Julia Burdelski stories, Page 15
Gainey, O’Connor talk with Jewish community at Pittsburgh forum
Democratic candidates facing off in Pittsburgh’s mayoral race on Wednesday shared with potential voters their visions for Downtown, affordable housing and supporting the city’s Jewish community. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey boasted of the reduction in homicides since he took office and the NFL’s decision to bring the draft to the...
Gainey blasts Trump administration for targeting East Liberty Social Security office
More than two dozen people joined Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey in East Liberty on Tuesday to rally in support of the neighborhood’s Social Security office, which had been targeted for possible closure by President Donald Trump’s administration. The office — along with the Greensburg Social Security Administration buildings and the...
Businesses to stay open as Market Square upgrade, traffic shifts begin
A yearlong renovation to Market Square in Downtown Pittsburgh scheduled to begin Tuesday will cause a shift in traffic patterns. Construction will start in the north half of the square, including McMasters, Market and Graeme streets. One-way traffic heading toward Downtown on Forbes Avenue from Wood Street to Stanwix Street...
Judge boots off ballot 2 Dems running for Kail-Smith’s Pittsburgh council seat
The field to replace Pittsburgh Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith just shrank. Two Democratic candidates vying for her seat on City Council will not appear on the ballot in the May primary following a court ruling. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John McVay last week determined that David Binkoski, 36, of Duquesne...
Drama on Grant Street sparks widespread concerns about Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey
As Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey faces a critical primary showdown in May, turmoil has engulfed his administration. Personnel shakeups, public outbursts, pushback by a newly rebellious City Council — all the drama is making some political observers question whether Gainey may be vulnerable to rival Democrat Corey O’Connor. Among critics’...
Gainey clamps down on housing discrimination as Trump rolls back federal protections
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is vowing to fight housing discrimination in the city, even as President Donald Trump rolls back such protections. Gainey on Friday signed two executive orders meant to ensure everyone has equal access to housing, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or whether the government helps...
O’Connor raps rival Gainey’s budget for Pittsburgh as too ‘rosy’
Corey O’Connor offered a sobering assessment Thursday about the finances of the city he wants to run. “Despite the current administration’s rosy projections, our budget is barely held together by strings and Band-Aids,” O’Connor, who wants to be mayor of Pittsburgh, told reporters during an appearance in the city’s Knoxville...
Pittsburgh navigates logistics of hosting 2026 NFL Draft sites split by a river
Pittsburgh officials preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft will face a unique logistical challenge never before encountered by a host city: how to get hundreds of thousands of fans around an event spanning two sites separated by a river. No one struck panic mode Wednesday during a discussion on the...
Pittsburgh council approves Gainey’s picks for Housing Authority board
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Ed Gainey’s nominees for the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh board. Jala Rucker, now the board’s vice chair, will serve an additional term. Joining her are newcomers Wasi Mohamed, who serves as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale;...
Covid spurred both public health advances and science skepticism
One of the nation’s most outspoken vaccine experts believes the U.S. is already forgetting a critical lesson reinforced during the covid-19 pandemic: Vaccines save lives. Dr. Peter Hotez said increased vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and politicization are jeopardizing people’s health. As dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor...
Police searching for missing Mt. Oliver man
The Penn Hills Police Department is asking the public to help locate a missing man. Courtney Charles, 35, of Mount Oliver, was recently reported missing by his family, police said. He was last seen near McKeesport Hospital. Police said they had also received a tip that Charles may have been...
No injuries reported as house collapses in Troy Hill fire
No one was injured Sunday when a fire destroyed a house in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, public safety officials said. The blaze was reported around noon at the intersection of Herman and Adair streets, near Lowrie Street. The main building collapsed. Heavy smoke poured out of the building, widely visible...
Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
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Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
When covid-19 struck, Natalya Rodriguez, fresh out of nursing school, watched as a flood of overwhelmed colleagues abandoned the health care field. Nothing had prepared nurses in the U.S. for a pandemic — or the death and fear it brought. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing estimated 100,000...
Some protest Musk’s DOGE efforts while others celebrate them outside North Hills Tesla dealer
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has too much power as he advises President Donald Trump and spearheads efforts to slash the size of the federal government through his DOGE Service, Isaac Elias said Saturday. It’s the reason Elias, 43, of Baden in Beaver County, helped organize a series of protests outside...
New Pittsburgh Housing Authority board nominees tour Manchester with Gainey
Jala Rucker loves Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood so much she tells her kids that when she dies, she wants to be buried in her backyard. She loves her neighbors. She loves that her kids are known in the area. She loves how the tight-knit Manchester community prides itself on keeping its...
Recount confirms O’Connor edged out Gainey for county Democratic endorsement
A recount has confirmed Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor won the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s endorsement for Pittsburgh mayor in the spring primary, beating out Mayor Ed Gainey by a razor-thin margin. The final vote was 274-270, said committee Chair Sam Hans-Greco. Six Pittsburgh committee members did not vote. Hans-Greco...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves $31M Arts Landing project Downtown
A $31 million overhaul in Downtown Pittsburgh that will create an outdoor recreation and event space earned approval Tuesday from the Planning Commission. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is looking to breathe new life into an underutilized, 4-acre site that stretches down 8th Street from Fort Duquesne Boulevard along the Allegheny...
Democratic committee endorses O’Connor over Gainey, but tight margin triggers recount
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor on Sunday narrowly beat out Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey for the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s endorsement in what is shaping up to be a hotly contested mayoral primary in May. The committee in a social media post said the tally was close enough to trigger...
Gainey announces plan to shield long-time Pittsburgh homeowners from property tax hikes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday announced an initiative to protect longtime homeowners in the city from property tax hikes. The goal, the mayor said, is to ensure that people who own homes in neighborhoods where property values are skyrocketing don’t find themselves struggling to pay their taxes if their...
Gainey, O’Connor trade barbs over campaign money from GOP donors
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday slammed his opponent in the upcoming Democratic mayoral primary race for accepting campaign donations from Republicans. But Gainey acknowledged he’s taken money from GOP contributors, too. His challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, said he’s proud to have gathered a diverse array of voters...
‘It’s life and death’: Advocates fear dangers of any Medicaid cuts
Erin Gabriel for the last 15 years has relied on Medicaid to cover the costs of doctor’s appointments, medications, physical therapists and tests to help her daughter Abby navigate life with disabilities. Abby is autistic and non-speaking and uses a wheelchair. Doctors are still learning more about a rare, progressive...
After slow start, Pittsburgh Land Bank finds affordable housing success in Hazelwood
Standing outside a blue house built on a once-blighted site in Hazelwood, Pittsburgh officials on Thursday trumpeted an all-too-rare success story for the city’s land bank — one they hope becomes more frequent. Mayor Ed Gainey and others were showing off a newly constructed home on Flowers Avenue, one of...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership unveils plans for newest city festival, The Thaw
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Wednesday unveiled plans for the newest addition to its festival lineup, a celebration called The Thaw to mark the transition from winter to spring. It will be held in Market Square on eight days over three weekends next month. The Thaw will include family-friendly activities...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus strikes pedestrian in Oakland
A woman was hospitalized after being hit Wednesday by a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Fifth Avenue at McKee Place, according to Andrew Carr, a transit agency spokesperson. Carr said a route 75 Ellsworth bus hit the pedestrian, who suffered...
