PublicSource

CMU got a record $3 billion donation toward a new campus. What does that mean for Pittsburgh?
Hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin’s unprecedented donation will go largely to a new Miami campus for Carnegie Mellon University, but Pittsburgh will see investment in computer science and unspecified priorities.
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Pennsylvania logging record numbers of problem gamblers, per new report.
Gambling brought in a record $3 billion in tax revenue last year. Lawmakers in Harrisburg are discussing increasing revenue through legalized skill games, but have yet to address the spike in problem gambling.
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Thousands of Allegheny County residents could lose Medicaid coverage under new rules requiring more frequent paperwork and proof that they work, volunteer or study.

Public Source spoke with Jessica Ruffin, chief equity officer of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, about efforts to help residents understand the changes.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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✍️:

Polish Hill split over proposed new shelter ahead of hearing today.
Pittsburgh’s Zoning Board of Adjustment is set to hear testimony on a plan to turn a vacant commercial building into a year-round, overnight shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Polish Hill residents have staked out a range of positions.
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The mayor’s plan for 2027 calls for cutting costs in three primary ways:

Cutting off funding to the Stop The Violence Trust Fund
Cutting off funding to the Housing Opportunity Fund Trust Fund
Decreasing the city’s pension contributions.

The city has historically transferred $10 million to each of the two trust funds annually. The budget proposal also decreases pension contributions from $112 million to $105 million.

O’Connor referred to the trust funds as an accounting “gimmick” used by past mayors to avoid counting the expenses against the city’s revenues when balancing the budget. He said the funds’ reserves “will allow us to continue to invest in the critical work paid through these trust funds without the transfers.”

The 179-page operating budget document shows the mayor is adding 63 jobs to the Department of Public Safety that previously were part of the Stop The Violence fund. The budget does not make it immediately clear how the Housing Opportunity Fund programs would continue.

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✍️: Charlie Wolfson
📸: Stephanie Strasburg

Sto-Rox teachers entered this school year without a contract after negotiations broke down in June.

Almost all of Sto-Rox’s district’s 933 students are economically disadvantaged, and test scores tend toward the bottom in the state. For years, the district has hemorrhaged students to charter schools.

Annie Briscoe, a regional coordinator at the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said at a high-needs district like Sto-Rox, teachers go beyond their duties of teaching and the district needs to show they value and respect them by upholding their demands.

“When a district actually comes down in their proposals, and says ‘no, no, we think you’re worth less now than we thought you were worth a month ago,’ then that’s something that’s absolutely unacceptable,” she said.

“The expectations [of teachers] do not reflect the economic realities of the Sto-Rox School District,” said district solicitor Ira Weiss.

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✍️: Lajja
📸: Danny Arensberg

O’Connor budget means big changes for housing, anti-violence funding.
Claiming “deceptive and irresponsible” budgeting by his predecessor and a zero bank balance by 2032, Pittsburgh’s mayor floated a belt-tightening proposal without tax hikes or layoffs.
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Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin gives record $3B to Carnegie Mellon to build Miami campus.
The donation will fund a 35-acre campus that’s expected to enroll about 3,500. The campus will focus on “grand challenge areas,” including human health, climate and national security.
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Here’s why Mt. Lebanon is taking over a year to fix an elevator.
A mechanical issue and subsequent parts delay have complicated a $335,000 modernization project on the transit-serving elevator, leaving it inoperable for more than a year.
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