Julia Burdelski stories, Page 3
Squirrel Hill’s Lunar New Year parade canceled amid ICE concerns
An annual Lunar New Year parade in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood was canceled this year amid concerns that federal immigration enforcement might target Asian attendees. “The climate this year, with everything going on, just made it challenging to put on a Lunar New Year,” Maria Cohen, executive director of the...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman gets $55K bonus
Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman is getting a $55,000 bonus, but exactly how the extra pay bump was determined is unclear. The transit agency’s board on Friday unanimously approved the performance bonus with no discussion. Under the terms of Kelleman’s contract, the board could’ve given her up to $62,400....
Fort Pitt Museum unveils ‘Pittsburgh’s Revolution’ exhibit ahead of America’s 250th anniversary
A new exhibition exploring Western Pennsylvania’s role in the Revolutionary War was unveiled Sunday at the Fort Pitt Museum. The museum, part of the Senator John Heinz History Center’s family of museums, had been closed since the start of the year as the new display was prepared. “Pittsburgh’s Revolution” uses...
Pittsburgh’s housing authority sets aside $5M to protect low-income tenants in Homewood building
The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh on Thursday earmarked $5 million that could be used to acquire a Homewood apartment building if the city needs to seize it to protect tenants. The 100-unit Homewood House on Frankstown Avenue in Homewood is one of several properties throughout the region...
Cutting-edge BioInterphase moves into Troy Hill’s historic firehouse
When Noah Snyder walks into his new office and laboratory space at a historic firehouse in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, he’s met with a “whimsical” mix of old and new. A fireman’s pole descends from a circular hole — now patched over with plywood — in the engraved black ceiling,...
‘Dangerous trend’: Pittsburgh ended 2025 with $8.6M budget deficit
Pittsburgh officials spent much of 2025 arguing about how grim the city’s financial situation was. Year-end figures released by the Office of Management and Budget this week revealed the city ended 2025 with an $8.6 million operating deficit. “The financial situation was much more dire than I think we even...
Pittsburgh approves new Parks & Recreation head
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Eric Sloan’s nomination to head the Department of Parks and Recreation. Sloan, of Highland Park, has worked in the private sector and led Pittsburgh Dynamo Youth Soccer. His resume includes coaching youth baseball and serving as a founding board member of Bridges FC,...
Pittsburgh City Council bans waste transfer stations within 500 feet of homes, schools, parks
Residents in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood won’t be living alongside a waste transfer station after Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation keeping such facilities away from homes. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, sponsored a zoning bill that prohibits waste transfer stations — where garbage trucks dump trash that eventually will...
Home for sex offenders on Pittsburgh’s South Side prompts uproar
About a dozen sex offenders living in a recovery house in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes will be moving out amid community uproar, according to the city councilman who represents the neighborhood. The three-quarter house on Salisbury Street spurred concerns among neighbors who received notifications that sex offenders were moving in,...
Summer Lee champions congressional medal for Pittsburgh’s pioneering Freedom House Ambulance Service
John Moon and his colleagues at Freedom House Ambulance Service played a pivotal — if sometimes forgotten — role in the creation of modern emergency medicine. Decades after they formed the nation’s first professional paramedic unit, they are now starting to receive recognition for their trailblazing work, with U.S. Rep....
Pittsburgh GOP urges tracking of how city spends $12M from UPMC, PNC
The City of Pittsburgh Republican Committee is calling for accountability and transparency from city officials who will be spending millions of dollars gifted by UPMC and the PNC Foundation. In a letter to City Controller Rachael Heisler, committee chair Todd McCollum urged called for a “clear, itemized ledger” showing how...
Innamorato launches Main Streets Allegheny to support county’s business districts
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Thursday announced a $4 million initiative to support main streets, providing funding for public space improvements, small business support and local events. The Main Streets Allegheny program will distribute grants this year to municipalities, community organizations and small businesses. “Main streets are the heart...
‘Unconscionable’: At Ash Wednesday vigil in Pittsburgh, Christians decry ICE tactics, pray for immigrants
Michael Airgood felt compelled Wednesday to join dozens of fellow Christians who prayed for peace and called for humane treatment of immigrants during a vigil in Downtown Pittsburgh. “I’m here because I think what our government is doing to immigrants and people of color is unconscionable,” said Airgood, a minister...
Construction to begin on Oakland’s Panther Hollow Bridge
Construction is set to begin on the Panther Hollow Bridge, which has been closed since inspectors discovered corrosion on the span’s steel trusses during an inspection in fall 2024. Pittsburgh on Wednesday said repairs on the 640-foot-long bridge — which spans Panther Hollow near Anderson Playground — will start within...
Pittsburgh City Council approves new solicitor, planning director
Pittsburgh officially has a new solicitor and planning director. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Mayor Corey O’Connor’s picks to lead the Law Department and the Department of City Planning. Lisa Zeidner Marcus is the city’s top lawyer and Ivette Mongalo-Winston oversees planning. Both had been serving in their roles...
Pittsburgh City Council calls on Harrisburg to legalize marijuana
Pittsburgh City Council members on Tuesday called on Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers in Harrisburg to legalize cannabis. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, sponsored a will of council that urged Pennsylvania officials to pass adult-use cannabis legalization during this year’s legislative session. Warwick’s statement said such a measure is a “necessary...
O’Connor pitches vision of economic growth to Pittsburgh Technology Council
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Tuesday outlined a vision of economic growth before a consortium of technology companies, reiterating a mantra he has focused on since his mayoral campaign. “If we want to grow Pittsburgh, we have to do it, and we have to do it fast,” O’Connor told roughly...
Allegheny County Council members concerned about employees working with ICE
Allegheny County Council members during a Thursday meeting raised concerns that some county employees may be cooperating with U.S. Customs and Immigration enforcement. Six council members last month sponsored a bill that would prohibit the county from cooperating with ICE. The bill comes amid an uptick in ICE actions and...
Multifamily housing could sprout from a 13-story former office building in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is seeking a new buyer to take over its former Downtown office building. The URA moved out of 200 Ross St. about five years ago. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and several city departments who used the building have since left, too, all...
Casa San Jose to move into new building in Beechview
Casa San Jose is working virtually amid an uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions — but when they return to in-person programming, they’ll have a new facility. The nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization is buying a building on Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood — which has a significant...
Man killed in fall from building in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man died after falling from a building in Downtown Pittsburgh Thursday morning, public safety officials said. The fatal fall was reported around 11 a.m. Medics pronounced the man dead at the scene. He landed on scaffolding from an unknown height, police said. Officials did not immediately identify the man....
New effort aims to clean, maintain Pittsburgh’s riverfronts
Pittsburgh’s three rivers are often the first image that comes to mind when people think of the city. They welcome visitors emerging from the Fort Pitt Tunnel and dominate the skyline shots shown on television whenever Pittsburgh is in the spotlight, Mayor Corey O’Connor said. A new partnership between the...
Compromise sought to salvage controversial $6M Pittsburgh master plan
A Pittsburgh councilman has offered a compromise that could pave the way for consultants to finish a costly, controversial master plan for the city. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, previously pushed for clawing back about $2 million that had not yet been spent on the $6 million effort. On Wednesday, he...
Pittsburgh push to regulate Airbnb, other short-term rentals, draws mixed reviews
Depending on who’s talking, short-term rentals are either depleting Pittsburgh’s housing stock and destroying local communities or helping the local economy and providing visitors with options beyond hotels. The dueling opinions were presented Wednesday to Pittsburgh City Council members, who are contemplating regulating short-term rentals like those through Airbnb and...
Pittsburgh councilwoman pushes for better sidewalk snow removal
After a massive storm late last month dumped about a foot of snow on Pittsburgh, many sidewalks, parking spots and transit stops remained covered for days. That made it challenging for people, especially those who are physically disabled, to navigate the snow, slush and ice. It’s a problem Councilwoman Barb...
