New State Home Repair Program

Applications are now open for a new property repair program that offers $50,000 grants and other forgivable loans to homeowners and small landlords. If your household income doesn’t exceed Allegheny County’s $84,800 median income, you may be eligible. Apply before June 30. [Pittsburgh Union Progress]

Another Death at Allegheny County Jail

Officials reported the death of 60–year-old Tim Manino last week. It’s the second incarceration death this month; James Washington, 42, died on May 8. Both men tested positive for opiates and died following a detox protocol at the jail’s intake. These incidents marked the 18th and 19th jail-related deaths since 2020. [PINJ]

• 🎧 Why won’t the jail release autopsy reports? A local investigative reporter is taking Allegheny County to court over it. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

Welcome to ‘World Square’

Celebrate Pittsburgh’s growing diversity with festivities in Market Square this weekend and next: art, craft vendors, music, and dance from nearly 30 different international communities. And of course, you can get a taste of the world through food and drinks like Colombian coffee, Mexican tacos, Nepalese dumplings, and more. Stop by before or after the Three Rivers Arts Festival. [Pittsburgh City Paper]

• 🎧 This event is family friendly! We’ve got you covered on more ways to keep your kiddos entertained all summer long. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

For special occasions, I take the weekly neighborhood guides outside the city. This week, we’re visiting Mars, Pa., which is celebrating its 150th anniversary. The small community, tucked in a valley along Breakneck Creek, is about a half-hour north of Pittsburgh in Butler County.

Go, See, Do!

Celebrate the community’s fascination with outer space at the Mars New Year Festival on June 9 and 10. The family-friendly event has STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) educational activities for all ages, plus entertainment, food, and community vendors.

Have cosmic-curious little ones? NASA professionals will share their passion for the red planet and space exploration with artifacts like an 8-wheeled Mars rover, sample tubes, rock cores, graphic novels, and more.

Be sure to stick around on both Friday and Saturday evening for a Mars-themed drone show.

And of course, don’t miss the community’s famous, 3,000-pound flying saucer on Pittsburgh Street. (Hey, isn’t that kinda cool? Pittsburgh Street? We’d never see that in the city!)

Eat & Drink

Cheers to Mars with local vendors like Stick City Brewing and Mazzotta Winery at the New Year Festival. And if you need a pick-me-up, the charming Mars Brew House feels like being welcomed into a friend's living room.

Shop Local

If you’re looking to add some character to your home with vintage or restored pieces, Salvaged PGH is worth the trip. They have doors, windows, decorative items, bath and kitchen fixtures, lighting, antique furniture, and more.

Thanks to everyone who shared their picks for the best doughnuts in Pittsburgh. We’re planning something fun for the podcast on Thursday, so stay tuned!

But first, we have a little digging to do. More than one of you said that the best doughnuts are from Better Maid Donuts on Steuben Street in Crafton Heights. You have to wake up early and get in line if you want to snag them; it opens at 6 a.m. and closes when the goodies are all gone.

But Hey Pittsburgh reader Jesse S. said that they haven’t been open lately and wants to know if the owner, Ken, is OK.

“He got sick back in February and was in the hospital for a while. The last I saw him was in March, and he talked about being on the mend and wanting to make up for lost time. I hope he's OK,” Jesse S said.

So readers, does anyone know how Ken is doing? Has anyone gotten their hands on these coveted confectioneries lately?

🎤 Teeny Fest | Wednesday - Friday | Various Times

Head to Hop Farm Brewing Co. for six comedy shows led by Steve Hofstetter of the Steel City Arts Foundation. [$15-45, Lawrenceville]

🎶 Discovery & Drinks | Thursday | 6 p.m.

Join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Teutonia Männerchor for a performance by an ensemble of string musicians in historic Deutschtown. [$40, East Allegheny]

🏳️‍🌈 Pittsburgh Pride Revolution | Thursday - Sunday | Various Times

Enjoy live music from more than 55 international, national, and local artists across Homewood, the North Side, and Bloomfield. Don’t miss Thursday’s party in the street outside of KLVN Coffee Lab for AIDS Free Pittsburgh, shopping from queer vendors in Allegheny Commons Park on Friday and Saturday, or the Pittsburgh Pride March on Saturday. [free, various locations]

Local celebrations kick off this weekend with concerts, marches, and festivals. QBurgh’s Jim Sheppard shares his best tips for how to thrive, some fun acts to catch all this month, and how our modern celebration compares to the revolutionaries who started it all in 1973.

See yinz in your inbox tomorrow!

Francesca Dabecco