Julia Burdelski stories, Page 2
2 Pittsburgh EMS officials fired amid allegations of falsified overtime
Two high-ranking officials in Pittsburgh’s EMS bureau have been fired amid allegations of falsified overtime reports. “You had somebody kind of fudging their time card to get extra money,” Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, told TribLive. Coghill, who chairs council’s public safety committee, confirmed the person who submitted inaccurate overtime expenses...
Pittsburgh vehicle repairs bust city budget by nearly $600K
Time to search the couch cushions. Pittsburgh has blown through its budget for vehicle maintenance this year by nearly $600,000 and still has a month of repairs to go. Illinois-based Transdev maintains and repairs the city’s 1,200-plus fire trucks, ambulances, snowplows and other vehicles. The aging fleet has been plagued...
Allegheny County Council unanimously OKs budget without tax hike
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $3 billion budget for next year that does not raise taxes or lay off workers. The budget is balanced — neither dipping into the county’s reserve fund, which will have about $84 million at the end of this year, nor growing it...
Stumping the dump: Pittsburgh mulls ban on waste transfer stations near homes
A Pittsburgh councilwoman wants to keep waste transfer stations away from residential areas where neighbors could be disrupted by frequent garbage truck trips and air pollution. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, proposed a zoning bill that would prohibit such uses within 500 feet of residential areas, elementary or secondary schools, parks...
Shapiro calls $740M Esplanade a ‘game changer’ as Pittsburgh project breaks ground
One of the most expensive development projects in modern Pittsburgh history, the $740 million Esplanade on the North Side, took a definitive step forward Monday with a groundbreaking ceremony that drew Pennsylvania’s governor and generated accolades for its intent to revitalize a long-stagnant brownfield. Gov. Josh Shapiro called the ambitious...
Separated at birth? Mayor-elect O’Connor and Pens GM Dubas embrace the resemblance
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor and Pittsburgh Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas bear an uncanny resemblance. They look so much alike that O’Connor posted photos of himself with Dubas on social media Saturday, joking they could be twins like the separated-at-infancy siblings in the 1998 film “The Parent Trap.” “Great to...
Concerns bubble up over transfer of Pittsburgh’s water, sewer assets to utility
Pittsburgh will sell for a nominal fee its water and sewer infrastructure to Pittsburgh Water, the public utility formerly known as the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority, despite reservations from some council members. The city leased the water and sewer systems — including water mains, sewer grates, service lines and...
New rules take bite out of red tape for food trucks in Pittsburgh ahead of NFL Draft
Pittsburgh on Tuesday made it easier for vendors to set up retail or food stands throughout the city. The changes will take effect shortly, well in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The three-day event — which will span Downtown and the North Shore — is expected to...
Heisler warns of ‘widespread service disruptions’ if Pittsburgh fleet isn’t funded
Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler is urging officials to create a fund for nonprofits to help buy new emergency vehicles as the city struggles to maintain an aging, breakdown-prone fleet. If Pittsburgh doesn’t significantly bolster investments to the fleet, the city could experience “widespread service disruptions” in the coming years, Heisler...
Dems warn Trump administration against changing rules for $3B in homeless fundingVideo
Sweeping changes announced by the Trump administration for a federal program meant to help homeless people are being met with stiff opposition from Senate Democrats, including John Fetterman, who fear new rules could force nearly 200,000 Americans back on the streets. The Department of Housing and Urban Development last week...
Pittsburgh councilman seeks partial clawback of $6M master plan
Councilman Anthony Coghill wants to claw back some of money Pittsburgh intended to spend on a costly 25-year master plan after council last week lambasted the pricey process. The $6 million comprehensive plan is meant to guide zoning and development through 2050. Coghill told TribLive he does not want to...
Aldi to open next week in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood
A new Aldi grocery store will open in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood next week. It’s located at a site that formerly housed a Staples on Banksville Road, near the intersection with Wenzell Avenue and Carnahan Road. The area’s newest Aldi will launch with a grand opening on Thursday at 8:45 a.m....
Judge dismisses federal lawsuit over Pittsburgh’s affordable housing policy
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit challenging Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning policy. Inclusionary zoning — which is in effect in the Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and Oakland neighborhoods — requires developers building 20 or more units to earmark at least 10% for low-income residents. The Builders Association of Metropolitan...
‘Frightening time’: Speakers lament how Civic Arena, Penn Plaza construction displaced whole neighborhoods
Sala Udin said he was about 7 years old in 1950 when rumors began circulating that his family would be forced to move from their home on the corner of Fullerton and Epiphany streets in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District neighborhood. Udin, a Pittsburgh Public Schools board member, on Friday recalled...
5 takeaways about Pittsburgh police chief nominee Jason Lando
Jason Lando, 48, was introduced Thursday as Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor’s pick for police chief. Lando spent more than two decades with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police before taking over the significantly smaller police force pf Frederick, Md. O’Connor campaigned on a pledge to find a permanent police chief who...
Federal workers in Western Pa. cheer shutdown end but remain uneasy
Elizabeth McPeak on Thursday was glad to be driving to work for the first time since she was furloughed in early October, one of hundreds of thousands of federal workers shut out of their offices during a lengthy government shutdown. McPeak is vice president of Chapter 34 of the National...
Pittsburgh council tackles ‘unrealistic’ budget, says major changes possible
Pittsburgh City Council made clear Wednesday it would not rubber stamp what its members consider an unrealistic 2026 budget proposal by outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey and might instead craft wholesale changes. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he could not vote for Gainey’s $680 million spending plan as presented. “It’s just...
O’Connor to announce Pittsburgh police chief pick
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor on Thursday will announce his pick for police chief. His nominee will be tasked with leading a bureau that has seen rapid leadership changes under Mayor Ed Gainey. During Gainey’s four-year tenure, five people have served as chief or acting chief. O’Connor has not said who...
Pittsburgh councilwoman expresses ‘buyer’s remorse’ over $6M master plan
Pittsburgh City Council members on Monday lambasted city planners over a $6 million comprehensive plan meant to guide zoning and development through 2050. “I think what you’re hearing is a lot of buyer’s remorse,” Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said. She was one of three members who voted against the...
5 takeaways about Pittsburgh’s 2026 budget proposal
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday released his final budget proposal, which would not raise taxes, lay off workers or cut city services. The $678 million operating and $100 million capital budgets for 2026 will be the topic of a series of City Council meetings in the coming weeks. Whatever...
Gainey upbeat as he delivers final budget address amid fiscal woes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey during his annual budget address Monday said he believes he will leave the city “in a stronger position” as he prepares to leave office after losing his reelection bid. “When I first stood in the chamber four years ago, we faced a choice — shrinking back...
Lindsay Bock named Trib Total Media advertising and marketing director
Longtime Trib Total Media employee Lindsay Bock has been appointed the company’s new advertising and marketing director. Bock, 47, of Springdale, will step into the role Dec. 1, Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. Bock has worked for the Trib for 25 years and has served as...
‘We’re barely scraping by’: Pittsburgh’s live venues urge amusement tax exemption
A group of live entertainment venue owners and promoters are urging Pittsburgh officials to help them stay afloat, pitching ideas like an exemption from the city’s 5% amusement tax. Adam Valen, director of marketing at local concert promoter Drusky Entertainment, said the live entertainment industry is struggling. He urged City...
‘No easy answer’: Pittsburgh officials mull ways to boost revenue
As Pittsburgh faces a budget crunch, City Council members met Thursday to spitball ways to generate new revenue. Greenfield Councilwoman Barb Warwick, for instance, raised the possibility of a tax hike — even though none was included in outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey’s preliminary budget proposal for next year. Others suggested...
Onetime rivals Gainey, O’Connor meet in mayor’s office as transition begins
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday welcomed his soon-to-be successor into his Grant Street office Thursday, the first step in a transition of power as Corey O’Connor prepares to take over the city’s highest office in January. O’Connor defeated Gainey in the Democratic primary in May after a divisive race...
