Tom Davidson stories, Page 4

A program that could be launched before the end of the year would give a $500 monthly payment to 200 low-income Pittsburgh residents for two years with no strings attached. “It allows people to use the money in the way they need to improve their lives and the lives of...

After receiving a petition signed by more than 200 city employees Tuesday, Pittsburgh City Council members said they support removing a pension offset that decreases the benefits paid to retirees who are also collecting Social Security. Councilman Anthony Coghill presented the petition to council President Theresa Kail-Smith and said he...

About 500 nonunion Pittsburgh employees would be eligible for paid bereavement leave in the event a pregnancy ends under legislation Councilman Bobby Wilson introduced Tuesday. “When I think about workers’ rights, this is a piece that’s missing,” Wilson said in an interview after he introduced the legislation. It would amend...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is seeking council approval to use $2.5 million in federal covid pandemic relief funding to start a guaranteed personal income program. The item is set to be introduced to city council Tuesday. The idea is being tested in cities throughout the country where people are given...

Pittsburgh is looking to hire people for more than 100 city positions that were left unfilled last year because of a hiring freeze spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. “Throughout the pandemic, our staff have been doing more work with less people,” Mayor Bill Peduto said in a statement. But $22...

The developer of the historic Kaufmann’s building has signed Burlington to lease a portion of the building that also will include a Target store. The art deco building is between Fifth and Forbes avenues and Smithfield Street and Cherry Way in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh. Its large bronze clock...

Pittsburgh Public Schools and its teachers union have a new four-year contract that’s retroactive to July 1, 2020, when the last contract expired. Superintendent Anthony Hamlet described the negotiations as “long and delicate” and said the covid-19 pandemic played a role in the delay. Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President Nina...

Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Hamlet violated the state’s Ethics Act with regard to travel expenses, accepting cash for speeches and failing to make required disclosures of financial interests between 2016 and 2018, the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission said in a report issued Thursday. At a news conference Thursday morning, Hamlet...

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will require its staff, members and guests to be fully vaccinated within two months. The requirement is effective Oct. 18 at the center, based in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, with facilities also in the South Hills and Monroeville. The JCC board unanimously approved...

Pittsburgh police, firefighters and paramedics will soon be able to use a mental health and wellness application on their smartphones to get the help they need. The city is working out the details of an agreement with Cordico Inc., a Frisco, Texas-based company that works with municipalities and organizations to...

After more than a year of virtual meetings, Pittsburgh City Council returned to in-person meetings this week at the City-County Building Downtown. People can also continue to participate online. Councilwomen Erika Strassburger and Deb Gross are continuing to join meetings virtually because of concerns for the health of their families...

Allegheny County’s juvenile detention center will close Sept. 18 after the state Department of Human Services revoked its license. The state notified county Manager William McKain the license for the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center was being revoked Friday. By Monday afternoon, McKain announced the closure of the 46-year-old facility in...

A South Side concert venue is the latest to require patrons to present proof of a covid-19 vaccination for entry. Club Cafe will also require its acts and touring parties to meet the same standard. “Club Cafe is a fully vaccinated workplace and we care about all of you as...

A hot market is anticipated for a Downtown building where the steam heat for many office buildings has been generated for decades. The Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal building on Fort Duquesne Boulevard between Sixth and Stanwix streets is on the market. “We’re excited about the opportunity,” said Gregg Broujos, regional...

Allegheny County’s population has increased for the first time in a census since 1960. The county’s population grew by 27,223 (2.2%) in the 2020 Census, released Thursday. The county’s population is more than 1.25 million. “For decades, it was resigned that when young people grew up they were going to...

People shopping at Giant Eagle or GetGo can now pay using the digital wallets they have on their smartphones. The O’Hara-based chain now allows customers to pay using PayPal or Venmo mobile applications on their smartphones. Giant Eagle worked with Blackhawk Network, a Pleasonton, Calif.-based company to offer the option,...

A new UPMC hospital planned about a mile from an Allegheny Health Network hospital in Jefferson Hills can be built, a state appeals court has ruled. The 63-bed hospital, called UPMC South, has been in the works since 2018, and is planned off Route 51 along Elliott Road. But more...

Twelve new single-family homes in Hazelwood, a new commercial space and affordable housing in the Hill District, and a recreation center in Larimer are set to receive a total of $24 million in investment from the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh. The money will come through the URA’s Avenues of...

Amid muggy, stormy weather Wednesday, Pittsburgh officials announced they were buying 13 pickup trucks and a dump truck that will bolster the city’s public works fleet and aid in snow removal come winter. “We’re always thinking about winter,” said Molly Onufer, Mayor Bill Peduto’s spokeswoman. The city received a reimbursement...

The leader of Pittsburgh’s Office of Equity, who also serves as outgoing Mayor Bill Peduto’s deputy chief of staff, is leaving next month to take on a similar role with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Majestic Lane has worked for the Peduto administration since 2016. He became deputy chief...

Students of Pittsburgh Public Schools won’t return to class until Sept. 8 to give the district more time to iron out transportation issues, administrators said Tuesday. “We are also listening to the concerns raised by our staff related to the impact traditionally high temperatures in August have on our facilities,...

Several neighborhoods on Pittsburgh’s North Side will be sprayed with a nontoxic mosquito pesticide after recent tests in the area confirmed mosquitoes that had the West Nile virus, according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Areas of Allegheny Center, California-Kirkbride, Perry South, Central North Side and Brighton Heights will be...