Long Airport Lines, School Closures & Pittsburgh’s Ties to the American Flag
It’s the Friday news roundup! School’s out, and Pittsburgh Public is using the summer vacation to consider whether some schools have to close or consolidate. If you’ve got a flight coming up, you need to get to the airport extremely early. (We’re talking three hours before takeoff!) And we’re digging into the history of Pittsburgh’s ties to the American flag ahead of Independence Day.
We always cite our sources:
- Pittsburghers got scammed into buying tickets for a fake Biggie and 2Pac live orchestra concert and a fake hot air balloon festival.
- PIT officials are recommending that travelers get to the airport two and a half to three hours before their flights because the security lines have been extra long.
- May was the busiest month the Pittsburgh airport has seen in 17 years – and nationwide, TSA recently broke their record for most travelers screened in a day.
- Pittsburgh Public Schools is projected to deplete its fund balance by 2026, and is thinking about closing or consolidating some of its schools.
- The district is holding town halls throughout the summer to get community feedback. Upcoming town halls include:
- July 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Concord
- July 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. at West Liberty
- July 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Obama
- July 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Jeron X. Grayson Community Center
- July 23 from 6-7:30 at Morrow Intermediate
- PPS proposed closing six schools in 2021; almost 50% of the district’s school buildings are less than half full.
- A man from Collier Township is the reason we have Flag Day and a monument at Flagstaff Hill.
- Shuman Juvenile Detention Center is expected to reopen soon – there’s been a lot of controversy around both the decision to reopen the center and the group that was selected to run it.
- A deer got stuck in the Highland Park reservoir – but thankfully, it was rescued.
Learn more about the sponsors of this June 28th episode:
Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.
Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh!
Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Stay connected to City Cast Pittsburgh and get ready to join the local conversation.
Latest Episodes
Paid Parental Leave Proposal Gets a Makeover
After weighing over 1,400 public comments — mostly from parents, health care workers, and small business owners — the county health depar...

‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Philly Is Reducing Violence With Parks — Presented By City Cast Pittsburgh
Would Pittsburgh be better with fewer vacant, blighted lots? In Philly, the answer is overwhelmingly yes, with significant drops in crime...

Ripping Out Skill Games, Mandatory Fun & RIP Annie Dillard
Will state police start ripping skill games out of convenience stores, vape shops, and other spots? That's what could happen if lawmakers...

Pittsburgh Restaurant Empires, Explained
Did you know a ton of Pittsburgh's most influential dining spots are run by the same six restaurant groups? Some are massive, some are lo...

Measles, Go-Karts & Wylie’s Opening Lineup
Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak is getting worse. At least four people have died and nearly 700 cases are being tracked statewide. Host M...

What To Do During an ICE Encounter in Pittsburgh
Community leaders and business owners in Beechview — the heart of Pittsburgh's Latino community — say ICE activity has been increasi...

Won't You Be a Reader? The Campaign to Raise Lifelong Readers {SPONSORED}
On this bonus episode sponsored by the Grable Foundation, we're talking about a local push to make sure every child has access to the boo...

Does Pittsburgh Have the Meats? A Guide to Pittsburgh BBQ
Can Pittsburgh hold its own when it comes to barbecue? We definitely don’t have the smoked-meat reputation of Texas or the Carolinas, but...

‘Your City Could Be Better’: How Las Vegas Is Handling Record-Breaking Heat — Presented By City Cast Pittsburgh
It may not feel like it right now, but extreme heat is coming for Pittsburgh, and Las Vegas might have the answers you need. An already s...

Iceburgh Loaf Pan, Fetterman's GOP Lovefest & Pittsburgh Remembers 9/11
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Western PA was directly affected: one of the hijacked planes crashed...

