Tremors, insomnia? I blame the noxious air

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Why this story matters: Local politicians make bold statements about abortion, gender-affirming care and much more in ads — but is what they say true? Our third and fourth Spot Check stories, produced in partnership with WESA, examine ads by local candidates in detail, fact-checking the claims they make.

Why this work is worth supporting: “Free press with real information is needed for democracy to survive.” — PublicSource member Barbara B.

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Welcome to your Saturday roundup! Let's dive in...

🤒 John Peña struggled at first to pin the cause of the tremors, insomnia and other perplexing ailments that started to afflict him around 2016. Over time, he began to link them to the presence of sulfurous odors wafting through his neighborhood. Peña, in a first-person essay, shares illustrations and reflections chronicling his disruptive health saga.

💵 Between each cable news segment or disappointing Pirates inning, Pittsburgh voters are subjected to a barrage of political ads, many attributed to groups with vague names. A PublicSource and WESA analysis found that many are funded by out-of-town billionaires, and by so-called “dark money” groups with undisclosed donors.

🏛️ After advocates flooded a July meeting of the Allegheny County Council to protest the bidding process for a forthcoming Climate Action Plan, council held a public hearing last week to gather more community input. The message was by and large the same: Their voices must be heard.

Now, catch up on the local news you may have missed this week ⬇️

Facing tremors, insomnia and pain, I searched for answers — and came to blame the noxious air

Spot Check: Well-funded AG race ad tries to tie candidate to ‘defund the police’ calls

Who’s paying for all those political ads? Bloomberg, a Mellon, ‘dark money’ PACs and more

Advocates say climate plan must consider those most at risk in a warmer, wetter Allegheny County

Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures welcomes Pico Iyer on Sept. 30, for the second Ten Evenings lecture of the season at the Carnegie Music Hall. Pico Iyer will present his lecture on his latest book, “The Half-Known Life: In Search of Paradise.”

Tickets and subscriptions for the Ten Evenings Lecture Series can be purchased at pittsburghlectures.org or by phone (412) 622-8866 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Mayor’s proposed zoning overhaul gets first Planning Commission airing

The Beaver County deportation that forced 46 Black people to leave the state

From the Southwestern US to Southwestern PA, PublicSource interns bring the heat this fall

PublicSource wins four statewide journalism awards

ICYMI FROM LAST WEEK

New Freeport residents have filed a lawsuit seeking to compel Pittsburgh-based EQT to provide clean water to those affected by a 2022 fracking mishap.
This year's controversial reopening of the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center is just the latest twist in a heated conversation over juvenile justice that's been raging for 180 years in Allegheny County.

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