Tom Davidson stories, Page 14
Pittsburgh officials change language of hairstyle law to remove protection for beards
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...
Peduto to speak during event marking U.S. return to Paris Climate Agreement
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...
Rep. Ed Gainey calls on Peduto, Pittsburgh officials to act to prevent evictions
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...
Hairstyle protection law doesn’t impact ban on Pittsburgh police growing beards
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...
Mellon Park nears designation as historic site by Pittsburgh officialsVideo
Pittsburgh’s Mellon Park is nearing designation as a historic site by city officials, with no one opposed to it. Instead, people have been wondering why the 33-acre park in the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood hadn’t achieved the designation long ago. “People were surprised it had no protections whatsoever,” said Elizabeth...
Criminal charges dropped in case involving woman who sued Churchill police
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 mayoral endorsements start to roll in as candidates begin drive for signatures
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...
For those facing eviction in Pittsburgh, hope might be on the way
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...
Beards for Pittsburgh residents would be protected in revised law
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...
Passengers recount experience of plane sliding off taxiway at Pittsburgh airportVideo
A Lower Burrell native was among the 77 people on board a Boeing 717 that slid off a taxiway before takeoff Wednesday evening at Pittsburgh International Airport. Kristen Singleton, 46, had a window seat on Delta Air Lines Flight 2231. Sitting in the midsection of the plane, she was looking...
Debate continues over city’s role in Pittsburgh’s ‘educational emergency’Video
The leaders of Pittsburgh’s city government and public school system agree there is a crisis in education because of the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism. What should be done about it — and by whom — remains a matter of contention. City Councilman Ricky Burgess first brought up declaring a...
Pittsburgh’s new LGBTQIA+ Commission a ‘strong and impressive’ group
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...
Free training program launches in Pittsburgh for people seeking tech jobs
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,...
Developer appeals ruling preserving former Froggy’s building in PittsburghVideo
A developer’s desire to raze a group of decaying brick buildings, nearly 125 years old, in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Firstside historic district will be heard by a state court. The heart of the site is the former Froggy’s, a popular watering hole from the late 1970s until it closed in 2004....
Pittsburgh School Board: $20 million in wage tax money could help ‘educational emergency’
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...
Brookline man announces bid as Green Party candidate for Pittsburgh City Council seat
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....
Pittsburgh councilman moves to declare ‘state of educational emergency’ in the city
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...
Millions of dollars earmarked to help renters in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
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....
National mask mandate that covers public transportation goes into effect
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...
Dr. Abraham Twerski remembered as a ‘visionary’ in addiction field
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....
Police: Wrong-way driver entered Route 28 from Anderson Street before double-fatal crash
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....
Allegheny County inks 35-year deal to use hydropower generated in Emsworth for government buildings
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,...
Pittsburgh leaders encouraged by Biden memo to correct Black housing inequities
When Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District was redeveloped to make way for the Civic Arena more than 60 years ago, thousands of people and hundreds of businesses were displaced. More recently, people have been displaced by upscale development in the city’s East Liberty and Lawrenceville neighborhoods, partially spurred by demand from...
Allegheny Conference charts recovery after pandemic year, announces first female chair
Despite challenges that included a 17% unemployment rate and loss of more than 200,000 jobs at the height of the coronavirus pandemic last year, the leaders of the Pittsburgh region’s primary development agency are optimistic for a rebound and excited for the future. “This has been a deep human tragedy,”...
Pittsburgh council supports no-knock warrant ban, but will wait to pass a proposed law
No one on Pittsburgh City Council is opposed to enacting legislation to ban no-knock warrants in the city. But council members Wednesday delayed passage of a proposed bill until it can iron out any legal issues with the law and meet with community members who are lobbying for it. Bans...
