Post-Gazette Series Pt. 8

Upheaval and Losses Hurt, but Downtown Pittsburgh Emerged from Economic Turmoil Renewed from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A tide of change: Last in a series on how our economy has transformed since bottoming out a generation ago ... Gimbels, Horne's and Kaufmann's may be gone, but Downtown is livelier than ever, with office occupancy rates near all-time peaks."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 7

In Desperate 1983, There Was Nowhere for the Economy to Go But Up from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In January 1983, the regional economy officially -- that is, numerically -- bottomed out. Unemployment in Allegheny County hit 13.9 percent, a rosy figure compared to the rest of the Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area, where the adjusted unemployment rate hit an astonishing 17.1 percent (unadjusted, the number was actually higher, 18.2 percent). It had never been that high before, at least not since the government started counting, and it hasn't been that high since. Regionally, the number of unemployed hit 212,000."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 6

Foundations are Credited with Resurrecting Pittsburgh's Economy After the 1980s' Collapse from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"What helped rescue the Pittsburgh area from complete collapse, Ms. Dewey believes, was a recognition by private foundations that it was time to step up and play a role in economic development and neighborhood revitalization through investment and leadership."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 5

Industry Drawn Again to Pittsburgh by Resources that Once Supported Steel Mills from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
""It's paradoxical that the area is ripe for a resurgence precisely because of the legacy industrial infrastructure," said David N. Taylor, president of the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 4

Local Manufacturer Learns to Adapt and Thrive from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Oberg's ability to adapt to changing markets and technology, and to remain focused on quality are the main reasons the company not only survived Pittsburgh's manufacturing recession, but is bigger and stronger three decades later."

Post-Gazette Pt. 3

When Pittsburgh Men Lost Jobs in the '80s, Women Stepped In to Save Economy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The women who joined the labor force during the era following the collapse of region's steel and industrial foundation would in turn become the foundation of the region's economic restructuring."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 2

Pittsburgh's Road to Tech Success Wasn't the Smoothest from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"... nearly 30 years after creation of the tech-driven Ben Franklin Technology Partners program, stakeholders say the state might never have recognized one of its greatest assets if the economy hadn't forced legislators to take a leap into the unfamiliar. "By that time, our unemployment rate hovered around 15 percent. We were in desperate straits and we had to try something different," said former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh, who held office from 1979 until 1987."

Post-Gazette Series Pt. 1

Number of Banks in Region Plunges a Third Since '94 from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Of the top 25 retail banks in the seven-county Pittsburgh region in the 1980s, just nine are in business today. Although they survived the 1983 collapse, they couldn't survive regulatory changes and the most recent financial meltdown."

Environmental Center Sues Coal Mining Firm Over Discharges from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A coal mine just south of Waynesburg has been discharging too much pollution into South Fork, according to a lawsuit."

When Pittsburgh Men Lost Jobs in the '80s, Women Stepped in to Save Economy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The women who joined the labor force during the era following the collapse of region's steel and industrial foundation would in turn become the foundation of the region's economic restructuring."

Extreme Shale Drilling Lab Needs Funding from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"NETL’s Extreme Drilling Laboratory is “on hold and in need of funding,” according to Brian Strazisar, a scientist at NETL. It’s looking for oil and gas companies that want to partner with NETL to simulate drilling under very high pressure, using various techniques and drilling fluids. Its centerpiece is the Ultra-deep Drilling Simulator in Morgantown."

EDITORIAL!!

Low-Cost Option: The State Should Work to Keep Frail Elderly at Home from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The welfare department should partner more closely with local agencies on aging on how to best serve vulnerable seniors in their homes."

Community Cafe Opens in Braddock, Using Local Ingredients, Healthy Foods from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A $20,000 grant from the Buhl Foundation got the project off the ground, Mayor John Fetterman said, providing funding to renovate the barren room where he lived when he "squatted in the church" from 2003 to 2004."

The Community Cafe in Braddock.

Enron Refugee Trades Corporate Houston for Small Business Bliss at Beaver’s Café Kolache from Imagine Pittsburgh
"Kristi Harper is rolling [in the] dough at Café Kolache, a charming bakery and eatery on Third Street in equally charming downtown Beaver, Pa. For her, owning the bakery is a sweet dream – one that began playing out in her head about a decade ago when she was living and working in Houston, Texas. On her first day of work at Enron – the energy, commodities and services giant (which ended up in bankruptcy in December 2001) – Harper made her acquaintance with kolaches when a colleague brought in a plate of the doughy Czech delicacies to share. It was love at first bite."

Hobby Shop to Mark 75 Years in January from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 
"The motto painted on the white bench outside Esther's Hobby Shop in Millvale is the creed of shop owner Bob Mehler -- "Relax ... with a hobby." In January, Mr. Mehler will celebrate his store's 75 years of business, attributing his unusual success to a loyal customer base and enjoying what he does."

Bob Mehler, owner of Esther's Hobby Shop in Milvale. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

‘Cracker’ Plant Still Not Finalized from The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register
"Shell given another six months to obtain site in Pennsylvania."

Marcellus Natural Gas Production Expanded in 2012 from the Associated Press via the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"This year was one of new records and new questions for the boom in Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling. Previous doubts about the size of the vast resource were mostly put to rest, as data showed that the Marcellus became the most productive natural gas field in the nation, even though well drilling slowed substantially. According to the federal energy reports Marcellus wells in Pennsylvania and West Virginia now produce 7 billion cubic feet of gas per day. That’s about 25 percent of all shale gas production nationwide, and nearly double the Marcellus production of the previous year."

Proceed with Caution: Report on Pa.'s Energy Future Makes Unreliable Economic Claims from the PA Budget and Policy Center
""The U.S. Chamber of Commerce/IHS report on Pennsylvania's energy future must be viewed with caution. It makes the same inflated claims about gas drilling's impact on job growth and tax revenue as previous industry studies that have been widely discredited. At the same time, the report completely ignores the costs that drilling imposes on citizens, the environment, states and local communities. ... Despite all the hype, unconventional gas development provides a tiny share of employment and tax revenue."

What Industries are Hiring in the Pittsburgh Region? from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"After being one of only three metro regions in the U.S. to have fully recovered from the 2008 recession, the Pittsburgh region saw several industries continue to hire in 2012. ... But which industries have been hiring in the Pittsburgh region over the past year? "

Butler Manufacturer Survived Decades-long Churn of Skills, Tech, Economy from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The ability of Buffalo Township-based Oberg to adapt to changing markets and technology are the main reasons the company has thrived."

Doctors' Flight from UPMC to Highmark Leaves Patients Scrambling from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"... a practice of five UPMC-affiliated obstetricians and gynecologists informed UPMC and Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC that it soon would depart the region's No. 1 health system and its Womancare Associates division for the region's No. 2 system. When that happened, UPMC asked the doctors to clean out their desks the next day, revoking their hospital privileges."

Groundbreaking for $11.5M Homewood Senior Homes from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"During the groundbreaking for the $11.5 million Homewood Station Senior Apartments development in Homewood, City Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess recalled how his late mother asked him to work to rebuild the neighborhood. With this project, he said, he has started to honor her request."

In the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, Photographers Take a Nuanced Approach to a Complex Topic (Leo Hsu) from the Pittsburgh City Paper 

"This powerful and well-conceived exhibition addresses a timely issue with intelligence and honesty."

Trying to Get a Foot in the Shale Industry from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"Peightal’s tale – and teeth-- didn’t dissuade any of the 12 men huddled around him from their goal: to try to get a job in the oil and gas industry. The men were training in a community college class from the program ShaleNET, a federally-funded job training program designed to get people jobs in the oil and gas industry."

EPA Requires That Communities Reduce Soot By 2020 from the WESA program, Allegheny Front
"... critics in the coal industry say the rule will make it tough for coal plants to stay in business or expand operations. That’s because they must buy expensive controls to limit particulate emissions or risk losing operational permits. So some business groups are calling for a more lenient rule."

EDITORIAL!!

Risky Cargo: The Coast Guard Has a Key Decision on Wastewater from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The public should be relieved that the Coast Guard will decide whether large quantities of fracking water can be shipped on rivers."

UPMC Charged with Union Violations: NLRB Files Complaint Against Health System from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"An ongoing dispute between the UPMC health system and a union working to organize service and maintenance workers at three Pittsburgh hospitals escalated Wednesday, when the National Labor Relations Board charged UPMC with violating federal laws regarding employees' rights to organize a union."

Todd Whiteman, Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Formed in 2009, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Pittsburgh works to provide resources to young professionals entering the nonprofit sector, as well as those in the early stages of their nonprofit career. YNPN Pittsburgh is the local chapter of the national Young Nonprofit Professionals Network."

Why Doesn’t Your Company Offer its Employees Health Insurance? from the Pittsburgh Business Times
“Our company, in fact our entire industry, is built around subcontractors. Giving health care benefits is not common practice for most people in our industry because of this fact.”

Blasting Under Way at Locks and Dam No. 4 from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"Workers began blasting a section of the old upstream guard wall Wednesday at Locks and Dam No. 4 along the Monongahela River in Charleroi as part of the construction of a new river chamber."

$9.6 Million Later, Point State Park's Restored Fountain to Spout on June 7 from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"After decades of on-again, off-again function, the signature fountain in Point State Park will leap back into operation."

Housing Sales Up Big in Pittsburgh Region from the Pittsburgh Business Time
"Home sales in the Pittsburgh region rose 18 percent and dollar volume rose 21.2 percent in November, according to data released Wednesday by real estate analysis firm RealSTATs."

Plotting a Course: Corbett Finally Seems Ready to Deal with Transportation Funding (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Since Gov. Tom Corbett took office, legislators, policy-makers and transit advocates have been calling on him to deal with the state's transportation-funding dilemma. And for two years, Corbett has stayed generally silent — except to occasionally acknowledge it was a problem that had to be solved separately from the state budget, or to call on the Port Authority's union to make concessions. But earlier this month at an event in New York, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Corbett told reporters that he had a plan ready for 2013."

Petrochemical Facility Building Boom Could Delay Beaver County Cracker Plant, Expert Says from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"A petrochemical building boom planned in the Gulf Coast makes it unlikely that Royal Dutch Shell plc could open a proposed cracker plant in Beaver County sooner than 2020, an industry expert said on Wednesday at a Downtown conference."

Moody's Says Western Pa.'s Tax Review Bad for Nonprofits from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Credit ratings agency Moody's Investors Service says Allegheny County's review of tax-exempt property "is a credit negative" for nonprofits."

NLRB Issues Complaint Against UPMC from the Pittsburgh Business Times 
"The National Labor Relations Board has issued an unfair labor practices complaint against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where the Service Employees International Union has been trying to organize support staff for about a year. Issuance of the complaint means the NLRB has determined that enough evidence exists to conduct a hearing, overseen by an administrative law judge, to determine if a violation has in fact occurred."

Farmer Released from Jail After Confronting Workers Over Mine Discharge from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A still-indignant 73-year-old cattle farmer walked out of the Fayette County Jail on Monday morning after serving a four-day contempt-of-court sentence for confronting natural gas pipeline company employees who he said were pumping acidic mine water onto his pasture for a second time. ... "The pipeline people are totally unethical in every aspect," Mr. Bezjak said just outside the jail and courthouse. "They try to be your friend when they want to get a lease, but after that they start taking advantage of you. I'm fed up, you can tell. It's been lie after lie after lie.""

Marcellus Wastewater Might Travel by Barge: Report from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Wastewater from the natural gas industry could be moved via barge on the region's waterways, according to a report over the weekend by PublicSource. PublicSource said that the U.S. Coast Guard is looking into whether it can be allowed after requests from Marcellus Shale companies to use barges to ship out the millions of gallons of fracking wastewater that is used."

Consol to Lay Off Remaining Fola Mine Workers from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Southpointe-based energy company (NYSE: CNX) said earlier this year that it would lay off 318 employees at Fola, which is near Bickmore, W.Va., and have the 147 remaining employees work on reclamation efforts. Those efforts are expected to be finished in February, with the 131 Fola employees and 16 Little Creek Mine employees being laid off beginning Feb. 14."

Consol Headquarters

FirstEnergy Corp. Agrees to Close Waste Site by 2016 from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A federal judge Monday approved a consent decree between the state Department of Environmental Protection and FirstEnergy Generation Corp. to close the Little Blue Run waste impoundment along the border of Beaver County and Hancock County, W.Va."

Strip District Project Gets Council Approval from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Buncher Co. won final approval of special zoning legislation for its Strip District project Monday despite one council member's description of the decision as a "big mistake." Council voted 5-4 for creation of a special zoning district for Riverfront Landing, a development proposed for 55 acres from the Veterans Bridge to 21st Street between Smallman Street and the Allegheny River."

Pittsburgh City Council Honors Thomas Merton Center from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"The Thomas Merton Center, founded in 1972, has "never wavered" in its advocacy for peace, city Councilman Bill Peduto said. And this morning, after Mr. Peduto read a proclamation honoring the Garfield group for its 40-year commitment and naming today "Thomas Merton Center Day" in
Pittsburgh, there was no wavering. Instead, there was more advocacy."

Mayor Forms Task Force on Nonprofit Payments from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The group is to examine how other cities handle nonprofit contributions and make recommendations regarding the "level, length and form of support from the nonprofit sector to the city of Pittsburgh," Dana Yealy, authority chairman, said in a letter to Mr. Ravenstahl."

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

URA to Gauge Sheraden Grocery Store Interest from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Sheraden could be the next economically depressed Pittsburgh neighborhood to get a taxpayer-subsidized grocery store. Yet other than support from two city politicians, officials offered little evidence on Thursday to demonstrate a store would be sustainable."

URA Votes to Buy Former Saks for $4 Million from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The city's Urban Redevelopment Authority has completed its acquisition of the former Saks Fifth Avenue department store Downtown, clearing the way for a proposed retail, residential and parking development at the site."

$250,000 Grant Awarded to Lawrenceville Retail-Residential Project from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority members voted unanimously awarded for the $7 million, 48,000-square-foot Shops at Doughboy."

Junior League Celebrates 90 Years of Service from the Pittsburgh Courier 
"“Women Leading By Example” is the theme of the historic Junior League of Pittsburgh, an organization dedicated to promoting voluntarism and nurturing the potential of women to take leadership roles and to improve the surrounding community."

Report: Overhaul Public Safety, Transportation, Legal Compliance on Pittsburgh's South Side from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The report by California-based Responsible Hospitality Institute is being presented to City Council today. The findings and recommendations were based on an evaluation of city laws and practices, an examination of strategies that other cities use for managing their nighttime economies and the input of nearly 200 Pittsburghers, including government officials, business representatives and residents."

EDITORIAL!!

High-Wire Act: Council Must Leverage the Best Project for the Strip from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"City Council has an unusually thin tightrope to walk today. If it approves creation of a special zoning designation for a proposed development in the Strip District by the Buncher Co., it risks setting in motion a plan fraught with potential risks, including inadequate river access. If it doesn't approve it, council risks walking away from the possibility of a vast improvement over the current use of prime waterfront property and even the prospect that an adverse development would result."

The Young People Myth (Jeffery Fraser) from the Pittsburgh Quarterly 
"Pittsburgh is attracting talented young workers and could be poised to become one of the nation’s most youthful cities."

Corbett: No State Insurance Exchange for PA from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The decision means Pennsylvania joins 27 other states that will not have its own exchange where individuals and small businesses can shop for health insurance when the Affordable Care Act goes into full effect."

A Crisis in Higher Education from the Pittsburgh Quarterly
"The region’s higher education leaders address their greatest challenges and offer solutions. ... he headline is the same across the nation, and it describes a seemingly inexorable vise that is tightening on colleges and universities. They are attacked for being too expensive and their relevance is questioned as students graduate with higher debt and lower prospects in a tight economy."

Breaking the Cycle (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Due to growing pains or growing tensions, 2012 was a dangerous year for the city's cycling community."

To Build, Renew, Preserve, and Sustain from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh
"What is the difference between renovation and preservation? Are older buildings green buildings? How can we use the past to move forward? We’re posing this question to renovation and restoration architect Peter Margittai, president of Preservation Pittsburgh, Sean Luther, Pittsburgh 2030 District Director; who works at the Green Building Alliance, and John Martine, lead design partner at Strada Architecture and author of the book Storefront to Streetfront: A Planning and Program Guide for East Carson Street."

The Cork Factory.

UPMC Tax Status Contested from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Councilman John DeFazio, who chaired the hearing, said Wednesday's session likely would be the first of several to examine the status of tax-exempt properties. UPMC is both the largest private employer in the county and the largest property owner. A recent Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigative series found that UPMC controlled real estate valued at $1.6 billion and claimed 86 percent of its property as tax exempt."

UPMC Hit with Barrage of Criticism at Hearing on Tax-exempt Status from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"About 200 people packed an Allegheny County Council hearing room on Wednesday and sounded off against UPMC on everything from its nonprofit status to the wages it pays the housekeeping staff. More than 90 people signed up to speak during the hearing initially approved to get public input about UPMC’s tax-exempt status on several of its properties."

Corbett Praised for Transportation Plans from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced over the weekend that he'll be working on a transportation plan soon -- comments that have drawn praise here in Pittsburgh. The Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce and the Port Authority of Allegheny County both released statements Saturday about the governor's remarks."

OPINION!!

Hey, Big Spender! CalU Goes on Building its Large Debt from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Like a consumer who runs a credit card up to the limit but keeps on spending by signing up for another account, California University of Pennsylvania hasn't learned to stop living on borrowed money."

PA Mayors: Enact Federal Deficit Plan that Builds Stronger Cities from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center
"Congress should enact a deficit reduction plan that includes significant new revenue so that Pennsylvania cities, their residents and local economies can thrive again, mayors from across the commonwealth said in a conference call today. "

Academic Achievement and a Civil Rights Centennial from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh
"Pittsburgh City Schools Superintendent Linda Lane joins us to discuss the challenges that have been facing the school system. Despite the hardships there have been some achievements in the district."

ECONOMIC REPORT!!

'Eds and Meds' Still Growing in Pittsburgh Region from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In nine Allegheny County municipalities, more than twice as many residents are employed in manufacturing as in the county overall."

EDITORIAL!!

The Way We Are: Pittsburgh's Economy is a Source of Encouragement from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In recent days, two interesting snapshots of the Pittsburgh region's economy have challenged or confirmed local impressions. How well are we doing and how are we doing it? Encouragingly well, according to a Brookings Institution report titled Global MetroMonitor 2012."

Corbett Provides Spark to New Industry Drive from the Pitt News [of the University of Pittsburgh]
Gov. Tom Corbett on Tuesday doled out a portion of Pennsylvania’s $5 million contribution to a $70 million public-private partnership that government and industry officials hope will spark a manufacturing renaissance in the state. Corbett said two Pittsburgh companies and one in Bucks County will get state funds to hire graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University and Lehigh University to help the companies with projects involving additive manufacturing, a technology that is expected to revolutionize manufacturing."

Minority Contracting Department Approved by City Council from the New Pittsburgh Courier
"After the New Pittsburgh Courier reported in June that Pittsburgh’s Equal Opportunity Review Commission was failing to report accurate minority contracting levels, city Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess sponsored legislation to create a city department that would remedy the problem."

Rev. Ricky Burgess, city Councilman.  

From the New Pittsburgh Courier.

Expansion of Mexican War Streets Historic District Approved: City Historic Panel Approves New Limits from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission on Wednesday approved an expansion of the Mexican War Streets' historic boundaries to reflect those designated by the National Park Service in 2008. The change would more than double the roughly nine square blocks designated by the city in 1972 -- North Avenue, Sherman Avenue, Sampsonia Way and Drovers Way."

More Grandparents are Spending their Golden Years Caring for Grandchildren from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Their stories are different, but more seniors are finding themselves having to raise a second set of children."

Grandmother Delores Gambrill.  From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

EDITORIAL!!

Taxing Problem: Assessments Complicate City School Budget from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Public Schools hold a rare distinction among Pennsylvania school districts -- the property tax rate has not been raised for 11 years. Now, though, uncertainty over pending assessment appeals has left Superintendent Linda Lane with little choice but to end that enviable streak and propose a small hike for 2013 -- just in case."

Sealed Fracking Settlement Case Coming Back to Washington County Court from the Observer-Reporter [from Washington & Greene counties]
"A panel of state Superior Court judges ruled today that the Observer-Reporter and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are entitled to a hearing in Washington County Court on a sealed case file and settlement between a Mt. Pleasant Township couple and Marcellus Shale gas companies."

$100M Redevelopment Outlined for Former Iron City Brewery from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
"A $100 million plan for the former Iron City brewery complex in Lawrenceville includes a 100-room hotel, 150 apartments, shops and restaurants, the developer says. South Fayette-based Collier Development plans to develop the nine acres, which Pittsburgh leaders designated a historic landmark, over a decade and to seek public funding, spokesman Tim Frew said."

Expanded ShaleNET Builds on Partnerships, Standardized Curriculum to Fill Natural Gas Jobs (VIDEO) from Imagine Pittsburgh
"When workforce demands start growing, the ShaleNET  program gets going with comprehensive recruitment, training and placement and retention services for employers and employees in the natural gas industry. ShaleNET is a U.S. Department of Labor-funded $4.9 million multi-state workforce program addressing current and future jobs in the burgeoning natural gas industry."

Former Pittsburgh Mayor Murphy Comes Out Against Buncher Project from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"In a rare return to city hall, former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy this morning said Buncher Co.'s proposed Strip District project does not represent the kind of "world class" development that has marked Pittsburgh's transformation. Mr. Murphy was invited to council's standing committee by Councilman Patrick Dowd, who has held up a tax-increment financing plan for the project because of various concerns, including what he calls a lack of public access to the Allegheny River."

Cash-Strapped Pennsylvania Nursing Homes are Increasingly on Edge from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Allegheny County is projecting a $4.5 million shortfall for its Kane Regional Centers in 2013, which the county must plug with its own money. Across the state, counties that still own nursing homes are saying that declining medical assistance payments have cut into revenue, while costs, including pay and benefits for employees, continue to rise, requiring them to make tough choices on whether to cut back service or find new sources of money."

Pittsburgh's Housing Market Booms in November from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Pittsburgh's residential real estate market continued at a torrid pace in November. ... That's continued a trend for all of 2012, where homes placed under agreement are up 10.8 percent and average home price is up 5.7 percent to $166,012."

State Pledges $26.5 Million to Help Outdoor Projects Across Pennsylvania from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"The proposed Sports and Athletics Complex at Montour Junction is among about 200 park, trail and other outdoor projects statewide that are sharing a $26.5 million boost from the state. The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is awarding the money as grants under the Community Conservation Partnerships Program to revitalize communities, establish recreational opportunities and conserve natural resources, the agency said."

Heinz Endowments Grant Fosters Hazelwood Growth from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The three-year award is part of a $2.35 million package of grants the foundation approved last month for Keystone Church's Center of Life. ... For several years, the organization has supported programs at the Keystone Church's Center of Life -- a nonprofit that promotes youth development through music, education and athletics -- at less than $100,000. A much larger gift of $1.35 million over the next three years has jump-started the endowments' new place-based focus."

PERSPECTIVE!!

DCED's Alan Walker on Why Coal's Not Dead, Solar's Not Hot, and All that Gas from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Alan Walker, Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development, thinks the state’s on the verge of its first state energy policy. “And it’s going to be a good one,” he promised. “It’s going to be so good” that the feds may want to copy our homework."

Pittsburgh Entrepreneurs Work to Make Rust Belt States Centers of High-tech Innovation from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Over the course of three trying decades, the Rust Belt has scraped off years of oxidation and is in the process of polishing itself into a shining new landscape of technological advancement. But try telling that to the rest of the country."

Pitt Receives $11.5 Million in Grants from the Pittsburgh Business Times  
"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded four grants totaling nearly $11.5 million to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and Magee-Womens Research Institute. In a first of its kind collaboration, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, Drug Discovery Institute and Graduate School of Public Health received a $1 million, three-year grant to develop a test to detect HIV in the earliest stages. The second grant, in the amount of $4.5 million, will assess the safety and effectiveness of injecting a long-acting HIV drug into HIV-negative people with the aim of preventing infection."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Doctor, to Speak at Commonwealth Awards, Wants to Make Cities Walkable Again from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"For the past 12 years, Dr. Jackson has met a lot of urban planners and is speaking the language of the most progressive among them, the so-called New Urbanism, which is really the old urbanism -- a return to walkable realms that are designed and built for the human body, not the human body in a car."

EDITORIAL!!

A RADical Plan: RAD Transit Funding Should be One-Time Only from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Port Authority should not come asking for RAD money every year."