As 2025 draws to a close, Pittsburgh City Paper‘s editorial staff members select their favorite stories from the year. Relive Stacy Rounds’ 2025 highlights below: Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre artists Credit: Photo: Michael Henninger Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dances into a more inclusive fut ure with Adam McKinney // June 11, 2025 Once upon a time, I was a pretty elite athlete. But when I told folks that my protruding leg muscles were built from ballet and not from spending 16 hours a day in the gym, I caught some sideways looks. I loved ballet, but many people in my life dismissed my passion as a simple hobby, or grotesquely feminine, or antiquated. The ballet that Adam McKinney brings to PBT speaks volumes about inclusivity, athletics, and modern art. The performance pictured above (Barak Marshall’s Monger) interprets the themes of hierarchy, class struggles, and the compromises of survival. Between the dialogue of the actor/dancers and the bleak tones of the costumes and lighting, this dance encapsulates a desperate world of forced labor and abusive servitude. Rich vs. poor. Us vs. them. Sound familiar? Credit: Pixabay Does matchmaking work? We asked a former matchmaker // July 21, 2025 When you type “Dating here sucks” in your search engine, you might stumble across an opinion piece that begins, “Dating life in Pittsburgh is rough.” That article, however, will be found on the third or fourth page of your search, well below places like Phoenix, Australia, Calgary, London, and San Diego. In other words, bad dating is not a purely Pittsburgh phenomenon. But we do have a rather seedy matchmaking history. I spoke with a former local matchmaker earlier this year, and her story was wild, to say the least. Mad Mex’s Gobblerito Credit: CP Photo: Joie Knouse A love letter to the Gobblerito // Nov. 14, 2025 I unabashedly love the Gobblerito the same way our staff writer, Rachel Wilkinson, loves a Primanti Bros. sandwich. I can’t understand for the life of me why anyone would hate this burrito. It has everything: turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and little surprises. Funny enough, I thought this article would get more backlash, but instead, I opened my inbox to a very lovely email celebrating my favorite seasonal Pittsburgh fare. It was from an eighth-grade student teacher in the Baldwin-Whitehall school district who, along with the class’s teacher, celebrated the Gobblerito by offering the students a Gobblerito challenge along with a “wall of fame.” Way to tug on my heartstrings, teens and tweens. Courtesy of August Halter August Halter’s redesigns got people asking: should Pittsburgh get a new flag? // Sept. 24, 2025 When I saw that an artist was crafting nifty new flags for the cities and towns of our fair Commonwealth, I was intrigued. Granted, I’ve seen redesigns before, but these seemed a cut above. So I reached out to the artist, who I expected to be of a mature age, having dabbled in vexillology for decades. Instead, I discovered August Halter was in his very early 20s, starting his flag designs in 10th grade when the pandemic hit. His passion for his craft, history, geography, and travel gives me hope for our future generations. The post CP Year in Review: Audience Engagement Specialist Stacy Rounds’ favorite stories of 2025 appeared first on Pittsburgh City Paper | News, Dining, Music, Best Of, Arts, Film. ...read more read less