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Pittsburgh's New Immigrants
Broadcast Date: May 5, 2008
1907 was the peak year for immigrants passing through Ellis Island, as well as for new arrivals in Pittsburgh. While Pittsburgh might no longer be a "gateway," immigrants are still coming, but in smaller numbers. DUQ's Kevin Gavin reports on the new immigrants: who are they, why are they coming here, and will they be accepted? LISTEN

Oldest Jewish Congregation in Pittsburgh
Broadcast Date: April 28, 2008
Rodef Shalom, the oldest Jewish congregation in Western Pennsylvania, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its charter by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos reports. LISTEN

Pennsylvania Voting Rights
Broadcast Date: April 21, 2008
On this day before the primary election--with both an African American and a woman on the Democratic ballot--DUQ's Charlee Song looks at Pennsylvania's history of voting rights. LISTEN

The Great Pittsburgh Fire
Broadcast Date: April 14, 2008
163 years ago today, an 87-year-old city was still trying to figure out how to bounce back from a devastating fire less than a week earlier. As we continue our year long celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary, DUQ's Mark Nootbaar looks at the "Great Pittsburgh Fire." LISTEN
To hear the entire Mark Muretisch song "Ballad of the Great Fire of 1845", CLICK HERE.

The People of Pittsburgh
Broadcast Date: April 7, 2008
Pittsburgh was the original "Gateway to the West." But what about the people who stayed here? As part of WDUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative, Kevin Gavin reports on the people who built the region over the last quarter millenium. LISTEN

The Noble Quartet
Broadcast Date: March 31, 2008
You have at one time no doubt noticed the sculptures of four men on Forbes Ave. outside of the Carnegie Library in Oakland, but have you ever noticed what they are doing or what is going on above them? As we continue our yearlong series celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary, DUQ's Mark Nootbaar takes a pause in front of the Noble Quartet. LISTEN

The Sacred Ground
Broadcast Date: March 24, 2008
Every Monday DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a signficant element of our region's past, present and future. A plot of land in downtown Pittsburgh is the final resting place for Native Americans, French, English and Revolutionary War soldiers...and some of Pittsburgh's earliest historical figures. DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos reports. LISTEN

The St. Patrick's Day Flood
Broadcast Date: March 17, 2008
DUQ's Stacy Moniot takes us to a joyless St. Patrick's Day that changed the course of the city's future. LISTEN

History of Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Broadcast Date: March 10, 2008
This year's St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held Saturday, March 15. DUQ's Blake Plavchak reports that Pittsburgh's St. Patrick's Day Parade has had a long and sometimes interrupted history. LISTEN

More About Pittsburgh's Musical Heritage
Broadcast Date: March 3, 2008
DUQ's Bob Studebaker reports on Pittsburgh's influence on the national music scene, including an interesting story about a song rescued from obscurity by Pittsburgh radio and Pittsburgh teenagers. Also, some thoughts on Stephen Foster, Jim Crow, and Pittsburgh's African American Musicians Union. LISTEN

Pittsburgh's Role in the Underground Railroad
Broadcast Date: February 25, 2008
DUQ's Alexandria Chaklos reports on how Pittsburgh played a role in helping African-American slaves escape to freedom. LISTEN

Freedom House Enterprises Ambulance Company
Broadcast Date: February 18, 2008
In the 1960s and 70s, Pittsburgh was a national model for emergency medical care. The Freedom House Enterprises Ambulance Company was among the first to have staff trained in CPR. The company stood out even more because it was run and staffed by African-Americans. DUQ's Katherine Fink reports. LISTEN

African American Steelworkers
Broadcast Date: February 11, 2008
As part of DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 initiative and in recognition of Black History month, DUQ'S Charlee Song gives us Carnegie Mellon History Professor Joe Trotter's story of Pittsburgh's African American steelworkers, who first came to the city in the late 1800s. LISTEN

250 Years of Architecture Downtown
Broadcast Date: February 4, 2008
Every Monday WDUQ is Celebrating Pittsburgh's 250th Anniversary by exploring the city's past, present and future. DUQ's Mark Nootbaar looks at Pittsburgh's story as told through architecture in the Golden Triangle. LISTEN
To see photos that accompany this story, click here.
To hear a full audio architecture tour of downtown Pittsburgh, click here. (This runs approximately 40 minutes.)

Casino Garage and the Rivers
Broadcast Date: January 28, 2008
Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present and future. Today DUQ's Charlee Song looks at the controversy over the design of the new casino garage on the North Shore: an issue of the city's relationship to its rivers with historical undercurrents. LISTEN

Photography & Poetry from Along These Rivers
January 21, 2008
The city has long inspired artists, but a new collection shows how today's poets and photographers see the world from a Pittsburgh perspective. DUQ's Stacy Moniot reports. LISTEN

Robert Burns
Broadcast Date: January 14, 2008
Every Monday DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present and future. What happens when a rich and powerful man asks for a list of the world's most influential scientists, musicians, writers and artists and his favorite poet is not on the list? The answer can be found in Oakland. LISTEN

America's Most Musical City?
Broadcast Date: January 7, 2008
Every Monday DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 initiative explores a significant element of our regions past, present and future. Today DUQ's Bob Studebaker begins a look at Pittsburgh's rich musical tradition, and how our region's music influenced america, and the world. LISTEN

Pittsburgh 250 Calendar
Broadcast Date: December 31, 2007
Every Monday DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a signficant element of our region's past, present and future. A guide to mark the 250th has become part of the celebration, a calendar. DUQ's Kevin Gavin explains. LISTEN

Pittsburgh Christmas Traditions
Broadcast Date: December 24, 2007
Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present, and future. During the holiday season, friends, family, and whole communities gather to celebrate Pittsburgh holiday traditions around the area, some spanning and bridging generations. DUQ's Stacy Moniot reports. LISTEN

Changing Pittsburghese
Broadcast Date: December 17, 2007
Every Monday, DUQ presents a story celebrating Pittsburgh's 250th birthday. Pittsburghers have their own way of talking. The Pittsburghese accent and many words have been traced back to the region's first Scots-Irish immigrants. But accents can change over time, and linguists say that's happening here. DUQ's Katherine Fink reports: LISTEN

Great Allegheny Passage Completion
Broadcast Date: December 10, 2007
Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present and future. DUQ's Kevin Gavin reports on one of the signature events to celebrate the 250th. LISTEN

Allegheny City
Broadcast date: December 3, 2007
Next November, Pittsburgh celebrates its 250th birthday. Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative will explore a significant element of our region's past, present and future. When you hear the term “twin cities,” you might think of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. But Pittsburgh once had its own twin: it was called Allegheny City, and it occupied the land now known as the North Side. 100 years ago this week, Pittsburgh won a long-standing battle to annex Allegheny. And as DUQ's Katherine Fink reports, some of the resentment Allegheny residents felt back then influenced what the North Side is today: LISTEN

Hidden Bridge
Broadcast Date: November 26, 2007
Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element or our region's past, present and future. You know that Pittsburgh has many bridges and many that are gone. There's also one that on the surface isn't there but if you dig deeper, it's still around. DUQ's Peter Holm reports. LISTEN

How Pittsburgh Got Its Name
Broadcast Date: November, 19, 2007
Every Monday DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present and future. Today DUQ's Kevin Gavin reports on how Pittsburgh got its name. (By the way, there is only one other "Pittsburg(h) with an "h" at the end: Pittsburgh, North Dakota) LISTEN.

First Mayor of Pittsburgh
Broadcast Date: November 12, 2007
Every Monday, DUQ's Pittsburgh 250 Initiative explores a significant element of our region's past, present and future. In this report, DUQ's Jeff Cech tells us about Pittsburgh's first mayor, Ebenezer Denny. LISTEN

Pittsburgh 250: Rivers 1
Broadcast Date: November 5, 2007
In November, 2008, Pittsburgh celebrates its 250th birthday. Every Monday til then, DUQ'S "Pittsburgh 250 Initiative" will explore a significant element of our region's past, present and future. The three rivers have always been central to the human presence in the Pittsburgh area. Both Native Americans and Europeans came because the rivers offered things they needed: food and water, transportation, economic opportunity. DUQ's Charlee Song has a look at how the rivers' relationship to residents has changed through evolving economic realities. LISTEN
To see photos that accompany this story, click here.

Nine Mile Run: Microcosm of Pittsburgh
Broadcast Date: November 2, 2007
In November 2008, Pittsburgh marks its 250th birthday. Today, WDUQ begins a year-long look back, and ahead to our region's future. DUQ's Kevin Gavin visited with Dr. Joel Tarr, the Richard S. Caliguiri Professor of History and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. LISTEN