Newsletter for Sunday, Oct. 16

INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY

Violinist Kimberlee Faught entertains at the Lawrenceville Farmers’ Market. (Photo via @beaujolaisnouveau.)

UBER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH PITTSBURGH

Uber asked Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto to lobby against an $11.4 million fine levied against the ride-sharing company by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, according to emails obtained by Motherboard‘s Jason Koebler. Peduto, Gov. Tom Wolf and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald all signed a letter that asked the commission to reconsider the fine. “Peduto had one-on-one conversations with [Uber CEO Travis] Kalanick about the letter and also had a conference call about the letter with one of Uber’s top lobbyists a week before publishing it,” Koebler reported. A spokesperson for Peduto defended the letter to Motherboard.

“IT’S A DREAM COME TRUE”

Juliet Evancho wasn’t crowned homecoming queen Friday night at Pine-Richland High School, but even being nominated was like “a dream come true,” she told TribLive’s Elizabeth Behrman. “Evancho, a senior, is one of three transgender students suing the Pine-Richland School district in federal court after the school board approved a policy that requires students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their biological sex, not the sex with which they identify, or a unisex bathroom,” Behrman reported. But on Friday, Evancho was just a student enjoying a special night — and the support of her peers. “I thought it was awesome,” homecoming queen Lauren Hampson told TribLive.

GRIM REAPER = VICTIM BLAMING?

Look Alive, Pittsburgh, a new campaign starring the Grim Reaper that encourages people not to use their phones while walking, is not sitting well with advocates for pedestrians and people with disabilities. “The Look Alive campaign follows the same victim-blaming logic we see in far too many public discussions about people in vulnerable situations,” Gabriel McMorland, a member of the Pittsburgh City-Allegheny County Task Force on Disabilities, told Ryan Deto of Pittsburgh City Paper. “I’d much rather see a crew of these grim-reaper puppets pushing cars out of the crosswalks or calling out drivers for texting behind the wheel.” A spokesperson for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which helped create the campaign, said the campaign’s next phase will address distracted drivers.

THE INCLINE LIKES

TABLE FOR 500, PLEASE

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council will throw a Sunday Supper outside the City-County Building for 500 people today. “Community Kitchen Pittsburgh and 412 Food Rescue are collaborating on a meal that will feature vegetarian chili, quinoa salad and bread baked on-site by Driftwood Oven,” Hal B. Klein of Pittsburgh Magazine reported. Dr. Stephanie Clintonia Boddie, a member of the council’s steering committee, told David Bernabo for The Glassblock that the group’s “goal is to build a food system that benefits the community, the economy, [and] the environment while being equitable and sustainable.” You can RSVP to get a free volunteer ticket here. Walk-ups are also permitted.

THE STRIP DISTRICT WILL SOON BE THE CAT’S MEOW

Former Brooklynites Erik and Sue Hendrickson signed a lease for a building in the Strip District Friday so they can open Pittsburgh’s first cat cafe, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Linda Wilson Fuoco reported. Colony Cafe, where “patrons will be able to sip wine or coffee on the first floor and hang out with 10-12 cats in the ‘cat loft’ on the second floor,” is set to open in January. There is another cat cafe planned for Pittsburgh — seriously — but Fuoco reported that Black Cat Market is still in the planning stages.

YOU HAVE PLANS THIS WEDNESDAY

And they’re with us: The Incline is hosting a free (!) presidential debate watch party at Troy Hill’s Scratch Food and Beverage. There will be $8 cocktails and candidate-themed drinks for $2.50, one of which may or may not be served on fire. Find out more here.