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Rich Lord

@richelord.bsky.social

945 followers 423 following 709 posts

Longtime Pittsburgh journo. Managing editor at Pittsburgh's Public Source. Author of American Nightmare: Predatory Lending and the Foreclosure of the American Dream. Part of a 2018 Pulitzer-winning team. Gardener, cyclist, husband, dad.

Posts Replies Media

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 16h

Disability discrimination is increasingly dominant among claims Americans are making to the EEOC. Is the EEOC under Trump responding to that trend? I checked the data and the agency's statements and recent releases richlordwriter.substack.com/p/the-eeoc-i...

richlordwriter.substack.com

The EEOC in the second Trump term

The agency charged with taking on discrimination in the workforce seems to have priorities that are unrelated to the steady rise in disability-related claims.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This photo makes me hungry for ... local food. But is local food making it to the grocers near me? Pittsburgh Local Lab is trying to grow the farm-to-table ecosystem www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-l...

publicsource.org

Mapping new routes from farm to table in Pittsburgh

Growers, a butcher and food advocates at a Wilkinsburg forum described the land, labor and delivery gaps holding back the region's local food economy.

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Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Everything's so expensive! But you don't want to eat at home every ... darned ... night. Well, @publicsource.org today launches our $15ish Pittsburgh Meal Map. Check it out. www.publicsource.org/mealmap/

publicsource.org

Pittsburgh's Public Source mapped restaurants around the Pittsburgh region where you can get a full meal for around $15. Search by name, dish or neighborhood.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Gambling is now a $7 billion industry in PA. But the number of people excluding themselves from various forms of gambling has surged to 30,000. @ormorrison.bsky.social has the latest numbers www.publicsource.org/pennsylvania...

publicsource.org

Pennsylvania logging record numbers of problem gamblers, per new report

Pennsylvania's gambling industry smashes records for profits — and problem gambling, amid skill games impasse. Will the PA legislature take action?

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Looking for a spring internship in journalism in Pittsburgh? The deadline for applications to the @publicsource.org internship program is Nov. 1. Details: www.publicsource.org/jobs/

publicsource.org

Jobs at Pittsburgh's Public Source

Discover career opportunities in reporting, editing, visual storytelling and more. Explore our Pittsburgh job listings.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Where should folks without homes sleep? Downtown pushed out a shelter. Perry South was kinda far. How about along Bigelow Blvd? www.publicsource.org/polish-hill-...

publicsource.org

Polish Hill split over proposed new shelter ahead of hearing today

In Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill, residents shared with Public Source a range of positions on a plan to turn a vacant commercial building into a year-round, overnight shelter for people experiencing homele...

Reposted by Rich Lord

Chris Dazzleox 🇵🇸 @dazzleox.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A district that is 98% low income students, 40% charter students, has high property taxes, and still can't pay teachers wages it takes to keep them should not be what our state law creates.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Why is it taking Mt. Lebanon more than a year to fix an elevator used by mobility-challenged transit riders? @publicsource.org asked for an explanation www.publicsource.org/mt-lebanon-s...

publicsource.org

Here’s why Mt. Lebanon is taking over a year to fix an elevator

Pittsburgh's Public Source asked riders, municipal officials and the elevator contractor why the Mt. Lebanon Station elevator has been out of service for over a year.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 28/09/2026

UPMC’s pact with feds on gender-affirming care may not last 10 years buff.ly/1sqXJsF

UPMC’s pact with feds on gender-affirming care may not last 10 years

Between a Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission case and the 2028 election, agreements between the Department of Justice and Pittsburgh’s big health system could end before 2036. Trans community…

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 28/09/2026

Paid parental leave clears health board, heads for Allegheny County Council. buff.ly/MS1MT6d

Paid parental leave clears health board, heads for Allegheny County Council

Allegheny County's Board of Health approved a scaled-back paid parental leave bill, cutting leave to 12 weeks and exempting employers with 15 or fewer workers.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 28/09/2026

Sto-Rox students are almost all in poverty, and their teachers are among the county’s lowest paid buff.ly/gJmelWz

Sto-Rox students are almost all in poverty, and their teachers are among the county’s lowest paid

Pittsburgh's Public Source compared Allegheny County teacher pay and talked with union and district leaders about why Sto-Rox contract talks broke down.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Medicaid rules are about to change. If you or someone you love relies on Medicaid, you’re probably wondering: When am I going to get clear info on the implications? Allegheny County’s chief equity officer has some of the answers … www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

publicsource.org

Q&A: Thousands could lose Medicaid in Allegheny County. What should they do now?

Pittsburgh's Public Source interviewed an Allegheny County official about new Medicaid work rules that put 10,000 at risk of losing coverage Jan. 1.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Sto-Rox schools are losing students to charters and facing high teacher turnover. Tough contract talks are a window into the difficulty of running a district in a low-income community in PA www.publicsource.org/sto-rox-teac...

publicsource.org

Sto-Rox students are almost all in poverty, and their teachers are among the county’s lowest paid

Pittsburgh's Public Source compared Allegheny County teacher pay and talked with union and district leaders about why Sto-Rox contract talks broke down.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Why aren't Pitt med students getting their financial aid, leaving the university to offer them ... a food pantry? www.publicsource.org/pitt-medical...

publicsource.org

Pitt to med students: We’ll write to your landlord while you await late federal aid

Pittsburgh's Public Source obtained emails and a recording showing loan delays for hundreds of Pitt med students. The university is offering food and letters to landlords.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Gov. Josh Shapiro's fundraising is so far outpacing that of Republican Stacy Garrity that this summer he was able to drop $5.6 million on the PA Democratic Party's efforts to flip legislative seats. @chwolfson.bsky.social has the analysis www.publicsource.org/shapiro-garr...

publicsource.org

Have you seen a Garrity ad? Shapiro leads 43-to-1 in broadcast, digital buys.

Pittsburgh's Public Source analysis shows Gov. Josh Shapiro raising national money and spending millions on legislative races.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

At 11 Mayor O’Connor is set to talk about his efforts to reform Pittsburgh’s permitting process. @publicsource.org analyzed permitting data, and here’s what it showed: www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-b...

publicsource.org

From ‘screaming into the void’ to quicker turnarounds, Pittsburgh permitting is being transformed

Data analyzed by Pittsburgh’s Public Source suggests that Mayor O’Connor’s pledge to streamline the bureaucracy involved in construction and development has shortened wait times.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How far are we from a campus reality in which students' AI-written papers are graded by ... AI? Faculty union leaders at Pitt and other universities want contracts that keep AI from usurping human roles www.publicsource.org/pitt-unions-...

publicsource.org

Professor Claude? College unions negotiate for protection against AI teachers and evaluators.

Pittsburgh's Public Source talked to union leaders at Pitt and Pennsylvania's state universities about efforts to secure AI protections in new contracts.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Pittsburgh building permits are moving faster this year, after Mayor Corey O'Connor ordered a review of development bureaucracy. Here's the data: www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-b...

publicsource.org

From ‘screaming into the void’ to quicker turnarounds, Pittsburgh permitting is being transformed

Data analyzed by Pittsburgh’s Public Source suggests that Mayor O’Connor’s pledge to streamline the bureaucracy involved in construction and development has shortened wait times.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

"When I got COVID-19 for the first time in January 2022, I thought initially I was just dealing with a horrible virus. Two weeks after isolating in my bedroom the spinning began." www.publicsource.org/pots-long-co...

publicsource.org

I look fine, but dealing with chronic illness is my full-time job

Jennifer McCalla doesn't look sick, but living with long COVID and POTS is a full-time job. She writes about invisible illness and the fight to be believed.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The Allegheny County business community won some concessions from the Board of Health on paid parental leave tonight: a shorter period of paid time off, more tenure before the benefit kicks in and an exemption for the smallest businesses. A vote is set for 9/28 www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

publicsource.org

Paid parental leave compromises emerge at Allegheny County health board meeting

A revised proposal includes concessions to employers, including a shorter period of paid time off, more tenure before the benefit kicks in and an exemption for the smallest businesses.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Should paid parental leave benefits kick in after just 30 days on the job, or more like a year? Should small biz be exempted? How long should new parents be on paid leave - zero, 18, 26 weeks? Weigh in here www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

publicsource.org

1,400 paid parental leave comments show support, deep split, room for change

Pittsburgh's Public Source read 1,400 comments on Allegheny's parental leave plan, finding broad support, division over small business costs.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 16/09/2026

Nearly 4,000 Allegheny County students experience homelessness. A new book lets them tell their stories. buff.ly/ESXWwNp

Nearly 4,000 Allegheny County students experience homelessness. A new book lets them tell their stories.

Last year 3,952 children and youth experienced homelessness in Allegheny County. They are often overlooked, but staff at the Homeless Children’s Education Fund found "Echoes of Brilliance."

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 16/09/2026

‘Is my son an incel?’ Eradicate Hate panelists address gender-based hate. buff.ly/KceaIgn

‘Is my son an incel?’ Eradicate Hate panelists address gender-based hate.

Women are usually the ones who notice the warning signs and reach out. At Pittsburgh's Eradicate Hate summit, experts posed how to get men talking too.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

What would a case of measles in your Pittsburgh-area household mean? Maybe a 21-day quarantine, the Allegheny County health director said today. She’s been meeting with school leaders as the contagion encroaches www.publicsource.org/measles-prep...

publicsource.org

As Allegheny County prepares for measles cases, director warns of 21 day quarantines

The county including Pittsburgh hasn’t seen a local case, but as the highly contagious disease sweeps the state, health officials are meeting with school leaders.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 15/09/2026

1,400 paid parental leave comments show support, deep split, room for change. buff.ly/ZSQ1Uuq

publicsource.org

1,400 paid parental leave comments show support, deep split, room for change

Pittsburgh's Public Source read 1,400 comments on Allegheny's parental leave plan, finding broad support, division over small business costs.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Stephanie Strasburg @stephstrasburg.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Doing home visits with a mobile vet was a cool way to spend a Friday, cat hair & all. Dr. De Santis served as a counterpoint to this @publicsource.org story: Vet care costs have far outpaced inflation as private equity consolidates practices. Do profit incentives also impact care? buff.ly/rilhCMf

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 15/09/2026

Elizabeth Township OKs fracked wells near a school despite resident concern. buff.ly/BZcY3Sg

publicsource.org

Elizabeth Township OKs fracked wells near a school despite resident concern

Elizabeth Township approved EQT's gas wells near a high school after years of legal fighting. Is a data center next?

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Should paid parental leave benefits kick in after just 30 days on the job, or more like a year? Should small biz be exempted? How long should new parents be on paid leave - zero, 18, 26 weeks? Weigh in here www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

publicsource.org

1,400 paid parental leave comments show support, deep split, room for change

Pittsburgh's Public Source read 1,400 comments on Allegheny's parental leave plan, finding broad support, division over small business costs.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Another data center proposal may be emerging in the Pittsburgh area - this one in Elizabeth Township. No details yet, but if the developers want natural gas, they've got at least one option there www.publicsource.org/elizabeth-to...

publicsource.org

Elizabeth Township OKs fracked wells near a school despite resident concern

Elizabeth Township approved EQT's gas wells near a high school after years of legal fighting. Is a data center next?

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

1,400 comments on paid parental leave have reached Allegheny County ahead of pending votes on the proposal. @ormorrison.bsky.social analyzed them all www.publicsource.org/allegheny-co...

publicsource.org

1,400 paid parental leave comments show support, deep split, room for change

Pittsburgh's Public Source read 1,400 comments on Allegheny's parental leave plan, finding broad support, division over small business costs.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

For every $1 Stacy Garrity raised in 17 months, Josh Shapiro raised $12. That's due in part to big checks from NY, CA - even IN and FL. @chwolfson.bsky.social charted and mapped the huge PA governor's race gap www.publicsource.org/shapiro-garr...

publicsource.org

Here's what Shapiro's huge edge over Garrity in national campaign contributions looks like

Pittsburgh's Public Source found Gov. Josh Shapiro has out-raised Stacy Garrity more than $38 million to $3.2 million in donations ahead of Nov. 3 election.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The federal role in funding special education has long been run out of the Department of Education, but just moved to Health and Human Services. I checked the flow and destination of grant money that may be affected by the shift richlordwriter.substack.com/p/turmoil-in...

richlordwriter.substack.com

Turmoil in federal special education agency hits at a bad time

The Trump administration’s latest step toward dismembering the Department of Education, and an official’s unexpected departure, come as grant dollars lag.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Taxpayers paid more than 60% of the cost of building Acrisure Stadium. With the Steelers faithful poised to sell it out again, I wondered: How many dollars from each ticket sold go back to the public? It took me around 3 months of pestering but I got the answer: www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-s...

publicsource.org

When the Steelers sell tickets, here’s how much the public sector gets

Pittsburgh's Public Source reviewed Steelers lease records and financial filings to find how much ticket revenue actually flows back to the public sector.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

CMU isn't a hotbed of activism, but it has one hallowed free speech tradition: Fence, where students paint messages. Since Trump came last year, Fence has been a flashpoint. Now it's subject to new rules www.publicsource.org/cmu-fence-em...

publicsource.org

CMU admin could repaint Fence in emergency under new guidelines

Carnegie Mellon's new Fence rules create three oversight tiers, letting administrators repaint content deemed an emergency risk without student input.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Here's how new rules over repainting CMU's iconic free-speech Fence are landing on campus www.publicsource.org/cmu-fence-em...

publicsource.org

CMU admin could repaint Fence in 'emergency' under new guidelines

Carnegie Mellon's new Fence rules create three oversight tiers, letting administrators repaint content deemed an emergency risk without student input.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Been thinking all day about how we celebrated the 250th Independence Day just 10 weeks ago, and now it’s the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with all of its effects on the delicate balance between security and liberty. Pretty sure I’m not alone www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-r...

publicsource.org

9/11 memories vivid across Pittsburgh region

25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Pittsburgh's Public Source asks readers how the day changed their lives.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

9/11 remembered by Pittsburghers: "I think a lot about how my dad couldn’t throw away the shoes he wore that day, even though they were caked in dust and grit." www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-r...

publicsource.org

9/11 memories vivid across Pittsburgh region

25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, Pittsburgh's Public Source asks readers how the day changed their lives.

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Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

"Like many Americans, I remember watching the attacks unfold and realizing almost immediately that the country had changed. What none of us understood was how completely those events would shape the lives of those, like me, who were just beginning adulthood." www.publicsource.org/911-shaped-v...

publicsource.org

9/11 lit fires that burned for years, but it also tempered a generation

A former Marine and Purple Heart recipient reflects on how the 9/11 attacks shaped his path to Iraq and a generation's view of service and responsibility.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Wonder why the vet bill is so high? Big corporations - including a prominent candy maker - and private equity firms have been buying up veterinary practices, including in Pittsburgh www.publicsource.org/veterinarian...

publicsource.org

You may be trusting your pet’s health to private equity — and not even know it

Vet care costs have far outpaced inflation over the last 10 years, as corporate owners consolidate practices. Do profit incentives also impact care?

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Is ICE putting the heat on Las Palmas? "There’s no reason to intimidate us. We’re not going to close down. We’re going to stay strong together.” www.publicsource.org/beechview-la...

publicsource.org

Las Palmas owner’s son: Federal agents demand he ‘get out of the way’ as Beechview immigration enforcement heightens

Pittsburgh's Public Source talked to Beechview business owners and immigrant advocates after immigration agents confronted the Las Palmas grocery owner's son twice.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Timeline: 2019 - Sara Innamorato pursues paid parental leave (PPL) as a PA rep 2023 - Elected Allegheny County exec 2024 - Implements PPL for county employees May 2026 - Announces push for PPL for all workers in county July 2026 - Announces pregnancy Nov 2026 - Baby due, next election a year away

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Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A centerpiece of Pittsburgh's Latino community was the scene of a confrontation between a business owner and an immigration enforcement agent today www.publicsource.org/beechview-la...

publicsource.org

Immigration enforcement in Beechview brings tense scene to Las Palmas

Pittsburgh's Public Source reviewed video and talked to a Las Palmas manager who said an ICE agent tried to provoke him during a Beechview confrontation.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A quest for just one street tree led Brittani Murray down one of the Pittsburgh region's strangest borders, which the city calls a street but a surrounded borough calls an avenue, and where the lack of shade has everyone stumped www.publicsource.org/mount-oliver...

publicsource.org

A Hilltop ‘Lorax’ wants just one public tree on her block. Will a border thwart her?

On Mount Oliver's Amanda Avenue, a homeowner's yearslong quest to replant one tree shows how a city-borough line can stall the simplest requests.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"I had lost a cybersecurity job ... Someone had nearly kept me from becoming a blackjack dealer because of my disability. But somehow, sitting there after a terrific first night dealing blackjack, I knew I was going to get my cybersecurity job back." www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-d...

publicsource.org

My disability wasn’t the problem. The assumptions about it were.

I lost a cybersecurity job after asking for an ADA accommodation. Months later, a casino nearly rejected me. A few brave people have been my aces.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

50 people showed up at a township supervisors meeting in Upper Burrell, 50 minutes drive northeast of Pittsburgh, to question the process that’s allowing TECfusions to inch toward a hyperscale data center www.publicsource.org/upper-burrel...

publicsource.org

Upper Burrell residents decry transparency as data center progresses despite moratorium and a lawsuit

Pittsburgh's Public Source sat in on an Upper Burrell meeting where a data center kept advancing despite a lawsuit and residents' transparency demands.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

20 bus routes would go away and 14 new ones emerge if Pittsburgh Regional Transit adopts the Bus Line Refresh. It's partly an effort to make routes more reflective of usage, but ... www.publicsource.org/prt-2028-ser...

publicsource.org

PRT’s bus route ‘refresh’ could have short shelf life, unless state steps up

PRT is redesigning its bus network hoping to build momentum in Harrisburg, as a funding gap threatens cuts to weekend rail and late-night service as early as 2028.

Rich Lord @richelord.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I spent 24 years working for news outlets owned by either wealthy heirs or entrepreneurs focused on $. Since 2020, though, I've been at @publicsource.org, a nonprofit watchdog and community-focused newsroom publishing stories like this one www.publicsource.org/how-ice-and-...

publicsource.org

How ICE and a data center turned a small Pittsburgh suburb into a civic battleground

At the intersection of two major issues in the United States, Springdale stands divided. Now residents, organizers and local leaders are asking about policing, power and accountability.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 01/09/2026

‘It’s not going to be the same.’ Back-to-school in Pittsburgh bittersweet ahead of closures. buff.ly/2yPRoB7

publicsource.org

‘It’s not going to be the same.’ Back-to-school in Pittsburgh bittersweet ahead of closures.

Pittsburgh's Public Source talked to PPS parents and teachers entering the final year before 12 schools close under the Future-Ready Facilities Plan.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 01/09/2026

Pittsburgh’s summer of teen restrictions raises transparency questions. buff.ly/sHcsaWV

publicsource.org

Pittsburgh’s summer of teen restrictions raises transparency questions

Pittsburgh's Public Source obtained emails and crime data behind new teen restrictions in Market Square, Shadyside and South Side, finding limited transparency.

Reposted by Rich Lord

Pittsburgh's Public Source @publicsource.org · 02/09/2026

On Penn Avenue, First Friday’s Unblurred vision peers into the future. buff.ly/QUtoC4V

publicsource.org

On Penn Avenue, First Friday’s Unblurred vision peers into the future

First Fridays have come to define Garfield. Pittsburgh's Public Source talked to artists about how the neighborhood arts crawl has evolved over 30 years.