Laurel: To spreading education. Carnegie Mellon University is one of the best-known, highest-regarded schools in the world when it comes to learning about the ins and outs of computers and programming.

But not everyone can get in. It’s a highly selective school. Although many would like to attend, only about 11% to 12% of its more than 30,000 applicants are accepted. The cost is intimidating, too, with tuition alone coming in over $67,000 this year.

But there are other ways to benefit from what Carnegie Mellon has to offer.

CMU CS (that’s Computer Science) Academy has been offering online computer science courses since 2017. Since then, more than 300,000 Western Pennsylvania students have learned coding and programming.

It doesn’t stop there. Another 500,000 students across the globe have done the same. The academy is used at more than 2,000 schools in 66 countries and three languages.

It can also pave the way to attending Carnegie Mellon. Although the program is free for most students, those who pay $200 and pass a final exam walk away with credits at the university.

The program is beneficial for anyone who wants to learn computer programming skills, and in today’s job market, that’s valuable. But being able to say that you gained those skills at one of the best schools in the world? That’s invaluable.

Lance: To filling the seats. If you want to see a Pittsburgh Steelers game this weekend, it’s obviously going to be cheaper to watch on TV than fly to Ireland.

But on your average Sunday, taking the family to Acrisure Stadium can be a pretty staggering investment, too.

The Action Network, a sports media company, recently ranked the relative costs of taking your family of four to a game. The Steelers are among the pricier tickets in the NFL.

The Philadelphia Eagles top the list of 32 stadiums at an average of $2,133.44 per game. That’s a lot.

But the Steelers aren’t far behind. Those same four tickets — plus two beers, two soft drinks, four hot dogs and parking — come up to $1,601.60 at Acrisure Stadium. The venue is in the top 10 for expensive game days, along with the homes of the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings.

People pay for what they love, and Pittsburgh loves its Steelers. The team is in not in danger of having a stadium as empty as PNC Park on a Pirates home game anytime soon.

But as prices of everything keep climbing, it would be nice to see the team named after the city’s working class heroes be just a little more accessible for its blue collar supporters.

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