The Revolution Will Not Be Organized.

Spring sure has sprung, huh? That generally means one thing. Winter is coming.

Real quick, before all that...

Leadership changes, cost estimate errors and a funding shortfall are the latest obstacles delaying construction of a long-awaited grocery store in the Hill District, officials said on Wednesday. (Trib, Bob Bauder)

Wonder what the unofficials say! ;-)

Hill House received financial pledges from government agencies and private donors, including $3.2 million from the state, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority; $1 million from the Pittsburgh Penguins; $1 million from Philadelphia-based The Reinvestment Fund; and $525,000 from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, officials said.

The URA donated property worth $500,000. Dollar Bank is lending $1.5 million.

The project involves a supermarket to be operated by Jeff Ross, who owns four Shop 'n Save stores, and additional retail space. Ross, who did not return phone calls, is contributing $1 million and will lease the property. (ibid)

It's a shame Mr. Ross didn't return phone calls. Maybe he can do us a favor and clear his throat? Grunt? Sigh? Shrug? C'mon, be a pal. Everyone on American Idol gets a tiny interview.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he directed the URA to help get the project back on track. Robert Rubinstein, the URA's acting director, said the agency is involved but referred questions to Hill House. (ibid)

Yeah, but the acting schmacting isn't usually the URA. The mayor said he directed the URA. That means business, folks ... that means ... well here is the URA board page. We should consider this problem solved.

Of course I'll bet cleaning up past mistakes is never easy. It's gotta be half of what urban redevelopment is anymore... still this objective begs for getting done.

And these are the days of our lives. Spring has sprung! Read this.

But are MoveOn.org and its allies more like the Egyptian military, or the unions? I’d wager that they can be co-opted. They are already starting to be. From what I gather, there are those in their leadership who want this to happen. (Indypendant, Nathan Schneider)

Now you're a hep cat if you weren't one before.

Today's offering from One of America's Finest comes off a little like death:

The [EQT Corp. shareholders] meeting was temporarily adjourned after demonstrators began shouting over Mr. Porges, who repeatedly asked that any questions raised pertain to the four items up for vote. Some speakers brought up concerns over drilling contaminating groundwater supplies, some questioned the ethics of the board, one asked Mr. Porges how he sleeps at night.

Another wanted to know if the board supported the so-called Buffett Rule, a recently defeated piece of federal legislation trying to raise tax rates on top earners. (P-G, Eric Schwartzel)

Groundwater contamination. No help from the Trib today. P-G, yeah, it's all air pollutants. Any help from Fractracker?

In fact, two thirds of the liquid waste produced is still being treated at brine and industrial waste facilities, which have a questionable ability to remove total dissolved solids, heavy metals, and other contaminants from waste water, which ultimately works its way back into Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams. (Fracktracker, Matt Kelso)

Um. Ethics?

What surprised me by the end of the presentations was the intuitive discussion among residents and attendees of their experiences with the industry and landsmen. (Landsmen are the personnel hired by the gas drilling companies to persuade mineral rights owners to lease their property for natural gas extraction purposes. Historically, there have been many complaints raised about the transparency of the process and the unscrupulous nature of these contracted employees.) (Fracktracker, Samantha Malone)

Um, kinda, y'know. [sweats profusely, adjusts collar].

Needs material. Are there any cohorts of corporate shareholders out there more likely to lobby for hiking tax rates in the higher tax brackets than Equitable Gas? Surely, a corporation facing uncertainty might find profit in the position as an organizing statement of character. I'm thinking a tech company.

Tech companies are funny:

Cottrell founded Anonymizer Inc. in 1995 to make Mixmaster and other programs accessible to people who aren't tech savvy. Customers include law enforcement agents setting up drug stings. The government-funded broadcast service Voice of America hired Anonymizer in 2003 for a multiyear project that helped "hundreds of thousands of people" in China and Iran to circumvent censors, he said. (Trib, Mike Wereschagin)

Mixmaster.

WHAT ELSE IS NEWS?

Penguins win big. It's a nastier series than politics.

RIP Levon Helm, RIP the Band (The Making of "Up on Cripple Creek")

The Post-Gazette endorses liberal Republican Bob Cratsley for the special election, who is a "client liaison" for the Comet's past kind innkeepers, Bank of New York Mellon. It also endorses Erin Molchany as the Democratic nominee for the upcoming 2013-14 term. The sheets of printed paper have reserved judgment on the November general election but are probably looking forward to it.

This list may grow today who knows.