Opposing Big Shale, Candidate Tries to Gain Traction in Fracking Hotbed from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"Half of all Marcellus shale wells in Pennsylvania have been drilled in the state's 23rd Senatorial District. One challenger is hoping opposition to fracking will help her defeat a pro-drilling incumbent."

In Beaver County, The Cracker is on the Ballot from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"For one GOP legislator, Pennsylvania needs to go full speed ahead with drilling in the Marcellus Shale. No looking back. And he thinks voters in his district will agree with him. The Allegheny Front's Reid R. Frazier has the first of three stories in how the Marcellus Shale is factoring into regional elections."

Too Much Information? from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh
"We’ll look at the promise and risks of living within the emerging information ecology. WESA’s Kevin Gavin reports on Pittsburgh’s case to be removed from state oversight..."

Center to Bring Much-needed Services to Clairton from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"After eight years of planning and setbacks, the Clairton Southside Community Human Resource Center is open for business. “We’re looking for tenants. Hopefully people will look at the building and decide to come to our facility because people in our area need services like GED courses,” said Cheryl Hurt, of the Community Economic Development Corp. of Clairton, which is renting an office at the building."

PROFILE!!

Entrepreneur Speaks at W&J College from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"It all turned out well for Singh-Morales, a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow who visited Washington & Jefferson College and met with students and faculty members last week to discuss the value of a liberal arts degree and to share his knowledge and perspective about global entrepreneurship and philanthropy. At a Wednesday lecture, Morales encouraged students to “listen to their own voice” and avoid letting other people make choices for them."

Pittsburgh Group Hoping to Bridge Community-Police from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A 40-member team has launched a crisis team and announced a six-month process for improving relations between law enforcement and residents."

Burgess Introduces Land Bank Legislation from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"On the heels of Gov. Tom Corbett signing enabling legislation last week, Pittsburgh Councilman Ricky Burgess introduced legislation Wednesday to create a Pittsburgh Land Bank within the city. “The establishment of the Pittsburgh Land Bank is an essential step to transform and rehabilitate the city’s low- and moderate-income communities,” said Burgess, in a prepared statement. “The land bank will substantially improve the appearance, marketability and potential of many Pittsburgh neighborhoods.”"

Feds Fund Neighborhoods from the New Pittsburgh Courier
Two languishing development projects in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty and Hill District communities are now closer to completion thanks to an influx of federal funding. Joined by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pittsburgh, and community representatives at an Oct. 17 press conference, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced $1.6 million in Community Economic Development Grants had been approved for the former YMCA building in East Liberty and the Shop ‘N Save grocery in the Hill."

U.K. Explores Shale Gas, Looks to Nuclear from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The United Kingdom is looking to Pennsylvania's experiences in the Marcellus Shale to guide the beginning stages of its own shale and natural gas development. Natural gas development and the nuclear industry were among the topics that British Consulate General Danny Lopez touched upon during his visit..."

Pittsburgh Finances Improved, but More Work Remains from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Nine years of budget austerity, cost-slashing and debt repayment have Pittsburgh on the road to financial recovery, city officials and observers agree. The city, they say, is in better health than in 2003, when chronic budget deficits, debt approaching $1 billion and a junk bond credit rating put it on the brink of bankruptcy."

Market Square Place Wins National Award from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"The redevelopment of the former G.C. Murphy building in Market Square is receiving an award from The National Trust for Historic Preservation." 

Low-income Housing OK'd for Larimer Area from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"The Pittsburgh Housing Authority board voted Thursday to steer $3.5 million to a planned redevelopment of low-income housing that would bridge a revived East Liberty and a still-struggling Larimer. The $3.5 million allows the authority to move residents out of the 28-unit Auburn/Hamilton-Larimer apartments, built in 1964, and begin to demolish them and prepare the site for new housing."

Cheap Natural Gas Gives New Hope to the Rust Belt from the Wall Street Journal [partial subscription wall]
"BEAVER COUNTY, Pa.—Three decades after being devastated by the closing of steel mills, this gritty river valley is hoping its revival will come from cheap natural gas. The hope doesn't rest on drilling rigs, but on a multibillion-dollar chemical plant that Royal Dutch Shell PLC is
considering building here because of a flood of domestically produced natural gas. Community leaders are touting the plant as the first step toward reviving a manufacturing industry many thought was gone for good."

Pittsburgh Is “Emerald City” with Dozens of Energy-Efficient Buildings from Imagine Pittsburgh
"There’s more than meets the eye to the buildings that dot Pittsburgh’s picturesque skyline and populate its neighborhoods. Many of them — 83 to be exact — are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified-structures commonly called “green buildings” because their design, materials and operations are easy on the environment and energy usage. Fact:  Pittsburgh – once notoriously tagged “hell with the lid off” because of its environmental pollution– registered three of the first 12 LEED structures in the United States. Fast-forward to today when some 75 percent of new buildings in the city are pursuing LEED certification."

For-Profit Colleges Get Schooled: Sector Suffers as Students Turn Back to Traditional Institutions from the Wall Street Journal
"As consumers wise up about education spending, for-profit colleges are getting schooled. Institutions such as Apollo Group Inc.'s APOL +0.51% University of Phoenix, DeVry Inc. DV +24.93% and Washington Post Co.'s WPO +0.01% Kaplan—who only a few years ago reported double-digit student gains on a regular basis and posted hundreds of millions in profits—now are hemorrhaging students. The storm was supposed to have passed for for-profit colleges when proposed regulations restricting access to federal student aid were watered down, and then overturned earlier this year. But some schools are still hurting, and it looks like the pain won't let up any time soon. Melissa Korn has details on The News Hub. Photo: Zuma Press. They are facing increased competition from nonprofit and state schools and growing skepticism about the value of a high-cost education."

Catholic Diocese to Seek $125 Million to Fund 'the Intangibles' from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Catholic Diocese launches $125 million campaign to fund charities, evangelization, education. ... Some of the many planned expenditures include creating a $1 million endowment to permanently fund dental care at the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center, Downtown, $1.5 million for evangelization of fallen-away Catholics, $7 million in grants to isolated needy parishes, $1 million to campus ministry and $2 million to support education of autistic students in parish schools. The single largest allocation is $12 million in needs-based tuition grants for parish children to attend Catholic schools."

Pennsylvania Recalculating Distributions from Marcellus Shale Fee from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"State officials said this morning that they miscalculated the amount that some towns will receive from the new Marcellus Shale drilling impact fee, and that they are working to fix the error."

Pittsburgh gets $100,000 Grant for Green Initiatives from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A nonprofit group has given the city of Pittsburgh a $100,000 grant for green initiatives. ... Some of the money will be used to coat the roofs of city-owned buildings, Downtown, with white reflective paint. The paint is intended to keep the buildings cooler and save the city money. The balance of the grant will be used for Edible Gardens, a program to grow and supply fresh produce to city residents."

Ford Chooses Pittsburgh for Electric Car Tests from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The same Pittsburgh attribute that drains your car’s gas supply has attracted a group of Ford engineers to test electric plug-in prototypes... “They come here, they say, so they can test on the hills,” said Ben Brown, project scientist and co-principal investigator of ChargeCar, a CMU electric car project that has a free car charging garage on Forbes Ave."

CSX Down to Two Sites for Future Pittsburgh Terminal from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"CSX Corp. is close to making a decision on where to put its $60 million to $70 million new intermodal terminal in the Pittsburgh region. ... The new terminal will be part of CSX’s Gateway project, a public-private partnership to enhance infrastructure so trains can carry double-stacked containers."

Anti-Violence Coalition formed from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Over the last few months, Love and members of a number of community groups have been meeting to find a new model to combat Black-on-Black violence. The first step in that effort came this week when they announced the formation of a new coalition to do just that on a county-wide basis."

PROGRAM!!

Afterschool Programs Join Forces from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"A 2008 Northeastern University study found a sharp increase in homicides involving African-American youth, both as victims and perpetrators, between 2000 and 2007. The study found that risk spiked during the afterschool hours, indicating that afterschool hours are a peak time for juvenile crime for youth who do not have access to afterschool programs. For the past three years the Greater Pittsburgh Afterschool Consortium has been coming together to provide a safe haven for area youth. On Oct. 18 they hosted the 3rd Annual “Playing for Unity” event at Manchester Youth Development Center, which brought together children in afterschool programs across Allegheny and Beaver Counties."

Senate Bill Would Ease Use of Mine Water in Drilling from the
Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"A bill that provides liability protection for natural gas drilling companies using abandoned mine water for hydraulic fracturing has passed the state Senate. "

EVENT!!

Pittsburgh Basks in Glow of One Young World Summit from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Pittsburgh’s role as host of the third annual One Young World summit helped showcase the city to the world’s future innovators, organizers say. The international conference, which drew 1,300 young adults mostly in their 20s from more than 180 countries, ..."

EVENT!!

Student Help Community on PMADD from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Gargani and his brothers were just a few of the more than 3,000 Pitt students who gathered at the William Pitt Union at 10 a.m. Saturday to take part in Pitt Make a Difference Day, an annual event that began in 2007 as a way to connect Pitt students to the larger Pittsburgh community. The students boarded buses that lined Bigelow Boulevard to travel to one of the 63 volunteering sites throughout Pittsburgh and surrounding areas."

OPENING!!

Nonprofit to Open Wounded Warriors Career Facility in Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A New York City-based group plans to open a center in Pittsburgh to help wounded veterans get jobs or the schooling they need to find work. The nonprofit National Organization on Disability began its Wounded Warriors Careers project in Fayetteville, N.C., Dallas and Colorado Springs, and intends to add the Pittsburgh facility next month."

EVENT!!

Sleep-in Raises Money, Awareness for Homeless from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
"Last Friday evening a group of mostly college-aged adults drew images of homes with crayons. Once they had completed their masterpieces, the group members were instructed to tear up their work.  The activity was part of the fifth annual Sleep-in for the Homeless, of which Pitt was a lead sponsor. The event included activities designed to raise awareness of the complex problems faced by the city’s homeless population. Community Human Services Corporation assists 1,500 homeless people in the Pittsburgh area. "

Private Student Loan Troubles Echo Mortgage Complaints from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Chris Young knew he had committed to years of payments when he took out nearly $80,000 in private loans for college. But he never thought he’d be stuck with a debt he couldn’t afford. Initially, it didn’t look that way. The 2007 Duquesne University graduate was working at a weekly newspaper in 2009 and paying about $350 a month on his private loans when he learned his monthly payment was doubling, effective immediately."

State Agency Rejects South Fayette's Local Drilling Ordinance from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The state Public Utility Commission ruled today that the township's local drilling ordinance conflicts with Pennsylvania law."

Pa. University Faculty Seek OK to Strike from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Officials from the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties say a strike authorization vote will held in November on each campus, according to WPXI.com. The decision comes after contract talks stalled last week. Faculty from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock University are among those who are members of the union."

Pittsburgh's Newest Immigrants: The Region is Unusual in Both the Number and Nature of its Newcomers (Christine H. O'Toole) from the Pittsburgh Quarterly
"Although only 3 percent of the region's residents are foreign-born, they comprise the most highly skilled immigrant group in the entire country, with a concentration of expertise in science and engineering. Like Tek, over 53 percent (30,542) hold a bachelor's degree or higher. "

Report: Pennsylvania College Grads Rank 2nd for Debt from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Average debt facing college graduates nationally rose 5 percent to $26,600 last year, with Pennsylvania's total second highest among the states, according to a new report that found indebtedness varied widely even among schools with similar tuition rates."

The Young People Myth: Pittsburgh is Attracting Talented Young Workers and Could be Poised to Become One of the Nation’s Most Youthful Cities (Jeffery Fraser) from the Pittsburgh Quarterly
"Just as Pittsburgh was undergoing a facelift that turned abandoned mills and factories and under-used riverfront into upscale shops, restaurants, apartments and bike trails, it was quietly experiencing a demographic shift that belied the hand wringing over whether it had become a place that young people would rather flee than want to be."

The Clean Water Act, 40 Years and Going from the WESA Program, Essential Pittsburgh
"It's been 40 years since the signing of the Clean Water Act, how are the 3 rivers doing?"

Indiana County Commissioners Apply for Grant to Help Construct Housing for Homeless Veterans from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"Indiana County’s commissioners on Wednesday applied for a final piece of funding needed to construct the first in a series of planned buildings for housing homeless veterans in the county. If the competitive $155,000 state grant is approved, it would serve as the county’s share of a $1.4 million package."

House-Hunting is Happy Here from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The region ranked as the eighth most affordable for home buyers among 25 major metropolitan areas studied by Interest.com."

Lingering Questions Sink GOP Charter School Bill from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Disagreements and worries end with Republicans in the state House failing to pass a series of charter school changes."

New Pittsburgh Courier Honors 50 Men of Excellence from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"The New Pittsburgh Courier will host its 2012 Men of Excellence Awards Reception Oct. 25 in the Main Ballroom of the Fairmont Pittsburgh Hotel. This year, the New Pittsburgh Courier is also pleased to be honoring Aaron Walton as the 2012 Legacy Award Honoree. The Legacy Award is reserved for individuals who have reached achievements above and beyond others, while also dedicating themselves to giving back to those less fortunate."

Federal Grants Awarded for Hotel, Grocery from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Two major neighborhood development projects, one in East Liberty, the other in the Hill District, received word of a federal infusion of grant funding. An $800,000 grant will go to East Liberty Development Inc. to help fund the renovation of a historic five-story former YMCA building in the center of the neighborhood into a new 63-room boutique hotel."

Clean Coal Resurfaces in Political Campaigns from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"Greenhouse gas emissions are decreasing, thanks to the weak economy, more use of wind and solar power, and the sudden influx of cleaner burning natural gas. So where does that leave Pennsylvania's former energy titan, king coal? As State Impact Pennsylvania's Susan Phillips reports, the coal industry is working hard to clean up its reputation. "

Clinton: We are Getting Shafted on Shale Training from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"With the boom in natural gas mining, and with Black unemployment nearly twice that of Whites, African American Workers Union founder Calvin Clinton saw an opportunity to provide training for unemployed Blacks and low-income residents to take advantage of jobs drilling at the Marcellus Shale. Since his union has previously provided training for 13 other construction-related skilled trades, under the auspices of the US Department of Labor, he thought getting the certification for two new training programs would be routine. It has not, and Clinton believes the Pennsylvania Bureau of Labor and Industry’s State Apprenticeship and Training Council is actively quashing his application."

The University of Phoenix is Planning to Close 115 Locations Around the U.S. by the End of the Fiscal Year from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"For-profit education giant the University of Phoenix will be closing 115 locations around the U.S., including its learning center in Robinson Township.  The learning center has about 100 students and an undetermined amount of employees."

Western Pennsylvania Community Colleges Trying to 'Live Within Means' from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Finances at community colleges have stabilized after a couple of years of funding cuts offset by wage and hiring freezes and other belt-tightening, school leaders said, but they remain worried about what lies ahead. “I’m not really optimistic, to be honest with you,” Westmoreland County Community College President Dan Obara said. “Students are taking on more and more of the burden, and I’m not sure where that’s going to end up.”"

NEW STUDY!!

Pittsburgh Ranks Low on Housing Affordability Survey from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh is one of five metropolitan areas with some of the lowest median home prices in the U.S. but it still only manages a C+ in terms of housing affordability, according to a new survey by Interest.com."

EVENT!!

“Best of the World” Welcomes One Young World from Imagine Pittsburgh 
"The global event is the latest in a year in which we’ve been celebrating Pittsburgh’s designation by National Geographic Traveler as a “Best of the World” destination in 2012. It’s also been a “year for youth” in our region."

Film to Begin Shooting in Washington from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"The streets of downtown Washington will look like a scene out of a Hollywood screenplay when work on a feature film begins shooting this week. ... The play was originally performed at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, which is operated by Point Park University in Pittsburgh. When campus officials learned the play was being made into a screenplay, they thought it was a perfect way to get students enrolled in their cinematography program involved."

LOCAL DOCUMENTARY!!

Fighting for Jobs and Education from WESA's program, Essential Pittsburgh
"We'll talk about the new documentary, Death By China, which focuses on America's loss of manufacturing jobs to China. Then local education leaders discuss the controversial new movie, Won't Back Down, which was filmed in Pittsburgh."

Energy Boom, Europe's Financial Woes Driving Pittsburgh Firms' Global Expansions from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Local firms, which retrenched during the recession, are again looking to open new offices, both domestically and overseas."

Landlords Join Group in Sheraden Improvement Campaign from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Trudy Gray is a pioneering landlord: She's the first to sign an agreement with the West End Alliance as part of its new partnership with landlords to upgrade rentals and motivate tenants to be involved in the Sheraden neighborhood."

One Young World Summit ‘9 or 10’ for Busy City of Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"This week’s One Young World summit in Pittsburgh is not among the year’s biggest conferences, but the millions of dollars and worldwide publicity it likely will bring to Pittsburgh could top the charts, business owners and managers said."

Pittsburgh GiveCamp to Offer Technological Boost to Nonprofits from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A Downtown nonprofit that teaches business skills to youngsters from low-income neighborhoods would like to enable online coaching but is wary of the pitfalls, an official said. Entrepreneuring Youth requires its volunteer business professionals to pass security clearances before they get matched with sixth- through 12th-graders for supervised sessions..."

Pitt Talks Move to Private Status from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
Students attending Pitt in the early ’60s experienced a much different University than students encounter today — and not just because of the decade’s cultural climate. For one thing, Pitt was a private university. In the bitter fight between Pennsylvania and the University regarding Pitt’s state funding, University officials threatened the unthinkable: turning Pitt back into a private school."

Performing on the PSSA: An In-depth Look from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
'How Is Your School Doing,' is a web interactive allowing readers to compare how Pennsylvania schools and students performed on the PSSA. 

CORPORATE PROFILE!!

Shell: One of World's Oldest Oil Companies Shifts Its Focus To Gas from StateImpact Pennsylvania
"Royal Dutch Shell is one of the largest and old­est energy com­pa­nies in the world. Shell is active in drilling for nat­ural gas in Pennsylvania’s Mar­cel­lus Shale for­ma­tion, with a focus on Tioga County. Shell is also con­sid­er­ing build­ing a gas pro­cess­ing plant, called an ethane cracker,, in Beaver County."

Chatham Breaks Ground for Richland Expansion from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Chatham University ceremoniously broke ground on Thursday for its 388-acre Eden Hall campus in Richland. ... Chatham hopes to eventually construct more than 30 buildings on the former farm of the late Sebastian Mueller, a German immigrant and H.J. Heinz Co. executive who charitably made his estate a retreat for Pittsburgh’s working women."

Community Blue Members Shut Out of UPMC from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"Highmark’s new Community Blue members will be shut out of all but a handful of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center facilities, escalating the war between the region’s insurance and hospital giants."

Forbes, West Penn Work Delayed by Strife from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The ongoing battle between Highmark and West Penn Allegheny Health System has led to a halt in some of the upgrades to West Penn Hospital and Forbes Regional Hospital."

Parkway Center Mall Set to Close from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"In the wake of Kmart announcing a few weeks ago that it was closing its longtime store at the 442,742-square-foot shopping center close to the Fort Pitt Tunnels on the Parkway West, Parkway Center owner Kossman Development Co. has notified the remaining small businesses at the mall the property is to be closed down and they will need to vacate."

Groundbreaking Today for Final Trail Segment from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"Groundbreaking for the final mile of the Great Allegheny Passage trail, through Sandcastle Waterpark and the neighboring Keystone Metals property, will be at noon today, officials announced."

Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition to Honor Neighborhood Treasures from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and will hold its second annual "treasures" dinner next Thursday to celebrate selected people and places that enrich the neighborhood."

Walkabout / Welcome with Pittsburgh grandeur: a plan for Penn Station from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The great architect Daniel Burnham reportedly once said, "Make no little plans." Giacomo Tinari has a great one for Downtown. ... "By forcing pedestrians to navigate dangerous intersections and leaving tourists oblivious to the proximity of their connecting routes, an appreciation for Pittsburgh's history and culture are lost. As it stands now, the Burnham rotunda holds no significance to the commuter.""

CCAC Grant to Aid Low-Income from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Forty percent of all African-American undergraduate students are enrolled in community colleges. However, according to a report released by the American Association of Community Colleges, only 26 percent of Black students and 30 percent of low-income community college students have completed either a degree or a certificate within six years. In Pittsburgh, the Community College of Allegheny County is working to improve graduation rates with the help of a grant awarded from the U.S. Department of Education."

EDITORIAL!!

Now or Later: Payday Lending is Bad News for Pennsylvanians from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Legislature should resist the lobbyists who would push high interest rates on people who live paycheck to paycheck."

Site's Downtown Redevelopment Marketed Amid High-Rise Plans from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Oxford Development Co. has begun marketing redevelopment of a seven-story building, but it still has plans for a skyscraper at the site."

EVENT!!

 Pittsburgh’s Year of Young Thinkers and Leaders from Imagine Pittsburgh 
"It’s less than two weeks until 1,500 emerging leaders from around the world gather in Pittsburgh for the first One Young World summit to hit U.S. shores. Ages 18 through 30, these delegates will spend Oct. 18-22 tackling issues around education, public health and the role that businesses can play in fostering sustainable development and social justice. As the region gears up to host these guests, it’s worth remembering that Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center has already hosted more than 10,000 bright young people from around the globe in 2012. That includes more than 8,500 engineers and student members of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the world’s largest pre-college science research competition."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Out of the Comfort Zone: A Wary Response for Proposed Gas-drilling Rules (Chris Potter) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"When Patrick Dowd offered new legislation to govern natural-gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale at a Sept. 20 press conference, he stood alone. There were no drilling-company representatives behind him, no environmentalists anywhere. And that, if nothing else, suggests how fractious the debate over gas "fracking" has become."

EDMC Reports Revenues, Enrollment Down on Heels of More Layoffs (Charlie Deitch) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"First Education Management Corp. froze wages to avoid layoffs. Then they laid off employees and closed down an online branch in Phoenix. None of those actions, however, could stave off even more layoffs at the downtown for-profit educator. According to multiple sources inside the company, more than 50 but fewer than 100 employees were laid off Wednesday from various locations in the city. "

URA Considers Proposal for Former Saks Department Store from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Apartments, a parking garage and retail space will replace the former Saks department store Downtown under a proposal to be considered by the city Urban Redevelopment Authority board on Thursday."

Part one of a series!

The Other College Debt: Upgrades put Pennsylvania Schools in a Bind from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"... the school wanted to turn its run-down and overcrowded dining hall into an airy, restaurant-style venue suitable for demonstration cooking, but it had no cash on hand for the work. So it borrowed the full $18 million and began paying it off through higher student meal plan fees. Just like that, another of Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities became a bit more attractive to students expecting upscale amenities. And just like that, the State System moved deeper into debt."

Part two of a series!

The Other College Debt: Clarion University has Adopted Conservative Approach to Debt from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"It has a student recreation center with an elevated running track, rows of cardio machines and, yes, a climbing wall, too. What the campus of 6,500 students does not have is debt -- at least not nearly as much as its sister schools across the State System of Higher Education. As some of those campuses increased borrowing for capital projects by up to ninefold the last decade -- and erected buildings far more elaborate than those found here -- Clarion took a more conservative approach."

Foundations Pay to Study Drilling Effect on Health from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Heinz Endowments, the William Penn Foundation and other nonprofits have paid $19 million in the past four years on environmental and health concerns surrounding gas drilling in Pennsylvania and elsewhere."

FirstEnergy Considering Gas Co-firing for PA Coal Plants from the Energy Inc. blog at the Pittsburgh Business Times
"FirstEnergy Corp. is considering burning natural gas along with coal at five of its power plants, including three in Pennsylvania."

Pennsylvania's Cross-State Rail Service Imperiled from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The rail service that connects Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania to Harrisburg and Philadelphia and on to New York could be derailed. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Pennsylvania will have to pay for both the Pennsylvanian and another rail service, the Keystone, between Harrisburg and Philadelphia, starting next October because Amtrak is required by law to cut operating costs."

Changing Population is Opening Doors to Nursing from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The rosy outlook for the field during the next decade has fueled an increase in applications to nursing programs, attracting everyone from young adults contemplating their futures to unemployed workers looking to switch careers because of the difficulty in finding jobs in the struggling economy."

EDITORIAL!!

Gov. Corbett, MIA: Private Partners Won't Fix Old Roads and Bridges from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Legislators support the transportation funding solutions from Gov. Corbett's panel, so why won't the governor?"

Report: Dams and Locks Deteriorating Faster Than They Can be Replaced from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A National Research Council report released today was produced by a committee led by a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor."

Report offers Funding Ideas for Deteriorating Waterways from the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The National Research Council has offered options to address 20 years of inadequate funding for locks and dams."

SURVEY!!

Employer Survey Previews Future Hiring Needs; Organizations Take Steps to Meet Labor Supply Challenge from Imagine Pittsburgh
"The Pittsburgh region is poised to see the number of energy-related careers grow significantly by the end of this decade. There will be jobs for engineers and maintenance technicians, welders and salespeople, jobs requiring post-high school training as well as professional degrees. At the same time, according to a workforce analysis conducted on behalf of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and the Energy Alliance of Greater Pittsburgh (EAGP), the opportunity poses significant challenges for workforce development as employers increasingly compete for talent, especially across 14 high-demand, hard-to-fill occupations."

REPORT!!

Census Data: Number of Americans Without Health Insurance Falls Amid Middle Class Struggles from the Keystone Research Center of Pennsylvania
"New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week offer a mix of good and bad news. The share of Americans without health insurance declined by more than in any year since 1999, thanks largely to a number of provisions in the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, the data also illuminated how the middle class continues to struggle in the wake of the recession and the acceleration of income inequality."

'Day of Giving' Surpasses Expectations with $8.4 Million from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Mr. Oliphant admitted that prior to the Day of Giving online fundraising event for area nonprofits held Wednesday, he anticipated the final tally would be about the same as last year -- around $6.5 million. But preliminary results show the event generated $8.4 million from individual donations and a pool of $830,000 in matching funds contributed by the foundation and the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County."

Modernizing Movie Houses (AUDIO) from WESA's program Essential Pittsburgh
"We'll ask about the safety measures that have been implemented at Western Psych since the March shootings. Get our weekly update on technology with Pop City and could it be the last picture show for a number of movie houses, including the Hollywood theater in Dormont."

Drill Bits: Ohio and New York Ponder Drilling Taxes And Regulations from State Impact Pennsylvania
Several stories worth noting on gas drilling in PA

In Lieu of Tax on Beaver County Land, Shell Offers to Pay $7.6 Million from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"If the proposal is enacted, Shell will pay the money to Central Valley School District and Potter Township over 22 years."

A Look at Poverty-Wage Jobs in Pennsylvania (Mark Price) from the Third State blog 
"Almost half (46%) of workers with a poverty-wage job worked part-time; 57% of workers with poverty-wage jobs were in service and sales occupations; and seven in 10 poverty-wage jobs are located in just three industries — leisure and hospitality, wholesale and retail trade, and education and health services. "

Hill District Businesses to Compete for Grant Money from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"Urban Innovation21 is making up to $50,000 in grants available exclusively to assist Hill District based entrepreneurs expand and improve their businesses with its first Small Business Grant Competition."

'Day of Giving' Offers Big Boost to Nonprofits from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Charitable donors who want to support the region's social service agencies, cultural groups, educational organizations and other nonprofits have a 24-hour window today during which their individual monetary gifts will be matched by a pool of foundation dollars exceeding $800,000."

EDITORIAL!!

More Promising: Pittsburgh's Tuition Program Casts a Wider Net from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In recent months, business and nonprofit groups have ramped up attempts to increase the city's population overall by tapping into the immigrant pool. On Thursday, The Pittsburgh Promise -- the nonprofit that was established to lure and retain students to Pittsburgh Public Schools -- joined that effort with a targeted sales pitch. The program, which extends the possibility of college scholarships worth as much as $40,000 to graduates of city public schools and charters, kicked off a campaign to make sure legal immigrants within a 300-mile radius of Pittsburgh are aware of the Promise scholarships."

Allegheny County 'Walk of Fame' Proposed for Downtown Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"People who have "attracted national or regional recognition" to Allegheny County soon could be honored with a walkway of fame in the courtyard of the county courthouse. County Councilman James Ellenbogen, D-Banksville, proposed engraved courtyard bricks as the main element in a "Hall of Fame" to honor distinguished, but deceased, county natives and residents."

Boxed In: Activists Say Conviction Question on Job Application Unfairly Closes Doors from the Pittsburgh City Paper
Laid off from her telemarketing job in January 2011 while she was pregnant, 38-year-old Erica Yesko dreaded the idea of having to search for work again. For Yesko, who got into trouble while using drugs 10 years ago, jobs are very, very hard to find.  "It's not that I don't have the skills, or interviewing skills. I have great customer-service skills," she says.  Her biggest obstacle is "the box" — the space on many job-application forms that applicants are instructed to check if they've ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor. Filling in that box, says Yesko, keeps her from getting her foot in the door. "I paid my debt. Will I ever be able to move forward?"
The New Pittsburgh Courier has a story on protests directed against these application questions.

Three City Eateries Make National 100 Best List from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Three Pittsburgh-area restaurants have made it onto a national list of the top 100 "Cheap Eats" -- but none from Philadelphia or anywhere else in Pennsylvania. ... Primanti Brothers in the Strip District, Lulu's Noodles in Oakland and SMOKE Barbeque Taqueria in Homestead made the list compiled by mobile restaurant company Urbanspoon."

Pittsburgh Entities Awarded Arts Grants from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"State Rep. Martin Michael Schmotzer, D-Allegheny, announced that more than $52,000 in Pennsylvania arts grants have been awarded to organizations in the 22nd Legislative District, which is in Pittsburgh."

Living Large: On Property, UPMC Spends Big and is Taxed Little from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A Post-Gazette series, "UPMC: Forging a Giant Footprint," raises questions about how state law treats rich nonprofit corporations. ... People around Pittsburgh know that UPMC is big. They just didn't know it was this big. The region's leading health care provider, which has $9.6 billion in annual revenue, 56,000 employees and 20 hospitals, also owns 656 acres of property in Allegheny County worth $1.6 billion. It is the county's largest property owner by value and, because of UPMC's nonprofit status, 86 percent of those holdings are tax-exempt."

Fallout from Breakup of WPAHS-Highmark Deal from the Pittsburgh Business-Times
"Friday's big news was West Penn Allegheny's pullout from its proposed merger with Highmark. It's a story that has major affects on the health care and insurance markets in the Pittsburgh region."

Day of Giving Critical to Western Pennsylvania Nonprofits from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"During the Day of Giving, The Pittsburgh Foundation provides matching dollars to eligible nonprofits based on the donations that day. This year’s event is Wednesday. Since the Day of Giving started here in 2009, it has become an increasingly important part of the fundraising landscape, nonprofit leaders said. Some groups plan special events or campaigns to coax donors to open their wallets within the 24-hour window."

Pittsburgh Ranks High for College Students from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh ranks as one of the top five cities for college students, according to a new survey. The city is ranked No. 5 among midsize metro regions in a new study by the American Institute for Economic Research. A midsize metro region has between 1 and 2.5 million residents."

PSSA Fails Students, Some Say from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"After the state Department of Education announced this month that nearly half of schools across the commonwealth did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress requirements on the state’s standardized achievement tests for 2011-12, some in the education community are asking whether the
high-stakes tests could be failing students – not the other way around. "

Shift by Cuomo Clouds Future of Fracking from the New York Times
"Developments in Albany have created a sense that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is consigning gas drilling to oblivion."

Hollywood Highlights Local History from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington and Greene counties]
"The Whiskey Rebellion tale just wouldn’t be complete without someone being tarred and feathered.
And, that’s just what happened recently when crews filming a new television series for the National Geographic Channel came to the area to do a show on the Whiskey Rebellion. Clay Kilgore, executive director of the Washington County Historical Society, said he was contacted by the producers of “Diggers,” a new series starring metal-detecting buffs “King” George Wyant and Tim “Ringy” Saylor. The show follows Wyant and Saylor around the country looking to put their detectors to work to unearth pieces of history. The series is set to debut in 2013 on the cable channel."

125 Years in the Making: Wilkinsburg Celebrates Anniversary with Events from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
" Three days of events will be held Oct. 5-7 to celebrate Wilkinsburg's 125th anniversary. ... The mayor hopes to draw residents and visitors to the events next weekend so they can "see and hear the positive side of Wilkinsburg."