PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/author/author-ryan-loew/)
Ryan Loew is PublicSource's visual storyteller/producer.
For degawëno:da’s, paddling the length of the Allegheny River over the course of four months this year was to be a “witness to the raw element of the natural world.”
To further educate local residents and environmental groups about the threat of PFAS, PublicSource and Environmental Health News hosted a special forum on Sept. 12 at the Marriott Hotel near the Pittsburgh International Airport. The military bases near the airport are identified sites of PFAS contamination, and the airport is a potential source of contamination as well, according to reports from former firefighters, airport records, expert scientists and a military study. The panel included: Carla Ng, a PFAS researcher at the University of Pittsburgh; Lisa Daniels, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's director of the Bureau of Safe Drinking Water; Melanie Benesh, the legislative attorney for the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that has done extensive PFAS research; Hope Grosse and Joanne Stanton, residents in Eastern Pennsylvania who have lived near PFAS contamination (via video chat); and Caitlin Berretta, the manager of business development at Evoqua, a company headquartered in Pittsburgh that does PFAS remediation. Editor's note: This event was part of an ongoing collaboration between Environmental Health News and PublicSource on PFAS contamination in Pennsylvania and was funded in part through the Bridge Pittsburgh Media Partnership.
This is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Read PublicSource's stories here. On Aug. 14, 2019, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle hosted a climate change forum at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum. About 200 people attended to discuss how climate change stands to affect the Pittsburgh region and what can be done to avoid the most severe effects.
This is part of Covering Climate Now, a global collaboration of more than 250 news outlets to strengthen coverage of the climate story. Read PublicSource's stories here.
The East Shore campaign rolled out last summer as part of an economic redevelopment strategy to transform the region and attract new opportunities. But, for some, it sparked questions and concerns about why a new name is needed and if the name change was only the beginning of plans that could eventually lead to current residents searching for new homes.
Crystal Jennings’s life was thrust into Pittsburgh’s affordable housing saga in July 2015. Her father, Jerome, was one of more than 200 Penn Plaza residents forced to move from the apartment complex. At the time, her father was in failing health. He died of liver cancer in May 2018, a little more than a year after being displaced. However, Crystal’s ties to the Penn Plaza community would only grow stronger over time. She is a core organizer for Penn Plaza Support and Action and helps take care of former residents as if they’re family.
The lessons we can learn from each other can help us shape a stronger, more connected city, rather than a city of disconnected neighborhoods. We can begin to build bridges that allow us to look around and really see what others are experiencing. We can be better neighbors by learning where our fellow Pittsburghers are going, why and how they are getting there.
With the launch of Develop PGH, PublicSource is committed to covering the ins and outs of urban development and the importance of design and planning for the health of the city and region. We'll bring you original reporting each week and want you in the conversation of how the city is changing and what you think others need to know.
What does the First Amendment look like in practice? In Pittsburgh, it looks like men and women gathered in prayer at First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom or the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. It looks like journalists asking questions and holding those in power accountable, or demonstrators outside a federal courthouse on Grant Street protesting immigration policy.
Nearly one in seven Allegheny County residents are food insecure. It takes many organizations working in tandem to get them the help they need.
