Julia Felton stories, Page 16
Pittsburgh outlines spending plan for $3M food justice fund
Teaira Collins says it’s difficult to find fresh food in her neighborhood. As a mother, she said she wants to provide healthy food options for her family. But it’s not easy in the Hill District, where Collins lives. That’s why a plan to invest $3 million to promote food justice...
Pittsburgh’s URA to receive $62.5M from city to help fund housing programs
Pittsburgh City Council approved a plan Tuesday to provide $62.5 million to the Urban Redevelopment Authority to help fund affordable housing programs. This comes despite concerns from several council members about the financial impact on the city and the URA’s lack of a spending plan. “All of us have some...
Pittsburgh moves ahead with plan to tear down poorly rated bridge
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that will allow the city to plan for the demolition of a poorly rated bridge that is at the center of an ongoing lawsuit. The bridge crosses over Saw Mill Run Boulevard near Woodruff Street, linking the city’s Bon Air and...
Section of Pittsburgh’s Boggston Avenue to close to southbound motorists for repairs
A section of Pittsburgh’s Boggston Avenue will close to southbound motorists around noon Tuesday so the road can be stabilized, city officials said. The southbound section of road bordering the city’s Mt. Washington and Beltzhoover neighborhoods will be closed between West Warrington and Taft avenues. The northbound lane will remain...
Pittsburgh City Council poised to vote on $62.5M plan to help fund URA housing programs
Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill acknowledges there’s a need for more affordable housing in the city, but says he has reservations about a “vague” proposal to direct $62.5 million to the Urban Redevelopment Authority for housing initiatives. Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration and the URA have been tight-lipped about spending specifics...
Developer gets OK to tear down Pittsburgh garage where Rolling Rock beer was first sold
Pittsburgh’s Historic Review Commission has approved a plan to preserve an Uptown house once owned by a bootlegger who became the owner of Latrobe Brewing Co., but not a garage that served as the company’s first Pittsburgh beer distributor. Dallas-based Fountain Residential Partners is acquiring the Uptown property that includes...
Pittsburgh officials announced indefinite pause for e-scooters
E-scooter operations in Pittsburgh are on an indefinite pause, city officials said Friday. The announcement came as officials with the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure announced the conclusion of the two-year pilot phase of the Move PGH program, which city officials said included more than 1 million trips on...
Pittsburgh creates Office of Equal Protection to enforce disability and civil rights, labor laws
Pittsburgh has created a new city office that will work to ensure disability rights, civil rights and labor laws are enforced in the city. The Office of Equal Protection will become part of Mayor Ed Gainey’s Office and be headed by Zeke Rediker, who serves as the mayor’s executive adviser...
Swindell Bridge on Pittsburgh’s North Side to close for about a month
Repair work on the North Side’s Swindell Bridge will close the span for nearly a month starting Monday, city officials said. The full closure is expected to last through Aug. 7, according to officials with the city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure. Swindell Bridge — which links Pittsburgh’s Perry South...
National Senior Games expected to bring 10K athletes, $30M in visitor spending to Pittsburgh
The National Senior Games getting underway Friday in and around Pittsburgh will showcase some of the top 50-and-older athletes while also pumping tens of millions of dollars into the region’s economy, officials say. The National Senior Games — hosted by SportsPittsburgh, a division of the tourism agency VisitPittsburgh — is...
Hays Woods poised to become a Pittsburgh city park
The 624-acre site known as Hays Woods is poised to become an official Pittsburgh park. Legislation before City Council would formally recognize the property — which includes city-owned land in Pittsburgh’s Hays and St. Clair neighborhoods, as well as Baldwin — as a park. “It’s an amazing space with lots...
Walnut Capital looks to expand Bakery Square, support affordable housing in Pittsburgh’s East End
Walnut Capital is looking to nearly double the size of its Bakery Square development in Pittsburgh’s East End. The Bakery Square office and commercial development opened in 2009, expanded to include housing and now sits on 20 acres in Larimer and Shadyside. Walnut Capital is looking to expand the specially...
Pittsburgh officials advance plan to tear down poorly rated bridge despite lawsuit
Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation Wednesday that, if adopted, would clear the way for the city to tear down a poorly rated bridge despite an ongoing lawsuit. The bridge crosses over Saw Mill Run Boulevard near Woodruff Street, linking the city’s Bon Air and Mt. Washington neighborhoods. The bridge is...
Pittsburgh to begin selling officially licensed apparel, part of proceeds will go into city budget
Pittsburghers will soon be able to wear their hometown pride on their sleeves — and shirts and hats. City officials on Monday announced the first officially licensed Pittsburgh merchandise will be available starting Tuesday. The city last spring announced a partnership with Pittsburgh-based CommonWealth Press to sell the city’s first...
Effort underway to restore 99-year-old WWI memorial outside Pittsburgh’s Obama Academy
Local leaders are raising money to restore a World War I memorial outside Obama Academy in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. The memorial features a more than 6-foot-tall bronze sculpture by Pittsburgh sculptor Frank Vittor. It depicts several figures, including a statue of Columbia, a mother and son, a returned soldier...
Trib Total Media trustee Rick Monti honored with Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association is recognizing veteran journalist Rick Monti, who has held various roles with Trib Total Media and sits on its board of trustees, with its 2023 Benjamin Franklin Award for Excellence. “He just means the world to the media industry in Western Pennsylvania,” said Bill Cotter, president...
Pittsburgh hiring private security for July 4 celebrations at Point State Park
Pittsburgh will use a private security company for bag checks at its annual Fourth of July celebrations at Point State Park, according to a spokesperson for the mayor. The city is responsible for security at the state park during the Fourth of July event, said Olga George, a spokesperson for...
Pittsburgh considers demolishing poorly rated bridge over objections from nearby business
Pittsburgh officials are looking to tear down a poorly rated bridge despite ongoing litigation over the span. The bridge crosses over Saw Mill Run Boulevard near Woodruff Street in the city’s Bon Air neighborhood. It’s not used by the public, but is used by Rohrich GM Parts Center, which is...
City controller says Pittsburgh revenues returning to pre-pandemic levels
The city of Pittsburgh’s revenues appear to be returning to pre-pandemic levels, according to City Controller Michael Lamb. Lamb on Thursday provided an update on the city’s finances through the first half of this year and released his office’s 2022 popular annual financial report, a “layman’s version” of the annual...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to change start times for 2023-24 school year
Pittsburgh Public Schools will change start times for students beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. The new plan — which was approved by the school board Wednesday — aims to “support the district’s efforts to provide synchronous professional learning for school-based staff,” district officials said in a statement. “We are...
Zoning change needed to clear way for GetGo gas station, store to be built in Homewood West
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is recommending a proposed zoning change that would clear the way for GetGo to open a gas station and convenience store in the city’s Homewood West. A zoning change would allow the GetGo to be built on a vacant, 1.3-acre site near the corner of Frankstown and...
234-apartment development proposed for Strip District
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is considering a proposal to bring more than 200 new apartments to the city’s Strip District. The proposed development would include two new six-story apartment buildings, each with vehicle and bicycle parking and amenities. One building would be on Smallman Street and the other would be on...
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh looks to expand in Lawrenceville
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is looking to build an addition at its Lawrenceville campus to house its growing Heart Institute. Hospital leaders presented plans Tuesday to the city’s Planning Commission that showed a 50,000-square-foot addition atop an existing parking structure. Diane Hupp, the hospital’s president, said the new addition...
Pittsburgh to spend $39M on new police equipment
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a 10-year contract worth more than $39 million to buy body cameras, in-vehicle cameras and Tasers for city police. The proposed contract originally came in at around $45 million, but officials said they negotiated a lower amount without losing any necessary equipment or services....
Activists call on Pittsburgh Public Schools to stop issuing citations against students, cut back on suspensions
A rally Monday outside the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration building in Oakland highlighted concerns about students being pushed out of schools because of summary citations and suspensions. Spearheaded by 412 Justice, an organization focused on economic, environmental and educational justice, the rally brought attention to what organizers described as school...
