Julia Burdelski stories, Page 4
Pittsburgh council approves 1 ballot question for May primary
Pittsburgh voters casting ballots in the May primary will be asked whether the city should change its requirement that notice for public hearings be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation. That includes notice for hearings pertaining to the budget and zoning changes. City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill...
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis stumps in Pittsburgh for boosting 211 help line budget
About a decade ago, Erica Evans was a single mother who had just lost her job as an at-home caregiver. She was living on the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh, where someone handed her a card for 211, the statewide phone line that connects people with a variety of public and...
Ed Gainey gets new job on Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey secured a new job on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and sworn in Thursday, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach told TribLive Friday. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is an independent state agency tasked with...
Black History Month display at City-County Building honors Vashon family
When people think of abolitionists, they probably think of well-known figures like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman or William Lloyd Garrison. But Paul N.D. Thornell — great-great-grandson of abolitionist John B. Vashon — is striving to ensure his family is remembered in those conversations, too. “Oftentimes, I think historians and history...
What urgently needed vehicles will Pittsburgh buy with $27M?
Even as Pittsburgh officials laud significant donations that will pay for new ambulances and snowplows, pressure is mounting to buy updated fire trucks, too. Ralph Sicuro, who leads the union representing city firefighters, on Friday urged the Equipment Leasing Authority board to prioritize fire truck purchases as nearly half the...
Innamorato launches Housing Investment Fund to ‘address full spectrum of housing needs’
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Thursday signed an executive order creating a new housing strategy, including a fund aimed at investing in affordable and workforce housing. Dubbed HOUSING for All, the order directs county agencies to work with nonprofit, municipal and private partners to “address the full spectrum of...
Walnut Capital seeks exception from inclusionary zoning mandate in Oakland apartment project
Pittsburgh developer Walnut Capital is asking the city’s zoning board to allow it to build a new apartment complex in Oakland without earmarking any units as affordable housing. Oakland is one of several neighborhoods — along with Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and Polish Hill — where Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance mandates that...
Pittsburgh property owners could see later deadline for early-filing discount
Pittsburgh property owners are set to get a bit more time to take advantage of the tax discount offered to early filers. Mayor Corey O’Connor and City Council members want to extend the deadline for the 2% property tax discount by one week, to February 17 from February 10. Officials...
Pittsburgh council confirms O’Connor’s picks for police chief, public safety director
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Jason Lando as police chief and Sheldon Williams as public safety director. The pair have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since Mayor Corey O’Connor took office last month. A Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police force, Lando...
Work underway to make Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle shine under lights of NFL draft
Downtown Pittsburgh is undergoing a facelift before the 2026 NFL Draft shines a massive spotlight on the city in April. Efforts include modernizing Market Square, opening pop-up retail options, filling empty storefronts with art installations and fixing cracked sidewalks, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Jeremy Waldrup said in a virtual quarterly...
Mayor lauds Pittsburgh teen for securing 20,000-pound cereal donation
Ender Lin combined a love of cereal and a desire to help his neighbors to secure a massive food donation that will feed thousands of families in the Pittsburgh region. Ender, 13, of Squirrel Hill, penned a letter to Kellogg, telling the company about “all the amazing things” done by...
Broken plows, inexperienced drivers contributed to Pittsburgh’s snow removal woes, mayor says
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday pointed to broken-down snowplows and inexperienced drivers as key reasons the city struggled last week to clear nearly a foot of snow from the streets. O’Connor said he hopes to remedy both problems before next winter. “We did what we could,” O’Connor said, adding...
PNC Foundation to give Pittsburgh $2M for snow removal equipment
As Pittsburgh crews struggle to plow and salt roads after a massive snowstorm, officials Thursday announced the PNC Foundation will give the city $2 million to buy new snow removal equipment. The foundation’s contribution will fund 15 new vehicles this year for the city’s Department of Public Works. “Last weekend’s...
Pollution control equipment breaks down at Clairton Coke Works
The Allegheny County Health Department has found no indication of a long-term health emergency after U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works experienced a breakdown of pollution control equipment this week. A breakdown occurs when equipment stops working properly and releases more pollution than usual, county health officials said in a statement...
Parkway East’s ‘bathtub’ area reopens after water main break
A stretch of the Parkway East known as the bathtub is reopened Thursday afternoon after a water main break had forced a closure. The portion of I-376 inbound between Grant Street and the Fort Pitt Bridge and the on-ramp from Grant Street to westbound I-376 reopened before 3 p.m., the...
UPMC gives $10M to Pittsburgh for ambulances, freeing up money for snowplows
UPMC on Thursday donated $10 million to Pittsburgh for new ambulances, freeing up money for the city to also buy additional snowplows. Mayor Corey O’Connor joined UPMC President and CEO Leslie Davis at a Downtown medic station — standing in front of a 31-year-old ambulance that has been driven over...
Pittsburgh ‘nowhere near done’ plowing, hauling away snow, mayor says
Crews are still working around the clock to plow and salt roads and haul away massive loads of snow from Pittsburgh’s streets, Mayor Corey O’Connor said Wednesday afternoon. About a foot of snow pummeled Pittsburgh on Sunday, marking the snowiest day the city had seen in 16 years. O’Connor in...
Some Allegheny County Council members seek to ban cooperation with ICE
Six Allegheny County Council members on Tuesday introduced a measure to bar the county from cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as protests against ICE have erupted throughout the nation. “Basically, any entity that operates using county funds is not to give information to ICE, or cooperation,” Councilman Jordan...
Planning Commission approves new health sciences building for Duquesne University
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved plans for a new, $68 million health sciences building for Duquesne University. Situated at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Magee Street, the five-floor, 80,000-square-foot building will house the John G. Rangos Sr. School of Health Sciences and include classrooms, labs, office...
‘We have a lot of work to do’: Many Pittsburgh streets still covered in snow
A large amount of the snow that pummeled the region continued to blanket roads across Pittsburgh on Tuesday. “It’s still a bit of a mess, but I’m confident we’ll get through it,” Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, told TribLive. Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor said snow removal efforts will continue overnight. He...
Pittsburgh City Council calls on Pennsylvania’s senators to reject ICE funding
Pittsburgh City Council is urging Pennsylvania’s senators to reject a bill that would provide funding for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Sponsored by Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, council on Tuesday approved a will of council calling on Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick to vote against a federal bill that...
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy looks to better connect Beltzhoover with McKinley Park amenities
Residents of Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood live next to the sprawling 80-acre McKinley Park — but it can still be tough to get to some of the amenities. Nestled between Beltzhoover, Bon Air and Knoxville, the park offers amenities such as a playground, skate park and basketball courts. However, the lack...
Control the uncontrollable: Here’s why people stock up before a snowstormVideo
People throughout the region expect their grocery stores’ parking lots to be packed, checkout lines to be long and milk coolers to be depleted right before a snowstorm. Worried that they’ll be snowed in, shoppers stockpile bread, eggs and toilet paper. People fill their fridges and pack their pantries. Many...
Allentown business owners request permanent light rail service for Pittsburgh neighborhood
Kelly Braden lives directly across from Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Fallowfield Station light rail stop in the city’s Beechview neighborhood. A recent detour sent the light rail system, better known as the T, through Allentown — dropping her off directly outside The Weeping Glass, the shop she owns. It eased her...
O’Connor says Pittsburgh preparing for snow with additional trucks, staffing
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Friday said the city is preparing for a major winter storm that could drop up to a foot of snow by preparing additional trucks and calling in extra workers. The mayor also is prepared to declare a state of emergency if needed. That would slash...
