🦬 Baby bison in South Park!

Mental Health Care Changes at Allegheny County Jail

A consent order filed in federal court this week settled a 2020 class-action lawsuit against the Allegheny County Jail. The suit claims that the jail does not provide necessary mental health care and uses forceful tactics such as irritant spray, resistant chairs, and solitary confinement. The settlement agreement orders the county to “make significant changes to improve the jail’s treatment of people with psychiatric disabilities — including reining in the use of force and meeting required staffing levels.” [PublicSource]

• 📣 There’s a lot of drama at the jail, and it’s often dealt with at Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meetings. But who is on it? And what does the board do? [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Pittsburgh Is Behind on Its Emissions Goal

If the city wants to meet its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, it will have to reduce its emissions around 100 times faster than the current rate. While Pittsburgh has been able to reduce emissions from commercial buildings, the numbers have gone up for residential energy, industrial energy, transportation, and waste.

• 👀 Take a closer look at Pittsburgh’s first greenhouse gas inventory since 2013. [90.5 WESA]

Plastic Bag Ban Is Working, Mostly

The PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center randomly visited 50 Pittsburgh businesses to investigate which retailers and restaurants are following the plastic bag ban and found that 41 — or 82% — were on track. One thing to note: This only represents a small fraction of the city’s 3,000+ businesses. The study revealed, however, that restaurants are slower to adopt the policy than other businesses. [TribLIVE]

• 🚫 Here’s what you should know about the city’s plastic bag ordinance. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Pittsburgh’s Boozy History, Favorite Cocktails & Spicy New Brewery

National Cocktail Day is this Sunday, so we’re pulling up our bar stools to bask in Pittsburgh’s boozy legacy, from the Whiskey Rebellion and Prohibition to modern makers and mixers. City Cast Pittsburgh host Megan Harris and I share some reader and listener favorites and introduce you to Jackworth Ginger Beer, a new brewery in Larimer that’s creating cocktails steeped in the spirits of Pennsylvania.