Innovation Hyper-Focused in Philly, Pittsburgh, State College

Pennsylvania could become a national leader in innovation — if the support is there and state leaders embrace reform.

“Innovation matters so much to economic performance, yet the state’s innovation drift is resulting in a broader economic drift,” Brookings Metro Senior Fellow Mark Muro told legislators Friday at a Senate Majority Policy Committee hearing on innovation. “We’re really challenging the state to, above all, commit to innovation…the state needs to try harder on this front. We think you could win — if you actually tried harder.”

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Hunter Biden Prosecutor’s Office Briefed on Bribery Allegation Before 2020 Election, Senator Says

The office of a Trump-era federal prosecutor who has led the investigation of Hunter Biden was briefed two weeks before the 2020 election that the FBI had allegations from an informant suggesting Joe Biden was involved in a bribery scheme involving Ukrainian business interests, according to new information released by a top Republican senator.

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Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey’s Office Pressed on Violence, Damage in Mellon Square Park

Pittsburgh Democratic Mayor Ed Gainey’s record on crime and city-property oversight are receiving heightened scrutiny in light of conditions at Mellon Square Park. 

In an email shared via Twitter by KDKA radio host Marty Griffin and Allegheny Councilman Sam DeMarco (R-At-Large) on Wednesday, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Chief Executive Officer Catherine Qureshi urged city officials to address violence and damage at the park. Located in Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle business district, the modernist plaza that sits atop a parking garage has existed since the mid-20th century and regional leaders have deemed it a major feature of their open-space preservation efforts. It reopened for the season about two weeks ago, Qureshi noted, and already problems abound. 

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Report: Reliability, Low Fares, Short Trips Key to Transit in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia

As transit agencies across the country struggle to recover from pandemic-induced ridership loss, getting back to the basics of reliability might matter most.

A new report from Moovit, a trip-planning app, analyzed user data in 2022 in 10 major American cities. Transit riders complained of unreliable systems, fare prices, trip time, safety, and cleanliness, among other issues.

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Pittsburgh Loosens Residency Requirement for Firefighters

Union disputes in Pittsburgh over residency requirements for city workers have weakened requirements for police and firefighters to live in the city proper.

A policy brief from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy detailed the shift away from residency requirements. Pittsburgh voters approved an amendment to the home rule charter in 2013 to require city residency for all municipal workers. However, a union grievance weakened that requirement for firefighters.

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Pittsburgh Joins Philadelphia in Banning Plastic Bags

The two largest cities in Pennsylvania have prohibited single-use plastics at businesses after Pittsburgh City Council passed legislation on Tuesday, joining Philadelphia’s ban approved last year. 

“This landmark piece of legislation will sharply curtail litter, mitigate stormwater risk, reduce the amount of microplastics in our soil and water, improve the city’s recycling efficacy, and begin to break our dependence on fossil fuel-based products,” Councilwoman Erika Strassburger said in a press release.

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RNC Site Selection Committee to Visit Nashville ‘In the Next Week or So’

downtown Nashville at night

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden told The Tennessee Star that the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) site selection committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention will be heading to visit Nashville “in the next week or so.”

Chairman Golden, who has attended three of the last four Republican National Conventions, said that a unique aspect of Nashville is that, if Nashville were to win the bid to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, the bulk of official convention business would take place in a small area, where most activities are within walking distance of each other.

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Scientists Believe Meteor Exploded over Pittsburgh

aerial view of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scientists believe a meteor exploded early New Year’s Day over Pittsburgh, causing mysterious loud noises and vibrations that shook the city.

“The loud explosion heard over SW PA earlier may have been a meteor explosion,” the U.S. National Weather Service tweeted Saturday, posting an image showing a flash of light it claimed was “not associated with lightning.”

“No confirmation, but this is the most likely explanation at this time,” the agency said.

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Bail Calculator Developed by Leftist Billionaire Used for Accused Waukesha Murderer Also Used in Two Pennsylvania Counties

Two Pennsylvania counties use the same lenient bail-calculation system that is used in Milwaukee County, WI and that is now being scrutinized in the wake of the Nov. 21 Waukesha Christmas-parade massacre.

Suspect Darrell E. Brooks Jr. faces homicide charges for killing six people at the holiday celebration with his car. Earlier that month, prosecutors handling a case of physical abuse and vehicular assault regarding Brooks asked a court to set bail bond for the defendant at a mere $1,000, to which the court agreed.

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Conor Lamb the Latest to Jump into Critical Pennsylvania Senate Race

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb launched a long-expected Senate bid in his state Friday morning, becoming the latest to join a crowded primary field in one of the country’s most competitive races.

Lamb, a 37-year-old Marine, first won a special election in a Pittsburgh-area swing district in 2018, months before Democrats took control of the House. He is vying to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in a state that President Joe Biden narrowly won, as Democrats look to expand their slim 50-50 majority.

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Data Shows Increased Homicides in Six Major Cities Across the Country

Police line do not cross tape

The number of homicides in six major cities across the country has increased compared to last year, disproportionately affecting black people, according to crime data.

Black people have represented a massive share of murder victims in six major cities through the first six months of 2021 compared to last year, which itself saw a large crime surge, according to data analyzed by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DCNF analyzed both police department data and homicide reports compiled by local news outlets to determine how black people have been victimized in the wake of the 2020 crime spike.

“We are seeing an uptick in violent crime across the country, specifically gun violence,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told The New York Times earlier this month.

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Starkist Moving Headquarters from Pennsylvania to Virginia

Starkist Tuna

Packaged tuna manufacturer Starkist is closing up its headquarters in Pittsburgh and moving to northern Virginia, but most of the details about the move have not been revealed.

Starkist will close its office in the North Shore of Pittsburgh on March 31, 2022, but will maintain a presence in the area. Its new headquarters will open in northern Virginia in 2022, but the company did not say in which locality.

The company did not announce the reasons for its relocation. No announcements have been made related to taxpayer-funded subsidies or other incentives, which could be part of a deal.

Starkist has been owned by South Korea-based Dongwon Industries since 2008. It employs about 2,630 people and generates more than $24 million in revenue, according to Zippia.

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Commentary: Faith in Fairness Is Shattered Beyond Recovery

Many people, including some good friends, believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fair and square. 

Many others – and I place myself among them – believe that something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or, to be more specific, in the cities of Milwaukee, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, not to mention Maricopa County, Arizona. I think what happened was so rotten that I regard the election as illegitimate. 

What proof, you might ask, do I have? 

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‘Make Nashville’ Warehouse Gives You a Space to Build Anything You Want

  NASHVILLE — In a corner of Nashville zoned for mostly industrial purposes, you’ll find a woodshop, a metal shop, a fabric lab, a ceramics studio, and one of those nifty new 3D printers, among many other things. All in the same warehouse. The best part — if you want to use these facilities then you can. The man who oversees this operation, called Make Nashville, would not give The Tennessee Star his actual name. This mystery man said he only goes by Maverick. He said that’s because he grew up in a small town in East Tennessee with “an unfortunately common name.” Several of his classmates had the same “unfortunately common name” he did. So…Maverick was born. Maverick said his workshop is one small part of a global movement. “It works a bit like a gym membership, but instead of exercise equipment it’s power tools. What we have is a collection of shops and the tools that go in them. 3-D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, a textile studio with sewing machines and patterns and those types of tools. There’s woodshops, metal shops with welders, and plasma cutters and grinders,” Maverick said. “We provide those facilities and those tools…

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Apple Is Dropping $1 Billion to Put 5,000 Jobs in Texas With Expansions Planned in Major Cities

by Tim Pearce   Apple is investing $1 billion to nearly double its workforce in Texas and is hiring thousands more employees in offices across the U.S., the company announced Thursday. Apple is adding 5,000 positions to its Austin, Texas, campus on top of the 6,200-strong workforce already there. The tech company is also establishing campuses in San Diego, Seattle and Culver City, California, employing about 1,000 people each. Hundreds more jobs will be added to other offices in places such as New York, Pittsburgh and Boulder, Colorado, by 2022. Apple’s announcement is relatively quiet compared to Amazon’s decision to build headquarters in Long Island City, New York, and Arlington, Virginia. The local and state governments at each location offered Amazon incentives worth millions of dollars. Dozens of other locations across the U.S. competed for Amazon’s attention with tax credits, infrastructure investment and other favors. President Donald Trump gave credit to Amazon for and owner Jeff Bezos for the antics. “I think they’re paying a very big price,” Trump said of Arlington and New York City in a November interview with The Daily Caller. “It was a competition. I know all about those competitions. I’ve been in those competitions —…

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Interfaith Vigils Across the US for Victims of Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

Flags on U.S. government buildings across the country will be flown at half-staff over the next three days to honor the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. President Donald Trump calls it “a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible act of violence.” He also ordered flags lowered at all U.S. embassies, consular offices, military facilities, and Naval ships. Interfaith vigils were held from coast-to-coast Sunday and in many Canadian cities. A number of National Football League games held moments of silence before kickoff. The Vancouver Canucks professional hockey team also paused before their game with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Vancouver to remember the dead. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was darkened Sunday night. Authorities in Pittsburgh are calling what happened at the Tree of Life synagogue a “hate crime,” saying suspected gunman Robert Bowers shouted anti-Semitic threats as he opened fire. The 46-year-old Bowers faces 29 criminal charges. Documents outlining the allegations against him say Bowers was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle and three handguns. He said that he wanted all Jews to die because he believed Jews “were committing genocide to his people.” That apparently refers to his belief that a Jewish refugee agency…

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