Julia Burdelski stories

Allegheny County Jail corrections officers may be allowed to use leg shackles when taking incarcerated people to medical appointments if county council approves a measure repealing a portion of the existing ban on such restraints. The measure, introduced to council Wednesday, would not completely revoke the prohibition on leg shackles....

A complaint filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission claims UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s halt on gender-affirming care for transgender patients younger than 19 constitutes discrimination. The Women’s Law Project and Philadelphia law firm Berger Montague filed the complaint on behalf of transgender patients and their parents, who...

Pittsburgh will move ahead with plans for a controversial public safety training facility to be built in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. Dozens of residents in recent weeks have urged City Council to pause plans for a massive public safety training center that officials estimate could cost about $86 million. Some...

The old Civic Arena is one of several historic sites to be commemorated with new blue historical markers, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission decided Thursday. Nearly 2,600 cast-aluminum markers found throughout the state— including 163 throughout Allegheny County — tell the stories of Native Americans, colonization, politics, athletes, entertainers,...

Allegheny County is freezing hiring and spending because of a state budget impasse that has left funding in limbo. The county is losing out on about $75 million per quarter until the state adopts a budget. The county has a $3.1 billion budget, which has been under increasing pressure. The...

Duquesne Light officials on Wednesday vowed to make improvements after customers complained of poor communication and long power outages after a severe storm in April. The April 29 storm left three dead and caused massive, widespread damage, blowing roofs off of buildings, downing massive trees and leaving debris in roadways....

Tim Gaber worries that eliminating a lane of traffic on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s bustling Strip District in order to add a bike lane could cause massive traffic jams and make it harder for fire trucks or ambulances to respond to emergencies. Gaber, a Strip District resident and owner of...

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday voted to move ahead with plans for a massive $86 million public safety training facility — but only after adding new conditions meant to alleviate concerns from residents who fear the facility will be used to militarize police. In a preliminary vote Wednesday, Council supported...

Pittsburgh officials are considering new restrictions on vape shops in an effort to limit kids’ exposure to stores selling nicotine and CBD. The measure, introduced to City Council on Tuesday, would not allow new vape shops to open within 1,500 feet of elementary or secondary schools, licensed daycare facilities, religious...

A measure introduced Tuesday to Pittsburgh City Council would prohibit landlords from discriminating against people who have been homeless or have information on their housing record that might be viewed as a problem. Rachel Shepherd, executive director of the city’s Commission on Human Relations, said the goal is to ensure...

Three men face criminal charges after a robbery and shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood Saturday morning, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Duwayne Carey, 61, William Roberson, 61, and Raymond Paul Conti, 43, all of Pittsburgh, are being held in the Allegheny County Jail, according to online...

Allegheny County will start deploying Elections Division staff to naturalization ceremonies to help new U.S. citizens register to vote. The move, announced Monday, comes in response to the Trump administration recently barring nongovernmental groups such as the League of Women Voters from doing so in certain cases. The U.S. Citizenship...

Allegheny County voters will have four satellite voting locations and 10 ballot-return options for the November general election. The county’s Board of Elections on Monday voted 3-0 on the sites, which allow voters to return ballots before Election Day on Nov. 4. The ballot-return locations let people submit a mail-in...

Before the Steelers even kicked off their first home game of the season Sunday, Sean Ortega made a bold prediction: His favorite team would win the game, and go on to win the Super Bowl this year. Ortega, 34, flew 2,000 miles from Arizona to be in Pittsburgh’s North Shore...

Allegheny County police allege a Homestead business owner was selling narcotics. Detectives with the Allegheny County Police Department’s Narcotics Unit over the last several weeks received information about narcotics sales from The Dankery Social Club, a business in the 100 block of East Eighth Avenue in Homestead, officials said. While...

A man is in critical condition after a motorcycle crash Saturday evening, according to Pittsburgh public safety officials. Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Route 28 northbound and East Ohio Street for a wreck involving a motorcycle. A man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, officials said....

Pittsburgh police are investigating after officials said a man was shot after an armed robbery in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood early Saturday morning. The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. Saturday, inside a fourth-floor apartment at 601 Pressley St. The victim, whose identity officials did not disclose, was shot in...

Pittsburgh’s best-known bar and nightlife district has been attracting attention lately for all the wrong reasons. This summer, a spike in trouble on South Side drew a heavy police response to control unruly crowds. Malcontents threw fireworks at officers, leading the head of the police union to label the neighborhood...

Two people were taken to the hospital after a fire broke out in Swissvale on Saturday afternoon, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. The blaze was reported after 12:30 p.m. at the 500 block of Smokey Wood Drive, the dispatcher said. The fire department was still on the scene...

Jonahcharis Brown was certain her wedding dress had been in her apartment when a massive fire ripped through the building Tuesday. “We really, really thought for certain that the wedding dress was in the apartment,” said Brown, who was one of about 30 people displaced from a Squirrel Hill apartment...

Wayne Bunch thinks he might have some Scottish heritage, but that’s not really what drew him to the Ligonier Highland Games on Saturday. Bunch, 41, of Uniontown, was there for the chance to try out the unique sporting events. Athletes donning kilts participated in Scottish games like the stone put...

Pittsburgh’s best-known bar and nightlife district has been attracting attention lately for all the wrong reasons. This summer, a spike in trouble on the South Side drew a heavy police response to control unruly crowds. Malcontents threw fireworks at officers, leading the head of the police union to label the...

Pittsburgh Regional Transit on Friday announced it will receive over $100 million in state funds to prevent drastic service cuts and fare increases. The money will be used to plug a $100 million deficit projected in the transit agency’s budget. PRT will not need to move ahead with plans to...

A man was fatally shot Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood. Public safety officials said the shooting occurred on Neuman Way at the intersection with Felicia Way. Officers responding to the scene found a man, who has not yet been identified, with a gunshot wound to the neck. Officers rendered...

The Pittsburgh Land Bank wants to strike an agreement that would make it easier to buy tax-delinquent properties for conversion to other uses including affordable housing and community gardens. The land bank is looking for the city, school district and county to sign off on a deal that would let...