Taylor Allderdice students planned a walkout to protest ICE actions in Pittsburgh today. Earlier this morning reports of an immigration arrest in Wilkinsburg alarmed residents and drew observers to schools. buff.ly/QkRDPn3

Pittsburgh-based Alcoa will pay the Australian government a settlement the company put at $36 million for “unlawfully” clearing tracts of endangered forest without approvals between 2019 and 2025. buff.ly/h9CmxmW

Up the river from Pittsburgh, 2 boroughs have seen high-profile detentions of immigrants. One is cooperating with ICE while the other voted against collaboration, as area schools try to keep immigration enforcement at arm’s length. Both councils met tonight: www.publicsource.org/springdale-o...

Oakmont votes against immigrant enforcement role, while Springdale officials say little buff.ly/Fhd97FI

“The death wobble” is not a term you’d like to hear about a live-saving vehicle. But some of the city’s aging ambulances suffer violent shakes on the highway.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel a total of $118,214 and issued 10 citations following an investigation into last August's blast at Clairton Coke Works. From @apnews.com

Voters in the South Hills will head to the polls on Feb. 24 for a special election in Pennsylvania’s 42nd House District. We asked the candidates about issues voters shared with us. Here’s what they had to say. buff.ly/TQLotUX

Two Allegheny Valley boroughs have seen high-profile detentions of immigrants. One is cooperating with ICE and the other may ban collaboration, while schools try to find their footing. Three meetings are set for tonight. buff.ly/Fhd97FI

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Will you be on the Gateway Clipper as it ferries football fans between Pittsburgh’s dual draft venues in Downtown and the North Side? We are curious how Pittsburghers feel about the upcoming NFL Draft. Let us know. buff.ly/Y3ssEgu

UPMC CEO Leslie Davis hopes the nonprofit's recent gift to the city will be “catalyst for broader collaboration among other civic, nonprofit and private sector partners.” Highmark, Pitt and CMU have no plans for financial infusions but collaboration remains a key. buff.ly/u773n7j

If you drove across the U.S. 100 times, your car might have the wear-and-tear of some ambulances in the city. UPMC’s $10 million gift will renew a fleet where breakdowns could cost lives. buff.ly/d1tUAkx

Looking for artful hidden gems in the Pittsburgh area? Artist Janel Young is tracking down some creative spots. Up first: an Aliquippa mural that turns local youth into superheroes. buff.ly/SyoHKc5

Last Sunday’s Super Bowl brought football season to a close. Now eyes are on the next big NFL event coming to Pittsburgh this April. Will you join or steer clear of the festivities? buff.ly/Y3ssEgu

Should medical institutions openly advocate for transgender patients? Ansel Bloom argues they could lead the way by showing courage in Pittsburgh – a city where no medical providers openly offer gender-affirming care to patients under 19. buff.ly/3octtSW

Punches thrown by counterprotester at Springdale anti-ICE demonstration buff.ly/Yall9Nc

This story was produced as part of a collaboration between @apnews.com and @publicsource.org.

The Clairton Bears hold a state record for 66 consecutive wins in Pennsylvania high school football. Academically, the district is one of the 69 lowest-performing districts in the state. A new elementary school program aims to change that.

“One girl said that my original artwork made her feel powerful and brave.” Muralist Guy Ruff talks with artist Janel Young about a public art project that showcases youth empowerment. buff.ly/SyoHKc5

U.S. Steel is facing 10 violations and $118,000 in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration related to last year’s deadly explosion at the Clairton Coke Works. From @triblive.bsky.social

ICE spokesperson Jason Koontz says the detention of Randy Cordova Flores stems from illegal entry and missed court dates. Online court records do not show any law enforcement action involving him in Pennsylvania, nor has he been charged with any federal crime in Western Pa. buff.ly/AZYYnVa

New: Allegheny County Council is considering a bill banning county cooperation with ICE. But today members were frustrated that they simply don't know how much interaction is currently going on. www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

“In some states, providers face loss of licensure or felony charges for providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth.” While this isn’t the case in Pennsylvania, Ansel Bloom argues Pittsburgh medical systems should practice courageous advocacy.https://buff.ly/3octtSW

Allegheny County Council wants to know how much county employees interact with ICE as they consider a bill to ban many forms of cooperation. buff.ly/fXFGVzC

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority board voted Thursday to prepare to borrow as much as $50 million to support Downtown development. www.publicsource.org/ura-pittsbur...

The question in the cradle of American metalmaking: Will a new Japanese owner of U.S. Steel break the doldrums of postindustrial decay? Some Clairton residents are optimistic. 🖊️+📸: @quinnglabicki.bsky.social buff.ly/e11xBt7

“My first thought was I was dead,” Renee Hough recalls. Battery 13 had just exploded at the Clairton Coke Works. The August blast that rocked Clairton underscores a record of safety and environmental lapses the plant’s new owner must navigate.

“We are fearful for ourselves and for our community members who are at higher risk of being targeted,” Judah Marroquin told the Allegheny Valley school board after Springdale police reportedly assisted an ICE detention. buff.ly/vFUZQNX

Following the Aug. 2025 explosion at Clairton Coke Works, community partners stepped up to meet students’ basic needs. Inside the school, programs like Beartopia aim to empower teamwork, collaboration and confidence.

Pittsburgh’s Public Source and the Associated Press spent the past six months reporting from Clairton, listening to a community looking to the future. Here’s what residents said about the coke works, its new owner and their role in the city.

Randy Cordova Flores has been in the U.S. for three years with pending asylum status, family says. Springdale police just turned him over to ICE custody following a traffic stop for failing to use a turn signal. buff.ly/UCtPZ9h

An Oakland danger zone just got a little safer, but one resident believes neighborhood concerns haven’t been given enough weight: “How many months do we have to keep saying the same thing over?” buff.ly/RloSuLa

Looking for an artistic break from the NFL Draft madness? Your options may be limited that April weekend. Some organizations still plan to show up for local audiences, including Kelly Strayhorn Theater in East Liberty.

Scooters on sidewalks and speeding cars? Terrace Street’s dangerous traffic may be calming down with the addition of new safety upgrades aimed at curbing pedestrian deaths. buff.ly/RloSuLa

Our spring interns might have found themselves working in labs or law firms if inquisitiveness and the call of public service hadn’t turned them onto journalism. buff.ly/DeIpCbm

“I was desperate to escape steel mill smog and the clatter of industry for clean air and water in remote places.” But even deep in the Amazon forests of Ecuador, Dalia Maeroff found extractive industries that gave her feelings about Pittsburgh a new name: grief.

The NFL Draft is more than two months away, the AirBNB market is heading up, and more owners could enter the market if they find they "could take a vacation in Maui for the same price somebody is willing to pay to stay in my house."

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Clear-cut forests and polluted rivers — far from Appalachia, Dalia Maeroff encountered the familiar grief of a landscape shaped by extraction. Illegal mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon reminded her of the environmental degradation across coal country, U.S. buff.ly/nHZX770

Bram Gallagher studies the world of Airbnbs for a living. He predicts that 90% of Pittsburgh's roughly 3,500 short-term rentals will be occupied in late April. Why? NFL Draft fans.

About two dozen proposals related to immigration enforcement are percolating in the Pa. state legislature, but lawmakers acknowledge it’s a long shot to enact reforms in a federally governed arena. From @penncapital-star.com

Speech and debate isn't just a hobby — it's a source of connection and a skill useful for navigating modern life, "especially in today's political climate." But Pitt debaters are grappling with deep funding cuts and feel abandoned by their university.

K-12 educators' main priorities for 2026: lingering COVID absenteeism, lagging enrollment and charter funding, threats from DC for immigrants and students in need, AI in the classroom, accessibility in special ed and improved teacher training pipelines. buff.ly/22sjf2r

There is a lot of discussion about the future of news in Pittsburgh in the wake of the Post-Gazette’s closure. Letrell Crittenden weighs in that community voices must be at the center of the evolving media landscape.

Faculty members at other universities call Pitt’s debate team a “pillar” shaping best practices of intercollegiate debate. Funding cuts leave the students wondering if their “powerhouse” team can return to national competition. buff.ly/k88wbYf

UPMC's $10 million gift to the city will bolster an ambulance fleet with at least 10 new vehicles, and the mayor said it will free up money to buy 35 new trucks that can plow snow.

“There is a better way forward for the Pittsburgh news ecosystem. Engagement and accountability are that pathway. Reproducing a nostalgic status quo is not.” — Letrell Crittenden, director, Center for Community-Engaged Media, Temple University buff.ly/VhhtHe8

Between 2015 and 2024, the national number of reported hate crimes doubled, even as violent crime rates declined. Pink Pistols Pittsburgh founders say this drove a “present need for us to create a community of LGBT gun owners.” 📸+🎥 by @stephstrasburg.bsky.social

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411 demolitions since 2020 cost the city about $22 million. Pittsburgh’s 2026 capital budget includes about $25 million for demolition over the next five years, but nearly 2,000 condemned properties pepper the city. buff.ly/Gr5p6FS