "instruction is planned that may conflict with sincerely held religious beliefs." Under state law, families already have the right to opt out of lessons, including ones with LGBTQ+ themes. Critics say the change could put an undue burden on teachers and cause "advanced censoring." [WESA]

Display Ad: Allegheny County encouraging people to sign up to be poll workers

Become an Allegheny County Poll Worker 

This Election Day, May 19, serve your community as a Poll Worker and help ensure a successful election on May 19.

Poll Workers are required to work hours from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm on Election Day and must be registered voters. The position offers paid training and compensation ranging from $150–$175 for the day.

Learn more: Poll Workers - Allegheny County, PA

Pittsburgh Neighborhood Quiz

A title slide with a gold and white speckled background and bold gold bubble letters outlined in black reading: '1,000 Things We Love About Pittsburgh.' Below the title is the text 'Sponsored by Harris Theater' with the Harris Theater logo."

Test your knowledge of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and surrounding areas. (Francesca Dabecco / City Cast Pittsburgh)

How well do you know our city’s neighborhoods? Test your knowledge in this quiz!

Where did Mister Rogers raise his family?

  1. Squirrel Hill
  2. Shadyside
  3. Allegheny West
  4. Highland Park
Take a guess!
City Cast newsletter ad image

We’re Celebrating 1,000 Podcast Episodes!

A title slide with a gold and white speckled background and bold gold bubble letters outlined in black reading: '1,000 Things We Love About Pittsburgh.' Below the title is the text 'Sponsored by Harris Theater' with the Harris Theater logo.

City Cast Pittsburgh is celebrating 1,000 podcast episodes by making a list of ✨ 1,000 things we love about living here ✨

We need your help to build it out! Submit your favorite things about our city, and we'll publish the list when it's finished!

Need inspiration? Check out the City Cast Pittsburgh team’s picks and some of these great submissions:

  • 😍 “The view of Pittsburgh when coming out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel.” — Kelly S.
  • 🚴 “Casually biking around the different neighborhoods and checking out cafes, restaurants, and markets!” — Lizzie B.
  • 🌳 “The Three Rivers Heritage Trail!” — Zach P.
  • ✊ "The labor history! The Pump House memorial to the Battle of Homestead is a rare and beautiful thing. Pgh soil has been hallowed by those who fought and died for a better standard of treatment.” — John C.
Submit What You Love Here!

1,000 Things We Love is brought to you by the Harris Theater, a venue of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. Their pick of the week is the Steel City Horror Show! Celebrating its 2nd anniversary on April 26th, this monthly series with host Sean Collier brings a surprise film & guaranteed thrills.

What To Do

Friday, April 24

Saturday, April 25

Sunday, April 26

More Pittsburgh Events

Good luck navigating the draft or avoiding it entirely, depending which one is more your speed!

— Mallory Falk

✍️ City Cast Pittsburgh’s Francesca Dabecco created today’s neighborhood quiz. Natalia Aldana contributed to today’s newsletter.

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