June 7, 2012

• Ban the Box

  “Ban the Box” legislation would prohibit criminal background inquiries on job applications. Employers would only be able to make such inquiries after an interview, stopping “the box” from weeding out formerly convicted people immediately. Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel, Director of the Aleph Institute, and Dean Williams from the Formerly Convicted Citizens Project, join us to discuss the proposal.

• Pittsburghers for Public Transit

  In three weeks, light rail users in the South Hills will have fewer stops when Port Authority of Allegheny County eliminates them to create faster service. As expected, riders are not pleased. Cutbacks, layoffs and fare hikes are the reasons behind the founding of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. We’ll talk with PPT’s organizer, Andrew Wagner.

• Public Transit in Pittsburgh

  With budgets tightening, public transit has become a major issue. The Port Authority faces service cuts which could significantly change the sort of service it offers to Pittsburgh. Betsy Benson, publisher of Pittsburgh Magazine, shares her thoughts on the issue in an audio essay.

• Tiramisu

  We talk to John Zimmerman and Aaron Steinfeld, two of the developers of Tiramisu, a mobile app that helps transit riders keep each other informed of bus information, to help improve everyone’s experience.