ACLU of Pennsylvania

A ban on buying books for people incarcerated at the Allegheny County Jail was lifted Wednesday. The policy prevented people at the jail and their loved ones from purchasing books from approved third party providers. The ban lasted a little more than two weeks.

The McKeesport Area School District reached a settlement Monday with 11 students who sued the district and its superintendent earlier this month. The students, who were represented by the ACLU of Pennsylvania, accused the district of blocking their effort to create a black student union, though administrators deny that claim.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed two lawsuits against the state for what it sees as overly restrictive policies on legal mail sent to prisoners.

The ACLU claims the policy violates prisoners’ rights to speak confidentially with their lawyers — while the state Department of Corrections has said that it is necessary to keep out drugs.

An updated policy on mail went into effect a few months ago after a rash of illnesses among staff that were attributed to an influx of powerful, synthetic drugs.

The city of Pittsburgh continues to resist calls to release its bid for Amazon’s second headquarters, or HQ2. At a protest Thursday skeptics said they worry about Amazon’s potential impact on housing, transit and existing inequities.