Scott Kelly / NASA via AP

New AI Device Will Listen For Mechanical Problems Aboard International Space Station

A device created in Pittsburgh will be sent to the International Space Station next month. SoundSee, developed by technology company Bosch, uses artificial intelligence to detect mechanical problems based on sound. The project is in collaboration with Pittsburgh-based space robotics company, Astrobotic.

Read More
Matt Rourke / AP

Report: Synagogue Massacre Led To String Of Attack Plots

Lindsay Dill / City of Play

FireWalk Festival To Illuminate The North Side

Politics & Government

Black Americans Don’t Always Respond To The Census. Pennsylvania’s NAACP Is Trying To Correct That

By • 6 hours ago
Katie Meyer / WITF

Census officials are working to encourage black Americans to participate in the once-a-decade survey.

Federal Appeals Court Tweaks, But Upholds, City Law Limiting Anti-Abortion Protest

By & • Oct 18, 2019
Cliff Owen / AP

Abortion-rights supporters and opponents rarely share feelings on much of anything. But both sides were claiming victory — at least for the moment — after a federal appeals court tweaked a Pittsburgh ordinance that limits abortion protests outside women’s health clinics.

Pence To Visit Pennsylvania Glass Maker, Tout Trade Pact

By • Oct 18, 2019
Cliff Owen / AP

Vice President Mike Pence is returning to the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania to make the case for Congress to pass President Donald Trump's rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico.

Science, Health & Tech

New AI Device Will Listen For Mechanical Problems Aboard International Space Station

By • 8 hours ago
Scott Kelly / NASA via AP

A device created in Pittsburgh will be sent to the International Space Station next month. SoundSee, developed by technology company Bosch, uses artificial intelligence to detect mechanical problems based on sound. The project is in collaboration with Pittsburgh-based space robotics company, Astrobotic.

Pennsylvania's Individual Health Plan Premiums To Rise 4%

By • Oct 18, 2019
Gene J. Puskar / AP

Premiums for health insurers' individual policies in Pennsylvania for 2020 will reflect an aggregate statewide increase of 4 percent, with an increase of 10 percent in the small group market.

Allegheny County Man Files Suit Saying He Was Denied Job For Medical Marijuana Use

By • Oct 16, 2019
Sarah Kovash / 90.5 WESA

Pennsylvania opened its medical marijuana registry to patients two years ago, and it was only a matter of time before a case like Derek Gsell’s would arise.

Identity & Justice

Report: Synagogue Massacre Led To String Of Attack Plots

By Michael Kunzelman | AP • 5 hours ago
Matt Rourke / AP

At least 12 white supremacists have been arrested on allegations of plotting, threatening or carrying out anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. since the massacre at a Pittsburgh synagogue nearly one year ago, a Jewish civil rights group reported Sunday.

PHOTOS: Demonstrators Gather To Raise Awareness Of Allegheny County's More Than 4,100 Homeless Youth

By • Oct 18, 2019
Jared Murphy / 90.5 WESA

More than 4,100 children in Allegheny County were homeless in 2018. Students, youth advocates and city officials gathered in Market Square on Friday afternoon to raise awareness of this population at the Standup For Homeless Children demonstration. 

After Deadly Shooting, Tree Of Life Plans Reopening

By Ramesh Santanam | Associated Press • Oct 18, 2019
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Leaders of the Pittsburgh synagogue where worshipers were fatally shot last year want to rebuild and renovate the building, turning it into what they hope will be a "center for Jewish life in the United States" and a symbol against hatred.

Education

State University Leaders Seek $100M To Redesign System

By • Oct 18, 2019
Keith Srakocic / AP

The system overseeing more than a dozen Pennsylvania universities has unanimously voted to ask the state for up to $100 million over the next five years to further consolidate.

Chatham University Celebrates 150 Years In Pittsburgh

By , & • Oct 15, 2019
Chatham University

On today's program: Chatham University celebrates decades of gender equity, entrepreneurship and political acumen; a 55-acre Philadelphia dump-turned-residential neighborhood is getting cleaned up; a look at the use of gag orders in criminal cases; and what to look for on election day in Allegheny County races.  

Good Question!
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Historic Bellefield Tower Demonstrates Balance Of Preservation And Progress

A weathered stone structure sits quietly on the corner of Fifth and Bellefield avenues in Oakland as students, cars and buses hurry past. Six sandstone steps guide visitors to a big red door framed by black wrought iron fasteners.

Read More
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Pittsburgh Vs. Seattle: Which City Actually Has More Cloudy Days?

Why Are There So Many 'Run Roads' In The Pittsburgh Region?

Development & Transportation

URA Vote Sets The Stage For Lower Hill Development In Spring 2020

By • Oct 18, 2019
Gensler

On Friday the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority cleared the way for the Pittsburgh Penguins to begin development of the former Civic Arena site in spring 2020. The particulars of the deal have been the subject of intense negotiation for years.

Winter Is Coming, And Western PA Needs Plow Truck Drivers

By , & • Oct 16, 2019
Carolyn Kaster / AP

On today's program: Southwestern Pennsylvania is hiring a couple hundred plow truck drivers; the Steelers say Mexico is their biggest international market, but others are growing; Pittsburgh Opera is encouraging patrons to use their cell phone during shows; and Pittsburgh International warns catfishing for airline fees is much more common than you’d think.

Arts, Sports, & Culture

South Side Market House Reopens And Is Ready To Get Seniors Moving Again

By • 6 minutes ago
Jared Murphy / 90.5 WESA

John Werthman remembers the competitive spirit of high school basketball games that once played out on the court in the South Side Market House. 

Former Pittsburgh Passion QB To Be Inducted Into Women's Football Hall Of Fame

By • 1 hour ago
Katie Blackley / 90.5 WESA

Former Pittsburgh Passion quarterback Lisa Horton will be inducted into the Women’s Football Hall of Fame later this year. Horton played for the local franchise for 15 seasons before retiring last year and currently serves as the team’s offensive coordinator. She joins 19 other women in the 2019 Hall of Fame class.

Environment & Energy

Report: ExxonMobil Scouting Property For 2nd Cracker Plant In Beaver County

By Reid Frazier | StateImpact Pennsylvania • Oct 17, 2019
Picture of ethane "cracker"
BASF

ExxonMobil is reportedly looking for land to build a large chemical plant in Beaver County. 

Activists Urge Wolf, Again, To Shut Down The Mariner Pipelines

By • Oct 17, 2019
Katie Meyer / WITF

Democratic Governor Tom Wolf got some unexpected visitors Wednesday—or at least, the hallway outside his office did.

Chemical Safety Board Says PES Refinery Explosion 'Did Not Have To Happen'

By • Oct 17, 2019
Emma Lee / WHYY

An outdated piece of pipe that had corroded so much its sides were the width of half a credit card led to the catastrophic explosion and fire at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in June, according to a new report out Wednesday by the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.

Economy & Business

NFL Season Rockets Pennsylvania To New Sports Betting Record

By • Oct 17, 2019
Fred Vuich / AP

Sports betting in Pennsylvania blew through its previous monthly record with the start of the NFL season.

What Does Fentanyl Cost PA In Dollars? Auditor Tries To Find Out

By • Oct 17, 2019
Rick Bowmer / AP

Pennsylvania’s auditor general says when his team set out to determine how much addiction to opioids—and in particular, the powerful synthetic drug fentanyl—costs Pennsylvania, they immediately ran into some problems.

Local Headlines

Doctor Who Traded Opioids For Sex Found Guilty

By • Oct 18, 2019
Toby Talbot / AP

A Pennsylvania doctor who authorities say traded opioid prescriptions for sex and sexually explicit photos and texts has been convicted.

PA Hunters, Anglers Warned Of Scam Licensing Websites

By Rachel McDevitt | WITF • Oct 15, 2019
Keith Srakocic / AP

Pennsylvania hunters and anglers should watch out for fraudulent licensing websites, state officials say.

The Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission said those who use third-party sites are wasting their money and risking identity fraud by providing personal information, including social security numbers.

Game Commission spokesman Travis Lau recommended getting a license in person, for those wary of the scam websites.

Food & Drink

PA's Pumpkin Farmers Dealing With Lower Than Normal Crop Yields

By • Oct 14, 2019
Jared Murphy / 90.5 WESA

Some pumpkin farmers in western Pennsylvania have seen lower than normal crop yields this year. The culprit? Heavy summer rains that kept important pollinators away and spread fungal disease.

National & International

Mitt Romney, 'Pierre Delecto' And The Strategy Of Anonymously Criticizing Trump

By • 6 minutes ago

The rap on Mitt Romney is that though he isn't a fan of President Trump, when he speaks out, it's in a fairly lukewarm way.

And then it was revealed over the weekend that he's been behind an anonymous Twitter account under the nom de plume Pierre Delecto.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Where the News Comes Together

The Confluence
Weekdays at 9 a.m., newsmakers and innovators join host Kevin Gavin for one-on-one interviews and in-depth conversations about stories important to the Pittsburgh region.

Like us on Facebook