🎒 ICE fears in local schools

Post-Gazette’s Last Day on the North Shore

PG employees will work remotely after today. They were expected to move into a nearby office space before PG owner Block Communications Inc. announced the paper would close May 3. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

• Kevin Acklin says he’s assembled a group of potential buyers, but the Blocks have been unwilling to discuss a sale. Acklin is an attorney, former Penguins executive, and was chief of staff for former Mayor Bill Peduto. [KDKA]

ICE Fears Rattle Pittsburgh Classrooms

Recent rumors of ICE activity near schools have put students and staff on high alert. One ESL teacher said about half of his students were absent last Friday. Parents and teachers are strategizing ways to protect students, like alerting each other about ICE sightings on a private messaging app. [WESA]

• The recent detainment of a Springdale resident also prompted Allegheny Valley School District to consider policies to safeguard students. Randy Cordova Flores, a father of two school-aged kids, was handed over to ICE by borough police following a traffic stop. He is in good standing with his asylum process and has no criminal record. [Public Source]
• Isn’t ICE banned from school property? They used to be, but the Trump administration rescinded that rule, and ICE encounters at schools have been reported in multiple states. Pittsburgh Public Schools has its own rule barring agents from entering buildings without clearance. [K-12Dive]
• PA is fragmented, so spaces like hospitals, museums, and local school districts must each decide their own rules about when and how to work with ICE. Watch for our podcast with County Executive Sara Innamorato for more on that next week 👀 [City Cast Pittsburgh]

‘Fridays With(out) Fetterman’ Launch Today

Indivisible Pittsburgh is hosting weekly rallies outside the federal building Downtown to demand Sen. John Fetterman hear his constituents. Today’s event addresses the Homeland Security funding bill currently being negotiated in Congress. [Indivisible Pittsburgh]

• For years, activists staged similar protests, dubbed “Tuesdays with Toomey,” to get Republican Pat Toomey to talk. It rarely worked. [City Cast Pittsburgh]
• A noisy rally was organized outside of a North Shore hotel this week where it's rumored ICE agents are staying — a growing protest trend across the U.S. [WESA]

US Steel Fined for Safety Violations

OSHA fined the steelmaker $118,000 for violations leading up to last year’s fatal explosion at Clairton Coke Works, which killed two people and injured several others. U.S. Steel was cited for inadequate safety procedures, employee training, and equipment, as well as not delivering timely incident reports. [TribLive]