15211.org

It’s that time of year again. It smells of spring and all things green and neighbors are getting together to plant  flowers in and around Bigbee field. If you’ve got a green thumb and/or just want to meet some neighbors who are passionate about beautifying our surroundings, then join them this Saturday, May 2 at [...]

Sunday, April 26, 2009 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pittsburgh police are investigating a homicide this morning on Industry Street in Beltzhoover. Police at the scene said a young man was shot between two row houses in the 100 block of Industry. Police are looking for a gold, four-door sedan that may have been involved in the incident. [...]

The Financial Times of London featured Lawrenceville as as shining example of 21st century urban renewal. Its recipe for success? Inexpensive housing stock A growing number of restaurants, bars, specialty shops Designers, engineers and artists The latter might be a surprise, but former Pittsburgher author and entrepreneur Richard Florida who coined the term “creative class” [...]

UPDATE If you missed the broadcast of the story on WDUQ this morning that featured 15211.org and some local Mt. Washingtonians you can listen to it here:  WDUQ 15211.org Broadcast (courtesy WDUQ) If you can, tune into 90.5FM WDUQ at 8:50am to hear the second broadcast of a report about community volunteering and your very [...]

Mayor Ravenstahl and Councilman Peduto held a press conference yesterday in an attempt to convince City Council to approve a contract to run a teen curfew center set to open this May. As Pop City reported earlier this year, the center is located in an old Victorian home in Oakland and won’t be the” traditional [...]

7:01PM; Mayor speaks first. Did he just say “All know too well”? Did he mean “Know all to well”? We’ll give him a break. 7:03PM; Carmen Robinson calls herself “Steward of taxpayers’ dollars”. She’s taking the direct and realistic approach in her opening. Like it. Speaks of drop-out rates, Act 47, and the “mass exodus.” [...]

I heard a campaign manager speak this past week about strategies for getting his candidates elected to public office. One thing he said that stuck: If you work on campaigns you shouldn’t believe in democracy. Why would you want people to come out to vote that you’re sure won’t vote for your candidate? Sounds a [...]

UPDATED 2PM: Sometimes, I skim instead of read. And when I do, I misinterpret, which is exactly what happened with my analysis of the information about state grants reported on by the Post-Gazette. Thanks to the 15211 readers who correctly stated that Gov. Rendell expects the state capital budget grants to attract $476M of private [...]

UPDATED 04/14/2009: According to an article in the Post-Gazette this evening, the mayoral debate for tomorrow has been postponed. A debate scheduled for last Monday, April 6, on WPXI-TV was also called off after the three fatal Pittsburgh Police shootings. The next — and now first — debate is scheduled for Monday, April 20, on [...]

When most people think of walkable neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Mt. Washington probably isn’t anywhere near the top of the list. Well I’m very happy to report that ‘most people’  are dead wrong. Thanks to Twitter and the fabulous intertubes we found this site called Walk Score that rates your neighborhoods walkability. So I put in [...]