This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Two women are breaking glass ceilings at two top institutions in the state’s two biggest cities. Within the last week, the University of Pittsburgh named Joan Gabel – current president of the University of Minnesota – as its next chancellor, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School named Sophia Z. Lee as its next dean. The women, who will take over their new roles in the summer, will be the first female leaders in each school’s history.

With less than two months to go before the city’s contentious mayoral primary election, Philadelphians are hearing, “Fly, endorsements fly.” Cherelle Parker, who also received a recent endorsement from the powerful electricians union Local 98, continues to pad her tally. Recently, high-profile Black lawmakers from the city, including state Sens. Vincent Hughes and Sharif Street and U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, have joined the growing list of supporters backing the former City Councilmember.

Pittsburgh’s Primanti Brothers reigns supreme – at least according to a “Coolest Thing Made in PA” bracket put together by the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry. Primanti Bros. fended off challenges from Martin & Co. Guitars, Sheetz, Crayola and Mrs. T’s Pierogies in its quest to become the top Pennsylvania-made thing – and they even gave away free beer to celebrate.

A Birdsboro man has joined the metastasizing list of Pennsylvanians arrested in connection to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Anthony Nolf was arrested this week for allegedly entering the restricted grounds and helping the crowd as it attempted to force its way through police officers and into lower west tunnels. Nolf is now among the more than 1,000 individuals arrested for crimes related to the insurrection.

The City of Pittsburgh has reached a $275,000 settlement with a group of protestors who were arrested and tear-gassed during racial justice protests in 2020 – with each protestor set to receive $19,500 as part of the agreement. The lawsuit, which was filed against city officials in the summer of 2020, accused city leaders and law enforcement of violating the constitutional rights of protesters, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 

A busy news week in the Steel City didn’t spare one of the state’s largest employers. A University of Pittsburgh cardiologist has filed a civil complaint against the university and UPMC health system, alleging retaliation and discrimination against him over his views on affirmative action, which he expressed in a paper. Norman C. Wang filed the complaint in federal court claiming he was removed from his role as director of a fellowship program after he published an article stating the system’s hiring practices in the field discriminated based on race and ethnicity.