Downtown Pittsburgh category, Page 29
Pittsburgh council president calls for greater accountability in how Stop the Violence grants are spent
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith called for greater accountability in how Stop the Violence grant money is spent. The city last week announced the first round of Stop the Violence grant recipients. Over 30 organizations received nearly $1 million in total from the grant funding, which is meant to...
Pittsburgh council members question whether snow plow tracker is help or hindrance
Some Pittsburgh City Council members have voiced concerns with the city’s snow plow tracker, which, they said, is often unreliable and misleading. However, council gave preliminary approval last week to extend a contract with Minnesota-based Quetica for “fleet telematics” and snow route optimization technology, including GPS routing and the technology...
Police: Man found unconscious in Downtown Pittsburgh alley was attacked with BB gun
Pittsburgh police say a man who died after being found unconscious in a downtown alley had been assaulted with a BB gun. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Christopher Gaylor, 50. He died at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. According to police, officers and medics went to Coffey...
Mayor Ed Gainey takes gun violence concerns to social media after 4-year-old’s death
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey took his criticism of gun violence to social media Friday night, speaking directly to Pittsburghers via Twitter and Facebook livestreams the day after a 4-year-old girl was shot and killed in the city. “There is no reason a 4-year-old should have been murdered,” said Gainey, who...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 2-4
Holiday music and shopping — along with the ghostly appearance of William Shakespeare — are among events on tap this weekend in Pittsburgh. Shakespeare’s ghost Premiere performances of Pittsburgh playwright Nathan Wagner’s “Perdita” will be at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Friday in the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square...
New Downtown Pittsburgh homeless shelter already at capacity
Second Avenue Commons, a homeless shelter that opened last week in Downtown Pittsburgh, is already at capacity, officials said. “We’re now into the overflow space, which is the cafeteria that’s downstairs,” said Dan Palka, Allegheny Health Network’s director of urban health and street medicine. Palka is collaborating with the city...
$7M contract extension considered for security at Pittsburgh’s City-County Building, other sites
Pittsburgh City Council is considering spending $7 million over five years to extend a contract with a Pittsburgh-based firm that provides security at the City-County Building and other city sites. The proposed contract would pay security guards a fraction of what guards are making at some county-owned facilities, according to...
Pedestrian, traffic safety improvements planned on Strip District’s Liberty Avenue
A portion of Liberty Avenue running through Pittsburgh’s Strip District will see major pedestrian and traffic safety improvements, according to city officials. Councilwoman Deb Gross said the city will partner with PennDOT on the nearly $1 million project. The city will be providing just $4,500 of that cost, with the...
Despite concern it’s not enough, Pittsburgh OKs $900K for summer youth food program
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a measure to provide $900,000 for a food service program that provides meals to local students over the summer when they aren’t served meals at school, though one council member raised concerns about whether that’s enough funding for the initiative. The amount of money...
Gainey, Pittsburgh council debate plan to move cable bureau under mayor’s office
Pittsburgh City Council members said they aren’t comfortable with Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposal to move the city’s cable bureau under the control of the Mayor’s Office. Gainey’s proposed 2023 budget calls for moving the cable bureau, the print shop, the nonemergency 311 line and various communication staff under his office’s...
Pittsburgh’s portion of Downtown building renovation could cost $3M over initial budget
Pittsburgh’s portion of the necessary renovations to create office space at 412 Boulevard of the Allies could cost more than $3 million over the initial budget. Legislation introduced to City Council Tuesday would allocate an additional $3.2 million for the project, which aims to bring several city offices into the...
Mike Love of the Beach Boys talks about Christmas songs, playing the Benedum Center
When most people think about the Beach Boys, images of surf, sand and summer come to mind. But carving out their signature, sunny California sound did not prevent them from getting into the Holiday spirit each year when Christmas came around. In a phone interview with the Tribune-Review from Los...
Woman shot, left on I-579 ramp in Pittsburgh; arrest warrant issued for husband
Pittsburgh police are searching for a man accused of shooting his wife during an argument while they were driving and then leaving her along the road suffering from a gunshot wound. An arrest warrant has been issued for Kevin Crews, 37, of Pittsburgh, who faces two counts of aggravated assault...
Second Avenue Commons shelter opens in Downtown Pittsburgh
A new homeless shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh opened its doors Tuesday. Second Avenue Commons, a new year-round shelter on Second Avenue, opened at 2 p.m. It will be available for overnight shelter starting Tuesday night. The daytime program, known as the Engagement Center, will open for walk-in support starting at...
Pittsburgh extends ‘smart loading zone’ program for delivery drivers for 3 years
Pittsburgh City Council is extending a pilot program designed to make it easier for delivery drivers to find parking spots for brief periods of time. The pilot, launched in the spring, was scheduled to last one year. Council voted Monday to extend it for another three years. The smart loading...
Pittsburgh’s Light Up Night kicks off holiday season
The unofficial start of the holiday season in Pittsburgh kicked off Saturday with Light Up Night. Hundreds of people braved the chilly temperatures and took in the the City of Pittsburgh’s Tree Lighting ceremony and the Highmark Christmas Tree Lighting. Of course, there were fireworks — Zambelli style — along...
Gingerbread houses on display at City-County Building in Pittsburgh
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the City-County Building. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday officially unveiled the city’s 20th annual gingerbread display, which will adorn the City-County Building lobby through the New Year. “It’s a great way to kick off the holiday season,” Gainey said. For...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 18-20
Holiday shopping, animal encounters and parties celebrating art and history are on tap this weekend in Pittsburgh. German-style market The Peoples Gas Holiday Market opens Friday in Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh, with hours from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Inspired by the original German Christkindlmarkts (or “Christmas Markets”), the...
Pittsburgh council looks to extend parking zone program for delivery drivers
Pittsburgh City Council members this week advanced a proposal to expand parking zones for delivery drivers which, they said, could be improved by tickets by mail for unregistered motorists. The pilot program, unveiled in the spring, was initially scheduled to last one year. Legislation advanced by council Tuesday would extend...
Planning Commission again denies Point Park’s plans for fence at Pittsburgh Playhouse
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission this week declined to approve Point Park University’s proposal to build a fence at the public open space at its Downtown Pittsburgh Playhouse, a move university officials said is necessary to ensure security at the site. The school has twice presented proposals to the Planning Commission...
Pittsburgh City Council to reject Gainey’s proposal to control cable bureau, print shop
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith on Wednesday said council would reject Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposal to move the city’s cable bureau and print shop under control of the Mayor’s Office. When he released his preliminary 2023 budget, Gainey said he would like to see changes to where some city...
Pittsburgh Career Institute juggles refunds, transfers, job losses as closure approaches
The president of a Pittsburgh for-profit career school that is headed for closure says its leaders sought a new accreditor and even considered selling the school but ultimately decided it had to close. Patti Yakshe said that her health care training school, Pittsburgh Career Institute, itself faced no sanctions from...
Pittsburgh budget process begins with overview of city’s financial position
After Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey presented his 2023 budget to City Council this week, council members are diving into the proposal before taking a final vote on it. Their weekslong budget process began Tuesday with a budget proposal overview. On Wednesday, they will begin a series of budget hearings that...
Winter shelter to open for homeless in Downtown Pittsburgh
A winter shelter for people experiencing homelessness was scheduled to open Tuesday evening in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County officials said. The seasonal, low-barrier shelter is slated to open temporarily to provide cold weather shelter until Second Avenue Commons — a new 45,000-square-foot, year-round shelter built Downtown — is open. The...
Bystander struck by bullet in Downtown Pittsburgh, police say
A woman was grazed by a bullet in Downtown Pittsburgh Tuesday afternoon during a dispute between two men, police said. Police responded to the intersection of Smithfield Street and Fourth Avenue around 12:10 p.m. Officers found a woman with a gunshot wound to her lower leg. “The shooting occurred during...
