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Making empanadas with Coty Rastafar from All Things Empanada

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Making empanadas with Coty Rastafar from All Things Empanada



Making empanadas with Coty Rastafar from All Things Empanada – CBS Pittsburgh

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Happy National Empanada Day! Coty Rastafar, the owner of All Things Empanada, stopped by the Talk Pittsburgh kitchen to show us how they are made!

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Pittsburg, PA

Grenfell survivors visit cladding firm Arconic’s Pittsburgh HQ

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Grenfell survivors visit cladding firm Arconic’s Pittsburgh HQ


Chris Ivey Two men and a woman stand on the sidewalk outside the HQ of Arconic. They are holding a flag with a green heard on it and the words "Grenfell United" at the top and "Forever in our hearts" att he bottomChris Ivey

Grenfell Tower survivors and campaigners outside Arconic HQ in Pittsburgh

Two bereaved survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have travelled from west London to the US headquarters of cladding manufacturer Arconic.

Nick Burton and Marcio Gomes made the trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to mark the recent eighth anniversary of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of 72 people.

The company was criticised by the Grenfell Tower public inquiry for its role in the refurbishment of the 23-storey tower block.

A recent Netflix documentary also alleged a senior executive based in Pittsburgh was aware of the sale of its aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding for Grenfell Tower.

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Arconic has always denied wrongdoing and maintained its product was not unsafe. Others were to blame, it has claimed, for the incorrect installation and usage.

Killian O'Sullivan/View high rise blockKillian O’Sullivan/View

Grenfell Tower in 2016 following its refurbishment with ACM cladding – and a year before the fatal fire

Pittsburgh, known as the Steel City of the USA, is the home of Arconic, a multibillion-dollar global manufacturing company.

Its cladding Reynobond PE 500 was used on the outside of Grenfell Tower. It was made of ACM – sheets of thin metal with a flammable plastic core.

‘Systematic dishonesty’

The fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington started in a kitchen on the fourth floor and in less than 20 minutes climbed 19 storeys to the top of the tower.

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The public inquiry found the cladding was the “primary cause” of the rapid spread of the fire and should not have been used on a building of that height.

The inquiry concluded Arconic promoted and sold the product knowing it presented “a significant danger” and behaved with “systematic dishonesty”.

Family handout man and woman smilingFamily handout

Nick Burton and his wife Pily Burton, who was the final victim of the fire

Nick Burton was rescued from the 19th floor of Grenfell Tower with his wife of 30 years, Pily. Soon after she suffered a stroke and when she died became the 72nd victim of the fire.

He says it was important for him to go to Arconic’s Pittsburgh headquarters.

“For all these years they’re going about their business making record profits,” he says. “We wanted to give them a wake-up call and show them we are still here.”

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Nick’s friend and fellow survivor Marcio Gomes escaped from the 21st floor with his two young daughters and his then wife, who was heavily pregnant.

She was carrying their baby son – who they’d called Logan. But while she was in a coma Logan was stillborn. He was the youngest victim of the fire.

Marcio says it was “emotional” to be in the city of Arconic’s HQ. “There was a lot of anger and rage but also power and strength.”

Nick and Marcio spoke to people on the streets of downtown Pittsburgh about their personal stories and how a local company was connected to Grenfell.

Marcio says it was positive to meet locals who were “fantastic and really lovely” and that engaging with them was “amazing”.

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They made the trip with friend and campaigner Moyra Samuels.

Two men and a woman stand in front of a floral memorial to the Grenfell victims

Marcio, Nick and Moyra at Grenfell Tower

“The reception was really welcoming,” Moyra says. “People wanted to listen. We didn’t get any negative responses, so it was really hopeful.”

The group also met some firefighters from a local fire department.

“They knew about Grenfell but they didn’t know about the links to Arconic,” Nick says.

There are tougher fire safety restrictions regarding the use of ACM cladding on high-rise buildings in the US. “They had training about cladding fires but the fire chief told us Grenfell would probably not have happened in America,” Marcio adds.

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Ayshea Buksh/BBC A man with curly black-grey hair smiles at the camera. He is wearing a white T-shirt with a green dragon logo on it. In the background out-of-focus greenery can be seenAyshea Buksh/BBC

Pittsburgh filmmaker Chris Ivey visited London for the eighth anniversary of the fire

The group’s visit was documented by Pittsburgh filmmaker Chris Ivey. He’s been following the Grenfell justice campaign for many years and highlighting Arconic’s connection locally.

He says he wants to “educate people in Pittsburgh but also to do justice to the community in London that has been suffering for so long”.

Over the past few years, he’s put on local exhibitions and documentary films about Grenfell, laid flowers outside Arconic’s offices on the fire’s anniversary and also driven video billboards by the homes of their executives.

“Arconic have kept Grenfell very quiet in Pittsburgh,” Chris says. “Even when I try to talk to local politicians, they hear it but they don’t respond.

“If it’s not happening at home they disregard it and people say ‘we didn’t know about this’,” Chris says. “Well, they didn’t want you to know.”

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Chris Ivey A group of people sit on plastic chairs in a circle. They are at a fire department. A fire engine/fire truck can be seen in the backgroundChris Ivey

The group also met firefighters at a fire department in Pittsburgh

Arconic rejected this suggestion and told the BBC it had made several public statements about Grenfell, which were also made available to its local employees.

On its website, the company has posted: “Arconic Architectural Products (AAP) is a leading manufacturer of composite material, pre-painted, light-to-heavy gauge aluminum and bonded sheets.

“With manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America, our products are produced with precision and contribute to distinctive building facades around the globe.”

The panels used on Grenfell Tower were manufactured by Arconic Architectural Products SAS at a factory in Merxheim, France.

In another statement made in response to the public inquiry, Arconic said: “AAP sold sheets of aluminium composite material as specified in the design process. This product was safe to use as a building material, and legal to sell in the UK as well as the more than 30 other countries in which AAP customers purchased the product.

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“We reject any claim that AAP sold an unsafe product. AAP did not conceal information from or mislead any certification body, customer, or the public.”

On the eighth anniversary of the fire, Arconic said it had “made financial contributions to settlements for those impacted, and we support all efforts to strengthen regulatory oversight in the construction industry”.

It added that it would “fully engage with ongoing legal processes”.

Arconic also said American senior executives were “not responsible for products, process, markets and certifications” in other countries.

“As president of the Alcoa Building and Construction Systems, Diana Perreiah supported the management of AAP SAS in relation to financial matters and strategic oversight only. She was not responsible for the performance and day-to-day running of the business.”

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Chris Ivey/Hyperboy Films Video projection of flames on office buildingChris Ivey/Hyperboy Films

Video projection of flames on Arconic’s headquarters

The group’s visit ended with a video projection of flames at night against the outside of Arconic’s office building.

“It looked so real,” Nick says. “We never wanted to burn their building down. We need to make that clear. But to look at their building and see the flames projected, it was very emotional.”

“This isn’t just about Grenfell,” Marcio says. “This is about going forward. We need to be able to hold these companies to account.”

“Someone has to be prosecuted,” Moyra adds. “That will bring us a sense of justice, healing and peace.”

The Metropolitan Police investigation into what happened at Grenfell Tower is still ongoing.

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They Met has said it expects it to conclude by the end of 2026.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk



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Pittsburgh energy and AI summit draws critiques, hopes for new investment

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Pittsburgh energy and AI summit draws critiques, hopes for new investment


An artificial intelligence summit convened in Pittsburgh on Tuesday by Republican Sen. David McCormick is drawing praise from local business leaders, but outcry from community and labor groups.

The Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University promises to gather the world’s top leaders in energy and AI along with global investors, labor and trades leaders, and government officials. McCormick said the event will showcase Pennsylvania’s potential to power the AI revolution.

Local business leaders agreed.

“As a company rooted in Pennsylvania and driven by innovation, we believe the region is uniquely positioned to lead. The Summit represents a meaningful step forward in aligning our country’s energy strength with the transformative potential of AI,” said EQT spokesperson Amy Rogers. The natural gas company will attend the event.

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But on the outskirts of campus Monday morning, Democratic U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, whose 12th congressional district includes Pittsburgh, spoke out about President Donald Trump’s planned attendance at the summit.

Surrounded by representatives from SEIU Local 32BJ and immigrant rights group Casa San Jose, Lee criticized McCormick and Trump for holding a gathering of the rich and powerful in Pittsburgh, after passing a massive spending and tax bill that cuts programs people in Western Pennsylvania rely on.

“There are new people every day who are harmed by their tactics, by their policies, and it is incumbent on us to let them know who did this to them,” Lee said.

Hundreds of CMU students and alumni signed onto a petition asking the university to stop the event.

“By hosting this summit, at which major fossil fuel, oil, and AI executives, along with Donald Trump himself, will be present, CMU cannot claim to defend sustainability, freedom of speech, or democracy in good faith,” the petition said.

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In a Monday message to the CMU community, President Farnam Jahanian said he recognizes the decision to host the summit has prompted concern.

“Let me be clear: as I have shared in the past, when we have significant policy disagreements with this Administration — regarding cuts to research funding and support for international students, for example — we have defended our position and vigorously advocated for higher education,” Jahanian said.

“Universities must remain places where divergent perspectives can be expressed freely and peacefully,” Jahanian added.

A CMU spokesperson reiterated that message Monday, saying the summit will include “an exposition where CMU experts and faculty, as well as other academic institutions, will have the opportunity to engage directly with industry leaders and policymakers.”

Momentum for Pittsburgh

Energy groups and members of the business community are welcoming the event.

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Dave Mawhinney, the founding executive director of CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and an entrepreneur himself, said the event is symbolic for Pittsburgh.

 ”It’s taking advantage of the great strengths that we have here, but I think that it will actually start to create momentum and attention for this region,” Mawhinney said.

Mawhinney said the combination of educational resources at Pittsburgh universities and energy resources — including natural gas and Pennsylvania’s nuclear fleet that can be used to power tech ventures in data centers — can attract outside investment.

“ I think it’s creating — what we say in the venture capital world and startup world — a flywheel: That success breeds more success and that the more success you have, the bigger and faster you become,” he said.

Stefani Pashman, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, said the summit is very positive for Pittsburgh, which she said has a desire for growth.

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“There’s an appetite for welcoming new companies and investments and I think that there’s the know-how to put together partnerships and relationships,” she said.

Marcellus Shale Coalition president Jim Welty said Pennsylvania natural gas can power AI infrastructure, creating a “win-win” for the economy, tradespeople, and national security.

But some in the CMU community warn that AI functions use more energy than other computing tasks. Advocates are concerned more data centers connected to the electric grid could cause a number of problems, including higher electric bills for residential customers. And if the energy for AI is drawn from fossil-fuel powered sources, it could drive up carbon emissions, which are already having an impact on the planet.

“There’s gonna be more booms in fracking,” said Carrie McDonough, an assistant chemistry professor at CMU researching pollutants.

At a press conference hosted by CMU College Democrats Monday, McDonough said techniques used to extract fossil fuels will worsen hazardous air and water pollutants in a region that has struggled to maintain clean air.

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Other speakers said the White House has also sought to drastically scale back federal research grants, which many CMU professors rely on. Jess Vinskus, vice president of the Graduate Student Assembly at CMU and leader in its Academic Workers Union, said that hosting the summit “is showing CMU where their priorities are. And it doesn’t feel like it’s with us.”

McDonough said none of CMU’s environmental experts were invited, though the school said Monday that faculty from the school and others would have a chance to engage with summit participants.

“ I’m concerned that this is part of kind of a larger indication that CMU here is willing to contradict its own values for a national spotlight,” she said.

Not invited to attend were Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and the county’s economic development department. A spokesperson declined further comment.

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Patriots Urged to Pursue Exiled Former Steelers WR

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Patriots Urged to Pursue Exiled Former Steelers WR


The New England Patriots have already largely revamped their receiving corps this offseason, making numerous signings in free agency while also plucking a couple of rookies.

However, it couldn’t hurt the Patriots to add some more competition to the position, especially considering that New England’s depth at wide receiver remains mostly unproven.

While veterans such as Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are probably seeking opportunities with contenders, there are some other intriguing options for the Pats to consider, and Michael DeVito of Musket Fire has revealed one in particular: former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Chase Claypool.

Claypool has not played in the NFL since 2023, last appearing in a game with the Miami Dolphins. However, he was once viewed as a very impressive prospect.

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“With Diggs’ situation still unclear, the Patriots might be well-served to consider signing Claypool to a show-and-tell contract. If it’s predicated on his making the team, it may be worth a try since he’s still only 27 years old,” DeVito wrote. “Any deal would have to be contingent on his passing a physical, of course, and a conditioning test. If he does, and shows something in camp, he might just land a final spot on the roster. As a huge wideout at 6’4″ and 238 pounds, Claypool would be another big target to add to Mack Hollins for Drake Maye.”

Claypool has experienced some success on the NFL level. He registered over 800 yards in each of his first two professional seasons, also hauling in nine touchdown catches during his rookie campaign.

Unfortunately, the former second-round pick was widely known for his mental gaffes throughout his two-and-a-half year stay in Pittsburgh, which resulted in Steelers coach Mike Tomlin throwing in the towel on Claypool.

The Notre Dame product definitely has talent though, so he may be worth a flier for the Patriots.

Make sure you bookmark New England Patriots on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

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