Tom Davidson stories, Page 11

State Rep. Ed Gainey, who’s running for Pittsburgh mayor in May’s Democratic primary, released an economic policy agenda that would renew Pittsburgh’s legal challenge to UPMC’s nonprofit status in an attempt to collect more city and school district taxes. “City investments and strong unions gave previous generations of Pittsburghers an...

Although the coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on city finances, two bond rating companies have kept the city’s credit rating at AA- as Pittsburgh is set to float a $55 million bond for capital projects next month. “As the ratings agencies noted, the city’s strong fiscal oversight the past...

Pittsburgh City Council members are moving forward with legislation to prevent evictions in the city during the covid-19 pandemic. At its committee hearing on Wednesday, council will further discuss the ordinance that puts into place a moratorium on evictions as long as the city’s pandemic emergency is in place. It...

Despite a last-ditch plea from the leader of the city’s Commission on Human Relations, Pittsburgh City Council members Tuesday approved a revision to a law protecting city residents from discrimination because of their hairstyles. The revision removes language that extends protection to beards and other facial hair. “We must value...

Pittsburgh will again be linked with Paris Friday, as Mayor Bill Peduto will be among the dignitaries participating in a virtual event as the U.S. rejoins the Paris Climate Agreement. The mayor will be the last speaker during an “America Is All In” event Friday morning that will feature Special...

State Rep. Ed Gainey and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto agree the city needs to work quickly on legislation that protects renters from facing eviction because of the coronavirus pandemic. “The city has the legal authority and a moral obligation to protect the health and safety of its citizens,” Gainey said...

Pittsburgh police officers must have neatly trimmed hair in a style that doesn’t interfere with their uniform cap. Most male officers aren’t allowed to grow beards, under a departmental policy last revised in 2017. But the CROWN Act, a law the city enacted in October, spelled out protections for Pittsburgh...

Criminal charges have been dismissed against a woman who had an encounter with a Churchill police officer while taking a walk. She said the 2019 incident left her handcuffed and briefly detained. Rebecca Suits, 60, of Boise, Idaho, was visiting her godmother in Wilkinsburg when she went for a walk...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto has the support of four City Council members and several labor unions in his bid for a third term. But Peduto, 56, will not be seeking the endorsement of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. Two of the candidates challenging Peduto will seek the party’s endorsement, state...

Pittsburgh leaders on Tuesday said they want to help residents who are facing eviction because they can’t pay their rent during the pandemic. But they don’t want to give “false hope” by enacting something that won’t withstand legal challenges, city council President Theresa Kail-Smith said. “We all want to help...

After enacting a law last year to protect the rights of people with hairstyles that reflect their ethnic or religious heritage, Pittsburgh officials are expanding the protections for facial hair. But to do so, the city needs to be inclusive of people regardless of their ethnicity or religious background, Jam...

After delays wrought by the pandemic, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA+ Commission will be staffed with people Tuesday, when city council is expected to make 17 appointments as recommended by Mayor Bill Peduto. The mayor created the commission in June. It replaces a mayoral advisory council with a permanent city commission to act...

A nationally-known technology training provider will launch operations in Pittsburgh and offer free training to its first local class in March. When the first class of 30 people completes the 12- to 15-week program, they’ll be prepared for an entry-level programming job that pays between $50,000 and $60,000 per year,...

Pittsburgh Public School board members agree with city council members about the school system reaching a “state of emergency.” But if city officials are serious about helping, they can end collection of about $20 million in wage taxes, board members wrote in a response to the city’s proposal for an...

Pittsburgh residents who live in the city’s South Hills neighborhoods have options when it comes to deciding who they want to represent them on city council. Connor Mulvaney, 27, of Brookline, is seeking the District 4 seat held by Democrat Anthony Coghill. Mulvaney is running as a Green Party candidate....

A Pittsburgh councilman is moving forward with an effort to address what he terms “a state of emergency” in the public school system. “We need to have a joint response to react to this emergency,” Councilman Ricky Burgess of North Point Breeze said Tuesday. “It’s going to take all of...

Help is in the works for the thousands of households in Allegheny County that can’t afford to pay rent because of the covid-19 pandemic. “People continue to struggle,” Action Housing general counsel Kyle Webster said Tuesday, when Pittsburgh City Council took the first step toward establishing a program to help....

If you’re not wearing a mask, you’re not going to be able use public transportation or fly out of Pittsburgh International Airport, under an executive order President Biden issued that goes into effect today. Wearing masks as a protective measure during the coronavirus pandemic has been required since May 2020...

With a twinkle in his eye, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski dispensed timeless wisdom others used to solve life’s problems. “Every time he spoke, people listened,” James Troup, CEO of Gateway Rehab, a regional leader in treatment for addiction that Twerski founded, said Monday. “He just had this aura about him....

The SUV involved in the wrong-way crash Saturday morning that killed two people on Route 28 entered the highway from Anderson Street on Pittsburgh’s North Shore before it crashed into another vehicle traveling south on the highway near the East Ohio Street exit, Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz said....

The power used by the Allegheny County Courthouse, jail and other government buildings will be generated by hydroelectric energy harnessed from the Emsworth Lock and Dam, county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday. Fitzgerald was joined by Paul Jacob, CEO of Boston-based Rye Development, which has an office in Downtown Pittsburgh,...