Boen Wang
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Half of Pennsylvania residents live in area without a local health department, and rely on the stateOn today’s episode of The Confluence: Spotlight PA reporter Jamie Martines explains how a lack of uniform health department coverage across the state impacts communities; the first cohort of Pittsburgh Food Equity Ambassadors has released their policy recommendations to support a just food system in the city; and the number of low-income families in Pennsylvania accessing subsidized child care has dropped since the start of the pandemic.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Some European nations rely on Russia for natural gas, but after its invasion of Ukraine, Pennsylvania oil and gas producers are looking to ramp up efforts to export their products to Europe; Giant Eagle is planning to bring “Mobile Markets” to neighborhoods lacking grocery stores, but a researcher and urban farmer say it will take more intentional, community-based efforts to fix what they call “food apartheid”; and a look at how the state’s new redistricting could impact upcoming elections.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: A lawsuit being heard in Commonwealth Court next week may make public the financial records of centers offering alternatives to abortion; Steel Smiling has raised half a million dollars in its effort to give all Black Pittsburghers a positive mental health experience; and Pittsburgh-based author Angela Velez tells us about her new young-adult novel, “Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity.”
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja brings us up to speed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest masking guidelines, and what it means for the state to treat COVID-19 as "endemic"; and Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid co-founders explain what’s new in a proposal to update the state’s rules for compensation tipped employees.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Timothy Tomson, a pastor at St. Mary's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in McKees Rocks, shares how his parish is feeling and reacting to Russia’s invasion; and Spotlight PA’s Ed Mahon explains his latest investigation into misleading and possibly dangerous claims some Pennsylvania dispensaries are making about the ability to treat opioid use disorder with cannabis.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: The state Supreme Court selected the map dictating the commonwealth’s congressional districts, but some lawmakers continue to argue the map is partisan; teachers are reaching a breaking point, after two years of teaching in a pandemic and instances of violence; and the founder of the Pittsburgh Labor Choir explains why singing is an important part of social justice movements.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Testimony from the defense has concluded in the trial over how Pennsylvania funds its education system; we speak to a researcher about the potential for more people to experience prolonged grief after losing loved ones to COVID-19; and a look at Mehmet Oz’s outsider campaign to become Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate primary.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: The state’s Independent Fiscal Office wrote in a report about public education funding stating that there is “little or no correlation” between between funding and student test scores over the course of a single year, but some lawmakers are pushing back against that conclusion; a Pitt researcher asked local kin and foster parents about how the pandemic is affecting their children’s education; and as part of our Good Question Kid! series, we ask, why and how do hyenas eat bones?
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: WESA’s government and accountability editor Chris Potter explains why Pittsburgh City Council voted to give an additional raise to the police bureau’s 19 highest-ranking positions; lawmakers in Washington D.C. are considering regulations for congressional members and their families on buying and trading individual stocks; and a researcher on discussions of race and racism in everyday life.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Gov. Tom Wolf joins the Confluence after proposing his final budget as the state’s executive, and discusses his other priorities for his last 10 months in office; and we hear how long-term care facilities are making efforts to recruit and retain nursing aides.