Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group (PCRG)

In a surprise move, state House leaders have given Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl a little more time to exempt Pittsburgh from a bill that would make sweeping, and potentially costly, changes to many underfunded municipal pension systems. House Democratic leaders announced yesterday that a vote on House Bill 1828 — which would allow Philadelphia to… Continue reading »

The former bank building in McKees Rocks was packed with more than 200 people. Some had signs slung around their necks that read, “Pass a fair budget now,” while others held posters calling for help for adult education, the homeless, mothers and other needs. The Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership hosted a news conference yesterday at… Continue reading »

The recession is finally hitting city budgets, with overall city revenues inching down in fiscal 2009 for the first time since 2002, according to a report to be released Tuesday by the National League of Cities. Weak growth in property taxes, reflecting soft housing prices, did not counterbalance sharp declines in other sources of income,… Continue reading »

A little more than $600 million. That’s what separates two different state budget proposals, one developed by legislative Democrats and the other by Republicans. And a compromise could still be far off. The six-member bipartisan budget conference committee yesterday held its first meeting in a month, with Democrats presenting a retooled 2009-10 budget proposal of… Continue reading »

Holy Ground is a project of the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, a coalition of congregations seeking to better their communities. The initiative provides training for congregations to identify serious problems in their neighborhood and then to do the work required to solve those problems. Church members canvassed the neighborhood to identify problems, including the storm… Continue reading »

John Taylor, the president and CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, today made this statement:   “Senator Edward Kennedy was without peer as a Congressional leader; the inspiration he has provided to generations is sore comfort for our sorrow at his loss. His passing is deeply felt by all who strive for a more… Continue reading »

It’s official: The economy is bad for your health. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine questioned 250 homeowners going through foreclosure in Philadelphia and found that 47 percent showed symptoms of depression, with 37 percent exhibiting signs of major depression. The rate was especially high considering previous research showed that only about… Continue reading »

The prolonged battle over the 2009-10 state budget has as much to do with the gubernatorial and General Assembly elections of 2010 as it does with the financial crunch of 2009, say many politicians and Capitol observers. Republicans would love to regain control of the state House next year. They ran it for 12 years… Continue reading »

In Pennsylvania, day care centers are closing. Food banks and libraries are cutting back. A school district is taking out a multi-million dollar loan. Local governments and social service agencies are struggling to maintain services as lawmakers and the governor battle over how to close Pennsylvania’s $1 billion budget gap. Democrats don’t want to cut… Continue reading »