Essential Pittsburgh by 90.5 WESA

Live weekdays from 12pm to 1pm; repeated at 8pm
Paul Guggenheimer

Essential Pittsburgh is a locally-produced LIVE program from 90.5 WESA dedicated to developing a deep, ongoing exploration of critical issues impacting Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, as well as featuring community leaders and newsmakers in the Arts, Sciences, Technology, Business, Healthcare, Government and Education.

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Essential Pittsburgh Web-Feature
9:49 pm
Sat May 25, 2013

Occupy Monsanto: Protesting Genetically Engineered Food

An activist movement known as Occupy Monsanto staged a global protest Saturday afternoon to raise awareness of genetically modified organisms, also known as GMOs.

A Pittsburgh contingent marched from the Strip District to City Hall chanting about GMOs and the biotechnology company, Monsanto.

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Essential Pittsburgh
6:07 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

The Right To Know and Pennsylvania's Open Records Law

Credit WESA
Where do we stand with PA's Right to Know law?

Airing Tuesday at noon on 90.5 WESA

Pennsylvania's open records law went into effect in 2009, ideally making it possible for citizens to easily search government records. But some say it hasn't made good on its promise of accessibility. WESA Capitol Correspondent Mary Wilson has written about tweaks to the law being proposed in the legislature, and those who have violated it.

Leah Samuel recently took an in depth look at the status of PA's open records law for PublicSource, including anecdotes from citizens who have been thwarted in their search for information.

Pennsylvania Office of Open Records Executive Director, Terry Mutchler says citizen requests should not be denied.

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Speaking Volumes
6:07 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

Speaking Volumes on Essential Pittsburgh: Lori Jakiela

Credit Lori Jakiela / ljwritesbooks.com
Lori Jakiela has written two memoirs The Bridge to Take When Things Get Serious and Miss New York Has Everything

Airing Tuesday in the noon hour on 90.5 WESA

WESA Morning Edition Host Josh Raulerson interviews poet, memoirist and devotee of sparse, unsentimental prose, Lori Jakiela about her reading selections.

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Essential Pittsburgh
6:07 pm
Fri May 24, 2013

The Business of Interviewing with Rebecca Harris

Credit Rebecca Harris / Chatham Center for Women's Entrepreneurship
Rebecca Harris is the Director of the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University

Airing Tuesday at noon on 90.5 WESA

Can you really answer the question “tell me about yourself” in an interview, while being sure to talk about  skills relevant to the job?  How about describing  a difficult work situation and making it sound like you're a great problem solver? Effective interviewing is a skill and our business contributor Rebecca Harris offers some advice to help you ace the interview.

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Essential Pittsburgh
6:00 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

World Affairs: Peter Bergen From 9/11 to Abbottabad

Credit Peter Bergen / PeterBergen.com
Peter Bergen talks about national security and terrorism

Peter Bergen is a National Security Analyst for CNN, and a journalist who has reported for publications such as Foreign Affairs, The Atlantic, and The Washington Post. He's authored three New York Times best-sellers, won multiple awards for his non-fiction writing, produced the first ever television interview with Osama Bin Laden, and much more.

Bergen's most recent book is Manhunt: The Ten Year Search for bin Laden, from 9/11 to Abbottabad. He comes to Pittsburgh to be the keynote speaker for the World Affairs Council's 82nd annual meeting and leads a discussion titled Learning from Abbottabad: Combating Global Terrorism in a Post-9/11 World.

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Essential Pittsburgh
5:50 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Mike Sears and the Warrior Foundation

Credit Mike Sears
Technical Sergeant Mike Sears in Afghanistan in 2012

  

Mike Sears put his life on the line to save a wounded soldier in the heat of battle in Afghanistan. For his bravery, he received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. We'll begin the Memorial Day weekend with a conversation with Mike Sears covering his war experiences and his involvement with the Warrior Foundation.

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Essential Pittsburgh
5:45 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Local Goodness: Farmers Market Season

Credit Heather McClain / 90.5 WESA
Rhonda Schuldt writes for LocalGoodness.com

Does this week's summer-like weather put you in the mood for some fresh corn or warm, sun rippened tomatoes? How about a tote bag full of cukes and zukes? While these foods aren't quite ready at the local farm, we are definitely headed into outdoor farmers market season.

Food contributor Rhonda Schuldt stops in to talk about what to expect from Pittsburgh's many farmers markets.

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Essential Pittsburgh
7:09 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Bill Peduto Post Primary: Where Do We Go From Here?

Credit Deanna Garcia / 90.5 WESA
Former city councilman Bill Peduto is now the Democratic candidate for Mayor

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto has won Pittsburgh's Democratic Mayoral Primary.

Eight years after first running for mayor, he talks about what it means to be so close to realizing his dream and the "new Pittsburgh" he envisions.

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Essential Pittsburgh
6:59 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Coleen Rowley: Is There a War on Whistleblowers & Journalists?

Former FBI special agent and division counsel, Coleen Rowley made headlines with her May 2002 memo describing some of the FBI's pre-9/11 failures. She was named one of Time Magazine's "Persons of the Year" in 2002 and now says President Obama has dramatically increased governmental secrecy by declaring what she calls "a war on whistleblowers and a war on journalists." 

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Essential Pittsburgh
6:26 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Drawing a Crowd At The Pittsburgh Comic Arts Festival

Credit Joe Wos
Joe Wos, Executive Director and Founder of the Toonseum curates the Reuben Awards Exhibit

In the world of comic strip art, The Reuben Awards, are on par with the Oscars. Named after Rube Goldberg, the Reuben has been awarded by the National Cartoonists Society to artists such as Charles Schulz, Chester Gould and Bill Watterson.

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Essential Pittsburgh
5:51 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

The New Girl in Town is Hitting the Beach

Credit Heather McClain / WESA
It's Memorial Day, time to hit kick off your shoes and get some sand between your toes.

Memorial Day is the official start to the summer season and many people will be headed to the beach. One shore town you may want to visit is Rehoboth Beach in Delaware. You'll find something for nature lovers at Prime Hook, something for sports adventurers, and for those who just want to stroll along the Boardwalk.

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Essential Pittsburgh
9:05 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

The Results Are In: Analysis of the Pittsburgh Primary Races

Credit Deanna Garcia / 90.5 WESA
Signs outside a polling place in the neighborhood of Beechview

The polls opened at 7am Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Democratic Primary election.  Turnout at most voting places was light, despite a hotly contested mayoral race and contested city council positions.

At the end of the night, City Councilman Bill Peduto accepted the democratic nomination for Mayor, incumbent City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak kept her place in Pittsburgh's southern neighborhoods, Daniel Lavelle kept his city council seat in district 6, and Bill Peduto's former council seat went to his former Chief of Staff, Dan Gilman.

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Essential Pittsburgh
9:00 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

Pop City Innovation News

Credit Pop City Media
Debra Diamond Smit is the tech and innovation reporter for the ezine Pop City

Innovative product development and manufacturing is not new in Pittsburgh. Each week, Pop City tech and innovation reporter Deb Smit has a plethora of companies and concepts to choose from when reporting on the next big thing.

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Essential Pittsburgh
9:44 am
Tue May 21, 2013

How Much is Too Much? Should Bars Be Responsible For Irresponsible Drinkers?

Credit Heather McClain / WESA
What can bar owners do to intercede when a customer has had too much to drink?

Two weeks ago Hofbrauhaus in the South Side agreed to pay $15.6 million in a settlement after one of their patrons consumed copious amounts of alcohol and proceeded to kill a seven year old girl while driving drunk down Carson Street. When a bar patron has too much to drink resulting in an accident who is ultimately at fault? And when it comes to serving drinks, how do you know when a patron has had too much. How do you handle the situation?

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Speaking Volumes
9:20 am
Tue May 21, 2013

Speaking Volumes on Essential Pittsburgh: Patrick Dowd

Credit Heather McClain / WESA
Find our which books Councilman and former historian, Patrick Dowd recommends

Pittsburgh City Councilman Patrick Dowd started out as a historian and while he's no longer in academia his reading still reflects that background. Dowd talks with WESA Morning Edition Host Josh Raulerson about his  reading selections which include historical nonfiction mixed with fiction "with a historical bent."

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Essential Pittsburgh
9:07 am
Tue May 21, 2013

Building the Perfect Resume with Rebecca Harris

Credit Rebecca Harris / Chatham Center for Women's Entrepreneurship
Rebecca Harris is the Director of the Center for Women's Entrepreneurship at Chatham University

Graduation season is here and as a new group of college graduates enters the real world, how do you stand out in a tough job market? This week, business contributor Rebecca Harris offers suggestions for building the perfect resume. And find some surprising and not so surprising facts on new graduate employment.

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Essential Pittsburgh
11:23 am
Mon May 20, 2013

City Council News With Noah

Credit 90.5 WESA / 90.5 WESA
WESA reporter covers Pittsburgh City Council and County Council

Legislation to change the powers of the Citizen Police Review Board is up for a final vote on Thursday.  Currently, the CPRB reviews new police policies after they are implemented, but the new legislation would alter this system resulting in the board reviewing  policies before they take effect. Sponsoring Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess, who originally wanted to publish an abridged version of the police rule book until it was found to be against state law, says he's hoping to use the CPRB as the "eyes and ears" of the public regarding police policies.

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Essential Pittsburgh
8:56 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

Sports Talk With Bob Dvorchak

Credit Bob Dvorchak / Sports n'at
Bob Dvorchak is an author and blogger for the website Sports 'n'at

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sportswriter Emeritus Bob Dvorchak discusses the death of Uniontown native and NFL great Chuck Muncie of heart failure at age 60, concussions in the NFL and the strange case of hockey player Derek Boogaard

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Essential Pittsburgh
12:28 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

The Host with the Most Comes to Pittsburgh

Credit Rico Gagliano / Twitter
Rico Gagliano uses his B.A. in Film Studies from Pitt, and M.F.A. in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute to offer up unique culture, food, and conversation for your next dinner party

Rico Gagliano, arts and culture journalist, producer, and host is best known for his work in public radio. He spent several years reporting for the business show Marketplace, filing stories from all over the world and across the U.S. 

Rico currently co-hosts and co-produces The Dinner Party Download for American Public Media.  The Pittsburgh native talks about his show and his favorite hometown haunts, past and present.

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Essential Pittsburgh
12:18 pm
Sun May 19, 2013

The Overshadowing Presence of Mayor Ravenstahl

Credit Noah Brode / WESA
Is Mayor Ravenstahl really Captain Distraction?

In his latest column, Pittsburgh Tribune columnist Eric Heyl gives Mayor Ravenstahl the moniker Captain Distraction, referring to his overshadowing presence in this year's Democratic mayoral primary. On this day before the election we'll discuss how the mayor's travails continue to hold public fascination.

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Essential Pittsburgh
11:30 am
Fri May 17, 2013

Pittsburgh Artist Finds Inspiration in a Century-Old Timepiece

After a century in downtown Pittsburgh, residents of the city can still recall telling friends and family to “meet me under the Kaufmann’s Clock.” The bronze ornamental clock, which still hangs at the corner of Smithfield Street and Fifth Avenue, has served as a meeting place for Pittsburghers for years. Macy's celebrates the clock's 100th anniversary with a city proclamation of May 17th as "Meet Me Under the Clock Day" as well as events surrounding this cherished Kaufmann's tradition.

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Essential Pittsburgh
7:48 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

The Pennsylvania Pension Crisis: How Did We Get Here?

Credit WESA
In recent years, the Public School Employees Retirement System went from 123 percent funded in 2000 to an 81 percent funding level six years later. The State Employees Retirement System has had a similar fate. The Corbett administration has introduced legislation to reform the pension systems, but unions argue the governor's plan violates the state constitution.

Gov. Tom Corbett and his allies in the state Legislature have introduced controversial legislation to reform the pension systems for state employees and public school teachers.

The sponsors say the bills make necessary cuts to reduce the state’s massive liability problem. Unions argue that the measures are illegal because they cut current workers’ future benefits.

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Essential Pittsburgh
1:30 pm
Thu May 16, 2013

A Dialogue On The Death Penalty With Sister Helen Prejean

Credit Rodef Shalom Congregation
Sister Helen Prejean shares her experience working with inmates on death row

Sister Helen Prejean, has been an advocate for the abolishment of the death penalty, and a spiritual advisor for death row inmates and their families for decades.

Her bestselling book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States inspired an Oscar nominated film of the same name. This week, Sister Helen comes to Pittsburgh's Rodef Shalom Congregation to speak about capital punishment and the nation's criminal justice system.

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Essential Pittsburgh
8:28 pm
Wed May 15, 2013

IRS Scrutiny of Conservative Groups In Pennsylvania

Credit Wikipedia
The IRS building on Constitution Ave in Washington D.C.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that his administration had sought and accepted Steven Miller's resignation as interim commissioner of the IRS. The announcement came after news that IRS employees inappropriately targeted conservative and Tea Party advocacy groups.

Jennifer Stefano, tried to start an advocacy group, The Loyal Opposition. It was one of at least three conservative groups in Pennsylvania to receive extra scrutiny from the IRS.

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Essential Pittsburgh
8:27 pm
Wed May 15, 2013

City Spree: Adults Running Amuck in the Steel City

Credit Amanda Westmont / Flickr
The more you explore the more points you gain. City Spree encourages adults to get out and play

   

The City Spree is a citywide race with no course and no boundaries. Find your own path, explore, and check in, the further you are from the starting point the better. The unique event encourages Pittsburghers to race beyond their comfort zone and explore new neighborhoods. Remember the carefree days of youth and playing outdoors with kids in your neighborhood? Now you have an excuse to run amuck again.

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