These topics air Friday April 11, 2014 at noon and 8pm on 90.5 WESA. To leave a question or comment before or after the show dial 412-256-8783. Join the conversation LIVE between 12pm & 1 pm weekdays at 412-246-2002. More Essential Pittsburgh segments can be heard here.
StateImpact Exposes Chevron
When a Chevron natural gas well exploded in Greene County in February, one worker was killed and the fire burned for 5 days. StateImpact reporter Katie Colaneri recently discovered that Chevron blocked the Department of Environmental Protection from accessing the well, in the first days of the incident. We'll talk with her about that issue.
Roger Humphries: Pass it On
Roger Humphries is one of Pittsburgh’s most notable jazz musicians. He’s performed professionally since the age of 14 with artists such as Horace Silvers and Ray Charles. But his contributions to the Pittsburgh community go beyond music, he’s uplifted generations of young people. Humphries is the focus of the award-winning documentary roger Humphries: Pass it On. An encore screening of the film will be shown at the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre this Saturday. Filmmaker Billy Jackson joins us along with Roger Humphries to talk about his career and ongoing focus on family and community.
The Fab Five
The Beatles have sold more than 2.3 billion albums, a remarkable sales record by any measure. But the group's most historic chart-making moment is the first week of April, 1964 when the band held the top five positions on the Billboard charts. Penn State Laureate Kenneth Womack is an expert on the Beatles and discusses this historic high-five.