90.5 WESA Features and Special Reports

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One Small Step: Amber Neider & Dan Leger on Tree Of Life, Gun Rights & Forgiveness Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Two years ago this week, a gunman killed 11 members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. In their conversation for One Small Step, a partnership between StoryCorps and WESA, Amber Neider, 34, of Baldwin and Dan Leger, 74, of Squirrel Hill—who was one of those injured in the shooting—reflect on how they responded to the event as Pittsburghers. They also discuss how it has informed their views on gun rights.

Amid Concerns Of Suppression, Black Voters In Pittsburgh Turn To Early Voting Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

Voting rights activists – as well as Democrats – are pinning their hopes for a big turnout in this year’s election on mail-in voting. But some voters in Black communities don't plan to just sit back and mail it in.

Trump Failed To Revive Coal, But That Doesn't Mean Workers Will Adopt Biden’s Vision For Green Jobs Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

Trains still carry coal past the now-abandoned Mathies Mine, located on the Monongahela River in Washington County. Metal fencing blocks the mine entrance, a cave-like opening where hundreds of miners once trod miles of tunnels.

Drive-Ins Find New Life During The Pandemic Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

On a chilly October evening, Vicki Potter stands in a gravel parking lot in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. The scent of popcorn mixes with the gasoline from nearby idling cars. Patrons are masked and sitting in the beds of trucks and trunks of minivans as an old-timey concession stand advertisement blares over the loudspeakers.

One Small Step: Aaron Weidman & Tawnya Davis On 'Luck,' Race & Opportunity Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Aaron Weidman, 32, of Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, says the idea of “luck” plays a limited role in how likely a person is to realize their potential. But Tawnya Davis, 53, of Monroeville, Pa., says not everyone has access to the same resources.

Both Democrats And Republicans In Western PA Wonder If Election Results Can Be Trusted Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Election Day is in just two weeks. But concerns about slow mail delivery, voter suppression, and baseless claims of fraud have voters on both sides wondering if the results can be trusted.

Lamb And Parnell Face Off In Crucial 17th District Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

Suburban Pennsylvania voters may reshape the national political landscape this year, and that’s especially true in places like the 17th Congressional District outside of Pittsburgh, where Democrat Conor Lamb is being challenged by Republican Sean Parnell.

Republican Nicole Ziccarelli Challenges Democrat Jim Brewster In District Trump Won Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

State Senator Jim Brewster, of McKeesport, is one of Allegheny County’s last old-school Democrats — friendly to labor, but socially conservative — to serve in Harrisburg. And now, after his district went narrowly for President Donald Trump in 2016, the lawmaker faces a reelection challenge from first-time Republican candidate Nicole Ziccarelli, of Lower Burrell. A win for Brewster is considered essential to enabling Democrats to flip control of the Pennsylvania legislature .

With A New Collection, Poet Jan Beatty Affirms Her Leading Role In The Pittsburgh Scene Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

Pittsburgh’s poetry community is large but tight-knit. One big reason is Jan Beatty, the award-winning poet and educator whose sixth collection was just published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.

One Small Step: Jon Durfee & Emily Miller On Faith, Mental Health & Politics Oct 07, 2020

Show notes

During this contentious and divisive election season, taking place on top of a global pandemic and a year of nationwide civil protests, it often feels the opposing political sides are so at odds, no middle ground can be found in between.

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