Tom Davidson stories, Page 16

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials this week approved measures protecting Black residents from being discriminated against because of their hairstyles. County Council also joined Pittsburgh in recognizing the African American observance Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees and approved a motion urging Congress to designate Juneteenth National Freedom...

Pittsburgh officials are poised to settle a 2018 lawsuit filed by a former Pittsburgh police officer who alleges police officials harassed him and retaliated against him for investigating a company that provided the department with costly software upgrades that either weren’t used or did not work. The $250,000 settlement, recommended...

If you have a question about voting in Allegheny County and want to talk to someone on the phone, be prepared to get a busy signal or wait a while. “We have expanded phone lines, are utilizing a call center and a queue, but the demand is still greater. We...

The same ideas that propelled companies like the Westinghouse Air Brake Company to flourish during the Gilded Age are being used more than a century later by the company’s successor, Wabtec Corp., in its latest venture near Pittsburgh International Airport. In the 1880s, Westinghouse pioneered the railway airbrake and its...

Controversial radio host Wendy Bell has officially left KDKA Radio, a spokesman for the station’s parent company said Friday. “Wendy Bell is no longer with KDKA, and we mutually agreed to part ways,” Entercom said in a statement. Bell declined to comment further about the situation with KDKA Radio, but...

Black Pittsburghers would be protected from hairstyle discrimination in legislation Mayor Bill Peduto is submitting to City Council this week. “Black hair is and always has been professional, but that has not always been reflected by employers, schools or agencies in this city,” Peduto said in a statement. “This legislation...

After four years in Downtown Pittsburgh, the barbecue restaurant Pork & Beans is closing. “We’ve made the difficult decision to retire Pork & Beans, but all the wonderful friends and memories will last a lifetime,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “Thank you so much for everything.” View this post on...

As a Black man who grew up in small-town Alabama, Brandon Davis has been hit with a police night stick. He’s been forced to lie down in the mud by police, and he knows what it’s like to lose trust in law enforcement. Still, Davis, now an assistant professor at...

A person is generally considered recovered from covid-19 about 30 days after they test positive or exhibit symptoms, according to state health officials. But that doesn’t mean the virus-stricken person has returned to normal health, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Wednesday. She called people who have lingering effects...

As part of the contingent that worked on the 2017 proposal to land an Amazon headquarters, Stefani Pashman saw that the Pittsburgh region lacked a cohesive marketing plan. Pashman, CEO of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, was among those who spent Tuesday afternoon on a virtual kickoff of a...

One of the Pittsburgh area’s longtime supporters of its music and comedy scene died Thursday. Jeffrey D. Holt of Mt. Lebanon owned the popular Lawrenceville bar Hambone’s. He was 46. A cause of death wasn’t listed in obituary information, and his family declined to discuss his manner of death. “We...

A 14-day dry spell in Western Pennsylvania is expected to end Monday night when a cold front moves through the region. The front will bring an end to warmer weather and make it feel more like autumn, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Pat Herald. “Obviously, it’s dry,” Herald said....

For Pope Yinzer, nothing can replace the sights and sounds inside and outside Heinz Field on Sundays. The pope, Don Zadach Jr., 62, of Jefferson Hills, is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan known for going to most games in his handcrafted, papal-themed costume. “Every Sunday is almost like a national...

Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik won’t endorse either presidential candidate. By federal law, he isn’t allowed to in his official capacity. Church law also bans clergy from making endorsements. But Zubik, the spiritual leader of more than 600,000 Catholics in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence and Washington counties, said...

The Pittsburgh Art Commission unanimously recommended removal of the statue of Christopher Columbus that has been in Schenley Park for over 60 years. The recommendation, made during a Wednesday meeting of the commission, puts the issue before Mayor Bill Peduto, who will consider the issue and make a decision. The...

Children exposed to lead have lower IQs and are more likely to develop attention deficit disorders, and adults who are exposed are at greater risk for heart disease. That’s what a leading researcher of the problem told Pittsburgh City Council members Tuesday. While the effects of exposure to lead have...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto plans to sign legislation passed Tuesday by city council that restricts the use of facial recognition software and predictive policing technology by police, mayoral spokesman Tim McNulty said. The legislation passed with no opposition. Councilman Anthony Coghill abstained. Councilman Ricky Burgess voted in favor of the...

Closed since the pandemic started in March, the Ace Hotel in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood has been the subject of complaints to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office over unreturned deposits for scheduled weddings. A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office confirmed the office has received complaints but declined further comment....

Children who live in Pittsburgh remain more likely to have higher lead levels than those who live in other areas of the country, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. City officials are working to change that trend. For several years, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority has worked to replace...

People accustomed to buying gas and coffee at one of the 38 CoGo’s locations in the region will soon see a new logo, as Canonsburg-based Coen Markets Inc. moves forward with rebranding its stores. The gas will carry the Amoco brand and the stores will be known as Coen Markets....