Ellsworth: Pittsburgh's People Make Impact from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Laura Ellsworth, chair of the Pennsylvania Economy League of Greater Pittsburgh and partner-in-charge of the Pittsburgh office of Jones Day, said while most of the focus of the Pittsburgh region's future has been placed on energy, it is really the people that will have the greatest impact. "There is something unique about Pittsburgh," she said. "Part of what I think makes it unique is that we are a people, all of us, who roll up our sleeves and accomplish things that have never been done before.""

Laura Ellsworth of the Pennsylvania Economy League

Seeking Office with Bill Peduto from WESA's program, Essential Pittsburgh 
"A conversation with city councilman Bill Peduto. We’ll discuss the mayoral primary and the search for a new police chief."

Bill Peduto

Pittsburgh Mayor's Race a Free-for-All from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"When Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced last week he would not seek re-election, it seemed to set up a two-man race between declared candidates Councilman Bill Peduto and Controller Michael Lamb for the Democratic Primary. Then the floodgates opened. Yesterday, sources close to state Rep. Jake Wheatley, D- Hill District, said he would be circulating nominating petitions for the Mayor’s race.  Calls and emails to Wheatley and his office seeking confirmation have not been returned. If confirmed, Wheatley would be the first African-American mayoral candidate since Carmen Robinson ran as an independent in 2009."

Jake Wheatley

LOCAL LEADERSHIP!

Champion Bush: The Urban League Chief Gets White House Attention from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, has received awards before, but nothing like the Champion of Change title bestowed on her and nine others at the White House. Ms. Bush was honored Tuesday by President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan for her activism on behalf of education equity."

PROFILE!!

Executive Year in Review from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh 

"Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald looks back on his first year in office and the challenges ahead."

PROFIE!!

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Linda Lane Sees Room for Growth from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Increasing student achievement was on the top of Ms. Lane's mind as she discussed her time at the helm in a recent interview. Accelerating student achievement -- along with eliminating racial disparities and becoming the district of first choice -- is one of the top goals of the district."

EDITORIAL!!

New Star at CMU: The Incoming President Shares its Global Ambitions from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"... as the university is right to say, these days it is a global leader in research and ideas. In addition to Pittsburgh, it has campuses in Qatar and Silicon Valley, California, and it offers degree programs to students in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Approximately 35 percent of Carnegie Mellon's students come from 115 nations outside the United States, marking the student body as one of the 10 most international among four-year U.S. institutions. While it ranks among America's best schools, it also competes as one of the best on the planet."

PEOPLE!!

Larimer Activist Ora Lee Carroll Dies from the New Pittsburgh Courier 
"It didn’t matter to Ora Lee Carroll if you were a staunch conservative like former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, or a dedicated progressive like state Sen. Jim Ferlo, D-Lawrenceville. If you could bring resources to her neighborhood to battle drugs and violence, or assist with housing and business development, you got her calls."

Ora Lee Carroll

POLITICAL PROFILE!!

Fighting Fitzgerald: County Exec Steamrolls Through First Year in Office (Lauren Daley) from the Pittsburgh City Paper
"Fitzgerald has been county executive for just over a year, and his hard-charging style has become almost as well known as his accomplishments. ... He has since taken an active role in setting policy at nominally independent agencies like the Port Authority and the Board of Health. And he has slugged it out with high-profile politicians, ranging from legendary former coroner Cyril Wecht to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl."

Gas, Guns, and Pipelines from Allegheny Front
"...he broke a judge’s order not to communicate with the workers, and paid for it with a weekend at the Fayette County jail. Bezjak, of Nichols Township, Fayette County, was given the order after numerous run-ins with workers and contractors for Williams, a pipeline company, including one in which he allegedly told the workers he’d shoot them if they didn’t leave his farm."

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."

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."

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."

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."

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."

PROFILE!!

Constance Parker is Next NAACP Leader in Region from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"She knows the issues important to the Hill District-headquartered organization, such as eradicating violence in communities and providing access to education, health care and jobs, to name a few. Starting next month, she'll have the chance to address those issues as president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the NAACP."

PROFILE!!

Giant Eagle CEO says Adaptability is Key to Success from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"At a sold-out event hosted by Chatham University on Friday morning, Laura Karet, CEO of Giant Eagle, shared her thoughts on leadership and discussed the significant growth Giant Eagle has experienced over its 81-year history."

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."

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."

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."