Julia Burdelski stories, Page 8
Pittsburgh budget guru scrambles to tweak ’26 spending plan after loss of jock tax
Pittsburgh officials scrambled to tweak next year’s budget proposal upon learning the state’s highest court struck down the so-called jock tax — wiping out roughly $4 million in annual revenue. But losing that money is hardly the biggest strain on the city’s proposed 2026 spending plan, which is due to...
$14 million project to bring sidewalk, street upgrades in Hill District
A $14 million initiative is bringing improvements to sidewalks and streets throughout Pittsburgh’s Hill District, aiming to make a neighborhood that has historically suffered from disinvestment safer and more accessible. The New Pathways project — funded largely by a U.S. Department of Transportation RAISE grant the city won under the...
Morning Roundup: Girl shot in Northview Heights; multiple people hurt in Fayette County stabbing
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Sept. 29: Girl shot in Pittsburgh’s Northview Heights A man has been charged with shooting a teen girl in the leg Sunday night in Pittsburgh’s Northview Heights neighborhood. Hassan Said Abdi, 24, of Pittsburgh, was charged with aggravated...
Steelers vs. Vikings: What they’re saying in Minnesota after the loss
The luck of the Irish was with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday as they staved off a comeback effort from the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland. The Vikings trailed 24-6 early in the fourth quarter but rallied to end the game with a slim...
Summer Lee rips move to cut 2 PRT bus stops at Waterfront
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s bus stops within The Waterfront plaza in Homestead will be discontinued next month, though riders will still be able to catch the bus nearby. The transit authority in a news release said routing for the 53-Homestead Park, 53L-Homestead Park Limited, 57-Hazelwood, 59-MonValley, 61D-Murray Short and 64-Lawrence-Waterfront will...
PRT board passes ‘Band-Aid’ budget to avoid transit rate hikes, drastic service cuts
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s board on Friday formally approved a budget that will stave off rate hikes and drastic service cuts. But officials reiterated the measure to use $100 million in state funds to plug holes in the transit authority’s operating budget is an imperfect fix. “This is not a win,”...
O’Connor far outpaces Moreno in fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral election
With Pittsburgh’s mayoral race less than six weeks out, new reports show Democratic candidate Corey O’Connor holding a tremendous fundraising advantage over Republican nominee Tony Moreno. O’Connor has about $270,000 to spend ahead of the November 4 election — more than 60 times what Moreno has. Campaign finance reports filed...
Allegheny County Council mulls permitting leg shackles when inmates are taken to hospitals, medical appointments
Allegheny County Jail corrections officers may be allowed to use leg shackles when taking incarcerated people to medical appointments if county council approves a measure repealing a portion of the existing ban on such restraints. The measure, introduced to council Wednesday, would not completely revoke the prohibition on leg shackles....
Complaint filed against UPMC Children’s for denying transgender youths gender-affirming care
A complaint filed Tuesday with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission claims UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s halt on gender-affirming care for transgender patients younger than 19 constitutes discrimination. The Women’s Law Project and Philadelphia law firm Berger Montague filed the complaint on behalf of transgender patients and their parents, who...
Pittsburgh to spend $1.8M on master plan for controversial public safety training center
Pittsburgh will move ahead with plans for a controversial public safety training facility to be built in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington neighborhood. Dozens of residents in recent weeks have urged City Council to pause plans for a massive public safety training center that officials estimate could cost about $86 million. Some...
Civic Arena, Roberto Clemente to be memorialized with historical markers
The old Civic Arena is one of several historic sites to be commemorated with new blue historical markers, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission decided Thursday. Nearly 2,600 cast-aluminum markers found throughout the state— including 163 throughout Allegheny County — tell the stories of Native Americans, colonization, politics, athletes, entertainers,...
State budget impasse prompts Allegheny County hiring, spending freeze
Allegheny County is freezing hiring and spending because of a state budget impasse that has left funding in limbo. The county is losing out on about $75 million per quarter until the state adopts a budget. The county has a $3.1 billion budget, which has been under increasing pressure. The...
Duquesne Light promises improvements after April storm
Duquesne Light officials on Wednesday vowed to make improvements after customers complained of poor communication and long power outages after a severe storm in April. The April 29 storm left three dead and caused massive, widespread damage, blowing roofs off of buildings, downing massive trees and leaving debris in roadways....
Strip District group sues to block Pittsburgh from swapping traffic lane for bike lane along Penn Avenue
Tim Gaber worries that eliminating a lane of traffic on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s bustling Strip District in order to add a bike lane could cause massive traffic jams and make it harder for fire trucks or ambulances to respond to emergencies. Gaber, a Strip District resident and owner of...
Pittsburgh council moves ahead with master plan for controversial $86M public safety center
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday voted to move ahead with plans for a massive $86 million public safety training facility — but only after adding new conditions meant to alleviate concerns from residents who fear the facility will be used to militarize police. In a preliminary vote Wednesday, Council supported...
New bill seeks ‘commonsense’ curbs on Pittsburgh vape shops to protect kids
Pittsburgh officials are considering new restrictions on vape shops in an effort to limit kids’ exposure to stores selling nicotine and CBD. The measure, introduced to City Council on Tuesday, would not allow new vape shops to open within 1,500 feet of elementary or secondary schools, licensed daycare facilities, religious...
Pittsburgh seeks to ban discrimination over past homelessness
A measure introduced Tuesday to Pittsburgh City Council would prohibit landlords from discriminating against people who have been homeless or have information on their housing record that might be viewed as a problem. Rachel Shepherd, executive director of the city’s Commission on Human Relations, said the goal is to ensure...
Pittsburgh apartment robbery, shooting leads to 3 arrests
Three men face criminal charges after a robbery and shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny neighborhood Saturday morning, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday. Duwayne Carey, 61, William Roberson, 61, and Raymond Paul Conti, 43, all of Pittsburgh, are being held in the Allegheny County Jail, according to online...
Innamorato pledges voting registration aid to new citizens after feds curb nongovernment groups
Allegheny County will start deploying Elections Division staff to naturalization ceremonies to help new U.S. citizens register to vote. The move, announced Monday, comes in response to the Trump administration recently barring nongovernmental groups such as the League of Women Voters from doing so in certain cases. The U.S. Citizenship...
Allegheny County announces satellite voting, ballot return options for November election
Allegheny County voters will have four satellite voting locations and 10 ballot-return options for the November general election. The county’s Board of Elections on Monday voted 3-0 on the sites, which allow voters to return ballots before Election Day on Nov. 4. The ballot-return locations let people submit a mail-in...
Steelers fans enthusiastic, optimistic ahead of home opener
Before the Steelers even kicked off their first home game of the season Sunday, Sean Ortega made a bold prediction: His favorite team would win the game, and go on to win the Super Bowl this year. Ortega, 34, flew 2,000 miles from Arizona to be in Pittsburgh’s North Shore...
Homestead business owner accused of selling narcotics from business
Allegheny County police allege a Homestead business owner was selling narcotics. Detectives with the Allegheny County Police Department’s Narcotics Unit over the last several weeks received information about narcotics sales from The Dankery Social Club, a business in the 100 block of East Eighth Avenue in Homestead, officials said. While...
Man in critical condition after motorcycle crash
A man is in critical condition after a motorcycle crash Saturday evening, according to Pittsburgh public safety officials. Officers were dispatched to the intersection of Route 28 northbound and East Ohio Street for a wreck involving a motorcycle. A man was taken to the hospital in critical condition, officials said....
Man shot after armed robbery in Pittsburgh’s East Allegheny
Pittsburgh police are investigating after officials said a man was shot after an armed robbery in the city’s East Allegheny neighborhood early Saturday morning. The incident occurred around 12:20 a.m. Saturday, inside a fourth-floor apartment at 601 Pressley St. The victim, whose identity officials did not disclose, was shot in...
Carson Street comeback: South Side works to spiff up tarnished image
Pittsburgh’s best-known bar and nightlife district has been attracting attention lately for all the wrong reasons. This summer, a spike in trouble on South Side drew a heavy police response to control unruly crowds. Malcontents threw fireworks at officers, leading the head of the police union to label the neighborhood...
