@ORMorrison

Environment and health reporter @PublicSourcePA. Formerly @PennLive, @905wesa, @kansasdotcom, @newmarkjschool. Send tips to [email protected]

 Pittsburgh, PA
publicsource.org/
Joined May 2013
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1.2KMedia
I am excited to be back working on stories in the Pittsburgh-area and especially excited to be back @PublicSourcePA where I worked from 2017-22. Here's a few examples of the kind of work they've been doing that is so unique and essential. /1 publicsource.org/meet-new-pu…

Meet five new members of the Pittsburgh’s Public Source team

Public Source has welcomed five new staff members. Here is what you need to know about them.

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Rich Lord@richelord11h
Essay: "We’ve seen our democratically elected school board turn inward, uphold mediocrity and double down on a Future-Ready Plan that many of us feel the district is ill-equipped and unprepared to implement well." Still, Allyce is sending her child to PPS publicsource.org/pittsburgh-…

I was a PPS alum preparing to homeschool — but my daughter changed my mind

A Pittsburgh Public Schools graduate, former district employee and education activist writes about why she chose PPS for her daughter instead of homeschooling.

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"I was a PPS alum preparing to homeschool — but my daughter changed my mind" publicsource.org/pittsburgh-…
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Breaking news: Allegheny County Council passes parental leave mandate in 11-4 vote buff.ly/w28cmpm
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When the leave law takes effect in a year, companies in the Pittsburgh area may choose to pay their new parent employees directly or seek coverage. publicsource.org/allegheny-c…

Q&A: Paid parental leave law means decision time for Allegheny County businesses

Pittsburgh’s Public Source interviewed Parento CEO Dirk Doebler on what Allegheny County businesses should consider before paid parental leave starts.

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Oliver Morrison retweeted
Rich Lord@richelordOct 21
Paid parental leave just passed Allegheny County Council, and now goes to County Executive Sara Innamorato for signature. @ORMorrison was on the scene publicsource.org/allegheny-c…

Allegheny County Council passes parental leave mandate in 11-4 vote

Allegheny County Council voted to mandate up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave for workers at businesses with 15 or more employees, the first local policy in the U.S.

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William Bender@wbender99Oct 19
Our latest @PhillyInquirer story on gambling apps: FanDuel wants its heavy bettors to bring their children to the Philadelphia Zoo this weekend for an "exclusive FanDuel VIP event." Addiction experts said they appear to be targeting kids. inquirer.com/news/philadelph…

FanDuel invites VIP gamblers and their children to Halloween celebration at Philadelphia Zoo

Addiction experts said the offer of a benefit that could be enjoyed by children of heavy gamblers, in a family-centric setting, is troubling, and raises new questions over how VIP programs operate.

inquirer.com
William Bender@wbender99Oct 4
We’re going to be doing more stories like this in the coming months at @PhillyInquirer. Please reach out with tips or if have an experience with online gambling you’d like to share.
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For Pennsylvanians who buy Affordable Care Act health insurance, the average premium has increased more than 35% over two years. A Monroeville therapist is among those facing difficult choices about whether to pay up – or gamble on their health. publicsource.org/pennsylvani…

Here’s what happens when a $10,000 healthcare premium meets a tick-borne sickness

A Monroeville therapist’s premium is rising to $887 a month. Pittsburgh’s Public Source asked health care experts why costs keep climbing.

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 18
In which I ask myself: What if my household didn’t suffer from workism? What if we signed on to the proposition that defining success as the ability to hold a job and pay taxes was a form of ableism? substack.com/home/post/p-220…
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Tom Winter
@Tom_WinterOct 16
NBC News: The person who took down the gunman in Bend, OR yesterday has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, his brother, Kyle Giamanco, tells NBC's @LizKreutzNews Here's how his brother he intervened: nbcnews.com/news/us-news/liv…

Parent who pursued and shot the gunman identified as Kaylub Giamanco

The person who took down the gunman yesterday has been identified as Kaylub Giamanco, 36, his brother, Kyle Giamanco, confirmed to NBC News.

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 15
When kids are assembled in a building, on a regular basis, and taught math, reading, geography, etc., what is that? A school? A daycare? Hybrid homeschools like Roots Learning Academy raise questions about which state rules apply publicsource.org/homeschooli…

Homeschool program challenges cease-and-desist order as hybrid options grow around Pittsburgh

Hybrid options touting a blend of flexibility and structure have gained ground around Pittsburgh since the pandemic. But when should the state get involved?

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An important and poignant perspective on ESPN's embrace of sports gambling cjr.org/the-interview/nicole…

Nicole Noren: “I’m not going to have blood on my hands.”

Why Nicole Noren, a decorated ESPN producer, quit in protest.

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 14
Data centers last night: Elizabeth Township folks panned a proposal to build a 3 million sq ft campus overlooking the Youghiogheny. “We’re at step one, maybe step two. There’s probably 100 steps," the developer said publicsource.org/data-center…

Data center proves a tough sell at Elizabeth Township town hall

A developer proposing a 3 million square-foot complex south of Pittsburgh presented to hundreds of people — many of them opponents — but provided few new details.

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While Allegheny County faces is dealing with its first couple of measles cases, @hannamwebster reports that a sixth Pennsylvania resident has died from measeles in Franklin County. post-gazette.com/news/health…

Pa.’s sixth measles death announced by Franklin County coroner as outbreak intensifies

A sixth Pennsylvanian has died from measles as the state’s outbreak continues to surge. The Franklin County Coroner’s office, which announced...

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 12
"We have at least 4 outages every year that are longer than a day and in the last two years we’ve had outages longer than 5 days." - Alicia from Aspinwall publicsource.org/duquesne-li…

Blackouts are getting worse. Here’s what Duquesne Light is doing — and what it won’t do.

Duquesne Light says it’s hardened its Pittsburgh-area grid and will prune 40,000 trees this year. Readers told us about weeklong outages, spoiled food and new generators.

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 11
Once-feared Isaias is, in Pittsburgh, just a rainy, breezy day. Yet thousands of Duquesne Light customers have seen hourslong power outages. @PublicSourcePA asked you whether blackouts are darkening your quality of life publicsource.org/duquesne-li…

Blackouts are getting worse. Here’s what Duquesne Light is doing — and what it won’t do.

Duquesne Light says it’s hardened its Pittsburgh-area grid and will prune 40,000 trees this year. Readers told us about weeklong outages, spoiled food and new generators.

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Allegheny County Health Department officials initially reported no connection between a measles case and exposure at a McKnight Road Target and a school exposure. News that the infected kids share a school “significantly expands” the investigation. publicsource.org/allegheny-c…

Health Department: Both children with measles attended same school

The Allegheny County Health Department now says both confirmed measles cases attended the same North Hills Christian school, after previously saying there was no school exposure.

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The Allegheny County Health Department is working with officials at the private religious school where the child attends to try to contain the spread. publicsource.org/allegheny-c…

Second measles case confirmed in Allegheny County

A second Allegheny County child has measles. The student attends a private religious school where the reported vaccination rate is 81%.

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Oliver Morrison retweeted
Jordan Weissmann
@JHWeissmannOct 8
Nikole Hannah Jones and others have long argued that in order to fix schools, we need to start by integrating them. For Vox I wrote about how DC shows the opposite may be true: Fixing your schools can help integrate them. vox.com/policy/505269/washin…

How one city made gains on school integration without trying

Washington, DC’s experience shows that progress is hard — but not impossible.

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Rich Lord@richelordOct 7
ALCOSAN issued a $1 billion contract to dig a 5-mile tunnel along the North Shore and across the Ohio to McKees Rocks. Flush in any of 83 communities around Pittsburgh? Then you’re paying for it. I asked: How is that being shared with diverse contractors? publicsource.org/alcosan-ohi…

Minority contractors largely absent from ALCOSAN’s billion-dollar tunnel plan

Pittsburgh's Public Source reviewed ALCOSAN's $1.03 billion Ohio River Tunnel contract and found little of the work headed to minority-owned firms.

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"The sewer agency aims to steer 10% to 25% of project dollars to minority- or women-owned business enterprises. For its big dig along the Ohio River, the prime contract shows less than 1% of the work heading to MBEs, with 9% to WBEs." publicsource.org/alcosan-ohi…

Minority contractors largely absent from ALCOSAN’s billion-dollar tunnel plan

Pittsburgh's Public Source reviewed ALCOSAN's $1.03 billion Ohio River Tunnel contract and found little of the work headed to minority-owned firms.

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