DATA
Find out how much the City of Pittsburgh paid its staff in 2017. Take our quiz.
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This year, we’re breaking down the data with a twist: This quiz is a fun way to learn how your tax dollars are spent.
HEALTH
New legislation could require Pa. schools to test for lead in water. Here’s what you need to know.
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Why should you care? Prior to this bill, there was no statewide mandate that schools had to test for lead in their water.
B-THREE SOLUTIONS
Pittsburgh’s police chief urges city council to fund a controversial IT firm. Now, council has to decide.
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Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert made the rounds to city council members last week to ease concerns over a proposed half-million dollar allocation to B-Three Solutions, a software contractor one of his officers raised concerns about in a recent whistleblower lawsuit.
PublicSource Investigation
Pittsburgh refuses to release city emails about disputed police IT projects to PublicSource
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Using the state’s Right-to-Know Law, designed to enable citizens to access public records, PublicSource filed requests for emails by providing names of city employees, keywords and a time period to enable the city to locate the public records. The city has repeatedly denied the requests, arguing that they’re too vague.
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.
AMAZON HQ2
State open records office orders Allegheny County, Gov. Wolf’s office to release Amazon documents
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Update 2/14/2018: In a determination issued today, the state’s Office of Open Records [OOR] ruled that the City of Pittsburgh is required to release documents relating to its bid for Amazon’s second headquarters. OOR ruled that the city must release a copy of the proposal, documents relating to financial incentives and potential sites and internal communications about the bid. OOR similarly ordered Allegheny County and Gov. Tom Wolf’s office to release the Amazon proposal. You can read the full ruling below. Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records [OOR] ruled Wednesday that both Allegheny County and Gov. Tom Wolf’s office must release documents related to Pittsburgh’s and Philadelphia’s bids for Amazon’s second headquarters.
MONEY & POLITICS
Pittsburgh makes Amazon’s shortlist, but the proposal will remain secret. What do communities across the city think?
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The announcement is amping up the stakes for local officials as well as anxiety and excitement in the communities that have been deemed prime locations for the company.
MONEY & POLITICS
Munhall promised a park but may backpedal and sell 7 acres near The Waterfront for less than it’s worth
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The Borough of Munhall told a court it would use the land as a public park.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The new federal tax law could slow down the construction of affordable housing. Here’s how it could affect Pittsburgh.
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Economists and developers believe the new tax plan will slow down the construction of affordable housing. Banks and corporations will have less they want to save on their tax bill, therefore, making it less attracting for them to buy Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
MONEY & POLITICS
Unlike Pittsburgh, Philadelphia releases Amazon proposal
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In response to a Right-to-Know request, Philadelphia has released a copy of the proposal it submitted to Amazon to be the home of the company's second headquarters.