Pittsburgh category, Page 166
Former Pittsburgh police chief dead at 81
Former Pittsburgh police Chief Earl Buford Jr. has died. Buford, who led the city force from 1992 to 1995 and was just the second minority to hold the top post, died July 25, according to police spokeswoman Cara Cruz said Monday. Buford was 81. Born on April 9, 1942, in...
Jurors deliberating whether Pittsburgh synagogue shooter is sentenced to death or life in prison
Eleven times, the prosecutor repeated the same sentence, changing only the subject. “Her loss, alone, is sufficient to justify a sentence of death.” “His loss, alone, is sufficient to justify a sentence of death.” Eleven times, one for each person killed in the mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue nearly...
Morning Roundup: Man shot in foot in Beltzhoover
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, July 31: Man shot in foot in Beltzhoover Pittsburgh police are investigating a shooting Sunday night in the city Beltzhoover’s neighborhood. Officers responded around 11:15 p.m. to reports of 24 rounds fired in the 200 block of Industry...
Teen killed in Mt. Oliver shooting
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy Sunday night in Mt. Oliver. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Andrew Lavaughn Smith of Pittsburgh. Police responded to a report of shots being fired in the 400 block of Brownsville Road around 9:15 p.m. Pittsburgh...
Week 7 recap: Defense offers two dozen witnesses in effort to save synagogue shooters’ life
Over the past two months, 130 people have testified as part of the trial for the man convicted of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue. They have described the terror inside the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018. They have spoken lovingly of those killed. They...
Squirrel Hill holds complicated feelings about death penalty for synagogue shooter
Many in Squirrel Hill hate Pittsburgh synagogue shooter Robert Bowers. But their feelings about how to punish him as his federal trial nears a conclusion are as unique as the individuals themselves. Lori Kline grew up in this tree-shaded East End neighborhood, where roughly half the residents are Jewish and...
Pittsburgh council debates program to cut sidewalk repair costs
Pittsburgh residents and business owners are responsible for repairing the city sidewalks at their properties, but a pilot program proposed by city officials looks to make the process easier and more affordable. Legislation before City Council would create a pilot program that would see Department of Public Works crews performing...
Dormont home health aide sexually assaulted Pittsburgh woman with physical disabilities, police say
A Pittsburgh woman with physical disabilities was sexually assaulted by her aide, according to city police. Police have charged the aide, Vanessa C. Callender, 30, of Dormont, with one felony count of institutional sexual assault, court records show. Callender was arraigned Friday and District Judge Anthony M. Ceoffe set her...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s relatives describe a joyless, withdrawn child
Patricia Fine wishes she could have understood what it meant. She recognized that her 4-year-old nephew was quiet and withdrawn. That he was sad. “He didn’t get excited and giggly. He didn’t get mad,” she testified Friday. “He was always the same. He didn’t have joy.” But Fine, who is...
Carnegie Mellon University gets approval to build new robotics center at Hazelwood Green
Carnegie Mellon University has received approval from Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission to move forward with plans for a new robotics center at the Hazelwood Green site. The university is planning to build a 150,000-square-foot research building with a two-story enclosure for testing robots and drones, according to Bob Reppe, the school’s...
Paying it forward: ‘The Give Back Kid’ spreads positivity
Jamal Woodson recalled a time he had $2 for the week for food. “I bought a $1 loaf of bread and a $1 bottle of hot sauce and made sandwiches for the week,” the Murrysville resident said. “I added water and toasted the bread. It was a feeling I don’t...
‘The Confluence’ news program on WESA radio to end production
WESA’s flagship daily morning news show “The Confluence” will end next week, according to a statement from the station’s management. Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting President and CEO Terry O’Reilly announced Friday that the show would air for the last time Aug. 4. PCBC owns WESA-FM, the local NPR affiliate, and WYEP....
Some Squirrel Hill business owners miffed over newly painted purple curbs — here’s why
John Mineo hadn’t heard about Pittsburgh’s smart loading zone pilot program until he saw crews painting the curbs purple outside of his Squirrel Hill pizza shop. He said he’s upset city officials didn’t work with business owners before implementing a new system that he says is hurting businesses. City officials...
Police crackdown in Downtown Pittsburgh results in more arrests for drugs, prostitution
To passersby, it might have appeared innocent — just a group of Pittsburghers smoking Downtown. But Pittsburgh police suspected otherwise. Myriah Morris, a 22-year-old Penn Hills woman with dyed-blue hair, was sitting with several people on a Mellon Square Park wall Saturday night. Though she didn’t smoke, she kept taking...
TacoMania festival happening at SouthSide Works
Tacos, tacos and more tacos will be on the menu Sunday with TacoMania Super Fest at SouthSide Works. A dozen food trucks will be shelling out the popular food item. “People love tacos because they are a hand held food, and there are so many variations infusing so much flavor,”...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 28-30
We’ve reached the final weekend of July. It’s going to be a hot one. Here are some ways to spend it. Party on the submarine The USS Requin Steel Beach Picnic is Saturday on the submarine behind the Carnegie Science Center on the North Shore. A Steel Beach Picnic is...
Pittsburgh officials look to shift covid relief funds to other projects
Pittsburgh officials are looking to reallocate millions in federal covid-19 relief funds to invest in public safety vehicles, landslide remediation and other projects. Legislation before City Council would shift American Rescue Plan Act money to projects that “we need to spend money on now,” City Council Budget Director Peter McDevitt...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter ‘actively attempted to present himself as less ill,’ psychiatrist says
The man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue nearly five years ago doesn’t want people to think he’s mentally ill. So much so, a psychiatrist testified Thursday, that when experts questioning Robert Bowers about his alleged delusions have implied that his thoughts are bizarre, he retracts them....
Crews repair water main break in Lawrenceville
A 6-inch water main break that shut down 40th Street in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood was repaired early Friday morning. Officials said the break, which occurred about 5:20 p.m. Thursday near the 40th Street Bridge, was patched by 1:15 a.m. Friday. “There have been no residential customers that have been affected...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter could earn more privileges in supermax prison, expert says
A federal prison expert who testified Wednesday about harsh conditions Robert Bowers could expect at the Bureau of Prisons’ only super-maximum security facility if he receives a life sentence said Thursday during cross-examination that he also could earn privileges for good behavior. That could mean more phone calls, recreation and...
Bedford Dwellings to receive $62.5M makeover in Hill District redevelopment project
A $62.5 million redevelopment project that will bring new apartments and townhouses to Pittsburgh’s Hill District is moving forward. The Bedford Dwellings project, approved this week by the city’s Planning Commission, is being led by the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh-based Trek Development Group. Plans include...
Squirrel Hill community group may rethink contentious Irish Centre development
A proposal to build housing at the Irish Centre site near Pittsburgh’s Frick Park that received immediate outrage from community groups may be getting a second chance. Toronto-based Craft General proposed a 162-unit apartment complex in May at the former Irish Centre site in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The proposal...
Man charged in fatal Downtown Pittsburgh shooting
An arrest warrant has been issued for a man who police said killed another man in October in Downtown Pittsburgh. Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV reported that Lawrence White, 44, is facing homicide charges in connection with the shooting death of Perry Bagley, 47. The shooting happened around 11:20 p.m. Oct....
Speckled Egg, Commonplace Coffee share a dining space in SouthSide Works
Pitt students Lila Ost, Bella Jameson and Ellie Hawkey had breakfast al fresco on Wednesday. The incoming seniors were looking for a coffee shop, which they found with Commonplace Coffee. What the trio also discovered was The Speckled Egg hosting a grand opening in the shared space. The Speckled Egg...
17-year-old dies in Schenley Park stabbing
A 17-year-old was killed in a stabbing early Thursday morning in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Brandon Thomas, 17, of Pittsburgh. Police from Zone 4 were called to an area under Panther Hollow Bridge just before 12:30 a.m. for reports of...
