Southwest Pa. Is Safe, Prosperous — Struggles With Poor Air Quality, Obesity, Report Finds

Southwestern Pennsylvania has low unemployment, a plethora of high school and college graduates and relatively safe streets, but residents are more likely to smoke cigarettes and be overweight compared to a group other major U.S. metro areas, according to a University of Pittsburgh report released Wednesday.

The “2015 Pittsburgh Today & Tomorrow Report” from Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Research compared 11 quality-of-life factors in Southwestern Pennsylvania to 14 other metro areas.

Researchers found that while the region “continues to be a national model for economic recovery and public safety, the region still has major deficiencies in overcoming issues related to the environment, infrastructure, public health, and other matters that are key to the quality of life for most Americans.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8130203-74/percent-residents-report#ixzz3WjladgL5
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Pittsburgh URA Set To Approve Housing Developments In Larimer, East Liberty

A new day is dawning in Larimer, with the city getting ready to plant the first seeds in a massive effort to revitalize the neighborhood with the help of a $30 million federal grant.

Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority board members are poised to give the go-ahead Thursday for construction of 85 mixed-income residential units in Larimer and East Liberty, the first phase of a broader $400 million revitalization strategy.

The townhouses and apartments will be built at the site of the former Liberty Park site and Omega Place in East Liberty and the former Auburn Towers site in Larimer.

They were made possible in part because of a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant awarded last year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Pittsburgh was only one of four cities in the country to win a grant. Forty-three had applied.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2015/04/08/URA-set-to-approve-Larimer-housing-project/stories/201504080115

Vote Clears The Way For Food Trucks In York City

Free-market ideology narrowly overpowered fears of the unknown Tuesday with the York City Council’s 3-2 vote to legalize and regulate food trucks on city streets.

The decision marks the end of a long and sometimes divisive debate over the financial impact roving restaurants could have on traditional brick-and-mortar establishments.

Where some saw food trucks as a potential boon for a growing downtown business landscape, others saw a potentially diluted customer base wreaking havoc on profit margins.

In the end, mobile food proponents got what they’d asked for and more.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_27869256/vote-clears-way-food-trucks-york-city

Former Dupont Cop Charged With Sex Assault Of Boys

A former Dupont police officer was arrested Tuesday on charges he physically and sexually assaulted two young boys over a span of seven years, police said.

David Turkos, 42, of Dupont, was taken into custody after several interviews were conducted with the victims through the Child Advocacy Center.

One of the victims told officials that Turkos would handcuff them or zip tie their hands to the back of chairs or railings to keep them in place, according to an affidavit.

Turkos allegedly threatened the boys and their mother often, once claiming he would hide their bodies in Dupont and Suscon because no one would find them in the mine shafts, police said.

Read more:

http://citizensvoice.com/news/former-dupont-cop-charged-with-sex-assault-of-boys-1.1860297

Norristown Area High School Students Stage Walkout In Protest Of Alleged Racist Post By School Employee

WEST NORRITON TOWNSHIP, PA – More than 100 Norristown Area High School students staged a walkout Tuesday morning in protest of what they said were racist comments posted to the Internet by a school employee.

The peaceful protest was organized via Twitter following the employee’s two-day suspension, which the students and some parents said was too light a punishment.

“Basically, we’re protesting, standing up for what we believe,” said student protestor Imani Meade.

An employee “posted a racist statement that went viral for Norristown High School,” Meade said.

Read more:

http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20150407/norristown-area-high-school-students-stage-walkout-in-protest-of-alleged-racist-post-by-school-employee