Tom Davidson stories, Page 19
News that Wabtec will anchor Pittsburgh area development comes as company lays off 150 in Erie
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...
Wendy Bell, KDKA Radio officially part ways
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...
Peduto submits legislation to protect Black Pittsburghers from hairstyle discrimination
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...
Firefighters recovering after blaze at former Pittsburgh German Hungarian social clubVideo
The four Pittsburgh firefighters who were injured when a burning building collapsed Sunday night in the South Side Slopes are recovering from their injuries, a public safety spokeswoman said. Officials remain “in the early stages” of investigating what caused the fire at 38 Mount Oliver St. that also damaged two...
Downtown Pittsburgh restaurant Pork & Beans closes
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...
‘You can’t just flip a switch’ Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto says of police reform
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...
Pittsburgh region marks 5 years in global Age-Friendly program led by WHO, AARPVideo
A global initiative designed to help people of all ages have better access to housing and transportation is marking five years in the Pittsburgh region. Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh is one of more than 450 programs across the country that participate in the Age-Friendly network headed by the World Health Organization...
Pa. health secretary concerned about lingering effects of covid-19 on ‘recovered’ patients
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...
Pittsburgh’s economic development leaders launch ‘Next is Now’ campaign
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...
Hambone’s owner Jeffrey Holt remembered for supporting Pittsburgh’s art, music scene
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...
Western Pennsylvania dry spell to end as cold front approaches
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....
Recorded crowd noise is no match for live roars of Steelers Nation
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...
How do you cut the red tape out of government? Use common sense, panelists sayVideo
Before she joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili worked in various federal government positions. While she had hoped the work she was tasked with would make a difference, it didn’t always appear that way. Murtazashvili called her work with the U.S. Agency for International Development...
Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik issues letter as pundits call Catholic vote ‘crucial’ to presidential race
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...
Pittsburgh Art Commission recommends removal of Columbus statue from Schenley Park
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...
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County officials talk about household lead issues with experts
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...
Mayor Peduto to sign legislation restricting facial recognition in Pittsburgh
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...
East Liberty’s Ace Hotel, still closed, leaves scheduled weddings in the lurch
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....
Pittsburgh officials to hear from outside experts about how to tackle lead issues
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...
Beltzhoover residents laud URA’s investment in former elementary schoolVideo
Margie Thompson attended elementary school at Beltzhoover Elementary School 75 years ago. It was a “nice community school,” said Thompson, who is 86. On Wednesday, she was among the people who filled the area on Cedarhurst Street in front of the school to celebrate a $72,000 investment by the Urban...
CoGo’s to become Coen Markets as part of rebranding
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....
Pittsburgh council debates proposed restrictions on facial recognition programVideo
A debate over whether Pittsburgh police should be allowed to use facial recognition software and predictive policing techniques is part of the overall process of police reform in the city, the sponsor of legislation restricting use of the technology said Wednesday. “I think that it’s a good sign for public...
Pittsburgh Bishop Zubik to stream 1 Mass a week as seminarians return
With 22 seminarians now studying at St. Paul Seminary, Pittsburgh Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik is ending daily livestreams of Mass and instead will be streaming one weekly service, on Sundays at 10 a.m. Zubik has been livestreaming Mass daily from Boyle Hall Chapel at the seminary. With the return...
Virtual town hall meeting set to discuss why more Black youths are placed in the juvenile justice system
Two girls get into a fight at school. Neither are seriously hurt, but the police are called. In addition to any punishments from the school district or their parents, they’re now involved in the juvenile justice system — and have to face legal consequences. In the months that follow, the...
Pittsburgh police charge 3 protesters for harassing Downtown diners during ‘Civil Saturday’
Three Pittsburgh protesters have been charged by police for a pattern of disorderly conduct Sept. 5 that started at the McDonald’s on Liberty Avenue and continued to an area outside Sienna Mercato on Penn Avenue. Parts of the protest were captured on video that went viral on social media nationwide,...
