Isaiah Thompson, staff writer at Philadelphia’s City Paper, is reporting that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is considering authorizing the leasing of more state lands for natural gas drilling. According to Thompson, the Governor and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources are ignoring “warnings from former DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis, who wrote in May that too much leasing would “scar the economic, scenic, ecological and recreational values of the forest,” and that “a rush to drill threatens the certification of our state forests as sustainably managed.””
Follow …

As strange as it sounds, it can happen, according to this recent story in the Pittsburgh City Paper.
“Even today, Cranberry retains some rugged rural terrain amidst the strip malls and drive-throughs. Cranberry may be a synonym for “suburban sprawl” for many, but local officials are trying to preserve those places — and environmentalists give them high marks for the effort.
Still, finding a connection with nature is a lot like my coyote encounter: If you blink, you may miss it,” the author writes.
What did the Pittsburgh-area suburb of Cranberry do? …

It’s always terrible to hear about people losing their jobs — but it seems even worse in a bad recession and in a place like McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Earlier this week, a call center that employed 600 – and had received considerable tax abatements from local governments – announced it would be shutting down.
You can read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s coverage, or the excellent post by McKeesport blogger Jason Togyer.
I think some (like Togyer) would say this situation shows the folly of expecting low-wage, easily outsourceable service jobs to replace the manufacturing jobs …

Rust Wire was able to spend a few minutes recently chatting with Brian O’Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist and, author of the new book “The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-first Century.”
I liked that the book details all of what O’Neill loves about Pittsburgh, but has a very realistic assessment of the city’s problems.
For a more detailed review, read what the Pittsburgh City Paper had to say here.
Rust Wire: “What’s right and what’s wrong about Pittsburgh?”

Brian O’Neill: “I would say that’s what right about it is – as I …

Braddock Mayor John Fetterman has been named to The Atlantic’s list of “Brave Thinkers.”
Fetterman and his efforts to revitalize Braddock, attract artists and businesses, and advocate for forgotten places like Braddock, have gained national media attention.
Sadly, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced last week it will close UPMC Braddock, the community’s hospital. It’s another blow to a community that has suffered greatly, just as there were some positive things happening.
Thanks to Rust Wire reader Alex Parker for bringing the Atlantic cover story to our attention.
-KG
Tweet

As we get closer to the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh later this month, get ready to see a lot more of these Pittsburgh “comeback” stories, like this one from Forbes (thanks to reader Jeff Vines for sending it to us).
We’ve posted some other ones earlier this year, such as this one from the New York Post.
What I like about these kind of stories: Pittsburgh is indeed awesome, beautiful and innovative, and I’m glad people across the country are recognizing this. In many ways, it has completely transformed itself economically, environmentally, …

Sorry to have so many Pittsburgh-centric stories posted at once, but this one is pretty interesting.
Historians, labor folks, and activists in the Pittsburgh area will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Pressed Steel Car Strike on Saturday, where at least 12 people died in 1909.
There were several articles about the strike and its implications in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Read about the day’s activities, including a church service, march, marker unveiling, and concert with the Springsteen-esque Mike Stout and the Human Union here.
Read more about how the site is being preserved …

Time for a regular Rust Wire feature: highlighting some of our other favorite blogs from around the region.
I nominate Tube City Almanac, a great blog about news and history in western Pennsylvania’s “tube city” of McKeesport.
It was receommended to me by several smart and knowledgeable folks who were familiar with McKeesport.
My favorites on the blog include its history of the community, especially the section on the region’s steel heritage, complete with employee memories of U.S. Steel’s National Works and other facilities.
Check it out!
Tweet

 
Why is Pennsylvania faring better than Ohio in this economic downturn?
“[A]lthough the recession has hit both states hard, the troubles in Ohio are clearly much worse,” this Associated Press story reports, citing an index of unemployment, foreclosures and bankruptcies in more than 3,000 U.S. counties.
This story attributes the difference to PA’s more diversified economy, especially its education and health-care sectors.

But, parts of Ohio have invested heavily in these fields as well. I’m not sure what the reason is but the numbers cited in this story do show a pretty stark …

If you own a home in Ohio, you’re almost four times more likely to undergo foreclosure than if you live in Pennsylvania.
That is the finding of a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, based on an analysis of foreclosure rates in Cuyahoga County verses Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County.
The report examined foreclosure rates in Greater Pittsburgh’s Braddock and Cleveland’s North Collinwood neighborhood, two areas with similar demographics as well as socioeconomic statistics.

They found that in 2007, North Collinwood was reeling under a 20.75 percent foreclosure rate …