‘Eds And Meds’ Still Growing In Pittsburgh Region

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Allegheny County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Pittsburgh region’s 21st-century economy has often been referred to as one where manufacturing has been displaced by the “eds and meds” sector, but there remain pockets where local residents still lean heavily on the more traditional means of employment.

In nine Allegheny County municipalities, more than twice as many residents are employed in manufacturing as is the case in the county overall, according to new census data. Many of the communities are in the Route 28/Allegheny Valley corridor, where many light manufacturing firms operate — some of them growing and thriving.

The occupational information was just one nugget in a bounty of new American Community Survey data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.  The data are based on a survey of the national population over a five-year span, from 2007-11, with the government deeming the sample size sufficient to release estimates for wide-ranging characteristics of every municipality.

While Allegheny County and the surrounding region once served as a manufacturing center for the nation, only 8.3 percent of the county’s workforce was employed in manufacturing in the modern era, the ACS data said.  That was down from 9 percent in the 2000 census and was less than the 10.8 percent for the nation as a whole.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/eds-and-meds-still-growing-in-pittsburgh-region-665151/#ixzz2EJ4ATXbo

Second Bear Spotted Near Pittsburgh Mills Mall

The Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer experienced a rush of new clientele this weekend: two bears in two days.

Unlike a small, 150-pound bear that perused electronics at Sears on Saturday night and prompted an evacuation of the mall, a second larger bear was more interested in the dining establishments.

Around 11:45 p.m. and about an hour and 45 minutes after wildlife conservation officers tranquilized the small bear in Sears, the second 250 to 300 pound bear emerged near the Olive Garden parking lot.

Frazer police Officer Tim Christian said he and his fellow officers warned employees outside the Longhorn Steakhouse to leave as the female bear wandered over to the restaurant.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-north/second-bear-spotted-near-pittsburgh-mills-mall-645841/#ixzz21SjL1kJP