Tom Davidson stories, Page 12
Pittsburgh Foundation confronts eviction woes and the ‘demoralizing cascade’ of causes
Those who pay the least amount for rent are most likely to face eviction, a study led by The Pittsburgh Foundation found. The study began in 2016 and was published Tuesday. It found the something as simple as a minor car repair can cause a “demoralizing cascade” that can lead...
Pittsburgh to form commission to decide how to spend $355 million in federal stimulus cash
How will Pittsburgh spend nearly $355 million it is set to receive under the American Rescue Plan? When the law was signed last month, Mayor Bill Peduto said the infusion of moneyallows the city to avoid the 600 layoffs anticipated under a 2021 budget wracked by the pandemic. In addition,...
Which streets in Pittsburgh will be paved this year?
From Atkins Street in Brighton Heights to Woodbine Street in Stanton Heights, Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure released the list of streets that will be paved in the first round of $16 million in improvements this year. About 34 miles of streets will be resurfaced and/or repaired this year,...
PWSA seeks regulatory approval for rate increases in 2022, 2023
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will seek rate increases in 2022 and 2023 to generate about $32 million, according to a legal notice. Since 2018, PWSA’s rates have been regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. On Tuesday, PWSA will file a request to seek rate hikes in the...
Pittsburgh mayoral candidates take on issues during virtual forumVideo
Three of the four Pittsburgh mayoral candidates talked about the need to make drastic changes in the way the city operates during a virtual forum Thursday evening. The fourth, incumbent Mayor Bill Peduto, cited work his administration has done over the last seven years, but said he’s seeking a third...
Allegheny County Councilwoman Prizio to lead committee on green initiatives
With projects in the works like a $50 million hydropower plant in Emsworth to supply electricity for county buildings, Allegheny County Councilwoman Anita Prizio said the county is “taking steps in the right directions” when it comes to enacting environmentally-friendly policies. The county council took another step in that direction...
Air quality alert issued for Mon Valley
People who live or work in the Mon Valley may notice air pollution is worse than normal on Wednesday. It’s being caused by high pressure building in the area that will create inversion conditions Wednesday evening, National Weather Service meteorologist Pat Herald said. Temperature inversions are when warm air traps...
Planning commission recommends Lawrenceville zoning program to slow gentrification
No one spoke out against a proposal to make permanent a temporary zoning law that requires developers of any project with 20 or more units in Lawrenceville to set aside 10% of their units for people who earn lower incomes. Instead, Pittsburgh Planning Commission members Tuesday heard from residents in...
Pittsburgh council passes revised ban on evictions
A revised law temporarily banning evictions in Pittsburgh was approved Tuesday by city council. The law is also supported by Mayor Bill Peduto. “I hope that we do see some level of enforcement,” Councilwoman Deb Gross said. Gross has worked with community activists and city officials to fine-tune the law,...
Is there a crisis of ‘forced mass displacement’ of Black Pittsburghers? Residents, council divided on answer
Why did 7,000 Black Pittsburgh residents leave the city between 2014 and 2018? The answer depends on who’s talking. Community activist Randall Taylor, a former Pittsburgh Public Schools board member and city council candidate, calls it a “crisis of forced mass displacement” of Black residents. City councilmen Ricky Burgess and...
Developers of former Civic Arena site affirm commitment to revitalizing Hill District
The mistakes and unfulfilled promises that were made in the 1960s when the Civic Arena was built in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District won’t happen again, one of the people involved with the redevelopment project for the site said Wednesday. The plans are different now. They’re inclusive of Black residents and...
PennDOT to spend $300 million on construction plans in Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence counties
Just how much work do our local roads and bridges need? The state plans to spend about $300 million on nearly 90 construction projects this year in Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties — and PennDOT District 11 officials said they still could use another $100 million if it became available....
Pittsburgh officials again reworking law banning evictions during covid pandemic
Pittsburgh City Council members are working to fine-tune a temporary ban on evictions in the city during the coronavirus pandemic. “We are all hoping to be through with the pandemic, but the pandemic isn’t through with us,” Councilwoman Deb Gross told the Tribune-Review Wednesday. “We’re almost through it, and we...
Tarentum Bridge, Route 28 projects could cause headaches for motorists
Motorists using the Tarentum Bridge can expect 15-minute rolling closures later this spring and a 16-day closure of the bridge in the summer as part of a $3.2 million project to improve the intersection with Freeport Road, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. PennDOT is working with local officials to ease the...
Pandemic increased pace of I-579 cap project in Pittsburgh, officials say
Building a cap on top of a highway in Downtown Pittsburgh presented its own set of challenges, PennDOT officials said Wednesday. But the $30 million cap project over Interstate 579, commonly called the Crosstown Expressway, that will link the Hill District to Downtown Pittsburgh actually benefited from the decreased traffic...
Attempt to override Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto of paid sick leave law fails by 1 vote
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday failed to override a March 16 veto by county Executive Rich Fitzgerald to enact a law to mandate that county businesses provide paid sick leave. It means the process to require paid sick leave will start with action from the county Health Department, as required...
Additive manufacturing hub near Pittsburgh International lands another tenant
Neighborhood 91, the additive manufacturing hub in Findlay and Moon adjacent to Pittsburgh International Airport, has landed its third tenant, the powdered aluminum producer Rusal America. Rusal will join Wabtec Corp., the North Shore-based successor of the iconic Westinghouse Air Brake Co. that makes railroad parts, and Arencibia, a Lehigh...
Pittsburgh officials endorse legislation to expand voting rights, condemn attacks on transgender athletes
Pittsburgh City Council members Tuesday formally urged federal and state officials to protect voting rights and denounced attempts to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in scholastic and collegiate sports. Council members unanimously passed actions sponsored by council members Corey O’Connor and Erika Strassburger. O’Connor’s measure asks Pennsylvania’s U.S. Sens. Bob...
From a marina to floating patios, plan for reimagining Hazelwood riverfront set to be unveiledVideo
A 1.3-mile stretch along the Monongahela River in Hazelwood could become a destination for people to enjoy activities with a riverfront plaza, floating pool, boat docks, trails, play areas and more. “I’m excited. I’m hoping the community will be receptive to it as well,” said Terri Shields, 59. Shields leads...
Pittsburgh residents ask officials to support campaign to cut national defense spending
Forty-four Pittsburgh residents have petitioned for a hearing before City Council to ask for a local resolution to support a movement that calls for reduced defense spending. The Move the Money to Human Needs! campaign is a national movement that calls for unspecified cuts in the $740.5 billion national defense...
Pittsburgh council passes ban on gators, crocodiles and certain turtles
Most people who acquire an alligator, crocodile or similar reptile don’t realize the care and caution that must be used to keep them as a pet, Pittsburgh police Officer Christine Luffey told City Council members Tuesday. Luffey was one of the authorities who responded to a spate of reptile complaints...
In Pittsburgh, a push to prioritize restaurant, hospitality workers for covid vaccines
Pittsburgh City Council members are calling on the state Health Department to add restaurant, service and hospitality workers to the prioritized group that’s receiving the covid-19 vaccines. The measure, sponsored by Councilman Corey O’Connor, was unanimously approved Tuesday as a will of council. It asks Pennsylvania Acting Secretary of Health...
NASA testing prototype of lunar lander designed in Pittsburgh for 2023 moon shotVideo
A prototype of one of the landing craft a Pittsburgh-based company is designing has been shipped to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for testing in advance of a planned 2023 trip to the moon. “It’s super-exciting. I never would have dreamed of building a lunar lander in Pa.,” Daniel...
Pitt program provides books for children to promote social justice, inclusion
The University of Pittsburgh’s Office of Child Development has taken up the cause of social justice and trying to end the cycle of systematic racism through books. The office works with child care providers in the region to improve their programs and since the 2018 massacre at the Tree of...
Peduto endorses bill to provide pathway to citizenship for ‘dreamers’
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is joining more than 1,400 mayors in supporting legislation to help DACA recipients — non-citizens brought by their parents to the U.S. as children — become citizens. The bill, called the American Dream and Promise Act, includes provisions of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a...
