Long Airport Lines, School Closures & Pittsburgh’s Ties to the American Flag

It’s the Friday news roundup! School’s out, and Pittsburgh Public is using the summer vacation to consider whether some schools have to close or consolidate. If you’ve got a flight coming up, you need to get to the airport extremely early. (We’re talking three hours before takeoff!) And we’re digging into the history of Pittsburgh’s ties to the American flag ahead of Independence Day. We always cite our sources: Pittsburghers got scammed into buying tickets for a fake Biggie and 2Pac live orchestra concert and a fake hot air balloon festival. PIT officials are recommending that travelers get to the airport two and a half to three hours before their flights because the security lines have been extra long.  May was the busiest month the Pittsburgh airport has seen in 17 years – and nationwide, TSA recently broke their record for most travelers screened in a day.  Pittsburgh Public Schools is projected to deplete its fund balance by 2026, and is thinking about closing or consolidating some of its schools. The district is holding town halls throughout the summer to get community feedback. Upcoming town halls include: July 9 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Concord July 10 from 6-7:30 p.m. at West Liberty July 11 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Obama July 16 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Jeron X. Grayson Community Center July 23 from 6-7:30 at Morrow Intermediate PPS proposed closing six schools in 2021; almost 50% of the district’s school buildings are less than half full. A man from Collier Township is the reason we have Flag Day and a monument at Flagstaff Hill. Shuman Juvenile Detention Center is expected to reopen soon – there’s been a lot of controversy around both the decision to reopen the center and the group that was selected to run it. A deer got stuck in the Highland Park reservoir – but thankfully, it was rescued. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 28th episode: Babbel Bike PGH Parks on Tap Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm. Want more Pittsburgh news? Sign up for our daily morning Hey Pittsburgh newsletter. We’re also on Instagram @CityCastPgh! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.