💪 It's Monday, but we can handle it.

🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, high near 60.

🎧 Sounds like: "My Girl," by Donnie Iris. Citizens Live at the Wylie will host a free celebration of life to honor the late Pittsburgh-area rocker today at 11am.

Today’s newsletter is 957 words — a 3.5-minute read.

The pizzeria that invented Ohio Valley-style pizza is returning to its roots with a new shop in Pittsburgh.

Why it matters: Ohio Valley pizza — served in square slices with cheese added after baking — is polarizing, but it's undeniably a part of Pittsburgh history.

What they're saying: Co-owner Anna DiCarlo says the DiCarlo family never wanted to leave their former shop on Saw Mill Run Boulevard, but a dispute with the building's property owner pushed them out sometime in the late 2010s.

• "We are just thrilled to be back. We feel like we are back home. We love Pittsburgh," she says.

Flashback: The DiCarlo family invented Ohio Valley-style pizza in the late 1940s, when the family bakery in Steubenville, Ohio, started using its beloved bread recipe as a pizza crust at the advice of Primo DiCarlo.

• Anna, Primo's niece, says not baking with cheese wasn't intentional at first — the cheese would burn before the dough was fully cooked, so they just added it on after.
• It was one of the first pizza shops in Steubenville, and it became immensely popular.

Catch up quick: DiCarlo's opened its second location in Wheeling, West Virginia, in 1949.

• In 1952, a third location opened in Pittsburgh's Saw Mill Run Boulevard that operated for about 65 years.
• Today, they have eight locations in Ohio, West Virginia and Tennessee.

Zoom in: DiCarlo's will soon open a shop in Brookline, Anna tells Axios, hoping to open by December as they await final permits.

• It will be a takeout-only operation, like most DiCarlo's locations, selling pizza by the slice.
• There's a small parking lot for about half a dozen cars at the shop, and on-street parking is available.

🗯️ Ryan's thought bubble: Some locals don't believe Ohio Valley is a Pittsburgh style, and while it wasn't invented in the city, it was integral to the region's pizza legacy and it should be celebrated.

Case in point: DiCarlo's has spawned several imitators and shops doing a similar style, some close to Pittsburgh — like Beto's in Banksville, Della Sala's in Penn Hills, and DiSalla's in Munhall — and others farther out, like Police Station Pizza in Ambridge and Osso's in Washington County.

If you go: 1200 Brookline Blvd., Brookline

• Anna says hours are not yet set, but the shop will be open seven days a week, likely between 11am-9pm.

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Sparkling coffee may sound gross, but it's a perfect local treat on a sunny afternoon when you need some caffeine.

The intrigue: Frizz Coffee is an espresso soda imported from Italy and sold at several Pittsburgh shops.

Bottoms up: It's sweet and not overwhelmingly bubbly. It tastes even better with some milk or half-and-half and poured on top like an Italian cream soda.

Between the lines: Gina Merante, owner of Linea Verde Green Market in Bloomfield, imports the soda from her family's ancestral village in southern Italy.

• That's why it's available at several stores and coffee shops in Pittsburgh.

Find Frizz Coffee at Linea Verde, La Prima coffee locations ($4 a can), and in six-packs at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company in the Strip.

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⚖️ The U.S. Justice Department is suing Penn State over its policy allowing some undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition. The university said it's reviewing the complaint. (AP)

🗳️ Pittsburgh City Councilor Deb Gross will not seek reelection next year. Gross, who represents District 7, covering Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and several other East End neighborhoods, will step down when her term ends Dec. 31, 2027, after 14 years in office. (WESA)

🤝 Three new tenants signed leases at The Waterfront in Homestead: Song Noir, a South Asian-inspired restaurant and cocktail lounge; Golden Vault, a claw machine arcade; and Wonder, a mealtime platform. (WPXI)

Mailing holiday packages will cost more this year after the U.S. Postal Service introduced temporary price increases for several popular shipping services last month.

Catch up quick: The Postal Service announced seasonal surcharges for Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express and USPS Ground Advantage, are now in effect.

By the numbers: Shipping packages weighing up to 3 pounds costs an additional 50 cents to $1 for Priority Mail, depending on distance, or 50 to 75 cents more for Ground Advantage.

• Priority Mail Flat Rate shipping costs $1 more for most packages and $2.10 more for large flat-rate boxes.
• Heavier packages sent longer distances can cost considerably more, with some Priority Mail Express increases reaching $20.80.

The big picture: USPS says the temporary increases will help cover additional handling costs during the holiday rush and bring its pricing in line with competitors.

Yes, but: The increases don't affect First-Class Mail stamps or other services outside the specified package categories.

What's next: The temporary rates are scheduled to expire Jan. 17.

Spread the word

🐛 Chrissy might brave the Light Up Night crowds again just to snag a Rachel Carson Bridge centennial poster.

🍕 Ryan recommends that those new to Ohio Valley Pizza should keep the pizza box closed at least a few minutes to let the cheese melt a bit longer.

Thanks to Chloe Gonzales for editing this newsletter.