Julia Zenkevich

2 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Julia Zenkevich

More than 125 young people have been admitted to Highland Detention at Shuman (formerly known as the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center) since the facility reopened last summer, according to data obtained by WESA through a public records request. According to that data, stays at Shuman rarely last more than two weeks, but a disproportionate number of the children held there are Black.

3 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Julia Zenkevich

Allegheny County’s top public defender was removed from her role Wednesday after allegations she made offensive comments to co-workers. County spokesperson Abigail Gardner confirmed the development but declined to comment further as the county rarely publicly discusses personnel matters. Gardner said longtime chief deputy public defender Andy Howard will be acting chief public defender until the county finds a permanent replacement.

3 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Julia Zenkevich

Two sides in an emerging dispute over an at-large seat on Allegheny County Council squared off in court Monday. During a roughly 90-minute hearing, Republicans argued that Mike Embrescia, the party’s interim at-large representative on council, should not have to run for office again until 2027. That’s the next time the seat would have next been up for grabs had not Sam DeMarco, who previously held it, left to work for U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.

1 month ago | wesa.fm | Julia Zenkevich

City of Pittsburgh and Duquesne Light officials say they are still working to repair the damage after a storm tore through the Pittsburgh region last week. The storm caused widespread damage to homes, cars, and power lines. Some 325,000 Duquesne Light customers lost power at the outage’s peak, including 140,000 in the city alone. Speaking to reporters Monday, Matt Neistein, Duquesne Light’s director of communications and brand, said the company had restored power to 96% of Pittsburgh customers.

1 month ago | wesa.fm | Julia Zenkevich

This is WESA Politics, a weekly newsletter by our political reporters providing analysis about Pittsburgh and state politics. If you want it earlier — we'll deliver it to your inbox on Thursday afternoon — sign up here. Success in politics often means knowing who your friends are. And sometimes, knowing who they aren’t.