Go For It: Pittsburgh Should Explore A Summer Olympics Bid

Dream big, Pittsburgh.

Duquesne University’s view of the Pittsburgh skyline. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As in Olympic gold.

The invitation from the U.S. Olympic Committee for this city to be among 35 in the country to bid for the 2024 Summer Games is a privilege.  More than that, it’s an opportunity and Pittsburgh should go for it.

Sure, the odds look long. But who, 11 years prior to 2009, could have conceived of Pittsburgh hosting the G-20 Summit?  Not possible, people would have said.  Not here, would have been the reaction.  Get aht.

Likewise, who, 11 years prior to 1996, could have conceived of Atlanta hosting the Summer Olympics?  No doubt not many Atlantans, yet now that city is the capital of the New South and everything has changed.  So it could be with Pittsburgh.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/go-for-it-pittsburgh-should-explore-a-summer-olympics-bid-676446/#ixzz2LdoHfvud

Gas Prices Soar Across U.S.

WASHINGTON – The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped 45 cents in the past 31 days, according to AAA, the fastest run-up since 2005.

Retail gasoline prices have climbed for 33 days in a row.  A month ago, a gallon of regular gasoline cost $3.30; on Tuesday it stood at $3.75 nationwide.

Gasoline prices have risen to within a nickel of $4 a gallon in the District of Columbia as pump prices nationwide have been marching higher – the result of refinery closures and maintenance, lower oil production by Saudi Arabia, market anxiety about tensions in Iran and Iraq, and guarded optimism about the prospects for economic recovery in the United States, Europe and China.

Read more:  http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/gas-prices-soar-across-us/1

Blair County Representatives Visit Reading

If law enforcement leaders can lay out a clear-cut strategy to reduce drug and gang activity in Reading and Berks County, there is a good chance businesses will be willing to pay for some of it.

That was the feeling of Ellen T. Horan, president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry, on Thursday after she and other area leaders got a rundown of how a business-fueled crime-fighting program has succeeded in Blair County.

“In our community, it would be helpful to have the business community step up, if we developed some strategies and expected outcomes,” Horan said.

The nonprofit program, Operation Our Town, was started by business leaders in Blair County to help fund law enforcement and community efforts to stop young people from becoming criminals.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=454375