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How Will Last Year's Big Bust In Charitable Giving Affect Pittsburgh Nonprofits In 2018?

Gene J. Puskar
/
AP
Snow falls in the Cultural District of downtown Pittsburgh during evening rush hour on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014.

The online fundraiser "Give Big Pittsburgh" was billed as a natural follow-up to the Pittsburgh Foundation's annual Day of Giving, which provided one-day funding matches to donations benefiting local nonprofits, but mixed messages timed with Giving Tuesday may have contributed to less than stellar returns.

How healthy is Pittsburgh's nonprofit community? Natasha Lindstrom with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Joyce Gannon with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explain how some local nonprofits cope when larger foundation support isn't available, what they're hearing from those concerned about charitable giving in the wake of President Trump's new tax reform law and whether technology and social media can help pick up the budgetary slack.

Next on the program...

With an annual attendance over 184,000, Las Vegas’ Consumer Electronics Show can be the event of the year for companies and consumers on the cutting edge of technology. From virtual reality headsets and 3D printing to self-driving cars and drones, the conference hosts thousands of companies hoping to take their innovations into the mainstream.

Tech reporter Aaron Aupperlee of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review joins us fresh from his visit to CES to discuss a few of the gadgets you need to know, plus several inventions and innovations developed in the Steel City.

Finally...

Gov. Tom Wolf declared Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis a statewide emergency this week, leaving many supportive of the potential for change and others decrying the action as a "late response." 

Pittsburgh Post Gazette reporters Liz Navratil and Rich Lord explain the benefits and limitations of the declaration,  how other states have handled similar crises and what first responders might expect with wider administration of theoverdose reversal drug, naloxone.

The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s weekly news program. Each week, reporters, editors and storytellers join veteran journalist and host Kevin Gavin to take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region.

Find more episodes of The Confluence here.

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