AIDS walks held in Boston and Pittsburgh

AIDS walks were held over the weekend in Boston and Pittsburgh, raising money for local AIDS organizations. In Boston, about 10,000 people participated in the 19th annual AIDS Walk and 5K Run, raising more than $1 million for groups providing HIV prevention and care services. Speakers before the event included state health commissioner Christine Ferguson, comic Margaret Cho, actor Scott Lowell of Queer as Folk, and Boston mayor Thomas Menino, who called for the development of a statewide needle exchange program. In Pittsburgh, about 800 people participated in the 10th--and final--annual AIDS walk. The event raised approximately $70,000, about $30,000 less than the walk's fund-raising goal. Organizers said this year's walk will be the last because of falling public interest in the event.