Pittsburgh
Snow plowing
Here are the forecasted onset times of freezing rain:
Freezing rain will begin for areas north and west first, and as a result of the cold front stalling, Pittsburgh should see freezing rain begin by 4-6 PM on Thursday, with it beginning by 6-8 PM east of the city. pic.twitter.com/gR0OYNVm3P
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) February 2, 2022
As of now, it appears I will be working part of Thursday and taking Friday off. Saturday will depend on Pittsburgh’s unlikely progress clearing the roads.
Infrastructure
Ed Blazina et al., “‘A boom, then a monster sound’: 10 hurt after bridge over Pittsburgh’s Frick Park collapses,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 28, 2022, https://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2022/01/28/pittsburgh-bridge-collapse-forbes-braddock-avenue-point-breeze-squirrel-hill/stories/202201280075
Emma Folts, “From a burning bridge to a sinking road, 5 times Pittsburgh infrastructure raised worries,” Public Source, January 28, 2022, https://www.publicsource.org/from-a-burning-bridge-to-a-sinking-road-5-times-pittsburgh-infrastructure-raised-worries/
Megan Guza, “‘It is outrageous’: Pittsburgh leaders, residents seek answers after poor-rated bridge collapses,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 28, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/it-is-outrageous-pittsburgh-leaders-residents-seek-answers-after-poor-rated-bridge-collapses/
Tony LaRussa, “Over 40 bridges in Alle-Kiski Valley are rated the same as span that collapsed in Pittsburgh,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 28, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/here-are-the-bridges-in-the-alle-kiski-valley-rated-the-same-as-span-that-collapsed-in-pittsburgh/
Brian C. Rittmeyer, Megan Guza, and Jason Cato, “10 injured in bridge collapse in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 28, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/frick-park-bridge-collapses-natural-gas-smell-in-area/
Charlie Wolfson, “Collapsed Pittsburgh bridge and 175 others rated poor in county drive home need for investment,” Public Source, January 28, 2022, https://www.publicsource.org/bridge-collapse-pittsburgh-allegheny-infrastructure-biden/
WTAE, “Gov. Wolf signs proclamation of disaster emergency for Allegheny County following bridge collapse,” January 28, 2022, https://www.wtae.com/article/bridge-collapse-pittsburgh-gov-wolf-signs-proclamation-of-disaster-emergency/38928541
Julia Felton, “‘It’s a resource problem’: 1 in 8 bridges in Pa. rated in ‘poor’ condition, records show,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 29, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/its-a-resource-problem-1-in-8-bridges-in-pa-rated-in-poor-condition-records-show/
Lauren Lee, “Mayor Gainey signs Disaster Emergency Declaration following Fern Hollow bridge collapse,” WTAE, January 30, 2022, https://www.wtae.com/article/mayor-gainey-to-sign-disaster-emergency-declaration-following-fern-hollow-bridge-collapse/38934884
Mary Ann Thomas, “O’Connor: Rebuilding Forbes Avenue bridge could take 2 years, more than $10M,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 30, 2022, https://triblive.com/news/declarations-of-emergency-expected-to-speed-cleanup-and-reconstruction-of-forbes-avenue-bridge/
Ryan Deto, “Crane pulls Port Authority bus from Frick Park bridge wreckage,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, January 31, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/public-viewing-area-opens-for-pittsburghs-collapsed-fern-hollow-bridge-as-cleanup-begins/
KDKA-TV, “Pittsburgh Bridge Collapse: PennDOT To Invest $25.3M To Rebuild Fern Hollow Bridge,” January 31, 2022, https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2022/01/31/penndot-investment-rebuild-fern-hollow-bridge/
Julia Felton, “$25.3M in federal funding set aside to replace Pittsburgh’s collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 1, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/25-3m-in-federal-funding-set-aside-to-replace-pittsburghs-collapsed-fern-hollow-bridge/
Julia Felton, “Pittsburgh looks to create infrastructure commission in wake of Fern Hollow Bridge collapse,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, February 1, 2022, https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-looks-to-create-infrastructure-commission-in-wake-of-fern-hollow-bridge-collapse/
Work
Anneken Tappe, “A record number of Americans quit their jobs in 2021,” CNN, February 1, 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/economy/us-job-openings-quite-december/index.html
COVID-19 Pandemic
Doctors and charlatans
Mitchell Willetts, “COVID has killed more Americans in 2022 than the flu has in 3 years, CDC data shows,” Sacramento Bee, February 1, 2022, https://www.sacbee.com/news/coronavirus/article257934343.html
Donald Trump
Coup attempt
Donald Trump would no doubt approve: Lawyers for Sean McHugh argued that the Congressional session to certify the 2020 election was not an “official proceeding.”[1] It’s the desperate sort of plea that Trump himself engaged in repeatedly and Philip Bump has a summary of that desperate, rarely if ever coherent attempt to undo the election.[2] If anyone else pulled these sorts of stunts, Trump’s followers would surely, along with the rest of us, deride the effort as that of a sore loser.
FiveThirtyEight, “Is Trump’s Hold On The GOP Still Strong?” January 26, 2022, https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-trumps-hold-on-the-gop-still-strong/
Alex Isenstadt, “Trump faces MAGA revolt over endorsement,” Politico, January 27, 2022, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/27/trump-maga-revolt-endorsement-00003050
Nick Robins-Early, “Seditious conspiracy is rarely proven. The Oath Keepers trial is a litmus test,” Guardian, January 28, 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/28/seditious-conspiracy-charges-trial-oath-keepers-us-court
Tyler Pager, “Trump suggests that if he is reelected, he will pardon Jan. 6 Capitol rioters,” Washington Post, January 29, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/29/trump-jan6-protesters/
Olafimihan Oshin, “Trump calls for protests if prosecutors ‘do anything illegal’ in targeting him,” Hill, January 30, 2022, https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/592009-trump-calls-for-biggest-protest-weve-ever-had-if-prosecutors-do
Ed Palattella, “Election libel or just free speech?” Erie Times-News, January 30, 2022, https://www.goerie.com/story/news/2022/01/28/free-speech-case-erie-postmaster-project-veritas-james-okeefe-richard-hopkins/6632611001/
Monique Beals, “Georgia prosecutors ask FBI for security help after Trump protest remarks: report,” Hill, January 31, 2022, https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/592044-georgia-prosecutors-ask-fbi-for-security-help-one-day-after-trump
John Wagner, “Trump suggests Pence should have ‘overturned’ the election on Jan. 6,” Washington Post, January 31, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/31/trump-pence-overturned-election/
Philip Bump, “The sloppy, patchwork, spaghetti-at-the-wall effort to steal the presidency,” Washington Post, February 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/01/sloppy-patchwork-spaghetti-at-the-wall-effort-steal-presidency/
Sam Stanton, “Judge refuses to toss charges against Northern California man in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case,” Sacramento Bee, February 2, 2022, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article257937508.html
Havana Syndrome
I was not impressed when it was reported that the Central Intelligence Agency had assessed it unlikely that a rival was responsible for the still unexplained “Havana Syndrome,”[3] because an absence of information on a cause is an absence of information on a cause and not very much more.
And guess what? It turns out that there is a plausible way that a rival might be launching attacks.[4]
Shane Harris, “External energy source may explain ‘Havana syndrome,’ panel finds, renewing questions about possible foreign attack,” Washington Post, February 2, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/02/external-energy-source-may-explain-havana-syndrome-panel-finds-renewing-questions-about-possible-foreign-attack/
Right-wing dictatorship
Jonathan Lai, “Pa. Supreme Court takes over a redistricting case and will decide the state’s new congressional map,” Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pennsylvania-supreme-court-redistricting-case-20220202.html
- [1]Sam Stanton, “Judge refuses to toss charges against Northern California man in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case,” Sacramento Bee, February 2, 2022, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article257937508.html↩
- [2]Philip Bump, “The sloppy, patchwork, spaghetti-at-the-wall effort to steal the presidency,” Washington Post, February 1, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/02/01/sloppy-patchwork-spaghetti-at-the-wall-effort-steal-presidency/↩
- [3]Nancy A. Youssef, “Havana Syndrome Unlikely Caused by Russia, Other U.S Foes, CIA Says,” Wall Street Journal, January 20, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/havana-syndrome-unlikely-caused-by-russia-other-u-s-foes-cia-says-11642686583↩
- [4]Shane Harris, “External energy source may explain ‘Havana syndrome,’ panel finds, renewing questions about possible foreign attack,” Washington Post, February 2, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/02/02/external-energy-source-may-explain-havana-syndrome-panel-finds-renewing-questions-about-possible-foreign-attack/↩