New Pittsburgh Courier

Archbishop designated by Pope Francis to the Archdiocese of Washington, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, speaks during a news conference at Washington Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in Hyattsville, Md., Thursday, April 4, 2019. Archbishop-designate Gregory will succeed Cardinal Donald Wuerl. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Archbishop Wilton Gregory promised Catholics he would…

Lori Lightfoot celebrates at her election night rally at the Hilton Chicago after defeating Toni Preckwinkle in the Chicago mayoral election, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot’s resounding victory was a clear call for change at City Hall and a historic repudiation of the old-style, insider politics that have long…

(Photo via iStock)

Brick-and-mortar charter schools differ from traditional public schools in format, philosophies and funding, but new state data shows that Allegheny County charter schools similarly struggle to close achievement gaps between Black and White students.

White students in 10 local charter schools outperformed Black students by double digits in state tests, according to 2017-18…

Val Finnell, left, gives a thumbs down, as others applaud after the Pittsburgh City Council voted 6-3 to pass gun-control legislation, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in Pittsburgh. The bill, introduced in the wake of the synagogue massacre last October, places restrictions on military-style assault weapons like the AR-15 rifle that authorities say was used in the attack that killed 11 and wounded…

State Senate candidates Pam Iovino and D. Raja. (Campaign website photos)

MT. LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — Democrats claimed victory Tuesday after a two-month campaign for a vacant state Senate seat in politically divided suburban Pittsburgh where the sides tested some national themes ahead of 2020′s presidential election in a critical battleground state narrowly won by President Donald Trump.

The…

 In this Dec. 6, 2016 file photo, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh delivers an address during her inauguration ceremony inside the War Memorial Building in Baltimore. Maryland’s chief accountant is calling for Pugh to step down, calling the latest revelations about lucrative deals to sell her self-published children’s books “brazen, cartoonish corruption.”  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

BAL…

Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke speaks during the National Action Network Convention in New York, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

NEW YORK (AP) — Beto O’Rourke said Wednesday that if he is elected president, he would support a House bill to create a commission to study reparations to African Americans over slavery.

Speaking…

Karen Baynes-Dunning (SPLC Photo)

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Southern Poverty Law Center has named an interim president after its founder was fired and its president resigned.

The Alabama-based civil rights group announced Tuesday that Karen Baynes-Dunning is interim president. Baynes-Dunning, a former judge, served on the SPLC board since 2017.

She is the first African-American woman to…

Motorists roll south on 7th Avenue in Times Square, Friday, March 29, 2019, in New York. Long ringed by some of the most expensive toll roads in the U.S., New York City is poised to take things even further with a plan to use automated license plate readers to charge drivers who motor into the most congested parts of Manhattan during times when crosstown traffic is at its worst. (AP…

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In this Jan. 2, 2013, file photo a Zipcar is parked at a lot in New York. Companies such as Zipcar and car2go eliminate the need to stand in line at rental car counters while waiting for vehicles, instead using smartphone apps to connect drivers with cars in their neighborhoods or nearby. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — While a growing number of Americans are…

Cagliari fans shout to Juventus’s Moise Kean, foreground left, after he scored his side’s second goal during a Serie A soccer match between Cagliari and Juventus at the Sardegna Arena Stadium in Cagliari, Italy, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (Fabio Murru/ANSA via AP)

MILAN (AP) — Blamed by his own teammate for the racist abuse aimed at him during an Italian soccer match, Juventus forward Moise Kean…

n this March 17, 2019, file photo, San Diego Fleet tight end Gavin Escobar (89) makes a critical first down catch on fourth and long over Birmingham Iron defensive back Max Redfield (20) late in the second half of an Alliance of American Football game in San Diego. (AP Photo/Peter Joneleit, File)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Alliance of American Football has ended its first season prematurely and…

In this June 14, 1992, file photo, Michael Jordan celebrates the Bulls win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals in Chicago. (AP Photo/John Swart, File) Spencer Haywood set the stage, Michael Jordan made it bigger and Kevin Durant super-sized it when he helped usher in the one-and-done era. Decades after those players made their groundbreaking departures from college, March Madness…

At a Feb. 23 community workshop, David Kushner, Fred Mergner and Jess Cook plot out their ideas for the Bloomfield gateway. (Photo by Heather Mull/PublicSource)

With the future character of Bloomfield in question, more than 50 residents gathered at West Penn Hospital and recalled their favorite neighborhood memories using hair curlers, action figures, dice and other trinkets. David Weber, who’s…

Take charge of your health today. Be informed. Be involved. …Asthma and poverty

ESTHER BUSH

This month, the “Take Charge of Your Health Today” page focuses on asthma and poverty. The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh’s Erricka Hager, health advocate, and Esther L. Bush, president and CEO, spoke about this topic with Bee Schindler, community engagement coordinator with CTSI.

EB:I’m excited that we’re revisiting the topic of asthma, Erricka and Bee. Previously, I learned…

Sally E. Wenzel, MD

In addition to the Volunteer for Asthma—AIR study, Dr. Wenzel is also conducting several other asthma studies in which readers can be involved. These studies include one about asthma and sleep—“SIESTA: Solving Insomnia Electronically: Sleep Treatment for Asthma”—and one about severe asthma—“Immune Interactions in Severe Asthma.”

Over the years, Dr. Wenzel has observed that…

Cathy Vitari, nurse practitioner with the Asthma Institute, performs a breathing test called spirometry at a community event.(Courier File Photo)

Asthma is a chronic disease that causes inflammation and narrowing of the passageways (bronchial tubes) that allow air to enter and leave the lungs. Its symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing. Because asthma…