Tom Davidson stories, Page 9
Peduto, Pittsburgh council release proposed plan for $335 million in federal relief
Pittsburgh will use more than half of the $335 million in federal relief money to make up for revenue losses projected through 2024, according to proposed allocations released Monday by Mayor Bill Peduto’s office. The money from the American Rescue Plan will be received in two $167.5 million installments, one...
Allegheny County pools open for swimmers again
Allegheny County’s swimming pools will be open for swimmers Tuesday. It’s just in time for the high temperatures expected — Pittsburgh’s high is forecast to be 91 degrees, with a slight chance of thunderstorms. All four pools will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., weather permitting. On Monday,...
Wanted in Pittsburgh: Lifeguards willing to ‘get a free tan’ for $11-$15 per hour
The benefit of free sun rays doesn’t appear to be enough to lure experienced lifeguards into the pool of applicants for a summer job that pays as much as $15.76 per hour from the City of Pittsburgh. City Parks and Recreation Director Ross Chapman told city council members Wednesday the...
$13 million mixed-income housing project planned in East LibertyVideo
A proposed 42-unit apartment building in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood will include units geared toward people who cannot afford to pay increasing market-rate rents. The project is part of an effort by the city to replace the loss of affordable housing in the neighborhood spurred in part because of the...
Pittsburgh officials to phase-in return to in-person operations; meetings to remain virtual
After more than a year of doing business remotely, Pittsburgh’s city employees will be returning to work in upcoming weeks. But council meetings and similar meetings of the city’s boards and commissions will continue to be virtual until further notice, the city said Tuesday. “We are starting to see the...
Zoning requirement to spur affordable housing made permanent in Lawrenceville
A requirement that 10% of multi-unit housing is made affordable in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood was made permanent Tuesday with approval from city council and support from Mayor Bill Peduto. The inclusionary zoning change codifies a program that started in 2019 that requires 10% of any housing project that includes 20...
Pittsburgh city, labor leaders cry foul over work being done at Sheraton Station Square hotel
City officials on Tuesday joined local labor leaders in protesting work that’s being done at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The city and Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council say the work is being done without the required permitting and is using out-of-state non-union workers to do work...
Feds award $19.3M to rapid bus line project linking Downtown Pittsburgh to Oakland
A rapid bus line linking Downtown Pittsburgh to its Oakland neighborhood will receive another $19.3 million in federal funding. The allocation was announced last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Port Authority of Allegheny County as part of $250 million in funding made available under the American...
Pittsburgh’s Black artists organizing Juneteenth celebration
Fifteen Black artists are teaming up with 1HoodMedia for an arts and culture celebration Friday on Pittsburgh’s North Side that’s one of several Juneteenth events in the region. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865 — the day Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news of the Emancipation Proclamation and slaves...
Tarentum bridge reopens to traffic headed toward New Kensington
The Tarentum Bridge reopened Sunday to traffic going toward New Kensington. The bridge closed Wednesday to all traffic, and the closure for vehicles headed toward Tarentum is expected to remain in effect through June 27. The closure is needed for a $3.4 million rehabilitation project, which is expected to be...
Pittsburgh’s URA, SEA boards approve project at former Civic Arena site
The proposed redevelopment of part of the former Civic Arena site in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District cleared another hurdle Thursday, when the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority approved a series of actions that will allow the first part of the project to move forward. But the URA board, which includes city...
Pittsburgh Passport makes pitch to keep college students in region
A bevy of organizations and businesses made their initial pitch Thursday to college students in the Pittsburgh region to encourage them to stay here. The pitch was part of the kickoff the third year of the Pittsburgh Passport program, led by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. The program provides...
Independent Marlin Woods to announce bid for Pittsburgh mayor
A 48-year-old East Liberty man who works as a benefits consultant will be announcing an independent run for Pittsburgh mayor Thursday evening. “Leadership is my product and I believe in it,” Marlin Woods said in an interview before his campaign kickoff, which is set for 6 p.m. at Highland Park...
Pittsburgh struggles to staff its pools, can’t open all of them
With only eight of the city’s 18 pools set to open next week, Pittsburgh City Council members Wednesday are wondering what they can do to get more pools open as coronavirus restrictions are eased and people try to enjoy summer. “The support, the concern, is appreciated,” Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation...
Wabtec Corp. opens 3D printing operation near Pittsburgh InternationalVideo
Instead of using a mill to fabricate aluminum into the parts used in railway systems, Wabtec Corp. will be using a $2.5 million 3D printer that’s among the largest in the world at its new 11,000-square-foot facility in Findlay. The company is the successor of Westinghouse Air Brake Corp. Founded...
Allegheny County election results certified; Moreno still undecided on running as Republican
Voters may have a choice in the fall Pittsburgh mayoral election, if Tony Moreno claims the Republican nomination he earned by getting 1,379 write-in votes in the May primary. Moreno has previously said he was awaiting for certification of the results before announcing whether he will continue his campaign for...
Short-term parking rates rise at Pittsburgh airport while new economy lot offers $7 daily rate
Parking costs for drivers spending less than an hour at Pittsburgh International Airport will double compared to earlier this year under new parking rates put into place Monday. But to serve fliers seeking a low-cost daily rate, the airport created a new economy lot for a $7 flat rate. A...
Fire-damaged Gulf Tower undergoing repairs in Downtown Pittsburgh
The Gulf Tower won’t be disappearing from the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline anytime soon, its owners said Monday. The 89-year-old, 44-story Art Deco skyscraper at 707 Grant St. was damaged May 19 when an electrical fire broke out in a sub-basement. Last Wednesday, the city’s Permits, Licenses and Inspections department posted...
Allegheny, Westmoreland county projects among those hoping for state RACP funding
A wish list of 90 projects in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are among hundreds across the state seeking funding in the latest round of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. They include $5 million to redevelop a former Alcoa site in New Kensington, $5 million for a health sciences center at...
New refugee director coming to Jewish Family and Community Services
One of the organizations that helps Pittsburgh’s refugee populations will have a new director in August. Jewish Family and Community Services announced Thursday that Ivonne Smith-Tapia will become the new director of refugee and immigrant services. Leslie Aizenman, the longtime director, will step down at the end of July, having...
Allegheny County’s finances weathered pandemic, Controller Wagner says
Allegheny County’s finances came through the covid-19 pandemic “relatively unscathed,” Controller Chelsa Wagner said Thursday as her office released its annual report on the county’s finances. The county spent $54 million less in 2020 than it did in 2019, which compensated for a $38 million decrease in county revenue during...
Is it covid or Lyme Disease? If you’re vaccinated and have a rash, it’s easier to diagnose
It’s tick season, and with it comes an increased risk of contracting Lyme disease or another tick-borne illness. Diagnosing the disease can be trickier this year amid the covid-19 pandemic, as some of the symptoms of the diseases are similar. “There’s a lot of overlap,” Dr. Amesh Adalja said of...
Purchase of SWAT bots questioned by Pittsburgh council
Pittsburgh City Council members gave preliminary approval Wednesday for the police department to buy two small robots equipped with cameras. But they did so only after discussion among members and asking the police department’s Special Deployment Cmdr. Ed Trapp about how the robots will be used. “It’s just distressing to...
Pittsburgh Public Schools form committee to advise board about $100M federal covid cash
Parents, teacher, administrators and other Pittsburgh Public Schools leaders will advise the school board as it decides how to allocate more than $100 million in new federal coronavirus recovery money that’s coming to the district. The school board on Wednesday approved forming a 21-member Public Stakeholder Advisory Committee to provide...
Pittsburgh receives grant to evaluate vacant property in Homewood
A $17,500 state grant that will pay for a study of Homewood’s properties will be a key to implementing an improvement plan for the neighborhood, Pittsburgh City Councilman Ricky Burgess said Thursday. The city received the grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development. It will identify vacant...
