📣 Local ICE response trainings

Can the Post-Gazette Be Saved?

Conversations are in the works to attract new investors and potentially convert the 140-year-old newspaper into a nonprofit. Earlier this month, Block Communication Inc. announced the PG will close May 3. [Axios Pittsburgh / 🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

• If the paper stays open, it’s unclear what the future structure — and union representation — may look like. A letter signed by 49 employees calls for a new election and says the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh has been “misrepresenting our prevailing views for many years.” [TribLive]
• After a three-year strike, Guild members returned to work in November — but the saga continues. The National Labor Relations Board is seeking contempt charges against the PG for not complying with court orders. [🔒 Business Times]

PPS Will Vote To Reconsider School Closures

Next week, the Pittsburgh Public Schools board will decide whether to revisit school closure discussions. The board nixed a proposal in November to close and consolidate a bunch of schools and make structural changes to address issues like declining enrollment and the growing deficit. Many parents and other stakeholders felt the process was rushed and asked the district to gather more information. [WESA / 🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Local Org Holds ICE Response Training

More than 500 people participated in Frontline Dignity’s training at Shadyside Presbyterian Church this week — an effort to educate citizens on deescalation and how to support people being taken into custody by federal immigration agents. Get a crash course on the training.

• ICE arrests are on the rise in the Pittsburgh region. Can you be charged for getting in an agent's way? [Public Source / 🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]
• An “ICE Out for Good” protest is happening at 2 p.m. today at East Liberty Presbyterian Church. [Indivisible]

Will The Strip Get More Luxury Condos?

A local developer is proposing a 39-residence condo project at a historic warehouse on 26th Street. Another condo plan on Penn Avenue was recently denied by Pittsburgh’s Zoning Board, but developers hope Mayor O’Connor’s pro-development stance will work in their favor. [Axios Pittsburgh / NEXTpittsburgh]

• Hear Mayor O’Connor’s big development goals, from filling storefronts to revamping the Boulevard of the Allies. [🎧📝 City Cast Pittsburgh]

City Paper closed. The Post-Gazette is next. Now what?

What happens to a community when newspapers shut down?

Hear media experts talk about the state of local journalism and how we can build a more sustainable future at The Pittsburgh Tomorrow Intersection, Jan. 29 at the Heinz History Center.

🎙️ Don’t miss City Cast Pittsburgh podcast host Megan Harris on a panel alongside journalists from outlets across the city. Then stick around for food, drinks, and mingling with community leaders.