Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned that The Pittsburgh Foundation’s board of directors named William Generett Jr. as the organization’s seventh president and chief executive officer (CEO) following a fivemonth national search.
The announcement was made, Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
A proven leader with a deep commitment to community, innovation and underserved populations, Generett has built a career setting and achieving bold visions through entrepreneurship, economic and workforce development, and civic engagement. His successes in growing southwestern Pennsylvania’s economy and expanding opportunities for upward mobility in Pittsburgh have rippled across the region and have become national models for other cities to follow.
Generett succeeds Lisa Schroeder, who retired earlier this year following a seven-year tenure in the position. He starts as president and CEO Aug. 1.
“We embarked on this search during a time of great evolution at The Pittsburgh Foundation,” said Jack McGinley, chair of the board of directors, co-chair of the search committee and member of Eckert Seamans. “The board sought a leader who would steward this organization to the next step in its community-focused
journey, and Bill’s passion for Pittsburgh and track record for overcoming immense challenges made him an ideal candidate.”
Generett is no stranger to the Pittsburgh community, and especially Pittsburgh's African American community, as he was a member of the New Pittsburgh Courier's "Men of Excellence" in 2009.
The Foundation opened new offices with ample gathering space in February 2025 to focus on fostering community and civic engagement. Since then, it has hosted hundreds of convenings across sectors. While still following its 2023-27 strategic plan, the Foundation is emphasizing this type of deep connection with leadership, donor and nonprofit audiences as it seeks new resources and partnerships to support both its mission and nonprofits that are facing a dramatically altered funding landscape following federal service and budget reductions.
“Bill’s entrepreneurial spirit brings an ability to embrace change and inspire resilience,” said Jordan Pallitto, board member, co-chair of the search committee and chief operating officer of The Hill Group. “Much of his experience correlates with the Foundation’s work. He unites disparate groups across the regional, state
by Renee P. Aldrich
For New Pittsburgh Courier
On Friday, May 8, the organization Three Rivers Youth (TRY) held its annual gala, celebrating 146 years of servicing disenfranchised youth and families. The organization is the second-oldest surviving institution to provide a home for abandoned, neglected and abused children of color. In direct alignment with the founders’ motivation to care for the most vulnerable, Three Rivers Youth continues to specialize in service to low-income and minority populations. For the occasion of this celebration, Zane Ice Newton, 12 years young, took to the stage and when asked what advice he had for the attendees, he had no problem telling them to hold God's hand and all
would be alright. He also told the audience to thank God for every day in which they wake. He was uniquely qualified to speak about faith and God’s goodness since he was just days away from being officially adopted, by Lois Newton. This year’s theme, "Race of Roses—A Kentucky Derby Affair," was in keeping with the theme of the three previous years. The backdrop for the over 400 audience members were the men and women decked out in their finest Derby attire; women in their fascinators and men in straw hats, and the Wyndham Grand Hotel ballroom draped in pink roses all over.
Event co-chairs this year were Derrick Wilson, of The Wilson Group, and Howard Russell of Hui
BILL GENERETT JR.
Missing Black girl, 16, found hanging from tree in N.C.
by Aisha Winfrey Los Angeles
CHARLOTTE, N.C
(BlackPressUSA Newswire)—A 16-year-old
Black girl who had been missing since late April has been found dead hanging from a tree, according to police and media reports.
This Week In Black History A Courier Staple
• JUNE 3
1904—Dr. Charles R. Drew is born. He grows up to conduct a first of its kind research in blood transfusions and the creation of blood plasma. Drew also established Britain’s first blood bank and in the United States he fought against the segregation of blood based on race. He died on April 1, 1950 as a result of injuries received in an automobile accident while driving in North Carolina.
Jemison actually become the first African American woman to travel in space on Sept. 12, 1992 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor.
• JUNE 7
Authorities said Nzita was reported missing on April 28, according to the North Carolina Beat, an independent local news outlet. Her family searched for her while online posts and tips spread across social media.
Area resident Kenneth Tolbert said he was near the church on May 8 when he spotted what appeared to be the body of a teenage girl hanging from a tree, the outlet reported. Tolbert said he alerted church members and police.
Juliana Nzita, who recently moved to North Carolina from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was found earlier this month hanging from a tree near the United House of Prayer for All People Church in Charlotte, police said. Her death has been classified as a suicide.
Tolbert reportedly pro-
vided video footage showing a small blue chair under a tree and a rope above, with the girl’s feet still close to the ground. A church member reportedly said the area had been checked the day before and saw nothing unusual.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department records confirmed Nzita was pronounced dead at 12:40 p.m. on May 8. The report documented the location and initial findings.
Investigators said they received no response from Nzita’s family when contacted. The church reportedly released no public statement.
Black babies used for medical trials by feds; lawsuit filed
by NY Carib News
A federal lawsuit filed by prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleges that two Black infants were used as subjects in a government-sponsored experimental vaccine study without their parents’ knowledge or consent, resulting in tragic consequences that continue to reverberate decades later.
The complaint, filed on May 22, centers on the deaths of Ross Otto Hambrick and Victor Marcellus King, who were allegedly administered an experimental respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) during the mid-1960s.
According to the lawsuit, Ross was two months old and Victor was four months old when they
were injected with a vaccine identified as “Lot 100” at a Washington, D.C. hospital in the winter of 1965. The suit contends that their parents were never informed of the experimental nature of the vaccine nor asked to provide consent.
RSV is a common and highly contagious respiratory virus that often causes mild cold-like symptoms in healthy adults. However, it can lead to severe illness and even death among infants, older adults, and other vulnerable populations.
The lawsuit alleges that both children became critically ill following exposure to the virus the following year. Victor died on January 1, 1967, at 16 months old, while Ross died the next day at 14 months old.
informed of the role their children’s tissue samples played in subsequent research and were never compensated for their contribution to medical advancements.
Crump and his legal team have filed claims including wrongful death, lack of informed consent, and civil battery. Co-counsel William H. Murphy Jr. argued that federal researchers proceeded with testing despite concerns about earlier RSV vaccine trials and the potential risks posed to young children.
The complaint also references previous RSV vaccine studies conducted during the 1960s, alleging that researchers continued testing despite reports of severe illness among some participants.
“The families of Ross
“The families of Ross Otto and Victor have waited nearly sixty years for answers and accountability.” – Ben Crump
According to court filings, medical findings at the time suggested that the children’s deaths may have been linked not only to RSV infection but also to an enhanced immune response allegedly triggered by the experimental vaccine, compounded by bacterial pneumonia.
The complaint further claims that tissue samples collected during the infants’ autopsies were preserved and later used by researchers studying why the vaccine had produced such severe outcomes. Attorneys for the families argue that the scientific knowledge derived from those studies contributed to later advancements in RSV research, including vaccines and antibody therapies approved decades afterward. The lawsuit alleges that the families were never
1906—Entertainer Josephine Baker is born in St. Louis, Mo. At 16, she starred in the hit and controversial musical “Shuffle Along.” However, she did not achieve fame until she left the United States and moved to Paris, France, where her exotic dancing and singing made her an international sensation. Baker was mixed race of African American and Native American parentage. She returned to the U.S. several times including in 1963 to speak at the Dr. Martin Luther Kingled March on Washington for civil rights.
• JUNE 4
1922—Samuel L. Gravely is born. Gravely became the first African American admiral in the United States Navy and the first African American to command a U.S. warship. The Richmond, Va., native died in 2004 at the age of 82.
1972—College professor and activist Angela Davis is acquitted of charges that she assisted and conspired with the young men involved in a deadly 1970 shootout at the Marin County courthouse in California. The assault on the courthouse was an attempt to free imprisoned Black activist George Jackson. At least three people were killed during the escape attempt. Davis, a Birmingham, Ala., native who became a member of the Communist Party, spent 16 months in prison but on this day in 1972 she was found not guilty of all charges by an all-White San Jose, Calif., jury.
1973—Arna Bontemps dies at the age of 72 in Nashville, Tenn. Born in Louisiana, Bontemps became one of the key figures in the Black artistic and cultural movement known as the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Bontemps was a prolific writer and poet.
• JUNE 5
1872—The Republican Party National Convention takes place in Philadelphia with substantial representation from former Black slaves. At least three Blacks addressed the national political gathering. At this point in history, the Republicans were the nation’s most progressive party and attracted the allegiance of African Americans. Blacks would remain loyal to the Republicans until the 1930s. But by 1945 with the Republicans becoming increasingly conservative and attracted to the New Deal programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the vast majority of Blacks had switched to the Democrats.
1894—Black inventor G.W. Murray patents a fertilizer distributor, cotton chopper and a seed planter all on this day in 1894.
1945—Track star John Carlos is born in Harlem, N.Y. Carlos and fellow sprinter Tommie Smith created an international sensation when they protested American racism by giving the “Black Power” clinched fist salute when accepting their medals at the 1968 Olympics.
1958—Singer, musician and composer Prince was born on this day in Minneapolis, Minn. His full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was a musical innovator and known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence, extravagant dress and makeup, and wide vocal range. Prince died at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minn., on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57.
1868—This is generally recognized as the day Marie Laveau retired (or was forced out) as the most powerful Voo Doo priestess in the world. The New Orleans native had become powerful and wealthy catering to the superstitious beliefs of both Blacks and Whites throughout the South. The daughter of a slave and a French plantation owner, Laveau was raised as a Catholic but became intrigued by stories of the city’s first Voo Doo priestess Sanite De De and by 1830 had built her own Voo Doo religious empire. She was replaced by one of her daughters, but she would live until 1881 dying at the age of 98.
1917—One of the greatest poets of the 20th century Gwendolyn Brooks is born in Topeka, Kan. Pushed by her mother and father, Brooks began writing poetry at a young age and was even introduced to some of the best known Black poets and writers of the Harlem Renaissance while still a child. She won the coveted Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950 for a collection entitled “Annie Allen.” She died on Dec. 3, 2000. 1930—Under pressure from early civil rights activists, the New York Times begins using the word “Negro” as the official designation for African Americans. It also agreed to capitalize the “N.” The decision by the Times gradually led to “Negro” becoming the official designation for Blacks nationwide and it would remain so until it was dethroned by “Black” in the 1960s. Positively, the rights advocates were attempting to build greater respect for African Americans but negatively, the selection of “Negro” also reflected a desire not to be referred to as “Blacks.”
1953—Educator and activist Mary Church Terrell wins a legal battle to end segregation in Washington, D.C., restaurants.
• JUNE 8
1886—Homer A. Plessy, a light-complexioned Black man, refuses to leave the “White” section of a New Orleans railroad car and move to the “colored” section. His Rosa Parks type refusal sets in motion a legal case, which eventually reached the United States Supreme Court. In its May 1896 ruling, the Court decided against Plessy and thus confirmed the segregationist doctrine of “separate but equal.” The ruling also had the effect of treating anyone with any “Black blood” as Black. The court never actually ruled on Plessy’s claim that he was 7/8 White and only 1/8 Black and thus should not be treated as “colored” under the laws of that day.
Otto and Victor have waited nearly sixty years for answers and accountability,” Crump said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
The NIH has not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the complaint. As the case proceeds through the courts, the lawsuit is expected to renew debate over medical ethics, informed consent, and the historical treatment of minority communities in medical research.
The allegations also draw attention to broader discussions about past instances of unethical experimentation in the United States and the importance of maintaining strict safeguards for human subjects participating in medical studies.
1956—Although the actual decision may have been reached the previous day, a federal district court hands down a ruling declaring that Alabama laws requiring racial segregation in public transportation were unconstitutional. The decision, which was later confirmed by the United States Supreme Court, was the first major legal victory for the Civil Rights Movement. It grew out of the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott sparked when Rosa Parks defied the law and custom by refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a White man. Although actually organized by Rev. E.D. Nixon, the Boycott would result in Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. becoming the nation’s most prominent civil rights leader.
• JUNE 6
1790—Jean Baptist Pointe Du Sable establishes a settlement which would eventually grow into the city of Chicago. The settlement would make the French-speaking, Santo Domingo-born Du Sable a wealthy man.
1966—Although there is some debate as to who first coined and used the phrase, this is generally recognized as the day in 1966 that Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee President Stokely Carmichael began to popularize the term “Black Power” as a demand for greater African American control over their political and economic destiny in America.
1987—Dr. Mae Jemison is selected by NASA as the first Black woman to begin training as a space shuttle astronaut.
1968—James Earl Ray, the man convicted of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is captured at an airport in London using a false Canadian passport. Ray would spend the rest of his life trying to withdraw his guilty plea charging that his brother and a mysterious man he met in Montreal, Canada, named Raoul were actually involved in the killing of King. He claimed he “did not personally shoot Dr. King” but suggested he knew beforehand about the conspiracy to assassinate him. Ray died in prison in April 1998.
1982—One of the greatest athletes to ever play the game of baseball, Satchell Paige, dies in Kansas City, Mo. Paige had played in the old Negro Baseball Leagues and went unrecognized by Major League Baseball and the general public for decades. He was finally voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971.
• JUNE 9
1948—Oliver W. Hill becomes the first African American elected to the Richmond, Va., city council. He is best known for his work as a civil rights attorney helping bring down the segregationist doctrine of “separate but equal.” Hill was born in 1907.
1989—One of the “founding fathers” of the Congressional Black Caucus, Michigan Rep. John Conyers issues the first call for a Congressional investigation into paying African Americans reparations for the enslavement of their ancestors.
ATTORNEY BEN CRUMP
Three Rivers Youth still serves the needs of the most vulnerable populations
THREE RIVERS FROM A1
Huliau, a native Hawaiian organization. Mikey Hood of KDKA-TV was the emcee.
The Nellie award winners for this year were Janis Burley (President/ CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center), Doris Carson Williams (Retired President/CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce) and Saleem Ghubril (Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Promise). The awards are aptly named after Three Rivers Youth's first client, Nellie Grant, who was found wandering the streets of what's now the North Side in 1880.
Additional winners for the night were students who were recipients of various different scholarships such as the Three Rivers Youth Scholarship, Chuck and Nancy Adreon Scholarship and the Lois Leeds Memorial Scholarship. They were presented to Elani Lynn Wanzo, Ethan Webb, Emily Eisenberg and Mubarak Salifu. The evening continued with its two mainstay highlights; the live auction, and the Kentucky Derby party, consisting of horse racing, cocktails, coffee, tea and dessert.
President and CEO of Three Rivers Youth, Peggy Harris, spoke to those in need of TRY services: "There are many in despair who sometimes will find themselves locked out of the good or promise of life; however, I know some doors that remain open and swing wide to people who need a hand up, a hand out and a hand in hand. These are the doors of Three Rivers Youth that open other doors and possibilities unimaginable, not bound by geography alone; one can find these doors on Pittsburgh’s
East End where on Highland Avenue peace can be found. You can enter that door, where you are welcome to share a meal, share a story and receive compassion."
Harris continued: "And further up the street is another door at the intersection of Broad and Centre (6117 Broad Street is Three Rivers Youth's address), you’ll find another door. At the epicenter of a bustling East Liberty, these doors also swing wide with the opportunity for you to unload your burdens that have become
too heavy to carry alone.
Inside you’ll find a care team member whose lived experience matches yours, a person who has traveled and overcome a road with the same bumps and speed blocks as yours. A person who looks like you and without judgement will open a space for your healing. You will also find
a whole care team of professionals, clinicians, psychologists and more. Individuals with whom you’ll be able to travel together back to your personal wholeness. You only need to open one door to find freedom with us.”
Harris has now been the President and CEO of Three Rivers Youth for 25 years. "My vigor is as strong tonight as it was 25 years ago when I first met Little Nellie, a child for whom we made a home. We are still serving Little
continues."
Nellie, and the journey
SOME OF THE THREE RIVERS YOUTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS...(PHOTOS BY J.L. MARTELLO)
SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ELANI LYNN WANZO, ETHAN WEBB, EMILY EISENBERG AND MUBARAK SALIFU
THREE RIVERS YOUTH PRESIDENT AND CEO PEGGY HARRIS
BEING ADOPTED IS ZANE ICE NEWTON, WITH JAMES A. NEWTON AND LOIS NEWTON.
Harmony Club of Homestead, Pa.,
Lance Weems Scholarship Prayer Brunch
The New Pittsburgh Courier was there as the Harmony Club of Homestead, Pa., held its Lance Weems Scholarship Prayer Brunch on Saturday, May 30, 2026, at the Carnegie Library of Homestead.
HARMONY CLUB MEMBERS—2026. NOT PICTURED ARE JEWEL GARRISON AND TIFFANY BAKER.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS RYAN CAMERON, JORDEN SMITH, TRINITY BOOTH—ALL PART OF THE STEEL VALLEY H.S. CLASS OF 2026.
SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT RYAN CAMERON WITH HER PARENTS.
New Horizon Theater serves a dose of sweetness with ‘Coconut Cake’
by Genea L. Webb
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Melda Potts Beaty never thought that a simple question about her grandfather’s retirement would spawn the creation of her award-winning play, "Coconut Cake."
“My grandfather retired from the steel mill in Gary, Indiana, in the ‘90’s and we would go visit him—I’m in Chicago so depending on where you are in Chicago, Gary is like 30 minutes. It’s not far at all," said Beaty. "We went to visit him one time and I asked him, ‘what are you doing with your days now that you’re retired?’ “And he said, ‘me and the fellas meet at the
local McDonald’s’ and his wife screamed out from the other room, ‘they don’t do nothing but sit around and tell lies.' It just stuck with me. I don’t know why it stuck with me. I had no connection to retirement or sitting around McDonald’s but that was the impetus of the play.”
Its relatable themes won the 2022 Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award. The caveat was the opportunity to take the play to five different Black theater companies. Each company that produced the play enjoyed sold-out shows.
“I’d go to every opening and I’d watch and I’d talk to the cast and some places I’d even be invited
to the rehearsal and I’d revise the script,” Beaty said.
“Coconut Cake” delves into the lives of five retired/semi-retired men whose weekly Monday meetings at the chess board at the local McDonald's give them the freedom to discuss many aspects of their lives—from politics to women.
New Horizon Theater Inc., is ending its 33rd season with the poignant piece. It runs through June 14. The show, which is playing at The O’Reilly Theater’s Helen Wayne Rauh Rehearsal Hall, 621 Penn Avenue, Downtown, is being directed by Eileen J. Morris.
“I love supporting Black
artists and creating a cannon of work that we can be a part of. The story was so interesting because it was dealing with retired, mature men and you don’t always get to see that in a play,” explained Morris, the artistic director at Houston’s Ensemble Theatre. “There’s going to be some handsome men up there on the stage for women to see. These men talk about everything from women to their childhoods, to children to politics. All the aspects of good storytelling is in this play. It’s a high note to end the season on.”
This is the second Beaty play that New Horizon Theater Inc., has offered. “Front Porch Society" was
shown in 2019.
New Horizon Theater Chairperson Joyce Meggerson-Moore is pleased as punch to give her audience the opportunity to experience “Coconut Cake.”
“We started this season with ‘Sistas,’ which featured women, and then we did ‘Get Ready,’ which featured five men, and then we did ‘Meet Me at the Oak,’ and now we have five men in ‘Coconut Cake.’ We’ve had two musicals and two female directors. We’ve had a great season,” Meggerson-Moore said.
Beaty is happy to work with New Horizon once again and have Pittsburgh audiences experi-
ence her craft. "I’m excited that New Horizon Theater is having me back. I have other plays and I would love to have an ongoing working relationship with them," she told the New Pittsburgh Courier. "Coconut Cake" stars Kevin Brown, Sheldon Ingram, Art Terry, John Reilly and Alex Morrison. Tickets can be purchased at Dorsey’s Digital Imaging on Frankstown Avenue, through New Horizon Theater Inc. at 412-431-0773, or at newhorizontheater.org.
Bill Generett Jr. appointed President/CEO of The Pittsburgh Foundation
and federal landscapes. He engages donors in a vision for the future. And he approaches community issues with a holistic lens. In this role, these talents will coalesce for Pittsburgh.”
The board of directors unanimously approved Generett on May 22, 2026. Generett has served as a member of the board since 2018, most recently as vice chair. As a candidate for the position, Generett recused himself from all search-related activity.
Generett joins The Pittsburgh Foundation from Duquesne University.
Starting in 2017 as vice president of civic engagement, Generett was promoted to senior vice president and officer of the university by Duquesne’s President Ken Gormley following his achievements expanding the university’s civic engagement work, fostering external relationships with local, state and federal officials, and strengthening its corporate and foundation fundraising. He launched Duquesne’s newest division, the Office of Civic Engagement and External Relations, which is comprised of the Office of Community Engagement, the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations and University Government Affairs. Generett also serves as executive in residence at the Palumbo-Donahue School of Business and is an adjunct professor at the Thomas Kline School of Law.
Generett spearheaded initiatives that led to the university being one of only 40 institutions nationwide awarded the 2024 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. This classification is the gold standard for university-community engagement efforts. He played a leading role in what has become one of Duquesne’s largest expansions in its history, driven by the successful IGNITE fundraising campaign that raised over $335 million. Under Generett’s leadership, the Office of Civic Engagement and External Relations raised approximately $30 million to support university initiatives. These included the Center for Integrative Health and the Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine, Duquesne’s new medical school that is expected to contribute $76 million in economic activity to southwestern Pennsylvania and provide family practitioners training to address health disparities in underserved urban
and rural communities throughout the state.
“Bill Generett is uniquely suited to lead The Pittsburgh Foundation," Gormley said. "His love for this region, his track record of success at Duquesne and in other roles, and his commitment to elevating our city and region for all its residents are key attributes that make him an excellent choice to lead one of our city’s most impactful foundations.
“While Bill is a respected and beloved figure at Duquesne, we know that this appointment is good for the entire community.
We're proud that Bill will take the talents he honed at Duquesne and use them to have a profound impact at The Pittsburgh Foundation, an organization whose goals align closely with our own service mission. Bill’s work is focused on the community. For him, this isn’t just a job. For Bill, this is his calling.”
Generett founded and led Urban Innovation21 from 2009 to 2017. The groundbreaking public-private partnership became a national model for inclusive innovation. It connected the region’s burgeoning innovation economy to underserved communities through business attraction and expansion, equitable development, and workforce development and training programs for students and residents.
Urban Innovation21 provided approximately 100 technology companies and hundreds of small businesses with $15 million in incentives to help them grow, directly leading to the creation of more than 500 jobs. It developed an innovative pro bono legal program with Reed Smith, providing more than $1 million in legal services to 44 high-growth companies, setting a national model for law firms providing these types of services to for-profit businesses. On the North Side, Generett fostered an $8.8 million public-private partnership between Urban Innovation21, Buhl Foundation, Faros Properties and Comcast to establish the burgeoning Nova Place development as a hub for inclusive innovation.
State and federal leaders and institutions have sought Generett for advisory positions, including for entrepreneurship and economic development. In 2018, then-Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf named Generett to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority, one of the largest state technology development programs in the nation. In 2014, he
was appointed by then-
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker as one of 27 members of the U.S. Department of Commerce National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Locally, he maintains connection to civic life through board and advisory committee memberships, including with The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Eden Hall Foundation, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Carnegie Museums, Center of Life, Shady Side Academy, the Business Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Pittsburgh Chapter, Innovation Works and Neighborhood Allies.
“I’m deeply humbled, proud and energized by the opportunity to lead The Pittsburgh Foundation and bolster its vital work to support our community,” Generett said. “The Foundation’s mission to unite people and bridge gaps through philanthropy and civic engagement is one I hold close to my heart. I’m excited to deepen my relationships with the team, community leaders and partners to build on our existing efforts to create a region where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.”
Generett added, “Pittsburgh has bold aspirations for its future, but the path to achieving them is complex. What makes The Pittsburgh Foundation remarkable is its commitment to confronting challenges with clarity and never shying away from evolving its approach to building partnerships. I’ve seen the effects of fostering collaboration. By bringing together fundholders, nonprofits, civic and corporate leaders, elected officials, young voices, community members and more, we’ll help more people. I’m eager to get to work and excited to contribute to this mission that many Pittsburghers share.”
A graduate of Emory University’s School of Law and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, Generett is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Georgia (Voluntary Inactive Status). He is married to Gretchen Generett, Ph.D., and they are the proud parents of William III and Gabrielle.
“The volume of interest in this position from notable leaders across the country is a testament to the incredible reputation and broad respect The Pittsburgh Foundation has garnered over its 80year history,” McGinley said. “To understand this
position is viewed as desirable reinforces that we’re on the right path, and the board is confi-
dent we’ve made the right choice in Bill for the future of both the Foundation and Pittsburgh.”
BILL GENERETT JR. (FILE PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
Pastors, would you like to join the Courier’s Church Directory?
Just email us at religion@newpittsburghcourier.com for details.
COURIER CHURCH DIRECTORY
BAPTIST TEMPLE CHURCH
Sunday Worship: 8 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.
7241 Race Street Pittsburgh, Pa., 15208
116 South Highland Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa., 15206 412-441-3800
Bountiful Blessings: 1st, 3rd Tuesday, 5-7 p.m. 312 Viola St. Duquesne, Pa., 15110
Pastor—Rev. Dr. Rodney Adam Lyde
Marie Walker’s Weekly Inspiration
“Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault betweeen you and him alone; if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother. Then came Peter to Him (Jesus), and said Lord, how often shall my brother SIN AGAINST ME, AND I FORGIVE HIM? Jesus said to him (Peter), I say not unto you, until 7 times but, until 70 times 7. = 490. - St. Matthew 18:15, 21-22
REV. WALKER SAYS: FORGIVE, FORGIVE AND FORGIVE!!! LET IT GO. God gives us New Mercies every morning. Let us start each day fresh with unforgiveness, love and praise to God.
Brother Marlon’s
Top 5 Songs of Inspiration
Pull out your phone or computer, and listen to these five songs of inspiration, hand-picked by Brother Marlon Martin, a Courier freelance photographer, DJ for Courier events, and on-air host of “I Praise,” Sunday mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. on WAMO 107.3 FM.
1. Tye Tribbett and G.A. - “Bless the Lord”
2. Travis Malloy & Urban Worship Collective - “He Is”
3. Sheena Taylor - “I Denounce You Satan”
4. 2819 Worship - “For Christ Alone”
5. Hezekiah Walker - “Better”
2001 Wylie Avenue Pittsburgh, Pa., 15219 www.baptisttemple.church
Dorothy Stubbs
EBENEZER MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday Worship Service: 11 a.m.
www.ebenezerbaptistpgh.org
Sr. Pastor—Rev. Dr. Vincent K. Campbell
Barbara A. Gunn
Legacy in motion
How a father’s purpose became a family mission for Pittsburgh’s next generation
Bill Neal: I am proud to share with you what is most special about having the privilege to write for this amazing and historic paper...the New Pittsburgh Courier! Because with it comes the opportunity to meet and write about some of Western Pa.’s greatest athletes.
Thus, the honor presents itself again as I have my moment in time with one of Western Pa.’s and the City of Pittsburgh’s greatest all-time athletes, Darelle A. Porter, better known to the basketball world and beyond as "DAP!"
I struggle and resist to remind you that apparently I must be 100 years old, because I’ve known
Darelle since he was a high school football and basketball superstar at Perry High School. During that time the national basketball world made its way to Pittsburgh to covet the great Sonny Vaccaro—Dapper Dan Round Ball Tournament, and the seemingly endless pure gold basketball talent that this area was rich in. Most especially, the inner city roots of The Hill, South Side, East LibertyGarfield, and Homewood.
DAP’s name is forever entrenched with the legendary players such as Chuck Cooper, Sam Clancy, Kirk Bruce, Kenny Durrett, Billy Knight, Jennifer Bruce, Bill Clark, Maurice Lucas, Ricky Coleman, Mary Myers, Maurice Stokes, Jeff Baldwin, Myron Brown, Bruce Atkins, Karen Hall, Simmie Hill, Norm Van Lier, Billy Varner, and endless superstars who helped make Western Pa. the bedrock of basketball talent in the nation.
In my 52 years of service in the W. Pa. community, I’ve seen the best of the best from 1968 to present and Porter checks all the boxes for greatness both on and off the court, and is worthy of recognition and most deserving of all that
comes his way. I applaud the man, the athlete, the coach, the mentor, and the family man and wish him the level of “Achieving Greatness” that he and his talented children seek as they open the door for the new adventure. I end my salute here and invite you to enjoy the magnificent words presented by his good friend Vernon Young as he breaks down all the finite details as only a true and talented friend can.
Vernon Young Jr.:
Long before there was a DAP2KK, there was a young boy growing up in the Hill District, watching men pour into his life when they didn't have to. Those lessons would eventually shape one of Pittsburgh's most respected mentors and youth advocates. For more than three decades, Darelle "DAP" Porter has dedicated his life to developing young people through sports, mentorship, and community engagement. Hundreds of student-athletes have passed through his programs. Many have gone on to excel in the classroom, on the basketball court, in their careers, and within their own communities. Some have gone on to play sports professionally, and some still teach in their communities, but each of them credits Porter for his contributions to their youth development. Yet Porter is quick to point out that his commitment to giving back was never created in isolation. It was inherited. The foundation was built by men who helped shape his worldview and taught him that success means little if it is not shared with others.
Carl Kohlman of Ozanam taught him the value of service and accountability. His legendary Perry Traditional Academy basketball coach, Chuck Franklin, demonstrated the power of leadership and discipline. Community ambassador Clarence Battle showed him what it looked like to be present, visible, and invested in the lives of young people. And Floyd "Zonk 5" Thomas embodied the importance of remaining connected to the community
that raised you. Together, those men became living examples of what servant leadership looked like.
"Each of them was instrumental in shaping my perspective on giving back to the community," Porter said. "They invested in me, and I always felt it was my responsibility to invest in someone else."
That belief became his life's work.
For years, Porter dedicated himself to helping young athletes navigate life through basketball. But while he was building a legacy in the community, he was simultaneously building one at home. Today, that legacy stands beside him. His daughter, Michaela "KK" Porter, carved out her own path as a standout collegiate and professional basketball player before returning home to Pittsburgh to coach at the collegiate level. His son, Darelle Porter Jr., known as DAP II, developed into a successful athlete in his own right, playing basketball overseas while building a growing platform and influence among young people. Together, they represent the next chapter of a story decades in the making. DAP2KK—named after DAP, DAP II, and KK— was originally envisioned nearly twenty years ago as a family-centered nonprofit focused on youth development through sports. Now, that vision is becoming a reality. Beginning June 8, the Porter family will officially launch a new era of DAP2KK programming, bringing together three accomplished athletes with one shared mission: helping Pittsburgh's youth discover confidence, purpose, discipline, and opportunity. For KK, the opportunity to work alongside her father represents something far deeper than basketball.
"My father has always been an example of what it means to serve others," Michaela Porter said. "Everything he poured into the community, he first poured into us. Being able to come home and continue that work beside him is one of the greatest blessings of my life. We always had a connection throughout life, but over the past few years, we’ve become
friends. The values he and my mom instilled in us—service, discipline, accountability, and faith —shaped who we are, and through DAP2KK, we have an opportunity to pass those same values on to the next generation."
For DAP II, the mission is about preserving a family legacy built on faith, sacrifice, and service. After experiencing basketball at the collegiate level and overseas, he says the lessons that have stayed with him the longest were never learned on the court.
"Family legacy means everything to me," Darelle Porter Jr. said. Basketball opened doors around the world, but the values my father instilled in me are what truly prepared me for life. DAP2KK is about carrying those values forward and making sure the next generation has the same opportunities we had."
Together, the Porter family brings an uncommon level of experience and credibility. All three have competed and started at the collegiate level. KK played professionally
and now coaches college basketball. DAP II competed internationally and understands firsthand the opportunities sports can create. DAP has spent decades mentoring young people. That credibility is reinforced by the countless athletes whose lives Porter has impacted over the years, including standout basketball player and coach, Eddie Benton. "The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Darelle is selflessness," Benton said. "He coached me when I was a member of the Pittsburgh Jots AAU team and taught me what it takes to be an impact player at the Division I level. He also taught me what I needed to do to be a successful point guard once I got to college. Most importantly, he showed me what a true work ethic looks like.
I watched him practice when he was a member of the University of Pittsburgh basketball team, and those lessons stayed with me. Overall, he is a prime example of what it means to give back."
But perhaps the most powerful aspect of DAP-
2KK is not their athletic accomplishments. It is their commitment. Their commitment to creating a safe environment where young people can learn, grow, compete and be mentored. Their commitment to helping youth understand that their future is bigger than their current circumstances. And their commitment to ensuring that every child who enters their program feels seen, valued and supported. Because while not every child will become a professional athlete, every child deserves a chance to develop into the best version of themselves.
"Every kid needs development," Darelle Porter said. "We are here to help, and we have a lot of experience doing it."
DARELLE PORTER, AT PITT.
DARELLE PORTER WITH HIS TWO CHILDREN, DARELLE PORTER JR. AND MICHAELA “KK” PORTER.
DARELLE PORTER, VERNON YOUNG JR.
Feeding Black kids blue lies over historical facts?
J. Pharoah Doss Page B4
Property is Power!
Build assets first, refinance later
There is a dangerous mindset quietly circulating through parts of Black America, and even high-income earners believe that wealth-building must wait for perfect conditions. Black America has become obsessed with interest rates.
Turn on financial television, scroll through social media, or sit in almost any conversation about housing, and the discussion eventually circles back to the same anxiety—rates are too high. Buyers are waiting, consumers are nervous, and the market feels uncertain, and within Black America, particularly among educated professionals, aspiring homeowners, and first-generation wealth-builders, that
anxiety has quietly evolved into something more dangerous—paralysis. Too many people are waiting for perfect conditions before they allow themselves to participate in ownership. Perfect rates. Perfect prices.
Perfect timing.
Perfect certainty.
But wealth has never been built that way in America. Ownership has always rewarded movement more than hesitation. That is especially important for Black folks to understand right now because while many people are frozen by fear and over-analysis, others are still buying. Investors are still acquiring assets.
Families with long-term vision are still positioning themselves for the next 20 years, not just the next six months. And perhaps that is the central misunderstanding in today’s housing conversation; the goal was never supposed to be chasing low interest rates.
The goal is ownership.
The goal is assets.
The goal is equity.
The goal is appreciation.
The goal is legacy.
Somewhere along the way, many Americans became psychologically attached to the abnormal housing market created during the pandemic era. Mortgage rates at 3 and 4 percent were treated as though they represented the natural order of the economy rather than what they actually were; emergency-era monetary conditions created during an extraordinary period in modern history. Those rates were
Retirement income planning mistakes that leave seniors scrambling in their golden years
by Amy Kang NNPA NEWSWIRE—As
you en-
joy your youth, you should think about retirement income planning. Many retirees face financial suffering because of some planning errors they made in their younger years, such as not considering longevity, ignoring inflation, or claiming Social Security too early. If you aren’t too careful, these mistakes can make it hard for you to enjoy your senior years.
Pew Research Center reports that four in ten Americans (40 percent) aren’t confident they’ll have enough income to last throughout their retirement years. These fears are common, especially if you don’t prioritize senior financial planning
During your golden years, you should regularly nurture your own resiliency, resourcefulness, and renaissance spirit. It’ll help you make the most out of your life.
What Are the Retirement Income Planning Mistakes Seniors Make?
Retirement income planning is complex. If you make one wrong move, you’ll lose a lot of money. Here are some retirement income planning mistakes that can take you many steps backward.
Starting Retirement Planning Too Late
When you’re young, time is your best friend. You should take advantage of compound interest while you’re young. However, most people put off saving until they reach
it will take a huge share of your retirement savings. For example, if inflation is 6 percent annually, things that cost $100 today will cost approximately $179 in ten years. If you don’t plan for this situation, your money may not stretch as far into your senior years.
Failing to Diversify Investments
Putting all your retirement income in one basket is risky. This strategy can make you lose a lot of money if your investment performs poorly.
As part of your retirement income strategies, you should diversify your portfolio.
Claiming Social Security Benefits Too Early
When you’re young, time is your best friend. You should take advantage of compound interest while you’re young. However, most people put off saving until they reach their 40s or 50s. If you delay making contributions, it becomes hard to catch up. You’ll have to increase your savings rate to meet your retirement lifestyle expectations.
early enough. Some common missteps, like skipping contributions, can shrink your nest egg faster as you’re older. If you start to plan now, you can avoid desperate struggles in your golden years.
What Are the 3 Rs of Retirement?
As you think about your retirement years, you should be proactive about retirement income planning. One way you can do that is through the 3 Rs of retirement Resilience: Helps you adjust your spending habits based on market changes.
Resourcefulness: Shows up when you adopt retirement budget tips and learn how to enjoy life at low costs. Renaissance: Reflects when you’re always willing to find different ways to make money, even as you age.
their 40s or 50s
If you delay making contributions, it becomes hard to catch up. Starting to late means you can make modest contributions. You’ll have to increase your savings rate to meet your retirement lifestyle expectations.
Underestimating Medical and Long-Term Care Expenses
As per NCOA reports, nearly all seniors (93 percent) have at least one chronic condition. This statistic shows that a lot of your income may be spent on healthcare when you retire.
The expenses you incur are a lot, even if you have Medicare coverage. Unfortunately, most people don’t save up for long-term care.
Ignoring Inflation’s Impact on Savings
A lot of people ignore inflation, yet
If you start claiming your Social Security too early, say at 62, you can significantly decrease your lifetime income. This decision can permanently reduce your monthly payments for the rest of your life.
Neglecting Tax Implications
Tax implications matter. You should know that different accounts have special tax rules. If you fail to consider the tax rules, you’ll lose a lot of money in penalties.
How Can Seniors Maximize Retirement Income?
Once you’re aware of the mistakes, the focus goes on how to do things right. So, how can seniors maximize retirement income?
Here are retirement savings tips you can implement: Adjust Your Spending and Budget
The invisible addiction: How online gambling is destroying young adults financially
A 23-year-old accountant making $68,000 a year found himself buried under nearly $20,000 in debt. Credit cards. A car loan. A personal loan. He wasn’t broke because he didn’t earn enough money. He was broke because something else was making financial decisions on his behalf. That something was a gambling app on his phone.
This isn’t some rare, isolated story. It’s becoming more common across America. Young adults are being pulled into online gambling at alarming rates, and the damage is showing up quietly. Not in hospital rooms or police reports, but in maxed-out credit cards, empty savings accounts, missed rent payments, drained retirement accounts, and bankruptcy court.
That’s why online gambling may be one of the most dangerous addictions of this generation. You can’t always see it on a person’s body, but you can see it on their credit report.
The casino is no longer across town. It’s in your pocket 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Years ago, gambling required effort. You had to drive to a casino, go to a racetrack, find a local bookie, or sit at a poker table. That process created friction. You had to physically go somewhere.
You had to pull out cash. You had time to think. Today, that friction is gone. A person can place a bet from the couch, the cubicle, the barbershop, or the parking lot at work. All it takes is a smartphone and a few taps on a screen. The growth has been explosive. The global online gambling market is valued at roughly $120 billion and is projected to exceed $200 billion within the next several years. In America, online gambling grew from about $2.5 billion in 2018 to roughly $20 billion by 2023. Mobile platforms now account for the overwhelming majority of betting activity. In plain English, people aren’t gambling mostly at casinos anymore. They’re gambling from their phones. Modern betting apps are designed to keep people engaged. They use push notifications, free bets, bonus offers, deposit matches, reward points, and limited-time promotions to pull users back
in. It looks like entertainment. It feels like a game. But behind the scenes, it’s a highly sophisticated system built to separate people from their money. Sports betting has accelerated the problem. Every game now feels like a commercial for gambling. Pregame shows discuss betting lines. Podcasts promote parlays. Commercials advertise bonus bets. Friends aren’t just watching their favorite team anymore. Many are watching to see whether a player scores enough points, gains enough yards, or records enough rebounds to cash a ticket. For many young adults, gambling has become part of sports culture. That’s dangerous. The 18-to-24 age group is among the fastest-growing segments in online gambling. Many young adults don’t view betting as gambling. They view it as strategy, analytics, entertainment, or even a side hustle.
That’s the trap. The industry frames
betting as skill. If you know football, basketball, or baseball, they make you feel like you have an edge. When you lose, you don’t think, “The house got me.” You think, “I’ll get it right next time.” That thinking leads to one of the most dangerous parts of gambling addiction: chasing losses.
“I’ll win it back.”
“I’m due.”
“I was close.”
“Just one more bet.”
That’s how a $100 loss becomes $500. That $500 loss becomes $5,000. That $5,000 becomes $20,000 in debt. Because it all happens digitally, it doesn’t feel like handing over real money. Losing $500 through screen taps doesn’t hit the brain the same way as handing five $100 bills to a cashier. The pain is delayed. The consequences show up later.
That’s when the credit card bill arrives.
That’s when rent is due.
That’s when the bank account is empty.
This is why gambling addiction is often called the invisible addiction. With
ANTHONY O. KELLUM
Retirement income planning mistakes that leave seniors scrambling
One of the first steps to increase your retirement income is how you spend your money. Having a budget will give you clarity and control.
Here are some retirement budget tips:
Focus your spending on necessities like healthcare
Make room for rising costs in your budget
Use digital budgeting tools for efficiency Control lifestyle creep in retirement
A proactive approach to managing your income helps preserve your retirement savings for a long time. You won’t have to worry about going broke. Consider Maximizing Social Security and Making Cost-of-Living Adjustments
Social Security is your cornerstone during retirement. Luckily, the government adjusts these benefits each year to keep up with inflation through Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs).
Aside from this, you should delay collecting Social Security benefits. Each year you delay up to age 70, your benefits can grow at about 8 percent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the 30-30-30-10 Rule for Retirement?
The rule suggests that you should put 30 percent of your income into living expenses. Next, place the other 30 percent to your investments and another 30 percent to retirement savings. You’ll later remain with 10 percent for unforeseen financial issues that can come up.
If you follow this rule, you can easily create disciplined savings habits. With more savings in your account, you get to boost your retirement security.
How Can I Diversify
My Investments
Don’t just have one investment; you can diversify into different money-making portfolios. Here’s how you can di-
versify:
Get into real estate
Try dividend-paying stocks
Explore alternative assets, such as precious metals like gold
Opt for investments like Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS)
Make sure you partner with a trusted financial advisor. They
will guide you appropriately, ensuring your investments align with your income goals and risk tolerance.
How Can Seniors Be Protected from Financial Scams?
As a retiree, make sure you consult an advisor before making any investment or paying a lot of money for an item. Scammers often prey on your desire to save money and your naivety in navigating the financial world. Don’t make investment decisions alone. Additionally, always have a bit of skepticism when it comes to the investments you’re told to consider. Do your research first, before you make a choice.
Elevate Your Retirement Income Planning Tactics Retirement income planning will tell you whether you’ll have a comfortable or stressful life as you age. If you want comfort, it’s important to avoid starting late, using Social Security benefits early, and only using one investment channel. With the help of financial experts, build comprehensive retirement income strategies. Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more investment tips.
Property is Power! Build assets first, refinance later
never guaranteed to last. Historically speaking, what we are seeing now is far closer to a normal market than what America experienced a few years ago. Yet many potential buyers remain emotionally anchored to that anomaly, waiting for the market to somehow return to a version of itself that may never fully exist again. Meanwhile, opportunity keeps moving, and that is the real danger; not rates themselves, but hesitation. Because while some people are debating whether to wait, others are acquiring duplexes, four-family properties, commercial storefronts, single-family rentals, and appreciating land. Others are building equity while many are still building excuses. The people quietly creating wealth in America understand something fundamental that many consumers still struggle to fully embrace; you are not marrying the interest rate. You are marrying the asset. Interest rates can change, markets fluctuate, debt can be refinanced, terms can improve over time, but first, ownership must exist.
That is the step many people keep postponing. There is no refinancing without first acquiring the property, there is no equity without ownership, there is no appreciation without positioning yourself inside the market, there is no generational wealth without assets attached to your family name. And Black Americans must become more disciplined about understanding this distinction. For too long, many conversations surrounding Black wealth have been dominated by caution rather than
acquisition. We have become hyper focused on what could go wrong while overlooking what ownership has historically made possible. Yes, preparation matters. Yes, buyers should understand financing, taxes, reserves, debt ratios, and market conditions. But eventually, strategy must become action. Because real estate has never primarily been about perfection, it has always been about positioning.
Families and investors who quietly build wealth in America understand this instinctively. They think long-term. They acquire strategically; they understand that assets held over time tend to reward patience and ownership far more than fear and hesitation. And Black families must increasingly think this way if we are serious about transforming our economic future. Because ownership changes how people live, think, and move through the world.
A homeowner thinks differently than a renter. An investor thinks differently than a consumer. A family with appreciating assets approaches life differently than a family surviving entirely on earned income. Property creates leverage. Property creates flexibility. Property creates options during economic uncertainty.
Most importantly, property creates inheritance, and inheritance is where communities begin building real economic continuity across generations. This is why Black America cannot afford to continue functioning primarily as consumers inside communities we do not own.
Ownership matters! Homeownership should not simply be viewed as a lifestyle milestone or a symbolic
achievement; it should be understood as economic infrastructure. A mortgage is not merely a monthly payment over time; it often becomes a transfer mechanism from expense into equity.
Rent disappears.
Equity accumulates.
That distinction changes families over 20 or 30 years.
And yet too many people continue approaching wealth from a scarcity mindset, believing opportunity is limited or unavailable to them. But wealth-building has always required expansive thinking.
The ocean does not know limitation. A person can approach the ocean with a spoon, a bucket, or an entire swimming pool, and the ocean remains infinite. The limitation is rarely the opportunity itself. More often, the limitation is the mindset approaching it. Black America must begin thinking larger economically.
Not recklessly.
Not irresponsibly.
But strategically and expansively.
Buy the first property. Build the first layer of equity. Acquire the first appreciating asset.
Then continue building from there.
One property can become two, equity can help finance future acquisitions. Appreciation can create leverage; rental income can create flexibility. A family home can become the foundation of a family portfolio. That is how wealth compounds quietly over time, and that is how communities rise economically. There is also a broader responsibility attached to ownership that extends beyond individual success. Wealth
becomes transformative when it circulates intentionally. When Black families own homes, support Black businesses, hire Black professionals, invest in Black neighborhoods, and pass assets down to future generations, entire communities become more stable and resilient.
That is how schools improve. That is how neighborhoods stabilize.
That is how political influence expands.
That is how children inherit opportunity instead of instability. And perhaps most importantly, that is how economic dignity becomes normalized. The future of Black wealth in America will not belong exclusively to those who earned the highest salaries. It will belong to those who acquired appreciating assets early, leveraged them intelligently, held them long enough to compound, and transferred them intentionally across generations.
Property is power!
(Dr. Anthony O. Kellum—CEO of Kellum Mortgage, LLC
Homeownership Advocate, Speaker, Author NMLS # 1267030 NMLS #1567030 O: 313-263-6388 W: www.KelluMortgage.com.)
Property is Power! is a movement to promote home and community ownership. Studies indicate homeownership leads to higher graduation rates, family wealth, and community involvement
Online gambling is destroying young adults financially
drugs or alcohol, people may notice physical warning signs. With gambling, a person can look completely normal. They can go to work every day. They can dress well. They can drive a nice car. They can post happy pictures online. Meanwhile, behind closed doors, they’re taking cash advances from credit cards, borrowing money from family, opening personal loans, draining savings, raiding retirement accounts, and falling behind on bills. The damage doesn’t show up on their face. It shows up in their finances. Studies show that many compulsive gamblers accumulate tens of thousands of dollars in debt. More than 20 percent eventually file for bankruptcy. Research has also found increases in bankruptcies, debt collections, and auto loan delinquencies in states after online sports betting becomes widely available. This is no longer just a personal problem. It’s becoming a household problem, a community problem, and an economic problem. Young adults are especially vulnerable be-
cause they are already financially stretched. Many are juggling student loans, car payments, credit cards, rising rents, expensive insurance, and higher living costs. These are supposed to be their wealth-building years. This is when they should be building emergency savings, investing for retirement, establishing good credit, and buying assets. Instead, many are using borrowed money to fund bets. That is financial quicksand. The more they struggle, the more they bet. The more they bet, the deeper they sink. The deeper they sink, the more desperate they become for one big win to save them. But here’s the truth: the big win is usually the bait, not the blessing. Even when gamblers win, many don’t stop. They keep playing because the addiction eventually becomes less about money and more about the emotional rush. The excitement. The dopamine. The escape from reality. That’s why you cannot budget your way out of a gambling addiction. A budget is a tool. Addiction is a compulsion. A spreadsheet won’t stop someone from placing a bet at midnight when the urge hits. Fi-
nancial literacy is important, but financial literacy alone is not treatment. Some financial problems are not money problems. They are behavior problems.
A person can earn $68,000, $100,000, or even $200,000 a year and still end up broke if addiction is controlling their decisions. You cannot out-earn destructive behavior. You have to confront it. Recovery requires structure. Delete the apps. Remove access. Turn off notifications. Block gambling websites. Use self-exclusion programs if necessary.
Face the full financial picture. Pull every credit card statement, every loan balance, every bank account, and every missed bill. You cannot fix what you refuse to face.
Get accountability. That may mean Gamblers Anonymous, therapy, a trusted family member, or a financial counselor who understands addiction. Replace the behavior. The urge doesn’t disappear just because the app is gone. That energy has to go somewhere healthier: exercise, faith, community involvement, learning a new skill, or
building a legitimate side hustle. Then rebuild the money slowly. Create a realistic budget. Build an emergency fund. Pay down debt. Repair your credit. Automate savings. The betting app doesn’t care about your rent. It doesn’t care about your kids. It doesn’t care about your marriage, your mental health, your credit score, or your future. It only cares about keeping you in the game long enough to take more money from you.
Gambling is not entertainment when you can’t afford to lose. At that point, it becomes financial
Guest Editorial
Looking back on the future
The United States recently honored the anniversary of the United States’ holiday known as Memorial Day. If you think about it, holidays offer us the opportunity to keep track of history. Memorial Day has as its purpose reminding people to honor, or at least, recognize the contributions that our soldiers have made toward the safety and security of American citizens. Wikipedia offers the following information regarding this important holiday: Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It is also considered to be the unofficial beginning of summer. Memorial Day is a time for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in national cemeteries. Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, 1868.”
Fast forward to 2026; Americans are faced with some of the most drastic changes observed in many years. For one, we have a chief executive (i.e. president) who basically serves as the leader of our country, and who has very interesting ideas about how we should function as a nation. Unfortunately, this leader has strange ideas about how we should behave as a nation. He has made certain promises that he has not been able to keep or bring to fruition. This appears to be due to his personal philosophy; our leader, Donald J. Trump, tends to be interested in things that do not contribute to the well-being of regular citizens. He is spending an enormous amount of money that does not relate to the needs of non-wealthy citizens.
With this said, it is important to understand the past in order to create a better future. As we look backwards, we recognize the prominence of Jim Crow life; we see the discrimination, deprivation, and general maltreatment that was prominent “back in the day.” Today, we have the privilege of looking back on that past in order to craft a better future. There is a challenge in this regard, however, and that will be the behavior of citizens, particularly, non-wealthy individuals and families, as they respond to our new social directions. Back on point, when thinking about the well-being of citizens, the military is right up there in the front row; our soldiers have a unique responsibility, they see themselves as those who will keep Americans safe. Unfortunately, our soldiers are also citizens and, in that regard, stand to lose their own lives. Our soldiers are, therefore, super-important. An example of the jeopardy that they face can be seen in the numbers of soldiers who have lost their lives as a result of Trumpian machinations during the Iran “war.” Trump did not serve in the military, and because of this, it’s pretty certain that he is not able to really relate to what it means to demonstrate sacrificial behavior for the sake of others.
One more thing; as alluded to in previous paragraphs, it is possible to forecast the future based on what happened in the past. African Americans have actually been making great progress in this country in spite of a very negative past. But it’s not lost on astute observers that the backward movement of the current administration is very toxic. Many of the gains that have been experienced by Black people have been observed by pundits that understand that our current trajectory is going in a backwards direction. We are literally in danger of going “Back to the Future,” i.e., a future that recaps the negative past. Because of this, we need to take control of our collective destiny before it’s too late, and this involves making sure that we put the work in that will result in better sociological outcomes for ourselves and our posterity. After all, the past predicts the future! Aluta continua.
(Reprinted from the Chicago Crusader.)
Truth-seeking mission to Cuba
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—I was afforded the honor of traveling to Cuba representing Mayor Johnny Ford and the World Conference of Mayors, Dr. Lezli Baskerville of HBCU’S, and The Dick Gregory Society, on a fact-finding mission with about 25 others. Dr. Ron Daniels, leader of the Institute of the Black World, invited us to go to Cuba to do fact-finding about the situation there since the total blockade of their nation by the Trump Administration, led by Secretary Marco Rubio (a CUBAN). The country is not bothering the United States. As a matter of fact, the Cuban people have done a great job defending people around the word, including the Congo, that is now in need of much help with Ebola.
The Cubans are not bothering us. They are known for helping the United States with COVID containment and training young doctors who might never have had an opportunity to study medicine. As a matter of fact, we were blessed to meet two young students from the United States who are currently studying in Cuba. They were eloquent in sharing with us their challenges with studying and doing simple things like preparing their meals due to the U.S. blockade of essentials like fuel to keep the lights on and the inability to use their gas stoves. Many of the doctors there are trained and return to the United States, others go back to their home countries or to other countries often in crisis.
We visited a hospital where doctors,
nurses and key personnel shared with us the high rise of deaths of innocent babies and mothers. Due to this severe blockade, several doctors were choked up telling their stories about their experience without proper medication and equipment to provide their patients with the best service. The other challenge for them and others is to get to work due to the lack of fuel to drive.
We saw neighborhoods in the city without the ability to have garbage pickup due to the lack of fuel to run the trucks. No one should have to live under the harsh conditions caused by the United States and our uncaring regime. While we, in the United States are suffering from the actions of the leaders of this country, we are not prevented from getting help from others. Yes, under the current administration, we are experiencing hard times in this land of plenty, but it’s hard to find a word to describe what our so-called leaders are doing to innocent Cubans.
School children are experiencing hard times studying at night because the power is frequently off. While in restaurants at night, the lights go off in the middle of dinner; yet the Cuban
people welcomed us and gave us their very best. They love the people of America and can’t understand why Trump and Rubio have chosen to deny them basic goods and services with this inhumane blockage. We mostly met with ordinary citizens who shared their challenges with Trump, Hegseth and Rubio’s challenges. What is it that makes them feel heroic about killing babies, denying medicine to the sick and what causes little children to be on the street begging for something to eat?
We spent much of our time with ordinary people, but we were blessed with meetings of substance with neighborhoods to high level officials such as the General Assembly, Deputy Ministers that included women in very high positions and the Cuban President— all of whom are facing challenges by the blockade just to do their jobs for the people. Not just what we heard, but what we witnessed, it was easy to label the U.S. Administration CRUEL and UNCARING about the suffering of the people.
So many people in the world, including Americans, have benefitted from the research, the medical and military assistance—yet our leaders turned a blind eye to their goodness, and want to go to war against innocent Cuban people to prove their manhood! (Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of The Dick Gregory Society.)
What is your “plan-of-action” for the 2026 midterm elections? What is your “Strategy for Struggle?” The 2026 Pennsylvania primary elections were held on May 19. The U.S. general election is scheduled for November 3.
Do you plan to just vote for the national and state candidates who best support the interests of the Black community here in Pennsylvania’s 12th U.S. congressional district? PA 12 is located in the southwestern section of the state. PA 12 includes Pittsburgh and parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The congressional representative is U.S. congresswoman Summer Lee. We know what our interests are. We know without a doubt that the Donald Trump-led MAGA politicians are vehemently opposed to the interests of the Black community. MAGA tells us that to our faces every hour of the day.
A right-wing, reactionary fascist-leaning national movement has control of the three “separate” branches of the federal government and many state governments. This makes the 2026 midterm election year one of the most dangerous in American history. Pennsylvania is a very important battleground state in this national struggle. However, the Democratic primary in PA 12 was not a high priority for the national and state Democratic Party establishment, and minimal resources were allocated to the PA 12 primaries.
Out here in Homewood, Pittsburgh’s East End, majority African American 13th Ward, I saw only a handful of posters or campaign yard signs for the candidates who ran for the state and national elected offices in the primary elections. Voter turnout was low. The turnout was 22.7 percent of Allegheny’s 915,194 registered voters.
I did not see a single car or SUV cruising the streets, sporting campaign posters. How many campaign buttons or billboards did you see in the Hill District, Lincoln-Larimer, or other Black enclaves? Was this also true throughout the 50-odd municipalities in Pennsylvania’s 12th U.S. congressional district?
The vote is important. But the vote alone it is not enough. Over the next five months, we must raise the level, intensity and character of PA 12 Black politics. We must build a political power base “in our own image and interests” across PA 12 to wage
Fred Logan
political battle in 2026, 2027, 2028 and beyond. We must be crystal clear on what kind of political organizations we are building. For example, we must not confuse the mission and structure of coalitions, alliances, federations and united fronts. In the past this has often led to confusion
To mobilize, educate and organize, the Black community must convene candidates’ forums across PA 12 with the Democratic incumbent Summer Lee and her Republican challenger James Hayes. Where does Summer Lee and James Hayes stand on the struggles over the Voting Rights Act, human services cut back, on U.S. military aggression in Iran, Nigeria, on the high seas, in Lebanon and Gaza?
At these events, let the people stand up and speak out loud, and make their verbal comments from the floor. This brings life and energy to the program. The audience does not sit passive, restless while their questions and comments are “read” by the moderator, intonating over the microphone.
Over the next five months, we must mobilize the Black community: Call out our leaders. Call out Black motorcycle clubs, Black elected officials, Black social clubs, taverns and lounges, fraternizes and sororities, Black religious institutions, Black professional organizations. These respective groups have the phenomenal ability to “mobiles” their respective troops when requested, as history confirms daily.
On February 12, 2026, Dr. Ron Daniel, of IBW 21st Century, made a very important statement on national Black mobilization, “All Boots on the Bridge: State of Emergency Without Urgency in Black America.” This is “required reading.”
One of the major failings of the national Black community is our failure to constantly and incisively provide the ongoing, intense critiques of our meetings, conferences, and other forums these vitally important events demand. We must critique Black struggle for ourselves. We must, for one example, critique the many factors related
to Black voter turnout in 2024. We must not conflate the Black people who did not vote in 2024 because they believed it would not improve their objective material condition with the reactionary Black MAGA Clarence Thomas, Mark Robinson, Hershel Walker, etc. That’s “a whole ‘nother thang.”
The U.S. political system with its “incremental changes, checks-and-balances, winner-take -all,” is ultra-status quo from head to toe. It was created by George Washington and his slave-owning cronies to defend and protect the status quo.
The political and social advances we have witnesses over the past 80-odd years are the product of the multifaceted struggles of the U.S. masses since conclusion of the European Civil War, from 1939 to 1945 (so-called World War II). Don’t take my word for that, see W.E.B. Dubois, Paul Robeson, Robert S. Browne…. A historic power struggle is raging in the National Democratic Party between self-proclaimed progressive and centralist rivals. The national Progressive Caucus recently announced its “New Affordability Agenda.” The national resistance to U.S. right-wing reaction is on the rise. Where is the national Black community, where is the PA 12 Black community in these rising struggles against the right-wing, reactionary fascist-leaning national movement now in control of the three “separate” branches of the federal government and many state governments?
On November 4, the day after election day, we continue our 2026 momentum into the 2027 election struggles for county and municipal offices. Confront the candidates at town hall meetings. Demand it... what upfront position, actions did they take in the 2026 campaign? They cannot hide with the 2026 midterm was for state and national. The burning issues in the 2026 U.S. congressional election and in the 2027 Allegheny Council and Pittsburgh City Council elections are the same, the very same. We must build our PA 12 self-funded Black PACs, think tanks, newsletters, community information networks. That’s a central struggle in 2026 2027, and 2028 Black politics. We see and hear; the struggle is already underway across PA 12. Join in.
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—The May 12 inflation report confirmed what many Americans already know in their bones: while economists debate indicators and politicians boast about growth, ordinary people increasingly feel as though they are running on fumes. Prices rise, stabilize briefly, and then rise again, while wages lag behind the escalating costs of housing, healthcare, childcare, insurance, groceries, and transportation. For millions of people, especially those who once considered themselves securely middle class, economic anxiety is no longer occasional; it is ambient, woven into everyday decisions about what to postpone, what to sacrifice, and what emergency might push already strained budgets beyond their limits.
But the anxiety many are carrying is not simply economic. It is emotional, psychological, and profoundly political. Conversations with activists, clergy, teachers, nonprofit workers, caregivers, journalists, and parents often arrive at the same conclusion. People are tired—not merely physically tired, but weary in a deeper sense, exhausted by years of instability, outrage, uncertainty, and struggle without resolution. Americans have lived through a pandemic, political upheaval, racial backlash, economic volatility, social isolation, and a digital culture that demands constant vigilance and immediate reaction. Before one crisis is fully processed, another arrives demanding attention. The human spirit was never designed for perpetual emergency.
At the same time, exhaustion is not the only emotional current shaping American life. Many people are energized, alarmed, and newly engaged precisely because they believe democratic norms themselves are under threat. Across the country, people are organizing, protesting, voting, fundraising, and showing up at demonstrations proclaiming “No Kings.” Millions are turning out in protest. Yet even this activism often carries an undertone of strain, because much of today’s civic engagement is fueled less by optimism than by fear of what may happen if people disengage entirely.
Polls showing widespread dissatisfaction with the direction of the country reflect more than partisan division. Many Americans feel they are working harder, worrying more, and falling further behind, even as they are repeatedly told the economy is fundamentally sound, even as rising prices continue to outpace wages for many workers.
Reading The Fire Next Time today, one is struck not only by James Baldwin’s prophetic brilliance, but also by the exhaustion beneath his prose. Baldwin wrote as a man who deeply loved his country while watching it revisit the same moral failures over and over again. More than sixty years later, many Americans are asking some version of the same question: how many times must we fight the same battles?
That exhaustion is especially familiar within Black political life. More than 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress between the late nineteenth century and the early twenty-first century. Again and again, activists marched, testified, fundraised, wrote editorials, gathered petitions, and demanded federal protection, only to watch legislation delayed or blocked. Federal anti-lynching legislation did not finally become law until 2022.
The NAACP once hung a banner outside its headquarters reading, “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY.” The repetition itself became part of the tragedy, as generation after generation was forced to sound the same alarm while institutions moved slowly, if at all, to respond.
It took more than a century for anti-lynching legislation to become federal law. How long will Americans wait for meaningful affordability relief? The struggles are obviously not the same, but they are connected by a familiar frustration: ordinary people sound the alarm while institutions remain paralyzed, indifferent, or consumed by political calculation.
Exhaustion is not new in American life, but today it threatens to erode civic participation itself. People are withdrawing from public engagement not necessarily because they do not care, but because they are depleted. Democracy requires participation, but participation requires emotional, physical, and economic reserves that many Americans no longer possess.
An exhausted public becomes vulnerable to cynicism, resentment, manipulation, and authoritarian appeals that promise easy answers to complex problems. Exhausted people stop imagining alternatives and retreat into survival mode.
America is running on empty. The danger is not simply economic instability, but civic depletion—a public so exhausted that it loses the capacity to imagine, organize, or resist. Exhaustion may explain the national mood, but it cannot be allowed to become the nation’s destiny.
(Dr. Julianne Malveaux is a DC base economist and author. Juliannemalveaux.com. malvceauxnewsletter@gomail.com)
Feeding Black kids blue lies over historical facts?
On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Louisiana v. Callais. The state’s new congressional map, which created two majority-Black districts, was invalidated. The court determined that the new map “relied too heavily on race,” creating an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”
Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion angered civil rights activists and Democratic leaders. He claimed that the Constitution “almost never permits the federal government or states to discriminate on the basis of race” and further stated that “racial disparities in voting are no longer a major issue” because “vast societal change has occurred in the South.” His conclusion was that race-based solutions, such as majority-minority districts, are no longer justifiable because minority turnout and participation have increased, implying that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has achieved its original goal.
The civil rights establishment and Democratic politicians accused the Supreme Court of gutting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, eliminating majority-Black districts, and ushering in a new era of Jim Crow laws that will disenfranchise Black people and leave Black communities without representation.
On May 13, Texas Republican Rep. Wesley Hunt made a few remarks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that enraged the left-wing Black media. Hunt stated that his colleagues on the left insist that Jim Crow would be revived in this country due to the Supreme Court decision and redistricting. However, being a direct descendant of a slave with a great-great-grandfather born on a plantation, I can promise you that slavery is over and Jim Crow is dead. There are no “White Only” signs wherever I go. I am a Black
J. Pharoah Doss Check It Out
man who represents a predominantly White district in Texas. Rep. Hunt stated two undisputed facts: slavery and Jim Crow were abolished; nonetheless, he was attacked as if he had said racism no longer existed in America. On his podcast, Don Lemon, a former CNN host, said that Rep. Hunt had no historical or current knowledge of the state of America or race relations in the country. Lemon claimed that only a self-hating, delusional Black person could make statements like Rep. Hunt. Then he inquired, “How does Rep. Hunt look in the mirror, and what does he tell his Black kids?” Lemon apparently believes that Black kids should be fed blue lies rather than historical facts. When Tennessee state representative Justin Pearson described redistricting as “tools of White supremacy,” Black kids are expected to accept it as fact. When Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) stated, “There are people in this hostile anti-Black administration that would rather Black Americans pick cotton than pick the president, their congressperson, or a senator,” Black kids are expected to agree. And when the NAACP’s president called the Supreme Court’s latest ruling one of the worst in history, equating it to the Dred Scott decision and Plessy v. Ferguson, Black kids are expected to concur.
The first two remarks were nonsense, but the NAACP president’s comparison was insidious.
Legal scholars widely regard the 1857 Dred Scott decision as the worst Supreme Court ruling in American history, with the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision coming in second. The Dred Scott decision ruled that Black Americans were not citizens and that Congress lacked the authority to abolish slavery in federal territories. Plessy v. Ferguson legalized racial segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.
The lone dissenting opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson came from Justice John Marshall Harlan, arguing that the constitution was “color-blind” and did not recognize or allow classes among citizens. Harlan was not referring to socioeconomic classes. He opposed legalizing racial segregation because he knew that “separate but equal” would be practiced as “separate and unequal,” creating first- and second-class citizens.
The recent Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais is like Justice Harlan’s dissent. It maintains that the constitution does not allow segregation or discrimination based on race, but the NAACP’s president compares it to decisions that denied Black Americans citizenship and authorized racial segregation. If Black kids embrace that blue lie, an entire generation may be deceived into believing that any policy purporting to be “colorblind” or “race-neutral” is racist while race-based policies are nondiscriminatory.
Thomas Sowell once stated, “When people are used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination,” but if Black kids are overfed these blue lies, they will forever view equal treatment as a weapon of White supremacy.
When politics intersects with professional sports
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—It appears that every week, there is a news story or event that leaves us even more tired and weary of the political climate we live in. At a time when we should be paying increased attention to evolving events, we also face the personal need for emotional and mental breaks from the chaos. Taking that mental off-ramp to recharge and receive the temporary relief we need is critical. Sports can often be used as that emotional and mental off-ramp. While the same can be said of music and other forms of entertainment, sports have a unique way of uniting people of various backgrounds. This is particularly true when attending live sporting events where sports arenas and stadiums become safe spaces for passionate sports fans to escape the polarizing cultural wars between conservatives and liberals.
At the beginning of every professional sporting event, it has become an American tradition to stand during the playing of the national anthem. By doing so, it represents a moment of unified respect for our nation that goes beyond race, class, gender, age, political affiliation, and religion. It represents a time before the game when players, coaches, and fans of opposing teams are Americans first, and are joined together as one American team. The national anthem is a few precious minutes where patriotism and unity are established. It establishes an atmosphere of fan camaraderie where MAGA conservatives and die-hard liberals can cheer together for their favorite home team while being free of the political divisions from the outside world. Fans sitting in the stands can be totally unaware of the political persuasions of those around them because political differences are put aside, and support for the home team on the court or field becomes the unifying shared interest of those in attendance. It is a part of the game day experience that can easily be overlooked and taken for granted.
David W. Marshall Commentary
As starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick received backlash on multiple fronts when he used kneeling during the national anthem as a means of silently protesting racial injustice and police brutality. At the time, Joe Lockhart was the executive vice president in charge of communications and government affairs for the NFL. He later became a political analyst for CNN. In a column written in 2020, Lockhart stated, “No teams wanted to sign a player—even one as talented as Kaepernick—whom they saw as controversial, and therefore, bad for business.” Colin Kaepernick was not blackballed from the league because of his lack of skills, injuries, or salary demands. He was ostracized because he became a financial liability. “For many owners, it always came back to the same thing,” Lockhart wrote. “Signing Kaepernick, they thought, was bad for business. An executive from one team that considered signing Kaepernick told me the team projected losing 20 percent of their season ticket holders if they did. That was a business risk no team was willing to take, whether the owner was a Trump supporter or a bleeding-heart liberal. As bad of an image problem it presented for the league and the game, no owner was willing to put the business at risk over this issue.” Looking back, I personally believe he should strategically use his platform as an NFL player in speaking out against racial injustice and police brutality, but his method underestimated the fan reaction
when he invaded the political safe zone on game day with controversial social issues. It arguably led to Kaepernick losing his promising NFL career and not being re-signed by any other team in the league. Recently, the New York Giants’ starting quarterback was another NFL player who misjudged a politically sensitive situation by introducing President Trump at a MAGA rally. Jaxson Dart’s decision will not cost him his job and career, but it did result in a backlash from a different perspective: The public backlash came from those defending the Black cause, including one of his New York Giants teammates. Linebacker Abdul Carter initially voiced discomfort with the optics of the event, according to multiple reports. “Some things are bigger than football, and this is one of those things,” Carter told reporters during a press conference. “If he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I’m against that, but to show the world.” Dart, along with other Trump supporters, cannot forget that the majority of players in the NFL are Black. Abdul Carter’s comments refer to the character of a leader. If Dart is accepting the character of an anti-DEI leader, how can he, with any sense of credibility, be the quarterback and leader of a locker room that is predominantly Black? Hopefully, during the private meeting used to repair the fractured locker room, the team will learn that a player in leadership cannot bring racial insensitivity into another version of the NFL safe zone. This is why diversity, equity, and inclusion are always needed to bring racial awareness when needed.
(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and the author of God Bless Our Divided America.)
(TriceEdneyWire.com)—“[N]either can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the Church came to denounce the scourge of slavery … This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached. It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord. For this, in the name of the Church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”
Pope Leo XIV
Despite his bungled attempts to quote the Bible or portraying himself as Jesus Christ, the President of the United States is not a faith leader. Moral leadership, however, “is in fact the central task of our presidents.” Such leadership demands not only the condemnation of atrocities, but “acknowledging the harm done, just reparation and taking steps to prevent it from happening again.”
These were the eloquent words of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, in which he formally apologized for the role the Vatican played in legitimizing slavery and its centuries-long failure to condemn it.
The Pope’s principled and unequivocal declaration stands in stark contrast to the Trump administration’s unconscionable vote against a United Nations resolution designating the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest crime against humanity.”
According to the resolution, “States bear responsibility for internationally
wrongful acts and have an obligation to cease the act … offer appropriate assurances and guarantees of non-repetition … and to make full reparation for the injury caused.”
Neither the U.N. resolution nor Pope Leo’s encyclical specify what forms such reparation should take, but Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Dan Negrea’s feeble and dishonest defense of the indefensible vote was that the United States “does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.”
In fact, the United States has repeatedly recognized the right to reparations, the most widely recognized of which is the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which granted formal apologies and reparations to Japanese Americans who were forcibly relocated and incarcerated in internment camps during World War II.
Between 1946 and 1978, the Indian Claims Commission awarded more than $800 million to tribes for land taken without fair compensation. In 1974, the United States provided reparations
to survivors of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and their heirs.
The United States even provided reparations to slaveholders when the institution was abolished in the District of Columbia. But no form of restitution —much less the promised “40 acres and a mule”—ever was granted to the formerly enslaved or their descendants. Even if the issue of reparations were set aside, the only historical injustice the Trump administration affirmatively acknowledges is imaginary discrimination against White people. It has usurped the laws and institutions intended to defend racial justice and wielded them in defense of inequity. In his encyclical, Pope Leo wrote, “…injustices do not arise solely from the wrong choices of individuals, but also from structures, mechanisms and economic and cultural systems that produce inequality almost automatically.” This acknowledgement is repulsive to an administration dedicated to the illusion that the existing, inequitable status quo is the result solely of “merit” and “hard work” on the part of those who enjoy its advantages.
The President repeatedly cloaks his actions and policies in the language and imagery of faith—wielding a Bible for a photo op, claiming he was chosen by God, and pandering to the religious right. But when confronted with faith’s moral demands, he has resisted and rejected it. The contrast is not merely a disagreement over policy, but a deeper conflict over whether faith is an instrument to defend authority or to hold it to account.
Julianne Malveaux
ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice
ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice
LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP
BY: WILLIAM MILLER, PA I.D. NO. 308951
STEVEN PALMER, PA I.D. NO. 334553
LESLIE J. RASE, PA I.D. NO. 58365
HEATHER RILOFF, PA I.D. NO. 309906
KEVIN T. TONCZYCZYN, PA I.D. NO. 332616
ELIZABETH L. WASSALL, PA I.D. NO. 77788
JOSEPH L. LoCASTRO, IV, PA I.D. NO. 314973
985 OLD EAGLE SCHOOL ROAD, SUITE 514 WAYNE, PA 19087
TELEPHONE: (610) 278-6800
E-MAIL: PAHELP@LOGS.COM
LLG FILE NO. NCM 25-071972
PNC Bank, National Association PLAINTIFF vs. John T. Manion, Jr. Known Heir of John T. Manion, deceased Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under John T. Manion, deceased
COURT OF COMMON PLEAS ALLEGHENY COUNTY CASE NO. MG-25-000341
DEFENDANT
NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE OF REAL PROPERTY TO:Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under John T. Manion, deceased 2212 Swallow Hill Road Pittsburgh, PA 15220
THIS FIRM IS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOSULY RECEIVED A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY, THIS IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT, BUT ONLY ENFORCEMENT OF A LIEN AGAINST PROPERTY.
Your house (real estate) at: 2212 Swallow Hill Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220 is scheduled to be sold at Sheriff’s Sale on August 3, 2026 at 9:00AM, in Allegheny County, Fourth Floor, Gold Room, Courthouse, Pittsburgh, PA to enforce the court judgment of $51,340.16 obtained by PNC Bank, National Association (the mortgagee) against you. As a result, a writ of execution has been issued in the amount of $52,698.92.
NOTICE OF OWNER’S RIGHTS
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PREVENT THIS SHERIFF’S SALE
To prevent this Sheriff’s Sale you must take immediate action: The sale will be cancelled if you pay back to the mortgagee the back payments, late charges, costs, and reasonable attorneys fees due. To find out how much you must pay, you may call: (610) 278-6800. PLEASE NOTE a Schedule of Distribution will be filed by the Sheriff on a date specified by the Sheriff not later than thirty (30) days after sale. Distribution will be made in accordance with the schedule unless exceptions are filed thereto within 20 days after the filing of the schedule
LOGS LEGAL GROUP LLP
BY: WILLIAM MILLER, PA I.D. NO. 308951
STEVEN PALMER, PA I.D. NO. 334553
LESLIE J. RASE, PA I.D. NO. 58365
HEATHER RILOFF, PA I.D. NO. 309906
KEVIN T. TONCZYCZYN, PA I.D. NO. 332616
ELIZABETH L. WASSALL, PA I.D. NO. 77788
JOSEPH L. LoCASTRO, IV, PA I.D. NO. 314973
985 OLD EAGLE SCHOOL ROAD, SUITE 514 WAYNE, PA 19087
TELEPHONE: (610) 278-6800
E-MAIL: PAHELP@LOGS.COM
LLG FILE NO. NCM 24-071600
PNC Bank, National Association PLAINTIFF vs.
Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under Deborah J. Bartha, deceased COURT OF COMMON PLEAS ALLEGHENY COUNTY CASE NO. GD-25-000701 DEFENDANT
NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE OF REAL PROPERTY TO: Unknown Heirs, Successors, Assigns and All Persons, Firms or Associations Claiming Right, Title or Interest from or under Deborah J. Bartha, deceased 3122 Capitol Street White Oak, PA 15131
THIS FIRM IS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOSULY RECEIVED A DISCHARGE IN BANKRUPTCY, THIS IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO BE AN ATTEMPT TO COLLECT A DEBT, BUT ONLY ENFORCEMENT OF A LIEN AGAINST PROPERTY.
Your house (real estate) at: 3122 Capitol Street, McKeesport, PA 15131 is scheduled to be sold at Sheriff’s Sale on August 3, 2026 at 9:00AM, in Allegheny County, Fourth Floor, Gold Room, Courthouse, Pittsburgh, PA to enforce the court judgment of $44,348.81 obtained by PNC Bank, National Association (the mortgagee) against you. As a result, a writ of execution has been issued in the amount of $45,354.86.
NOTICE OF OWNER’S RIGHTS
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO PREVENT THIS SHERIFF’S SALE
To prevent this Sheriff’s Sale you must take immediate action: The sale will be cancelled if you pay back to the mortgagee the back payments, late charges, costs, and reasonable attorneys fees due. To find out how much you must pay, you may call: (610) 278-6800.
PLEASE NOTE a Schedule of Distribution will be filed by the Sheriff on a date specified by the Sheriff not later than thirty (30) days after sale. Distribution will be made in accordance with the schedule unless exceptions are filed thereto within 20 days after the filing of the schedule
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at location indicated: 6400 Hamilton Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206 June 17, 2026, at 1:45pm. Julian Moore-2123. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be paid with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
JUNE 3-9, 2026
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS Public Notice
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 902 Brinton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15221 on JUNE 17,2026 ending at 11:30AM. RENEE HARDY 1034, CARL PARKER 3021, WILLIAM TERRELL 3036. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage will be holding a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 700 E. Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203 on June 17, 2026 at 12:15pm. James Sheets 2036, Shania Boyd 2117, Allen Turner 2128, Dalton Haas 2143. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 2016 Lebanon Rd, West Mifflin, PA 15122 on June 17th, 2026 at 11:45am. Morgan Gratton C615, Freddie Bracero C121, Eric Richardson C716 and Tene’ Lane B881. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s Lien at the location indicated: 3200 Park Manor Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15205 on June 17, 2026 at 1:00 pm. 3320 Dreonna Davis . The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 111 Hickory Grade Road Bridgeville PA 15017, June 17, 2026, at 12:30 PM. Marjorie O’Kelly 1023, Brittany Holtz 2011, Eleni Berkovic 2192, Samantha Weir 3050. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 1212 Madison Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15212, on 6/17/2026 @ 1:30pm. For Jesse Hershman 139. The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
Extra Space Storage, on behalf of itself or its affiliates, Life Storage or Storage Express, will hold a public auction to sell the contents of leased spaces to satisfy Extra Space’s lien at the location indicated: 141 N Braddock Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15208 on 6/17/2026 at 11:00 AM.1013-Michelle Coleman & 3186A-Taylor Code . The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com.
Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction. Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.
LEGAL ADVERTISING Name Change
CHANGE OF NAME In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No.Term, 2026 , In re petition of Louis Du for change of name to LOUIS LU, To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 17th day of June, 2026 at 9:30 AM., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for. Address 6826 McPherson Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 Phone (765) 838-9526
9 1 4 0 7 4 2 1
ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings
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ANNOUNCEMENTS Meetings
NOTICE – TOWNSHIP OF KILBUCK
The Board of Supervisors of the Township of Kilbuck will hold a public meeting to consider adoption of an amendment to Chapter 215 of the Township of Kilbuck Code of Ordinances to establish dimensional and use regulations for accessory buildings and accessory structures in the R-1, R-2 and R-2 Zoning Districts, said meeting to be held on Tuesday, June 22, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at 343 Eicher Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, at which time all interested persons may attend and be heard.
TITLE
AN ORDINANCE OF THE TOWNSHIP OF KILBUCK, COUNTY OF ALLEGHENY, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, AMENDING THE TOWNSHIP OF KILBUCK CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 215, ZONING, TO ESTABLISH DIMENSIONAL AND USE REGULATIONS FOR ACCESSORY BUILDINGS AND ACCESSORY STRUCTURES IN THE R-1, R-2 AND R-3 ZONING DISTRICTS, AND PROVIDING FOR CERTAIN DEFINED TERMS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH
SUMMARY
The proposed ordinance would establish dimensional and use regulations for accessory buildings and accessory structures in the R-1, R-2 and R-2 Zoning Districts, and provide for certain defined terms in connection therewith.
A copy of the proposed Ordinance may be examined in the Township office, without charge, during regular business hours.
Andrew Wright, Township Manager
LEGAL ADVERTISING Legal Notices
Estate of ROBERT D. GATES, Deceased of Carnegie, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, No.: 02-26-03127, Adrian J. Liberatore, Jr., Executor, 1991 Berkley Ridge Drive, McDonald, PA 15057 or to TODD A. FULLER, Atty; BRENLOVE & FULLER, LLC., 401 Washington Avenue, Bridgeville, PA 15017
Estate of RINA M. HAINES, Deceased of the Whitehall Borough, Pennsylvania, File No.: 02-26-02347, Lisa Benedetti, Executrix or to Robert S. Bootay, Atty, Bootay Bevington & Nichols, LLC., 6 Clairton Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15236
WILLIAM G. MAYER, III, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA. File Number No. 02291 of 2026 Michelle Modica, Administratrix c/o Mary Elizabeth Fischman, Esq. 6000 Brooktree Road, Ste 301, Wexford, PA 15090
Estate of CAROL M. MCKEE, Deceased of the Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania, File No.: 02-26-03068, John T. McKee, Executor or to Robert S. Bootay, Atty, 6 Clairton Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Estate of HELEN MARIE WILLIE, Deceased of Pittsburgh, PA, Estate No.: 0580 of 2026 Charles McArdle, Executor or to Rosalyn Guy-McCorkle, Esquire, 445 Fort Pitt Blvd, Suite 120, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an Ordinance of the Borough of Wilkinsburg, County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be first read at the Wilkinsburg Borough Council Work Session, June 17, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. The purpose of the Ordinance is to adopt an Administrative Code, establishing the structure of Municipal Government, pursuant to the Home Rule Charter. Thereafter, Borough Council will move to adopt via majority vote at the following Council Legislative Session, July 1, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. A complete copy of the Administrative Code is available for viewing at the Admin. Offices Front Desk (1st Floor), 605 Ross Ave., Wilkinsburg, PA 15221, during regular business hours. It will also be available for viewing at https://www.wilkinsburgpa. gov/projects-and-initiatives/ home-rule-transition/ , under “Proposed Wilkinsburg Administrative Code for Public Review”. Council Sessions will take place in Wilkinsburg Borough Council Chambers (2nd Floor), 605 Ross Ave., Wilkinsburg, PA 15221. A virtual meeting link and instructions regarding remote participation by the public shall be posted under the event description on the official website of the Borough of Wilkinsburg (https://www.wilkinsburgpa.gov/). Owen McAfee, Borough Manager
the following:
The North Hills School District (the “District”), will receive separate sealed Bids for the above until the time and date and at the place scheduled below. The Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud in the Board Room of the Administration Building at 135 Sixth Ave Pittsburgh PA 15229. The clock in the Board Room will determine the Prevailing Time for the Receipt of Bids. The District invites any interested parties to attend. Bids shall be submitted to the attention of: “Bids” in an envelope labeled for the respective Bid Items at the
Building address as listed above.
the
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY
LEGAL NOTICE
CONTRACT NO. 1843
FURNISH & DELIVER SODIUM BISULFITE
Sealed Bids for CONTRACT NO. 1843–FURNISH & DELIVER SODIUM BISULFITE shall be received at the Engineering Department office of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15233, until 11:00 A.M., Prevailing Time, Tuesday, June 30, 2026 and then shall be publicly opened and read. A link will be required to access The for the Bid Opening. If interested in obtaining a link to the Microsoft Teams Video Conference Bid Opening, contact Judith Shropshire via email at contract.clerks@alcosan.org .
ALCOSAN encourages businesses owned and operated by minorities and women to submit bids on Authority Contracts or to participate as subcontractors or suppliers to successful Bidders. Successful Bidders are to use minority and women’s businesses to the fullest extent possible. Contract Documents will be available via email or may be examined at the Engineering office of the Authority. Contract documents must be obtained directly from ALCOSAN to qualify as an eligible bidder. Bid Security shall be furnished by providing with the Bid a Certified Check or Bid Bond in the amount of $1,000.00. The Successful Bidder shall be required to furnish a Performance Bond in the amount of $50,000.00. Any questions regarding the Technical Specifications should be directed to Benjamin J. Heilman, Contract Supervisor, ALCOSAN, via email at benjamin.heilman@alcosan.org .
Any questions regarding obtaining the Contract Bidding Documents should be directed to Judith Shropshire, ALCOSAN, via email at contract.clerks@alcosan.org.
The Authority reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informality in any bid and to accept any bid should it be deemed in the interest of the Authority to do so.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY SANITARY AUTHORITY Benjamin Heilman Contract Supervisor LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D/B/A PITTSBURGH REGIONAL TRANSIT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 26-07
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is requesting proposals for the performance of the following service (“Contract Services”):
LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SERVICES
The work under the proposed Agreement(s) will provide for Learning Management Systems (Contract Services). The required services include but are not limited to proposals from qualified vendors to provide a HRIS compatible, user-friendly, and fully supported Learning Management System (LMS).
The LMS will serve as the central platform for delivering, tracking, and managing a variety of training programs to meet the needs of employees, management, and leadership development initiatives . The Agreement will be for a 3-year period with the option to extend the term of the Agreement up to an additional 2 years at the sole discretion of PRT.
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after June 1, 2026 and can be obtained by registering at the PRT’s ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.ridePRT.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness category(ies) of PSTPD (Pro Training Professional Development) for this RFP. Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by PRT. If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact Deb Norkevicus at (412) 566-5514 or via email DNorkevicus@ridePRT.org.
An Information Meeting for interested parties will be held at 10:00 a.m., prevailing time, June 18, 2026 via Microsoft Teams video conference and/or conference call to answer any questions regarding this RFP.
To join by Microsoft Team video conference:
• Meeting Link: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/2799978228186?p=1gwxO2tcS4Y cvT0zEo Meeting ID: 239 866 314 042 50
• Passcode: 34pW2J5d
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: +1 412-927-0245,,881582720# United States, McKeesport Phone conference ID: 881 582 720#
Electronic proposals must be both received, and time stamped by a representative of the Procurement Department through PRT’s Ebusiness website at or before 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, July 7, 2026, at http://ebusiness.ridePRT.org. Proposals received or time stamped by a Procurement Department representative through PRT’s Ebusiness website after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. Each Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the FTA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement. In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, also requires that certified Diverse Businesses, (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontract for, the Contract Services. In this regard, all Proposers, and the Contractor, shall make good faith efforts, in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
Further, proposers and the Contractor shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
The Sports & Exhibition Authority will receive sealed bids for Steam Trap Rebuilds as identified below for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The contract for this work will be with the Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Inquiries regarding the bidding should be made to the Sports & Exhibition Authority 171 10th Street, 2nd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attention: Lucas Kistler- E-mail: procurement@pgh-sea.com, Telephone: 412-325-6179. Bid Packages may be obtained after the date identified below through Accu-Copy at (724) 935-7055. Additional information on the project can also be found of Accu-Copy’s website at https://accu-copy.com/plan-room.
The Instructions to Bidders that is part of the Bid Package will set forth in detail the conditions of the Bid, which will include, among other things, the following:
This Advertisement applies to the following Bid Package:
Project: David L. Lawrence Convention Center
Bid Package Name: Steam Trap Rebuilds
Bid Package Available: Monday, June 1, 2026
Approximate Value: $50,000
Time/Date/Location for Non-Mandatory
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
LEGAL ADVERTISEMENT
PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY D/B/A PITTSBURGH
REGIONAL TRANSIT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 26-15
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is requesting proposals for the performance of the following service (“Contract Services”):
FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES
The work under the proposed Agreement(s) consists of but are not limited to a contractor providing Financial Planning, Debt and Investment Management Services. The contractor may be requested to provide financial and strategic analysis for PRT in its entirety or individual process. Under Debt or Investment Management Services, the Contractor may be requested to analyze and provide guidance on Debt issuance, Refinancing, Bank Loans or Leasing.
The required services will be issued on a work order basis as they are approved to proceed by PRT.
The Agreement will be for a three (3) year period with the option to extend the term of the Agreement up to two (2) additional one-year periods at the sole discretion of PRT.
A copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be available on or after May 26, 2026 and can be obtained by registering at the PRT’s ebusiness website: http://ebusiness.ridePRT.org and following the directions listed on the website. Please note that Proposers must register under the ebusiness category of PSFAIB – Pro Fin Advisory/Invest/Bank for this RFP. Proposers may also register in other categories for any future RFPs issued by PRT.
If you have specific questions regarding this RFP, please contact John Young at (412) 566-5216 or via email jyoung@ridePRT.org.
An Information Meeting for interested parties will be held at 9:30 a.m., prevailing time, June 17, 2026 via Microsoft Teams video conference and/or conference call to answer any questions regarding this RFP.
To join by Microsoft Team video conference: Meeting ID: 259 561 966 978 710 Meeting Passcode: cj32XK7D
To join by Microsoft Teams call-in number: 412-927-0245 United States, McKeesport (Toll) Conference ID: 737 326 215#
Electronic proposals must be both received, and time stamped by a representative of the Procurement Department through PRT’s Ebusiness website at or before 2:00 p.m., prevailing time, July 09, 2026, at http://ebusiness.ridePRT.org. Proposals received or time stamped by a Procurement Department representative through PRT’s Ebusiness website after the advertised time for the submission of proposals shall be non-responsive and therefore ineligible for award. Each Proposer shall be solely responsible for assuring that its proposal is timely received and time stamped in accordance with the requirements herein. This Contract Services may be funded, in part, by, and subject to certain requirements of, the County of Allegheny and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The proposal process and the performance of the requested services will be in accordance with guidelines and regulations of the FTA “Third Party Contracting Guidelines”, FTA Circular 4220.1F, as amended, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit, in compliance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, as amended, implements positive affirmative action procedures to ensure that all Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (“DBEs”) have the maximum opportunity to participate in the performance of contracts and subcontracts financed, in whole or in part, with federal funds, if any, provided under or for the proposed Agreement.
In this regard, all recipients or contractors shall take all necessary and reasonable steps in accordance with 49 C.F.R., Part 26, to ensure that DBEs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit, in compliance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, as may be amended, also requires that certified Diverse Businesses, (“DBs”) have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontract for, the Contract Services. In this regard, all Proposers, and the Contractor, shall make good faith efforts, in accordance with 74 Pa.C.S. § 303, to ensure that DBs have the maximum opportunity to compete for, and perform contracts and subcontracts for, the Contract Services.
Further, proposers and the Contractor shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, disability, national origin, sex, sexual origin, gender identity or status as a parent in the award and performance of contracts or subcontracts for these Contract Services Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit reserves the right to reject any or all proposals.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS
NORTH HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT North Hills School District is receiving bids for Access Control System & Installation. Bids are to be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly marked Access Control System, and delivered to the attention of BIDS at North Hills School District, 135 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15229. All bids must be received by June 16, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. The Bids will be opened publicly and read aloud in the Board Room of the Administration Building. The clock in the Board Room will determine the Prevailing Time for the Receipt of Bids. The District invites any interested parties to attend. Bidding Documents may be obtained by accessing the District website at nhsd.net, referencing the Invitation to Bid Portal link.
10:00 AM, Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Pre-Bid Meeting: David Lawrence Convention Center 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Time/Date/Location for Bid: 10:00 AM, Tuesday, June 23, 2026 David Lawrence Convention Center 1000 Ft. Duquesne Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15222
LEGAL ADVERTISING Bids/Proposals
INVITATION FOR BIDS:
The Allegheny County Housing Authority is requesting bids from qualified contractors for:
CONTRACT: ACHA-1716-MC HVAC IMPROVEMENTS AT BLAWNOX APARTMENTS; Bids must be accompanied by a bid bond, certified check, or bank cashier’s check, payable to the Allegheny County Housing Authority in the amount of five percent (5%) of the bid.
DOCUMENTS: Bid documents & specifications will be available on/after Monday, June 1, 2026 Complete IFB Documents can be downloaded from the Housing Agency Marketplace: https://ha.internationaleprocure ment.com/ (ACHA-1716-MC); or from the Pittsburgh Builder’s Exchange, or the McGraw-Hill websites. FEE: No Charge for Emailed / Electronic Transfer documents. PRE-BID CONFERENCE SITE WALK THRU: (non-mandatory) Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM EST at BLAWNOX APARTMENTS, 701 CENTER AVENUE, BLAWNOX, PA 15238 QUESTION SUBMITTAL DEADLINE: Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 10:00
AM EST BIDS DUE: Sealed bids will be received Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 10:00
AM EST at the Allegheny County Housing Authority (ACHA) Central Office, 301 Chartiers Avenue, McKees Rocks, PA 15136 GENERAL INFO: The ACHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages participation from Section 3 businesses and minority-and women-owned firms. This project may be subject to federal labor standards provisions, including Davis-Bacon wage requirements.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following items:
BID PROPOSAL NO. 1149-2 ROOF REPLACEMENT –BOYCE CAMPUS (FOUR PRIME CONTRACTS -ROOFING, GENERAL, PLUMBING, AND HVAC)
A mandatory pre-bid meeting and site visitation will be held on Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. Meet at the Boyce Campus Security Office, inside front entrance, 595 Beatty Road, Monroeville, PA 15146. For contractors that have already attended either of the two previous pre-bid meetings for this roof project, there is no need to attend this meeting. Bids will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened.
PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT COMPLIANCE IS REQUIRED.
Any bid or proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer. Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications.
No bidder may withdraw his bid or proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids. The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu. Bid forms are also available on the CCAC website: www.ccac.edu.
Community College of Allegheny County Purchasing Department 800 Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233
SONNY BOY
LEGAL ADVERTISING
Bids/Proposals
ADVERTISEMENT
Sealed bid proposals are hereby solicited for the Community College of Allegheny County, 800 Allegheny Avenue, Pittsburgh PA 15233 on the following items:
Bid Proposal No. 1150 - Paper
Bid Proposal No. 1151 – Asphalt and Concrete Repairs on an As-Needed Basis
RFP 3164 - Emergency Generator Inspection and Maintenance –College Wide
Bids will be received at the Purchasing Department until 2:00 P.M. Prevailing Time on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened.
Any bid or proposals received after this deadline will be considered as a “late bid” and will be returned unopened to the offerer.
Proposals may require Bid Bonds, Performance Bonds, Payment Bonds, and Surety as dictated by the specifications.
No bidder may withdraw his bid or proposal for a period of ninety (90) days after the scheduled closing time for receipt of bids.
The Board of Trustees reserves the right to reject any and all bids.
The Community College of Allegheny County is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourages bids from Minority/Disadvantaged owned businesses. For more information, contact Michael Cvetic at mcvetic@ccac.edu. Bid forms are also available on the CCAC website: www.ccac.edu.
Community College of Allegheny County Purchasing Department 800 Allegheny Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233
JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Public Works Maintenance Worker, Borough of Avalon, Allegheny County – Applications
are currently being accepted by the Borough Council for the position of Public Works Maintenance Worker. Maintenance workers perform a variety of physical and mental tasks associated with the maintenance, repair, and construction of Public Works assets. Essential functions include equipment operations, such as repairing and performing general maintenance tasks on Borough roadways, operating light- or mediumweight trucks, and plowing and removing snow; vehicle repair and maintenance; storm and sanitary repair and maintenance; and property maintenance tasks at municipal buildings, parks, and recreation areas. Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and valid driver’s license. Must be able to respond to emergencies on a 24-hour basis, especially during periods of snow. Flagger certification, CPO certification, and Pesticide Application certification must be obtained within 6 months of hire. This is a union position, affiliated with General Teamsters Local 249. The full job description can be viewed at www.boroughofavalon.org. Interested candidates should submit their application to info@boroughofavalon.org or Manager, Borough of Avalon, 640 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15202 no later than 4:00 pm, Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Lorraine Makatura Borough Secretary
FIRE LIEUTENANT
MT. LEBANON, PA
The Municipality of Mt. Lebanon
will be conducting civil service testing for the position of Fire Lieutenant. Full test requirements, qualifications, job description and application available at mtlebanon.org/ employment. Deadline to apply, including on-line testing, is 4:00 pm, June 17, 2026. This is a lateral entry supervisory position requiring substantial fire service knowledge, skills and background. Job responsibilities include supervision of volunteer staff, fire apparatus operation, fire suppression, fire prevention, public education, rescue operations, and hazardous material and emergency medical response. Starting salary is $82,602 with 5-year step system and excellent benefits. Mt. Lebanon is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.
CIVIL
Public notice is hereby given that the Civil Service Commission of the Township of Wilkins will be conducting an examination for a full-time police officer. Applications may be obtained at the Wilkins Township Building, 110 Peffer Road, Turtle Creek, PA 15145, Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Applications may also be obtained at www.wilkinstownship.com
(“How Do I” -> “Apply for a Job” ->“Police Officer Employment Application Packet”) the fully completed application form and all required documentation must be received via hand delivery or certified mail, return receipt requested, to Wilkins Township on or before July 3, 2026 at 4:00 P.M. Applications received after 4:00 P.M. on July 3, 2026 will not be considered. A physical agility test is scheduled at the Allegheny County Police Academy (North Park) on July 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM. For those who pass the physical agility test, a written test will be given immediately following at the Police Academy.
The following requirements shall apply to all applicants:
1. Verification that applicant is at least 21 years old at the time of application.
2. Affirmation that the application is completed truthfully.
3. Photocopy of current, valid motor vehicle operators license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
4. Applicant must be a citizen of the United States of America
5. Verification that applicant has been certified to act immediately as an active police officer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania based upon successful completion at the time of application of what is commonly referred to as Act 120 training.
6. A statement that the applicant is physically and mentally fit for police duty, as set forth in the Essential Duties of a Police Officer form included with the application.
7. Verification of high school diploma or graduate equivalency diploma (GED).
8. If applicant is requesting Veteran’s Preference under Pennsylvania law, proof of honorable discharge from military service.
9. The starting salary for a full-time police officer in Wilkins Township is currently set at $77,391 for the first year, increasing over five years to $103,189. Police Officers with fulltime outside agency experience will move laterally into the wage scale.
10. Applicants who are finalists for the Eligibility List must undergo physical and psychological testing, background and credit investigation.
11. Successful applicants must serve a one (1) year probationary period.
12. A complete copy of the Township’s hiring policy, as set forth in its Civil Service Rules is available for inspection during regular business hours at the Wilkins Municipal Building.
Wilkins Township is an equal opportunity employer.
