Tom Davidson stories, Page 21
Module housing project helps redevelop 3 lots in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood
A family with annual income of under $65,000 per year is going to have a tough time finding an affordable, move-in ready house in Pittsburgh. In neighborhoods like Lawrenceville and East Liberty, some homes are selling at more than $600,000. In the Bloomfield-Garfield area. the market value for a new...
Amazon’s hiring of 1,500 in Pittsburgh region provides boost during pandemic
Amazon announced Tuesday that more than 1,500 people will be hired to work in its new 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center and a new delivery station, both of which are in Findlay and are set to open later this year. When Amazon broke ground on the fulfillment center in October, the...
Audit of Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy ‘a little bit concerning,’ Controller Michael Lamb says
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy pays the City of Pittsburgh $1 per year for Schenley Plaza, the popular five-acre park in the heart of Oakland that bustles with college students and families. City workers cut the grass and provide routine maintenance. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy operates and maintains the plaza, a...
Some CCAC students may be eligible for more aid under federal CARES Act
Community College of Allegheny County students who meet federal assistance guidelines may be eligible to receive between $750 and $3,000 from the college’s allocation under the coronavirus relief package. The aid is in addition to $500 the college distributed to 6,550 of its 25,000 students this spring. The money was...
Republic, United airlines could lay off nearly 250 Pittsburgh-based employees because of pandemic
Nearly 250 employees of two of the airlines that serve Pittsburgh International Airport could be laid off Oct. 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to filings with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. They include 66 United Airlines employees and 183 employed by Republic Airways. Each airline filed...
Struggling restaurant owners tell Pa. lawmakers: ‘We’re limping along here’Video
With a $20,000 monthly mortgage payment, the owner of a Hempfield brewpub told state legislators his business is barely breaking even under a state-mandated 25% customer capacity order. “We’re limping along here, and we need help,” said Greg Cammerata, owner of IronRock Tap House. Cammerata and IronRock executive chef Arnold...
Pittsburgh City Council approves police reforms supported by Mayor PedutoVideo
Pittsburgh City Council gave final approval Tuesday to a series of reforms to police procedures and policies. But council members say the reforms aren’t the city’s final answer to addressing issues raised after the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. The legislation, sponsored by...
Pittsburgh Mayor Peduto joins other mayors asking for federal help during pandemicVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto joined mayors from across the country Tuesday in a call for an infusion of federal cash to help local governments deal with financial shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We are at a critical juncture as we look into the future of an economic recovery,” Peduto...
Pittsburgh officials: Floating cinema promoter hasn’t sought required permits
An Australian entertainment company promoting a series of floating cinema nights that includes a September swing through Pittsburgh has yet to apply for the necessary permits, according to city officials and a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard. “We are actively trying to get in contact with them so we...
Pittsburgh council set to enact police reforms before summer recess
A series of police reforms shepherded by Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess are set to be considered for final approval next week before council enters its summer recess. Council also will consider approving a pilot program to divert low-level offenders from the criminal justice system to receive social services help...
Death of woman found in McKees Rocks refrigerator ruled a homicide
A woman whose body was found May 4 in a refrigerator stowed in the hallway of a McKees Rocks apartment building was slain, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Tuesday. The woman, Kristy Jefferson, 38, of McKees Rocks was inside a refrigerator that was sitting in a second floor...
Voters will decide whether to strengthen Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board
Voters in the City of Pittsburgh will decide in November whether the city charter should be amended to strengthen the powers of its Citizen Police Review Board. City Council on Tuesday passed the legislation that will put the question on the ballot in November. The bill has the support of...
Car, Port Authority T car crash in Dormont; 1 hurt, spokesman says
A Port Authority of Allegheny County light rail train and a car collided Tuesday afternoon in Dormont, officials said. The car and the train crashed at about 1:45 p.m. at the Red Line crossing near the Hillsdale crossing in the 1500 block of Hillsdale Avenue in Dormont, according to Port...
Citing declining enrollment, CCAC to end paramedic program
Community College of Allegheny County is ending its paramedic program because of low enrollment, a spokeswoman said. “CCAC has determined that it is not feasible to continue the Paramedic program as a credit program,” said Elizabeth Johnston, executive director of CCAC’s Public Relations and Marketing Department. Students who are enrolled...
Pittsburgh announces new program to help keep people out of criminal justice system
A pilot program announced by Pittsburgh officials could be another step toward enacting the law enforcement reforms that community activists have asked for in regular protests in the region that followed the May 25 killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Details about the program and how it will...
PWSA: $14 million upgrade to filtration plant at Highland Park reservoir set to be completed
In a few weeks, people will be able to stroll around the reservoir in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park again, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority said. The popular walkway closed last August for repairs and to allow for more than $14 million in upgrades to the filtration plant...
Police trying to ID man suspected of throwing bricks during East Liberty protest
Police are trying to identify a man who they suspect was throwing bricks at police during a protest June 1 in the vicinity of Centre and Negley avenues in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. He was wearing a camouflage baseball cap, a “Curators of Hip Hop” T-shirt and Nike Air Max...
86-year-old Carnegie man’s drowning death ruled accidental
An 86-year-old Carnegie man’s July 15 drowning death has been ruled an accident by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office. John Kirby was found in a pool in the 500 block of Flynn Ave. at 4:22 p.m. and pronounced dead about a half-hour later, the medical examiner’s office said. Allegheny...
Lowrie Street bridge to be replaced in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood
Rialto Street will be closed from July 27 through December in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood because a 48-year-old bridge that crosses over it will be replaced in a $1.1 million project. The Lowrie Street Bridge has been deteriorating in recent years. The project will replace the bridge beams, deck, sidewalks...
Longtime Pittsburgh City Hall reporter Bob Bauder retires from Trib, capping 31-year career
A former steelworker who became a journalist when the mills closed is retiring from the trade Friday. Tribune-Review reporter Bob Bauder, 66, has covered the Pittsburgh City Hall beat for the Trib for nine years. In all, Bauder has worked 31 years as a reporter. After graduating from Hopewell High...
Gov. Wolf announces $50 million in grants for hazard bonuses to Pa. front-line workers
Pennsylvanians who are working in life-sustaining jobs during the coronavirus pandemic will be getting temporary pay increases, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday. “These people deserve to be paid for the risks they’re taking for all of us,” Wolf said. The state will use $50 million of its federal pandemic stimulus...
Shapiro: PWSA to donate $500K, hire independent monitor for lead project failures
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority will hire an independent monitor and make $500,000 in donations to organizations that promote safety for those exposed to lead in old water pipes, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday, announcing an agreement between PWSA and his office. PWSA unnecessarily exposed people to...
Western Pennsylvanians sought to take part in coronavirus vaccine trials
Researchers are seeking at least 750 people in Western Pennsylvania to take part in trials for vaccines against the novel coronavirus that causes covid-19, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh announced Wednesday. The trials are part of what is called Operation Warp Speed, a national push to rapidly develop a...
Despite homeowners’ objection, Lawrenceville house likely gets historic designation without council action
A 180-year-old Greek revival house in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood is set to be designated a historic landmark, despite opposition from its present owners, Eric and Beth Rupert. Known as the Ewalt House, the property at 186 Home St. was inherited by Eric Rupert when his father died in 2016. Late...
16 Pittsburgh employees test positive for coronavirus
Sixteen City of Pittsburgh employees are off of work because of confirmed cases of covid-19, according to Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. They include:Two environmental services (waste collection) employees.Seven police department employeesFive fire bureau employeesTwo emergency medical services employees. Workers are screened at the beginning of their shifts and the city...
