ENVIRONMENT
A clash over how Allegheny County should spend millions collected from the region’s polluters
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Both parties advocate for public health, but they have differing opinions on how the money in the Clean Air Fund should be spent.
MONEY & POLITICS
Who will fill Murphy’s seat in Trump’s D.C.? These District 18 voters will decide between Lamb and Saccone.
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Republican Rick Saccone has promised to fight for President Donald Trump and his agenda. Democrat Conor Lamb said he is running against Saccone, not Trump, and many in the political world think his victory could foreshadow big Democratic gains in the November midterm elections.
DEVELOP PGH
Munhall council votes to advance plans for a public park instead of selling the Waterfront-adjacent parcel
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The pressure of the crowd at the Munhall Borough Council meeting on Wednesday evening appears to have altered the fate of a 7-acre parcel near The Waterfront.
Watch your step: How Pittsburgh businesses can satisfy accessibility rules and still not be open to people with disabilities
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The Americans With Disabilities Act [ADA] passed nearly 30 years ago, requiring buildings to become accessible to people with disabilities, whether with automatic doors, grab bars or ramps. Decades later, ADA compliance remains spotty, especially in many of the older buildings that fill Pittsburgh's bustling business districts.
ENVIRONMENT
Beaver County residents get little assurance on concerns about Shell cracker plant
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More than 100 concerned residents of Beaver County attended a community meeting hosted by Royal Dutch Shell in the town of Beaver Tuesday night, hoping to get their questions answered about the potential environmental impact of the $6 billion cracker plant being built in their community. But some left with the feeling that their queries were unanswered. The meeting, the third planned by Shell, was held in the College Square Elementary School and opened with an hourlong presentation by company employees. Beaver residents Debbie and Rick Pentz attended the meeting with their granddaughter Alayna, hoping for answers, but found the meeting to be less informative than anticipated. Debbie Pentz had come prepared with a list of questions, including some inspired by PublicSource’s recent reporting on fenceline monitoring of pollutants entering the community.
HEALTH
This new initiative will help Pittsburgh-area schools and pre-schools test for lead and radon
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Pennsylvania law does not require schools to test for lead and radon, and so, according to a recent report by PublicSource, many of the schools don’t. Both lead and radon are dangerous, especially for kids.
TRUMP'S FIRST 100 DAYS
How Trump’s proposed budget could affect thousands of Pittsburgh-area students who receive Pell Grants
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President Donald Trump's proposed 2018 budget strips $3.9 billion from federal Pell Grants — or debt-free federal assistance to needy students. The proposed cuts would have a widespread impact on the Three Rivers region.
Pittsburgh's lead problem
Genetics or lead? One Pittsburgh mother’s question about her son’s learning disability.
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Barber will likely never know if her son's condition is the product of bad genetic luck or a preventable toxicity in the environment. She wants to make sure other young, possibly single mothers like her, see the risks lead can pose to their kids — and heed the warnings.
DEVELOP PGH
Will bus rapid transit in Pittsburgh be accessible? These riders are concerned.
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Pittsburgh’s proposed Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, is what was on CAT’s agenda Wednesday evening. The BRT is a combined plan between the city, county and the Port Authority to connect Downtown with Oakland by taking a traffic lane on Forbes or Fifth avenues away from private vehicles to create a dedicated lane for new electric buses.
Pittsburgh's lead problem
Can families, low-income households afford to get lead out of their water?
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Bridget Urda sent her lead testing kit to the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority on Aug. 9, 2016. She wouldn’t see her results for nearly six months. Working as a nurse and raising her 2-year-old son, Clayton, she didn’t have time to worry when the results didn’t come. Urda just assumed it meant her levels weren’t high and that the water authority was focusing on those who had elevated lead levels in their water.
