Essential Pittsburgh Archives

Developed here in the Steel City, the Flex Robotic System could be a game changer when it comes to surgeries. We’ll discover the impact it could have on patients, hospital systems and more with James Jordan, vice president and chief investment officer at Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Pittsburgh's Derek Davies is embarking on a journey to Tanzania, Africa to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro. Part of his mission is to raise awareness and money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Derek Davies joins us to discuss his adventure along with Pat Joseph, Executive Director of the Western PA Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

A Pittsburgh native is traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to compete in this summer’s Olympic games. Leah Smith was a standout swimmer at Oakland Catholic High School, and has become a four-time NCAA champion at the University of Virginia.

Sixty Mexican college students, from all socioeconomic strata in Mexico, are visiting Pittsburgh as part of an educational cultural exchange. The group are all members of a program for highly talented students. Their trip includes visits to the campuses of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University as well as a meeting with Mayor Bill Peduto.

Over half a million veterans are currently facing wait times of more than 30 days to receive care from the VA system. In one attempt to address the problem, the Department of Veterans Affairs has suggested allowing nurse practitioners to treat patients throughout the system.

Pittsburgh architecture, modern and contemporary, is highlighted as part of a new app called Jaunt. The program derives from a partnership between Boston-based architecture firm Over. Under and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture and is designed to educate users about a little over 100 buildings located in Pittsburgh.

For the first time, roller derby will be included in the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympic Games. Four junior derby athletes who skate locally for the Pittsburgh Derby Brats will participate in this historic inclusion.

For the past 60 years, Hopital Albert Schweitzer has provided medical care to some of Haiti’s most vulnerable. The facility started under the leadership of the late Dr. Larry Mellon of the Pittsburgh philanthropic family, and his wife, Gwen. Since their inception 60 years ago, they’ve sent some of the best medical experts to Haiti to deal with everything from natural disasters to global health epidemics. We’ll hear about what the hospital is focusing on now and how they’ve evolved over the past

Ornithologist David Sibley is a celebrity when it comes to all things birds. He’s written several books documenting his findings throughout the U.S. including the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America. Mr. Sibley is coming to the Steel City as part of the Pittsburgh Arts and Lecture summer series and joins us to talk about his career writing about birds.

The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is making Market Square more engaging through super-sized games. All ages gather to play with the giant Jenga, Connect Four, ping pong, and corn hole sets. PDP CEO Jeremy Waldrup says incorporating games and other activities, such as yoga and farmer’s markets, are all part of the partnership’s goal of making downtown a fun place to visit.

Pigovian taxes, such as Philadelphia's new soda tax, create very mixed reactions among consumers. University of Pittsburgh Katz Business School professor Cait Lamberton explained an individual's’ view of the issue depends on their perception of how certain personal behaviors impact the whole community. “The people who support them most voraciously are the, ‘No man is an island people,’” said Lamberton. “The people who reject them the most are the, ‘No, I’m an island. My behavior affects only me.

After five police officers were killed in Dallas Thursday night and two black males were fatally shot by police in Louisana and Minnesota, former Pittsburgh police officer and Citizen Police Review Board member Sheldon Williams said communities need to engage in productive dialogue about these types of situations.

Former Seattle city councilman Nick Licata is in town this weekend for a series of social justice events. Licata will march alongside 1500 demonstrators in the Still We Rise march on Friday, speak at the People’s Convention on Saturday and promote his new book “Becoming a Citizen Activist” at the Big Idea Bookstore on Sunday.

For decades following the horrors of the Holocaust, rumors circulated about an escape tunnel in the Ponar Forest near Vilnius, Lithuania dug by a band of imprisoned Jews. The claim remained folk legend, until recently.

Built in 1794, the Beltzhoover Homestead, located in the Beltzhoover area of South Hills, is one of the oldest buildings in Pittsburgh. According to historian Jessica Cox, the home was present when the immediate area was just a “rugged” outpost.