Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Technical College hosts final commencement ceremony before August shutdown
OAKDALE, Pa. (KDKA) — The Pittsburgh Technical College celebrated its final commencement ceremony on Saturday. The nearly 80-year-old Oakdale institution announced just weeks ago that it would close for good.
Pittsburgh Technical graduate Ryan Leichty told KDKA-TV that he’s most worried about his friends who haven’t graduated yet and all the instructors who are suddenly out of a job.
Leichty just got a welding degree. He says there are a lot of jobs open for things like welding.
Now, he says, one of the best places locally to learn those skills, and many others, is closing for good.
A college graduation is supposed to be about celebrating, but for the many students who graduated on Saturday from Pittsburgh Technical College, those feelings are complicated.
“I don’t know; it’s kind of bittersweet. It was nice graduating and everything,” Leichty said.
A cloud was hanging over the ceremony.
“I think this commencement is made even more special because it is our last,” president Alicia B. Harvey-Smith said.
The school says they are shutting down due to declining enrollment and financial challenges.
“It is a shame seeing the school was so badly managed,” Leichty said.
Instead of walking across the stage thinking about his accomplishments, Leichty says he was thinking about how poor the ceremony was.
“It felt like a backyard BBQ of a graduation ceremony, in my opinion. Like, it was very pieced together,” Leichty added.
On this hot day, he noted how graduates sat in the sun, while only the stage was covered. He says the loss of the school is a loss for a region rich with an industrial history.
“Instead of going to a four-year college where you’re paying $100,000 in student loans, someone like me, I went, I learned welding for a quarter of the cost, and I got a job right out of school,” Leichty added.
In her remarks, the school’s president told students that as leaders there are many things graduates will face that won’t be pleasant.
“There are many things that will be said about you, and those things will not be true. In closing, today, yes it is bittersweet, but because of you, PTC will live on forever.”
Leichty wants to think about his accomplishments, but it’s tough.
“The bitterness is really a large part of this day. I don’t know. It didn’t have to be this way if they had managed their money better, not lost all their money, and shut the school down.”
The school said they have attempted to raise revenue or merge, but all those attempts failed.
The official last day is set for Aug. 9, 2024.
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Pittsburgh has long been known for its connections to horror films starting with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead in 1968.
Now, in honor of that designation and the legacy of Romero, who died in 2016, the Pittsburgh Film Festival has announced it is introducing a new award this year.
The inaugural Romero Awardfor Best Horror Feature will be presented at the 45th annual Three Rivers Film Festival, scheduled to run from Nov. 4-15, according to the group’s website. Presented with support from the George A. Romero Foundation, the award will be selected by a panel of industry judges.
Named in honor of Romero, the award celebrates bold, visionary work in the horror genre. As the birthplace of Night of the Living Dead, Pittsburgh remains a vital home for horror storytelling, making the Romero Award a natural addition to the festival’s juried honors, the group said.
“The GARF is devoted to preserving Romero’s legacy and continues to support creatives and independent filmmaking in genres and horror spaces,” Suzanne Romero, George’s widow and founder and president of the George A. Romero Foundation, said recently. She died June 24 at her home in Toronto after a long illness.
Film Pittsburgh’s executive director, Shanna Carrick, added, “We are proud to partner with the GARF to introduce an international competition for best independent horror film. Pittsburgh has a deep love of horror films and we believe that our audiences will be thrilled to experience new voices in the genre.”
The festival is currently accepting submissions, with the full lineup to be announced in October.
The festival will also continue to celebrate its horror offerings with its beloved Chiller Theater, named in honor of the late Pittsburgh horror show host Chilly Billy Cardille. The spooky showcase features the best new independent horror shorts from around the globe and Allegheny County.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
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