Jamie Martines stories, Page 8
Voters could have chance to put term limits on county council members
Allegheny County Council will consider an ordinance that would allow voters to place term limits on members of the legislative body. At present, council members are elected for four-year terms but without term limits. Councilman Nick Futules, D-Oakmont, plans to introduce the ordinance at council’s Tuesday meeting. If passed by...
U.S. Steel hit with $740K in fines over pollution control, other violations
The Allegheny County Health Department has issued $743,625 in fines to U.S. Steel related to air pollution control and permit violations that occurred at the Clairton Coke Works facility last year, according to a statement from the health department Friday. This is the first round of fines that will be...
Allegheny Health Network cancels surgeries after gown recall
Several elective, non-emergency procedures were rescheduled at surgery centers throughout Allegheny Health Network on Thursday after the medical device manufacturer Cardinal Health recalled surgical gowns, a spokesman said. The gowns, which are part of kits containing other surgical supplies, were immediately pulled from the shelves after a nationwide “voluntary recall”...
Allegheny County names chief public defender
Acting Chief Public Defender Matthew Dugan has been officially appointed to the post, County Manager William D. McKain announced Tuesday. Dugan has served as acting chief public defender since May 2019, when his predecessor, Elliot Howsie, was confirmed as an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas judge. “I’m just really...
Allegheny County residents rally for better clean air enforcement
About a year after a fire at the Clairton Coke Works knocked out pollution controls and heightened concerns over air quality in the region, residents from Clairton and across Allegheny County gathered at the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh to urge the Allegheny County Health Department to do more to...
Allegheny County Health Department fines Natrona slag processor $100k for dust emissions
The Allegheny County Health Department has fined the Harsco Corp. more than $100,000 for emissions violations related to its slag operation site in Harrison. The fine of just over $107,000 is part of an enforcement order executed by the health department on Tuesday, Jan 7. The Camp Hill-based company will...
Hidden camera found in employee bathroom at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police and hospital security are investigating the discovery of a camera hidden in an employee bathroom at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood. The person responsible has been identified, according to a statement from a spokesperson for Allegheny Health Network, which operates the hospital. “The recent discovery of...
Pitt medical school appoints new dean to replace Arthur Levine
A leader at Indiana University, the nation’s largest medical school, will take over as senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in June. Dr. Anantha Shekhar, who serves as executive associate dean for research affairs and several other...
Lawyers to host legal clinic for Clairton residents interested in U.S. Steel lawsuit
A Pittsburgh-based environmental law firm will hold free legal clinics for Clairton residents interested in participating in a class-action lawsuit against U.S. Steel over pollution from the Clairton Coke Works. Fair Shake Environmental Legal Services, in partnership with environmental advocacy groups Clean Water Action, Women for a Healthy Environment and...
3 new Allegheny County Council members sworn in, new president selectedVideo
Applause erupted in the Gold Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse as Bethany Hallam, a newly elected at-large representative on Allegheny Council, gaveled in the legislative body’s first session of the year Thursday. The moment was nearly a year in the making: Hallam, a Democrat from Ross, upset Democratic party...
Rich Fitzgerald highlights goals for his final term as Allegheny County executiveVideo
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald was sworn in Thursday for his third and final term in office. He highlighted the region’s economic growth over the past 20 years and promised to continue improving the county’s transportation, educational opportunities and criminal justice system during his final term in office. His goals...
Group seeks to bring outdoor climbing to Pittsburgh
Some might look at remnants of an old bridge as blight, cluttering the landscape. But when Todd McCormick looks out at the Mon Wharf, he sees potential in part of a deconstructed bridge on the bank of the Monongahela River. “We don’t want to get rid of it, we want...
Looking back at the biggest Pittsburgh stories of 2019
Here’s a look look back at some of the biggest Pittsburgh news stories of 2019 as reported by the Tribune-Review. Michael Rosfeld verdict Former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld was acquitted in March in the shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II. Rosfeld was on trial for shooting Rose...
Allegheny County Health Department warns of bad air quality in region
The Allegheny County Health Department is advising residents of poor air quality as warmer temperatures linger in the region. Temperature inversions — when warm air traps cold air and pollutants close to the surface, often causing bad smells like sulfur or rotten eggs — have impacted air quality across Allegheny...
Traffic citations in school zones surge in Allegheny County
Allegheny County drivers seem to be in a rush — and they’re paying for it. The county leads the state in the number of traffic citations issued for speeding in school zones and illegally passing school buses, according to data collected by magisterial district courts statewide. Over the past five...
Woman claims North Braddock officer arrested her for filming traffic stopVideo
A North Braddock woman is suing North Braddock Borough and four police officers in federal court for allegedly violating her civil rights after her arrest for filming an Aug. 19 traffic stop. Keaira Booker, 23, said that she was wrongly arrested when a North Braddock police officer spotted her filming...
Edgewood receives $62K grant to make intersections safer
A $62,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will help Edgewood Borough improve safety at two busy intersections. The project will look at the intersection of Maple Avenue and McKelvey Avenue, near the Parkway East exit at Wilkinsburg, as well as the Swissvale Avenue and Race Street intersection, near...
Free Wi-Fi coming to all Allegheny County Port Authority buses, light rail
Allegheny County Port Authority customers will be able to surf wherever they ride by early 2020. Port Authority will finish installing free, unlimited Wi-Fi on its fleet of more than 400 buses and on light rail cars in the coming months, the authority announced Monday. The signal will be strong...
PrEP, a drug proven to prevent HIV, still slow to catch on
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, as a strategy to prevent people from contracting HIV in 2012. Some were eager to take advantage of the potentially lifesaving drug regimen. Others were skeptical, said Dr. Ken Ho, an infectious disease specialist with the...
Public school funding a hot topic for Democratic candidates at Pittsburgh forum
Pittsburgh served as the backdrop Saturday as seven Democratic presidential candidates met at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to discuss their education policy platforms. Front-runners Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren were joined by Sen. Michael Bennet, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar and...
Democratic presidential candidates in Pittsburgh for education forum
Pittsburgh was the backdrop Saturday as seven Democratic presidential candidates are at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to discuss their education policy platforms. Front runners Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren will be joined by Sen. Michael Bennet, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar...
Settlement over bad air in Clairton calls for U.S. Steel to cough up $2 million
U.S. Steel will pay residents $2 million and invest $6.5 million to upgrade equipment at its Clairton Coke Works facility, according to a tentative settlement struck with residents in a 2017 class-action lawsuit. The proposed settlement was outlined in court documents signed by an Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas...
Allegheny County Council honors outgoing members
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald joined Allegheny Council at their final meeting of the year Tuesday to offer his quarterly address and to send off outgoing members of council. Council President and At-Large Representative John DeFazio, a Democrat from Shaler who served on council since the legislative body was created in...
North Hills Middle School teacher named Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year
A North Hills School District teacher has been named the 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, state Education Secretary Pedro A. Rivera announced Monday. Joseph Welch, who teaches American history at North Hills Middle School, was one of 12 finalists nominated for the honor. “Thank you for making every day...
‘End of an era:’ Retiring buses take riders on historic Downtown Pittsburgh route
Generations of public transit enthusiasts visited Downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday to “loop the loop” in honor of two retiring Port Authority of Allegheny County buses. The commemorative Downtown loop route, which has been out of service for the past 30 years, was reinstated Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the last...
