America’s best weekly
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS GUIDE 2025 See Special Section Inside
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 116 No. 42 Two Sections
OCTOBER 15-21, 2025
thenewpittsburghcourier Published Weekly $1.00
Richard G. Portis, business executive, mentor, veterans’ advocate, dies at 81 by Renee P. Aldrich For New Pittsburgh Courier
The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that Richard G. Portis, a local business executive, mentor and advocate for Veterans' entrepreneurship, has died. He was 81. The trajectory of Portis’ life took him from the projects of Glen Hazel, where he graduated from Gladstone High School, to Point Park University, to the United States Army, attaining the rank of Sergeant E-5 Administrative Specialist and becoming the recipient of both the National Defense Service and Vietnam Service Medals with two Bronze Stars. He also became the founder and president of his own company, 21st Century Industries, where he provided problem-solving strategies and creative solutions for growth to government, corporate and non-profit entities. Portis, who died on Oct. 8, was also a certified business coach and administrator. He managed and facilitated the Kaufmann Foundation’s FasTrac Entrepreneurship training program for over 500 veterans and others seeking to start, launch and grow businesses. Portis had a consuming passion for the support
and success of veterans. And while he would go on to amass numerous accomplishments, there were two notable achievements; his role in helping to establish the Veterans Entrepreneurial Training Project (VETP) for Robert Morris University in conjunction with the Small Business Association (SBA), a program he led for 12 years, and for which he was recognized by the SBA with the Regional Veteran Small Business Champion Award in 2006; and being appointed as project consultant to the Western Pennsylvania Maglev Development Corporation. Portis also was appointed to establish the first Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) program in Western Pennsylvania, headquartered in McKeesport. According to Portis' obituary, he was also appointed by Rev. Dr. Leon Sullivan, founder of OIC, to lead the Miami Dade OIC in Florida, where he served the community in many capacities. Along with the many hats he wore, caring for and contributing to community remained a top priority for him. As such, he held offices within the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch, and was RICHARD G. PORTIS DIED ON OCT. 8, 2025. HE WAS 81.
SEE PORTIS A3
The 15th Annual Pittsburgh Black girls being referred to International Jazz Festival juvenile court on the decline 152 in 2019, to just 11 in 2024
DR. KATHI ELLIOTT IS CEO OF GWEN'S GIRLS. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
To subscribe, call 412-481-8302 ext. 136
R&B ARTIST ERIC BENET DELIGHTED THE PITTSBURGH CROWD AT THE ANNUAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, SEPT. 20. SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE WEEKEND EVENT ON PAGE A3. (PHOTO BY GAIL MANKER)
No one likes standing in front of a judge. Especially if that person is a teenager. The New Pittsburgh Courier has learned exclusively that the number of Black girls in Pittsburgh Public Schools who are being referred to juvenile court has decreased greatly over the past five years, from 152 in 2019, to just
11 in 2024. Gwen's Girls, the organization in the Pittsburgh region dedicated to helping girls, especially African American girls, reach their highest potential, released the data in a 2025 Black Girls Equity Alliance Equity Report, provided to the Courier. One of Gwen's Girls' primary objectives is to keep teen girls out of the juvenile justice system, either by proactive measures such
as mentorship and education, or lobbying for a concerted effort with PPS and other school districts to refer girls to other places besides a courtroom. Of all the Black teen girls referred to juvenile court in 2019 in Allegheny County, 40 percent of the referrals came from PPS police. By 2024, the percentage from PPS police SEE GIRLS A5