Ryan Deto stories, Page 42
Financial assistance program expanded for Pa. medical marijuana patients
The state Department of Health has expanded its financial assistance program for state medical marijuana patients, including waiving annual fees for eligible patients enrolled in financial hardship programs such as SNAP, Medicaid and WIC. The state said it also plans to distribute cash benefits to eligible patients. “The department is...
Brewhaha craft beer festival returns to Avonworth Community Park
Returning for its sixth year, the annual Brewhaha event is bringing 10 of Pittsburgh’s best craft brewers to Avonworth Community Park on March 26. The beer festival is the marquee fundraiser for the Hollow Oak Land Trust, an organization dedicated to protecting and connecting greenspace in the Pittsburgh area. “We...
Allegheny County opens applications for alternative transportation grants
Allegheny County said Friday it is accepting applications for its Active Allegheny Grant Program, which doles out funding to communities looking to develop alternative transportation projects. The county said in a news release that eligible projects include those that provide bicycle and pedestrian connections and increase residents’ opportunities for physical...
Tyler, the Creator show at Petersen canceled
A concert by rapper Tyler, the Creator scheduled for March 12 at the Petersen Events Center in Oakland has been canceled, the artist tweeted Thursday. Tyler tweeted a screenshot of a text that read the show at Petersen was canceled because the 12,500-seat venue “is physically unable to accommodate the...
Alta Via Pizzeria coming to Bakery Square in Pittsburgh
The Alta Via restaurant brand is growing, and the Italian-inspired eatery is opening a new pizzeria this month in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square. Bill Fuller, big Burrito corporate chef and president, said Alta Via Pizzeria will open for take-out orders on Tuesday. He hopes to open the new restaurant for full...
Future of Pittsburgh hyperloop gets murky with company layoffs
Virgin Hyperloop announced last week that it will lay off more than 100 workers and shift its focus from passenger to freight service, according to The Financial Times. The transportation company has been working to develop technology that would send large pods through vacuum-seal tubes at speeds exceeding 500 mph....
Pittsburgh woman now a 3-day ‘Jeopardy!’ winner
A woman from Pittsburgh’s East End is on a roll as a contestant on the popular game show “Jeopardy!” Margaret Shelton won for the third consecutive game on Thursday, amassing $17,200, to raise her three-day total winnings to $58,200. On Thursday’s show, Shelton saved the best for last by wagering...
Gov. Wolf tours Pittsburgh company working to send cargo to the moon
Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday toured Astrobotic, a company on Pittsburgh’s North Side that is working toward sending unmanned vessels to the moon. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton told reporters that the company is scheduled for a lunar launch this year and another in 2023. If Astrobotic is able to beat...
Allegheny County 911 dispatchers authorize strike on day of St. Patrick’s Day parade
After previously protesting what they described as long shifts and low pay, unionized Allegheny County 911 dispatchers have authorized a one-day strike for March 12. The strike date coincides with Pittsburgh’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. Al Smith, business manager for Service Employees International Union Local 668, said workers sent...
Pittsburgh woman takes 1st place on ‘Jeopardy!’
Pittsburgh resident Margaret Shelton took first place after competing on the TV game show “Jeopardy!” Tuesday night. Shelton won $16,600 from the game that pitted her against Christine Whelchel, of Tennessee, and Stefan Stenroos, of California, according to the “Jeopardy!” website. Shelton joins a few other Pittsburghers to compete on...
UPMC reports $24 billion in revenue in 2021
UPMC reported Monday that it posted $24 billion in operating revenue in 2021, up $1 billion, or about 4.3%, from the year before. Despite the increased revenue, the health care giant said that its overall operating income for last year totaled $843 million, down 4% from the year before. UPMC...
Pittsburgher who walked from Ukraine to Poland shares stories of war refugees
A Pittsburgh-based journalist is one of hundreds of thousands of people who have fled Ukraine in response to Russian military strikes and aggression, and he did so by walking 45 miles from Lviv to neighboring Poland. “I am not going to pretend like I was brave. I was terrified,” Manny...
Jeremy Shaffer, former Ross commissioner, to run for Congress
A former Ross Township commissioner is the latest candidate to enter the race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb. Jeremy Shaffer joins at least three other Republicans vying for the seat representing Beaver County and many suburbs north and west of Pittsburgh. The boundaries of the congressional district were finalized...
Dr. Arvind Venkat announces run for North Hills state House seat
A newly vacant state house district in Pittsburgh’s North Hills has its first candidate. Dr. Arvind Venkat announced his Democratic candidacy on Thursday for Pennsylvania’s 30th State House District. Venkat is an emergency room doctor at Allegheny Health Network, serving as the core ER faculty at Allegheny General Hospital. He...
The ‘Puttery’ to bring indoor mini-golf venue to Pittsburgh’s Strip District
The Strip District is quickly expanding its entertainment district, and a new upscale mini-golf venue is joining the fun. Drive Shack Inc., a Dallas-based leisure company, is bringing a Puttery location to the Strip District, complete with three themed, nine-hole courses and several bar and lounge areas across two stories....
New York firm to develop 178-acre Hazelwood Green site in Pittsburgh
The streets, trails and sidewalks of the 178-acre Hazelwood Green site in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood were completed in early 2020, and the area has since been awaiting finalized development plans to transform the former steel mill site into a fully functional residential and commercial neighborhood. On Friday, the owners of...
New congressional districts bring change for Pittsburgh-area voters, candidates
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court released its map of the state’s congressional districts on Wednesday, and it spells changes for Pittsburgh-area voters and candidates. Pennsylvania lost a congressional district and will now have 17. Allegheny County’s two remaining districts include ones now known as the 17th Congressional District, which includes Beaver...
Baristas at Coffee Tree Roasters vote to unionize in Allegheny County
Baristas and employees of local coffee chain Coffee Tree Roasters voted to unionize Tuesday. Workers at five coffee shops across Allegheny County voted to join Local 1776 of the United Food and Commercial Workers labor union, according to UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell Young. “This is a great win for...
Alta Via restaurant to expand into Pittsburgh’s Market Square
The Downtown Pittsburgh hospitality scene is buzzing again and adding another popular restaurant to the neighborhood. Alta Via, an Italian restaurant inspired by California cuisine, is expanding from its original home and into Market Square, according to the big Burrito Restaurant Group. The group owns the Mad Mex chain and...
Pittsburgh market has seen the most ads in high-stakes Senate race
The Pittsburgh television market has been flooded with more campaign ads in Pennsylvania’s high-stakes U.S. Senate race than any other place in the state, according to data obtained by the Tribune-Review. So far, all of the ads are from Republicans. Advertising data shows the Pittsburgh market received 18,074 Gross Rating...
Infrastructure funding could clear way for Pittsburgh to get added passenger rail service
Funding from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed last year will clear the way for Pittsburgh to receive more passenger rail service to Harrisburg and points east, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. Expanding passenger rail service eastward from Pittsburgh has been discussed for years. “With this infusion of federal money,...
Pittsburgh Public Schools to launch national search for new superintendent
Pittsburgh Public Schools is looking to hire consultants to help it conduct a national search for a new superintendent. Former PPS superintendent Anthony Hamlet resigned in October after the district received criticism over in-person schooling decisions related to the pandemic and the Pennsylvania Ethics Commission found Hamlet violated the state’s...
Students ‘no longer members’ of Winchester Thurston after video mocking George Floyd
Multiple students no longer attend Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh after the social media posting of a viral video mocking the death of George Floyd, according to a letter from the head of the school. A video, filmed inside Winchester Thurston’s upper school campus in Shadyside, was posted two weeks...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey scraps shuttle portion of Mon-Oakland Connector project
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday that the proposed Mon-Oakland Connector project will no longer include a shuttle program, which was widely considered the most controversial part of the infrastructure project that seeks to connect research hubs in Oakland and Hazelwood. The Mon-Oakland Connector initially included a proposed roadway that...
Upgrades underway at Negley busway station in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside
Construction work has begun at Port Authority of Allegheny County’s Negley Station on the East Busway, where improvements to the popular transit stop in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside are expected to be completed over the next several months. Port Authority’s plans include a new ramp and stairs from South Negley Avenue, new...

