In the News

They buy houses: Opportunity in Pittsburgh suburbs?

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Atlantic Cities checks into Penn Hills outside of Pittsburgh, where suburban home foreclosures and economic distress have created opportunities in the face of decline.

Helping suburban communities deal with blight and vacant properties is a mission of the University of Pittsburgh’s CONNECT program. Project coordinator Jay Rickabaugh and Associate Director Katherine Risko say the program is designed to help struggling municipalities such as Penn Hills take advantage of tools they don’t necessarily know they have: Code enforcement laws, for example, along with eager students at local universities who can help identify slum landlords and map out properties that need to be torn down urgently.

Original source: The Atlantic Cities

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Princeton Review: Penn State's student newspaper tops in the nation

Poynter Thursday, August 23, 2012

Poynter reports on the Princeton Review's somewhat mysterious national rankings of college newspapers, topped by Penn State's Daily Collegian. While it's unclear why the Collegian reigned supreme, it's no surprise to those who see the publication regularly and who work with the fine journalists it consistently produces.

Daily Collegian was publishing in the center of an enormous story all last year as Jerry Sandusky was accused of sexual abuse and coach Joe Paterno was fired. Yale’s Daily News had its great and missed columnist Marina Keegan, but it also had to investigate a fabulist who was once on staff. And University of Georgia independent newspaper The Red & Black kept Poynter staffers busy for a good part of last week with a student walkout and a scuffle between its publisher and a reporter.

Original source: Poynter

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Lower Merion, on Philadelphia's Main Line, among nation's top-earning towns

CNN Money Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Ranking behind Bethesda, Md., Greenwich, Conn., Palo Alto, Calif., and Newport Beach, Calif., suburban Philadelphia's Lower Merion was among CNN Money's top-earning towns in the U.S.

Lower Merion got its start when railroad executives built massive summer homes here. Today, it's an elite suburb of Philadelphia and dotted with colleges, including women's liberal arts school Bryn Mawr, which is also one of the township's largest employers.

Residents bring lawn chairs and blankets to twilight concerts at the Bryn Mawr Gazebo all summer long and enjoy their pick of sledding hills in the winter months. The area's 682 acres of parkland and top-rated schools in the state form a well-rounded nest for well-heeled Pennsylvanians.

Original source: CNN Money

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Underrated? Pittsburgh's transformation from industrial to chic

National Post Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The National Post chimes in on Pittsburgh's newfound wow-factor that struck this writer before he got out of his cab for his visit.

The turnaround for Pittsburgh started with the end of steel production in the city in the 1980’s. The landscape and rivers were cleaned up and now “eds and meds” are the main employers. The Strip District has been gentrified and warehouses have become ethnic eateries and shops. The downtown is compact and safe so I had no problem walking there from my convention hotel to join up with Burgh Bits and Bites for a two hour walking food tour of the Strip District.

Original source: National Post

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'Shenandoah' documentary delves into PA coal country tragedy

The New York Times Thursday, August 16, 2012

The New York Times reports on Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David C. Turnley's documentary Shenandoah that details the 2008 attack and killing of a Mexican immigrant at the hands of four high school football players.

The film weaves the football team’s struggles on the field with scenes of tense anti-immigrant protests, trial preparation and quiet, confessional interviews on darkened porches. In the months after the murder, Shenandoah, called Shen’doh by the locals, becomes a national flash point as immigration advocates come to town, television cameras in tow, demanding justice.

But the film also steps back to explore the larger story of Shenandoah’s rise and fall. Old-timers looking out on deserted streets describe a lost world where everyone had work and knew one another’s families. Now, the coal mines are closed, unemployment is high and some neighbors speak only Spanish.

Original source: The New York Times

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Marcellus Shale helps drive Pittsburgh rebound

Bloomberg Businessweek Thursday, August 16, 2012

Although drilling is banned in Pittsburgh, nearby natural gas operations have helped the city continue its economic revitalization, reports Bloomberg Businessweek.

Fracking is driving wage, job and population growth, even after health concerns led the City Council to ban it, according to development officials. Wells Fargo & Co. economists recently called Pittsburgh a “logistical hub” for the industry. To fuel the boom, Governor Tom Corbett, a Republican, is offering Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, at least $1.65 billion in tax credits to build a gas-fed chemical plant nearby.

Original source: Bloomberg Business Week

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First Round Capital makes big move from suburbs to Philadelphia

Business Insider Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Managing Partner Josh Kopelman writes in Business Insider about First Round Capital moving its headquarters from suburban West Conshohocken to University City in Philadelphia.

That’s why I’m done sitting on the sidelines. And so is First Round Capital. And I am super-excited to announce that First Round Capital is moving our headquarters from the suburbs of West Conshohocken into the city of Philadelphia. I’m trading my sterile suburban office park environment (and short commute) for proximity to Philadelphia’s entrepreneurs. We’ll be opening a 10,000 square foot facility in University City – right next to Penn’s campus. In addition to housing our Philadelphia team, the office will have space for startups – both for our portfolio companies (such as Uber’s Philly team, Curalate and Perceptual Networks) as well as other companies (like Technically Philly – who will be locating their offices there as well). It will have space to host educational and networking events. And it will have space for entrepreneurs to hang out and work.

Original source: Business Insider

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Chester County's Unequal Technologies shares secrets of bulletproof sportswear

Forbes Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Forbes checks in with Rob Vito, founder/CEO of Kennett Square-based Unequal Technologies, the company that makes sportswear that helps break your fall.

Unequal Technologies’ material works by dispersing the energy of an impact. When a player gets hit, the Kevlar fibers stretch and spread the force evenly across the surface, suppressing the shock.

“Our credo is to protect soldiers on the battlefield and to protect athletes on the sports field and to protect children in their lives,” saidVito.

Original source: Forbes

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From Peru to Zambia to Pittsburgh

NBCNews.com Thursday, August 09, 2012

Singapore, Columbia, Oman, and, Pittsburgh? NBCNews.com's Itineraries recommends Pittsburgh among a diverse group of nine places you haven't visited -- but should.

The city has reinvented itself with a vibrant arts scene, cool outdoor spaces and unique festivals. In fact, National Geographic Traveler magazine rated it among the top must-see places in the world for 2012. Our favorite spots include the Andy Warhol Museum (the artist was born here), Phipps Conservatory and a ride on a historical funicular called the Monongahela Incline. And while the city's most noteworthy contribution to the culinary world has been to slap French fries atop supersized salads, Pittsburgh is becoming a foodie town, with upscale restaurants in the downtown Strip District and a wealth of ethnic eateries sprinkled around town.

Original source: NBCNews.com

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Finally, a pizza museum, and it's in Philly

Time Thursday, August 09, 2012

Time reports on Pizza Brain, the Philadelphia pizza museum set to open this month.

Housed in a gutted and retrofitted 19th century building, the museum is intended to be a real destination, not just a kitschy display. But the “intrinsically weird” collection, which includes hundreds of LPs and 45s dedicated to pizza songs and pizza-themed comic books (Dwyer’s personal favorite), will be part of an ever-evolving art installation.

Original source: Time
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Cyclists roll into Pittsburgh to promote sustainable food systems

The Jewish Chronicle Thursday, August 09, 2012

A 10-week, national bicycle tour by a Jewish group to promote sustianble food systems hits Pittsburgh this week.

During their time in Pittsburgh, the riders will volunteer with Bike Pittsburgh’s “Bike Fest,” donate freshly made soup with Rabbi Michael Werbow, tour the Biblical Botanical Gardens at Rodef Shalom Congregation with Rabbi Sharyn Henry, and spend time at the Jewish Community Center.

The community is invited to join the riders for these events Thursday, Aug. 9, as well as the barbecue dinner, sponsored by Grow and Behold Foods. Visit hazon.org/Pittsburgh for details.

Original source: The Jewish Chronicle

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UPenn inks research and licensing deal with drugmaker Novartis for new cancer treatment

The New York Times Tuesday, August 07, 2012

The University of Pennsylvania and drug company Novartis, which has operations in Lancaster County, have joined forces to commercialize a new cancer-fighting approach that has proven promising in preliminary trials.

The alliance seeks to build on the recent results of an experimental treatment that trains a person’s immune system to kill cancer cells. Scientists at the university announced last year significant results in several patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia who were treated using the new technique, including two who went into complete remission.

Original source: The New York Times

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FoxNews labels Pittsburgh a top revival city

FoxNews Thursday, August 02, 2012

FoxNews chooses four American cities that are undergoing significant revival, and Pittsburgh is among the quartet.

Culture attractions and great eats have helped make this post-industrial city a budget-friendly destination. Pittsburgh is home to three scenic rivers, 22 miles of riverfront walking and biking trails and 89 neighborhoods.

Original source: FoxNews

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Two PA employers among nation's top 25 toughest job interviewers

Huffington Post Thursday, August 02, 2012

Allentown's Amazon facility and Philadelphia's Susquehanna International Group are among 25 of the toughest job interviews in a report compiled by Huffington Post.

In a down economy, acing a job interview has become increasingly important. With 3.5 unemployed people for each job opening in May, tough competition means credentials and qualifications found on a resume may not be enough, TIME reports. Instead, employers are concerned with how an employee will fit in.

Original source: Huffington Post

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Trio of Carnegie International curators bring more global context to 2013 exhibition in Pittsburgh

ArtDaily Thursday, August 02, 2012

Art Daily talks to three curators, including one from Switzerland, who are helping to recast the annual Carnegie International art, the second oldest international art exhibition in the world, as more of a global effort.

Even as the International brings the far reaches of the art world to Pittsburgh, it remains firmly rooted in the city. At the Carnegie International apartment in the city’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, artists, curators, writers, and the interested public gather to discuss some of the ideas shaping the exhibition and the larger world. The curators are also in the process of selecting other off-site exhibition venues across the city, and according to Baumann, as they develop the big ideas that will carry through the show, they agreed that the exhibition “would not drop on the city from out of nowhere…but will be developed in exchange with Pittsburgh, its people, and its urban fabric. The 2013 Carnegie International is as much about bringing Pittsburgh to the world as it is about bringing the world to Pittsburgh.”

Original source: ArtDaily

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