Pittsburgh's Public Source

Yinz deserve the full story. Pittsburgh's Public Source is an independent newsroom fueled by public support. Our investigative journalism digs into the issues that impact our community, and we report without bias or influence from corporate sponsors or owners. At the end of the day, we do this because we love this region and believe everyone deserves quality news that reflects our neighbors and lived experiences. 📱 Follow the news here 🔗 Dig deeper at publicsource.org 📥 Stay up to date with weekly newsletters

“If you were having a mental health crisis, would you want someone with a gun and taser telling you to calm down? That’s often the reality when someone calls 911 in response to a behavioral or mental health emergency. The standard response to an emergency call is to send the police, no matter the situation, but what if we could be sending trained experts who know exactly how to respond? To keep our community safe, we need to be sure that we will be treated with empathy and receive the proper care we need when we are experiencing mental health and behavioral health emergencies. Alternative emergency response programs, or ARP, are a way to achieve those goals. These programs provide alternative methods for responding to non-violent, non-medical emergency calls, such as sending trained behavioral health experts to help people in crisis. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS), under the direction of Interim Director Alex Jutca, needs to expand its pilot ARP into a fully-funded, county-wide program to ensure the well-being of all residents. There’s currently an ARP operating in several areas of Allegheny County, run by ACDHS and Resources for Human Development. The A-Team sends mental and behavioral health professionals trained in de-escalation and crisis intervention to respond to relevant emergency calls. The A-Team does not replace the police, fire department or emergency medical services. Rather, it works with those teams to ensure the best possible outcomes for people experiencing emergencies where traditional first responders are not the best equipped. Similar programs have had major success in other cities. Denver, for example, launched a similar ARP in 2020. During its six-month trial period, reports of minor crimes dropped 34% in neighborhoods where the ARP was active, according to a Stanford University study. Additionally, the average response cost was just $151, versus $646 for a traditional response to a minor criminal offense. A study in Columbus, Ohio, indicated that there is strong community support for alternatives to policing.” Read more of this guest commentary post by @mjoiner11 at publicsource.org.

An affordable, flexible, high-quality education. This is what prospective students of Fountain of Youth Academy of Cosmetology are promised. The school, with locations in Squirrel Hill and Bellevue, says its programs provide the “perfect combination” of “technical, life and business skills” needed to become hairstylists, skin and nail care professionals or teachers in those areas. While Fountain of Youth states in its latest school catalogue that it can’t guarantee students who enroll there will be employed after graduating, it reports that more than 90% of students complete the program, become licensed and find employment — well above the 60% mandated by its accrediting agency. In February 2025, though, that agency — the National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and Sciences, or NACCAS — placed the school under monitoring for “low outcomes,” mostly concerning the number of people who find jobs after graduating, which was found to be “unverifiable.” Cheri Herold, the owner and founder of Fountain of Youth, wrote in a message to Public Source that the agency’s move had “nothing to do with the school’s performance.” She said outcome rates were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and further explained in an interview that the monitoring status was due to the school not submitting its annual paperwork to “the standard of NACCAS.” The school remained under monitoring for the better part of 2025. A Public Source investigation in partnership with @opencampusmedia revealed the school has repeatedly faced court and regulator complaints from former students and employees for nearly a decade, according to over 200 pages of documents reviewed. Investigators from various state agencies, such as the Office of Attorney General, have met with students throughout the years about their complaints, including as recently as February. Students have reported feeling they weren’t given an adequate education or a clear picture of their financial responsibilities when enrolling. Read more of our investigation at publicsource.org ✍️: Maddy Franklin 📸: @stephaniestrasburg

The Allegheny County Health Department announced a proposal Wednesday that, if passed, would require all employers in the county to offer at least 18 weeks of paid parental leave, a rare move for local governments. The proposal would amend the county health code, which already guarantees paid sick leave. The county Board of Health unanimously approved moving the proposal to a 30-day public comment period. “Recovery from childbirth is a medical necessity, and right now not enough people in Allegheny County have adequate access to appropriate paid leave,” Health Director Iulia Vann said in a press release. Business groups and the county’s biggest employer, UPMC, didn’t have immediate comment Wednesday night. “A lack of paid leave keeps workers on the sidelines, slows the economy and holds us back as a region,” said County Executive Sara Innamorato in a statement issued immediately after the vote. “I’m sure we’ll get lots of comments from people with different perspectives and priorities, and we welcome the feedback. But I want to be clear that my administration is never going to stop fighting for mothers, babies, families and workers. Only 14 states, not including Pennsylvania, as well as the District of Columbia mandate paid parental leave, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Though some cities within those states offer further specified policies, Allegheny County would be the first municipality or county of any state without mandatory paid parental leave to require it. Currently, about 42% of those who give birth in the county get some kind of paid parental leave, according to provisional county data. The proposal needs Board of Health and County Council approval to become law. Then all employers within Allegheny County, regardless of how many employees, would be required by law to provide a minimum of 18 weeks to any parent employed for at least 30 days, to be used within the first 12 months of the child’s birth or legal placement. Read more at publicsource.org ✍️: @matt456p 📸: @clairatokarzphotography

Adventurous Pittsburgh diners may have already encountered Amboy (@amboy_pittsburgh ), the Filipino concept from chef Rafael Vencio, as a pop-up — “a meal served in borrowed space with borrowed constraints.” What might seem nimble and trendy from the outside is, in practice, an exercise in dependence, said Vencio. Each event relies on someone else’s kitchen, equipment, serving ware and staff. “It takes a village,” he said. The pop-ups became a financial bridge to sustain Amboy while Vencio works to secure a permanent restaurant, a halting process that began in 2020. Amboy is targeting a late summer or early fall opening this year. Pop-ups can generate attention and introduce diners to unfamiliar food, Vencio said, but they cannot replicate the control, consistency or revenue of a full-service operation. Some nights are limited to a single seating, meaning all meals are served in one sitting, with no additional rounds of guests, creating a built-in ceiling on business. “It’s not sustainable or economical as a long-term model,” Vencio said. “There are restrictions.” Those restrictions run through much of Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene. Read more on publicsource.org. ✍️: @aakanksha.a 📸: @stephaniestrasburg @daninhirschphotography

Lisa Wilson circled the room at Brookline Teen Outreach, where the Department of City Planning had lined the perimeter with maps on easels. She paused in front of a map outlining Pittsburgh’s green infrastructure, mixed in with proposed trail and bike path connections, places to plant trees and new green spaces. For Wilson, maintaining her neighborhood’s green spaces and its Hallmark appeal is important. The event, which saw roughly 35 residents attend, was one of 13 information sessions the Department of City Planning held across different neighborhoods in April. The sessions were for residents like Wilson to provide feedback on the department’s multi-million-dollar comprehensive plan, which will inform a complete rezoning of the city once complete. “It’s a little overwhelming,” Wilson said. After an administration change and concerns over funding that brought a brief pause, Pittsburgh’s first-ever comprehensive plan is on its way to completion. City Planning is revising the plan based on feedback submitted during the neighborhood-oriented sessions held in April. The department will hold three citywide sessions for additional feedback during the first week of June. Read more on publicsource.org. ✍️: Mia Hollie 📸: Alex Jurkuta

Elimination of the P76 Lincoln Highway Flyer and the re-working of bus routes near Penn Hills were top of mind for public transit riders at a virtual town hall this week as Pittsburgh Regional Transit pushes ahead with an update of its bus routes. The plan, dubbed the Bus Line Refresh, would cut 13 routes across the agency’s 98-route footprint, including four that extend into Pittsburgh’s southern and southeastern suburbs. The update is meant to restore ridership and increase reliability amid an uncertain funding future for the agency. If approved by the PRT board in the fall, changes could be implemented next year. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is asking for public feedback, after an earlier version found a lukewarm public reception in 2024. PRT’s move to update its network started in 2023, in a plan then known as the Bus Line Redesign and aimed to be a cost-neutral, sweeping redesign. That plan would have modified every route in PRT’s network, including 22 that would have been cut. Thirteen routes would’ve also been added, including new routes from suburbs to Downtown, and it would have also created “transit hubs” to help facilitate transfers outside of Downtown. PRT then received around 12,000 comments, with riders and transit advocacy groups saying that the rework would disrupt many riders’ daily commutes. Read more on publicsource.org. ✍️: Lucas Dufalla 📸: @stephaniestrasburg

The National War Garden Commission introduced the concept of Victory Gardens to Americans during World War I to promote a healthier nation, mitigate rising grocery prices and support the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of Americans. To pool resources and knowledge, private backyard gardening was discouraged in favor of utilizing vacant urban lots, school grounds and public parks. Rekindled in World War II, American Victory Gardeners produced 8-10 million tons of food by 1945. If these circumstances sound familiar, history often repeats itself. Grocery prices are nearly 2% higher than this time last year, while eating out costs nearly 4% more. A fertilizer shortage due to the war in Iran threatens crop yields for American farmers, as soaring oil prices from the conflict tighten finances for many households. Many Pittsburghers are returning to the tradition of home gardening or starting for the first time, a reflection of a larger movement, particularly among younger Americans. City living can easily distance us from where our food comes from, but thankfully Pittsburgh has a plethora of resources to bridge that gap. There are more than 70 community gardens located throughout Pittsburgh. Some gardens have lengthy waitlists to secure your spot, but most welcome volunteers all season long. Grow Pittsburgh has compiled an extensive map, here’s a few: -Allegheny Commons Community Garden, 240 Stockton Ave., Allegheny Center -Sharpsburg Community Garden, 1212 Main St., Sharpsburg -Swissvale Community Garden, 7301 Denniston Ave., Swissvale -Garfield Community Farm, 601 N Aiken Ave., Garfield -Beechview Community Garden, 1229 Rockland Ave. Beechview Read more at publicsource.org. ✍️: @jordanstovka 📸: @alex_jurkuta

When news spread that Lancaster Country Day School students used artificial intelligence to create over 300 nude images of their classmates, state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Montgomery, said she realized new laws were needed. The problem, Pennycuick would learn, was that the laws regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and revenge porn were written before AI gained popularity. “We knew that we needed to start putting laws in place, because we were hearing from the DA that it wasn’t illegal, because when the law was written, AI wasn’t a thing,” Pennycuick said. “So that was a loophole in the law, and our CSAM bill closed that loophole.” The two perpetrators ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of manufacturing CSAM and criminal conspiracy. The case, although jarring, isn’t unique to the commonwealth or the country. Researchers estimate that deepfakes have increased more than fivefold since 2019, with studies showing that over 90% of pornographic deepfakes depict women and girls. Local organizations formed to support victims of CSAM and revenge porn say they’ve been hit with an influx of reports from victims of explicit deepfakes. Legislators are scrambling to play catch-up with the rapidly developing technology to protect their constituents from having their digital likeness weaponized against them. Read more at publicsource.org. ✍️: @she_who_tells_a_story

📚 The Community College of Allegheny County has culled 35,000 books from its library collection. Some library staff members said they never received a clear explanation for the large and fast-paced “book weeding” — a common process in libraries, but one usually done gradually, according to some library management professionals. On March 10, CCAC’s website announced an upcoming book sale taking place for one week across the college’s main and branch campuses. Books, DVDs and CDs were available for $1, with proceeds supporting a textbook fund for CCAC students. “New media, such as electronic media including databases, e-texts and streaming media are in higher demand now as sources of information in community college libraries,” wrote Stephen Wells, CCAC’s provost and chief academic officer, in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source. “We are shifting resources to provide the resources our students need.” Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said that while the speed of a book weeding may vary, most involve a very slow and methodical process, especially at an academic library. “You have multiple collections that are both public facing and private facing that need to be curated all the time,” Helmick said. “It’s like an ecosystem, it’s happening every single day.” Read more at publicsource.org. ✍️: Jamese Platt 📸: @alex_jurkuta

The basement room of a Downtown building where the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission holds its meetings typically sees a handful of attendees fill seats reserved for the public. But a hearing and vote on plans for a custodial care facility in Banksville drew more than a dozen residents to the room on Tuesday, plus others joining virtually, several of whom publicly shared their disapproval of the facility. “We aren’t asking this commission to ignore the needs of people leaving incarceration. We’re asking you to recognize that Banksville has already carried its share of difficult land uses,” said resident Dianne Arnold. Seated among the Banksville attendees was Allegheny County Councilor Bob Palmosina, who opposed the facility’s proposed location during public comment. State Sen. Wayne Fontana, D-Brookline, and state Rep. Daniel Deasy, D-Westwood, sent letters of opposition to the body, said Palmosina, who lives on the edge of Banksville. “I don’t disagree with what you’re doing — I believe you’re faithful and I believe that you want to do what’s best for these individuals, and so do we,” Palmosina said to representatives from Kentucky-based nonprofit Dismas Charities, at the meeting. “I just do not believe in where it’s going.” Dismas, which operates 40 re-entry facilities in 15 states not including Pennsylvania, proposed the project. If approved, the facility would serve as a “last stop” for people previously incarcerated and on their way back to the community. The two-story building would include dorm-style rooms on the first floor for up to 92 men, a dorm on the second floor for 12 women, a commercial kitchen, and shared spaces for visits and leisure. The building has previously been the office of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 1, which represents city officers. The commission, after lengthy discussion that followed close to 30 minutes of public comment, voted 4-2 to submit a negative recommendation to City Council. Read the full story at publicsource.org. ✍️: Econ & housing reporter Mia Hollie 📹: Audience producer @pennydlc.m

Last Thursday, community members gathered to discuss the affordability crisis at a town hall event hosted by Pennsylvania United at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Homewood branch. Several residents told their stories in front of the elected officials present, including state Rep. Abigail Salisbury, D-Swissvale, and Pittsburgh councilors Deb Gross and Barb Warwick. Town hall participants — as well as social media commenters and respondents to a recent Pittsburgh’s Public Source request for reader input on prices — called for improved affordability in housing, groceries and utilities. Inflation has been higher than normal since the COVID-19 pandemic. Tariffs and the U.S. attack on Iran, alongside changes to Medicaid and SNAP food benefits, have also raised the cost of living for many. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 restricted eligibility for Medicaid and SNAP coverage, and provisions will also cut billions of dollars in funding for both programs over the next decade, resulting in millions losing health insurance coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Some residents said they are losing hope as they are forced to accept shared living arrangements, multiple full-time jobs and inadequate housing. Three proposed state House bills aim to help. Joshua Malloy, one of the town hall organizers and director of Pennsylvania United’s Pittsburgh chapter, said conversations with community members indicated a crisis. He heard from people whose insurance skyrocketed amid Affordable Care Act rollbacks and others frying flour and water for sustenance after losing SNAP benefits. Read the full story at publicsource.org. ✍️📸: @sophiaalucentee