Pittsburgh Land Bank struggles, paramedic suspended, theaters merge, and more
What’s happening locally, nationally, and globally
By Christopher Flowers
The world is an interconnected web of business and political deals. Things around the world can affect you in Pittsburgh and elsewhere. Let’s take a look at what’s happening locally and globally in the Weekly Roundup. Click here for last week’s headlines.
Michigan joined Minnesota in reporting cyberattacks on nine of the state’s water systems, the Associated Press reports, adding that an official said all systems were operating “safely.” Experts are saying Iran is responsible. The president, a 34-time felon elected by millions of gullible rubes, blamed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for the attacks. How much more embarrassing can it get from this worthless octogenarian?
Additional reading:
Trump’s presidency is what evil looks like: absurd, frightening, cruel (the Guardian)
Why is Donald Trump so mean? (Le Monde)
Trump Isn’t Mentally Ill; He’s Evil (Common Dreams)
The evil that Trump does will live on after his presidency (the Cap Times)
What’s happening in…
Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Land Bank, which works to revitalize abandoned buildings, is running out of funding, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. “Over the past five years, the land bank has received close to $3.5 million from the city’s allocation of the federal COVID-19 relief fund. In 2025, that money accounted for almost 60% of its entire budget,” the article states. “Now, with the federal funds set to expire at the end of this year – and the city’s overall financial health under threat — it’s unclear how or even whether that money can be replaced. Advocates say that with the loss of the temporary federal funding that fueled its operations in recent years, the land bank could slip back into disuse. “It would be a shame if we get this far and just stop,” said Chris Rosselot, policy director with the Pittsburgh Community Redevelopment Group, which pushed state lawmakers to allow for the creation of land banks in 2012.
A long-time Pittsburgh paramedic has been suspended, WPXI exclusively reported, after it was discovered he was working a second job at the Allegheny County Fire Academy. Under the city’s charter, “employees are not allowed to work for another municipal government entity when they are employed by the City of Pittsburgh.” Chief Investigator Rick Earle spoke with the employee by phone on Friday, and recounted his conversation. “The employee says he was shocked when he was told he was under investigation and suspended, pending termination,” adding the employee didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. “I wasn’t doing anything malicious. I thought it was all above board,” the employee reportedly said.
Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater have merged, “uniting two of the region's most storied performing arts institutions into a single company, which will be the largest professional producing theater in Pittsburgh,” per Broadway World. “The merger comes just five months after the two boards agreed to join forces and appointed six board representatives each to a twelve-member unification committee.” In that time, the group established a corporate structure and bylaws. “There was no official charter, no template, no roadmap — just a shared recognition of the importance of this project to the future of theater in this region,” said Tom McGough, board chair. “It’s a classic Pittsburgh story: people with widely different perspectives coming together to do something that just needed doing.”
The University of Pittsburgh released a study that it hopes will help explain teenage risk-taking behaviors. TribLIVE reports that the researcher believes “the findings may be related to why many teenagers drink alcohol and party less than previous generations.” Researcher Ashley Parr described risk-taking “as a tendency to act without really considering the long-term consequences.” The research aims to better understand “what influences risk-taking behavior such as substance use — and perhaps more importantly, why some teens grow out of it, while others develop long-term issues with substances and behaviors.”
Pennsylvania
Sen. Nick Miller (D-Lehigh) and Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), of the state Senate Democratic Policy Committee, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports, are focusing “on the need to lower grocery costs and the impact of federal policies on Pennsylvania’s food and farming industries.” Wendell Young, president of United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776, said the president is making things difficult: “The constant carousel of what is subject to tariffs and what isn’t, the lack of guidance from the Department of Homeland Security on what class of immigrant workers are allowed to stay in our country or not, and the modeling on how the Big Beautiful Bill will impact SNAP benefits for Pennsylvania consumers all contribute to this uncertainty.”
Despite approving the program’s curriculum last year, federal health officials abruptly cut funding for a teen pregnancy prevention program in Philadelphia. A nonprofit group, per the Philadelphia Inquirer, ran the program “for more than 1,200 students in charter schools across the city, had a five-year grant, about $1 million per year, to teach students about pregnancy prevention.” Surveys conducted at Philadelphia public high schools in 2025 showed 40% reported using a condom during sexual intercourse. “I don’t know how you talk about pregnancy prevention and not talk about condoms. You need to understand what the actions are — there are many, from abstinence to how to use a condom,” Ayana Bradshaw, AccessMatters’ president and CEO, said.
Pennsylvania saw a reduction in hunting-related shooting incidents in 2025, with 13 cases recorded among more than 831,000 licensed hunters, per PennLive. The commission attributes the long-term decline to mandatory safety training.
A Hanover shop owner known for tarot readings and spiritual guidance is in a legal fight over a Civil War-era Pennsylvania law, per WHP. Beck Ravenswood, owner of The Serpent’s Key, which opened in Hanover in 2023, said, “I thought it was a joke.” The issue centers on Pennsylvania’s “fortune telling statute,” first established in 1861, which says “A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree if he pretends for gain or lucre, to tell fortunes or predict future events, by cards, tokens.”
National
Rep. Max Miller not dropping out after domestic abuse allegations (Axios)
Scouting America drops diversity initiatives from event after pressure from the Pentagon (the Associated Press)
Trump offering early access to online posts in move seen as corruption (the Guardian)
World
Ceuta grapples with aftermath of border surge after most migrants leave the Spanish territory (the Associated Press)
Why Trump’s new plan to disarm Hamas is unlikely to yield a quick win in Gaza (NBC News)
Brazil’s Lula launches fourth-term bid, focuses on national sovereignty (Al Jazeera)
Anti-LGBTQ+ laws are on the rise across west Africa, campaigners warn (the Guardian)
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