Julia Burdelski stories, Page 7
Audits flag longer response times for Pittsburgh police, EMS; urge better 911 center staffing
A pair of audits from the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County controllers on Wednesday recommended increased staffing for the county’s 911 call center, more focus on tracking emergency response times and improvements to programs that ensure first responders’ well-being. “While funding and operational challenges exist in each of our respective governments,...
Advanced practitioners at UPMC’s Magee-Womens Hospital vote to unionize
A group of 60 advanced practitioners has voted to join hundreds of nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in forming a union. The advanced practitioners — including certified registered nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other positions — voted to join SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, following about 800 nurses...
Pittsburgh’s $14M automated red light enforcement program cleared to roll out this winter
Drivers speeding through red lights in parts of Pittsburgh will soon receive tickets through an automated camera system to be installed this winter at several intersections. “This will change the way people drive in the city,” Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, said Tuesday, adding the new system is meant to...
Pittsburgh council overcomes transparency concerns to approve $1.7M in anti-violence grants
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to provide about $1.7 million in grants to community groups combating gun violence, despite concerns raised last week by one councilman about how officials picked the recipients. Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, questioned why the grants didn’t go to the applicants who ranked...
Covid shots not yet available at CVS without prescription despite Pa. policy change
Pennsylvania officials this week authorized eligible people to get a covid-19 vaccine without a prescription. The state said the change took effect immediately. But, as of Friday afternoon, patients hoping to get the vaccines at CVS locations were still being told they needed a doctor’s order. CVS has about 500...
Pittsburgh councilman questions why Gainey administration passed over some groups for anti-violence funds
A Pittsburgh councilman is upset that some community groups are being bypassed for city grants to fund anti-violence programs in favor of others he says might be less deserving. Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, is blaming the Gainey administration for what he views as an opaque award system that doesn’t...
Pittsburgh restarts overhauled spay, neuter program for city cats, dogs
Pittsburgh pet owners will again be able to apply for free spay and neuter surgeries for cats and dogs. City officials in February 2024 abruptly halted to the free spay and neuter program, raising concerns that suburban pet owners were abusing the program by using fake Pittsburgh addresses to get...
Acrisure Stadium announces upgrades ahead of Steelers season, 2026 NFL Draft
Pittsburgh Steelers fans will see a slew of Acrisure Stadium upgrades, new food options and technology improvements ahead of the upcoming NFL season. The enhancements come before Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The weekend-long event is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of football fans to the...
Thousands celebrate Labor Day weekend at annual festival in Northmoreland Park
Jackson Clark laughed with delight as a tan-colored goat chased him through a petting zoo in Northmoreland Park, trying to get the bottle in his hand. He was one of thousands of people who flocked to Northmoreland Park for the annual Labor United Celebration, a two-day festival that featured everything...
Community group rails against Esplanade in Pittsburgh, despite assurances from developer
A community group on Thursday raised environmental concerns about the Esplanade development, a $740 million project that aims to transform a brownfield in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood into a vibrant entertainment district. Manchester Neighbors, representing a group of residents, opposes the project. In a report released Thursday, the group highlighted environmental...
Pittsburgh moves ahead with tiny houses as alternative spaces for homeless
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday in a preliminary vote unanimously supported a measure that would allow for tiny houses and other temporary communities for homeless. The proposal, first pitched in November 2023, aims to provide safe, dignified spaces for homeless people who may be wary of living on the streets...
Pittsburgh moving ahead with automated red light enforcement
Pittsburgh is moving ahead with an effort to crack down on motorists running red lights. Pittsburgh City Council last year authorized the use of automated red light enforcement, technology that would use cameras to ticket drivers who don’t stop at red lights without requiring officers to monitor the intersections. Legislation...
Allegheny County prepares to dispatch mail-in ballots for election
Allegheny County officials are expecting to send mail-in ballots for the upcoming general election in the beginning of October, officials said. David Voye, manager of the county’s Division of Elections, said there are no major changes expected for mail-in ballots. Officials are beginning ballot preparations this week, he told the...
Art component aims to highlight Pittsburgh’s annual Garbage Olympics
A new art contest is looking to draw additional interest in Pittsburgh’s Garbage Olympics. The Garbage Olympics — an annual litter pickup event that pits neighborhoods against one another to compete to see which community can clean up the most trash — takes place Sept. 13, a Saturday. The inaugural...
Market Square on schedule to be finished before NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
An ongoing effort to revitalize Pittsburgh’s Market Square is on track to be finished before the city hosts the NFL Draft next year. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Monday said the project — which will limit vehicle traffic and add greenery, lighting, seating and a canopy where people can gather...
Group accuses Trump of delaying tighter pollution monitoring at steel plants like Clairton Coke Works
An environmental group on Thursday called for stricter pollution monitoring at steelmaking facilities like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works, a longtime polluter and site of an explosion last week that killed two workers. A report from the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project documented potentially dangerous levels of pollutants at steel...
Pittsburgh council members slam contract with city vendor for vehicle repairs amid $400K dispute
On Friday, Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler left her Grant Street office, hopped in her vehicle and took a field trip to the city’s maintenance garage in the Strip District. She was being blamed for delays in trash collection and wanted to see for herself what all the fuss was about....
Animal Friends launches free spays, neutering for Pittsburgh dogs, cats after city scaled back program
Animal Friends is offering Pittsburgh pet owners free spay and neuter services after the city scaled back a similar program. The Ohio Township-based nonprofit on Thursday announced the “Short Term Fix” spay and neuter program, which will provide free spay and neuter surgeries to dogs and cats owned by Pittsburgh...
U.S. Steel: No indications of safety concerns prior to Clairton blastVideo
A U.S. Steel executive said Tuesday there were no indications of safety concerns leading up to the explosion a day earlier at the company’s Clairton Coke Works that killed two workers and injured 10 people. “It was a normal course of business yesterday,” said Scott Buckiso, senior vice president and...
ShotSpotter hastens police response but has little impact on arrests, audit finds
The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system has helped Pittsburgh police respond to shootings more quickly but has not led to a surge in arrests or any significant decrease in gun-related incidents, according to a report this week from the city’s controller. Pittsburgh first launched a ShotSpotter pilot program in a 3-square-mile...
NLRB approves union election by nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital
UPMC must allow nurses working at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital to hold a union election, the regional National Labor Relations Board ruled Friday. Nurses at the Oakland hospital in May announced they wanted to unionize, calling for better staff-to-patient ratios, higher pay and more transparency from UPMC. About 1,000 nurses will...
Stinky mess: Gainey’s office, controller clash over Pittsburgh trash collection
The Gainey administration on Thursday blamed Pittsburgh’s controller for delays in garbage collection, leading to a squabble on Grant Street over why trash isn’t being picked up in some parts of the city. Olga George, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, accused Controller Rachael Heisler of not paying the city’s...
Morning Roundup: Man shot inside Pittsburgh home; juvenile injured in Perry North shooting
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Friday, Aug. 1: Man shot in Homewood West Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man was shot early Friday morning in a Pittsburgh home. An adult man was shot in the back in a house in the 1400 block...
Pittsburgh controller pushes City Council to make private meetings more transparent
Pittsburgh’s fiscal watchdog on Thursday recommended that City Council make more transparent — but not eliminate — controversial private meetings its members occasionally hold to discuss public business. The suggestion came in a performance audit released by Controller Rachael Heisler, which also recommended that council develop better policies to track...
Morning Roundup: Police say Butler man was DUI when he hit another man in driveway
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, July 31: Police say Butler man was DUI when he hit another man in driveway Pennsylvania State Police charged a man they allege was driving under the influence when he fatally struck a pedestrian. The wreck occurred around...
