Jamie Martines stories, Page 11
Beto O’Rourke set to campaign in Pittsburgh
Beto O’Rourke will bring his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination to Western Pennsylvania this week, with stops scheduled for Pittsburgh and Erie. O’Rourke, a former U.S. congressman from Texas, will hold a town hall event Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m. at Schenley Plaza in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood before...
Pittsburgh-area students participate in Global Climate StrikeVideo
Local students joined peers across the country and around the world Friday as they demonstrated in Downtown Pittsburgh in support for action on climate change. “Communities in Western Pennsylvania are screaming and shouting for help, and are being ignored,” organizer Leandra Mira, 18, told a crowd at the City-County Building...
Alcosan unveils $2 billion Clean Water Plan that extends to 2036
Details of a $2 billion plan to manage sewer and storm water issues throughout Allegheny County were released Thursday by officials from Alcosan. The long-awaited Clean Water Plan has been in development since 2008, when the federal Environmental Protection Agency issued a consent decree. It mandated that Alcosan make improvements...
Southwestern Pennsylvania mayors endorse Pete Buttigieg
Mayors from two Monongahela River communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania signed on to a letter this week endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind. Mayor Matt Shorraw, of Monessen in Westmoreland County, and Mayor Ross Swords Jr., of Brownsville in Fayette County, were among the over...
Presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar makes her pitch in Pittsburgh areaVideo
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar campaigned in Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday in an effort to win back residents who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. The Democratic presidential candidate toured a training facility for trade workers in Robinson and held a meet-and-greet near the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland....
GOP challenger for Allegheny County executive proposed 5 debates
Republican candidate for Allegheny County Chief Executive Matt Drozd has challenged Democratic incumbent Rich Fitzgerald to a series of five debates this fall. Drozd, a former two-term Allegheny County councilman, ran unopposed in the May primary to win the Republican nomination. Both Drozd and Fitzgerald will appear on the ballot...
Presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar to visit Pittsburgh
Sen. Amy Klobuchar is scheduled to visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday as she kicks off her “Blue Wall Tour,” visits to states President Donald Trump flipped from blue to red in 2016. Klobuchar, of Minnesota, is one of 20 hopefuls vying for the Democratic presidential nomination. She’ll host a meet-and-greet in...
Dragonfly swarm stops in Southwestern PennsylvaniaVideo
Not a bird, not a plane: Dragonflies are swarming the skies over Southwestern Pennsylvania. The insects have been observed throughout the region over the past week, touching down to refuel before continuing their yearly migration toward Central and South America. “Swarms are great for cutting down the small insect population,...
Health Department: EPA has signed off on Allegheny County wet weather plan
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has signed off on a long-awaited plan for managing storm water issues, Allegheny County Health Department officials announced Wednesday during a Board of Health meeting. The details of the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority’s Wet Weather Plan, which has been in the works since a 2008...
Allegheny County to receive about $15 million to fight opioid crisis
A grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will help the Allegheny County Health Department expand staff and resources dedicated to tackling the opioid crisis, officials announced Wednesday. The county will receive about $15 million over three years through the Overdose Data to Action grant. “Although overdose deaths...
Allegheny County Board of Health continues search for new director
A search committee tasked with finding a new director for the Allegheny County Health Department could present a recommendation this fall, committee co-chair Edith Shapira, M.D., told the county Board of Health on Wednesday. “We’ve received a large number of applications, some of which are from highly qualified individuals,” said...
Allegheny County Judge Kim Berkeley Clark will lead county jail oversight board
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark will serve as the interim chair of the Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board. Clark replaced Allegheny County Judge David Cashman, who resigned in August, at the board’s meeting Thursday. “We have to give the jail credit for the good...
Redesigned bike lanes could protect cyclists in Pittsburgh area
A demonstration of how parked cars can protect bicycle lanes and their users may be a sign of things to come in Pittsburgh and other communities along the region’s three rivers. Local lawmakers and bike advocates will hold a demonstration Sunday in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood to teach residents about...
Gov. Wolf announces new fees for Pennsylvania charter schools
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced that the state Department of Education will enact new fees directed at charter schools. The “fee-for-service model” will charge charter schools to resolve payment disputes with local school districts. It is part of a sweeping charter school reform plan that Wolf announced earlier this...
Allegheny County to ‘stress test’ prospective voting systems
The Allegheny County Board of Elections committee in charge of searching for a new voting system decided Friday to spend the next month working with vendors to test prospective systems, seeking confirmation that they can handle the high volume of complex contests in the county. A report submitted Aug. 19...
Allegheny County to ‘stress test’ prospective voting systems
The Allegheny County Board of Elections committee in charge of searching for a new voting system decided Friday to spend the next month working with vendors to test prospective systems, seeking confirmation that they can handle the high volume of complex contests in the county. A report submitted Aug. 19...
Mt. Washington billboard can legally remain, court says
The controversial billboard that sits atop Mt. Washington — previously, ads for Bayer and Sprint, and currently an American flag — is legal, according to a decision issued Thursday by a three-judge panel of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. In a lengthy legal battle, the City of Pittsburgh argued that...
County council votes down Allegheny police review board, supporters vow to keep pushingVideo
The Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse erupted into chants of “vote them out” and “we’ll be back” following a vote by Allegheny County Council on Tuesday against establishing a countywide police review board. Council voted 9-6 against the ordinance, which was co-sponsored by District 10 Councilman DeWitt Walton,...
U.S. Steel facing a 2nd federal lawsuit tied to December fire at Clairton Plant
U.S. Steel is facing a second federal lawsuit in connection with a December 2018 fire that damaged pollution controls at the company’s Clairton Plant. The Philadelphia-based environmental group Clean Air Council alleges that U.S. Steel violated the federal Superfund law, also known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability...
Dick’s Sporting Goods to continue review of firearms salesVideo
Dick’s Sporting Goods will continue to review stores’ sales of firearms, CEO Edward Stack said during an earnings call Thursday. The Findlay-based national chain removed all “hunt” products — including hunting rifles and ammunition — from 125 stores in March, replacing that inventory with other products that might appeal to...
Allegheny County Council reviews ordinance to form countywide police review board
Members of Allegheny County Council held a hearing Wednesday to review an ordinance that would establish an independent, countywide police review board. Michelle Kenney, the mother of Antwon Rose II — a 17-year-old shot and killed by former East Pittsburgh Police officer Michael Rosfeld in June 2018 — was among...
Allegheny County Council supports health department’s enforcement actions against U.S. Steel
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday endorsed enforcement actions taken by the county health department to curb air pollution at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock and Clairton Coke Works in Clairton. The endorsement was intended to support the Allegheny County Health Department in its efforts to maintain the standards...
Allegheny County Council to hold hearing on countywide police review board
Over a year after Allegheny County Council took the first steps to form an independent, countywide police review board, the council is moving toward a vote on the ordinance to establish the body. The Special Committee on Independent Police Review, chaired by District 10 Councilman DeWitt Walton, D-Hill District, will...
Former Steeler Jerome Bettis launches partnership with FanDuelVideo
Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back and NFL Hall of Fame member Jerome Bettis kicked off a partnership with the sportsbook FanDuel Thursday, celebrating the launch of legal online sports betting in Pennsylvania. “There was a big push when fantasy football came in. I think sports betting is the next evolutionary...
Health Department lifts closure on Bruegger’s in Oakland
Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery on Forbes Avenue in Oakland reopened following an inspection by the Allegheny County Health Department earlier this week. The restaurant was closed after a health department inspection Aug. 9 found raw sewage backed up in the basement of the restaurant, grimy floors, overhead leaks and water damage...
