Julia Burdelski stories, Page 17
Gainey claims progress with Highmark on payments to Pittsburgh, but skeptics abound
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday announced that Highmark, one of the largest nonprofits operating in the city, is willing to make financial contributions to the city — but only if other major nonprofits pay up, too. In a statement, Gainey portrayed Highmark as taking a significant step forward to...
3 Democrats, 1 Republican vie to replace Pittsburgh Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith
Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhoods this year will elect a new City Council member for the first time since 2010, as Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith is poised to retire at the end of her term. Three Democrats and a Republican are running to replace her as the council member for District 2,...
New safety measures coming to Oakland’s Terrace Street after fatal wrecks
In response to a string of crashes that killed pedestrians in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, the city and the University of Pittsburgh are implementing new safety measures along the Terrace Street corridor. Jessie Maroney, 37, of South Park, was killed in a hit-and-run crash crossing at Darragh and Terrace streets in...
Pittsburgh Parking Authority lifts residency requirement for some employees
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority on Thursday eliminated a requirement that its garage attendants and enforcement officers live within the city in an effort to bolster recruitment and retention as the authority struggles to maintain its staffing levels. Those workers still are required to reside within Allegheny County. Candidates who live...
Woodland Hills School District names new superintendent
Woodland Hills School District’s school board on Wednesday voted to appoint Joe Maluchnik as the district’s next superintendent. He’ll replace Dan Castagna, who in departed in October after being hired as superintendent of Chartiers Valley School District. Maluchnik for the last four years has led the nearby Wilkinsburg School District....
Law firm excited to take over iconic Pittsburgh billboard
Law firm Pond Lehocky is hoping to make itself better known to Pittsburghers, taking over a massive billboard overlooking the city from atop Mount Washington. The new ad replaced Iron City Beer on the well-known billboard earlier this week. “We see it as an honor to have our name on...
Rubio vows to prioritize freeing Oakmont teacher from Russian prison
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed to prioritize the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont history teacher who has been detained by Russia since bringing a small amount of legally prescribed medical marijuana into the country in 2021. Rubio’s comments came during a nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate....
Pittsburgh Planning Commission supports tiny houses for homeless
More than a year after the concept was first introduced, zoning changes that would pave the way for Pittsburgh to build tiny houses and other temporary managed communities for the homeless is advancing. Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously supported a zoning bill that would allow for interim housing. That...
O’Connor vows to support families, children if elected Pittsburgh mayor
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, campaigning to be Pittsburgh’s mayor, stood in front of Cowley Recreation Center in Troy Hill Tuesday, pointing out the broken windows and boarded-up doors. City officials had hoped to use federal covid-19 relief money to fund improvements to the center. That hasn’t happened. If he’s...
Iron City Beer ad removed from billboard atop Mount Washington
The Iron City Beer advertisement on Mount Washington no longer hovers over Pittsburgh. The sign — visible from many points throughout the city, including Point State Park — was taken down Monday. According to Pittsburgh Brewing Company, Iron City Beer used the prominent billboard from 1938 till the mid-1950s. The...
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tours Pittsburgh International Airport’s new landside terminal
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday toured the new terminal under construction at Pittsburgh International Airport, touting the work President Joe Biden’s administration has done to support such infrastructure improvements nationwide. “It was important for us to have Pittsburgh be one of the last places I travel to in...
Phipps Conservatory’s cafe, catering workers fear for their jobs amid vendor switch
Meredith Raubaugh doesn’t know what she’ll do for work after her gig as a catering server and cafe cashier at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens ends next week. She and about 30 others who work in the the Pittsburgh conservatory’s cafe and catering departments are expected to lose their jobs...
Sam DeMarco leaving Allegheny County Council for role in Sen. Dave McCormick’s office
Sam DeMarco is leaving his posts as an at-large Allegheny County councilman and chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County for a position in newly elected U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick’s office. DeMarco told TribLive he will serve as Southwest Regional director for McCormick’s office. In that position, DeMarco will...
Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak quietly steers Pittsburgh through high-stakes decisions
In late December, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey mugged for the cameras Downtown and pumped the hands of City Council members as he basked in the passage of his 2025 budget. Hanging back in the mayor’s shadow, avoiding reporters and seeking no credit, stood the man most responsible for engineering the...
Pittsburgh police confident First Night will be safe event
Pittsburgh Acting Police Chief Chris Ragland says the city’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration will be safe, with dozens of officers patrolling the Downtown event. The Highmark First Night Pittsburgh celebration — which includes a parade, music, fireworks and other entertainment — is hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust each...
Pittsburgh police kill man during standoff in Allentown
Pittsburgh police fatally shot a 45-year-old man early Friday morning after he fired at police during a standoff along East Warrington Avenue in the city’s Allentown neighborhood, Allegheny County Police said. The victim was identified as Mark Coleman by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner Office. Allegheny County Police homicide detectives...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board raids reserve fund to close 2025 budget deficit
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday approved a 2025 spending plan that includes no tax increase but relies on the district’s financial reserves to balance the budget. The nearly $775 million budget will draw about $28 million from the district’s reserve fund to fill in the gap between projected...
Vandalism does $50K in damage to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy vehicles in Frick Park
A trio of vandalism incidents at the Frick Environmental Center in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park has put all but one of the Pittsburgh Park Conservancy’s vehicle fleet out of commission and caused more than $50,000 in damage. The vandalism took place overnight during the past two and a half weeks, with...
Pittsburgh City Council approves 2025 budget with no tax hike
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a 2025 budget that holds the line on taxes, avoids layoffs and trims spending, though officials have warned that the plan may not cover the costs of public safety overtime. Council approved a $665.6 million operating budget and a $120.6 million capital budget. Councilwoman...
Charles ‘Kamikaze Kid’ Bonasorte, former Pitt football player, Oakland kiosk owner, dies
Charles Bonasorte, a former University of Pittsburgh football player and owner of a popular Oakland kiosk, died Friday. Pittsburgh Sports Now’s Harry Psaros said Bonasorte’s death is “a profound loss for the Pitt community.” Bonasorte was raised “just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral of Learning,” Psaros wrote, and frequented...
1 injured after Squirrel Hill Tunnel crash
One person was taken to the hospital after a crash in the Squirrel Hill Tunnel Sunday afternoon. The wreck was reported around 1:50 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher, at the outbound side of the tunnel. The dispatcher could not provide details about the extent of the person’s...
More shelter beds allow officials to be proactive in shutting Pittsburgh homeless camps
Often when officials decide to tear down Pittsburgh homeless camps, it’s because serious problems have cropped up. Sometimes it’s the presence of violent crime. In other cases, the location proved to be dangerous, or officials discovered major drug problems. But when city and county leaders recently decided to tear down...
Pittsburgh council gives preliminary OK to Gainey’s 2025 budget
Over the past several weeks, Pittsburgh City Council has questioned whether Mayor Ed Gainey is setting aside too little money in his 2025 proposed budget for major expenses like police overtime. Members have worried about how Gainey is addressing projected declines in the city’s vital reserve fund. And they’re not...
‘We deserve a better Pittsburgh’: Corey O’Connor formally launches mayoral bid to oust Gainey
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor on Tuesday formally declared his candidacy for Pittsburgh mayor, saying the city deserves transparency, thriving neighborhoods, safe streets, booming businesses and improved public safety staffing. The announcement sets up what will likely be a fiercely fought Democratic primary on May 20 as O’Connor tries to...
Steelers vs. Browns: What they’re saying in Cleveland after the loss
Nick Camino can’t wait for the Cleveland Browns’ season to be over. The sports anchor for WKYC-TV 3 in Cleveland lambasted his home team after the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated them 27-14 at Acrisure Stadium Sunday. “How many more weeks of the season do we have left?” Camino wrote. “We are...
