PERSPECTIVE!!

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

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

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

INTERVIEW!!

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

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

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

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

EDITORIAL!!

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

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

EDITORIAL!!

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

EDITORIAL!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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