Investigations

Here’s what Shapiro’s huge edge over Garrity in national campaign contributions looks like

As of June, the governor held a 38-to-1 cash-on-hand lead over Stacy Garrity in his re-election campaign. Who’s funding the governor’s race? Public Source will track the dollars through Nov. 3.

by Charlie Wolfson September 14, 2026

When the Steelers sell tickets, here’s how much the public sector gets

Acrisure Stadium will fill this weekend for the Steelers’ opener. Public Source asked: How much ticket revenue flows to the public, which largely paid for the venue?

by Rich Lord September 12, 2026September 13, 2026

A group of people stand around a dark SUV during a street confrontation as one person films the scene with a camera.

ICE, A DATA CENTER &
A TOWN DIVIDED

Public Source investigates how in Springdale, a small borough near Pittsburgh, national battles over ICE and data centers collide with local questions about policing, power and accountability.

How ICE and a data center turned a small Pittsburgh suburb into a civic battleground

ICE-allied police chief in Springdale faced lawsuits and allegations before clashes with critics

Video: How Springdale data center moved Allegheny Valley residents

Zines land Public Source national Product of the Year award

Honors for the Pittsburgh online newsroom’s print foray continue an awards season that has also brought recognition of investigative reporting.

by Halle Stockton September 11, 2026September 11, 2026

Pittsburgh’s summer of teen restrictions raises transparency questions

Fears of “teen takeovers” changed access to some public spaces for Pittsburgh’s youth this summer. City officials are tight-lipped about how these decisions were made.

by Maddy Franklin and Lajja Mistry August 24, 2026

ICE, immigration and local response

Public Source reports on the reach and impact of immigration enforcement in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Las Palmas owner’s son: Federal agents demand he ‘get out of the way’ as Beechview immigration enforcement heightens

ICE agreement nixed by Stowe commissioners — again

Immigration enforcement in Beechview brings tense scene to Las Palmas

PPS spent $1.4 million on special education settlements as families, advocates continue to call for services

One family’s yearslong fight for special education services reflects what advocates say is a broader PPS failure to fix recurring problems.

by Lajja Mistry July 28, 2026July 28, 2026

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.

by Maddy Franklin July 14, 2026July 19, 2026

A row of older houses is shown with bare trees in the background and the word “AFFORDABLE?” in large, bold letters across the image.

The Homeownership Wall

Here’s how homeownership became a fading dream, and what it means for young Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh demolition crew ends Knoxville house’s slow, two-decade decline

Maps: Pittsburgh has more decaying homes than it can demolish

How does Pittsburgh have 20,000 vacant homes — and a housing shortage?

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.

by Maddy Franklin July 10, 2026July 12, 2026

UPMC’s profits return and executive pay increases as expansion efforts continue

Looming federal cuts and recent layoffs point to challenges ahead, even as Pittsburgh’s biggest healthcare network expands into Ohio.

by Oliver Morrison June 30, 2026July 2, 2026

Industrial facility with large smokestacks emitting smoke over a river at sunrise, with barges on the water and a hazy sky.

Clairton after the blast

Six months after the fatal coke works blast, with a new mayor and a new owner at U.S. Steel, the industrial Mon Valley’s City of Prayer contemplates its future. A part of this series is a collaboration between Pittsburgh’s Public Source and The Associated Press.

Federal agency flags safety shortcomings that ‘exposed’ workers to explosion at U.S. Steel plant

After deadly explosion, safety and environmental lapses at U.S. Steel’s flagship coke works now rest with Nippon

Clairton sees hope but a history of disappointment six months after explosion

Explore the series

What does Pittsburgh’s mayor do all day? His public schedules offer a glimpse

Corey O’Connor’s administration shares his public schedule daily. Here’s what it says about where he’s been and what he’s working on.

by Charlie Wolfson June 25, 2026July 2, 2026

Pittsburgh cosmetology school teaches on despite state probes, complaints

Students of Fountain of Youth Academy, in Squirrel Hill and Bellevue, have long complained to state regulators, but their accounts are largely hidden from the public and almost always result in mediation, not sanction.

by Maddy Franklin May 14, 2026May 14, 2026

How Shell’s cracker has polluted more than permitted with no new fines for three years

State regulators have allowed the Beaver County ethylene plant to keep exceeding limits on damaging nitrogen oxides while the official permitting process has taken seven times its original timeline.

by Katherine Weaver March 19, 2026April 16, 2026

A group of people marches holding protest signs; beside them, a close-up of a person shouting with hands around their mouth. The image has a yellow and blue color scheme.

Gagging Academia

The right to teach, debate and protest faces a high-stakes challenge in Pittsburgh’s universities and beyond.

A man with long gray hair and a beard stands in front of a large, cleared and barren landscape under a clear sky.

Alcoa Mines Australia’s Forest

Public Source investigates — The future of a Pittsburgh-based metals icon collides with the survival of a unique and fragile forest.

The Glimpse

Pittsburgh stories through photos

A Pittsburgh city skyline with tall buildings is overlaid with green and black graphic effects.

Forecast: Uncertain

Big developers. Small businesses. Job hunters. Pittsburgh navigates a time of turmoil.

Board Explorer

Understanding Pittsburgh’s unelected power structure.

A hand holds a judge's gavel above a sound block, both highlighted in a monochromatic red color scheme.

When care is compulsory

Allegheny County’s 302s, the push for AOT and the debate over involuntary treatment

Pittsburgh At Work

Public Source, with Technical.ly, is exploring the landscape of work in Pittsburgh as it is pressure-tested by changes in governmental policy, technology and economics.

A person climbs bus stairs, prepares food, transports folded towels on a cart, and handles files, depicted in four panels with simple line art.

Job One

How young people with special needs enter the workforce.

Opening the Books

Investigating how Pittsburgh’s wealthiest universities invest their billions

EQT’s Gas Play

Pittsburgh gas giant EQT pledges to tackle climate change and flexes political muscle. Communities in its frack path, though, face stark realities.

Shelter Stakes

As homelessness surged, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh scrambled, and those without shelter tried to adapt.

The Red Zone

More than half of sexual assaults among college students occur in the fall. Resources, survivor stories and investigation into what’s being done to protect those at risk in the Pittsburgh area.

Houses of various heights made of parts of U.S. currency enmeshed in green stripes. (Illustration by Natasha Vicens/PublicSource)

Unbalanced

How property tax assessments in Allegheny County create winners and losers

A photo illustration that depicts a stethoscope, a stack of money and a stack of books.

The Exempt Dilemma

Pittsburgh’s ‘eds and meds’ are economic drivers. But their tax status largely passes the bill for government to the rest of us.

People are gathered at a protest. One person holds a yellow sign that reads, "School closures hurt communities.

PPS’ Path Forward

Investigating the development and implications of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ plans to reshape the district.

Beechview Points of Pride

Public Source maps and chronicles the strengths of diverse communities.

Wilkinsburg Points of Pride

Public Source maps and chronicles the strengths of diverse communities.

Investigations

Additional investigations and projects