On today’s program: A new look, leader and vision for the group behind Pittsburgh's marathon; Kitchen of Grace provides a place for teens to gain tools for future employment; landowners go up against energy companies in Ohio; questions in Harrisburg over a tax break for those who give scholarships to private schools; and the Supreme Court wraps up its term with a series of tight rulings.
New P3R CEO wants to hit the ground running
(0:00 – 12:33)
The organization behind the Pittsburgh Marathon, P3R, organizes dozens of events across the region each year. Incoming CEO Troy Schooley, who is taking over for long-time director Patrice Matamoros, says he hopes rebranding will help get the word out about these other races.
The effort includes a new logo and medal for runners competing in P3R's three major races–the marathon, Fleet Feet Liberty Mile and the EQT Pittsburgh 10 Miler–over the course of a calendar year. Schooley says it's all part of a broader effort to reward would-be racers in Pittsburgh.
“We don’t care if you’re running the one-mile marathon with your kid, or a 5K, or the marathon. We just want people out there moving,” he says. “You don’t have to be an elite runner to be healthy, and you don’t have to look like a runner to finish one of our races.”
Kitchen of Grace cooks up success
(13:54 – 17:33)
When Lateresa Blackwell founded Kitchen of Grace, a no-charge workforce development program for teens, she wanted to offer young people in her Marshall-Shadeland community a place to learn the skills they need to be successful. She spoke to 90.5 WESA’s Elaine Effort about how Kitchen of Grace has blossomed into a place where teens can feel empowered.
Energy companies and landowners at odds over mineral rights
(17:36 – 24:45)
Under Ohio law, landowners can be forced to lease their underground mineral rights to energy companies. As part of the Allegheny Front’s series on fracking in Ohio, Who’s Listening?, Julie Grant takes a look at what happens when landowners say no to fracking companies.
Do opportunity tax credit programs actually benefit students?
(24:49 – 30:27)
Scholarship money raised through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit is theoretically meant to go to poorer families whose students could otherwise be stuck in "failing public schools," but WHYY's Avi Wolfman-Arent reports there's little public data about who actually benefits from these programs.
SCOTUS makes offers narrow rulings as term ends
(30:29 – 38:36)
Gerrymandering, racial prejudice in jury selection and a certain U.S. Census question were among the issues considered by the U.S. Supreme Court this term, and WESA legal analyst David Harris says at least one ruling could leave other states taking cues from Pennsylvania's efforts at redistricting. Next term, the high court will decide whether Trump has the authority to end the federal DACA program.
90.5 WESA's Julia Zenkevich, Julia Maruca and Hannah Gaskill contributed to this program.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in weekdays at 9 a.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
