Homewood, Larimer Among URA Priorities from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"If you ask Urban Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Rob Stephany what the agency’s priorities are for 2012, he points to Homewood and Larimer, and returning equity to a largely Black population that’s seen it steadily eroded for decades."

EDITORIAL!!

Not Concerned About Budget Cuts to Public Education? Then You are NOT Paying Attention (Judy Wertheimer) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"In the end, they put some money back in, but the state still hit K-12 education with an unprecedented $860 million in cuts. That said, the governor's administration has already signaled that the budget for the next fiscal year will again take a cuts-only approach. Think you're immune? Think again"

Charter Schools are Struggling to Meet Standards from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Since the charter school movement began in Pennsylvania nearly 15 years ago, most of the state's charter schools continue to struggle to meet state standards. Yet, charters in Western Pennsylvania keep growing."

EDITORIAL!!

Communities Deserve a Say in Gas Drilling Rules from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"It was Republican Gov. Tom Corbett's secretary of environmental protection who made a good case for local control when it comes to safeguarding the landscape. What a shame that nine Republican senators had to remind the administration of the point."

New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S. (Ian Urbina) from the New York Times
"The difficulty and uncertainty in predicting natural gas resources was underscored last week when the Energy Information Administration released a report containing sharply lower estimates."

Industry Isn't Worried by Revised Marcellus Estimate from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Gas Business Briefing (subscription only) said that industry officials don't believe them."

Community Empowerment Association $250,000 Funding Helps with Consolidation from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"While almost every other property owner in Pittsburgh was waiting to hear Judge Stanton Wettick’s ruling on tax assessments, Jan. 12, Community Empowerment Association founder Rashad Byrdsong was at the Urban Redevelopment Authority board meeting learning his agency had been approved for $250,000 in new funding."

FirstEnergy to Shutter Six Older Power Plants from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This is an important story -- for decades these elderly plants have been BIG emitters of air pollutants.
"In a move applauded by environmental and public health advocacy groups, FirstEnergy Corp. will shut down power generating units at six old and dirty coal-fired power plants, including one along the Allegheny River in Armstrong County."

Research Roundup: Pittsburgh Region Poised for Wind Energy Leadership from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"The Pittsburgh region is already poised to provide the equipment, technology and skills to be a supply chain leader, especially when compared to its benchmark communities and the nation as a whole."

EverPower and Converteam Get State Grants for Energy Projects from the Energy Inc. blog from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Twin Ridges Wind Farm project in Somerset County, which is being developed by part-New York, part-Pittsburgh-based EverPower Wind Holdings Inc., got a serious boost with a $12.7 million grant from the state. This is a 139-megawatt wind farm that is expected to generate up to a fifth of Pennsylvania’s wind power when operational, which could be as soon as the end of next year."

Rendell Criticizes Corbett's Proposal for Food Stamps from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Requiring an asset test of those applying for food stamps is impractical and harmful, said former Gov. Ed Rendell during a state Capitol appearance on Wednesday."

Shale Drillers See Slowdown as Natural Gas Prices Decline from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Two of the region's most prominent energy firms Thursday reported their profits and revenues rose last year, but the record-low price of natural gas is forcing both to cut back on rapid-fire drilling."

First Black Aliquippa Mayor Reflects on Future of City from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Walker has his sights set on revitalizing a struggling city, still reeling from the collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s. Most importantly, Walker said his primary focus would be to reduce crime and uplift Aliquippa’s youth."

Report: U.S. Energy Dept. Scales Back Estimation of Gas Reserves from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"The U.S. Energy Department made the prediction in a report released Monday by its Energy Information Administration. The EIA has scaled back the estimated natural gas reserves in the Marcellus from 410 trillion cubic feet to 141 tcf. ... The differing figures underscore some of the difficulty in estimating recoverable gas, although the EIA says there are better data today than there were just a year ago."

New Federal Report Says Low Gas Prices Here to Stay from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"As Chesapeake    added its voice to natural gas drillers slowing their roll because of low natural gas prices, the U.S. government on Monday came out with some gloomy news for the industry. Today, the Energy Information Administration released its energy outlook for 2012, projecting that by about 2021, natural gas production will overtake consumption."

$18M Wind Farm Planned Near Ebensburg from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Gemma Renewable Power LLC, a unit of Argan Inc.    (NYSE: AGX), said Monday it signed a contract with Patton Wind Farm LLC, a unit of EverPower Wind Holdings Inc.    , for the designing and building of the 30-megawatt wind farm. It will include 15 Gamesa wind turbines."

$703,525 Grant for Millvale to Pay for Stormwater Efforts from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Millvale has been awarded a $703,525 state grant to plant 850 trees and construct mounded swales to control stormwater runoff into Girty's Run. The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, known as PENNVEST, announced the grant today."
Doubtless, this is a good thing for Millvale, and the folks who did the spadework to get this grant should be congratulated. HOWEVER, the storm sewer situation in Pittsburgh is in a crisis -- and this project is tantamount to giving the guy whose bed is under a leaking ceiling an umbrella to keep the water off -- rather than fixing the ceiling.

Northsiders Protest School Mergers from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Two months after the Pittsburgh Public School District Board of Directors approved the district’s realignment plan for the 2012-2013 school year, students, parents and concerned citizens gathered outside the Board of Education building to protest the closing of seven schools and merging of students from schools around the district."

EDITORIAL!!

Turn Up the Heat: The Region Must Keep the Pressure on UPMC from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"January brings a new year, and for many people the turning of a page. Not so for the impasse between UPMC and Highmark over the hospital system's vow to deny in-network rates to Highmark insurance customers."

EDITORIAL!!

Transit Nightmare: The Pittsburgh Region Will Lose All Around from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Last year's Port Authority service cuts were damaging. This year's would be cataclysmic. Transit riders would be hardest hit if, as authority CEO Steve Bland has projected, the agency cuts service by 35 percent, eliminating 46 routes, scaling back the rest, shutting off most routes at 10 p.m. and giving up weekend service on many others."

Greenfield Community Group Shuttered, Reasons Unclear from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"The Greenfield Organization recently announced that it is at least temporarily shutting down, but board members for the neighborhood group appear to be keeping quiet about the reason why. ... The Greenfield Organization, among other things, has offered residents free income tax assistance and publishes a community newspaper."

Report: Pittsburgh Public Schools Achievement Lowest in Area from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Six months ago, the New Pittsburgh Courier reported that the Pittsburgh Public School District spends more per student than area charter schools and neighboring suburban schools. Conversely, among these same seven charter schools and five suburban districts, PPS has the lowest achievement, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Achievement Report 2010-2011. “That’s not shocking. The reality of it is, a lot of these different schools have way more resources,” said Alichia Parker, president and CEO of A PAR Educational LLC, a company that offers education consulting services and private tutoring."

Pitt Students Form Own Occupy Group from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"The group, which is a branch of Occupy Wall Street and separate from Occupy Pittsburgh, had its first general assembly meeting Friday on the first floor of Posvar with about 20 students in attendance. Unlike the other Occupy branches, the group’s goal is to gather students as one voice to talk about issues like student debt, tuition and financial transparency at Pitt."

Chesapeake to Cut Dry-Gas Drilling from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"Low natural gas prices are leading to cutbacks in dry gas investment and production at Chesapeake Energy Corp.    , including in the Marcellus Shale."

Urban Pathways Mentoring Program Creates Success from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"This year marked the 5th anniversary of the Urban Pathways Charter Schools Benefitting African American Males Mentoring Program. ... “The point of BAAM is to help you choose a path and a career for life,” said 9th grade student Suron Tomlin. “This is my first year joining BAAM and it is an excellent experience.”"

Game-Changing: CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center Puts Pittsburgh on ‘Site Selection’ Map from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"When it comes to digital media and entertainment technology, can Pittsburgh compete with places like LA, San Francisco, Seattle and Montreal? You bet, due in large part to Carnegie Mellon University and its one-of-a-kind Entertainment Technology Center (ETC).  At the ETC, founded by the late Randy Pausch (author of Last Lecture) and his colleague Don Marinelli, right and left brain thinking – the arts and technology, loosely speaking – are married."

From Homeless to Employed: Agency Offers Support During Hard Times from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Now, McCoullum and her two children are living in a home in Pitcarin and she is working full-time as a case manager, helping others in similar situations, ironically at the same agency that helped her. ... CHS, located on Lawn Street in Oakland, is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit social service agency that offers a wide range of services to individuals in need of support to live a better quality of life. They offer services in the areas of health, housing, clothing, food and more."

Officials Meet to Find Money for Mass Transit from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"State Rep. Dan Frankel and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Thursday called on Gov. Tom Corbett to lead the effort to find new sources of money for mass."

EPA Agrees to Test Well Water for Gas-drilling Contamination from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced this afternoon it will begin testing well water supplies at 60 homes in Dimock, in Susquehanna County, where residents say Marcellus Shale gas drilling operations have contaminated water supplies with methane and other pollutants."

Since August, 88,000 Pennsylvania Children Have Lost Medicaid Benefits from the Philadelphia Inquirer
"More children lost Medicaid coverage in Pennsylvania in December than in the previous three months combined, according to new Department of Public Welfare numbers that show a total of 88,000 cut since August."

Bumpy Ride: Port Authority Getting Set for Massive Service Cuts, Rate Hikes (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"It's a big step to the death of public transit in Allegheny County, as well as the death of a livable city."

More Port Authority Transit Cuts Ahead: Port Authority CEO says Rollback Plan 'Not a Scare Tactic,' Pleads for State Aid from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Venerable bus routes serving Mt. Lebanon, Coraopolis, Green Tree, Mount Washington, Oakmont, Edgewood and Sewickley will be among 46 routes eliminated by the Port Authority in September if there is no solution to a statewide transportation funding crisis."

Port Authority Cut Proposal Riles Businesses from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"When Brian Kurtz and his wife moved back to Pittsburgh in July, they looked for a house situated either on the T line or on a major bus route so Kurtz could use public transit to get to his job Downtown. It was among the most important reasons they settled on their home in Forest Hills, said Kurtz, a project manager with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, who takes the express P76 and P69 or local 69 routes for a total commute time of less than 30 minutes and a round trip cost of $4.50. As the Port Authority    unveiled on Wednesday its latest menu of proposed service cuts, Kurtz learned that none of his three options would be available in September..."

OPINION!!

The Food Stamp Asset Test Would be a Disaster for Poor Pennsylvanians (Mary Elizabeth McCarthy) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Imagine having to choose between buying food or paying medical expenses in order to maintain the meager savings you've put together for your own funerals. Just this feeling of dread -- something that no senior citizen should have to experience -- washed over me last week when I read about the Corbett administration's proposed asset test for food stamps."

OPINION!!

Corbett Coddles the Rich and Gas Companies While Making Life More Difficult for the Poor: The Food Stamp Asset Test is Downright Cruel (State Sen. Jim Ferlo) from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"It is outrageous that Pennsylvania plans to remove from the food stamp rolls individuals under age 60 with more than $2,000 in savings or other assets and individuals over 60 with $3,250 or more. With this cold-hearted declaration, the Corbett administration is proving, once again, that it simply does not care about the needs of Pennsylvania's elderly and poor."

Region on its Way to Full Employment Recovery, Report Says from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
"The Pittsburgh metropolitan area is forecast to end this year with 1.16 million jobs, according to the report prepared by IHS Global Insight for the United States Conference of Mayors and the Council for the New American City. If the prediction holds up, the region will have more than regained the 37,500 jobs lost since the start of the recession when peak employment stood at 1.15 million jobs. Less than 15 percent of the country's 363 metropolitan areas have already or will recover their lost jobs by the end of this year, the report states."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Watch Out Portland, Pittsburgh's Lookin' Hip Is it Really Possible We are Actually, Authentically Cool? (Bill Toland) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Is there a sense that the Pittsburgh hipster species - to the degree that he exists -- might be more authentic than those found in some other cities? Or does Pittsburgh mark some kind of post-hipster lifestyle -- but with all the hipster amenities -- to those who come here to pursue it?"

Will Pittsburghers be Taxed Out of their Homes? (Christian Morrow) from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"After setting up a system to assist homeowners with informal assessment appeals, then halting it on the heels of Fitzgerald’s announcement, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl reacted to Wettick’s order by calling the entire process “madness.”"

DEP Chief Mike Krancer Talks Environment in Pittsburgh from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Thursday, DEP Secretary Michael Krancer, held an hourlong meeting with community groups, local business contacts and at least one “just a citizen” (as the woman identified herself) at the DEP’s Pittsburgh regional office, where he fielded questions about bromide in rivers, his strongly-worded letters to the EPA, and why Pennsylvania doesn’t have a moratorium on gas drilling."

Unlocking the Secrets Behind Hydraulic Fracturing (Kate Galbraith) from the New York Times
"Environmentalists and landowners in Texas will soon be able to go online and learn how much water has been used by oil and gas drillers in hydraulic fracturing."

Corbett Fires Conservation Official: Action Could Affect State's Oversight of Drilling in Parks from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The longtime head of the citizens advisory committee that has oversight of the state's parks and forests was fired Friday by the Corbett administration, a termination that council members say was illegal and raises concerns about reduced public accountability of Marcellus Shale gas drilling in state forests."

City Asks Nonprofit Groups to Chip in; 2012 Budget Counts on $3.2 Million from Agencies, but They Haven't Agreed Yet from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh's long battle to coax money from nonprofit groups has taken a new turn with a 2012 budget that counts on about $3.2 million in contributions from universities, churches and charities but lacks commitments from would-be donors."

Corbett Administration Downplays Plan to Enforce Asset Test for Pennsylvanians Seeking Food Stamps from the Associated Press via the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"The administration of Gov. Tom Corbett is playing down a letter to the federal government that outlines a plan to enforce a food-stamp asset test starting May 1 that some critics say is the most stringent allowable under federal law for Pennsylvanians seeking the benefit."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Mid-career Re-Invention Is Possible in Pittsburgh (Heidi McDonald) from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Nobody wants to hire someone without a degree who has been out of the workforce for so long, a recruiter at an employment agency told me. My helplessness turning to anger, I decided I never wanted to be a financial liability to my family again."

URA OKs $2 Million Loan for August Wilson Center from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"The August Wilson Center has secured funding to restructure and reduce its debilitating $11.2 million capital debt, including a $2 million loan approved on Thursday by the Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority."

Pitt Chief: Budget Cuts May Force Tuition Hike and Layoffs from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Facing the prospect of more state budget cuts, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark Nordenberg has issued a statement that could foreshadow future tuition increases and staff reductions. "Levels of state support, which had been eroding for years, now are being more visibly and dramatically slashed," Mr. Nordenberg wrote in a statement posted by the university at www.pitt.edu."

State Spending Freeze Hits Higher Education from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"After losing $40 million in state funding in June, Pitt has been asked by the Commonwealth to freeze its spending by 5 percent. On Jan. 4, Gov. Tom Corbett issued a $160 million budget freeze to all state institutions as a result of lower-than-expected economic growth during the first half of the 2011-2012 fiscal year."

Judge Delays Reassessment Change 1 Year to Help Schools: Property Taxes to be Based Off Old Figures from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Assessed values on all Allegheny County properties will not change until 2013, the judge overseeing the project ruled Thursday. Common Pleas Senior Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. approved a request from the Pittsburgh Public Schools to use 2002 base-year numbers for tax bills for one more year instead of new values released for Pittsburgh and Mount Oliver properties last month."

Mitsubishi Plant Coming to Beaver County from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"A new Mitsubishi Electric Power Products Inc. factory is expected to open this summer in Beaver County, the Pittsburgh Business Times reports today. The 50,000-square-foot factory will manufacture heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment for passenger trains, and will eventually employ up to 60..."

Wilkinsburg Council Lobbies Legislators on Fracking from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Wilkinsburg council voted unanimously Wednesday night to send letters to local representatives in Harrisburg opposing legislation that would give drilling companies the ability to side-step local bans on Marcellus Shale gas drilling. The board also agreed to draft a formal resolution to denounce the House Bill 1950 and Senate Bill 1100."

Banks Must Invest in Community Key to Lavelle’s New Banking Bill from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"One of the last legislative acts by Pittsburgh city council in 2011 was the 5-4 passage of a bill that would direct the city to deposit its funds in banks that reinvest the most in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. The idea is to use the potential deposits of $350 million as leverage to have banks invest even more and assist the city in its redevelopment efforts. But while laudable, Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle, who voted against it, said it did not really address the needs of those communities, and he convinced Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to veto the bill. On Jan. 10, Lavelle reintroduced the legislation, now called the Responsible Banking Bill."

Pa. to Put Clamp on Food Stamp Recipients: Critics Say Too Many Hurt by Assets Test from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pennsylvania plans to make the amount of food stamps that people receive contingent on the assets they possess -- an unexpected move that bucks national trends and places the commonwealth among a minority of states. Specifically, the Department of Public Welfare said that as of May 1, people under age 60 with more than $2,000 in savings and other assets will no longer be eligible for food stamps. For people over 60, the limit is $3,250. People's houses and retirement benefits would be exempt from being counted as assets."

YouthWorks Puts Youth to Work from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"The theme of the YouthWorks 2011 Youth at Work event was opportunity. Since 1994, YouthWorks has provided more than 22,000 youth with an opportunity to pull themselves out of the cycle of poverty and violence many low-income minorities live in. “It really does become a launching pad because it expands their network and cultivates their interests. We’ve seen through many of these experiences, our young people may get a job later on,” said Dara Ware Allen, YouthWorks executive director."

Homer City Plant to Spend $700 Million on Pollution Controls from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Homer City coal-fired power plant in Indiana County, one of the biggest and dirtiest coal-fired power plants in the nation, is planning to add up to $700 million worth of pollution controls that its owners say will enable it to meet future federal and state air pollution control regulations. Edison Mission Energy, a subsidiary of California-based Edison International, confirmed today that it is seeking state environmental permits and raising capitol to install emissions controls on two of three units at its 1,884-megawatt power plant."

Area's First New Natural Gas Powerplant Moves Ahead from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The region’s first new natural gas power plant since the arrival of shale mania ­— The Beech Hollow Energy Project — cleared another hurdle this week when the Robinson Township supervisors approved its application for conditional use with 55 conditions. Before I get to those, here’s a quick update on the project:"

Adobe Co-founder Endows CMU Directorship from the Steel City Innovation blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"One of the co-founders of software heavyweight Adobe Systems Inc. is giving his name, and an undisclosed amount of money, to Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute with an endowed directorship."

New PNC Tower OK'd by City from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"PNC’s proposed $400 million headquarters sailed through the city Planning Commission Tuesday. With the unanimous approval, deconstruction of existing buildings on Wood Street, and Fifth and Forbes avenues can begin by March, the Post-Gazette reports today. Completion of the Tower at PNC Plaza is slated for June 2015."

OPINION!!

Fake Holiday Donation Mailer Lampoons UPMC from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"I think they sent it out because they hate UPMC, like all good Pittsburghers."

Occupy the Reassessment!: These Days, the Real Anarchists are Wearing Suits (Chris Potter) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"On Jan. 10, two high-profile legal battles were set to take place on the eighth floor of the City-County Building. Members of Occupy Pittsburgh — the grungy foes of corporate privilege who've seized the Mellon Green parklet — were due for a hearing on Bank of New York Mellon's attempt to evict them."

Job Losses, Foreclosures Drive Demand for Low-income Public Housing from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The number of people on Allegheny County Housing Authority waiting lists for low-income public housing jumped 40 percent in the past year, from about 6,000 to 8,378, said Frank Aggazio, executive director of the housing authority. "There would be more, but we've closed some of the (waiting list) sites because there are so many on the list that it would take several years to assist them," he said."

Black College Grad Unemployment Rates Double White Counterparts from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"At 19 percent, the unemployment rate for Black college graduates far surpasses the 8 percent White unemployment rate, which includes those without even a high school degree. For White college graduates the rate is 8.4 percent."

Geologists Say Ohio Quakes Directly Tied to Fracking from Discovery News via MSNBC
"Recent earthquakes in Ohio and Oklahoma have been directly linked to deep wells used to dispose of liquid wastes for hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" of natural gas, according to geological experts.."

Man-Made Quakes? Blame Fracking And Drilling (Christopher Joyce) from NPR's Morning Edition
"... scientists have found that even pumping water away from underground mines (to keep them from flooding) changes the dynamics of stress in rock formations enough to trigger a quake."

Quakes Jeopardize Ohio City's Economic Recovery (Tim Rudell) from NPR's Morning Edition
"There is a natural gas drilling boom going on in Youngstown, Ohio. But a series of earthquakes there has renewed focus on activities like drilling and mining that are known to cause earthquakes. Now people in the area are weighing safety over economic growth."

DEP's Marcellus Shale Drilling Numbers Do Not Add Up from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"PG research shows almost 500 more gas wells than state has recorded as ever being drilled."

EDITORIAL!!

Bridge Housing: A New Refuge for the Homeless in Pittsburgh from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"When the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System constructed its new building on Ninth Street on the South Side, it allowed Operation Safety Net, an agency that provides services and medical treatment to the homeless, to build a small cluster of apartments on its premises. The building, which was dedicated on Thursday, will officially open next month."

Contract Shines Light on Dallas Company's Methods in Assessment from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"As the battle over the controversial countywide reassessment moves between the executive offices and the courtroom, homeowners and politicians alike blame Tyler Technologies for producing a slew of inaccurate property values."

EDITORIAL!!

Chaos Reigns: Only Uniformity Can Calm the Assessment Furor from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"...it's Allegheny County property owners who feel imprisoned by this emotional, recurring assessment issue while neighboring counties have remained free of reassessing for decades. How the state Supreme Court could have imposed this as a remedy for one county, while allowing most others to use frozen assessments, is unfathomable."

New Recycling Law Eases e-waste Disposal from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Recycling your old keyboards, monitors and other unwanted electronics now should be easier — and free. The first phase of Pennsylvania's Covered Device Recycling Act took effect on Jan. 1, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Sunday. This means the state will impose duties on manufacturers and retailers to develop subsidized recycling plans for their products."

Lofts Already Under Way at Old Fifth Avenue High School from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Nobody lives within the block bounded by Forbes and Fifth avenues and Miltenberger and Gist streets in Uptown, but there may be 108 households there in a year or two. ACTION-Housing proposes to turn a former biscuit company and warehouse into 43 new rental units."

Reassessment Judge Bars County from Tossing New Values from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The judge overseeing Allegheny County's controversial reassessment says Pittsburgh and its school district must base their property tax rates and bills on new 2012 property values."

Critics: Bevy of Gas-Processing Plants Skirts Law from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Six gas processing plants proposed for a four-mile radius in Butler County would each produce air pollution just below the state limits that trigger the level of regulation large polluters get, according to
Pennsylvania and industry officials."

“Our Region’s Business” Examines the Future of Solar Energy from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
Solar and other alternative energy sources represent enormous potential for our regional economy, but present some challenges as well. On a recent edition of Our Region’s Business, Dr. Gregory Reed of the Swanson School of Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh delves into some of these challenges..."

Governor Orders Immediate Cuts Including Schools, Police from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Some individual budget categories are being slashed as much as 10 percent. State police, prisons and other public safety agencies are being reduced by 1 percent, while the four state-related universities are facing 5 percent cuts."

Apartments Open for the Homeless from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Mercy Health says safe place can help with deeper issues."

EDITORIAL!!

Seismic Event: Caution is Warranted at Frackwater Disposal Sites from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Ohio's environmental officials made the right call in closing five deep wastewater disposal sites, which experts from Columbia University blamed for causing earthquakes, the latest near Youngstown on New Year's Eve."

Reassessments on Allegheny County Homeowners' Minds from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
The scale of the reported increases in assessments and the hue and cry that have attended them makes this an economic development issue for Pittsburgh.
"She joined more than 400 fellow property owners at the County Office Building, Downtown, for the first day of informal appeals of property reassessments that have angered and confused homeowners across Pittsburgh. New County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who took office in Oakland yesterday, pledged during his campaign to block the reassessment. "This is everything that's wrong with government," said Steve Alber, 67, of Squirrel Hill, whose home value increased 30 percent -- from $232,000 to $301,000. His Shadyside rental property increased from $114,000 to $371,000, or 225 percent."

2012: The Year of Manufacturing? from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Let’s start the year by debunking one of the greatest myths about Pittsburgh’s regional economy – that manufacturing is dead and has been replaced almost entirely by “eds and meds.”"

Democrats Hope to End Traffic Jam on Transportation Funding (Lauren Daley) from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Two state Democrats offered a transportation funding package today which they hope will "start the conversation" about the state's infrastructure needs."

Texas Firm to Build Ethane Pipeline from Pa. to Gulf from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Enterprise Products Partners LP, the largest U.S. pipeline partnership by market value, said Tuesday it will build a 1,230-mile line to ship ethane from southwestern Pennsylvania to Gulf Coast petrochemical plants."

Pitt Among Those Affected by State Budget Freeze from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Gov. Tom Corbett's freeze of almost $160 million in Pennsylvania state spending will certainly have an impact in southwestern Pennsylvania, including putting in jeopardy $6.8 million in funding to the University of Pittsburgh."

Chesapeake Forges Utica Shale Joint Venture from the Energy Inc, blog from the Pittsburgh Business Times
Days after closing on the sale of Marcellus Shale South pipeline assets, Chesapeake Energy Corp. was busy at the end of the year with the closing of a $2.32 billion joint venture with the Utica Shale."

Seven Midstate Companies to Divide State Tax Credit for High-tech Innovation from the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"More than $500,000 in state tax credits to spur high-tech innovation are being divided among seven midstate companies. The companies are all in areas the state has designated part of the Harrisburg Market Keystone Innovation Zone."

$20M Braddock Development for Hospital Site from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Revitalization efforts for Braddock took a blow in 2009 when UPMC announced it was closing Braddock Hospital. But those efforts are back on track with the announcement of a $20.3 million redevelopment project for the old hospital site."

Bright Ideas for a New Year: A Few Ideas to Improve Our Region in 2012 and Beyond from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Once Americans decide they want to do something ... they'll figure out nine different ways to do it."

Ethane Cracking Plant in Region Could Create 'Thousands' of Jobs from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"State officials are engaged in a high-stakes but low-key battle to land a chemical plant that would make gas from the Marcellus Shale even more valuable."

Zoresco: a Lesson in Natural Gas Marketing from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"One of the top questions I get asked is "how do I break into the industry?" and it's one best answered with anecdotes from firms finding success in the natural gas world. Today's story is from Zoresco, a truck equipment company based in Turtle Creek. "

OPINION!!

Another Year, Another Bust for the Big Marcellus Bill from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Morning Call’s John Micek traces the history of Pennsylvania’s efforts to regulate the Marcellus, naming it the number-two political story of the year."
The analysis cited in the article can be seen HERE.

Pa. Plant to Convert Generators From Coal to Natural Gas from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A northcentral Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant that is one of the nation's oldest could be burning natural gas by 2015, part of a wider shift happening across the United States."

Cash Tolls on Turnpike to Climb Another 10% from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A $1,200 toll on the Pennsylvania Turnpike? It's right there on the new toll schedules that take effect Sunday: A Class 9 vehicle that travels the entire length of the turnpike mainline owes $1,237.05 in cash at the state line. But that's for a truck weighing more than 100,000 pounds. Drivers of passenger cars who make the same trek will pay $30.80 traveling west and $35.55 going east as a 10 percent increase in cash tolls -- the fourth in four years -- kicks in."