Pittsburgh category, Page 296
Pittsburgh public safety leader will not be part of new mayor’s administration
Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said he’s been informed that he will not be retained under Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s incoming administration. “We’ve seen lots of change, and even trying times together, and hopefully we were able to make a positive difference over these past six years,” Hissrich said Thursday...
More Peduto staffers announce departures
Three more senior administration officials on Thursday announced they would be leaving Pittsburgh government jobs ahead of Mayor-elect Ed Gainey taking office next week. Lindsay Powell, who serves as Mayor Bill Peduto’s assistant chief of staff and policy director, began working for the city in 2017 as a policy analyst....
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County stories of the year in 2021
The covid-19 pandemic continued to dominate daily news cycles this year in Western Pennsylvania and beyond. But many other news events occurred in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County in 2021 — including the election of Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor and the arrests of dozens of Western Pennsylvanians after the riot at...
Another key official in outgoing Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration announces departure
The director of Pittsburgh’s Office of Management and Budget plans to leave his role with the city in January, Mayor Bill Peduto announced Wednesday. Kevin Pawlos is the latest official in the Peduto administration to announce their departure in advance of Mayor-elect Ed Gainey’s inauguration next week. Pawlos began working...
Pittsburgh’s SWAT team responded to domestic incident in Knoxville; suspect surrenders
Pittsburgh’s SWAT team responded to a home in the city’s Knoxville neighborhood Tuesday night after receiving a 911 call for a domestic incident. Officers responded to the 200 block of Zara Street around 7:30 p.m. On scene, the caller told police a man was in the home armed with a...
Pamela’s Diner is closing in Squirrel Hill, but its other locations will remain
After 42 years in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Pamela’s Diner is closing. Closure of the restaurant was announced in a news release Tuesday by co-owners Gail Klingensmith and Pam Cohen who have several Pamela’s locations throughout the Pittsburgh area. All other Pamela’s locations will remain open. The decision was largely...
Disciplinary action initiated against 9 Pittsburgh police officers in tasing, death of man in Bloomfield
The Pittsburgh police have begun the disciplinary process for nine people involved in the October tasing and subsequent death of a homeless man. Mayor Bill Peduto confirmed on Tuesday that disciplinary action reports have started to be served following a Critical Incident Review Board that concluded about two weeks ago....
Pa. court rules against former Pittsburgh Councilwoman Darlene Harris in campaign finance case
A state appellate court ruled Tuesday that former Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Darlene Harris must pay fines levied against her for failing to file financial disclosure reports during her campaign in 2019. In a 20-page opinion, the Commonwealth Court found that the $4,150 fine levied against Harris was not excessive and...
Pittsburgh bans traffic stops for minor violations
Pittsburgh police will no longer be able to conduct traffic stops for minor, secondary violations. City Council on Tuesday approved legislation banning such traffic stops, despite calls from residents and one councilman for a public hearing ahead of a vote on the measure. The legislation, introduced by Councilman Ricky Burgess...
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey to be inaugurated in virtual ceremony
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Ed Gainey said Tuesday that his inauguration will be held virtually. He said he decided to hold his inauguration and swearing-in ceremony virtually “in accordance with guidance from public health officials.” The inauguration, scheduled for 1 p.m. Monday, will be streamed live on the city’s YouTube channel, Comcast...
Pittsburgh to partner with University of Cincinnati researchers to improve emergency response
Pittsburgh is looking to partner with the University of Cincinnati researchers to analyze police department data so the city can respond better to emergencies. The proposal, approved this month by City Council, would allow Pittsburgh police and the city’s Office of Community Health and Safety to partner with the university’s...
No injuries reported in 3-alarm fire in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood
No injuries were reported after two homes caught on fire Monday night in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, officials said. Firefighters responded to the 5200 block of Lytle Street around 10 p.m. for reports of the two alarm house fire, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokesman Maurice Matthews. First responders said they...
Making the cut: Pittsburgh Dave opens barbershop in Ross
Barber school students learn to use a straight razor by cutting a balloon covered in shaving cream. “You learn quickly how to shave someone’s face after the balloon breaks just one time,” said Dave Peters, known as Pittsburgh Dave, who recently opened Steel City Barber Lounge in the My Salon...
Juvenile shot in the back in Pittsburgh’s Perry North neighborhood
Pittsburgh Police found a juvenile with a gunshot wound on Tretow Street in the Perry North neighborhood on Sunday around 4:30 p.m. Police responded to reports of shots fired in the Viola Street area, which is near Tretow Street. The victim was shot in the back and was in stable...
Highland Park shooting leaves man in critical condition
A man shot on Christmas Day in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood was reported in critical condition, Pittsburgh police said. The unidentified victim was found in the road in the 5500 block of Avondale Place at around 5 p.m. Saturday, with what police believe were several gunshot wounds. Medics arrived and...
Pittsburgh police investigate death of woman in homeless camp
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a woman who died on Christmas Day in a homeless camp in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said. Colleen E. Curley, 39, of Pittsburgh, was pronounced dead at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Moultrie and Tustin streets, the medical...
Police: Multiple wounds send man to hospital following gunshots in Pittsburgh’s Woods Run
A man suffered multiple gunshot wounds as Pittsburgh police responded Friday afternoon to reports of shots fired in the city’s Woods Run neighborhood. The man, who was shot in the lower back and legs, was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety spokeswoman....
Feast of the Seven Fishes highlights Italian family tradition in Western Pa.
Dinnertime, for an Italian family, is sacred. It’s an opportunity to gather around the table, share a meal, drink some good wine and engage in great conversation. The spread on Christmas Eve represents the heart of this tradition. The Feast of the Seven Fishes — for which seven seafood items...
Lawsuit accuses Pitt of failing to pay for food service during pandemic
A food service provider is suing the University of Pittsburgh, alleging that the school failed to honor its contracts during the pandemic and owes the company more than $7 million. The lawsuit, filed by Sodexo Operations LLC, alleges breach of contracts on both the Oakland and Johnstown campuses and accuses...
Steelers great Franco Harris receives key to Pittsburgh on anniversary of Immaculate Reception
On the 49th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, Mayor Bill Peduto awarded the man who made the catch an honorary key to the city. Peduto called Franco Harris a hero not only for his football career, but also “for how he exemplifies everything that’s good about Pittsburgh.” “He’s a hero...
Peduto promotes longtime bodyguard to assistant chief of Pittsburgh police
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, in his last police promotion ceremony as mayor on Thursday, promoted his longtime bodyguard from sergeant to assistant chief, leapfrogging the ranks of lieutenant and commander. Peduto defended the relatively unorthodox move before Phil Carey was even sworn in as an assistant chief. “Many people ask...
City of Pittsburgh begins disciplining unvaccinated employees
The city of Pittsburgh announced Thursday that it has begun disciplining employees who have yet to be vaccinated against covid-19. Mayor Bill Peduto in November issued an executive order requiring all city employees — except those with an accepted medical or religious exception — to be fully vaccinated by Dec....
Wilkinsburg severs ties with borough development group over annexation debate
Wilkinsburg Borough Council has voted to sever all ties with the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation, the organization calling for Pittsburgh to annex the neighboring borough. The Wilkinsburg CDC — which initially was tasked with revitalizing Wilkinsburg’s main business corridor when it was formed in 2008 — has “failed in its...
Pittsburgh argues that Italian-American group has no right to challenge Columbus statue removal
Attorneys for the City of Pittsburgh said that a lawsuit filed against it last year to save the Christopher Columbus statue at Schenley Park ought to be dismissed because the organization that filed it doesn’t have standing. In documents filed last week in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, the city...
East End Cooperative Ministry steps up during pandemic
The poor are often invisible. “They don’t have buying power, they don’t have a political voice, because they can’t donate to campaigns and therefore are forgotten … invisible,” said Carole Bailey, CEO of East End Cooperative Ministry in East Liberty. “People in poverty do not consume news in the same...
