Ryan Deto stories, Page 15
Judge nixes minimum wage hike for Allegheny County workers
An effort to establish and increase a minimum wage up to $20 an hour for Allegheny County employees was ruled invalid by a judge this week. The bill was challenged by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald after it was passed over his veto. Fitzgerald said when he filed an action...
Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato focusing transition on community input
With less than a month until she takes office, Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato is undertaking a large transition effort with a focus on gathering community input from across the county. “I want the county’s priorities to be the community’s priorities,” Innamorato told a crowd of about 200 people at...
Allegheny County Council passes amended budget with increase in community college funding
Allegheny County is a step closer to finalizing its 2024 budget after the council passed an amended budget that includes large increases for the Community College of Allegheny County. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald proposed a budget of just over $3 billion in October, and council proposed an amended version...
Southwestern Pa. enjoying low natural gas prices after large drop from last year
Historic levels of natural gas production are among factors leading to low prices in Southwestern Pennsylvania. There are signs natural gas prices could stay low moving into next year. Purchased gas prices for Pennsylvanians are down 9% to 65% compared to where they were last year, according to Pennsylvania’s Public...
Raising Cane’s to open 2nd Pittsburgh-area restaurant
A popular chicken-finger chain is opening a second Pittsburgh-area location this week. Louisiana-based Raising Cane’s is opening a new location in North Versailles on Tuesday, according to a press release. The restaurant is located at 298 Lincoln Hwy. in the Mon Valley suburb and will become the second Raising Cane’s...
Wood Street T station to close for 2 weeks in Pittsburgh
The Wood Street light-rail station will be closed for two weeks starting next week while Pittsburgh Regional Transit completes four escalator replacements and an ongoing light-rail construction project. The closure of the station, also called a T station, will begin in the morning of Dec. 8 and is expected to...
Reschenthaler 1 of 2 Pa. lawmakers to vote against Santos expulsion
Western Pennsylvania lawmakers were split on the vote to expel George Santos from the U.S. House on Friday. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, was one of two from the Pennsylvania delegation to oppose expulsion. Santos, a New York Republican, had come under fire for a string of controversies, including lying about...
Homeless emergency plan for cold weather is ready in Allegheny County
With freezing temperatures coming as winter approaches, Allegheny County officials have announced their emergency plan for homeless residents. Mark Bertolet of the county’s Department of Human Services said a Code Blue Action Plan will be initiated when the National Weather Service forecasts the air temperature will fall below 26 degrees...
State Supreme Court reverses ruling on objectors paying Mike Doyle’s legal fees over nominating petitions
The state Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ruled last week that objectors to former congressional candidate Mike Doyle, R-Plum, do not need to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees accrued by Doyle over a process of challenging the candidate’s nominating petitions. The ruling overturned a previous decision by...
Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald gets new job
Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has found a new job that will keep him in the Pittsburgh region and have a similar role in guiding investment and economic policy. Fitzgerald will be named the new executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the federally designated metropolitan planning organization in...
Allegheny County’s Homeless Advisory Board calls on city, county to open extreme weather shelter
Allegheny County’s Homeless Advisory Board is calling on Pittsburgh and the county to establish clear criteria for opening their joint extreme weather shelter. Board members said during a meeting Tuesday that they were upset there appeared to be no plan to immediately open the shelter, despite the recent frigid temperatures....
Former tenants of Downtown Pittsburgh’s Roosevelt Building can return following fire
Residents displaced by a fire at Downtown Pittsburgh’s Roosevelt Building nearly a year ago can now return to the large apartment building. A fire struck the 180-unit building in December 2022, leading to nine floors being condemned and hundreds of residents being displaced. The Penn Avenue building had a mix...
Parts of Pittsburgh region could see snow next 2 days
Western Pennsylvania could see its first significant snowfall of the season Monday and Tuesday, though totals are expected to vary widely across the region, forecasters say. Snow is expected in the northern and eastern parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania, as well as areas of higher elevation in Fayette County and parts...
Western Pa. lawmakers call for increased service at locks and dams on Allegheny River
Western Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation is lobbying for increased maintenance and, in some cases, increased service levels for locks and dams on the Allegheny River. U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Centre County, and U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, and John Fetterman, D-Braddock, sent a letter Monday to the...
Calls for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war draws support from group of Pittsburgh Jews
A group of over 130 members of Pittsburgh Jewish community is calling for a ceasefire in the Israel/Hamas war. A letter from the group urges President Joe Biden to call for deescalation in the conflict and a ceasefire to preserve lives. Those who signed the letter include community organizers, constituents,...
Pittsburgh Jews concerned about next spring’s primary falling during Passover
Next year’s primary in Pennsylvania is scheduled to be held during Passover, and Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is raising alarms about how that could disenfranchise voters. The state’s primary is scheduled for April 23. Passover starts at sundown April 22 and runs through April 30. Passover has work, travel and other...
5 tips for enjoying Light Up Night
One of Pittsburgh’s most popular events is upon us again. Light Up Night is Saturday in Downtown Pittsburgh, running from early afternoon and culminating with a fireworks show at night’s end. The festival has been a Pittsburgh tradition for decades and an unofficial start to the holiday season. While many...
Workers at 6 Pittsburgh-area Starbucks join daylong strike
Local baristas are participating in a one-day strike Thursday at several Pittsburgh-area Starbucks stores. Unionized workers at six Starbucks located in the city of Pittsburgh and Bethel Park are striking as part of the national Red Cup Rebellion movement. The day of action coincides with one of the coffee giant’s...
Invenergy scraps plan for gas-fueled power plant in southern Allegheny County
A Chicago-based company has scrapped plans to build a natural gas-fueled power plant on the Youghiogheny River in southern Allegheny County. Invenergy requested to terminate its Allegheny County Health Department permit for the project last week, according to county records. A company spokesperson said Invenergy was dropping the proposal in...
Astrobotic expansion could spur creation of ‘space district’ in Pittsburgh, officials say
Pittsburgh’s leading space company said Tuesday it plans to move some of its operations into a $20 million office building on the North Side and more than double its workforce. Astrobotic, a Manchester-based company that builds equipment to send to the moon, said it has bought a five-story building on...
Carnegie Mellon unveils plans for new science hall in Oakland
Carnegie Mellon University plans to open a new $252 million project in Oakland by 2027 and unveiled design plans for the new academic building on Monday. The 338,900-square-foot building will host researchers and students from the university’s Mellon College of Science and School of Computer Science, officials said. A seven-story...
Innamorato’s close victory showed the complexities of Allegheny County party politics
There were about 30 minutes of uncertainty during Sara Innamorato’s election night gathering. The Associated Press called the Allegheny County executive race for the progressive Democrat just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, but an announcement was not immediately made to the crowd of more than 200 supporters at Mr. Smalls Theatre...
Allegheny County announces plan to add beds for homeless population as winter approaches
With temperatures dropping and winter approaching, Allegheny County officials have announced a plan to increase the number of available beds for homeless residents when overflow facilities become full or a shelter has to close unexpectedly. The county Department of Human Services said Thursday it is partnering with the city of...
First lady Jill Biden highlights Western Pa. workforce development efforts during Pittsburgh stop
First lady Jill Biden visited Pittsburgh on Wednesday and praised the region’s efforts in expanding workforce development programs and other career training initiatives. Pittsburgh was designated a “workforce hub” in May. That provided federal funding and other assistance to existing workforce training programs in the region. Pittsburgh is one of...
Innamorato’s win caps a wave of women’s political victories in Allegheny County
Sara Innamorato’s victory Tuesday night means that Allegheny County will see a woman as its top elected official for the first time in history. Only men have served as Allegheny County executive since the position was created more than 20 years ago. “I stand on the shoulders of so many...
