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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov. 20 I read the CMU Heinz School report that gave ballast to the library system's proposal to close the West End, Lawrenceville, Beechview and Hazelwood branches and combine Carrick's and Knoxville's into one. It didn't put me to sleep like some reports. It made me think. Mainly, it made me realize a lot of factors
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 19 Whole Foods - that so-called "green" biz based in Austin, Texas that has had a rip-roaring success in S'Liberty - has decided to put its next Pittsburgh-area store in the ‘no-car-no-luck' zone - the ex-urb of Wexford. This proves that the ‘burbs aren't dead yet, contrary to dozens of articles
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 18 It's interesting that, after eons of City Council hearings on historic building designations, one that's against the interests of UPMC hits the skids over a legal question. Just interesting is all ... Council put off its scheduled hearing yesterday - with a dozen people on hand to testify, most wearing "Save
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 18 On behalf of South Side dogs -- and in the spirit of city dogs in general -- Walkabout is happy to report that the city's budget, at least as it stands now, is holding place for $80,000 toward establishing an off-leash exercise area in South Side Park. If the allocation survives the city's budget rehab, a fence could
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 17 Does your ‘hood have gear? My ‘hood has loads of gear - Mexican War Streets T-shirts. calendars, a cookbook, mugs, greeting cards, house tour posters, even a special glass for "stoop" parties. (Pictured at right, it reads, in part, "Preservation... I'll drink to that.") You can visit the
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 17 Residents from five Hilltop neighborhoods convened last night to begin planning for a "one-stop shop" community center and an inventory of vacant land. The group of about 125 people voted on ideas and chose those two to begin the unified effort known as the Hilltop Alliance to improve the southern neighborhoods'
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 16 Fabric is a great metaphor in the neighborhood biz, used a lot, maybe overused, to signify the bonds of community. Then there's the real stuff - the interwoven threads covering the cushions that hold the crumbs, the dog hairs and the overnight guests of our lives. J.J. Peiger Co. has sold that fabric for 87 years on
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 13 Several readers commented on a story I wrote on Nov. 2 for the Post-Gazette on Councilman Bill Peduto's proposal to establish a commuter line on existing railroad tracks from Hazelwood to Lawrenceville. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09306/1010111-53.stm One reader said, "What a stupid idea! Who wants to go to Hazelwood
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 11 This just in : Zipcar has chosen one of Pittsburgh's own as its Zipster of the Month Matt Mehalik, the November poster boy, is program manager for Sustainable Pittsburgh. http://www.sustainablepittsburgh.org . "I've got to figure out what it means" to be Zipster of the Month, he said. But he has been a
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by Diana Nelson Jones/Nov 10 I sat in today's Planning Commission meeting - a standing-room-only event - thinking about the view I used to have up on Chatauqua Court in Perry South. I rented a three-story townhouse with a deck from which I could see the skyline in the distance. After eight years there, I became so used to seeing fireworks that I