PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh: Infected mosquitoes found in West End
The Allegheny County Health Department sprayed the pesticide Zenivex in the neighborhood on Tuesday night after groups of mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus.
Pittsburgh: Pollution day in the ‘Burgh
Tuesday marked an Air Quality Action Day in the city, and the State Department of Environmental Resources issued a “code orange” alert for poor air quality. The air quality index charts air quality on a scale from good (green) to unhealthy for everyone (brown).
Pittsburgh: Councilman wants to unite police and parking authority
Councilman Dan Gilman is supporting new legislation that would encourage information sharing among the mayor, police chief, the Public Safety Department and parking authority. Gilman added, “I certainly don’t expect any hurdles.”
Pittsburgh: Rapid bridge replacement across the state
The City of Bridges — as well as the rest of the state — is spending $1 billion to build 558 bridges over the next three years. There will be 53 projects in Allegheny County, and 40 percent of the bridges will be repaired in Western Pennsylvania. Construction began in June and should be complete by 2017.
Statewide: Rent too expensive for the average worker
A recent study concludes that the average Pennsylvanian can’t afford to pay rent. To offset the cost of rent, workers must make $17.57 an hour in the state. Throughout the rest of the country, workers must have an average hourly wage of $14 to pay for rent.
Lebanon County: Three die, one in critical condition from heroin overdoses
After four overdoses were reported last week, authorities are investigating. See our story on how county coroners and medical examiners don’t have the same protocol to determine if an overdose was caused by heroin.
Statewide: House Majority Leader supports medical marijuana
Dave Reed, R-Indiana County, is on a mission to pass a law in support of legalizing medical marijuana. There is no House precedent for a vote on medical marijuana.
NATIONAL
Experts call for ban on autonomous weapons
Hundreds of artificial intelligence researchers and experts called for a global ban on autonomous weapons in a letter presented at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence on Monday. They mentioned that unmanned killer robots are dangerous because they’re “feasible within years, not decades.”
NFL Commissioner supports Tom Brady punishment
Roger Goodell upheld Brady’s suspension for violating the sport’s integrity in Deflategate, the league announced Tuesday. Soon after, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport said that Brady will sue.
Trump is worth a lot less than previously thought
A recent study by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index calculated Donald Trump to be valued at $2.9 billion. This is down from his claim that he’s worth $10 billion.
IN OTHER NEWS
Your Uber may not actually be en route
Gizmodo’s blog Motherboard explores whether Uber is tricking users with “ghost cabs” on the map that shows available rides in the area.
The daily report was compiled by Elaina Zachos, a PublicSource intern. You can reach her with questions or suggestions at ezachos@publicsource.org.
