Pittsburgh City Councilor Erika Strassburger plans to introduce legislation next week that will bolster the city’s anti-discrimination protections for marginalized groups — an effort to protect them even if safeguards are removed at the federal level.

This year, three of Pennsylvania's seven state Supreme Court justices — Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht — are on the ballot for an up-or-down retention vote to stay in office. And the stakes include one of the highest-octane issues in American politics: abortion.

The role is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first foreign policy position, coming as the first-term Democrat gears up for his reelection campaign next year. He is also rumored to be a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential race.

Attorney General Dave Sunday on Monday announced that his office will launch a pilot program to aid people with mental illness who commit minor crimes by connecting them with treatment without fear of facing criminal charges.

Train derailments in the Pittsburgh region are more likely to happen in disadvantaged communities and near waterways, according to a report from the University of Pittsburgh analyzing rail accidents between 1998 and 2024 using data from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Pittsburgh Public Schools is recommending a 4% millage increase to generate additional income amid declining real estate tax revenues. Assessment appeals and tax refunds sought by Downtown Pittsburgh commercial property owners have exacerbated budget woes, officials say.

The WESA Voter Guide explains what each elected office actually does and what's at stake in each race. We also provide profiles of each candidate, highlight endorsements and dig into fundraising.

The Allegheny County Elections Division will begin to send mail-in ballots this week to voters who have requested them. Voters who have already requested a mail-in ballot can expect to start receiving them later this week.

At a hearing of the Senate Education and Communications and Technology committees on Monday, Camille Dempsey with PennWest University said it is incumbent upon colleges and K-12 institutions to prepare students to use AI safely.

In a 48-7 home rout of Boston College on Saturday, Mason Heintschel became the first true freshman quarterback at Pitt to win his first career start since Kenny Pickett did in an upset of Miami in 2017.

The Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience, or GUIDE, Model is designed to benefit people with traditional Medicare health insurance who want to age in place at home while living with dementia. All services offered through the program are fully covered by Medicare.

Pennsylvanians would be required to disclose whether a property they’re selling is in a flood zone and requires flood insurance, under legislation passed unanimously Wednesday in the state House.

In its 420 pages, the copiously illustrated, coffee-table-worthy tome profiles nearly 80 artists and includes work by dozens more, while also honoring the collectives, galleries and collectors who shaped Pittsburgh's avant-garde art scene over the decades.

The University of Pittsburgh is launching a new program that seeks to future-proof degrees for people who want to work in the energy fields. The Natural Gas, Renewables, and Oil Engineering degree combines courses in traditional fossil fuel production with renewable technologies.

As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse nears 100 days, rape crisis centers are at a breaking point. Several organizations across the state are turning to layoffs, program downsizing and some may close amid the stoppage in government aid, advocates told WESA.

A conservative political action committee is behind a mailer, described by one good-government advocate as “incredibly dishonest,” that urges voters to reject new terms for three state Supreme Court justices.

Pennsylvania maintains a registry of people convicted and suspected of child abuse and neglect to protect kids. But people get added to the database without a chance to defend themselves.

The stately governor’s residence along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg is insured under two plans, but Shapiro administration officials will not say how much in repairs the policies are expected to cover following the brazen arson attack earlier this year.

The closing of two Pennsylvania correctional facilities, SCI-Rockview in Centre County and the Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County, is moving forward despite opposition from local officials and prison staff.

Nearly a year ago, Shapiro announced the state would invest $62 million as part of a 10-year, $600 million plan to revitalize Downtown through housing conversion projects, improvements to public spaces, and investments in police and public safety.

The Pennsylvania Department of State accepts applications to become a poll worker on a rolling basis. While there is no strict deadline, people who are interested should apply sooner rather than later. Want to learn more? Here’s what you need to know.

Fall events abound in southwestern Pennsylvania this October. From haunting experiences to hayrides and pumpkin picking to a hilarious musical rendition of cult-classic horror films — there's something for everyone in the Pittsburgh area this fall.

Though heavy industry has ebbed along its banks in recent years, the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh still bears the scars of the region’s heritage as America’s workbench.

The nonprofit organization Riverlife aims to connect Pittsburgh's 15 miles of shore with their Completing the Loop vision, developing 1,055 acres along the riverfront into a connected system of parks, trails, and green spaces. The campaign has raised $25 million in the last two years.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has listed the 1.5-mile section between Millvale and Etna on its top ten list of trail gaps. That stretch has been challenged by steep hills, proximity to active railroad tracks and land ownership.

At a Jail Oversight Board meeting Thursday, County Executive Sara Innamorato said county leaders and local hospitals inked an agreement wherein hospital police will “apply appropriate restraints, including shackles,” on incarcerated people awaiting care.

Despite Gov. Josh Shapiro’s insistence this week that Pennsylvania state budget negotiations are “incredibly close” to ending an impasse entering its fourth month, county leaders and service agencies in SW Pennsylvania say they’re preparing to scale down operations without dedicated state funding.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Options include grabbing a beer at Oktoberfest Pittsburgh, celebrating creativity and the industrial arts at the Festival of Combustion or enjoying some local music at the Monongahela Pop Festival.

House lawmakers on Tuesday passed a proposal mandating background checks for purchasers of any type of firearm in Pennsylvania, though the proposal faces long odds of passing in the Senate. The state already requires a background check for someone to obtain a handgun, but long guns are exempt.

“First Lady” is Turkish-French playwright Sedef Ecer’s 2015 satire about the last days in power of the first lady of an unnamed and fictional “modern ‘banana republic’ somewhere near ancient Mesopotamia.” The show runs Thu., Oct. 2, through Oct. 11, at Carnegie Stage, in Carnegie.

The Department of Aging is expanding the free PA Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Legal Line to serve caregivers 60 years and older statewide. The line provides custody, dependency, court proceedings, and document preparation advice from SeniorLAW Center attorneys.

Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order Wednesday that empowers several state agencies with the authority to make decisions on shots for diseases like COVID-19, chickenpox, hepatitis B and more.

City leaders said they want to discourage gatherings of unsupervised youth in the South Side business district to minimize their exposure to unhealthy situations that could involve drugs or weapons.

Officials with Mayor Ed Gainey’s office characterized the 2026 preliminary draft budget released late Tuesday as keeping pace with projections amidst a lean financial period for Pittsburgh — but critics say it doesn't adequately represent the reality of the city's expenses and revenue challenges.

Pennsylvania enters its fourth month of budget gridlock as the only state in the country without a spending plan in place for the coming year. And now, the state faces the unprecedented collision of a budget impasse with the delay or suspension of billions in federal dollars.

With a crucial gubernatorial race just over the horizon, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party has a new leadership team in place — and now has a close associate of Gov. Josh Shapiro at the helm.

In steel's heyday, there was an almost unbroken 22 miles of industry along the Monongahela River into downtown Pittsburgh. The Allegheny Front’s Kara Holsopple spoke with Ron Baraff from the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark about the relationship between the industry and the river.

Spending on Pennsylvania’s critical Supreme Court retention elections is mounting, with three more influential and well-heeled groups beginning to fund ads and mailers.

The partisan deadlock between the Democratic-led House and the Republican-controlled Senate will soon force school districts and counties to borrow money to keep programs running or reduce services. Some have already planned service cuts and hiring freezes starting in October.

Recent court filings suggest the state repeatedly offered to turn over personal data on food-stamp recipients — if the USDA agreed to protect it. Because the agency didn't make such a promise, Pennsylvania asked to join a court order that protects other states.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey's draft last budget contains no tax hikes or layoffs, but reflects lean times ahead. The plan spends $780 million on daily expenses and long-term investments, including dozens of new vehicles. Staffing for uniformed police and other first responders remains steady.

Here to catch you up on the food-stamp data dispute between USDA and Pennsylvania. Court docs filed Sunday and Monday give the latest picture @wesa.fm www.wesa.fm/politics-gov...

The federal board investigating the fatal August explosion at the Clairton Coke Works says the incident happened when a crew did maintenance on a cracked gas valve.

Pittsburgh-based utility assistance program Dollar Energy Fund opens for the 2025-26 winter season Wednesday. Households with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty line can receive grants of up to $500 to offset winter heating costs.

Two Allegheny County state house Democrats, Rep. Jessica Benham and Rep. Abigail Salisbury, are openly autistic. Both have decried the Trump administration’s approach to addressing the developmental disorder.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are keeping Don Kelly as manager. The club announced Monday that it had extended Kelly's contract after the team recovered from a miserable opening six weeks of the season thanks in part to Kelly's guidance.

A state-backed landslide and sinkhole insurance program sponsored by two Allegheny County lawmakers is closer to becoming a reality after a strong bipartisan majority of the state House approved the proposal Monday.

Manufactured housing, also sometimes called mobile homes, operates under a unique arrangement compared to other properties. Residents typically own their homes, but not the land underneath. Instead, they must pay a monthly lot rent to the mobile home park operator.

The University of Pittsburgh is doubling down on its longstanding commitment to studying the horror genre. The school says its new Horror Studies Center, announced last week, is the first of its kind.

93.7% of Pennsylvania kindergarteners got both recommended doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine before the 2024-2025 school year. That’s lower than the recommended 95% vaccination rate for herd immunity, the threshold to provide community resistance to infectious diseases.