💫 Meteor shower tonight

ICE Wants 60 Parking Spots

The federal agency hasn't said who the spaces would be used for or whether they’re directly tied to an expansion effort. [Public Source]

• Activists worry ICE wants to turn the Moshannon Valley Processing Center into an official detention center. [Spotlight PA]
• A new cost calculator shows Pittsburghers are paying $2,100 each for mass deportations. The combined $214.3 million from Pittsburgh taxpayers could hire 712 school teachers or give 5,268 parents 12 weeks of paid parental leave. [Economic Policy Institute]
• Springdale residents are frustrated with local leaders due to increased ICE activity in the borough. Police signed an agreement with ICE last November and several people have been arrested, but some say police are going outside the borough to support ICE activities. [Public Source]

Feds Call Clairton Blast ‘Preventable’

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Clairton Coke Works explosion. The blast killed two workers, Timothy Quinn and Steve Menefee, and left several others injured, causing $52 million in property damage to the 125-year-old plant. A new report finds owner U.S. Steel could have prevented the incident by implementing better cleaning processes. [🔒 Post Gazette]

• Nippon executives have been in town more since the historic sale went through last June. Check out the pod for the sushi rec they swear by. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

Way Mo’ Waymo in Pgh

Waymo Ojais (the company’s self-driving minivan) have been around with human drivers since May, but I recently spotted them in Squirrel Hill and Mellon Park. The company says it will eventually offer driverless rideshares in Pittsburgh, but hasn’t specified a timeline. [Axios]

• Would you use a self-driving rideshare? Axios’ transportation correspondent shared an experience that actually gave her more faith in the service. [City Cast Pittsburgh]

Future Hall-of-Famers?

A bunch of Pittsburghers are eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year: former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and teammates Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown — plus Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who graduated from Woodland Hills. Players must be retired for five years to be considered. [SteelersNow / CBS Sports]

• You might call a couple of these players local villains. Are they worthy of a redemption arc? [City Cast Pittsburgh]

“Take what you need and give what you can.” That’s the ethos behind free fridges around Pittsburgh — places where neighbors can donate or find fresh produce, prepared meals, and other essentials.

Locate a community fridge and more resources to support hungry neighbors below.

East Allegheny

The Garden Café community fridge accepts groceries, shelf-stable items, and toiletries. Pre-packaged foods, fresh produce, eggs, and dairy products are always first to go. Prepared foods can be donated as long as they’re from a commercial kitchen and have all the ingredients listed. Find more guidance on The Garden Café’s website.

Millvale

You can’t miss the rainbow-painted fridge and pantry behind the Millvale Community Library. The fridge accepts fresh and frozen items and often contains drop-offs from nearby restaurants. Support the fridge by donating food, buying items on their Amazon Wish List, or volunteering.