Concern for my daughters’ futures steered my architecture practice toward environmental solutions
Several years ago, I bought and installed an air quality monitor for my house and gave my two daughters a brief tutorial on what it was and how to use it. One day they noticed a change in colors on the monitor: It was red, meaning poor indoor air quality. Excited, they came running to…
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Anti-violence teams surge as $50 million in Allegheny County funding flows
Leaders at anti-violence organizations are hiring staff and building out programs. Some said Allegheny County funding is a good start, but isn’t enough to address the root causes of violence such as poverty and structural racism. Others aren’t counting on…
‘We were all blindsided’: Chatham University faces multimillion-dollar budget hole, lays off staff, cuts benefits
The Pittsburgh university has seen deficits in most recent years, and faces dips in graduate school enrollments amid higher ed headwinds.
Shelter space around downtown Pittsburgh dwindles with another closure
Allegheny County closed an Uptown overflow shelter on Friday, about three months after it opened to accommodate people who were staying at Downtown’s Smithfield Street shelter. The county had said the overflow section of Second Avenue Commons would be available for…
A cream horn debacle brought revelation about expectations and people with intellectual disabilities
The cookie table would be unveiled in a few hours and our cream horns wouldn’t be on it. My partner in the kitchen, who I’ll call Marie, crisscrossed the dough and the horns looked like varying sized balls of yarn. It…
As the legal ground shifts under race-specific programs, Pittsburgh inches toward a long-delayed review of policies
While controversy over race-focused programs simmers nationally, Pittsburgh has taken tentative steps to shield its initiatives from legal attacks. The city is preparing to fund a study to determine when it can legally consider race in contracting and other areas.
Vote delayed on proposed Allegheny County housing health code changes
“The Board of Health as well as the department wanted to take one more final look at it and try to see if there were ways that they could strengthen it even more before bringing it to a vote,” said…
Pittsburgh higher ed steps up sexual assault interventions ahead of annual spike in cases
A recent state law has prompted some trade schools to develop programming and supports to counter sexual violence on campus. Other colleges have codified and amplified existing procedures.
Study on health benefits of Neville Island coke plant closure raises questions about Clairton
Clairton is about 10 times larger than Shenango, according to Matt Mehalik, executive director of Breathe Project, a community health and environmental advocacy group.
“It just shows you how negatively our region’s health is likely being impacted by a coking plant…
Pitt outlines ‘BioForge’ plans for Hazelwood site in initial pitch to city panel
Construction of a cell- and gene-therapy facility, dubbed BioForge, is slated to start this fall but the university must first receive approval from the City Planning Commission
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