Health-Care Rivals Battle For Patients in Pittsburgh from the Wall Street Journal [partial subscription wall]
"Trish Wyckoff is struggling with stage-four breast cancer, but now the 53-year-old Pittsburgh resident has another worry: a possible divorce between the hospital system that is treating her, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Highmark Inc., the health insurer that pays for her care. If the two companies can't agree, she fears she won't be able to keep seeing the doctors who she believes are keeping her alive."
The Pittsburgh Business Times comments on this article HERE.

PROFILES!!

From Iraq to Pittsburgh Seeking Work: Two Men Share Their Job-seeking Journeys from the Pittsburgh Business Times
Nine years ago this month, as the Iraq War began, Samir Alqass was working in his electronics store in Baghdad, unaware of the contortions his professional and personal paths were about to take. In a different part of town, another electronics store owner, Mohammed Mahmod, was about to be put out of business by the war’s aftermath."

INTERVIEW!!

On the Record with Port Authority of Allegheny County CEO Steve Bland (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"The leader of the oft-criticized transit agency took time March 23 to talk about some of the issues facing the agency."

Seven Communities File Suit to Oppose Marcellus Shale Law from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The seven municipalities that banded together in recent weeks in opposition to the state's Marcellus Shale gas drilling law filed a suit Thursday, arguing that lawmakers unconstitutionally intruded on local zoning duties by mandating where drilling can occur."
The Tribune-Review's coverage of this story is HERE.

ACH Clear Pathways Earns United Way Designation from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Housed out of Ammon Recreation Center on Bedford Avenue, ACH Clear Pathways picks up after traditional daycare ends. And from 6 to 8 p.m. children are trained in ballet, acting, hip-hop dance, and Martial Arts; there is also a Girl Scout program—Girl Scout Troop #53611. There is a small fee of $25 per month with a limited number of scholarship positions available."

Shell’s Major Investment in the Region from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Shell’s announcement of a proposed petrochemical complex in Beaver County represents the single largest “from the ground up” industrial investment in the region in a generation."

Pittsburgh Ranks High in Health Care Costs: Study from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The high number of doctors and hospitals that are the core of Pittsburgh's meds and eds economy is inflating the overall cost of health care for individuals and businesses, according to the new study that compared Pittsburgh, Cleveland, St. Louis and Cincinnati."

Cracker's Emissions Could Rank High in Region (AUDIO) from the Allegheny Front program [on Essential Public Radio of Pittsburgh]
"What kinds of air pollution could the ethane cracker announced by Shell this month create? What impact would it have on the region's already poor air quality? The Allegheny Front's Reid Frazier took a look at the numbers and found the cracker may have a large footprint in one important aspect of air quality."

EPA Proposes First Carbon-Emission Rules for New Power Plants from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The rules limiting carbon emissions to a maximum 1,000 pounds for every megawatt produced would not apply to existing plants."

OPINION!!

Toxic Status Quo: There's a Long Way to Go in Cleaning Up Waterways from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The numbers make it clear that tough regulation and strict enforcement by the EPA are essential."

Pitt, Oakland Community Meet Over Improving Relations (Aaron Stier-Cohen) from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Students moving off campus next year might be required to attend informational sessions about off-campus living as part of a new initiative developed by Pitt in collaboration with Oakland residents. Pitt administrators, student leaders, members of the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation and Oakland residents gathered at the O’Hara Student Center Friday to discuss possible solutions to issues between student and non-student Oakland residents."

Pittsburgh as “Best of the World” Campaign Kicks Off from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Pittsburgh’s arts and cultural organizations and businesses are pulling together with the city, county and state to focus attention on what’s “world best” about Pittsburgh in 2012. The initiative – dubbed the “Best of the World Pittsburgh Partnership” – aims to increase visits and economic investments to the region by leveraging attention brought by a National Geographic Traveler article that named Pittsburgh among the world’s 20 must-see places to visit in 2012."

Climbing the Professional Ladder Through the Community (AUDIO) from Essential Public Radio
"Coro Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience (PULSE) have trained a generation of business and community leaders who’ve found their professional footing through civic engagement and volunteering. On Essential Pittsburgh, Greg Crowley, President and CEO of CORO Pittsburgh and Chris Cooke, Executive Director of PULSE, talk about shaping the future of professional Pittsburgh."

NEED Funds Up $500,000 from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"As the oldest community-based, nonprofit, minority, higher education assistance program in Pennsylvania, NEED has provided scholarships for African-American students pursuing post secondary education for nearly a half century. The theme of the 49th Annual NEED Benefit Dinner was “Building on Our Legacy: Rooted in the Past, Growing Towards Our Future.”"

Marathon Could Boost City Economy, Organizers Say (Timothy McNulty) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"VisitPittburgh estimates the event could fill 5,000 local hotel rooms and pump $8 million into the Pittsburgh economy through hotel, restaurant and related spending."

Don't Forget the Other Crackers: Aither Chemical Still on the Prowl from the Energy Inc. blog of the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Shell’s not the only company throwing around the cracker promise. As we’ve reported, West Virginia startup Aither Chemicals LLC is also fishing for sites to build, first, a $750 million cracker, and then several others, according to CEO Len Dolhert."

OPINION!!

Gas Central: The Pa. Cracker Site is Brimming with Promise from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Now this could be a game changer. The announcement Thursday that Western Pennsylvania had won the multistate competition for Shell Oil Co.'s petrochemical "cracker" plant is worth applauding. The option purchased on the 300-acre site in Potter Township, Beaver County, means that if preliminary studies and plans go well, work on the billion-dollar-plus facility could begin in two years."

CCAC Brings ‘The Big Read’ Literacy Program to Pittsburgh from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"The Big Read in Pittsburgh kickoff occurred on Sunday evening, March 4th at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture. The event attracted a diverse crowd across racial and generational lines as many gathered to appreciate and promote the importance of literacy."

Cracker Means More, Sustained Drilling from the Energy Inc. blog from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Following Thursday afternoon's announcement that Shell expects to build an ethane cracker in Beaver County, there is one theme echoing in the natural gas industry: this means more drilling, more sustained drilling, and specifically more drilling in wet gas areas."

Fracturing Safe, Say University Studies from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"Two recently released university studies have concluded the hydraulic fracturing method of extracting natural gas from shale formations such as the Marcellus is safe."

New Cab Service Coming to Downtown from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review 
"The Pittsburgh Transportation Group and city officials will announce a new taxi cab service Tuesday for Downtown, the North Shore, South Side and Oakland."

Allegheny County Gets Homeless Shelter Grant from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
"Allegheny County's Department of Human Services has received a $3.8 million federal grant to support five new efforts to battle homelessness. The money from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development will fund temporary and permanent shelter for four categories of people."

Shell Picks Beaver County for 'Cracker' Plant from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
"An 80-year-old zinc plant near Monaca became the latest addition to Shell Oil Co.'s billion-dollar Marcellus Shale portfolio Thursday, with the Houston-based energy giant selecting the 300 acres as the likely location for its coveted petrochemical "cracker" facility.""

Project Would Enhance, Improve Access to Mon Wharf from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Riverlife and Point Park University on Friday revealed concepts for an unusual portal, consisting of cables, spines and an LED beacon, that would begin at the Wood Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard access to the wharf."

Post-Gazette Shale Website Wins Top Prize from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Pipeline, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's interactive website on news and issues surrounding development of the Marcellus Shale, has won the top award for environmental reporting in the Scripps Howard Foundation's National Journalism Awards contest.""

China Plans Tax-Free Imports for Shale from the Bloomberg News
"China has yet to produce shale gas commercially as its explorers struggle to overcome the lack of domestic drilling expertise and geology that is tougher than in the U.S., where output has surged 15-fold in the past decade."

PERSPECTIVE!!

The Fracking Trade-Offs (David Sirota) from Salon
"The oil industry is muscling through pro-drilling legislation by tying it to appealing tax cuts and education bills."

Pitt Officials Say University Could Drop State-related Status from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Pitt’s 46-year run as a state-related institution might soon come to an end.
Since 1966, Pitt’s status as a state-related university has meant that in return for appropriations from the state, the University provides more reasonable tuition levels than Pennsylvania’s private universities. It also allows the University to run programs, such as public health outreach efforts, that benefit the Commonwealth."

“Wins” Day: Pittsburgh Region Landed 286 Deals in 2011; $1.5 Billion Investment; 11k+ Job from Imagine Pittsburgh On-line
"Thanks to continued strength across a diverse economy, the Pittsburgh region landed 286 economic development deals in 2011, pushing ahead of its performance in the previous year and maintaining its momentum toward pre-recession levels of business activity."

INTERVIEW!!

Gov. Dick Thornburgh, Who Led During Three Mile Island, Talks About the Nuclear Future from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Now, as utilities in the South are breaking ground on the first projects to add new nuclear capacity to the U.S. — using Westinghouse    technology, it should be noted — and as the Fukushima Daiichi disaster marks its first anniversary and Three Mile Island its 33rd this month, Thornburgh thought it was time to inventory the concerns still outstanding about this power source and revive a debate that once gripped the nation but is now, at least, according to Thornburgh, not really taking up much space in people’s minds:"

OPINION!!

New Science Center Program Not All It's Fracked Up to Be (Bill O'Driscoll) from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Sponsors and creators insist that the Carnegie Science Center's new touring program on natural gas is all about the science. But students, educators and parents should carefully examine the messages in "Colossal Fossil Fuels," which explains natural-gas drilling and exploration with help from EQT Corporation -- a $1.3 billion company which makes its money selling natural gas."

Marcellus Natural Gas Pipeline Planned in Washington County from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Two Washington County townships are targeted for a six-mile pipeline to gather natural gas extracted from the Marcellus Shale."

Drilling Impact Fee Up for Consideration in Fayette from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
"Fayette County commissioners next week will consider adopting an ordinance imposing impact fees on Marcellus shale wells. Commisssioners Angela Zimmerlink and Vincent Zapotosky on Tuesday voted to place the proposed ordinance on the agenda for the board's possible approval at its regular meeting on March 20. Commissioner Al Ambrosini did not attend yesterday's meeting."

Workshop Provides Residents with Tools to Fight Blight from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Until a year ago, the so-called toolbox for fighting blight had a few implements for prying but nothing very sharp. Then Act 90 came along. The Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act is a hammer and power saw combination for Pennsylvania cities and towns to extradite out-of-state property owners, attach their private assets to pay unpaid fines and deny them permits based on past abuses."

OPINION!!

Profiles in Poverty: It Takes Mutual Obligation to Maintain the Safety Net from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Who deserves to be poor? Asked that way, the question invites a personal value judgment that does not lend itself to objective analysis. But posed another way -- who should get taxpayers' help to escape poverty? -- the question affects social policy, and political demagoguery, at all levels of government. ... These discussions are relevant for the Pittsburgh region, where 12.2 percent of residents live below the poverty line ..."

More EDMC Layoffs Reported from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"City Paper has received word of more layoffs taking place at Pittsburgh-based for-profit educator Education Management Corporation. Company officials have kept mum, however, and it is unclear at this time if any of the lost jobs occurred in Pittsburgh."

Health Care, Energy Focus of Pitt Startup Competition from the Steel Innovations blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"This year’s crop of finalists for the University of Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurship contest the Randall Family Big Idea Competition have an overwhelming health care bent with students pitching companies taking aim at diabetes, heart failure and drug delivery."

OPINION!!

Disenfranchisement of Blacks from Higher Education (Jack Daniel) from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"For several dec­ades, African-American alumni of the University of Pittsburgh partnered with the University to enhance the institution’s diversity mission. Just recently, 40 years of progress were celebrated. Now, in Pittsburgh and across America, not only diversity initiatives but higher education itself is under fiscal duress as evidenced by the Pennsylvania Governor’s proposal to radically reduce the University’s state appropriation."

First step Taken to Develop Civic Arena Site: Demolition Should be Finished in May from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"As the demolition of the Civic Arena draws to its conclusion, the massive effort to redevelop the 28-acre site once it's gone is officially kicking into gear. City-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority board members took the first step toward transforming the property Thursday by awarding a $1.9 million contract to Michael Baker Jr. Inc. to do preliminary and final design work related to a new street grid and other infrastructure improvements."

Local Initiative Continues to Help the Needy from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"For more than 30 years Hank Commodore has dedicated his life to giving back to his community by helping those in need through his “Help the Needy, Not the Greedy” initiative, a non-profit that provides assistance by donating clothing, furniture and appliances to those in need in the Pittsburgh and surrounding areas, since 2007."

EDITORIAL!!

Cuts, Cont'd.: City School Leaders Struggle to Balance the Numbers from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"With her latest budget reductions, city schools superintendent Linda Lane continues to walk a fine line of cutting costs while hurting programs for children as little as possible. In the last year, she eliminated 217 central office jobs for $11 million in savings, and the school board agreed to close school buildings, including two high schools, and change assignment patterns, to save $29 million. But the district still has a $21 million deficit for 2012 and could run out of money by mid-2015."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Local Charter Schools Have Uneven Record, District Review Finds (Chris Young) from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Just as there are good and bad traditional public schools, there are good and bad charter schools. And there's no better way to illustrate that point than to take a look at the Pittsburgh Public Schools' recent recommendations on renewal applications filed by two local high schools the district charters. On Tuesday, the city district recommended that the school board renew City Charter High, located Downtown. Yet they also advised the board to reject the renewal application for Career Connections Charter High School, in Lawrenceville."

$1M to Urban League for GED Program from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"Corinthian Colleges Inc. recently donated $1 million to the National Urban League for a college bound program benefitting high school dropouts. Pittsburgh was selected as one of the sites for the Urban Empowered College Bound Program aimed at helping participants earn their general equivalency diploma."

Forbes Names 'Burgh a Survivor: Population Shift Earns 'Comeback City' Honor from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Two years after pronouncing Pittsburgh the nation's "most livable city," Forbes.com delivered another honor Monday, putting Pittsburgh on a list of "comeback cities" because Allegheny County in 2009 reversed years of population loss. "It's important that we look to these ratings as an opportunity to not only tell our good story and attract more people and businesses to Pittsburgh, but to roll up our sleeves and work on getting even safer, creating more jobs and being more livable," Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said in a statement."
The PG Editorial Board has a comment HERE.

INTERVIEW!!

Education Cuts with Linda Lane (AUDIO) from Essential Pittsburgh
"Cuts in the state education budget have drastically impacted Pittsburgh Public Schools.  With more on the horizon, Superintendent Linda Lane talks about her recommendations for Pittsburgh public schools in response to the proposed state budget cuts."

The Petrostates of America (Steven Kopits) from Foreign Policy Magazine  
"Yes, the U.S. economy is addicted to oil -- selling it."

Health Costs Burden Region from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The high cost of health care, exacerbated by the contract dispute between Pittsburgh's leading health care providers, could deter people from coming to the region, the leader of Pittsburgh's biggest bank said on Tuesday. James E. Rohr, CEO of PNC Financial Services Group Inc., told business and political leaders that the region's challenges include an expensive health care market -- a problem, he said, even before the disruption that could occur when UPMC and Highmark Inc. terminate reimbursement contracts."

Is U.S. Energy Independence Finally Within Reach? (John Ydstie) from NPR's Morning Edition
"Since the Arab oil embargo of 1973, energy independence has been a Holy Grail for virtually every American president from Richard Nixon to Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama. But now, it might just be within reach."

EDITORIAL!!

Pressure Situation: Action on Transportation is Needed All Around from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"... the governor must also recognize the vital role that the state must play in keeping transit service strong for Pennsylvania businesses and workers. While he is eager to see progress on budgeting for transit by Port Authority negotiators, Mr. Corbett has been delinquent in budgeting for Pennsylvania's overall transportation needs."

More Cuts to Region's Military: Air Force Says it Wants to Slash Personnel by 25 Percent in Pa. from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Lawmakers seeking to stave off closure of the 911th Airlift Wing got another dose of bad news. In addition to closing the Air Force Reserve base in Moon, the Air Force told them Tuesday that it wants to cut personnel at two other Western Pennsylvania military installations."

EDITORIAL!!

Good for Garfield: The Community Moves to Put Trouble Behind from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Garfield and good news don't often go hand in hand. The neighborhood for too long has been the victim of violence, illegal drug trafficking and a glut of abandoned housing. But a week and a half ago 10 elected officials and community leaders stabbed gold-colored shovels into a patch of dirt on Dearborn Street in a gesture that announced Garfield has been moving in the right direction and has plans to keep on going. The ceremonial kickoff is the start of construction on 45 rental homes."

EDITORIAL!!

Lights, Cameras ... : Action at a New Studio Keeps Pittsburgh on Film from the Editorial Board of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh is used to street closures and traffic jams due to movie shoots. Whether doubling as Batman's Gotham City or providing scenic backdrops for the new Tom Cruise film, Pittsburgh has become an ideal place for shooting movies and TV shows. The state tax credit, the skill and flexibility of labor unions and the diversity of architecture and terrain have worked to the region's advantage."

Estimates Clash for How Much Natural Gas in the United States from National Geographic Magazine
"Natural gas is now flowing so fast into U.S. pipelines that the big question seems to be what to do with it all: Engineer cars to run on methanol? Reopen shuttered chemical plants that rely on gas for feedstock? Export liquefied gas by tanker? With about two-thirds of U.S. states thought to hold natural gas reserves, many take President Barack Obama seriously when he calls the United States the "Saudi Arabia of natural gas." But just how much natural gas does the United States have?"

EPA, DEP Battle Over Marcellus Shale from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"There's a growing tension between the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has recently stepped up its investigation of the Marcellus Shale."

Energy Execs Reveal What Keeps Them Up at Night (Anya Litvak) from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"What keeps the region's energy executives up at night? Jim Ferland, president of the Americas for Westinghouse Electric Co.    , worries about competing with natural gas power plants which are much cheaper to build than new nuclear capacity and burn a fuel that’s currently between $2 and $3 per million cubic feet."

Pittsburgh Project Looking to Shore Up Support from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
'The Pittsburgh Project began with a few dozen suburban kids and their youth pastor, Saleem Ghubril, repairing homes on Charles Street in Perry South in the summer. Twenty-six years later, the summer camp has grown into an institution at 2801 N. Charles St.: guiding service camps and other volunteer opportunities, offering summer and after-school programs to thousands of children -- most of them North Siders -- and repairing homes for 250 elderly residents in need each year.'

Pittsburgh, Indiana and New Castle Are Top Ranked For Economic Development from Pittsburgh Imagine Online
"Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) President Dewitt Peart said, “Such a strong performance underscores that Pittsburgh is recognized as a stable and predictable investment destination.  Across all of our strategic industry sectors, companies are expanding and growing in the Pittsburgh region. "

Demise of AdultBasic Health Plan Costs Pennsylvania More, Advocates Say from the Associated Press via the Patriot-News [of Harrisburg]
"The state Insurance Department says almost 40 percent of those who lost the coverage signed on to Blue Cross/Blue Shield plans that are more expensive than adultBasic, but partially subsidized by the insurers for people who meet income limits. Fewer than 4 percent were eligible for Medicaid and the agency doesn't know what happened to the rest."

Mellon Grant to Pitt’s Engineering School Showcases ‘Pittsburgh Model’ of Collaboration from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Earlier this month, the R.K. Mellon Foundation awarded the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Energy at the Swanson School of Engineering a $22 million grant to expand energy research and education. This gift, one of the largest ever received by Pitt through a private foundation, will allow the university to broaden its energy materials and grid research and continue to position Pittsburgh as the center of innovation in American energy."

Washington County OKs Shale Impact Fee from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"The Washington County Commission has approved an impact fee that will allow it to collect millions of dollars from the state's recently enacted Marcellus Shale fee."

Satellite, Branch Campuses Vulnerable in Pa. Budget from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"State-related branch campuses will look quite different if state funding continues to decrease, top administrators testified."