Julia Burdelski stories, Page 19
Pittsburgh police staffing woes spark concern among council members
Several Pittsburgh City Council members on Thursday voiced concerns about dwindling staffing levels for the city’s police force and called for an increased police presence throughout the city. Council members said they wanted to see more police at community events, mingling with people in the neighborhoods they protect and responding...
Pittsburgh calls on community shovelers for its Snow Angels program
Pittsburgh officials are asking residents to volunteer to help seniors and disabled neighbors shovel and salt their sidewalks this winter. The city’s Snow Angels program pairs volunteers with neighbors who need help clearing their sidewalks after snowstorms. People can volunteer or sign up to receive help online or by calling...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police make arrest in connection to fatal Lincoln-Lemington shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Nov. 21: Arrest made in fatal Lincoln-Lemington shooting Pittsburgh police on Wednesday said they arrested a man in connection with a fatal shooting in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood last year. Police arrested Ronrie Lloyd, 33, who is charged...
Driver killed in Somerset County crash
A driver was killed Wednesday after crashing into a fallen tree in Southhampton Township in Somerset County. Pennsylvania State Police said it was raining when the crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on Cumberland Highway. It was dark and there were no streetlights in the area, police said. The driver,...
Dozens of Pittsburgh residents speak out about controversial zoning proposals
A public hearing before Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday at times grew raucous, with dozens of residents sharing conflicting opinions about dueling zoning bills that have divided Pittsburghers and city leaders. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration has pitched a comprehensive zoning reform bill. Among many other things, it includes a...
Pittsburgh police investigating reports of antisemitic stickers
Pittsburgh police are investigating reports that stickers bearing antisemitic messages popped up in Pittsburgh over the weekend. As of Monday, City Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, said there were more than 20 reports of stickers with “anti-Jewish, neo-Nazi messaging.” The stickers were “plastered throughout” the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, she said in...
Pittsburgh council members pitch new proposal to build tiny houses for city’s homeless
Frustrated by a year of delays, two Pittsburgh City Council members on Tuesday renewed their efforts to enact legislation that would permit tiny houses and other temporary managed communities for the city’s homeless. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he initially hoped those communities would be available last winter. But the...
Artist creates Christmas ornaments with Century III Mall demolition, Sinkhole Bus decoration
A local artist has crafted unique gifts for the Century III Mall or Sinkhole Bus lovers on your Christmas list. Toby Atticus Fraley unveiled a Century III Mall Christmas ornament to commemorate the mall, a once-popular shopping spot that is being demolished. He also is bringing back an ornament he...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh police investigating after reports of antisemitic stickers; school van crash in Greensburg
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Nov. 19: School van involved in Greensburg crash A school van was involved in a crash in Greensburg Tuesday morning, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The wreck happened just after 6:30 a.m. at the intersection of...
Man killed trying to cross road in Perryopolis
A man was killed trying to cross Route 51 in Perryopolis in Fayette County Monday evening. Matthew Warman, 51, of Braddock, was pronounced dead at 9:25 p.m., according to Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker. The coroner said he was struck by an SUV. Additional details were not immediately available....
Pittsburgh resumes in-person permitting Downtown for first time since pandemic
For the first time since March 2020, Pittsburgh is providing in-person services for people seeking various types of permits. City officials on Monday unveiled the new One Stop PGH permitting counter at 412 Boulevard of the Allies in Downtown. Residents and developers will be able to seek help in person...
Morning Roundup: Schenley Skating Rink to reopen this season; possible snow in forecast
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Nov. 18: Schenley Skating Rink to reopen this season The ice skating rink in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park is expected to reopen this season after delays in installing a new chiller system kept the rink closed last winter. The...
Developer of North Shore’s $740M Esplanade seeks massive tax break
The for-profit company behind the planned $740 million Esplanade development on Pittsburgh’s North Shore is asking the city, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools for a long-term massive tax break. Canonsburg-based Piatt Companies is requesting a deal that would take nearly $54 million in property tax revenue and plow it...
Gainey’s 2025 austerity plan plays well with Pittsburgh council budget director
Pittsburgh City Council’s budget director indicated Wednesday that Mayor Ed Gainey’s austerity plan for 2025 makes sense given the fiscal pressure facing the city. Presenting an overview of Gainey’s budget and financial forecast to City Council, Peter McDevitt acknowledged that several city departments will likely ask for additional resources during...
Pittsburgh eyes extending controversial purple curb parking program
Pittsburgh may indefinitely extend a controversial program that aims to discourage drivers from monopolizing much-needed parking spots in certain busy areas. Marked by purple curbs and matching signage, smart loading zones are areas where a graduated payment system encourages drivers to get in and out of parking spots quickly, freeing...
North Shore’s Esplanade development gets green light, giant Ferris wheel and all
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the master plan for a riverfront development that intends to bring a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel, housing, entertainment and shopping to the city’s North Shore. Dubbed Esplanade, the development would revitalize a roughly 15-acre brownfield along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood. Canonsburg-based...
Pittsburgh officials want to resume free spay, neuter services for cats, dogs
Pittsburgh City Council will consider resuming a program offering free spay and neuter services for pet cats and dogs as well as stray cats. Proposals introduced Tuesday would expand contracts for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh to perform the work from 2025 through 2027. Contracts for spay and neuter services...
‘Mission remains the same’: Gainey focuses 2025 budget on boosting core services
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday used his annual budget address to applaud his administration’s efforts to improve core city services, make bridges safer, respond faster to snowstorms and revitalize a Downtown that has seen increasing vacancies since the covid-19 pandemic. The mayor told City Council his proposed budget for...
As Gainey prepares 2025 Pittsburgh budget address, some wonder how realistic his plan is
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday will formally present a budget proposal that curbs spending without reducing services or hiking taxes, even as the city’s revenues dip. While Gainey will likely use his annual budget address as an opportunity to paint a rosy picture of a spending plan that funds...
McCormick, appearing in Pittsburgh, declares victory over Casey
Republican David McCormick appeared Friday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh to declare victory in his tight U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who has yet to concede. The Associated Press called the race Thursday in McCormick’s favor, and the Republican claimed there’s no path for Casey to...
With 2nd term secured, Deluzio to reach across the aisle to GOP, but cautiously
Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio on Wednesday vowed to reach across the aisle to work with Republicans where he could and to hold them accountable when their proposals could hurt his constituents after an election night that saw the GOP take control of the White House and the U.S. Senate. Control...
Deluzio defeats Mercuri in 17th District race
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio defeated challenger Rob Mercuri, a Republican state representative, in a key congressional district that could be crucial to determining which party controls the U.S. House of Representatives. The Associated Press called the race in Deluzio’s favor shortly before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. Deluzio received more than...
Vice President Kamala Harris rallies supporters in Rankin on eve of Election Day
Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit Monday to Pittsburgh region was succinct. It was the fourth of five stops in Pennsylvania on the eve of an election where the Keystone State has lived up to its nickname. Harris urged her supporters at Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin to get out and...
Republican member of FCC claims Harris’ ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance could violate equal time rules
A Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission voiced concerns that Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend may have violated a rule that requires networks to provide equal airtime to both candidates. “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased...
Kamala Harris campaign event moved to Carrie Blast Furnaces; Donald Trump set for PPG Paints Arena
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign rally originally scheduled for Point State Park on Monday has been moved to the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Rankin. The evening rally was originally to be held at Point State Park, but the Harris campaign’s website now lists the new location. Harris’ campaign on Sunday...
