90.5 WESA

Eric Garcetti Wins L.A. Mayor's Race

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:33:00 +0000

The next mayor of Los Angeles will be City Councilman Eric Garcetti.

In a race in which the two top contenders were both Democrats, the 42-year-old Garcetti has opened a 7- to 8-percentage-point lead over City Controller Wendy Greuel as Tuesday's votes are being counted.

Early Wednesday, according to the

-- In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery.

-- Anthony Weiner Jumps Into Race To Be NYC Mayor.

And here are more early headlines:

Garcetti Wins L.A.

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:03:00 +0000
The news Wednesday from Moore, Okla., much of which was destroyed by a massive tornado Monday, begins with word that officials doubt they will find any more survivors or bodies under the hundreds of homes, businesses and other buildings that were leveled.
Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird put it this way Tuesday: After searches of all damaged buildings, "I'm 98 percent sure we're good."
That means the official dea

Anthony Weiner Jumps Into Race To Be NYC Mayor

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:57:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x92OWufIWcU

Book News: Newly Found Pearl Buck Novel To Be Published This Fall

Annalisa Quinn — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:35:00 +0000
The daily lowdown on books, publishing, and the occasional author behaving badly.
A never-before-seen novel by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl Buck that was discovered in a Texas storage unit will be published in October.

Parking Industry Tries To Make Your Life Easier

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:04:00 +0000
The future of parking has been showcased in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, this week at the International Parking Institute's annual conference. The conversation has been about helping drivers get in and out of spaces as conveniently as possible.

Court Rules Vacation Rental Site Illegal In New York

Ilya Marritz — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:04:00 +0000
In New York, a judge has dealt a setback to Airbnb, the popular website for short term apartment rentals. The judge ruled an Airbnb user violated a New York City law when he rented a room to a visitor from out of town. The judge's decision casts doubt on New Yorkers' ability to make use of the site legally.

Why Apple (And Lots Of Other Companies) Wound Up In Ireland

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000
Apple was criticized in a Senate committee hearing Tuesday for using complex accounting to minimize the corporate taxes it pays.

West Bank Businesses Seek Growth Amid Uncertainty

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:04:00 +0000
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heads back to Israel and the West Bank on Thursday for more talks on restarting peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. When he was there last month, he walked away with at least one agreement — to improve the West Bank economy.

Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000
It's exactly the sort of futuristic thinking you'd expect from Google and NASA: Late last week, the organizations announced a partnership to build a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at NASA's Ames Research Center.
But questions surround the new type of computer at the lab's core. D-Wave systems, the company that makes the machine, says it is a quantum computer — a machine that runs on the strange laws of quantum mechanics.

Instead Of Snoozing In Savings, Let's Put $5,000 To Work

Uri Berliner — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:01:00 +0000
If you have a savings account you probably already know this: Your money there is losing value to inflation. Yields are so low that returns are not even keeping up with the cost of living.
I've been watching some of my own savings dwindle. And that prompted me to take up a challenge: I'm taking $5,000 from personal savings and putting it to work. I'm not a financial whiz, pundit or any kind of guru.
In the coming weeks, I'll be reporting on the various investments I decide to pursue.

Boomer Housemates Have More Fun

Julie Rovner — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000
Today more than 1 in every 3 baby boomers — that huge glut of people born between 1948 and 1964 — is unmarried. And those unmarried boomers are disproportionately women.

Dems Hold on to PA House Seat in South Hills

Kevin Gavin — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:04 +0000

Democrat Dan Miller will be the new state legislator in the 42^nd House district that has been without representation for more than five months.
Miller, a special education attorney, defeated two other contenders in a special election Tuesday. He will succeed Democrat Matt Smith who held that House seat for six years.

After Election, City Council Remains Essentially the Same

Erika Beras — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:41:02 +0000

In the fourth district, which represents Pittsburgh’s southern neighborhoods such as Beechview and Brookline, incumbent City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak won against Johnny Lee.
Rudiak said she has spent the last four years building the foundation for the next four years.
“I look forward to working on a united front on the relationships I’ve been building with the state representatives and state senators and (the) county executive to really actualize on some of these projects,” she said.
Some of her plans involve revitalizing business districts.

Backing Becks: Don't Knock The Soccer Star's Talents

Frank Deford — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:04:00 +0000
The most unforgiving criticism in sport is directed at any athlete who fans believe is celebrated too excessively above his true talent level — especially those stars who are gloried because they're such pretty people.
To wit: As David Beckham retires, so much attention is being devoted not to how good he was but to how good he was not. I never saw that emphasized with a fine athlete before.

It's Peduto: City Councilman Clinches Mayoral Primary Win

Deanna Garcia, Noah Brode and Larkin Page-Jacobs — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:59:59 +0000

City Councilman Bill Peduto beat out three other Democratic contenders Tuesday for a win in Pittsburgh's hotly contested mayoral primary.

Peduto is hoping to win the seat currently held by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who announced in March he was not seeking re-election. While this was a primary race, Peduto’s victory all but guarantees him the seat. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Pittsburgh by a wide margin, and the city hasn’t had a Republican mayor since 1934.

Pop City Innovation News

Heather McClain — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Airing Wednesday at noon on 90.5 WESA
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 to choose from when reporting on the next big thing.

The Results Are In: Analysis of the Pittsburgh Primary Races

Heather McClain — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Airing Wednesday at noon on 90.5 WESA
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 seats.

We'll have analysis and reaction to the primary election results, with City Paper Editor Chris Potter and Duquesne Law Professor Joseph Sabino Mistick.

Updates from Tuesday's Primary Election

WESA Staff — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:23:39 +0000

On Tuesday, Democratic voters in the City of Pittsburgh will choose among four mayoral candidates.
Other races in the region include four Pittsburgh City Council seats (three contested), five seats on the Pittsburgh Public Schools board and seven Allegheny County Council seats. There will also be a special election in the state's 42nd House District.
90.5 WESA reporters will be reporting updates using #WESAelex.

Game Commission to Track Newly Hatched Peregrine Falcons in Harrisburg

Mary Wilson — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:21:29 +0000

The Pennsylvania Game Commission Tuesday affixed special tracking bands to the legs of peregrine falcons that have hatched atop a state office building in Harrisburg.

The agency has been monitoring the offspring of falcons nesting on the building ledge since 2000 as part of an effort to help the recovery of a bird that is on the state’s endangered species list.

Game Commission biologist Art McMorris said the falcon population may improve enough to come off that list in the next decade.

Idaho Terrorism Suspect Waives Detention Hearing

Howard Berkes — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:16:00 +0000
The 30-year-old Uzbek national accused of a terrorist conspiracy in Idaho and Utah waived his right to a detention hearing in Boise on Tuesday, and apparently avoided public disclosure of details of his alleged crimes.
According to a federal court document, an attorney for Fazliddin Kurbanov withdrew his client's request for the hearing.

Why Oklahomans Don't Like Basements

Scott Neuman — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:10:00 +0000
When Randy Keller moved from Texas to the Oklahoma City area seven years ago, he couldn't find the house he was looking for.
"I was moving from Texas, where there are also a lot of tornadoes," says the professor of geology and geophysics at the University of Oklahoma who experienced the 1970 tornado in Lubbock, Texas.

Two Key Candidates Barred From Seeking Iran's Presidency

Krishnadev Calamur — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:04:00 +0000
Iran's powerful Guardian Council has disqualified two key candidates — a former president and a top aide to the current president — from running in the June 14 presidential election.
The Guardian Council, which vets all candidates, approved eight names Tuesday but left out former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, who was handpicked by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Mashaei said he would appeal the decision to the country's supreme leader; Rafsanjani did not comment.
The Associated Press has