Pittsburgh Planning Commission Delays Hearing on Oakland Project from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The developer of an office and hotel complex that's to be part of the Oakland Portal Project today was granted a postponement of a scheduled hearing before the city Planning Commission. The hearing has been tentatively rescheduled for 2 p.m. April 2 in the first floor conference room at 200 Ross St. LW Molnar Associates expects to develop land between Forbes and Fifth Avenues just south of Robinson Street into three high-rise office buildings with a hotel. The buildings as proposed include one at 13 stories and two at eight stories."

Walkabout: West Oakland Aims to Remain Viable for Residents, Too; The Neighborhood Wants to Preserve a Residential Identity While in the Shadows of Pitt and UPMC from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The Corner -- the former property of Breachmenders, a housing rehabilitation nonprofit -- was bought by the Friendship Community Presbyterian Church when Breachmenders dissolved in 2009. Barbara Brewton, a member of the church and the West Oakland Community Council, said the church wanted to make sure the building could become a resource: "We weren't sure at the time what we were going to do with it, but we didn't want to let it go." The Corner represents a neighborhood stand, of sorts. In Pittsburgh's big picture of population loss, West Oakland's shrinking numbers are ironic. The neighborhood has been consumed largely by institutions that are cited among icons of the city's comeback."

The Corner in West Oakland.

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

EDITORIAL!!

Onward and Upward: The 911th Airlift Wing Wins a Reprieve from Closure from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"After local supporters demonstrated the efficiency of the 911th Airlift Wing, the Air Force had no choice but to keep the base open."

EDITORIAL!!

Hidden Tolls: Indictments Describe a Turnpike of Corrupt Practices from the Editorial Board of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"A state grand jury and Attorney General Kathleen Kane have lifted the lid on a Pennsylvania Turnpike tarnished by corruption and bid rigging."

NEW STUDY!!

IBM Report: Transit Key to Future of Pittsburgh from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A good transportation network is vital to Pittsburgh's economic health, and several low-cost improvements are within the city's reach, according to a report prepared by IBM's Smarter Cities Challenge. "Pittsburgh's successful renaissance into a technology-based, green community should not be stalled by a lack of transportation," said the report, which was made public by the office of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl last week. "Active transportation options, such as biking or walking, high-quality transportation infrastructure, availability of parking and efficient public transit will empower citizens and visitors to contribute to the vibrancy of the economy," it said."
The full report can be found HERE.

REPORT!!

Pittsburgh Today Report Finds Population Shift as Young People Move to City from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
""Lawrenceville has changed drastically over the last 10 years," Ms. Byrne said. "Not all of the development has been as welcomed, but everybody seemed to be excited about the dry cleaner. That's the kind of business they want to see." The annual Pittsburgh Today report released last month, "Pittsburgh Today & Tomorrow 2013," highlighted Lawrenceville as a growing area experiencing a substantial shift in population as younger people move into the area. The study (available at pittsburghtoday.org) ranks Pittsburgh against 15 cities of similar size across the country."
The Pittsburgh Today report can be found HERE.

Budget Cuts Could Spell Trouble for Montgomery Lock from the Beaver Times 
"The triggering of automatic budget cuts in Washington known as sequestration could have dangerous consequences for the Montgomery Locks in Beaver County, which could topple without much-needed maintenance, according to a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official. Colonel Bernard Lindstrom, the commander of the Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, told a meeting of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission last week that it is likely the corps will have to defer maintenance to the region’s 23 locks and dams, which are among the oldest in the nation."

AmeriCorps Participants Help Local Nonprofit from the Observer-Reporter [of Washington & Greene counties]
"Public Allies Pittsburgh took a group of about 12 participants to the office of the nonprofit Dress For Success on North Main Street, where they sorted and boxed clothes for the organization that matches low-income and underprivileged women with suits tailored to help them gain access into the business world. The young men and women participating are enrolled in a 10-month AmeriCorps program."

PERSPECTIVE!!

Health Care to Stay Crucial to Pittsburgh Economy from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Medicine will continue to drive the western Pennsylvania economy, despite intense pressure to curb health care spending, PNC Economist Mekael Teshome said Friday. Pittsburgh’s population has been increasing, albeit slowly, and the city will continue to be a hub for sophisticated medical care, attracting patients from outside the region, Teshome said. Studies have shown that Pittsburgh’s health care utilization rates are higher than other areas with comparable demographics, which Medicare is trying to curb through innovative pilot programs and cost-cutting. In addition, hospitals and other health care providers are facing cuts in Medicare reimbursement."

Mekael Teshome

AT&T Plans to Close Pittsburgh Call Centers from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"Two Pittsburgh call centers for AT&T are set to lay off employees in the spring, according to media reports. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that 200 jobs are on the line with the changes at the centers, which were announced in a news release by the Communications Workers of America Local 13500."

Downtown Pittsburgh Shifting to Full-Fledged Neighborhood from WESA, Essential Public Radio [of Pittsburgh]
"It’s often said Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods. There are the bustling neighborhoods of Oakland and Squirrel Hill, the struggling neighborhood of Homewood, and the transitioning neighborhoods in between. Then there’s a shadow neighborhood. Some people call it the Golden Triangle, some call it the business district, and others call it home. “It’s not just a thoroughfare for the buses, or somewhere where you go to your office from 9 to five, but I actually live here and love it a lot,” said Gina Mucciolo."

'Lost Triangle' Targeted for Acute Face-Lift; Area Called Important Confluence of Hill District and Uptown from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"On a map of the Hill District and Uptown, a small triangle wedges itself between orderly rectangles of street grids. Its boundaries are Reed, Dinwiddie and Colwell streets. Architect Daniel Rothschild calls this piece of the Hill "the lost triangle." Bill Gatti, president of TREK Development Group, says it is "an important confluence of the two neighborhoods.""

Pittsburgh Region Population Slightly Up from the Pittsburgh Business Times
"The Pittsburgh region's population rose by 4,448 in the past two years, according to a new estimate released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The region's population was 2.36 million in July, ranking it as the 22nd most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. and the second-biggest in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia. The population was 2.356 million in July 2010, the last time the data was collected."

STUDY!!

Water Contaminants Increased Near Marcellus Activities but 2011 Rules May Have Helped from WESA's program, Allegheny Front
"A study found that shale gas development increased contaminants in Pennsylvania’s waterways from 2000 to 2011. Did the state's new policies clean up the rivers? "

Professor Tries to Clear Up Murkiness on Fracking Fluids from the Beaver Times
"An area professor and his research team aim to clear up the murkiness that surrounds the chemical components of fracking fluid with their newest research project. Fred Fochtman, director of forensic science and law in the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences at Duquesne University, and Paul Carlson, adjunct faculty member at Duquesne University and scientist reviewer, and their research team are compiling data on the various chemical components used in fracking in an attempt to consolidate the various sources of information available on the subject. The project, which will be in the form of a book, is expected to be released this summer."

How Is Your School Doing? from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh  
"How Is Your School Doing? is an interactive tool that allows parents and residents to see how their district is performing. Enter a child's grade and demographic subdivision — white, black, male, female, etc. — and you'll be able to see how your school compares to others in your district, how your child's demographic is being served and where your school stacks up statewide.  Developer and Pittsburgh Post Gazette Reporter, Andrew McGill talks about how the program works."

The Women's Rights Movement in Pittsburgh: 1967 to Today (Deanna Garcia) from the WESA program, Essential Pittsburgh
"“There were no bras burned at that pageant, it was a protest about the image of women and how women are portrayed as sex objects, so I would just like to dispel that, that’s a bit of an urban legend,” said Pat Ulbrich, director of In Sisterhood, the Women’s Movement in Pittsburgh."

Energy Innovation Center Kicks Off Trainings Around Region; LEED-certified Hill District Center Opens in 2014 from Imagine Pittsburgh Now
"The work of further aligning education with workforce development moves forward this month, as the Energy Innovation Center’s first training sessions begin. The center, or EIC, is a collaboration of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Pittsburgh region’s research universities, economic development organizations and corporations, including Eaton Corp., Bayer MaterialScience, EQT, Duquesne Light Co., PPG Industries, Johnson Controls, Burns & Scalo and Mascaro Construction.  In addition to the Penn State Center, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University, other partners in the center include Operating Engineers Local 95 and Urban Innovation21."

Rust Belt Renaissance: The Future American City (Josef Goodman) from The Politic: The Yale Undergraduate Journal of Politics
"Faced with deindustrialization and demographic decline, Rust Belt cities looking to reverse their fortunes need look no further than Pittsburgh."