The Allegheny County district of the Rotary International club is offering two exciting opportunities for individuals in the Pittsburgh area.

First, they are offering the opportunity to take part in a Group Study Exchange trip to Argentina for 3 weeks in May. The opportunity to participate in this Group Study Exchange (GSE) is open to young professionals from age 20 to early 40s, and allows the participants to gain professional insight into the Argentinean culture through site visits, and meetings with local businesses, government and cultural leaders. The trip includes all travel and lodging expenses, but the entertainment expenses are the responsibility of the GSE participant. Last year, Councilman Bill Peduto participated in the GSE trip to Norway to study energy policy, and has remained involved with the rotary ever since. For more information, please contact Ron Gaydos at District 7300 of Rotary International at rgaydos@city-net.com.

The group is also accepting applications for the 2011-2012 Rotary Peace Fellowship program. This program invites non-Rotarian professionals who are interested in international relations, public administration, sustainable development, peace studies and conflict resolution or a related field to compete for one of 50 master’s degree fellowships or 50 professional development certificate fellowships to expand their knowledge in these areas.

For more information and instructions on the application process, visit the website. Applications are due by July 1, 2010.

Meetings Postponed Due to Snow

OnTuesday February 9th and Wednesday February 10th, CSX will hold public meetings to provide residents with information on the National Gateway Project.

Structures in Western Pennsylvania will be affected as CSX works to increase the vertical clearance along rail lines. This meeting will allow those in attendance to see the plans for the affected structures.

An open invitation has been extended to all for these meetings.  The February 9th meeting will be held in Somerset, PA, and the February 10th meeting will be held in Pittsburgh.

Click Here for More Information

No American can have freedom and justice until there is freedom and justice for all.

Last week, Pittsburgh City Council gave preliminary approval to a contract that will allow City Council meetings to be viewed online.

The webcasts will allow City Council meetings to be accessible to all, and will also integrate the new system with City Council’s existing legislative tracking system. Viewers will be able to search videos online and view specific portions that relate to different issues.

“This is the third step I have initiated to bring e-democracy to Pittsburgh, following the launch of iBurgh and the current beta test of MyGov365,” said Councilman Peduto. “This new system will allow Pittsburgh residents to have greater involvement in their government and greater access to information that is important to them.”

The system has come in under budget, and will be ready in time to broadcast the first meeting of Council in 2010.

The Christian Science Monitor recently wrote about five cities that will rise in the new economy. What were the critical factors? Green Innovation, Healthcare and Export Industries, Clean Energy, Education and Technology.

Pittsburgh has the pieces to this puzzle, but are we setting our sails toward a 21st century economy or are we trying to hang on to our 19th century past? The decisions we make today we determine whether we will compete or fail in a 21st century new, global economy.

The article names Boston, Fort Collins, Houston, Huntsville and Seattle as the top 5 cities that will rise in the New Economy.

Read the article to learn more.

Over 600 people joined us at Councilman Peduto’s annual Holiday Fete and over 200 were there for our very special VIP Reception. The VIP hour included music by DJ Zombo, an incredible buffet from a dozen of Pittsburgh’s best restaurants, Boyd and Blair’s Black and Gold Martini Bar, a special spirit tasting table and a live performance by our friends Attack Theatre.

Thank you to our Co-Chairs and Host Committee for making the VIP Reception and the Party such a great event.

Here is how you can show your support for Bill - and build a better Pittsburgh! We need you to help us to make this event even more special.
Please join us and bring your friends.

For more information or to RSVP, please call 412-414-1430 or email Mike Devanney at Mike.Devanney@gmail.com.

Host Committee
Co-Chairs

On Monday, November 16th, the Northstar Commuter Rail trains made their first trip shuttling commuters into downtown Minneapolis.

The rail line was first conceived in 1993, and finished this year $10 million dollars under its original budget. This is the second rail system that Minneapolis has seen in recent years - in 2003 Hiawatha, a light rail system, was introduced there.

Read More About the North Star Debut

Earlier this year, Councilman Bill Peduto presented to Council the findings from a six-month study on the possibility of a commuter rail line in Pittsburgh. This city line would connect Hazelwood on the Monongahela River to Lawrenceville on the Allegheny River. It would pass near The Technology Center, Schenley Park, CMU and Oakland, The Baum-Centre Corridor, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.

But this line would also be just one link in a multi-county regional system. Not only would it connect to the Mon Valley and Westmoreland County - via Norfolk-Southern -and the Allegheny Valley and Armstrong County - via the AVRR (which are two projects being pushed right now), but the CSX line itself extends North along Route 8 all the way to New Castle in Lawrence County, and South to Washington, PA. This leaves many possibilities open for further expansion in the future. Investment in this rail line for Pittsburgh would be a long-term investment in regional transportation.