🗳 ​​What to know before you vote next week

CCAC Student Decline Affects Pgh

More than 5,500 students left the Community College of Allegheny County during the pandemic, but its decline began long before — the 2022 student body was half the size it was in fall 2010. The enrollment drop has consequences for the region like a decrease in county revenue, lower lifetime earnings for residents, and an exacerbation of labor shortages; enrollment in CCAC’s nursing and allied health programs has respectively dropped by about 30% and 40% since the fall of 2019. [PublicSource]

• Related: Duquesne University is attempting to attract more transfer students by matching up to $20,400 of what students receive from the Pennsylvania State Grant program. [TribLIVE]

North Hills Native Won the Pittsburgh Marathon

2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials participant Margo Malone triumphed at Sunday’s 26.2-mile race, clocking in at 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 56 seconds. It was her first win in her hometown. [WTAE-TV]

Beware Of Invasives

It’s plant swapping season, but make sure you’re not trading plants that can overwhelm the rest of your garden. Local gardeners, nursery owners, and landscape designers gave a list of what they’d NEVER plant in their garden: invasives like bamboo, burning bush, Japanese barberry, and miscanthus ornamental grass. [Pittsburgh Union Progress]

• 🎧 We talked about how to weed out invasive species on the City Cast Pittsburgh podcast at the end of last summer. Update for yinz: my knotweed came back with a vengeance. Has anyone actually had success at getting rid of knotweed? Did you do it yourself or call in an expert? I need to know.

Let’s play our weekly game! Where can you find this big, blue Queen Anne-style house?

As always, I’ll reveal the location and shout out the winners in tomorrow’s neighborhood feature.

📣 Hailer v. Allegheny County | Wednesday | 9 a.m.

Head to the City County Building to support the Pittsburgh Institute of Nonprofit Journalism as it fights to get answers for families whose loved ones died in Allegheny County Jail. [free, Downtown]

🍄 Mushroom Cultivation 101 | Thursday | 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Get a beginners lesson with PA Mushroom Company at Strageroots Experimental Ales. [$50, Millvale]

🥕 Market Square Farmers Market | Thursday | 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Kickoff the first market of the year with locally grown produce, small-batch foods, and more vendors in Market Square. [free, Downtown]

Get Involved This Kitten Season

Did you know that kittens can get pregnant at just four months old and cats can birth as many as five litters every year? That’s a lot of kittens, and if they aren’t brought into a shelter as babies, they often end up in overpopulated outdoor cat colonies. That’s where local rescues like Conquer the Colony step up to help maintain the population through its trap, neuter, and return program. I’m on the mic today with founders Erin Hartman and Kelly Kraus to talk about how, with a crate and some patience, anyone can get involved.