Julia Burdelski stories

Pittsburgh will sell for a nominal fee its water and sewer infrastructure to Pittsburgh Water, the public utility formerly known as the Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority, despite reservations from some council members. The city leased the water and sewer systems — including water mains, sewer grates, service lines and...

Pittsburgh on Tuesday made it easier for vendors to set up retail or food stands throughout the city. The changes will take effect shortly, well in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The three-day event — which will span Downtown and the North Shore — is expected to...

Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler is urging officials to create a fund for nonprofits to help buy new emergency vehicles as the city struggles to maintain an aging, breakdown-prone fleet. If Pittsburgh doesn’t significantly bolster investments to the fleet, the city could experience “widespread service disruptions” in the coming years, Heisler...

Councilman Anthony Coghill wants to claw back some of money Pittsburgh intended to spend on a costly 25-year master plan after council last week lambasted the pricey process. The $6 million comprehensive plan is meant to guide zoning and development through 2050. Coghill told TribLive he does not want to...

A new Aldi grocery store will open in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood next week. It’s located at a site that formerly housed a Staples on Banksville Road, near the intersection with Wenzell Avenue and Carnahan Road. The area’s newest Aldi will launch with a grand opening on Thursday at 8:45 a.m....

A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit challenging Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning policy. Inclusionary zoning — which is in effect in the Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill and Oakland neighborhoods — requires developers building 20 or more units to earmark at least 10% for low-income residents. The Builders Association of Metropolitan...

Sala Udin said he was about 7 years old in 1950 when rumors began circulating that his family would be forced to move from their home on the corner of Fullerton and Epiphany streets in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District neighborhood. Udin, a Pittsburgh Public Schools board member, on Friday recalled...

Jason Lando, 48, was introduced Thursday as Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor’s pick for police chief. Lando spent more than two decades with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police before taking over the significantly smaller police force pf Frederick, Md. O’Connor campaigned on a pledge to find a permanent police chief who...

Elizabeth McPeak on Thursday was glad to be driving to work for the first time since she was furloughed in early October, one of hundreds of thousands of federal workers shut out of their offices during a lengthy government shutdown. McPeak is vice president of Chapter 34 of the National...

Pittsburgh City Council made clear Wednesday it would not rubber stamp what its members consider an unrealistic 2026 budget proposal by outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey and might instead craft wholesale changes. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he could not vote for Gainey’s $680 million spending plan as presented. “It’s just...

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor on Thursday will announce his pick for police chief. His nominee will be tasked with leading a bureau that has seen rapid leadership changes under Mayor Ed Gainey. During Gainey’s four-year tenure, five people have served as chief or acting chief. O’Connor has not said who...

Pittsburgh City Council members on Monday lambasted city planners over a $6 million comprehensive plan meant to guide zoning and development through 2050. “I think what you’re hearing is a lot of buyer’s remorse,” Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said. She was one of three members who voted against the...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday released his final budget proposal, which would not raise taxes, lay off workers or cut city services. The $678 million operating and $100 million capital budgets for 2026 will be the topic of a series of City Council meetings in the coming weeks. Whatever...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey during his annual budget address Monday said he believes he will leave the city “in a stronger position” as he prepares to leave office after losing his reelection bid. “When I first stood in the chamber four years ago, we faced a choice — shrinking back...

Longtime Trib Total Media employee Lindsay Bock has been appointed the company’s new advertising and marketing director. Bock, 47, of Springdale, will step into the role Dec. 1, Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto said. Bock has worked for the Trib for 25 years and has served as...

A group of live entertainment venue owners and promoters are urging Pittsburgh officials to help them stay afloat, pitching ideas like an exemption from the city’s 5% amusement tax. Adam Valen, director of marketing at local concert promoter Drusky Entertainment, said the live entertainment industry is struggling. He urged City...

As Pittsburgh faces a budget crunch, City Council members met Thursday to spitball ways to generate new revenue. Greenfield Councilwoman Barb Warwick, for instance, raised the possibility of a tax hike — even though none was included in outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey’s preliminary budget proposal for next year. Others suggested...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Thursday welcomed his soon-to-be successor into his Grant Street office Thursday, the first step in a transition of power as Corey O’Connor prepares to take over the city’s highest office in January. O’Connor defeated Gainey in the Democratic primary in May after a divisive race...

Two days after being elected Pittsburgh’s next mayor, Corey O’Connor on Thursday named his first picks for his incoming administration. He will appoint Dan Gilman as chief of staff and nominate Sheldon Williams as the director of the Department of Public Safety. Gilman, who served as chief of staff to...

Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor will step into the city’s highest office in January. But he’s no newcomer to City Hall. O’Connor previously spent more than a decade on Pittsburgh City Council before moving to his current post as Allegheny County controller. Some of O’Connor’s most notable bills came in response...

Coming off a resounding election win Tuesday night, Corey O’Connor tempered his victory speech with a dose of reality. “The road that we will travel is long and steeply uphill,” Pittsburgh’s mayor-elect warned a jubilant crowd of supporters. Come January, O’Connor acknowledged, he will take over a city facing serious...

Allegheny County will need a new fiscal watchdog when Controller Corey O’Connor departs to become Pittsburgh’s next mayor. O’Connor, who won election Tuesday, will be sworn in to the city’s highest office in January. Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will select his replacement. Shapiro’s choice must be confirmed by the...

Twenty years ago, Bob O’Connor crafted a sign that read “Thank you Pittsburgh” and held it up during morning rush hour to show his appreciation for the voters who helped him achieve his lifelong dream of becoming mayor. On Wednesday, his son Corey O’Connor carried on the legacy. Standing on...

Democrats made a clean sweep Tuesday night across three contested Pittsburgh City Council races, handily defeating their Republican opponents. Voters in the city’s West End neighborhoods, choosing a new council member for the first time since 2010 with the pending retirement of Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, stuck with what they knew....