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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Emails exposed through an ongoing lawsuit give insight to the close relationship between lobbyists for the state’s top-earning casino and a state legislator; a settlement between the State Police and ACLU means officers can no longer stop drivers for immigration enforcement or check immigration status; and North America’s longest-running exhibition of international art, Carnegie International, returns to Pittsburgh.
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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’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: SpotlightPA reporter Ed Mahon explains why the Justice Department alleged that eight Pennsylvania counties’ courts may have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and how it applies to people with opioid use disorder; the executive director of the Mountain Watershed Association tells us why federal infrastructure funding could also help clean waterways that are polluted by abandoned mine runoff; and a look at how severe weather patterns are impacting local businesses.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: Telehealth visits are not guaranteed to be reimbursed by private insurers in Pennsylvania, but one state senator’s bill wants to make that possible; the Pitt volleyball team has, for the first time in program history, made it to the Final Four and will square off against Nebraska tonight in the semifinals; and we hear from a researcher of storytelling based in Washington, Pa. whose latest book explores how stories can be a positive and negative cultural force.
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On today’s episode of The Confluence: A bill in the state legislature could limit elected officials and state employees from accepting certain gifts, a stark contrast to the state’s current lax regulations, but state Sen. Jake Corman has yet to weigh in on the bill, despite his GOP counterparts supporting the legislation; Pittsburgh Mercy has opened their winter shelters to accommodate homeless people in dangerously cold weather with COVID-19 mitigation measures in place; and a look at how mental health experts are treating anxiety around climate change.
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On today’s program: Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith reflects on how the pandemic and end to Gov. Tom Wolf’s opioid disaster declaration has affected the department’s work; Spotlight PA reporter Ed Mahon explains why an investigation into exactly how many people are using medical marijuana to treat opioid addiction in the commonwealth has been stalled by state agencies; and a listener asks why trolley tracks continue to exist on Chestnut Street, as part of our Good Question series.
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On today’s program: Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro explains why the state dropped its opposition to the now $4.2 billion settlement from the Sackler family, who owns OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma; the state Department of Health is finalizing a $34 million contract for contact tracing services after the previous company it worked with did not properly secure private information; and a look at the latest work from musician, producer and Pittsburgh native Derek White.
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On today’s program: State lawmakers were reimbursed $200 million in per diem expenses over the last four years, but what they spent it on is hard to track because of a lack of transparency; the deputy manager of the County Elections Division explains why they expect ballot counting for Tuesday’s election to go smoother than November last year; and Pittsburgh-based writer Brian Broome previews his debut memoir, “Punch Me Up to the Gods.”
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On today’s program: Nearly 80% of state correctional facilities’ staff have not received the COVID-19 vaccine, despite its wide availability; a look at Pittsburgh’s public and private sector commitments to energy efficiency, now that city government committed to become carbon neutral by 2050; and a local author’s new book tells of how telephone-inventor Alexander Graham Bell worked with deaf people to promote speech and suppress sign language.