News – Point Park News Service

Gambling on Pennsylvania’s future

May 17, 2017 budget, casino, gambling, lawmakers, Pennsylvania

By Iain Oldman, Point Park News Service: Ahead of another looming budget showdown between Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and the state’s Republican-majority General Assembly, a familiar issue to bail the state out of its budgetary woes has been submitted for the legislature to take up – expanded legalized gambling. But even as Wolf and some lawmakers in Harrisburg look to... Read More

Coach lucky to survive blood clots

May 9, 2017 blood clots, Chris Gathagan, featured, Squirrel Hill

By Alex Young, Point Park News Service: Chris Gathagan, 59, of Akron, Ohio, sat at a circular lunch table surrounded by a group of seven sixth-through-eighth grade students who he advises. It was the day before the St. Edmund’s Academy students began their spring break, and the day of the annual faculty-staff versus student basketball game. Gathagan, who most of... Read More

“Cancer ruined my life, and it will never be the same”

May 9, 2017May 9, 2017 breast cancer, feature, Laura Higgins, Pittsburgh

By Jordan Slobinsky, Point Park News Service: Laura Higgins’ summer was almost over, and she was preparing for the upcoming school year. After teaching for more than thirty years, she knew how to get ready for school but she wasn’t ready for what her doctors were going to tell her. In the summer of 2013, Higgins entered Divine Providence Hospital... Read More

Mother advocates for cannabis oils to help daughter

May 8, 2017 featured, Health, Heather Shuker, seizures

By Cody Siwicki, Point Park News Service: Not a day goes by for Heather Shuker that she doesn’t drive past a cemetery and think to herself, “should I make funeral arrangements today, ahead of time?” She sometimes goes out to dinner alone, quietly listening to the conversations around her, often surprised at the topic of discussion at the table. Maybe... Read More

Point Park student battles leukemia

May 8, 2017

By Nicholas Horwat, Point Park News Service: Like most college students, she was focused on getting good grades, but she was facing something bigger. One Point Park University student was not only continuing school and maintaining good grades, but also battling acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). This student requested to remain anonymous due to the emotional and physical distress the... Read More

Memoir: Cutting trees helps man to full recovery

April 11, 2017April 12, 2017 Erika Kurner, Jeff Kurner, recovery, tree accident

By Erika Kurner, Point Park News Service: I have a very vivid memory from a very unclear day. It was October 2006, a Thursday after a rainstorm. I was a kid, standing in my room, when I heard the phone ring. Before my mom even answered, I had the sudden feeling something was wrong. My mom gasped and began to... Read More

Friendly fire is bump in the road for Navy veteran turned Uber driver

April 11, 2017April 27, 2017 featured, Larry Cmar, Navy, Pittsburgh, Uber, veteran

By Sabrina Bodon, Point Park News Service: You’d have plenty to read about if you were ever stuck behind Larry Cmar’s Chevy. Veterans. Afghanistan. The Pirates. The Navy. The Steelers. Uber. For a man who’s spent over two decades in the Navy, Cmar takes pleasure in the laid-back environment of being an Uber driver. He says that he’s happy, but... Read More

Multimedia: Help for the homeless – Mediation Ministries

February 27, 2017 Fall 2016, featured, photojournalism, Point Park University

By Trevor Kirby, Point Park News Service: Maggie Fitzpatrick, Executive Director and founder of Mediation Ministries, talks about her work with the homeless and how the process works going through the Ministry. Read More

Pittsburgh LGBT community unites under new administration

February 6, 2017 Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, Donald Trump, Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh, LGBT

By Andrew Henderson, Point Park News Service: There are plenty of chairs in the one-room apartment, but Heidi Simpson prefers to sit on the bed. Simpson, a 32-year old English teacher has lived in the Mount Oliver apartment for many years, and has crafted the former corner store into a representation of herself. With a quick look around her apartment,... Read More

‘Black Women’ documentary explores diversity

January 4, 2017January 10, 2017 Fall 2016, featured, Intersectionality, photojournalism, Point Park University, Vania Arthur

By Vania Arthur, Point Park News Service: “Black Women” is a growing documentary that I’m exploring through the lives and lenses of black women. It will touch on intersectionality, sexuality, intimacy, interracial relationships, colorism, and the lives of these women, their struggles and their accomplishments. This video is on Intersectionality through the lens of Fenice Thompson, 20, a student and black... Read More