Julia Burdelski stories, Page 5
O’Connor flags long waits, inefficiencies in Allegheny County’s mental health treatment system
An audit this week raised concerns that people seeking mental and behavioral health services in Allegheny County have to navigate a maze of waiting lists and could spend months or even years on them before getting help. In the most egregious case uncovered by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, some...
Pittsburgh, Strip District merchants compromise to resolve bike lane brouhaha
Pittsburgh’s bike-lane battle appears to be over. The Strip District Business Association on Thursday struck a reluctant compromise with the City of Pittsburgh on plans to convert a portion of Penn Avenue to a one-lane road with a bike lane. The city initially wanted to add a protected bike lane...
1 injured in crash on I-79
One person was taken to the hospital after a wreck on I-79 in Kennedy Township Thursday morning. The crash was reported just after 7:15 a.m. on I-79 northbound at Forest Grove Road, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. The northbound lanes had been closed but reopened around 8:10 a.m.,...
Pittsburgh City Paper ends weekly print editions
Pittsburgh City Paper on Wednesday announced it is cutting its weekly print edition. Executive Editor Ali Trachta in a letter posted to the paper’s website said the alternative newspaper would continue posting content online and social media pages and will publish four print editions annually. “Like many newspapers — especially...
Morning Roundup: Pedestrians hit by car on sidewalk; students given possibly contaminated ice; Market Square detours
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Oct. 16: Pedestrians hit by car on sidewalk Two pedestrians on a sidewalk near Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh’s Homewood West neighborhood were struck by a car Wednesday. First responders were called to the crash around 3 p.m. at...
Pittsburgh fleet manager seeks steady funding source to fix city’s worn-out vehicles
The man in charge of Pittsburgh’s aging fleet of fire trucks, snowplows, police cars and ambulances said the city must find a steady source of revenue to address its increasingly desperate vehicle situation. “At the end of the day, fleet is how the city delivers,” Fleet Manager Firmin Maurice told...
Gainey loses battle to reform affordable housing as council backs alternate plan
A divided Pittsburgh City Council narrowly voted on Wednesday to rewrite Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed zoning reform bill, effectively dooming his vision of forcing developers to create more affordable housing. By a 5-4 vote, council members backed an amendment by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, to give incentives to developers...
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape ‘in crisis’ amid state budget impasse
Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, Allegheny County’s only rape crisis center, is facing severe financial strain as Pennsylvania’s months-long budget impasse cuts off a key source of funding. Sadie Restivo, PAAR’s executive director, said the nonprofit relies on the commonwealth for about 20% of its budget. As the stalemate drags on...
Pittsburgh councilwoman mulls spending freeze amid financial concerns
A Pittsburgh councilwoman on Tuesday said she intends to introduce a bill that would freeze city spending. Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said she believes the city needs to curb spending as the city is facing financial challenges. Pausing spending could help the city stave off a tax hike, which...
Pittsburgh council strikes down plan to ask Munhall for snowplow help
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday rejected a proposal to ask neighboring Munhall for help with snow plowing after members pushed back last week against the idea of outsourcing the work in exchange for street cleaning services. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, pitched the idea of an agreement with Munhall that would...
Pittsburgh solicitor Krysia Kubiak to leave post, return to Duquesne Light
Pittsburgh solicitor Krysia Kubiak is leaving her post at the city later this month, officials announced Tuesday. When Mayor Ed Gainey took office in 2022, he appointed Kubiak to lead the city’s law department, which oversees attorneys specializing in corporate counsel, civil litigation, labor, real estate, tax, contracts, and workers’...
Downtown Pittsburgh revitalization pushes holiday market to new location
The annual holiday market that usually fills Market Square will move to Pittsburgh’s Cultural District this holiday season. It’s the latest annual event to be relocated as part of a Downtown revitalization effort that has limited use of public spaces like Market Square, which is undergoing a facelift ahead of...
Gainey’s affordable housing reform in jeopardy as talks break down with Pittsburgh council
In September 2024, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey set out to tackle a critical priority of his administration, what he called the “affordable housing crisis.” Unveiling a set of sweeping reforms, Gainey wanted developers across the city to set aside a portion of new construction for poor people to rent at...
Shutdown strikes federal workers in Pittsburgh with furloughs
About 250 federal workers represented by the National Treasury Employees Union in Western Pennsylvania were furloughed Wednesday, casualties of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The workers learned by email they should plan to stay home for the duration of the shutdown unless they hear otherwise. Things for the union started...
Acrisure Stadium to get 22,000 new seats to replace ones in ‘really bad shape’
Acrisure Stadium is set to get thousands of new seats over the next four years in a multimillion-dollar upgrade. The Sports & Exhibition Authority board on Thursday unanimously agreed to pay over $6 million for the first phase of seat replacements, which will swap out more than 22,000 seats this...
Snow problem: Plan flops for Munhall to plow some Pittsburgh streets
Pittsburgh City Council members on Wednesday opposed a plan to provide street cleaning services to neighboring Munhall in exchange for snowplowing. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, had pitched the idea of the swap. Her proposal called for Munhall to plow roads in Pittsburgh’s adjacent Lincoln Place neighborhood. That solution, she said,...
Rivals O’Connor, Moreno find common ground bashing Gainey during mayoral debate
Pittsburgh mayoral hopefuls Corey O’Connor and Tony Moreno on Tuesday described starkly different approaches to immigration enforcement and other major challenges facing the city. In a televised debate on KDKA, Moreno suggested he would reverse the city’s current policy of not working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE....
Judge slashes bond amount needed to block Strip District bike lane work
A judge on Wednesday dramatically reduced the bond the Strip District Business Association must pay to force Pittsburgh to temporarily halt efforts to change a portion of Penn Avenue to a one-lane street with a bike lane. Despite the move, the business group continued to object to paying any amount....
Pittsburgh councilwoman asks Munhall to solve snowplow problem in 1 neighborhood
A Pittsburgh councilwoman is looking to neighboring Munhall for help plowing snow in the city’s Lincoln Place neighborhood. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, said there were portions of Lincoln Place where the city — handicapped by an aging vehicle fleet and plows prone to breakdowns — struggled to clear snow and...
Pittsburgh police commanders to unionize with Gainey’s blessing
A dozen Pittsburgh police commanders are unionizing, city officials announced Tuesday. Commanders are among the police bureau’s most powerful supervisors, just under the rank of assistant chief. The commanders unanimously voted to form a union with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, separate from the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No....
Mail-in ballots are on the way to Allegheny County voters
Allegheny County voters who requested mail-in ballots should start receiving them this week, county officials said Monday. Voters will also be able to cast ballots through the over-the-counter voting option at several locations. Oct. 20 is the last day to register to vote — or to update voter registration information...
‘Cleaner, safer streets’: Shapiro visits Pittsburgh to praise Downtown upgrades
Standing on the North Shore Friday morning, Gov. Josh Shapiro heralded “meaningful progress” in ongoing efforts to make the city’s Golden Triangle safer, cleaner and more vibrant. About a year ago, Shapiro unveiled the $600 million Downtown revitalization plan, which will include about 1,000 new housing units, increased public safety...
Fatal high-speed crash on Parkway East leads to charges
A Pittsburgh man is facing involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle charges stemming from a fatal crash on the Parkway East in March. Donald Isiah Lewis II, 28, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, told police a four-vehicle crash on Interstate 376 that left one person dead was his fault, according...
Morning Roundup: Police say man set fire in Waterworks Giant Eagle; pedestrian hit by car succumbs to injuries
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Oct. 3: Man faces arson charges over Giant Eagle fire A man was arrested Thursday after allegedly sparking a fire in the Giant Eagle Market District at the Waterworks in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. Police said Russell Weleski, 33,...
West View man charged with igniting Ross ATM as anti-government act
A West View man turned himself in connection with the firebombing of an ATM in Ross early Wednesday, telling police he wanted to make a “statement” against the federal government. Keith J. Coyne, Jr., 46, is charged with arson and criminal mischief. Police say Coyne confessed to lighting a Chase...
