Julia Felton stories, Page 50
Pittsburgh City Council votes down Wilkinsburg annexation, for now
Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday against annexing neighboring Wilkinsburg, but council members will continue investigating the possibility of doing so in the future. The proposed annexation was voted down 7-2, with Councilmen Anthony Coghill and Corey O’Connor voting in favor of it. “I feel this is a necessity for Wilkinsburg...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey to hold community forums on issues facing new administration
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s transition team is seeking the public’s input on key issues facing the new administration. In the first of several planned virtual community forums, Gainey will seek input on equitable development in a forum starting at 6 p.m. Feb. 21. Subsequent forums will include ones focusing on...
Pittsburgh City Council’s pay raise scaled back because of home-rule charter
Pittsburgh City Council members adjusted the amount of their pay raise approved in a special meeting Saturday because the initial amount conflicted with the city’s home rule charter, City Councilman Anthony Coghill said. Coghill said the original proposal to increase council members’ pay from $72,000 to $83,000 — a more...
Chintalapalli, Innamorato named to Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday announced the city’s chief economic development officer Kyle Chintalapalli and state Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, as his appointments to the Urban Redevelopment Authority. “I am confident that both Kyle and Rep. Innamorato bring a wealth of experience and commitment to my administration’s priority to...
Pittsburgh looks to add more plows to address concerns about snow, ice removal
Pittsburgh is looking to address complaints about snow and ice removal by adding a dozen plows to its fleet. “We’ve come to the conclusion that we just need more vehicles, more safely operating vehicles,” Councilman Anthony Coghill said, explaining that the measure would “help our fleet get up to the...
Pittsburgh program will speed up process for obtaining fire alarm, fire suppression permits
A pilot program with Pittsburgh’s Department of Permits, Licenses and Inspections will speed up the process for people applying for fire alarm and fire suppression permits. Beginning March 1, applicants will be able to pay an additional fee for an expedited, five-day plan review. That is five times faster than...
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to spend $26M on lead line replacement
Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority plans to spend more than $26 million to replace lead service lines this year, with a particular focus on day care centers and locations with elevated lead samples. “By further targeting priority locations like day care centers, we can effectively reduce the risk of childhood...
Pittsburgh City Council to scale back pay raises for themselves
Pittsburgh City Council will consider a measure to scale back a proposed pay increase for themselves. Council members — who made $72,000 last year — were set to make $83,000 in 2022. The pay increase was placed in the 2022 budget by former Mayor Bill Peduto’s office, City Council President...
Mayor Gainey nominates Pittsburgh public safety director
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday announced that he has nominated Lee Schmidt as director of public safety. In that role, Schmidt will oversee all public safety bureaus, including police, fire, emergency medical services and animal care and control, as well as the Offices of Emergency Management and Homeland Security,...
Emergency contract to allow for design work to begin on Fern Hollow Bridge replacement
Work will begin immediately to design a bridge to replace Pittsburgh’s collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge and to remove the collapsed one, city and state officials said Friday. This comes one week after 10 people were injured when the bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park collapsed, sending a Port Authority bus and...
Pittsburgh City Council poised to vote down Wilkinsburg annexation
Pittsburgh City Council appears likely next week to vote down a proposal to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg, but some council members have voiced support for an annexation in the near future. City Council on Wednesday voted against annexation in a preliminary vote, and a final vote is expected next week. A...
Pittsburgh looks to continue allowing businesses to use outdoor space for dining, displays
Pittsburgh City Council is considering legislation that would allow restaurants and retailers to continue using sidewalks and streets for outdoor seating or shopping, as many have during the pandemic. The legislation, sponsored by Councilman Bobby Wilson, would allow businesses to apply for permits to use sidewalks and roadways to expand...
Pittsburgh officials urge residents to stay home with icy, snowy conditions on the way
Pittsburgh officials said crews are prepared to begin clearing roads during the anticipated winter storm, though they urged residents to stay off the roads if possible. Rain that began Wednesday night is expected to transition to ice and snow Thursday and into Friday. Temperatures are expected to be below freezing...
Trib CEO Jennifer Bertetto in Senate testimony: Local publishers should be able to bargain with digital giantsVideo
Local news outlets should be able to negotiate for fair compensation from large digital platforms that use their content, Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto testified Wednesday before a U.S. Senate subcommittee. Bertetto spoke in favor of a measure that she said would ensure the survival of news...
Pittsburgh City Council advances proposal to study mergers, annexations with neighboring municipalities
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday amended and advanced legislation that would allow it to explore potential mergers or annexations of neighboring municipalities. Council is considering legislation to launch broader investigations into merging with neighboring municipalities, including, but not limited to, Wilkinsburg. The legislation would not prompt a merger itself, but...
Pittsburgh City Council defends proposed 15% pay raise
Pittsburgh City Council members on Tuesday defended a proposed pay raise for themselves, but froze the proposed increase until they could further consult with the city’s legal department and other officials. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said former Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration proposed boosting council members’ pay from $72,000 to $83,000...
Pittsburgh fire chief named emergency management coordinator
Pittsburgh Fire Chief Darryl Jones has been named the city’s emergency management coordinator. He will remain the city’s fire chief, a position he’s held since 2007. In the new, additional role, he will supervise the Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Jones said he will be required “to develop...
As Pittsburgh considers studying mergers, neighboring communities say they’re not interested
Officials from several of Pittsburgh’s neighboring municipalities say they aren’t interested in merging with the city, which last week introduced legislation to explore such possibilities. As Pittsburgh City Council seems poised to vote down a proposal to annex Wilkinsburg, they are considering a measure to launch broader investigations into merging...
$25.3M in federal funding set aside to replace Pittsburgh’s collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge
PennDOT said $25.3 million in federal funding has been allocated to replace the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge, and the state transportation agency will assist in design and construction. Ten people were injured Friday when the bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park collapsed, sending a Port Authority bus and several other vehicles...
Pittsburgh considers proposal to buy, rent additional snow plows
Pittsburgh City Council is considering a measure that would allow the city to buy and rent additional snow plows this year. Legislation sponsored by Councilman Anthony Coghill would reallocate more than $470,000 from the capital budget to buy six new snow plow trucks and rent six more. The funding was...
Special election date set to fill seat vacated by former state Rep. Jake Wheatley
Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler on Tuesday ordered a special election to fill the state House seat vacated by Jake Wheatley, who stepped down to become Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s chief of staff. The special election to fill his seat in the 19th State House District will be held April...
Pittsburgh looks to create infrastructure commission in wake of Fern Hollow Bridge collapse
Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor introduced legislation Tuesday to create an infrastructure commission that he hopes would prevent an event like Friday’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapse from happening again. O’Connor’s proposals would create a commission on infrastructure asset reporting and investment and require regular reports on the city’s infrastructure. They...
Former state Rep. Jeff Coleman running for lieutenant governor
Former state Rep. Jeff Coleman is running for lieutenant governor, campaigning on promises of bipartisanship and civility at a time when politics are harshly divided. The Republican formerly lived in Apollo and represented Western Pennsylvania in the state House for two terms. He now lives in Lemoyne, a Harrisburg suburb....
PennDOT to reinspect bridges with similar design as Fern Hollow Bridge
PennDOT officials said Tuesday they plan to reinspect five bridges in Pennsylvania that have similar designs as the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh. The bridges scheduled for reinspection include the ramp from Beechwood Boulevard to the Parkway East in Squirrel Hill, the Canon-McMillan Alumni Bridge in North Strabane and...
Trib Total Media CEO to testify before Senate subcommittee on newspaper industry challenges
Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto will testify Wednesday before a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee on challenges facing the newspaper industry. Bertetto will address the Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights, headed by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. The hearing is related to proposed legislation aiming...
