Your Daily Guide

PRT Ridership at Its Highest Since COVID

Nearly 40 million people rode local public transit from July 2025 to June 2026, a 5% increase year over year. Still, ridership is 25 million below the agency’s all-time high in 2019. Pittsburgh Regional Transit hopes its new university line from Downtown to Oakland and a proposed bus line "refresh" will continue to boost ridership. [🔒 Post-Gazette / PRT]

Local HIV Diagnoses Reach Record Low

Only 53 people were newly diagnosed with the infection in Allegheny County last year, a 32% decrease from the year before. Meanwhile, state and federal support to prevent and treat HIV has been reduced. Last year, health officials recorded 3,775 people living with HIV in Allegheny County. [WESA]

GAP Trail Stretch Closed Indefinitely

A section near Kennywood of the popular Great Allegheny Passage bike trail closed last month for rockfall and was scheduled to reopen weeks ago. The closure is now indefinite after crews found two unstable formations above the trail. Riders can take a $20 shuttle or use the 59 or 61C bus routes to bypass it. Remediation and repairs aren’t expected until late fall. [WPXI]

Another Local Kratom Death

The Allegheny County medical examiner says a second known person has died from complications caused by kratom. The supplement is widely available in gas stations and smoke shops, and there’s no age limit to purchase it. Surrounding counties are documenting similar deaths — Westmoreland has seen 24 since 2019. Lawmakers are calling kratom a public health crisis and the state House health committee is expected to vote on a bill regulating the substance later this year. [🔒 Post-Gazette / City Cast Pittsburgh]

Let’s play a game! Where can you find this dinosaur?

🌟 Shout out to Jennifer H., Clayton S., Bri S., Emma K., Dana B., Jordan S., Corey E., Hannah F., Gloria G., and Joann A. for correctly guessing last week’s photo challenge ⬇️

We love our cafes, including Happenstance. It opened two years ago in Lower Lawrenceville and in addition to its patio — great for soaking up the last rays of summer! — it features local artists on its gallery wall and hosts weekly events.

You could spend a whole day there with our neighborhood guide. And if you’re inspired by patio seating and looking for other outdoor options, we about to update a list of our favorite spots. What are your favorites? We're looking for most romantic, best place to get some work done, best happy hour, most kid- or pet-friendly, and more!