This special edition zine captures the many sides of Oakland — from students and medical workers to longtime residents, artists and small business owners. Originally distributed in print throughout the Oakland’s four neighborhoods, we’re sharing it here so more neighbors and curious minds can explore the reporting, photography and reflections inside.
Whether you know Oakland as a place of learning, healing or exploration, we hope this collection helps you see the people and community life behind its well-known institutions.
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Oakland stories
Can AI streamline government in Pittsburgh’s smaller suburbs?
While Pittsburgh and Allegheny County experiment with AI tools, many of the townships and boroughs in which most area residents live don’t yet have the knowledge or expertise to adopt time-saving tech. Some are relying on guidance from the City of Pittsburgh.
CMU president’s recorded comments reflect campus free speech tensions
Carnegie Mellon University has seen heightened debate over expression since President Donald Trump visited campus in 2025. University President Farnam Jahanian’s comments following that visit come amid renewed campus discussions of The Fence and national concern about academic freedom.
Pitt brings new dorm plan to Pittsburgh’s planners
A proposed nine-story building at Fifth and Ruskin avenues would add 420 dormitory beds as the University of Pittsburgh looks to break main campus enrollment records without further tightening the Oakland housing market.
Recording captures CMU president’s dilemma, thinking on controversial Trump visit
In audio of a Carnegie Mellon staff council meeting a year ago, university President Farnam Jahanian called the administration in D.C. “toxic” and characterized students as naive while detailing his efforts to protect the school by painting The Fence.
Pittsburgh refugee youth camp works to weather federal funding cuts
Terminated federal grants left ARYSE, the region’s only organization dedicated solely to refugee and immigrant youth, with a significant gap. Its leaders are working to keep PRYSE Academy and year-round programming intact.
Pittsburgh’s AI future depends on who controls the changing nature of work
Local experts say automation may ease burnout and dangerous tasks, but its gains depend on training, labor power and employer choices.
Robotics built Pittsburgh’s tech hubs, but future success isn’t automatic
Oakland-born tech has helped transform sites from the North Shore to Hazelwood Green. To build on that momentum through 2076, the city will need new business-building infrastructure.
Two years after Gaza encampment, expelled Pitt student awaits his day in court
Muhammad Ali is among the last two participants in the 2024 encampments on Pitt’s campus facing unresolved criminal charges. Judges rejected his arguments of selective prosecution, and his plans are in limbo pending a September trial date.
Pittsburgh planners swing behind optional affordable housing proposal
The City Planning Commission endorsed an approach that incentivizes, but doesn’t mandate, affordability in sizable new housing developments.
Citywide inclusionary zoning swapped for bonus program
More than a year after Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission said yes to inclusionary zoning for affordable housing, it’s now considering an optional alternative.
PRT’s revamp of bus routes could change transit in southern, eastern suburbs
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is seeking feedback on its bus route update as it faces declining ridership. At a meeting Wednesday, public transit users voiced concerns over elimination of routes in Allegheny County’s southern and eastern suburbs.
Pitt students built a website to scrutinize landlords — theirs, and maybe yours
Modeled off a decades-old site for reviewing professors, Rate Yinz Landlord is intended for Pitt students but available for all renters in Pittsburgh.
Pitt shared a border patrol recruitment event. Here’s how colleges are responding to the immigration crackdown.
Federal immigration agencies are recruiting at colleges nationwide, raising concerns about school policies on their presence. Here’s what Pitt and other local institutions are saying.
Timeline: Feds say CMU among 31 schools to stop working with Ph.D. diversity nonprofit
A timeline of federal higher ed changes and responses by Pittsburgh-area colleges and universities.
Oakland danger zone sees safety upgrades, and community wants more
Users of the thrice-deadly Terrace Street area have gotten the ears of Pittsburgh officials, UPMC and Pitt. Now they hope to build on the bike lane and bollards that have made West Oakland a little safer.
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