Homewood Nation

The Homewood Brushton Business Association is presenting an event this weekend that will give folks the opportunity to sample cuisine from Homewood caterers while visiting Homewood businesses and institutions.

The Homewood Progressive Dinner, being held Saturday evening, will offer a five course meal, with ea...

Neil Dorsey received a $10,000 grant for Dorsey's Records in 2013; his family has owned and operated the business for more than 60 years.

Urban Innovation21's  business grant competition is returning to Homewood for a fourth year.

The Inclusive Innovation Community-Based Business Grant Competition launched yesterday evening with an orientation session for business ...

Former President Bill Clinton will be in Homewood Friday to drum up support for his wife Hilary's presidential run.

My initial rush of excitement about this died pretty quickly, when I thought about the traffic problems likely to be created by his visit - especially to the extent that it coincides with activities celebrating the lif...

On Friday, Sept. 9, the House of Manna Faith Community will conduct the homegoing service (aka, funeral) for their founding pastor, the Rev. Eugene “Freedom” Blackwell, who passed away on Aug. 29 at the age of 43.

The 11 a.m. service will be preceded by a "Freedom Procession," starting at 9:30 at Westinghouse High School.

I visited House of Manna Sunday for thei...

Rev. Eugene "Freedom" Blackwell, founding pastor of House of Manna and former pastor of Bethesda Presbyterian Church, passed away this morning, at the age of 43.

I don't know the details yet, but do know that he had endured - and until now, survived - bouts with cancer over the past few years.

Bethesda announced the news in a Facebook post:

TO: Bethesda Family & Friends
We share news of the passing of Rev. Eugene "Freedom" B...

I visited with Zone 5 police commander Jason Lando yesterday., and learned that Zone 5 has a mission statement.

I don't know how common (or not) it is for police zones, or even departments, to have mission statements. I don't think that it would have even occurred to me ask about such a thing. But there it was, firmly secured under the glass top of the conference table in Lando's office.

And here it is:

Alton Sterling (l) and Philando Castile (r) were killed by police officers in Baton Rouge, LA and Falcon Heights, Minn. last week.

I'm going to make a pitch here. But first, a story:

I was out late, and stopped at a 24-hour convenience store around 3 a.m. to use the restroom and possibly grab a snack.

A younger Black man — I’d say early 30s —...

From the just-passing-along-a-press-release department...this event is happening TODAY:

The Moving the Lives of Kids (MLK) Community Mural Project will host a press conference at 11 a.m. to address the rampant gun violence that has plagued the city and the nation. More than 100 students will participate.

On July 4, gun violence hit the MLK projec...

Richard Garland (University of PIttsburgh Graduate School of Public Health) and Jack Jackson (Black Panther Party New Jersey chapter)  listen as T. Rashad Byrdsong,president and CEO of Community Empowerment Association, addresses the Day of Black Male Solidarity

“Our house is on fire,” Community Empowerment Association Inc. President and CEO Rashad Byrdsong told the audience at

Homewood resident Celeste Taylor (r), chats with YMCA garden program director Hanna Mosca (l) and Shiloh Farm manager Nick Lubecki of Grow PIttsburgh (c).

In a January post titled, "A New Script for Homewood," I wrote, “An alternative way of developing both people and land would be thr...