Julia Burdelski stories, Page 17
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...
Morning Roundup: 1 injured in Carnegie fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Dec. 9: 1 injured in Carnegie fire One person was injured in a house fire in Carnegie Sunday night. Crews were called to a blaze in the 500 block of Lincoln Avenue before 5:30 p.m., TribLive news partner...
2 killed in Washington County crash
Two people were killed in a Washington County crash Sunday. The Washington County coroner identified the driver as Brittany Therese Crile, 36, of Waynesburg, TribLive news partner WTAE reported. She was driving the car and was ejected from the vehicle. Also killed was Joseph Crile, 46, of Marianna. According to...
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor to run for Pittsburgh mayor
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor will announce next week that he is running for mayor of Pittsburgh, looking to unseat Mayor Ed Gainey after his first term. “I’m really excited,” O’Connor told TribLive on Friday. “I took the holiday to talk the decision out with family and friends, and we...
Pittsburgh home of famed photographer Charles ‘Teenie’ Harris to be preserved
The home of famed Pittsburgh photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris will be preserved after the Pittsburgh Land Bank purchased the property this week. The goal is for the Homewood house to be restored and converted into a museum and educational space, said Matthew Falcone, who heads Preservation Pittsburgh, which has been...
Zappala won’t charge cops who killed Upper St. Clair man amid mental health crisis
After a nearly yearlong review, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. announced Friday he will not charge the South Hills police officers who in January fatally shot an Upper St. Clair man wielding a knife while in the throes of a mental health crisis. The DA, however, criticized...
Pa. pledges $3.4 million to upgrade Point State Park ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
A $3.4 million state investment will help upgrade amenities, walkways and lighting at Point State Park ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The sprucing-up project, announced Thursday by the state, will include improvements to lighting at the park’s iconic fountain, which sits in Downtown Pittsburgh at the confluence...
Audit flags Pittsburgh Public Schools for issuing employees too many credit cards
City Controller Rachael Heisler is urging Pittsburgh Public Schools officials to cut back on the millions of dollars charged each year to hundreds of district credit cards for business expenses, warning of the potential for abuse. From January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024, there were 59,936 credit card transactions...
