In recent months, Pittsburgh has been the center of a national conversation on an international sale.

The proposed purchase of U.S. Steel by Nippon Steel in a $14.9 billion deal still faces opposition from politicians on both sides as well as the U.S. Department of Justice.

As the 2024 election ramps up, the conversation of the sale’s impact on Pittsburgh and the American Steel industry is being debated by local and national leaders alike.

Here to give us the ins and outs on U.S. Steel’s hard sell is TribLive reporter Jack Troy. He joins TribLive host Zac Gibson.

This is From the Newsroom.

Starting last week and over the holiday weekend, the presidential election nominees from both parties have made headlines in Pennsylvania.

Former President Donald Trump addressed a crowd in Johnstown on Friday, touching on topics like the Arlington cemetery incident and the Harris-Walz interview.

Then, on Labor Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden appeared together in Pittsburgh, showcasing their commitment to labor issues in one of their first joint campaign appearances.

TribLive reporter Megan Swift joins host Zac Gibson to share her insights from the rallies and discuss their impact on the Pennsylvanians who attended.

In August 2023, the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in Plum, was rocked by a catastrophic explosion that killed six people and caused extensive damage.

TribLive reporters and the Plum community have been searching for information to explain the cause of the explosion for the past year.

Listen as host Zac Gibson is joined by TribLive reporter Brian Rittmeyer to delve into the details of the event, its impact on the community and preview his piece on the anniversary of the Rustic Ridge explosion.

This is From The Newsroom.

 

As Vice President Kamala Harris takes to the campaign trail, she’s zeroing in on a major conservative initiative known as “Project 2025.”

This ambitious 922-page blueprint aims to reshape America with sweeping changes including restrictions on abortion access, overhauls in border and immigration policies, and significant federal spending cuts.

Found in its pages is the conservative movement’s detailed road map for a second Donald Trump presidency, one backed by the influential Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, and dozens of other conservative groups with deep ties to Republican lawmakers.

Join host Zac Gibson and political reporter Ryan Deto as they dive deep into what “Project 2025” could mean for the Pittsburgh region.

This past Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term, becoming the first sitting president since Lyndon B. Johnson to make such a decision.

The end of Biden’s campaign clarified a potential path for Vice President Kamala Harris to emerge as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee ahead of the DNC, just weeks away.

Zac Gibson, the host, and Ryan Deto, the political reporter for TribLive, provide the latest details.

This is From the Newsroom.

Western Pennsylvania is experiencing a visual, cultural and economic change, and the Beechview neighborhood in Pittsburgh is at the heart of it.

From 2010 to 2020, Pittsburgh’s overall population saw a modest growth of less than 1%. In stark contrast, the Latino population in Pittsburgh experienced a staggering 80% increase.

Latin -American migrants from California, New York, and Florida are coming to Pennsylvania for the affordability and economic growth opportunity.

Pennsylvania’s Latino sub-economy is snowballing. It saw 18% growth from 2011 to 2021, with $36 billion in gross domestic income, representing 4.2% of the state’s gross domestic income.

According to a study from Arizona State University, the growing Latino work force is offsetting the losses from non-Latino workers in the state.

Pennsylvania’s economic growth averages 1.1% per year, while the Latino sub-economy saw averages of 6.2% growth in the same time frame.

Reporter Anna Mares and host Zac Gibson dive into her recent article, which cites the economic growth and cultural change in Western Pennsylvania in relationship to this changing demographic.

This is From the Newsroom.

 

A recent alleged concert booking scam has affected a venue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood.

Audiovisual company Hearcorp owns the event venue and former church at 25 Carrick Ave.

Chief operations officer Brendan Elder recalled his conversation with Alex Bowen, who wanted to book a concert featuring orchestral renditions of Dr. Dre songs at the venue on April 20.

Bowen reached out as a representative of ARB Marketing company and said that he would like to book quickly to ensure the sale of tickets.

Elder says he reached out to Bowen and ARB multiple times to secure a deposit for the event, but never received any payment. He later received a mass email from Bowen stating that the company was to close down and file for bankruptcy.

Elder filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office after realizing he had fallen victim to a scam.

According to press secretary Brett Hambright, the office received at least five other complaints regarding the marketing company.

TribLive’s trending news reporter, Megan Swift, joins Zac Gibson to discuss the information that shows a national span of similar situations, and what Elder learned after fielding calls from the event’s ticket holders.

This is From the Newsroom.

Andrea Yealy was 16 when she hopped in a two-person inflatable kayak rented by a friend’s family on Sept. 16, 2000, at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County. They paddled without a guide down a 7-mile section known as the Lower Yough.

Andrea was wearing a helmet and life jacket when she spilled out of her kayak at Dimple Rock, a notorious hazard in the river that can overturn rafts, and was swept under the water’s surface. She died.

Since her daughter’s death, Michele Yealy has turned to awareness of the dangerous of the white waters of the Youghio­gheny River at Ohiopyle.

There have been more incidental deaths along the river. Fifteen people died in the Lower Yough while rafting or kayaking between 1982 and 2022 from according to the American Whitewater database despite inquests and calls for enhanced safety protocols and more fully-guided options.

In this episode, host Zac Gibson and reporter Renatta Signorini tell the story of what happened to Andrea and her mother’s fight to be awareness to the dangers, and discuss the rough path to safety protocol changes for outfitters who offer commercial whitewater rafting trips along the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle.

This is From the Newsroom.

Is there an impending higher educational divide?

Penn State announced the restructuring plan for its branch campuses this week. Two local branches, Fayette and New Kensington, will be consolidated under the Allegheny branch. This also comes with a 10% decrease in staff and faculty for all bridge campuses. Simultaneously, Penn State’s main campus, University Park, plans to expand to facilitate an increase in fall enrollment. 

TribLive higher education reporter Bill Schackner joins host Zac Gibson to discuss the situation.

This is From the Newsroom:

In this episode we’re talking about a Steel City identity staple, the Pittsburgh inclines.

The Monongahela Incline and its slightly younger sibling, the Duquesne Incline, were built in the 1870s to easily and quickly transport Pittsburghers to their destinations throughout the city.

Pittsburgh was once home to 15 inclines, or funiculars, at one time, but as time passed the railways were eclipsed by the efficiency of trolley systems and later cars.

Reporter Ryan Deto joins host Zac Gibson to discuss the state of the inclines in Pittsburgh.

This is From the Newsroom.