Laurels & lances: Brain drain, Black Friday, bald eagles

Laurel: To looking for answers. For years, Pennsylvania communities have suffered from a problem called “brain drain.”

It’s the unfortunate tendency of state students to graduate from high school and go to Pitt or Penn State or another local college and learn valuable skills only to move away and take that newfound knowledge elsewhere.

Pitt researchers are investigating why that happens in Appalachian communities such as Connellsville.

“The common thought is that there are not enough jobs, or well-paying jobs, to keep them there,” said Bryan Schultz, director of global and experiential programs at Pitt’s honors college and one of the professors involved in the pilot program funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Appalachian Teaching project.

One of the best ways to build communities is by keeping its educated young people on hand to become the next generation of leaders. This study could help make that happen.

Lance: To less interest. If you think Black Friday might not be quite as exciting a prospect as it used to be, you might be right.

While some locals plan to get a jump on the holiday season with the unofficial retail holiday that sends shoppers scurrying for big sales the day after Thanksgiving, a lot is changing about how that happens.

In addition to a backlash against Black Friday sales that opened store doors on Thursday, there is also the way many retailers, especially online ones, are offering sale prices earlier without forcing people to camp out or get up early for doorbusters. Target and Amazon started their Black Friday specials in October.

But how will that affect the all-important last-quarter sales that can make up a big chunk of retailers’ bottom lines — and thus keep more people working?

Laurel: To flying high. Bald eagles aren’t the kind of thing that you really see in their natural habitat every day. Unless you have a good camera, that is.

In December, people will get another opportunity to see the majestic birds when a new webcam goes live on the grounds of the U.S. Steel Irvin Plant in West Mifflin. It will join other cameras in the state, including one trained on a nest in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood.