Margaret J. Krauss

Uber’s self-driving cars wait at the company’s Advanced Technologies Center in Pittsburgh on Sept. 13

Philadelphia collects 1.4% from ride-sharing, why can’t other cities?

A proposal to do so never made it past a Senate committee. From Philadelphia to Erie, Pittsburgh to Scranton, ride-sharing service ...

7 years ago

The inside of a lead pipe with a biofilm intact. Biofilms consist of organic and inorganic matter that act as a wall between the lead surface and the water. One of the EPA’s primary means of reducing lead exposure is corrosion control

Keystone Crossroads

EPA considers improvements to Lead and Copper Rule

The EPA says requirements of the 25-year-old Lead and Copper Rule are in urgent need of an upgrade. There is no safe blood l ...

7 years ago

In Pennsylvania 4.7 percent of households don’t have access to a traditional bank. Another 18.8 percent of households rely on alternative financial services such as check cashing or payday lending to manage their money. (Margaret J. Krauss/90.5 WESA)

Keystone Crossroads

When finding the nearest ATM is the least of your problems

Banks make it possible to build credit, wealth, and security. But for the 7 percent of U.S. households that don’t have a checking or sa ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

At Ambridge rally Trump promises jobs, says he considers himself ‘blue collar’

The cheers of the capacity audience often drowned out the speakers. On Monday afternoon, the line to enter the Donald Trump rally ...

7 years ago

People wait to meet recruiters at a Philadelphia job fair in June 2014. Job preparedness and employment was one of the five areas Governor Wolf’s administration identified that could benefit from Pay for Success performance contracts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Keystone Crossroads

Pay for Success sounds straightforward, but getting it right may take a while

Using a very specific public-private partnership model to improve social service outcomes in Pa. In 2015, the Harvard Kennedy Sch ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

Building better cities one application at a time

Innovative civic tech groups help stretch city budgets, but are feeling stretched themselves. Eight people waited expectantly in t ...

7 years ago

One of Pittsburgh's two major daily newspapers

Keystone Crossroads

One of Pittsburgh’s two daily newspapers will cease publication

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review will become digital-only. For almost 200 years, residents of Pittsburgh could choose between at leas ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

Can a revitalized Pittsburgh benefit everyone there?

A foundation in Pittsburgh will dedicate 60 to 70 percent of its grant making to address poverty and disparity in the region. ...

7 years ago

Keystone Crossroads

This Pittsburgh group built a park in a dumpster

Envision Downtown wants to rapidly test new ideas that make spending time in the city more enjoyable. A dumpster parked curbside, ...

7 years ago

The Pittsburgh Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds in May 2012. The Pirates’ home field

Keystone Crossroads

Your history does not define your destiny, unless you’re a bond

How a city’s past bond sales can affect its financial future, and other bond realities. You know the old adage “Never ...

7 years ago

A street in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia is seen near Sugarhouse casino. In 2008

Keystone Crossroads

Ideas Worth Stealing: Agreements between developers and communities

How communities can ensure public investment benefits the public. A developer wants to build an ice cream factory on a stretch of ...

7 years ago

Dave Tessitor and his organization OpenPittsburgh.org collected more than 12

Keystone Crossroads

City of Pittsburgh challenges open government ballot measure

While Election Day might seem far off, there are only a few weeks left to determine whether the citizen-led initiative will remain on the ...

7 years ago

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Margaret J. Krauss

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