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⛺ Last Downtown Homeless Encampment Closes

City and county services cleared an encampment along the Eliza Furnace Trail using what leaders call a “housing-first” approach, connecting people with housing resources before closing the site. This method contrasts with the city’s previous “sweeps” and forced removals. More than 270 people have moved into housing since last June, when the county launched a major housing campaign. [90.5 WESA]

• 🪨 Several former encampment sites have been covered with boulders, which some advocates describe as “hostile architecture,” or spaces without any other use besides blocking people from gathering. [PublicSource]
• 📌 Where else is hostile architecture? Pitt graduate Natalie Hancher created this local map. [Pittsburgh Hostile Architecture]

⚖️ CMU Fights Against Federal Research Cuts

Universities, hospitals, and 22 states filed lawsuits against the Trump administration for its efforts to cut billions in funding from the National Institutes of Health — and now a federal judge has temporarily blocked the order. Leaders at CMU, which was part of the lawsuit, say the cuts would affect universities’ abilities to “support groundbreaking research that advances human health and improves lives.” [90.5 WESA]

• 📊 By the numbers: Locally, Pitt receives the most NIH funding. [NIH]

✈️ Marc Fogel Freed From Russian Prison

The Oakmont teacher is coming home after being detained in Russia since August 2021 for possessing medical cannabis. The Trump administration said it negotiated an exchange to release Fogel, who had been working at a school in Moscow before he was arrested. [TribLive]