The state Supreme Court ruled to permanently shield the names of 11 unidentified priests listed in a grand jury report detailing decades of child sex abuse, citing Pennsylvania's unique right to reputation.
90.5 WESA’s Megan Harris and Virginia Alvino Young discuss the decision's fallout for survivors and parishioners alike, and take a look ahead at what it could mean for the overall investigation.
Later in the program, many volunteer fire departments use sirens to alert their staff of a fire, but Sewickley uses a horn. The city of Pittsburgh doesn’t use either. For WESA’s Good Question! series, Katie Blackley offers a tour of peculiar alerts used by fire stations around the region.
In a reprise from last year, hear the story of Lawrenceville United executive director Dave Breingan and the PEP Rally program that has helped strengthened public schools in Lawrenceville.
And since the passage of the Clean Air Act, air quality in the U.S. has been steadily improving. But in Clairton, the air around a large U.S. Steel facility is actually getting worse. Local regulators blame the Clairton Coke Works plant and have been in a tug of war with the company for decades over pollution.
In the second installment of The Allegheny Front’s series about communities bearing the brunt of pollution, Reid Frazier reports that the county’s effort to clean up the plant may have reached a turning point.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators join veteran journalist Kevin Gavin, taking an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here.