Pittsburgh category, Page 244
Pittsburgh Jewish, Black leaders call out Doug Mastriano for ties to Gab social platform
A group of prominent Jewish and Black Pittsburgh leaders on Thursday condemned Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano for his ties to the right-wing social media platform Gab. Gab is a site accessed by the accused Tree of Life shooter Robert Bowers, who used the platform to share conspiracy theories targeting...
Pittsburgh Public Schools taps Wayne Walters as superintendent
Wayne Walters, who has been working as interim superintendent, will become the permanent head of Pittsburgh Public Schools after a national search concluded he remained the top candidate to fill the role, school board officials said Thursday. School board President Sala Udin pointed to Walters’ “career-long dedication to high standards,”...
Activist pleads guilty to trying to set fire to 2 Pittsburgh pizza shops
A Pittsburgh activist and art curator said that when she attempted to start a fire at two different pizza shops one night in October 2019 that she was mentally exhausted from fighting against a racist system. “My brain broke,” Nicky Jo Dawson told a judge on Thursday. “It, literally, was...
Pittsburgh father seeks help in finding daughter’s killer a year later
Ten days shy of one year since his daughter was gunned down on a Pittsburgh street, Robert Washington pleaded for help not only catching his own child’s killer, but for help catching the culprits in all of the city’s unsolved homicides. “We need some closure,” said Washington, whose 27-year-old daughter...
Ex-Pitt emergency management director gets probation for stealing/reselling PPE
Christopher Casamento earned $95,000 as the director of emergency management at the University of Pittsburgh. It was a job he went to school for and loved. But he lost it and more when he stole more than 13,000 pieces of personal protective equipment from the stockpile that he oversaw to...
Troy Hill Fire House granted historic designation
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday granted historic designation to the Troy Hill Fire House. The two-story brick structure, located on Ley Street, is now used for civil service purposes. The city’s Planning Commission unanimously recommended the site for historic designation, after the Historic Review Board made the same recommendation. City...
Pittsburgh Black Pride Week concert features Grammy winner Mya, Pittsburgh native Amir White
As he was growing up in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, Amir White would sing along and mimic television and radio – first the commercials, but not long after, the songs. “I think I was born to do music,” said White, who now splits his time between the Steel City and Atlanta...
Pittsburgh features LGBTQIA+ artists, local photographers in Gainey’s office
Local photographers and artists representing the LGBTQIA+ community gathered in Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s office Wednesday to see their work on display. The Pittsburgh Paints initiative — a project led by Gainey’s wife, Michelle — is a rotating art exhibition that features art meant to showcase Pittsburgh’s diversity. Each month,...
Pittsburgh launching new Office of Financial Empowerment
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration is using grant funding to launch a new Office of Financial Empowerment. “Overall, the purpose of the office is to help improve the financial resilience and well-being of residents through various financial empowerment initiatives,” Gainey spokesperson Maria Montaño said. The office will attempt to expand...
Pittsburgh opens cooling centers during heat wave
With temperatures expected to reach the 90s Wednesday around the area, Pittsburgh CitiParks is activating five Healthy Active Living Centers as cooling centers for those seeking refuge from the heat. In addition, 10 CitiParks Recreation Centers are being kept open into the evening and seven Healthy Active Living Senior Centers...
Donatelli’s Italian grocery in Bloomfield announces impending closure
After an unsuccessful attempt to sell off the family business, Donatelli’s Italian grocery store in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood announced Wednesday that it will be closing sometime in August. The storefront has sat on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Little Italy for more than 90 years. In 2021, owner/operator Russell Donatelli announced...
Allegheny Circle set to reopen for 2-way traffic
The $3.2 million project converting Allegheny Circle into a two-way roadway is nearly complete, officials with Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure said, and will be converted for two-way traffic Thursday evening. The roadway will be open to traffic during the conversion, though there will be isolated lane restrictions to...
Pittsburgh council approves $1.95 million in repairs to 30th Street Bridge
A local construction company will perform $1.95 million in repairs to Pittsburgh’s 30th Street Bridge. Pittsburgh City Council unanimously approved the measure Tuesday. The 30th Street Bridge — which connects Herr’s Island and River Avenue — is one of several city bridges in need of repairs and improvements. City Council...
Armstrong Tunnels in Pittsburgh to close for 3 hours Friday morning
The Armstrong Tunnels in Pittsburgh will close from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday for investigation work, according to the county’s Department of Public Works. During the closure, inbound drivers should use Second Avenue, Ross Street and Forbes Avenue, while outbound motorists should drive on Forbes Avenue, Chatham Square, Fifth...
Plan to convert unused Pittsburgh office spaces into housing gets $2.1M
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a measure to allocate $2.1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to an initiative that will convert unused Downtown offices into residential space. Officials said the project would provide much-needed housing and repurpose offices that have sat empty since much of the city’s...
Pittsburgh City Council adopts redistricting map
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved maps with updated council districts based off the most recent census. A nine-member Reapportionment Advisory Committee — formed in late September — drew up a version of the map based on the 2020 census. The map aimed to ensure that two of the city’s...
City Council approves $1.5M contract to assess Pittsburgh’s bridges
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a trust fund and contract assess the city’s bridges. Council approved a two-year, $1.5 million contract with WSP USA, an international company offering expertise and transportation and infrastructure, to manage the Comprehensive Bridge Asset Management Program. Mayor Ed Gainey announced the program amid concerns...
Abortion protection measures approved by Pittsburgh council
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved legislation that aims to preserve abortion access in Pittsburgh, even if it would be restricted at a state or national level. City Councilman Bobby Wilson sponsored three related measures in response to the recent Supreme Court decision that determined Americans do not have a...
Pittsburghers celebrate city’s name with ‘H Day’
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2018. It’s just one little letter, but it makes all the difference. We might not think much about the “h” on the end of Pittsburgh now, but back in the late 1800s and early 1900s it was removed by the federal government...
SWAT incident ends with no injuries in Hill District
Members of the Pittsburgh Police SWAT helped a woman escape late Monday from a Hill District home, where a man was threatening to hurt himself, according to public information officers. The man surrendered to police negotiators shortly after. Police said they were called to the Cherokee Street home around 10:15...
Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix has raised over $6 million for charity
Last year, vintage car driver Chris Longo recalled being worried something might be wrong with his vehicle before a race. Then he noticed some people nearby. The MGB GT’s condition became secondary. “We met a group of children with autism, and they were happy just to talk with us and...
2 hurt in Sheraden shooting, including 10-year-old
A 10-year-old boy was injured Monday night after a bullet struck him while he was inside a house in Pittsburgh’s Sheraden neighborhood, according to police. Officers responding to Zephyr Avenue around 9:30 p.m. said they used a tourniquet on the boy’s arm and he was taken to a hospital in...
‘Night in the Tropics’ welcomed 1,000 guests to celebrate National Aviary’s milestoneVideo
Bubba is a palm cockatoo. He has lived at the National Aviary since 1998. On Saturday, his likeness was featured in a painting by artist Maria DeSimone Prascak of the South Side Slopes. She created it in 3 minutes and 25 seconds in what’s called speed painting — creating a...
Woman testifies about deadly Penn Hills home invasion
A Penn Hills woman who was terrorized for hours during a 2018 home invasion described to a jury on Monday finding her fiance partially nude and hogtied after she was able to free herself from being bound by zip ties. Monica McWilson said she had been sleeping in the couple’s...
Pittsburgh says city cop gave unapproved interviews protesting vaccine mandate
A Pittsburgh Police detective protesting the covid-19 vaccine mandate for city employees has come under fire for giving unauthorized interviews to media outlets, including conservative sites that have been accused of spreading conspiracy claims. Her appearances and interviews were unscheduled and unapproved, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety...
