Author Archives: Bobby Cherry

Remembering Rocket

Some cats steal your heart with cuddles. They curl up in a lap, knead their way onto a shoulder or chest, rub noses with favorite humans and give those sandpaper licks.

And then there was Rocket.

Rocket, the sweet and curmudgeon-y orange tabby cat who melted our hearts and left bite marks on our hands and ankles, unexpectedly died Jan. 7, 2023. He was 17.

Rocket did all of those cat things. He cuddled. He laid in laps. He kneaded shoulders or chests to find the perfect spot to sleep. He rubbed noses. And he licked hands or cheeks with his sandpaper-feeling tongue.

Usually, though, his cuddles began or ended with a bite. His hand licking ended with a bite. And if you rubbed noses too long, he would most certainly try to bite your face.

And you always needed to be on guard in the kitchen for fear of your ankles or thighs being bitten.

Perhaps it was his way of showing love.

At one time, Rocket was one of six cats living under one roof.

And that never stopped him from making sure he was king of the cats, always finding ways to torment — maybe even bully — other animals.

His personality was special. He was lovingly nicknamed “the bastard cat” or “the jagoff cat.” He didn’t care about knickknacks or dogs or Christmas villages — if something was in his way, he moved it, sat on it or attacked it.

One of his longtime favorite hobbies was to perch himself in a chair at the dining room table and swat at dogs as they walked by.

It seemed as if much of his life was spent in the front window — sleeping, watching birds or knocking over Christmas decorations. He loved the sunlight and would sometimes stay in the window much of the day.

Perhaps more than that, Rocket enjoyed cuddling up to me. Whether he was sprawled across my shoulders as I sat in the armchair, along my body in bed, on my chest or legs, he found comfort in being as close to me as he could be.

While Fancy Feast was a lifetime favorite of his, in the last few months of his life, he easily adapted to a special diet — both wet and dry food. He sometimes would sneak Boo’s food.

Never one to shy away from attention, Rocket joined us for family gatherings, such as opening gifts on Christmas Eve, where he would play in opened gift wrap; putting up the tree, where he loved jumping in the bag and rolling around; and sitting at the table trying to steal food.

A love for fellow felines he did not have. Max and Belle were often victims of his bullying. Though, he left some of his fellow cat family alone. And, at times, he shared his beds and toys with those furry four-legged family.

He is survived by his human companions and four-legged creatures he didn’t really care for — Anne, Macy, Oakley and Boo. He was preceded in death by Charlotte, Kaci, Belle, Noel, Max, Sidney, Mindy, Midnight and Snowflake.

In lieu of cat nip and tasty treats, hug your furry little animals and tell them how much they mean to you.

Everything in life is only for now

I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last.

The end of 2022 will mark a first in my professional career: I will no longer be a full-time journalist.

That’s not an easy sentence to complete and an even more difficult one to process. Journalism has been the only career I’ve ever envisioned.

When fellow elementary school students dreamed of being astronauts or gymnasts or doctors or presidents, I wanted to be a reporter.

In middle school and high school, as sciences and math were increasingly pushed, I pushed back and focused on writing, journalism and communications courses.

This sounds cliche, but I was first drawn to news for its ability to share important information people needed to know.

Newspapers, at the time, were stuffed full of so much valuable information.

I would lose track of time reading the Sunday edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — back when it seemed thicker than an encyclopedia. And I always found myself focused on local and regional stories — stories that had an impact or were of interest to areas I lived in or near.

I read the then-Moon Record from front to back — a newspaper that’s related publications would later have a profound impact on my career and life.

I was also drawn to news for its sense of immediacy and that rush of adrenaline when breaking news happens, watching television reporters and anchors bring information to people in real time.

While news stories were of interest to me, so was understanding the art of making news — whether it be for print, television, radio or, later, digital.

To this day, I consume the information while also analyzing the coverage. Ask anybody who has ever watched a newscast with me, and they’ll tell you how enjoyable (my word, not theirs) it is to hear me discuss the coverage.

As a kid, I can remember many times writing “stories” about and anchoring “newscasts” to my stuffed animals. I would even make “incidents” happen in my Micro Machines setups to have newspeople go cover.

Outside of interviewing toys, my first major interview was then-Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Gary Anderson, who I tracked down in an elementary school office following an assembly. I was in third grade.

In high school, my principal threatened to keep me from walking at graduation following the publication of an editorial I wrote that he disagreed with.

As a journalist in college, I helped tackle a groundbreaking legal case of a college nun who sued a Catholic university over sexual discrimination. I helped to uncover sources that were quoted by The New York Times.

My time at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review allowed me to live out those childhood dreams of sharing stories that mattered to communities and families through the Sewickley Herald and The Signal Item — two newspapers I will forever be grateful to have been part of.

For the last few years with Hearst Television, I have had the responsibility of managing a team tasked with copy editing news and media content across more than two dozen local news digital platforms.

And while it is incredibly difficult to step away from what has long felt like a calling, it was time.

The coronavirus pandemic has allowed me to refocus my life and do something I’ve never done before: Put myself and my life first.

It’s not been easy to say goodbye to working full-time in news. There have been a lot of tears shed.

But I’m reminded of a line in one of my favorite musicals — “Avenue Q” — that is simple and true, and helped me to again understand that nothing is forever: “Everything in life is only for now.”

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Happy Pittsburgh Light Up Night weekend!

If you know me IRL or have followed me anywhere on social media, you might know I like the holiday season a little bit.

I may or may not have a website dedicated to all things the holidays.

If you live in the Western Pennsylvania region, be sure to check out the site for all sorts of holiday events. This holiday calendar lists so many things. Here are some featured events.

This weekend is Pittsburgh Light Up Night.

Even if you’re not in the holiday spirit just yet, it’s never too early to scan events. December does go by very quickly. And if it’s not your thing, I bet someone you know (besides me, obv) would enjoy it!

Taylor Swift tix

Were you able to get Taylor Swift tickets? Somehow, I lucked into tickets. I am still pretty shocked. A friend organized a group, so I’ll actually be going to both Pittsburgh shows.

If you did not get tickets, Ticketmaster says you likely won’t.

John Aniston dies

John Aniston was a stalwart “Days of our Lives” cast member. The legendary actor died Nov. 11, his daughter, Jennifer Aniston, announced Monday.

Of course, we know him as Victor Kiriakis, a mafia leader with Greek and Italian ties who butted heads with Stefano DiMera and other villains in the fictitious town of Salem.

But few people know that Aniston’s ties to “Days of our Lives” actually began in 1970 when he portrayed Eric Richards.

Anyhow, here are a few things I’ve read this week:

  • Why Everything in Tech Seems to Be Collapsing at Once (The Atlantic)
  • CVS and Walgreens became fixtures of 21st century city life. Their time may be up. (Slate)
  • Gen Z announces itself in midterms with Democratic boost, historic wins (WaPo)
  • Trump called a protest. No one showed. Why GOP efforts to cry foul fizzled this time. (WaPo)

Twitter’s demise leaves users in disarray

How about Twitter these days?

I’ve always enjoyed social media and the information sharing, community building and friendships that has come with it.

Before we knew what “social media” was, I was connecting via blog writing and AOL chat rooms. In the early 2000s, I made digital friends via blogging. Then MySpace, then Facebook, then Twitter.

As a journalist and community builder, finding ways to engage, build relationships and share information runs central to who I am.

Twitter, by far, has had the most impact on my digital life and, quite honestly, my real life.

I used to enjoy saying, “Most of my friends are from Twitter.” And it was true!

Before most journalists knew what Twitter was, I was already finding sources and searching for story ideas via tweets. Over the course of several years, I taught fellow journalists to use Twitter.

As time went on and more people began using Twitter, the social media site went from a thoughtful cafe to a rowdy bar. I still found community, but finding and keeping those strong connections took more effort — like trying to move through a crowded bar and shout, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?” each time your friend says something. You know the scene.

From a news perspective, Twitter has been nothing more than a vacuum of people whose thoughts and words mean very little off the platform.

But with the real-time demise of Twitter, people are jumping ship and seeking new places to set up digital residences.

I dusted off my Reddit and Discord accounts; I tried navigating my way into an account on Mastodon; I opened accounts on Tribel, Cohost, and counter.social; and even considered giving LinkedIn more of a shot.

I’m not sure what my end game is — except that I plan on using Twitter less often.

I may go retro and blog more (here or maybe on Substack).

Perhaps you’ll consider following along. Find all the links here.

Kennywood Park nearing 125th anniversary

What began as a trolley park in the late 1800s is now one of America’s top amusement parks.

Nestled above the Monongahela River, Kennywood Park has remained a constant as the world around it in the Mon Valley — sometimes referred to as “the valley that built the world” — changed.

The park sits across the river from a still-in-operation steel mill — one of a few left in a region that prospered in its heyday of steel works that provided jobs and also polluted the region.

Most of the steel mills are gone, the cities dotting the region that flourished during the time now struggle, and the area’s population continues dwindling.

As the region around it changed, Kennywood Park solidified itself as Western Pennsylvania’s amusement park, with annual school picnics, celebrity guests, ethnic celebrations and thrills for everybody in the family.

In 2022, as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lifted and people navigated a new world, Kennywood Park management ushered in the start of a major celebration: The kickoff of the park’s 125th anniversary.

With it came word of the return of one of four rides the park removed, plus other park improvements — long overdue cosmetic enhancements to spruce up the park.

Sadly, with the great changes came a rollback in operating hours. The park, where legend has it that the coasters run faster at night, and where thousands of lights sparkle when the sun goes down, closed before the sun was even at the horizon, marking regular closings at 7 or 8 p.m.

It seems, more big changes are in the works in 2023 for the park’s 125th anniversary.

Kennywood is teasing at least one themed area improvement.

Little details are available but, apparently, aliens speak Pittsburghese!

The QR code takes fans to a site on Kennywood’s page.

Looking carefully at the site, these are some clues:

  • The site title says “UFOTracker.”
  • The image shows the number “1122,” which could mean the park might use Nov. 22 to reveal more information.
  • The image also shows “2023,” so that seems pretty obvious.

The Cosmic Chaos, which sits next to this area, was added to the park in 2007. It was manufactured by Zamperla, where the generic ride is called the Mega Disk’O.

The new ride is rumored to also be from Zamperla. Kennywood has some other Zamperla rides, including Aero 360 and SS Kenny (in Kiddieland).

Could any of these rides be coming to Kennywood in 2023? Hmm…

Of course, before then, the park will hold its Phantom Fall Fest (you know it as Phantom Fright Nights but now with daytime fun for everyone) and Holiday Lights!