The Confluence

On today’s episode of The Confluence: We speak with Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey about the latest in his Plan for Peace, his administration’s new Office of Equal Protection, and his thoughts about the now-public staffing study of the city’s police force.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: The jury has reached a sentencing verdict in the trial of the man who carried out the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in 2018; we speak to Joe Rockey, the Republican nominee running for Allegheny County Executive; and the city is looking to change how it uses funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: We speak to Sara Innamorato, the Democratic nominee running for Allegheny County Executive; and we revisit the author of “100 Things to Do in Pittsburgh Before You Die” for an update three years since the pandemic.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: There seems to be slight movement in the budget stalemate, with Senate Republican leaders indicating they might return in August instead of September; local Republicans have nominated Erin Connolly Autenreith to run for the 21st House District seat left vacant by the resignation of Sara Innamorato; and Point Park University’s Board of Trustees has appointed Chris Brussalis as the university’s ninth president.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: CMU is sending a rover the size of a suitcase to the moon, we talk about this and other robotic ventures happening in the region; and where business and development stand in the Strip District.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: Pennsylvania Senate Republican leaders have decided not to appeal to the state Supreme Court a ruling that the state’s education funding system violates the state constitution. We ask a panel of education experts where the state’s school funding policies could go next.Today’s guests include: Ron Cowell, founder and senior fellow at the Education Policy and Leadership Center; Michael Griffith, senior researcher and policy analyst at the Learning Policy Institute; and Matthew Kelly, assistant professor of education at Pennsylvania State University.The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. For those who have enjoyed listening to the show, find more episodes of The Confluence here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: An Allegheny County Jail inmate died over the weekend while he was awaiting transfer to a state mental health facility; the oldest housing development in the city just received a federal grant to revitalize and develop the property; and the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania is calling for official recognition from the commonwealth.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: A new study looks at how doctors could prevent the over-prescribing of antibiotics for a common childhood illness, sinusitis; the small Pittsburgh suburb of Etna is leading the state with innovative protections for animals; and three exhibits currently showing in Pittsburgh investigate the dangers Black Americans have historically faced while driving across the U.S., and how they have endured.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: A third of providers for people with intellectual disabilities have reported closures since the start of the pandemic, largely due to staffing shortages, and many want the state to act on this crisis of care; Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has brought a cohort of student interns to Frick Park to teach them about forest restoration; and an Indiana County farm is running a trial to see if sunflowers can become a viable crop in Western Pennsylvania.

On today’s episode of The Confluence: A Senate bill has been introduced that attempts to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania; training camp for the Steelers kicks off Wednesday in Latrobe; and a look at how the state is planning to manage $1.2 billion for broadband access across the commonwealth.