You’re not a current member.* Click here to donate today ([link removed]) and join the 1,000+ people who help make these stories possible.
View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
DONATE ([link removed])
SEND TIPS ([link removed])

As the smoke (hopefully) clears on a busy Pittsburgh week, here are three bits of local government news you may have missed.

👩‍🍼 County Executive Sara Innamorato used her quarterly address to County Council to advocate for her proposed parental leave policy ([link removed]) . She also told council she is expecting a baby boy later this year, and that she will avail herself of the paid leave offered to all county employees.

💵 Innamorato also told Council she will not propose raising property taxes in 2027. This will mark the second straight year without an increase after a 36% hike in 2025.

🚒 Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor announced the city is filing an antitrust lawsuit against a fire truck manufacturer, alleging that excessive industry consolidation is giving taxpayers a bad deal on fire equipment.

Keep reading to find all of our stories from this week, including what you need to know about cyclospora ([link removed]) , the diarrhea parasite.

✍️ Newsletter written by Charlie Wolfson ([link removed]) ,

Public Source local government reporter & newsletter editor


** MORE STORIES
------------------------------------------------------------

Smoke brings warnings, cancellations in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh ([link removed]) — Air tainted by wildfires, which moved into the region Thursday, has made outdoor activity hazardous across Pennsylvania.

First person essay: My parents’ premature deaths made public health a personal reality ([link removed]) — In 2022, I gave voice to Pittsburgh’s stark disparities through a public performance. Shortly after, I lost both my parents – and I saw in them how policy becomes personal.

Braddock debates U.S. Steel project, amid resident transparency concerns ([link removed]) — Mon Valley residents use a sewer permit application to seek specifics on U.S. Steel’s multi-billion-dollar investment in the Edgar Thomson plant.

Cyclospora: What you should know about the diarrhea bug ([link removed]) — With at least one Allegheny County person hospitalized from the diarrhea-inducing cyclospora parasite, Pittsburgh-area physicians and health officials are recommending safeguards, but not panic.


** ADVERTISEMENT
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]

Celebrate Rick Sebak’s 50 years in public television with your favorite programs all summer long! Every Thursday night and Saturday at noon on WQED-TV, tune in for Rick classics, including "Pennsylvania Road Show," "A Ride Along the Lincoln Highway," and "Right Beside the River" along with a new special, "A Few of Rick Sebak’s Favorite Programs." Get the full schedule ([link removed]) .

Regional electricity price hits cap again in latest auction ([link removed]) — PJM Interconnection CEO David Mills said the results show demand continues to grow faster than the electricity supply.

State to explore consolidation of Duquesne, McKeesport schools ([link removed]) — The troubled Duquesne district, long without a high school, now has a “potential partner” just across the Monongahela River.

Cooling center needs likely to rise in Pittsburgh ([link removed]) — Recent weather signals that heat events will only grow more common, and that local governments are not yet prepared for a threat that is becoming an annual certainty rather than an occasional emergency.

CMU president’s recorded comments reflect campus free speech tensions ([link removed]) — University President Farnam Jahanian’s comments following Trump’s visit come amid renewed campus discussions of The Fence and national concern about academic freedom.

Pitt brings new dorm plan to Pittsburgh’s planners ([link removed]) — A proposed nine-story building at Fifth and Ruskin avenues would add 420 dormitory beds as the University of Pittsburgh looks to break main campus enrollment records without further tightening the Oakland housing market.

Report: Pa. faces a choice to limit gambling addiction quickly or preserve revenue ([link removed]) — Pennsylvania’s nation-leading online gambling industry brings in billions, but also contributes to a growing addiction problem, according to a report to legislators.

AI is improving Pittsburgh’s tornado forecasting — but its full potential isn’t clear ([link removed]) — AI may one day be able to predict tornadoes like the ones that hit on the day of Morgan Wallen’s cancelled concert. Weather researchers and big tech firms are trying to peer through the clouds.

Expensive travel teams and other sports are squeezing neighborhood baseball in Pittsburgh ([link removed]) — The rise of football and the Pirates’ inferiority may be hurting youth interest in the national pastime, but some local programs have sustained success.
[link removed]


** TODAY IN HISTORY 📅
------------------------------------------------------------

Today is July 18.

13 years ago, 2013: Detroit became the biggest U.S. city to file for bankruptcy, its finances ravaged and its neighborhoods hollowed out by a long, slow decline in population and auto manufacturing. (AP)

50 years ago, 1976: At the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 from Olympic judges for her performance on the uneven bars. (AP)

80 years ago, 1946: Officials including Mayor David L. Lawrence broke ground in Moon Township on a new airport that would give Pittsburgh a “port of entry as great as San Francisco or New York.” (Post-Gazette)


** LOCAL EVENTS
------------------------------------------------------------

🏆 World Cup Fan Zone ([link removed]) Sunday | Acrisure Stadium, North Shore | Free

🥒 Picklesburgh ([link removed]) Saturday-Sunday Downtown and the North Shore | Free

🎶 Free concert ([link removed]) 7:30 p.m. Sunday | Hartwood Acres Amphitheater | Cyril Neville, opener Norside

📚 Great Pittsburgh Book Crawl ([link removed]) | July 18-26 | Various locations

🚲 Open Streets ([link removed]) | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. July 26 | Strip District and Lawrenceville | Free

👋 Thanks for reading today’s newsletter! I hope you feel more informed about Pittsburgh and your community. For any questions or comments, feel free to email me at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

Thank you to those who became supporters of Public Source’s journalism for July 6-13: Daniel, Douglas, Emily, Janet and Lewis. Join them by giving today ([link removed]) .

Donations by check can be made payable to Public Source and mailed to 1936 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15219. So that we can credit you properly, please include your email address with your gift.

*Membership status shown is based on email address and may not show correctly if you're subscribed under multiple email addresses. If our records need to be updated, just reply to this email to let us know.

Pittsburgh’s Public Source informs and inspires the Pittsburgh region through the power of deep, independent journalism. Read more about us ([link removed]) .

Support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation ([link removed]) .

Copyright (C) 2026 Pittsburgh's Public Source. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in to the newsletter from Pittsburgh's Public Source.
Our mailing address is:
Pittsburgh's Public Source
1936 5th Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])