Ryan Deto stories, Page 43
What’s the post-pandemic future of Downtown Pittsburgh development?
With the rise in remote work during the pandemic, headlines across the country spelled doom for downtown business districts. Business districts, including Downtown Pittsburgh, were hit hard by the pandemic, with office spaces emptying out because of covid concerns and small businesses that normally serve Downtown workers closing. Yet, Jeremey...
Maria Montaño named press secretary for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said Monday that he has appointed Maria Montaño to be his administration’s press secretary. With the appointment, Montaño becomes the city’s first openly transgender woman to serve as a mayoral press secretary. “She brings a wealth of communications, media and lived experience to my administration, and...
Focus of Pittsburgh’s proposed Mon Oakland Connector project changes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said shortly before taking office in January that the proposed Mon Oakland Connector project would be put on hold pending an internal and independent review from the city controller. It appears the project would have a much different focus than originally planned if it does move...
Starbucks workers at Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield store join nationwide unionization wave
Workers at the Starbucks location in Bloomfield on Friday became the first of the coffee chain’s employees in the Pittsburgh region to file to unionize. This comes as a wave of unionization has hit the international coffee giant, including efforts at more than 60 stores across 14 states. Pittsburgh’s push...
Port Authority says bridge shift caused by water penetration, freezing temperatures
Port Authority of Allegheny County said Thursday that one of its bridges likely shifted last week because water penetrated a portion of its concrete support structure and then expanded when temperatures plummeted below freezing. The Port Authority closed the Saw Mill Run Boulevard Bridge that carries light-rail cars and buses...
Original Oyster House announces updated hours and ‘new tradition’
The Original Oyster House in Market Square serves up very popular fish sandwiches, and to prepare for its busiest time of the year it has announced a “new tradition.” Owner Jen Grippo said the restaurant will be closed during the month of January — annually — moving forward as a...
Fetterman a no-show so far in U.S. Senate candidate forum series
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Braddock, is facing criticism for failing to sign up for an online candidate event organized by a coalition of Democratic political groups in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The SWPA Grassroots Coalition is hosting a series this month where Democratic U.S. Senate...
E-scooter bill would clear way for more Pennsylvania cities to join Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh last year became the first city in Pennsylvania to legalize low-speed electric scooters and, as part of a two-year pilot, Spin e-scooters became available to rent for use on city streets. Now, a bill moving through the state Senate would allow select Pennsylvania cities, including Greensburg and New Kensington,...
Pittsburgh to receive $30M for public transit in 1st infrastructure bill allocation
The Pittsburgh region is receiving more than $30 million in transit funding from the infrastructure law passed in November, but it remains unknown how the region’s largest transit agency will use the money. The money is coming from the $234 million allocated for Pennsylvania and is earmarked for the first...
Martell Covington wins District 24 nominating session, favored to finish out state House term
Martell Covington, a legislative aide to Democratic state Sen. Jay Costa, won the Democratic nomination to appear on an upcoming special election ballot for state House District 24. Covington’s win at the Allegheny County Democratic Committee nominating session held at the Kingsley Center in Larimer on Saturday will likely secure...
Pittsburgh out of running to host 2024 Republican National Convention
Pittsburgh is out of the running to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, Politico reported. The news outlet reported from Salt Lake City — where the Republican National Committee is currently meeting — that RNC members are scheduled to visit other cities being considered for the political convention but not...
Big Spring Spirits to open distillery, public marketplace near Pittsburgh’s Station Square
Development near Station Square on Pittsburgh’s South Side has already brought apartment complexes, offices and a highline park overlooking the Monongahela River. Next up is a planned six-story complex with a craft distillery, a public marketplace showcasing local vendors and a rooftop bar with views of the Downtown skyline. The...
Allegheny County has plans to repair all of its poorly rated bridges
Allegheny County said Thursday that it plans to repair, replace or remove all 27 of its poorly rated bridges within the next few years. In the wake of last week’s collapse of the poorly rated Fern Hollow Bridge, which was owned and maintained by the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County...
12 infrastructure fails in the Pittsburgh region, including Fern Hollow Bridge
Last week, catastrophe struck Frick Park as the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed and tumbled to the ravine floor. Fortunately, no one was killed or seriously injured, but the collapse took several vehicles with it, including a Port Authority bus. The collapse made national headlines, and even garnered attention from President...
State Rep. Carrie DelRosso announces run for lieutenant governor
Another Pittsburgh-area politician is entering the crowded race for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor as state Rep. Carrie DelRosso, R-Oakmont, announced Wednesday that she is seeking the Republican nomination. A Scranton native who settled in the Pittsburgh region after attending the University of Pittsburgh, DelRosso won an upset victory in 2020 when...
Congressional candidate Summer Lee picks up SEIU endorsement after unions split last year
State Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, has united two of Pennsylvania’s largest service workers unions in her bid for U.S. Congress. A year after SEIU 32BJ (Service Employees International Union) and SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania split their endorsements in Pittsburgh’s mayoral race, the two large unions have come together to endorse Lee...
Crane pulls Port Authority bus from Frick Park bridge wreckageVideo
The operator of a towering crane pulled a 60-foot Port Authority bus from the wreckage of Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge just before sunset Monday, punctuating a cleanup that also saw workers remove at least one other vehicle three days after the span collapsed. The 21-ton bus was first secured with...
Biden touts infrastructure importance in Pittsburgh visit after bridge collapse
With foundations literally crumbling in Pittsburgh on Friday after a bridge in Frick Park collapsed, President Biden visited the city to tout the importance of infrastructure funding recently allocated by Congress. In front of a crowd of invited guests and media at Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research and development...
Biden visits site of Pittsburgh bridge collapse
President Joe Biden surveyed damage at the site of a bridge collapse in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park early Friday afternoon in the first of two stops planned in the city. Biden was planning to go next to Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research and development center in Hazelwood. The trip was...
What to expect from President Biden’s Pittsburgh visit
President Joe Biden will visit Pittsburgh on Friday to tout the recently passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with a stop planned at Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research and development center in Hazelwood. Pittsburgh Public Safety said Thursday that motorists should expect some delays and road closures because of the...
East Liberty development put on hold amid opposition from Kelly Strayhorn Theater
A six-story, mixed-use development proposed for the 5900 block of Penn Avenue in East Liberty was delayed this week after a unanimous vote by the Pittsburgh Planning Commission. The vote on Tuesday came after representatives from the Kelly Strayhorn Theater and other Pittsburgh residents raised objections to the development, and...
Momentum builds for East Busway expansion into Mon Valley
Port Authority of Allegheny County has received a federal grant to put toward planning work for a possible extension of the East Busway from Swissvale to the East Pittsburgh area, another sign of momentum building for extending the busway into the Mon Valley. Allegheny County and Port Authority officials acknowledged...
Here’s how and where to pick up free N95 masks in Western Pa.
The federal government this week will begin providing free N95 masks to those who want them by dipping into the Strategic National Stockpile and distributing the masks throughout the country. The administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to be picked up for free at local pharmacies and community...
