Ryan Deto stories, Page 19
Morning Roundup: Transformer fire damages homes in Pittsburgh’s North Side
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 6: North Side transformer fire shuts down power A transformer on Pittsburgh’s North Side caught fire Tuesday night, causing damage to adjacent homes and shutting down power throughout the neighborhood. The fire started around 10 p.m. in...
Escaped pet iguana found in Mt. Lebanon
Pittsburgh’s summer of reptiles on the loose continues. Mt. Lebanon police announced Sunday that an escaped iguana named Spike was found wandering on McNeilly Road. He was reconnected with his owner later that day, police said on Facebook. The iguana was lost for nearly a week, said police. “Spike is...
Dozens of Pittsburgh Public Schools move to remote learning because of heat wave
Pittsburgh Public Schools said Tuesday it is moving 38 of its schools to remote learning for the next two days because of the heat wave hitting the city. Spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said the district’s extreme heat protocols call for schools without air conditioning to move to remote learning when the...
Heat wave arrives in Pittsburgh region, cooler temperatures come later in week
The Pittsburgh region will see at least two more days with temperatures breaking into the 90s as a heat wave continues to hover over Southwestern Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service said many parts of the region will see temperatures above 90 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday....
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh looking for archers for its deer-culling pilot
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Sept. 3: City officials seeking 30 archers for deer culling in Pittsburgh parks The city of Pittsburgh is looking for 30 qualified archers to help cull deer in two city parks as part of a recently created pilot...
Longtime activist Carl Redwood looking for a spot on Allegheny County Council
Carl Redwood has organized collective action around civil rights, tenant protections, and workers protection for decades in Pittsburgh, and now he’s hoping that experience will propel him to a seat on Allegheny County Council. Redwood, 70, of the Hill District, said he is running for Allegheny County Council’s 10th District...
Federal loan to support $500M expansion at Eos Energy’s Mon Valley facility
New Jersey-based battery company Eos Energy is expanding at its Mon Valley facility and creating a $500 million program that elected officials say will create hundreds of jobs locally. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Energy has made a conditional commitment on a nearly...
Allegheny County officials seeking to place a small homeless shelter in Carrick
Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services is seeking proposals to build a homeless shelter in Carrick that would house about a dozen people. The move comes as the Department of Human Services is seeking to fund multiple small, low-barrier shelters across the county. Homelessness in Allegheny County has been increasing...
Home purchases by corporations increase in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County
As Pittsburgh’s real estate market heats up, a new study shows corporations are buying up residences at increasing rates, driving up competition with local residents. A study by the nonprofit Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group shows the share of Allegheny County homes sold to corporate entities nearly doubled over the past...
Allegheny County to draft climate action plan
Western Pennsylvania’s largest county will develop a climate action plan to lay out its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Allegheny County Council voted 15-0 on Tuesday to pass an ordinance compelling the county’s Department of Sustainability to draft a climate action plan by next July 1. Allegheny County Executive...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit drops covid vaccine requirement
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is ending its covid-vaccine requirements for existing and future employees this week after implementing the policy for over a year and a half. The policy change comes after a protracted battle with the transit-worker union, which opposed the vaccine mandate and filed an unsuccessful injunction and more...
Allegheny County Jail must address shortage of corrections officers, health care workers, audit says
An audit released Tuesday said Allegheny County Jail is short-staffed by more than 125 corrections officers, while more than half of the jail’s budgeted health care positions are unfilled. Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, D-Squirrel Hill, acknowledged in the audit that hiring has been a challenge across all employment sectors,...
Rapper Eminem tells GOP presidential candidate to stop using his music at campaign events
The real Slim Shady is standing up and telling a Republican presidential candidate to sit down. Grammy Award-winning rapper Eminem recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Vivek Ramaswamy. The GOP presidential candidate, who has been polling in third behind former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is known...
How to manage spotted lanternflies in your yard
Spotted lanternflies have invaded Pittsburgh. After a few years of sparse sightings, the local lanternfly population apparently has exploded and the invasive species is being spotted across Southwestern Pennsylvania. While not immediately dangerous to humans, the insects love to gorge on vegetation and swarm on trees, the sides of homes...
After national acclaim over the past decade, where is Pittsburgh’s food scene headed?
The attention the Pittsburgh food scene received several years ago might have been a mirage. Starting in 2013, national food publications started to notice the Steel City and included Pittsburgh in several rankings for top “foodie” cities. By 2015, nationally renowned restaurant ranker Zagat named Pittsburgh the best food city...
Man who died in Garfield standoff suspected of being shot by law enforcement, medical examiner says
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday that it suspects the man who died Wednesday after a six-hour standoff with police in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood was shot by law enforcement. William Hardison, 63, died at 5:07 p.m. in the 4800 block of Broad Street, the office said. Several law...
Spotted lanternflies are swarming Western Pennsylvania
When Moshe Marvit got off work in Green Tree this week, he noticed that every single car in the parking lot was covered in spotted lanternflies. “There were tens of thousands of them in a small space,” said Marvit, a lawyer who lives in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood. “It felt like...
Temporary Cleveland-to-Pittsburgh flight coming this winter
Though just a bit over two hours away by car, Alaska Airlines soon will be offering a flight from Cleveland to Pittsburgh this winter. The daily, afternoon flight only travels one way from Cleveland to Pittsburgh. According to the Alaska Airlines website, tickets start as low as $129. The Seattle-based...
University Line construction to alter several Pittsburgh bus routes
Some Pittsburgh bus riders will see altered service because of upcoming construction beginning for the University Line bus-rapid transit project, the region’s first major public transit operation in years. Four bus routes that currently cut though Oakland on their way to Downtown Pittsburgh will be shortened in order to make...
Planned helicopter exercise to take place over Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire announced Monday that approximately four helicopters will fly over the city on Tuesday morning as part of a planned exercise with the Pennsylvania Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team. Team members will be picked up by Black Hawk helicopters from the vicinity of the former Veterans Affairs...
Allegheny County starting process to acquire Brilliant Line rail corridor for trail project
Pittsburgh is moving closer to adding another bike and pedestrian trail crossing the Allegheny River. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said Thursday that the county has moved into a partnership with the Allegheny RiverTrail Park and Allegheny Valley Railroad Co. to start the process of acquiring the Brilliant Line rail...
Sara Innamorato picks up key labor endorsements in Allegheny County executive race
Sara Innamorato, the Democratic nominee for Allegheny County executive, secured several key labor endorsements this week, two months after the Republican candidate in the race locked up a few labor endorsements of his own. Innamorato was endorsed Friday by the Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, a local branch of the AFL-CIO...
Veto override withdrawn for Allegheny County property assessment bill
After a series of successful efforts overriding Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto, another veto override was withdrawn Tuesday. Allegheny County Council passed a bill in July to establish a new chief assessment officer appointed by council that would render calculations each year of the county’s property tax ratios. That...
WESA adding news explainer show to its evening lineup
Pittsburgh’s local NPR news station has been in a state of flux recently and that continues with a new addition to the station’s evening, weekday programming lineup. 90.5 WESA announced Tuesday it is adding “Today, Explained,” an award-winning daily news explainer show produced by the Vox media company. The show,...
State Rep. Rob Mercuri announces run for Congress in 17th District
Two-term state Rep. Rob Mercuri, R-Pine, is hoping to flip a congressional seat that covers many Pittsburgh suburbs. Mercuri announced Tuesday his run for Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes all of Beaver County, as well as suburban communities in Allegheny County’s North Hills, Allegheny Valley, and several boroughs just...
