Julia Burdelski stories, Page 16
Marc Fogel expresses gratitude for support, calls Trump a ‘hero’ after returning from Russian prison
As an entourage led by President Donald Trump waited Tuesday night under an awning outside the White House, the newly freed prisoner walked forward through the snow. “Mr. President,” said Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy who had just completed a whirlwind roundtrip to Russia on a top-secret mission to...
With final approval, Market Square revitalization to start in April
Construction is set to start in April on a project that aims to revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh’s Market square. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Tuesday earned the Planning Commission’s approval for its proposal to reimagine the Downtown hub with limited vehicle traffic, more greenery and seating and semi-circular trellis canopy where...
Retired Pittsburgh police officer charged with attempted homicide
A retired Pittsburgh police officer was arrested Tuesday after allegedly shooting her grandson in the leg. Virginia Beck, 63, of Pittsburgh is retired from the city’s police bureau, public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz confirmed. Pittsburgh police arrested Beck in connection with the shooting. She faces charges of criminal attempted homicide,...
O’Connor outpaces Gainey in campaign fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral primary
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor is far outraising incumbent Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey amid a heated Democratic primary battle for the mayor’s office. O’Connor in January raised nearly $465,000, according to campaign finance reports. Gainey brought in about $24,000. Overall, the Gainey campaign has about $237,000 cash on hand, compared...
Pittsburgh NAACP seeks public input on police chief nominee
The Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP is calling on city leaders to slow the confirmation process for Christopher Ragland as police chief to allow for at least one public forum. In an email to Mayor Ed Gainey, City Council members and their staffers, the NAACP branch offered to coordinate with...
Pine-Richland custodian sold drugs and alcohol to students, police say
Police have accused a Pine-Richland School District custodian of selling drugs and alcohol to high school students. Keon Barrett, 23, of Saxonburg allegedly sold alcohol and a THC vape to students on school grounds, according to a criminal complaint. One student told police he paid Barrett $20 in November to...
Morning Roundup: Homestead man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 11: Homestead man pleads guilty to gun, drug charges A Homestead man pleaded guilty in federal court to gun and drug charges and agreed to a 35-year prison term, Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti announced Monday. Erik...
Pittsburgh combats overtime costs with new measures amid warnings of budget crunch
In years past, Pittsburgh scheduled public works employees for overtime if snow was forecast overnight or on weekends. Road-clearing crews would sometimes spend an entire shift waiting for snow that wouldn’t fall until morning — and getting paid for it. No longer. Now, workers are assigned to be on call...
Morning Roundup: At least 13 injured in Crawford County explosion
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Feb. 10: Over a dozen injured in explosion in Crawford County At least 13 people were reported injured after an industrial fire and explosion Sunday morning at the Parker Lord Corp. in Saegertown in Crawford County. TribLive news...
Gainey’s choice of Ragland as Pittsburgh’s top cop irks some on City Council
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday nominated Christopher Ragland, the city’s acting police chief, to run the department on a permanent basis. The nomination will move to City Council for approval as the mayor seeks to steady a department buffeted by upheaval at the top and staffing woes. Ragland, 53,...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust unveils Arts Landing, a $31M outdoor civic space DowntownVideo
A $31 million outdoor civic space is set to debut next year in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, part of an ongoing effort to enhance the Golden Triangle. The 4-acre site, to be known as Arts Landing, will bring 100 new trees, a band shell for outdoor performances, sprawling green space...
Scirotto fallout spurs Pittsburgh council to grill nominees under oath for top city posts
Candidates tapped to lead Pittsburgh’s departments and bureaus will now have to answer City Council’s questions under oath. Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the legislation, which Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, introduced. The bill was prompted by concerns that former police Chief Larry Scirotto might have dodged questions and provided untruthful...
Pittsburgh voters to decide referendums on Israel ties and water privatization
Pittsburghers will see at least three referendum questions on their ballots this spring, with two aimed at ensuring the city isn’t forced to divest from companies with ties to Israel and a third asking voters to bar the city from privatizing its water and sewer infrastructure. City Council on Tuesday...
Gainey, O’Connor talk budget, traffic in mayoral debate
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor laid out their plans on key issues such as traffic and city finances in a brief debate hosted Sunday by the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club, with assistance from the 14th Ward Democratic Committee. The two will face off in...
D.C. plane crash killed ex-Johnstown woman, an IUP grad, and her family
An IUP grad and former Johnstown woman, her husband and two children were among the 67 people killed Wednesday when a plane collided with an Army helicopter approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, D.C. Donna Smojice Livingston graduated in 1999 from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a marketing degree,...
Summer Lee, Pittsburgh officials, advocates slam ‘deplorable conditions’ at region’s subsidized housing
Pittsburgh officials and housing advocates are grappling with how to address serious safety issues at privately owned, publicly subsidized housing complexes throughout the region. During a Wednesday City Council meeting, advocates painted a disturbing picture of babies living in apartments plagued by mold, families finding raccoons living in their ceilings...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission backs Gainey’s zoning proposal for affordable homes
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to support a zoning package Mayor Ed Gainey has presented in an effort to bolster affordable housing. The commission voted against a dueling proposal pitched by Councilman Bob Charland. Gainey proposed to expand inclusionary zoning — a zoning regulation requiring all large-scale developments...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves apartments at Hazelwood Green
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a new 50-unit apartment complex at the Hazelwood Green development in the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood. The five-story building will designate half of its units as affordable housing for low-income residents. Thirteen apartments are to be set aside for single parents seeking housing while pursuing...
Pittsburgh council mulls referendum to bar sale of water, sewer systems to private entities
Pittsburgh voters may be asked to vote in May on whether the city should be restricted from leasing or selling its water and sewer systems to private entities. Legislation introduced Tuesday to City Council would pose the question to voters as a ballot referendum, which a majority would need to...
Gainey rejects Pittsburgh cooperation with ICE amid immigration crackdown
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday said his administration would not work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. His comments during an appearance in Harrisburg come amid heightened concerns from the local immigrant community about ICE raids. President Donald Trump has issued quotas for the immigration enforcement agency to ramp...
2050 look-ahead: Developments in Pittsburgh driven by tech hubs, housing demands
Editor’s note: One-fourth of the way through this century, TribLive is looking ahead to the next 25 years, using the events of the past 25 as a roadmap of what possibly is to come. This installment of the occasional series looks at Pittsburgh. Where mills once sat along the Monongahela...
Kids learn communication, problem solving, value of hard work through New Kensington program
Kim Louis told the kids gathered at United Presbyterian Church of New Kensington to pretend they were on a tropical island, somewhere green and warm. Then imagine an impending snowstorm threatened to wreak havoc on that island. Snowplows, Louis told the kids, would be key to clearing the snow. But...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership unveils plan to revitalize Golden Triangle
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership this week outlined a three-year strategic plan to revitalize the city’s Golden Triangle and realize a vision of a Downtown teeming with new residents and an array of businesses. The nonprofit wants to make the neighborhood cleaner, safer and more vibrant as part of its ongoing...
Effort to block Pittsburgh from doing business with Israel spurs City Council backlash
Pittsburgh City Council members want voters to make it official that the city cannot discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin or association with foreign nations when it conducts business. A measure to seek a referendum on the matter comes after a pro-Palestinian group last year sought to...
Pittsburgh councilman seeks more candor in wake of Scirotto refereeing fiasco
A Pittsburgh councilman wants people appointed to run city departments and bureaus to answer council’s questions under oath. The move by Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, comes after council learned that Larry Scirotto, the city’s former police chief, was less than candid during public questioning about whether he would continue to...
