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In this newsletter: Polls are open until 8 p.m. for key county and city nominating contests in today's primary election. PublicSource will be focusing on the race for county executive throughout the night, so keep checking back at PublicSource.org.

We also have for you a story on what local lawyers are being paid by the county when they are appointed to represent defendants who don't have the means to pay for their own legal representation. A lot of lawyers think the pay is unfair, but that may be changing soon.

Our top story

Criminal defense on the cheap? Allegheny County inching toward fix for cut-rate court-appointed lawyer system

Criminal defendants in the county who can’t afford private attorneys, known as indigent defendants, often find their fates in the hands of lawyers who get paid based on caps set in 2006. For a preliminary hearing involving anything from retail theft to a violent felony, these lawyers are compensated $250 regardless of how much time they spend on the case.

According to attorney Kate Lovelace, the modest compensation can deter court-appointed attorneys from vigorously committing themselves to defending indigent clients.

“The whole way that this system is designed is so you should plead something out at the first listing [for a hearing] to make the most money,” said Lovelace. “That is the incentive and that doesn’t sit right.”

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NOT TO MISS

Expensive campaigns for Allegheny County executive and district attorney conclude, for some, today

Join Three Rivers Waterkeeper on May 21 at Allegheny RiverTrail Park for a kickoff to the summer season! Tickets include food, drinks, live music, kayaking, games on the lawn and watershed education for the kiddos and lifelong learners out there!

WANT MORE? WE'RE ON IT..

What's at stake when the local community college loses half of its student body?
The public has until July 10 to submit comment on housing health standards in Allegheny County. A PublicSource and WESA investigation in 2021 raised questions about the effectiveness of this code and found that housing health complaints — ranging from lack of heat and water to sewage backups to rodent infestations — were addressed in roughly two in every five cases.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Medical emergencies, mac-and-cheese mishaps and elevator rescues: Pitt dorms draw city services, but should the university help fund them?

Bike to Work Day: Replace a car trip May 19 and enjoy freebies + fun

A GREAT READ

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses”

ProPublica

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