Julia Felton stories, Page 54

Pittsburgh City Council on Monday approved a measure that gives them some oversight in the process of hiring assistant and deputy directors for the city. The legislation affords City Council the opportunity to interview people who are appointed to those positions. City Council previously did not get to approve or...

Experts weighed in on City Council’s proposal to ban plastic bags in Pittsburgh, a measure the legislation’s sponsor said will likely be held till next year. Councilwoman Erika Strassburger introduced the legislation, which would ban plastic bags in most scenarios and implement a fee for paper bags, in November. Rather...

Carnegie Mellon University said Friday that it will require everyone who will be on campus for the spring semester to get a booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine. In a letter to the campus community outlining covid protocols for the upcoming semester, university officials said they would provide further information...

Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday to expand its contract with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, clearing the way for the nonprofit to work at additional city parks. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has worked with the city since 1998 to restore and improve the city’s parks, starting with its biggest ones: Frick,...

A Washington County-based developer is moving ahead with plans for a proposed $475 million project that would bring a massive Ferris wheel, splash park, marina, ice skating rink and housing to Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood. The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority on Thursday approved selling a 5.5-acre property to Millcraft Investments for...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering a new process for hiring the city’s assistant and deputy directors. This comes after City Council recently considered legislation that would have required council approval for assistant and associate city directors. Those roles currently do not require council approval at all. The new measure, something...

Pittsburgh City Council advanced a proposal to stop city police from pulling over motorists for secondary traffic violations, despite concerns that it could make roads less safe and prevent police from uncovering more serious crimes during minor traffic stops. Proponents said the measure would address a disproportionate number of traffic...

Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced legislation that would create an office dedicated to supporting immigrants and refugees, despite concerns about creating a new city office only weeks before Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s administration takes office. The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs would help connect immigrants and refugees with resources...

An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge on Wednesday said that a Pennsylvania law barring people with felony convictions from legally changing their names is unconstitutional. Judge Christine Ward then granted name change petitions to two transgender women with prior felony convictions. Chauntey Mo’Nique Porter and Priscylla Renee Von Noaker testified...

Weeks after voting to remove a pension offset for city employees, Pittsburgh City Council is now considering a measure to extend the length of time it dedicates parking tax revenues to the pension fund by five years. When council removed the pension offset, it dedicated an additional 10 years of...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering a proposal to use $1.8 million in federal pandemic relief money to create a food justice fund. “We’re hoping to be able to invest in the kinds of businesses or nonprofits that are part of our food system,” said Councilwoman Deb Gross, who sponsored the...

A Pittsburgh-based group of artists and activists has launched a website aimed to amplify the city’s Black voices. The group behind the site, 1Hood Media, uses its platform to raise awareness for social issues. In launching BlackPittsburgh.com, 1Hood Media hopes to become a destination for news, events and resources catered...

After multiple tweaks to the legislation, Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a change to the city’s parking code that now creates hybrid residential parking permit areas and non-resident parking permits. The legislation, introduced by Councilman Bobby Wilson in October, paves the way for the creation of hybrid parking permit...

Pittsburgh could be gaining six new parks, if a measure to designate several greenways and adjacent vacant properties as city park space is approved. The proposal would take six greenways — areas of “permanent, passive open space” meant to benefit nearby neighborhoods — and vacant properties near them, and designate...

With electrified bikes and mobility hubs, Pittsburgh’s bike network is set to get an upgrade. Mayor Bill Peduto — along with the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and Healthy Ride — announced the Pittsburgh Bike Share Electrification and Mobility Hubs Project, an initiative to upgrade the city’s bike-share system. Currently,...

A new Pittsburgh initiative aims to make it easier for pedestrians to navigate the city’s streets and find local landmarks with the help of informational kiosks. The Pittsburgh Pedestrian Wayfinding Project will establish a system that highlights key landmarks and makes it easier for residents and visitors to navigate four...

Pittsburgh Carmalt, a magnet elementary school in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood, will be closed Monday amid a suspected norovirus outbreak, school officials said. The school is slated to reopen Tuesday. “Following the review of a high volume of reports of non-covid related illness from students and staff, the district’s physician has...

Christmas carols and other music filled the social hall Sunday at United Methodist Church in Brackenridge. All of the performers — about 20 in total — are on the autism spectrum. The event, hosted by Band Together Pittsburgh and the Autism Society of Pittsburgh, aims to build community through music,...

The Kiski Area School District hosted its ninth annual Stuff-a-Bus Toy Drive at Kiski Area High School on Saturday to ensure children in the community will wake up to presents Christmas morning. New toys for any age range were donated to Toys for Alle-Kiski Kids, a local group that aims...

Students at Kiski Area School District will be able to choose whether to mask up or not when they go to school Monday. The district announced it will institute a mask-optional policy, effective Monday, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a lower court ruling that Acting Secretary of...

The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced a Central Catholic alumnus will be the school’s next principal. Brother Michael Andrejko, FSC, has been named the next principal of the school in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, formally beginning in the position on July 1. A brother for more than 30 years, Andrejko...

The Wilkinsburg community organization behind the push for Pittsburgh to annex this neighboring borough submitted a petition to an Allegheny County court Friday, effectively initiating the process. The Wilkinsburg Community Development Corp. in the summer gathered the required number of signatures from Wilkinsburg residents in favor of an annexation, despite...

The West Mifflin mother who was found dead in her backyard Friday after, according to police, her son murdered her has been identified. Officials said the woman was Helene Nulty, 52. Her cause of death is listed as ligature strangulation, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her son,...

A meeting held Thursday on a proposal for Pittsburgh to annex neighboring Wilkinsburg revealed clear divisions of opinion on the would-be move, even as details about the proposal remain largely unclear. “I don’t feel that I — or any of us on council or members of the public — have...

Pittsburgh’s Sports & Exhibition Authority voted unanimously Thursday to approve the sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to Fenway Sports Group. The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors also unanimously approved the sale Thursday. Reports that Fenway Sports Group entered into negotiations to buy the Penguins began circulating last month. The...