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In this newsletter: For our latest investigative story, PublicSource environment and climate reporter Quinn Glabicki took a deep dive into hundreds of documents that show Shell's cracker plant — which operates along the banks of the Ohio River in Beaver County — has been troubled since the day it opened.

Also, over the past two decades, Harrisburg and Allegheny County officials have enabled programs to combat vacancy in municipalities like Wilkinsburg. The three most widely known and used mechanisms — sheriff’s sale, conservatorship and the county’s Vacant Property Recovery Program — have faltered in tackling the problem. Could new resources change that?

Our top story

Inside Pennsylvania’s monitoring of the Shell petrochemical complex

Here’s a look inside nine months of state monitoring of Shell during which the company repeatedly violated state law and exceeded emissions limits for an array of hazardous chemicals and pollutants.

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NOT TO MISS

Many tools, little impact: Abandoned property programs struggle to address vacancy problem, but change may be coming

WANT MORE? WE'RE ON IT..

The Lindy Group, which has more than a dozen asphalt plants in Pennsylvania, has requested to boost hours and emissions at its Uptown asphalt plant. Neighbors and environmental advocates find the plant’s emissions concerning and the public input process flimsy.
At some Pittsburgh universities, more students are taking on larger amounts of private debt than others nationwide. Private loan debt can be “the most debilitating for people who already have the least access to higher education and to generational wealth,” said Ben Kaufman, a fellow at the Student Borrower Protection Center.
Pittsburgh has one of the country’s largest concentrations of residents age 65 and over, with many still working beyond retirement age, our news partner Technical.ly reports.

Date auction with a 'maker' twist to benefit STEAM education

A GREAT READ

Humans love fireflies. Maybe too much.

The Atlantic

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

The citizen scientists of crackerland: Armed with buckets and hunting plastic pellets, neighbors prepare for the petro plant next door

On Aug. 26, we’re partnering with the Whitehall Public Library for a fun, useful and free session presented by journalists Rich Lord and Lajja Mistry. You’ll learn how to think like an investigative reporter and how to access hard-to-find info on businesses, landlords, campaign finances and more. Lunch will be provided by Whitehall Public Library. Space is limited; click here to register. Presented with support from the Jefferson Regional Foundation.

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PublicSource is a nonprofit news organization serving the Pittsburgh region. We inspire critical thinking and bold ideas through journalism rooted in facts, diverse voices and the pursuit of transparency.
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