Julia Felton stories, Page 32
Reschenthaler urges feds to declare Oakmont teacher jailed in Russia as ‘wrongfully detained’
An Oakmont teacher who has been held in a Moscow detention center for more than a year should be designated as “wrongfully detained,” U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, said in a resolution introduced Thursday in Congress. Marc Fogel, 61, was detained at Sheremetyevo International Airport on Aug. 14, 2021, after...
Pittsburgh collecting yard waste at curbside, drop-off centers
Pittsburgh residents with leaves, grass, brush and branches can leave their yard waste at the curb or take it to a drop-off center next weekend. The city will hold its biannual yard waste collection on Nov. 12. Residents should place the yard waste they want to have collected by the...
Acting Chief: Police failed to patrol Brighton Heights funeral despite request
Pittsburgh police on Thursday said their protection had been requested at a Brighton Heights funeral where six people were injured in a shooting last week, but officers were not there when the violence erupted. A shooting outside Destiny of Faith Church on Oct. 28 cut short a funeral for North...
First lady Jill Biden comes to Pittsburgh to urge teachers to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot
First lady Jill Biden joined fellow teachers at the American Federation of Teachers site in Pittsburgh’s South Side Flats neighborhood to encourage them to vote for Democratic candidates down the ballot next Tuesday. The first lady brought her get-out-the-vote bus tour to Pittsburgh to stump for Summer Lee, who is...
Pittsburgh City Council considers legislation on public comments at meetings
Pittsburgh City Council is considering legislation that would clarify what people should — and should not — say when commenting at public meetings. “It’s not our intention to censor people,” City Council solicitor Dan Friedson said Tuesday when the legislation was introduced. Public comments are permitted at the start of...
Pitt moves ahead with plans for $255M campus recreation center, no parking included
The University of Pittsburgh is moving forward with plans to build a $255 million recreation center on its Oakland campus. Pittsburgh’s planning commission approved plans for the development on O’Hara Street at its meeting Tuesday. “This new, nine-story structure will house gymnasiums, squash courts, a swimming pool and areas dedicated...
Festival of Lights to bring crafts, fireworks, Christmas festivities to La Roche
La Roche University will bring a variety of festive activities to its McCandless campus with its annual Festival of Lights celebration. Slated for Dec. 2, the event will begin with a craft show from 3 to 9 p.m. at Zappala Campus Center and end with a fireworks display over the...
Nearly two-thirds of Pittsburgh’s federal stimulus money remains unspent, unobligated
Pittsburgh has yet to spend or designate how it will spend about 63% of the American Rescue Plan Act funding that it received. Pittsburgh received about $335 million from President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill. The money can be used to replace lost public sector revenue, support covid-19...
La Roche University Literary Society to host free poetry, book readings
The La Roche University Literary Society will host a free series of poetry and book readings beginning this month. The series aims to teach lessons of perseverance and tell the story of Black theater in Pittsburgh, the literary society said. The first event, dubbed “The World as We Know It...
Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation donates $90K to support Pittsburgh youth sports organizations
Dick’s Sporting Goods on Tuesday announced a $90,000 donation to Pittsburgh City Council, which will use the money to provide grants to youth athletic organizations in the city. This comes after City Council last month allocated $410,000 to the City Clerk’s Office for the same purpose. Council members will be...
Pittsburgh City Council approves $1.2M in funding for groups that combat homelessness
Several organizations that work to combat homelessness and provide emergency shelters will get an extra influx of cash from Pittsburgh City Council. Council members on Tuesday approved a proposal to give nearly $1.2 million to nonprofits as they work to provide resources for the city’s homeless population. The money is...
2 people arrested after Penn Hills carjacking ends with vehicle crashing into wall
Two people were arrested after a carjacking in Penn Hills on Sunday afternoon, officials said. Police were called to a carjacking around 2 p.m., according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. The call was reported at the 2300 block of Main Street, he said. Police followed the fleeing suspects until...
1 Democrat, 1 Republican, 2 independents running to replace Corey O’Connor on Pittsburgh City Council
Four candidates will appear on the ballot in a special election race to determine who will fill a vacant seat in Pittsburgh City Council’s 5th District. Democrat Barb Warwick, Republican Eugene Bokor and independent candidates Matthew Mahoney and Robert McClune are looking to replace Corey O’Connor on City Council after...
Pittsburgh Mayor asks for public’s help to get guns off streets amid Brighton Heights shooting
It will take a community effort to curb gun violence, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Sunday, days after a shooting at a Brighton Heights church injured six people attending a funeral. The mayor implored the public to share information with local officials and do their part to stem the escalating...
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto unveils official mayoral portrait
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto celebrated his birthday Sunday by unveiling his official mayoral portrait in the City-County Building. “Being the mayor is the hardest job, but it is rewarding,” Peduto said as he and members of his administration gathered in City Council chambers to see the portrait and reflect...
Deluzio, Shaffer square off in Pa.’s 17th Congressional District
Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney Chris Deluzio faces former Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s newly redrawn 17th Congressional District. Deluzio, 37, of Aspinwall, earned the Democratic nomination to run for the seat in the Nov. 8 election, while...
Boo Festival brings local vendors, food, games to Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park
Local crafters, food trucks, games and other fall festivities drew families into Tarentum’s Riverview Memorial Park to celebrate Halloween. Sponsored by the Tarentum Recreation Board, Saturday’s event featured about 25 local vendors, a bouncy house, hayrides, a magician, face painters, an obstacle course and pumpkin art. “It definitely brings a...
Pittsburgh City Council looks to revamp permiting process for athletic facilities
Athletic associations in Pittsburgh may have an easier time getting field time if legislation before City Council is approved. The legislation would revamp the prioritization process for permits at city athletic facilities. “During covid, (athletic associations) helped keep 10,000 kids off the streets in the city of Pittsburgh when recreation...
200 Pittsburgh Public Schools students participate in town hall meeting on city budget
About 200 high school students from Pittsburgh Public Schools participated in a town hall meeting Tuesday where Mayor Ed Gainey discussed his recent budget proposal and sought their questions and recommendations. “I want you to understand how your government spends money on you. It’s important that you know what’s going...
City Council, activists call for $10 million ‘food justice fund’ from federal covid money; mayor says money isn’t there
In a public hearing this week, Pittsburgh City Council members and activists called for the creation of a $10 million “food justice fund” using American Rescue Plan Act dollars, though the Mayor’s Office said that federal funding isn’t available for such an initiative. Councilwoman Deb Gross late last year sponsored...
City Council, activists call for $10 million ‘food justice fund’ from federal covid money; mayor says money isn’t available
In a public hearing this week, Pittsburgh City Council members and activists called for the creation of a $10 million “food justice fund” using American Rescue Plan Act dollars, though the Mayor’s Office said that federal funding isn’t available for such an initiative. Councilwoman Deb Gross late last year sponsored...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey announces measures to make neighborhoods safer
Pittsburgh is nixing a requirement that crossing guards have driver’s licenses. The city is also moving ahead with plans to install traffic calming measures in the city’s Glen Hazel neighborhood. The measures, which Mayor Ed Gainey said aim to create safer neighborhoods, were spurred in part by a community meeting...
New homeless shelter to open in Downtown Pittsburgh
A new 45,000-square-foot facility homeless shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh will soon open to help provide services and beds for people in need. The Second Avenue Commons is run by Pittsburgh Mercy, in collaboration with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, Second Avenue Commons, Inc. and UPMC....
Biden tours Fern Hollow Bridge work, touts infrastructure plans at Pittsburgh stop
President Joe Biden stopped in Pittsburgh on Thursday afternoon to survey progress on the $25.3 million reconstruction of the Fern Hollow Bridge and tout his administration’s investments in infrastructure. The former Fern Hollow Bridge over Frick Park in the city’s East End collapsed on Jan. 28, injuring 10 people and...
2 residential developments proposed for Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Plans are in the works for two separate housing developments in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Developers on Tuesday presented their proposals to the city’s Planning Commission, which is expected to vote on the plans when they meet again in two weeks. The first proposal calls for a seven-story, 85-foot-tall apartment building...
