Tom Davidson stories, Page 17
Wolf: Federal covid relief package needed ‘right now’
As coronavirus relief negotiations languish in Congress, Gov. Tom Wolf and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday there is a dire need to pass a package sooner rather than later to ensure an economic recovery from the pandemic. “It’s disgraceful, disgraceful that right now in the midst of the...
Amazon plans facility in old Sears Outlet in Lawrenceville
A former warehouse that until July had been a Sears Outlet in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is poised to become the latest local “last mile” facility for Amazon deliveries. The site, at 27 51st St., was initially being developed by Spear Street Capital to lure a tech-based tenant, according to Lauren...
Penguins say project at former Civic Arena site remains on track
The latest snag in the delayed project to redevelop the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District shouldn’t impact plans to start construction on the site next year, Pittsburgh Penguins Vice President and General Counsel Kevin Acklin said Thursday. “This is a technicality related to the interruptions all...
Revised plans for building at former Wholey’s warehouse approved by Pittsburgh Planning CommissionVideo
Plans for a new tower on Penn Avenue at the former Wholey’s cold storage warehouse between Pittsburgh’s Strip District and Downtown areas were given approval this week by the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. New York-based JMC Holdings is developing the site at 1501 Penn Ave., which it bought in 2018 for...
Plans for Target in Downtown Pittsburgh set for January hearing
Plans for a downsize Target that will be located in the iconic Kaufmann’s building Downtown are set for a January hearing before the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. Christine Mondor, the commission’s chairwoman, said Target presented the plans for review and a hearing is set for next month. The commission doesn’t comment...
Report: Pittsburgh spends more on police than other cities
On the heels of a Pittsburgh City Council meeting where dozens of residents called for drastic reductions to the $111 million in spending proposed for police in the 2021 budget, the local arm of a Harrisburg-based think tank released a report Wednesday that recommends the city rework its spending priorities....
Longtime Allegheny County Human Services Director Marc Cherna announces retirement
On the first Saturday in March, people might have a tough time reaching Marc Cherna. It’s the first day Cherna, who will be 70 by then, won’t be the leader of Allegheny County Human Services department. “After 39 years of dealing with crisis after crisis, it will be good to...
Pittsburgh council approves law requiring paid covid sick leaveVideo
Pittsburgh businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to provide paid sick leave to workers who contract covid-19 or who are required to quarantine because of exposure during the pandemic. City council members approved the bill requiring the paid leave, and it is supported by Mayor Bill Peduto....
Some residents seek 50% cut to Pittsburgh police budget; city council members say that’s illegal
Pittsburgh City Council members listened for about two hours Tuesday as some three dozen speakers criticized the city’s 2021 budget proposal, asked for a 50% cut in the police department’s budget and wanted to see increased spending on social service programs. Most of the 45 people who signed up to...
Speakers call for Pittsburgh Public Schools to cut police, security spending
The 30 people who provided testimony Monday during a virtual budget hearing focused on eliminating police, safety and security items from the 2021 Pittsburgh Public Schools budget. The district spends just over 1% of its budget on school safety measures like police and security guards. In 2021, the school safety...
Feds award $10M to stabilize Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington
Pittsburgh officials have spent a lot of time and money repairing landslides on Mt. Washington, which attracts millions of visitors annually for its dazzling view of Downtown. On Monday, city officials announced they have received nearly $10 million in federal grant money to make repairs and drainage upgrades to fix...
Preliminary Pittsburgh Public Schools budget won’t hike taxes; $32 million deficit projected
Pittsburgh Public Schools doesn’t intend to increase taxes to support its 2021 budget. But the $668.5 million spending plan includes a $32 million deficit that needs to be addressed, Superintendent Anthony Hamlet said in a statement. “We recognize the need to take steps to increase our revenue to the extent...
Pittsburgh ranked among top cities for LGBTQ inclusivity
Pittsburgh is among 94 cities across the country and four in Pennsylvania that earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2020 index ranking on LGBTQ inclusion. “We have continued to make strides toward being a more inclusive and welcoming city,” Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement. “We...
Health officials: 40% of Allegheny County’s covid cases came in November
Forty percent of Allegheny County’s nearly 30,000 covid-19 cases came in November. The case numbers increased despite Health Director Dr. Debra Bogen’s “stern warning” two weeks ago for people to avoid large Thanksgiving gatherings. Her announcement piggybacked on a statewide halt to alcohol sales at bars and restaurants on the...
Allegheny County awarded $1.2M for homeless programs
Without $1.2 million in federal coronavirus funding announced Wednesday by Allegheny County officials, providing shelter and services to the county’s homeless population would be tougher. “We would not be in the best situation,” Cynthia Shields, assistant director of the county Department of Human Services Office of Community Services, said. “If...
Pittsburgh council tweaking covid-related sick leave legislation before final voteVideo
People who work in Pittsburgh and need to take time off because they test positive for covid-19 or are asked to quarantine would be given paid sick leave under legislation Pittsburgh City Council will consider for adoption next week. Mayor Bill Peduto spearheaded the proposal, which was introduced last week...
10% of City of Pittsburgh’s employees are in covid quarantine, officials say
About 10% of the City of Pittsburgh’s workforce is off work because they are quarantining for possible covid-19 exposure, the city announced Wednesday. That amounts to about 330 of the city’s 3,300-person workforce. A smaller but unspecified number of workers are off because they’ve tested positive for covid. The workers...
Developer revises plans for new building at Wholey’s warehouse in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Planning Commission members aren’t saying what they think of a revised design at the site of a former cold storage warehouse in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. New York-based JMC Holdings paid $8.1 million for the former Wholey’s cold storage warehouse at 1501 Penn Ave. in 2018. The windowless building was...
Pittsburgh cuts without pandemic relief would be ‘disastrous,’ council members told
The personnel cuts that will be needed July 1 if further federal pandemic relief funds aren’t approved “may prove to be untenable,” Pittsburgh Council Budget Director Bill Urbanic told council members Thursday. The city needs an infusion of at least $26 million by then to avoid making the cuts, which...
Workshops will help women interested in serving on Pittsburgh’s civic boards
More than 60% of the people who serve on civic boards and commissions in Pittsburgh are female. “That is exceptional. We absolutely commend Mayor (Bill) Peduto for that progress,” United Women’s Empowerment President and CEO Wendy Doyle said. But it isn’t good enough, Peduto said. The mayor’s office announced Tuesday...
‘Marshall Plan for Middle America’ calls for billions to be spent to help Western Pa. go greenVideo
More than a year ago, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto called for a massive investment in middle America the likes of which hasn’t been seen in recent memory. He testified before the U.S. Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis and called for what he called a “Marshall Plan for...
Mike Gable, Pittsburgh’s director of public works, set to retire
Pittsburgh Public Works Director Mike Gable is retiring. “There comes a time when it’s time to retire and this is it,” Gable, 65, of Morningside, said. The retirement is effective Jan. 8, 2021. Aside from a short stint as an Allegheny County employee about 10 years ago, Gable has worked...
Where do you want to go in 25 years? Port Authority of Allegheny County wants to knowVideo
In normal times, people take about 230,000 trips per day on the Port Authority of Allegheny County’s bus and light-rail system. That’s decreased by about 70% during the covid-19 pandemic to between 65,000 and 70,000 trips daily, authority spokesman Adam Brandolph said. “It’s a huge deal,” Brandolph said. “It’s affecting...
URA approves funding for housing projects in Pittsburgh’s Observatory Hill, East Hills neighborhoods
Affordable housing projects in Pittsburgh’s East Hills and Observatory Hill neighborhoods were given a funding boost Thursday by the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority. The board approved more than $850,000 in funding for the projects. Some of the money will help pay for renovations at five homes on Bonvue Street that...
Pittsburgh police reform task force members call on city officials to act on report
Members of the Pittsburgh Community Task Force on Policing Reform had a singular message for City Council members Thursday: They want the recommendations in their 47-page report implemented. The 15-member task force met regularly since it was formed in June by Mayor Bill Peduto. They disagreed on many things during...
