On today’s episode of The Confluence:
New concept for Pittsburgh’s Art Commission coming into focus
(0:00 - 8:06)
Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s plan to split the city’s art commission into two.
Of the two committees, one would oversee public art in the city, reviewing submissions by artists. The other committee would review vivid design, what city buildings look like when renovated or landscaping. The previous art commission, which the mayor dismissed last month, handled both responsibilities, often reviewing many applications for projects and sitting through three-to-four hours long meetings.
“The city council has its last official meeting of the year next Wednesday. They may vote on these ordinance changes as soon as then,” says Bill O’Driscoll, WESA’s arts and culture reporter. “Next thing after that is the mayor has to put forth his nominees.”
The nominees have to be approved by council, which could happen before the next scheduled Art Commission meeting on Jan. 25.
Minors in Pennsylvania must get parental consent for abortions, or go before a judge
(8:18 - 16:51)
Since the U.S Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision on June 24, access to abortion has become more and more tenuous. However, for minors in certain states — including Pennsylvania — accessing an abortion could require additional steps.
Pennsylvania has a law requiring a minor to have parental consent before getting an abortion. If a minor doesn’t have that, they can go before a judge, asking them to sign an order allowing the minor to consent to having an abortion. Under this process, called judicial bypass, judges are asked to assess whether the minor is mature and capable of giving informed consent for the abortion.
“Under Pennsylvania's parental consent law, the minor has the right to petition the county court in which they live or the county in which they're seeking abortion care,” says Christine Castro, an attorney with the Women's Law Project, which represents minors seeking judicial bypass. “What we see is most young people who go through this court process petition the court in which they're seeking abortion care.”
Castro says the options for abortion care are concentrated in Pittsburgh or the Philadelphia region, and so that’s where a lot of these judicial bypass cases take place.
The Women's Law Project receives about one to two calls a week from minors seeking information about the judicial bypass process.
Financial problems among one of the first signs of adults developing dementia (16:53 - 22:30)
A 2017 study from Boston College found that by the time they're diagnosed with dementia, just 20% of people can manage their own money. This puts financial institutions in a tricky spot.
90.5 WESA’s Sarah Boden reports banks and brokerages don’t know what role they should play in protecting the wealth of this vulnerable population.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.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.
