Susan Peterson

2 weeks ago | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

At a time when higher education institutions in the Pittsburgh region and around the country face uncertainty, Duquesne University president Ken Gormley has announced he will step down from his role in July 2026. 90.5 WESA’s Priyanka Tewari spoke with Gormley about what is ahead for Duquesne, his future role as chancellor of the university and some of the challenges facing higher education. This interview transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

1 month ago | wesa.fm | Priyanka Tewari |Susan Peterson

Sala Udin is a leader who has shaped Pittsburgh life for decades. He served for years on Pittsburgh City Council and sits on the city’s Board of Education. Udin also spent just as much time working outside these institutions as a civil rights activist as within them. After growing up in the Hill District, Udin left Pittsburgh to fight segregation in the Jim Crow South, and received a presidential pardon for a conviction he received while helping African Americans in Mississippi register to vote.

Jan 7, 2025 | wesa.fm | Susan Peterson

Two Pittsburgh residents have been sentenced in federal court for obstructing law enforcement during a 2023 protest on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Brian DiPippa, 37, was sentenced to five years in prison and his wife Krystal DiPippa, 42, was sentenced to three years of probation, according to an announcement made yesterday by Eric G. Olshan, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Dec 9, 2024 | wesa.fm | Susan Peterson

Adrian Jones never shops at Whole Foods, but when we meet up for a walking tour of East Liberty, it’s the first place he wants to show me. We stand at the corner of Penn Avenue and Euclid in East Liberty as I peer at the screen of his smartphone. He taps the screen, calling up an architectural rendering of the Penn Plaza Apartments in a new app he’s created. The building was demolished in 2017.

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.