On today’s episode of The Confluence:
On Friday, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced that five men who are members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been charged with sexual assault and exploitation of children. These charges are the latest since the AG began investigating the organization in 2019. David Gambacorta, a writer at large for the Philadelphia Inquirer, recently published the story of one survivor who is suing the organization, accusing leaders of destroying records and ignoring the state’s Child Protective Services Law. (0:00 -7:22)
Last month, the Pennsylvania House passed a bill that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 dollars incrementally by 2026, while the Allegheny County Council voted to enact a minimum wage for county workers that would start at $18 dollar an hour next year. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald sued to block the measure. Felix Koenig, an assistant professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, has studied minimum wage and explains how raising it has historically affected employment. (7:25 - 14:20)
Before someone goes into surgery, they’ll meet with doctors and nurses to discuss the procedure and the recovery. According to the CDC, more than 48 million surgeries are performed each year. In up to 15% of cases, complications develop within a month after the surgery. At 20 UPMC hospitals, a machine learning model was deployed to help identify patients at high risk for post-surgery complications. Dr. Aman Mahajan, lead researcher on this study, tells us more. (14:24 - 22:30)
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Friday at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here for wherever you get your podcasts.
