I wanted to be hopeful; I needed to be. It was not until we visited Downtown that I realized how bad the socioeconomic situation in Pittsburgh actually was. The post My American Dream ended on a deflated air mattress in a run-down Squirrel Hill apartment appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

“We need to get to net zero by the middle of the century, and a large expansion of natural gas just is not consistent with that,” said Paulina Jaramillo, a professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. The post EQT says fracked gas is a climate solution, but scientists call that deceptive greenwashing appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

Pennsylvania voters went to the polls today to choose party nominees for the 2024 General Election. The White House, congressional seats, seats in the Pennsylvania House and Senate and state row offices were on the ballot. The post Live primary results: Summer Lee nominated to serve second term in Congress appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

The organizers are also calling for Pitt’s “full material divestment” from any entities associated with Israel. PublicSource has asked the university to detail any financial ties to Israel.  The post Pitt students, spurred by Gaza, pledge days of divestment activism on campus appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

Of about 121,712 primary ballots mailed to county voters, 82% went to Democrats. While state GOP leaders have begun imploring their voters to adopt early voting, former President Donald Trump has continued disparaging mail voting. The post Primary Day 2024: how to vote in Pennsylvania for nominees for president, Congress and state offices appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

"I'm unhappy that we haven’t had local municipalities beating down our door begging us to let them start, let them opt in to this," said Allegheny County Councilor Bethany Hallam. "And so that's really where the effort needs to go right now, to make this what it was supposed to be.” The post County police oversight board ready to start, but has yet to probe a case appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

Grad students at Pittsburgh’s major research universities are fronting a growing share of the academic workload. In return, they’re asking for a bigger paycheck. The post Grad students at Pitt, CMU say their wages aren’t keeping up with rising cost of living appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

“With bone marrow transplantation, you have to have a perfect match, so it puts people at a disadvantage if they have mixed heritage,” said Dr. Clive Callender, a transplant surgeon at Howard University who spearheaded efforts to diversify the country’s organ donor pool in the 1980s. The post A 9-year-old Zelienople boy’s health crisis sheds light on the need for diversity in organ donors appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

"It is difficult to predict whether access to mifepristone would be restricted immediately or more slowly should the court rule against the FDA," said Susan J. Frietsche, co-executive director of Women’s Law Project. The post How the mifepristone case before SCOTUS could affect abortion in Pa. appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

"The longer I stayed in Colorado, the greater the Pittsburgh in my mind grew. It became a hulking object of desire that dominated my thoughts." The post Mulling an environmental disaster in a Colorado bar surfaced my deep (and complicated) Pa. roots appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

“It’s not the most exciting thing in the world to have the same exact options as four years ago, but it still feels like because of what the choices represent and the future represents, it’s so vital to be excited about voting,” said high school senior Naomi Segel. The post Young voters helped decide the 2020 election in Pa. Will they turn out for a Biden-Trump rematch? appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

“The ID number they provide is run through the state’s driver’s license database or other databases to see if you can find a person with the same ID number and birth date, so it ties back to a real person,” said Forrest Lehman, Lycoming County’s election director. The post How Pa. secures mail ballots, prevents fraud and more appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

The PublicSource staff has been honored for reporting that covers matters of critical importance in the lives of people who reside in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.   We thank the judges and teams who manage these contests for their time and generous feedback.  PublicSource has received the following recognition for our journalism in 2023 and 2024. […] The post PublicSource is finalist for 11 Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Golden Quill awards appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

From leaky ceilings to flooded basements, evacuations to broken bridges, altered youth sports schedules to the joys of walking in the rain, locals share snippets of stories, photos and videos from the region’s historically wet April. The post ‘My relationship with Mother Nature may never recover’: Southwestern Pa. residents share how record rainfall affected them appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

“The cost of a home is too damn high and this has become the real economic challenge of our time," said Jon Hanrahan, vice president of the Fineview Citizens Council. The post Updated: Council initially backs zoning change favoring attached houses appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

Record rainfall in the Pittsburgh area has closed roads and trails, flooded basements and led to a series of emergency rescues. PublicSource wants to know how a historically wet (so far) start to 2024 has affected you. Send us a blurb, a picture or a video (or all 3), let us know who you are for verification, and we may publish yours with other accounts.

“The names of these groups are designed to deceive people so you don’t know who is truly funding it,” campaign professional Mike Mikus said. “[Voters] often don’t know what the agenda is behind the specific ads.” The post Democratic primary for Pittsburgh’s Congress seat flooded by money from afar, including conservative Yass appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.

This taught me an invaluable lesson from a young age: It was important to help these animals, even when it hurt me. I could never adopt every animal I bonded with.  The post The payoff and pain of working with rescue animals taught me a lot about being human  appeared first on PublicSource. PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. Visit www.publicsource.org to read more.