Pittsburgh Explainer with Liz Reid

13/05/2021

Some lawmakers are leaving out anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars attributed to them and their offices. Others are providing extremely limited information that’s outdated by as much as eight years.

Just 29 of the 253 full-time lawmakers in Pennsylvania post some information online about how they spend taxpayer dollars in their duties, despite many proclaiming, “It’s Your Money.”

11/05/2021

Georgia's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, signed a law repealing citizen's arrest in the state. The white men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery are using citizen's arrest as part of their defense.

Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law repealing citizen's arrest in the state. The white men charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery are using citizen's arrest as part of their defense.

10/05/2021

The announcement, which effectively reverses a Trump-era rule, springs from last summer's landmark Supreme Court decision banning employment discrimination against LGBTQ people.

06/05/2021

On tomorrow's Explainer, host Liz Reid talks with education reporter Sarah Schneider about the upcoming Pittsburgh Public Schools board races; health and science reporter Sarah Boden on upcoming COVID-19 mitigation changes; and arts and culture reporter Bill O'Driscoll on the future of the Tree of Life Synagogue.

Life is busy, and it can be hard to keep up with the news. Every Friday morning, 90.5 WESA's Pittsburgh Explainer brings you the biggest news stories of the week in about 20 minutes. Hosted by WESA's Liz Reid, you’ll hear from the reporters who cover politics, education, tech, health, arts and mor...

05/05/2021

A mapmaker in Oklahoma has pinpointed the locations and original names of hundreds of American Indian nations before their first contact with Europeans.

Aaron Carapella couldn't find a map showing the original names and locations of Native American tribes as they existed before contact with Europeans. That's why the Oklahoma man designed his own map.

04/05/2021

In Pennsylvania, the tipped minimum wage is $2.83 cents an hour, an amount set in 1998.

The minimum wage for tipped workers is $2.83 per hour. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is attempting to sell its minimum wage proposal by focusing on tipped workers.

03/05/2021

President Joe Biden called for passage of the Equality Act in his first joint address to Congress Wednesday. Sydney Roach looks at what a legal expert says the change could mean for LGBTQ Pennsylvanians:

President Biden last week urged Congress to pass the Equality Act, which would expand federal discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community. At the state level, Pennsylvania does not have a prohibition on discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

30/04/2021

The latest on a push for conservative Pennsylvanians to get the COVID-19 shot, as well as how Pittsburgh Public Schools plans to get students to class while facing a bus shortage. And, the race for the city's top leadership position heats up with the May primary just weeks away.

On this week's Explainer: WITF's Brett Sholtis on a push to get conservative voters vaccinated in Pa.; Government and accountability editor Chris Potter brings the latest on Pittsburgh's mayoral race; and educator reporter Sarah Schneider says students are coming back to classrooms, but a bus shorta...

29/04/2021

On this week's Explainer: WITF's Brett Sholtis on a push to get conservative voters vaccinated in Pa.; Government and accountability editor Chris Potter brings the latest on Pittsburgh's mayoral race; and educator reporter Sarah Schneider says students are coming back to classrooms, but a bus shortage could complicate their return.

Life is busy, and it can be hard to keep up with the news. Every Friday morning, 90.5 WESA's Pittsburgh Explainer brings you the biggest news stories of the week in about 20 minutes. Hosted by WESA's Liz Reid, you’ll hear from the reporters who cover politics, education, tech, health, arts and mor...

28/04/2021

CMU will collaborate with working groups made up of community partners on research in areas like housing, education, transportation, health care, technology fluency, and access to capital.

Carnegie Mellon University will receive $30 million from the Heinz Endowments over the next six years to manage the Center for Shared Prosperity. The center will study housing, education, transportation, health care and other issues affecting residents of the Greater Pittsburgh region.

28/04/2021

The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday extended the Real ID deadline until May 3, 2023. Real ID's are required to board flights or enter federal facilities if a resident doesn't have a military ID or passport.

Local Headlines US 'Real ID' Deadline Is Now May 2023 Because Of COVID-19 90.5 WESA | By Associated Press Published April 27, 2021 at 5:09 PM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Ted S. Warren / AP Americans will have more time to get the Real ID that they will need to board a flight or enter federa...

27/04/2021

Wolf said one of Pa.’s first priorities is getting it to people who are at high risk for COVID-19, but can’t easily get a vaccine themselves. That includes people whose age, disability, or illness makes it difficult to get out to a vaccine appointment.

State officials are working to reach vulnerable communities, who might not be able to get to a vaccination site.

26/04/2021

Pandemic boredom, a love of the environment, and a little encouragement from mom led a brother and sister team in Pittsburgh to start an aluminum can recycling business.

16/04/2021

On this week's podcast: Chris Potter on the candidates for Pittsburgh mayor; Kiley Koscinski breaks down the vaccine distribution process and what's going on with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine; and Kate Giammarise reports on evictions in Allegheny County and a lawsuit involving the city of Pittsburgh and landlords before the state Supreme Court.

A look at the candidates who hope to be Pittsburgh's next mayor and how they plan to change the city; what it takes to get the vaccine to providers; and legal challenges to a city affordable housing law.

15/04/2021

On Friday's show: A look at the candidates who hope to be Pittsburgh's next mayor and how they plan to change the city; what it takes to get the vaccine to providers; and legal challenges to a city affordable housing law.

Life is busy, and it can be hard to keep up with the news. Every Friday morning, 90.5 WESA's Pittsburgh Explainer brings you the biggest news stories of the week in about 20 minutes. Hosted by WESA's Liz Reid, you’ll hear from the reporters who cover politics, education, tech, health, arts and mor...

14/04/2021

ICYMI: WESA and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation hosted a debate with the four candidates for mayor. Check out the full audio as part of our special bonus episode:

WESA and the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation hosted a debate among four Democratic candidates for the office of Mayor of Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 13.

13/04/2021

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 13,000 eviction cases were being filed by landlords every year. The Pittsburgh Foundation report emphasizes the harm evictions can cause for both landlords and tenants, and suggests a number of remedies, such as mediation and diversion programs.

The report, released Tuesday, combines years of data, research, and interviews

12/04/2021

Sunoco’s Mariner East natural gas liquids pipeline construction in Chester County has led to hundreds of thousands of gallons of muddy groundwater spilling into a creek and wetland. The cloudy run-off has flowed into a popular trout stream.

It was Easter Sunday when, retired schoolteacher Libby Madarasz said, a neighbor noticed muddy water flowing from beneath a barrier to Sunoco’s Mariner

10/04/2021

For five to six weeks, the programs will offer standard academic courses, as well as extracurriculars like music, art, engineering, and physical education. Full-day classes will start on June 28 and run through mid-August, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

10/04/2021

Pennsylvania plans to open up vaccine eligibility to every resident age 16 or older by April 19. Can it happen? Also on today's podcast, a conversation about changes to the city's eviction moratorium; and what's happening with the Berks Family Residential Center. https://www.wesa.fm/post/april-3-9-explained-more-vaccine-eligibility-eviction-law-changes-news-pa-detention-center /0

08/04/2021

On Friday's Pittsburgh Explainer with host Liz Reid: Sarah Boden with an update on vaccines; WITF's Anthony Orozco on what's happening with the Berks Family Residential Center; and Ariel Worthy on the latest eviction moratorium changes. Listen tomorrow morning:

Support 90.5 WESA and great programs like Pittsburgh Explainer. Click here to make a donation. Life is

07/04/2021

"I wrote The Secret Lives of Church Ladies in hopes that Black women would see and hear themselves in my characters who are all, in some way, striving to get free." Deesha Philyaw is the winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

Pittsburgh-based author Deesha Philyaw won the prestigious PEN/Faulker Award for Fiction on Tuesday. Philyaw, one of five finalists, won the prize for her

07/04/2021

Nearly a third of adults in the U.S. have gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, but researchers warn that vaccine refusal may keep the country from reaching herd immunity.

Joyce Ann Kraner is eager for the pandemic to end and for life to get back to normal. Kraner, 49, wants to be able to hug her mother, who lives in a

06/04/2021

Fewer people are getting tested for COVID-19, prompting state officials to ask residents to take advantage of testing locations. “We also know that testing is the most effective way to identify and contain the virus."

While new COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Pennsylvania, fewer people are getting tested than in previous months.

06/04/2021

The committee in charge of drawing the state's new political maps is accepting applications from members of the public to chair the powerful Legislation Reapportionment Commission.

Liz Forrest doesn’t think four of Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers will pick her — a semiretired technology consultant and failed state legislative

05/04/2021

Five Republican state representatives introduced legislation Monday that would exclude transgender female athletes from playing on girls’ teams.

Four Republican state representatives introduced legislation Monday that would exclude transgender female athletes from playing on girls’ teams.

03/04/2021

Hop on the Three Rivers Heritage trail, hear the history of Alcoa and learn more about environmental activist Rachel Carson's legacy in the region.

Pittsburgh’s three rivers are one of the original reasons people settled in the region, and while we self-isolate due to the nationwide coronavirus

02/04/2021

New Jersey. New York. Virginia. There's majority support for the legalization of recreational ma*****na in Pennsylvania, but state Republican lawmakers don't seem to have an appetite for the legislation.

New Jersey. New York. Virginia. One by one, Pennsylvania’s neighbors are moving to legalize recreational cannabis for adults.

02/04/2021

President Biden says his $2 trillion infrastructure proposal would bring in good-paying jobs, grow the economy and upgrade the country's infrastructure. But will it receive any bipartisan support? On today's show, a look into Biden's recent Pittsburgh visit, and what the region can expect from the plan.

On this week's Explainer:

01/04/2021

On Friday's podcast, host Liz Reid talks with An-Li Herring about Biden's massive infrastructure proposal; Sarah Boden lays out the state's changes to vaccine eligibility; and Ariel Worthy looks at policing under the Peduto administration. Listen tomorrow morning!

Support 90.5 WESA and great programs like Pittsburgh Explainer. Click here to make a donation. Life is