Downtown Pittsburgh category, Page 54
Pittsburgh council poised to create LGBTQ commission, address racial divide
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced separate bills that would require an increased effort to rebuild business districts in minority-populated neighborhoods and create a commission to help resolve problems faced by the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. Councilmen Ricky Burgess and R. Daniel Lavelle, the city’s only two Black council...
Allegheny County, Pittsburgh offices to close Friday for July 4th
Federal, state, Allegheny County and city of Pittsburgh offices will be closed Friday for the Fourth of July holiday. Parking at meters in the city will be free through the weekend. The Pittsburgh Parking Authority will be closed and has suspended meter enforcement. Garbage collection in the city will continue...
Pittsburgh officials to enforce fireworks laws, restrict large gatherings during July 4th weekend
Pittsburgh’s public safety agencies are taking a different approach to monitoring gatherings to mark Independence Day because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We all know that these are uncertain and trying times,” Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement. “But if we can pull together as a city and...
Labor, business group says Pittsburgh can become high-tech manufacturing hub
A group of labor, business and civic officials on Tuesday laid out a plan for Western Pennsylvania’s traditional industries to partner with emerging technology companies to create manufacturing jobs. Members of the Pittsburgh Works Together coalition said during a virtual news conference that following the plan could make Western Pennsylvania...
Pittsburgh Council nixes consultant for review of police actions during protests
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted down a request by the Citizen Police Review Board to hire a Texas-based company for an independent review of police actions during recent protests. The review board had requested $25,000 to hire Densus Group to assess police use of force during protests Downtown and...
Authorities trying to identify vandal suspect from May 30 Pittsburgh protests
Authorities are seeking help in identifying a man who is accused of helping to destroy a police vehicle during May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force, a group made up of local, state and federal authorities including Pittsburgh police, are investigating crimes that happened...
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council offering emergency funds for artists of color
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is accepting applications for funds to support artists of color affected by the covid-19 epidemic. The council has received $50,000 for the Emergency Fund for Artists from The Pittsburgh Foundation, The Heinz Endowments and The Opportunity Fund specifically to support artists of color. At least...
Allegheny County bar and restaurant owners say new alcohol restrictions will hurt
Mark Phillippi, owner of Phillippi’s Family Dining and Pizzeria in Harrison, suddenly feels hamstrung by geography. Come this evening, his restaurant at the northern tip of Allegheny County will be barred from serving alcohol to customers by order of the county. “It makes absolutely zero sense,” Phillippi said Monday. “Tell...
Police: Man wanted for helping protesters destroy property, raid businesses
Investigators with the Damage Assessment and Accountability Task Force are seeking the public’s help to identify a man they say helped rioters vandalize an unmarked police car and burglarized stores during the May 30 protests in Pittsburgh. City police tweeted photos of the man, who was wearing gray sweatpants, a...
Pittsburgh Council proposes ban on use of chokeholds by police
Pittsburgh City Council plans to introduce legislation today that would ban police officers from using chokeholds and neck restraints on suspects. The Pittsburgh Police Bureau Policy Manual now bans such restraints except when an officer’s life is threatened: “PBP personnel are not authorized to use neck restraints or similar control...
How Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre stays nimble amid coronavirus uncertainty
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre teachers, dancers and students hold fast to the old adage — “dance like no one is watching” — through the rocky days of the coronavirus pandemic. With practice spaces closed and classes canceled, they’ve had to do a bit of improvising to stay on their toes. Joseph...
Peduto names new Pittsburgh planning director
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday promoted Andrew Dash to director of the Department of City Planning. Dash, 39, of the city’s Manchester neighborhood, had served as acting director since June 2019 following the resignation of Director Ray Gastil, who left for a job at Carnegie Mellon University. Dash’s appointment...
Smallman Galley relocating to Bakery Square
Smallman Galley, a restaurant incubator that opened in the Strip District in 2015, will move to a larger space in the city’s Larimer section later this year. Galley Group announced this week that its new location will be in Bakery Square, the growing office/retail/residential complex managed by Walnut Capital. The...
Pittsburgh convention center food service provider laying off 203 employees
The food and beverage provider for the David L. Lawrence Convention Center is laying off 203 employees effective Aug. 1 because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a notice provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. Labor and Industry reported it received notification from Chicago-based Levy Premium Foodservice...
Pittsburgh begins work on bicycle connection to Point State Park
Work began this week on a long-awaited connection designed to plug a gap in the Great Allegheny Passage hiking and biking trail between Point State Park in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure announced the start of construction on a two-lane bike track from Stanwix Street...
Pittsburgh forms task force to handle explosion of fireworks complaints
Fireworks complaints in Pittsburgh have increased by nearly 400% so far this month over the same period in 2019 and the city plans to address it through increased enforcement. The city on Friday announced the creation of a task force, which includes police and Fire Bureau investigators, to actively enforce...
The Westmoreland plans online talk with 2 African American artists
Artists Renée Stout and Alisha B. Wormsley will discuss their artistic practices during a special “In Conversation” planned for July 15 by The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Time for the livestream event is 7-8 p.m. Stout’s assemblage, “The Colonel’s Cabinet,” is part of the “African American Art in the...
Police: Butler man arrested, two others sought in vandalism during May 30 Pittsburgh protest
A Butler man was arrested Thursday and accused of aggravated assault and other crimes in connection with the May 30 protests in Downtown Pittsburgh. Jordan Erdos, 20, was apprehended and taken to the Allegheny County Jail, police said. Erdos is charged with riot, recklessly engendering another person, aggravated assault and...
Together Apart PGH Virtual 5K allows socially distanced race
Pittsburgh runners can lace up for a new 5K experience this summer. With the annual Community Footrace series canceled because of covid-19, the City of Pittsburgh Office of Special Events raced to organize a new Together Apart PGH Virtual 5K. The Office of Special Events teamed up with five community...
Groups plan $1.1M historical restoration of path in Pittsburgh North Side park
Pittsburgh’s landmark Allegheny Commons Park in the North Side is about to receive a $1.1 million historical facelift. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy on Thursday announced plans for restoration of the North Promenade, a path paralleling North Avenue and running almost the length of the park. Plans call for a paved,...
Flow of Point State Park fountain signals summer in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s Point State Park fountain is flowing. Park Manager Jake Weiland said the fountain’s annual winter hibernation ended on Wednesday when staff turned on the pumps after about four weeks of prep work. “Lots of people think it’s as simple as turning on switches,” he said. “We’ve been working on...
New alert system designed to save Pittsburgh firefighters time, stress
A new alert system installed across Pittsburgh’s firehouses will streamline responses and cut down on stress that wears on firefighters from listening to every call every moment they’re in the station, Public Safety officials said in introducing the system on Wednesday. Dispatches are only heard by the station or stations...
Protesters: Pittsburgh bar has dress code that discriminates against Black peopleVideo
More than 100 protesters gathered outside a Downtown Pittsburgh bar Wednesday, protesting a dress code they say discriminates against Black individuals and Black members of the LGBTQ+ community. An incident happened over the weekend at 941 Saloon on Liberty Avenue, that sparked the protest, according to Devar Ferguson, a leader...
Pittsburgh Council split on hiring consultant for review of police actions during protests
Pittsburgh City Council members were evenly split Wednesday over a Citizen Police Review Board request to hire a consulting company for a review of police actions during recent protests. The CPRB had requested $25,000 to hire Texas-based Densus Group to assess police use of force during protests Downtown and in...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust shuffles Broadway series shows
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced Wednesday the cancellation of one show and the rescheduling of another for its PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh series. “Beautiful — The Carole King Musical” has been canceled. “Hadestown,” originally scheduled for Oct. 27-Nov. 1, has been rescheduled to Sept. 7-12, 2021. These decisions had to...
