Priyanka Tewari

Nov 7, 2024 | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

Last week, South Asians and Hindus across Pennsylvania celebrated their first Diwali since Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law making the festival of lights an official state holiday in Pennsylvania. 90.5 WESA’s Morning Edition host Priyanka Tewari sat down with Rep. Arvind Venkat of Allegheny County’s District 30, who co-sponsored the legislation, to talk about Diwali becoming an official holiday in the state of Pennsylvania.

Nov 1, 2024 | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

Donora, Pennsylvania is a small town, about an hour south of Pittsburgh, with a population of 4,500. The steel mill there closed decades ago. There is no bank, no gas station, no grocery store and no McDonald’s. In 2017, journalists and University of Pittsburgh professors Jeanne Marie Laskas and Erin Anderson went to Donora, bought a house and stayed for three years, reporting on life in this one, small town. Cement City is their new 10-part documentary podcast about the people of Donora.

Oct 10, 2024 | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

In August, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory calling attention to the high levels of stress and poor mental health of parents in the U.S. The stressors for parents are many, including a lack of affordable child care. WESA’s Priyanka Tewari sat down with Sarah Boden, who covers caregiving and the social safety net for Spotlight PA, to discuss the state of the child care industry in Pennsylvania.

Sep 24, 2024 | wvia.org | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

Most U.S. workers do not have access to paid leave when they need to take time away from work to care for a new baby or a sick parent. But in Pennsylvania, there’s growing bipartisan support for a bill known as the Family Care Act, which would provide up to 20 weeks of paid leave for parents or people experiencing periods of illness or crisis. The bill has passed out of committee and it’s awaiting votes in the Pennsylvania state House and Senate.

Sep 13, 2024 | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson |Glynis Board

WESA's local, independent journalism is only possible because of financial support from readers like you. Please support WESA by making a donation during our fall fundraising campaign. Pittsburgh's Environmental Charter School (ECS) has a new CEO: Patrick Dowd, who comes to the position from Allegheny County Health Department, where he was the chief operating officer and acting director. ECS is one of the city's largest public charter schools.