Port Authority Board OKs Deepest Cuts to Transit from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Even as Port Authority directors approved the deepest transit service cuts in the agency's 48-year history on Friday, officials said the action could be reversed before it takes effect Sept. 2. A solution to the authority's projected $64 million budget deficit likely will require increased state and Allegheny County funding and contract concessions from union employees."

Tax Funds Approved for Hill, Homewood from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"Funding that will allow for construction to begin on a transit-focused housing and retail project in Homewood and for the replacement of Addison Terrace in the Hill District has been approved by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency."

OPINION!!

School Choice: Duquesne's Best Education Option is Outsourcing from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." -- Nelson Mandela.  "Children are our most valuable resource." -- Herbert Hoover.  "Children are our future." -- Sung by George Benson, Whitney Houston and others.  There are platitudes aplenty when the topic is children, but most of the warm, fuzzy sentiment seems to evaporate when the topic is specifically the children of the Duquesne City School District."

Pittsburgh Regional Alliance is Among Top 10 U.S. Economic Development Groups from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Site Selection magazine – the nation’s oldest publication focused on corporate real estate strategy and area economic development – announced its Top 10 economic development groups on April 23 at the Industrial Asset Management Council’s Spring Forum in Austin, Texas. The recognition is based on the PRA’s performance in 2011 measured against a range of criteria in four categories: new jobs, new jobs per 10,000 residents, new investment amount and new investment per 10,000 residents. Organizations were also scrutinized for more subjective qualities including innovation, leadership and customer service."

First 'Pittsburgh Promise' Class to Graduate this Spring from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"When Morgan Watkins receives her diploma today from the University of Pittsburgh, she will have a supportive crowd of familiar faces cheering her on, including her parents, two sets of grandparents, aunts and cousins. But Ms. Watkins is aware there is another group of people whose faces she doesn't know who also have supported her efforts to earn a bachelor's degree in administration of justice and legal studies. Those faces come from the foundations, corporations and individuals who have contributed to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund."

A Ministry Helps People Find and Stay in Homes in Garfield from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Open Hand is a collaboration of Valley View Presbyterian in Garfield; East Liberty and Eastminster Presbyterian churches in East Liberty; and the Open Door at the Union Project in Highland Park. Two other congregations -- Shadyside Presbyterian and Beulah United Presbyterian in Churchill -- have seats on the board."

Washington, Greene Lead Region in Marcellus Permits from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"Bradford County is the most active for companies receiving permits to drill in the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, with Washington and Greene counties having the most permits regionally."

Texas and Pittsburgh set Post-Recession Pace for Jobs from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh is reaching lofty heights when it comes to employment growth since the recession began four years ago. Pittsburgh has the third-best record after Houston and Austin, Texas, for the national pace for
employment growth. Pittsburgh has added 10,500 private-sector jobs since early 2008, putting it with Houston (up 49,500) and Austin (up 29,600) in the exclusive club of major markets with four-year gains of 10,000 jobs or more."

Pittsburgh Housing Authority Begins Replacing Addison Terrace from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Pittsburgh Housing Authority has received $12 million in low-income housing tax credits to complete the financing for the first phase of redevelopment of the Addison Terrace community in the Hill District, executive director A. Fulton Meachem Jr. said today."

Report Shows Downtown Pittsburgh in Midst of Development Boom from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Downtown Pittsburgh is in the midst of a $4.8 billion investment binge. That's the conclusion of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which released its first State of Downtown Pittsburgh report today during a reception at Point Park University's Village Park."

Compare Pay of Pittsburgh CEOs, Average Workers from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The pay disparity between public company leaders and the average American worker, as measured by the AFL-CIO's annual Executive Paywatch report, is now 380 to 1."

Hope Glimmers for College Grads from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Half of young college graduates -- about 1.5 million people under age 25 with bachelor's degrees -- are jobless or underemployed, according to an analysis of government data conducted for the Associated Press. But there are glimmers of improvement. A study released in March by the National Association of Colleges and Employers said that employers expect to hire 10.2 percent more new college graduates from the class of 2012 than from the class of 2011."

Obama to Place Limits on Higher-ed Program from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp. and other for-profit higher-education companies could be affected by an executive order expected today. Bloomberg Businessweek reported President Obama likely will announce during a trip to a Georgia military base that there will be new limits on for-profit education companies when they attempt to recruit service members or veterans..."

CMU Presents 10-year Plan to City from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Pittsburgh City Council today is scheduled to take a final vote on a plan that will guide Carnegie Mellon University's development for the next 10 years, an effort involving hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. "The economic impact of CMU is felt throughout Western Pennsylvania," Councilman Bill Peduto said Tuesday, after a gathering with university officials to highlight the master plan."

Transition Makes Planning for Life in a Post-oil World Seem Possible, Even Desirable from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Transition as a combination town hall, village square, encounter group, social network and barn-raising. ...in the low-profile neighborhood called Larimer, they're busy actually planning for a different future, one that doesn't look much like the present. In January, several Larimer residents were among three dozen trainees who spent a weekend at the Kingsley Center learning about something called Transition Town. The international movement assumes that soon, things like climate change, dwindling supplies of oil and increased global economic instability will make us live differently — probably a lot differently."

OPINION!!

Fund River Repairs: Casey Speaks Up for the Region's Locks and Dams from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"As the system vital to the Pittsburgh area economy continues to deteriorate, the alarm hasn't instilled a sense of urgency in Congress."

US Steel Industry in Slow Recovery from Recession from the Associated Press
"Steel makers are still battling back from a slump that began when the economy faltered in 2008 and customers cut back on steel purchases. Each step forward seems to be countered by a step back. For instance, last year the industry was reporting profits until demand for steel dropped in the second half as Europe's debt crisis escalated and economic growth slowed in the U.S. and Asia. U.S. Steel lost more than $200 million in the fourth quarter."

OPINION!!

Hard Homecoming: Veterans Need More Help in Finding Civilian Jobs from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The nation can show its gratitude by doing more for members of the military when their service is done."

Bike Trails Traverse the Region and its History from the Pittsburgh City Paper
""The loss of jobs and industries and a way of life was devastating. But that's been replaced by a more inviting lifestyle.""

New Battle Brewing on Realty Tax from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"With a state proposal that would allow counties to halt their court-ordered property reassessments halfway to the governor's desk, there's now a pack of bills following in its wake aiming to reduce or eliminate the property tax entirely."
The Post-Gazette has an editorial on this topic HERE.

People Express Deal Likely in Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh expects a deal with the new People Express Airlines, which hopes to link the city with Providence, R.I., Newark, N.J., and Newport News, Va., by the end of the summer."

W&J Opens New Center for Energy Policy and Management from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Washington & Jefferson College this week opens its Center for Energy Policy and Management, bringing together scientists, industry leaders, elected officials, advocates and citizens to shape policy while working to minimize environmental impact and promote economic growth."

Rapid Bus Service Intended to Shorten Commutes, Boost Development from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A transit advisory group will conduct four public meetings during the next two weeks on proposed rapid bus service that could shorten commute times and spur development between Downtown and Oakland."

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Lands on Top 10 Charity List from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The conservancy earned a ranking as one of the nation's Top 10 charities from the watchdog group, Charity Navigator. The conservancy came in at No. 7 of 5,500 charities the group reviewed."

Threats Finished at Pitt, Email Claims from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  
"A group calling itself "The Threateners" has declared an end to what it claims is its emailed bomb threat campaign against the University of Pittsburgh because Pitt officials have met its demand: withdrawal of the university's promised reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the bomb threats."

Water Company Uses Flow to Make Electricity from the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette
"Taking its cue from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, the Pennsylvania American Water Co. has turned a problem into a benefit by going with the flow, literally. The high pressure of raw water flowing from two reservoirs into the Oneida Valley Water Treatment Plant in Summit Township, Butler County, initially prompted PAWC to install a butterfly valve to crimp the flow into the plant. High water pressure can burst a pipe. But company officials soon realized that crimping the pipe with a valve was one big waste of renewable energy."

URA Approves Money for Neighborhoods from Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"The Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) Board of Directors voted this afternoon to establish the Pittsburgh Neighborhood Renaissance Fund, which would give organizations guidance in developing their own community plans. The fund is collaboration between the URA, City Planning, and the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh (CDCP)."

URA Loan Completes Financing for Soccer Stadium from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority board helped to clear the way Thursday for the construction of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds' new $10.2 million stadium at Station Square."

Natural Gas Industry Looking at Possibility of Using Coal Drainage instead of Fresh Water from Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"A report issued by the RAND Corporation finds that using abandoned mine drainage for hydraulic fracturing gas wells could be employed more frequently in future development, thereby lessening the burden on fresh water supplies."

STUDY!!

We Don't Live as Long as Most Other Americans from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The good news: Southwestern Pennsylvanians are living longer than they did 20 years ago, as is the case in most places. The bad news: Not only do most other Americans outlive us, but they're increasing the gap."

Health Equity in Pittsburgh from the Essential Pittsburgh program on Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has established the Center for Health Equity, focused on identifying and reducing health disparities in underserved populations."

CMU Plans to Add New Research, Academic Buildings from Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"CMU's ten-year Master Plan. New buildings and additions are red; existing buildings are grey. A major new “Nano-Bio-Energy Technologies Building” headlined the presentation when Carnegie Mellon University unveiled its ten-year Master Plan to the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission Tuesday. CMU hopes to install the seven-story, 120,000-square-foot structure in its core, along with another four-story academic building and additions to Margaret-Morrison Hall, Porter Hall, and Wean Hall. In fact, new buildings are planned for nearly every part of the campus, from its western reaches in Oakland to its eastern boundaries in Squirrel Hill and Shadyside."
A better map of the master plan can be found HERE.

OPINION!!

Care for Braddock: A Treatment Center Will Help Fill the Medical Gap from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"It's not a full-service hospital with an emergency room, but Allegheny County's plans for a seven-day-a-week medical treatment center will fill in many of the gaps left when the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center abandoned the former Braddock hospital two years ago."

Hill Grocery Delayed Again from the New Pittsburgh Courier
After two groundbreakings, a year of delays, multiple changes in the contract management team, the dismissal of Executive Director Jules Matthews and her husband, Jason Matthews, the Hill House Economic Development Corporation finally seemed ready to build the promised SHOP ‘n SAVE grocery store the community has been waiting 20 years for. Now, however, Hill House President and CEO Cheryl Hall-Russell said the project has hit another snag—a funding shortfall."

Former Hospital Nears Reopening from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"A new owner of the former Brownsville Tri-County Hospital hopes to have the medical center back in operation in three to six months and begin offering services in stages to avoid mistakes that kept it in bankruptcy court."

City Plans to Pave 60 Miles of Streets from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Pittsburgh plans to pave about 60 lane miles this summer, and residents for the first time can go online to see where crews will be working."

900 CONSOL Retirees to Lose Health Benefits from Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported the March 29 letter from the Southpointe-based company (NYSE: CNX) said employees not covered by the United Mine Workers contracts will receive payments and have to get their own health insurance instead of only having to pay 20 percent of health care coverage."

Redevelopment of Highland Building Begins Ground Broken on Historic East Liberty Structure (Noah Brode) from Essential Public Radio
"Elected officials, developers, and community leaders break ground on the Highland Building redevelopment. Developers, politicians, and community leaders came together in East Liberty on Monday to break ground at the vacant Highland Building. Walnut Capital wants to revamp the 102-year-old structure to house 110 apartments. Construction crews will also demolish the neighboring structure and install a parking garage to accomodate the building."

Former Drug Addict Creates Program to Help Others from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"For more than 20 years Denise Zellous struggled with drug addiction and its ills. Due to her addiction, she spent 11 years of her life being homeless. But it was in 2000 that she found an organization willing to help her and now, on April 29, Zellous will celebrate 12 years of sobriety. With her found hope for the future, she is now working to share that same hope with other women who were once in her situation, through a new initiative called the Helping Other People Excel Project."

Future Geologists Earn On-site Drilling Experience at Cal U. from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"About 40 students, from California, Indiana, Slippery Rock, Robert Morris, Kent State, West Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh, watched as two types of drilling rigs operated. The workshop was held at the 95-acre Student Association Farm off West Malden Drive. In addition to drilling procedures, students were shown how to conduct soil sampling, test for environmental contamination and decontaminate equipment and were provided health and safety tips."

Historic Uptown Building Taking on a New Persona from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The former film storage structure is envisioned as "a cooperative work environment for creative types.""

"Brain Drain” No More (Ben Kamber) from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
After struggling for decades with “brain drain” – the outflow of young, educated people from the region seeing opportunity elsewhere – Pittsburgh is seeing a reversal of this trend."

OPINION!!

Women are Undervalued at Pittsburgh's Nonprofit Organizations (Sylvia V. Fields, Rebecca Lucore and Peggy Morrison Outon) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Nearly 300,000 people work every day to see that our region is just, decent and fair. Nonprofit employees not only feed the hungry and assure compassionate relief after a disaster, they also teach your children, visit your elderly parent, clean up the stream that runs by your house and bring the arts alive all over town. The vast majority of these employees -- about 225,000 -- are women."

Thousands of Career Opportunities Now – With More to Come – in Pittsburgh: the New Center of American Energy from Imagine Pittsburgh Online 
"For college students wondering where to head after graduation, here’s a suggestion: stay right here. "

Manufacturing Sector Short on Skilled Labor from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Manufacturing jobs are coming back to the U.S. and economic data shows the sector is growing but, despite the good news, the sector is facing a looming crisis that could stifle growth and innovation — a lack of s

PACE Takes on Youth Issues at Annual Luncheon from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"At the 4th Annual Inclusive Voices community exchange luncheon, youth issues took center stage. Hosted by the Program to Aid Citizen Enterprise (PACE), the yearly event brings together some of Pittsburgh’s most influential leaders and voices."

Pittsburgh Work Force Grows But Employment Holds Steady from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"There has been a lot of talk about the Pittsburgh region “recovering” all of the jobs it lost during the Great Recession. And while this is an intriguing message on the surface, there is even more good news to the story. The regional economy is very different than it was at the beginning of the recession."

First Passive House Breaking Ground in Pittsburgh from the Energy Inc blog from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"A supremely energy efficient house with “no fancy PV arrays, wind turbines or other green bells and whistles,” is in the works in Heidelberg Borough and will be the first of its kind in western Pennsylvania."

The Killing Fields in Homewood (AUDIO) from the Essential Pittsburgh program on Essential Public Radio
"The city of Pittsburgh started the demolition of buildings in a section of Homewood known as “the killing fields.”"

It’s All in the Details: Pittsburgh Region Highlighted for its Role in the “Rust Belt Revival” from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Mixed-use commercial space. Community centers, farm-to-table restaurants  and energy startups. The wealth of new businesses downtown. Details, a men’s style magazine, highlighted the Pittsburgh area as one of the catalysts in what it calls a “Rust Belt Revival.”"

Urgent-Care Center to Fill Void in Braddock from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
"Two years after UPMC razed its former hospital in Braddock, Mon Valley residents learned Tuesday that a walk-in health center soon will open on the site."

Reclaiming the Lower Hill District (AUDIO) from the Essential Pittsburgh program on Essential Public Radio
"Now that the Civic Arena has come down, what’s next for the site? The Hill District Consensus Group has some ideas."

Natural Gas Glut Leads To Lower Prices (AUDIO) from NPR's Morning Edition program
"The U.S. is facing a growing surplus in natural gas. Renee Montagne talks to Amy Myers Jaffe, of the Energy Forum at the Baker Institute at Rice University, about the glut. She expects some consolidation in the industry."

Western Pennsylvania's Census Gain Driven by Jobs from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Western Pennsylvania's amenities, natural beauty and low cost of living make moving here easy, but three recent transplants say they mainly came for the jobs."

Western PA's Top 50 School Districts from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"Upper St. Clair School District remains entrenched atop the region based on its students’ performance on the state’s standardized tests. This is the seventh straight year Upper St. Clair has ranked No. 1 on the PBT Honor Roll rank of the seven-county region’s public school districts." 

EPA Report Finds Little Contamination in Dimock Wells from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Testing at 20 more water wells in a northeastern Pennsylvania community at the center of a debate over the safety of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus shale shows no dangerous levels of contamination, according to a report issued on Friday by the Environmental Protection Agency."

Design Challenge: Concerns About Piatt's Market Square Development are Legitimate from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Improvements to Downtown's Market Square were a long time in coming, but the good work that finally produced a vastly better public space surrounded by a mix of new and old businesses easily could be undone if nearby projects throw off the atmosphere and scale. That's the fear triggered by Millcraft Industries' plans for The Gardens at Market Square, which would occupy land on Forbes Avenue between the square and just before Wood Street."

Town Meeting Set on Pollution Guidelines from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"A committee that's spent more than two years formulating new air toxics guidelines for industrial operations in Allegheny County will hold a public meeting Monday in Clairton to assess community concerns. One of the big concerns, expressed at Allegheny County Health Board meetings in recent years, is that it's taking too long to come up with the new limits on hazardous air pollutants, and that's putting the health of residents at risk."

Jobless Claims Down in Pennsylvania from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"Pennsylvania was one of the leaders in a drop of unemployment claims nationwide to the lowest level in four years."

Demolition Gives Homewood Residents Hope from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"Mr. Ravenstahl called the demolition a "long-awaited step forward" for Homewood, which has large numbers of abandoned houses, low property values, a high rate of tax delinquency and a reputation for crime. The row houses straddle about two blocks of Formosa, from North Braddock Avenue to Collier Street."

Demolition Man: Ravenstahl Kicks Off "Demolition Season" in Homewood (Lauren Daley) from the Slag Heap blog at the Pittsburgh City Paper 
"The city will use "green-up strategies" for the vacant parcels, Ravenstahl said, such as community gardens and playgrounds with the ultimate goal of redevelopment."

U.S. Steel Could Be Looking to Move from Downtown from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The talk that the company could be leaving its longtime headquarters, perhaps for the suburbs, is creating shock waves."

Mentoring Group Strives to Help Clairton Students from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"A group of Clairton High School graduates who have gained success in their chosen professions and life have banned together to help current Clairton High School students do the same thing through the Clairton High School Mentorship Program."

Centerville Drops Volunteer Program from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"A program that has provided hundreds of volunteers to nonprofit organizations in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties for three decades has come to an end because of cuts in federal spending."

Central Greene Gets OK to Raise Taxes from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"Central Greene School District received approval from the state to raise property taxes for its 2012-13 budget greater than the inflation index established under the Taxpayers Relief Act."

Councilman to Speak About Jobs, Going Green from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"City Councilman Bill Peduto and two other Pittsburghers today will address a regional environmental conference about steps the city has taken to clean up its air and water. Tom Hoffman, Western Pennsylvania director for Clean Water Action, and Barney Oursler, executive director of Pittsburgh United, are joining Mr. Peduto in Philadelphia for the Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference."

Taxed Property: Proponents say improvement district would give South Side needed extra services from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"The city has been clear that we aren't getting any more services than what we have now""

County Council Says Shale Fee Doesn't Go Far Enough from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Allegheny County residents will share in the $180 million expected this year from an impact fee to be imposed on natural-gas wells."

Hundreds Gather in Oakland to Protest Plan to Close Air Force Base from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Nearly 300 active military personnel, veterans and elected officials turned out for a rally on Tuesday evening at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland to protest the announced closing of the Air Force Reserve's 911th Airlift Wing."

Entrepreneurs Compete for Grant Money from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"The next year, Erickson pitched Barre at Pitt’s 2011 Randall Family Big Idea Competition. She won second place in the Business Growth Idea category, and now the energy bars are sold at more than 150 locations across the country. “I felt like the competition was a great way to flesh out the elements of the business that we maybe had not fully developed,” Erickson said."

School Districts Get OK to Raise Taxes from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"KDKA-TV reports on the 199 school districts -- including 35 in southwestern Pennsylvania -- who received state approval to possibly raise taxes more than allowed by law. The districts include Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, North Allegheny, Mount Lebanon, Franklin Regional and Peters, KDKA said."

Top 7: Largest Pittsburgh-area Private Companies from Pittsburgh Business Times
"This week, the Pittsburgh Business Times ranked the largest Pittsburgh-area private companies."

Aliquippa's First Black Mayor Walker Fights City's Stigma from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"In January, Dwan Walker took the oath of office as the Beaver County city's first black mayor under the "One Aliquippa" slate in May 2011."

African American Engineers Convene in Pittsburgh to Talk Shop, Promote Their Field from Imagine Pittsburgh Online
"Pittsburgh’s largest conference of 2012 kicks off at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on March 29, as nearly 8,500 professional engineers and engineering students gather for the National Society of Black Engineers convention."

HISTORICAL RESOURCE!!

Interactive Website Maps Pittsburgh's History (Diana Nelson Jones) from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Though inspired by his interest in history and a connection to Pittsburgh -- his wife is a Pitt graduate whom he married in Heinz Chapel -- it was meant to be a work tool. Then a colleague of his blogged proudly about it, and in recent weeks, Mr. Olsen's moving, zooming, time-traveling map has become a bit of a local sensation."

HISTORICAL STORY!!

Historical Oakland: Neighborhood Once the Center for Pittsburgh Sports (Patrick Wagner) from the Pitt News
"In 1909, The Pittsburgh Post situated Oakland as the apex of the sports world. “World’s finest baseball grounds,” wrote journalist James Jerpe, calling it “an athletic park far in advance of anything of its type.” Forbes Field and other structures made the neighborhood a sports paradise for much of the 20th century..."