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Rich Lord

@richelord.bsky.social

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

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Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 15h ago

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

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

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

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · yesterday

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

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

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

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2d ago

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

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

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

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2d ago

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

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

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

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 4d ago

Zinesters and would-be zinesters: There’s still time to participate in @publicsource.org and Children's Museum of Pittsburgh zine-making workshops and to submit your zine for potential public display and online publication. Here’s how: www.publicsource.org/open-call-fo...

Open call: Turn your curiosity about people and places into a zine

Your zine could end up on display at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh or published by Public Source.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 4d ago

Parents of thousands of Pittsburgh Public Schools students last week sent their kids into buildings that won't be open a year from now. Some aren't sure what's next, @publicsource.org learned. A few many move out www.publicsource.org/pps-parents-...

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

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

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 5d ago

It's easy to miss the changes to policies on disability and employment that flow out of the Trump administration, amid all of the other news from D.C. Today I'm writing about two developments from back-to-back days last week richlordwriter.substack.com/p/washington...

Washington weighs in on autism and employment discrimination

On back-to-back days, different parts of the Trump administration urged more attention to the employment of people with autism and curbed the rights of federal workers alleging discrimination.

richlordwriter.substack.com

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · last wk.

Where did Pittsburgh's ARPA money go? Not to the rec center in Troy Hill, which was supposed to get a $6M redo. @chwolfson.bsky.social looks at a long-deferred fix for a neighborhood in need of a place to play www.publicsource.org/troy-hill-co...

Troy Hill is still waiting for its new rec center, five years after a $6M pledge

Pittsburgh's Public Source looked at city records and found Troy Hill's $6M rec center pledge led to just $600,000 in spending in five years.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · last wk.

“If there was an emergency, I’m not sure what would happen." That was Thomas Grubbs' worry when he found out the floating community he lives in, in Pgh's far northeast, was cut off from land. Can Diamond Beach Marina endure two encroaching construction projects? www.publicsource.org/diamond-beac...

Caught between a river, a water project and a railroad, a marina community tries to hang on

Water and railroad projects encroach on the road into Diamond Beach Marina, Pittsburgh's Public Source found. Some residents worry they'll lose access.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · last wk.

When the floating community on the Allegheny River awoke on Aug. 3 to learn that it was cut off from land, Diamond Beach Marina got a taste of what may come. Wade into a unique - and anxious - corner of Pittsburgh www.publicsource.org/diamond-beac...

Caught between a river, a water project and a railroad, a marina community tries to hang on

Water and railroad projects encroach on the road into Diamond Beach Marina, Pittsburgh's Public Source found. Some residents worry they'll lose access.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2w ago

“I feel kind of scared,” said a Springdale Borough resident. “Chief Dayoub, I think maybe you feel a little bit scared too, which is why you got to talk a lot longer than three minutes about this.” www.publicsource.org/springdale-p...

Springdale police chief says he has 'overwhelming support' amid petition for resignation

Pittsburgh's Public Source investigated Springdale police chief Derek Dayoub's past. Some residents called for his resignation. He says he's not going anywhere.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2w ago

Do you love a student with a disability? I write about disability and employment, and today’s piece might inspire if your young person is returning to the classroom but you hope this school year will be more fruitful – or vegful. (Substack, but free.) richlordwriter.substack.com/p/dont-give-...

Don’t give the teacher an apple

If you’re a parent of a student with a disability and you’re hoping to inspire the energetic educator in your child’s life, here’s an option.

richlordwriter.substack.com

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2w ago

“The AI can feed you the words, ‘Oh, that must be so hard. That sounds so sad.’ But sitting in front of a person being like, ‘I see your sadness. I connect with you in your sadness. Let’s sit in your grief together’ — that can’t be replicated.” www.publicsource.org/pittsburgh-m...

As patients turn to AI, Pittsburgh's mental health providers adapt

Pittsburgh mental health providers are having to adapt as some patients use AI for support.

publicsource.org

Rich Lord@richelord.bsky.social · 2w ago

How excited should Democrats be after eeking out a win in a long-Republican-held PA House district? @publicsource.org asked some pros and the candidates: Just how special was Tuesday’s Butler County balloting? www.publicsource.org/democrat-duk...

Does Democrat’s surprise win in red Butler County predict a wave? Experts urge caution.

The long-Republican Butler County district went narrowly blue. Public Source asked experts if it predicts a trend, or just a one-off.

publicsource.org