Pittsburgh category, Page 386
Pittsburgh police brass tell city council they’re committed to reform
Pittsburgh police Chief Scott Schubert has walked a beat in about 30 of the city’s 90 neighborhoods in a quest to hear from the people about how they feel he’s doing the job. When he gets to all 90, he plans to start over because he wants to know what...
Pitt gets $2.5 million contract to study health effects of fracking
The Department of Health on Tuesday announced a $2.5 million contract with the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health to study possible health effects of fracking – particularly in Western Pennsylvania. “My administration is committed to ensuring that Pennsylvania is a healthy, vibrant place for all who call...
Police find body wrapped in plastic in Brighton Heights, woman detained
Police following up on a tip in a missing persons case found a body wrapped in plastic at a home in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood, authorities said. Police discovered the body about 8:15 a.m. at a home on California Avenue, said Maurice Matthews, a spokesman for the Department of Public...
Peduto: ‘$600 is not enough’ to help families struggling during pandemic
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he is “profoundly disappointed” that funding for cities and states was left out of the $900 billion pandemic relief package Congress passed Monday night. “With the exclusion of cities from this stimulus package, our first responders and front-line essential workers who have worked tirelessly during...
Affordable housing project planned in Polish Hill to help battle gentrification
A plan to build eight new affordable homes in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood received a $750,000 boost in a grant from a government-sponsored bank. The City of Bridges Community Land Trust was awarded the money from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh’s affordable housing program. Each federal home loan...
Police seek tips in search for missing Brighton Heights man
Pittsburgh police are asking for the public’s help locating a Brighton Heights man who has not been in contact with his family since Dec. 14. Deric Bryan Davis, 53, is bald and has brown eyes, stands 6-feet, 3-inches tall, weighs 200 pounds. Police add “he walks with a gait motion...
Police: Hill District shooting suspect captured
A Mt. Oliver man wanted on attempted homicide and other charges in connection with a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District has been captured. Renato Shealey, 40, was apprehended Monday evening and taken to the Allegheny County Jail. Pittsburgh police charged him with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery and firearms violations...
Point State Park gets to keep its Christmas tree
Looks like the Tree of Lights will be in Pittsburgh next year after all. The state decided to continue the Pittsburgh tradition by permitting the picturesque tree to be erected at Point State Park next year. In a reversal of a decision announced last month, the state Department of Conservation...
Overbrook woman announces bid to challenge Anthony Coghill for Pittsburgh council seatVideo
Describing herself as a “public servant and single mom,” Bethani Cameron announced Monday she will challenge Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill in the May 2021 Democratic primary for his District 4 council seat. Cameron, 38, of Overbrook, said she has “the experience and grit to fight for South Pittsburgh.” A...
Pittsburgh to pursue cultural competency training for public safety
Pittsburgh will spend $50,000 to provide cultural competency training under a proposal Mayor Bill Peduto’s office introduced Monday. The city and Peduto’s Office of Equity plan to partner with Pittsburgh-based Cultural Humility and Equity Collaborative to create a program for the city’s Department of Public Safety. The idea is to...
Pittsburgh council adopts 2021 budget, could be revised depending on federal covid reliefVideo
A 2021 Pittsburgh budget adopted by city council Monday is a “stop-gap” plan that is balanced and will need to be revised depending upon whether federal covid relief is ever approved for cities, Councilman R. Daniel Lavelle said. Although it doesn’t include a 50% cut in funding to the police...
Covid-19 vaccinations will start at long-term care facilities in Pennsylvania next week
Pharmacy workers from CVS Health will begin administering the covid-19 vaccine to residents and staff members in 2,283 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania starting Monday, Dec. 28. The Pfizer vaccine is being distributed under a phased plan starting with health care workers and residents and staff members...
Police: Man critically injured in Hill District shooting, suspect sought
Pittsburgh police are searching for a suspect who fled the scene after shooting a man in the city’s Hill District early Monday. Officers from the Zone 2 station in the Hill District and emergency medical technicians responded to a report of a man shot in the 400 block of Heldman...
Police: Neighbor rescues boy from house fire in Crafton Heights
A boy was rescued from a house fire Saturday evening in Crafton Heights when a neighbor climbed onto the second floor and helped the boy through a window, police said. First responders were called to the fire in the 1100 block of Fredonia Street around 4 p.m. When they arrived,...
Last call for sweets: Longtime Homestead bakery Blue Bonnet closing for good on Christmas Eve
The bread will no longer rise at Mantsch Blue Bonnet Bakery after Thursday. The longtime Homestead staple for fresh bread, homemade buns and tasty sweet treats from doughnuts to cakes to cookies is closing on Christmas Eve. “It’s time to retire,” said owner Michael Mantsch, 66, of West Mifflin, who...
New look, taste for Westmoreland-born Old Overholt, the country’s oldest whiskey brand
After 210 years of continuous production, America’s oldest whiskey brand — Westmoreland County-born Old Overholt — is undergoing a transformation. It’s part of a planned, long-range evolution to raise the iconic rye spirit from its customary, lower-shelf position alongside chums with names like Evan and Ezra to a top-shelf pantheon...
Medical examiner: Natrona Heights inmate died of heart disease in the Allegheny County Jail
A Natrona Heights man who was an inmate in the Allegheny County Jail died of heart disease last month, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner said Friday. Daniel Pastorek, 63, of Harrison, was found unresponsive in his cell on Thanksgiving at about 10:20 a.m., Warden Orlando Harper and the medical examiner...
TV Talk: Peggy Finnegan bids Pittsburgh viewers farewell as she retires from WPXI-TV
Humble to the end, retiring WPXI-TV news anchor Peggy Finnegan twice tried to make Channel 11’s farewell coverage about everyone else. On Friday’s noon newscast, anchor Gordon Loesch tried to celebrate Finnegan but she turned it around and praised his work as an anchor and reporter over his 17 years...
Regional energy consortium’s efforts net Pittsburgh top climate protection award
Pittsburgh’s efforts to purchase all of its energy from renewable resources using the Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium have netted the city top honors among large cities in the 2020 Climate Protection Awards presented Friday by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Mayor Bill Peduto was called a visionary by San Jose...
Family, friends honor Jafar Brooks with balloon release, memorial
In Arabic, the name Jafar means “rain or water that comes from heaven.” The words came from Khalid Samad, an activist from Cleveland who came to Homewood on Friday to pay his respects during a dedication to the young Jafar Brooks, who died Dec. 15 after being gunned down in...
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh receives Mellon Foundation grant for vaccine freezers
The Richard King Mellon Foundation has awarded $250,000 to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for the purchase of ultra-cold storage units – to help them hold and distribute the covid-19 vaccine. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the first doses of which were administered last week, requires storage in extremely cold temperatures –...
Voting still open for People’s Choice award in Pittsburgh’s Gingerbread House Display and Competition
There are 14 more days remaining to vote for the People’s Choice award in the City of Pittsburgh’s Gingerbread House Display and Competition. The recognition is new for the 18th annual event, which went virtual this year because of the pandemic. More than 1,500 votes have been cast for the...
Pittsburgh groups team up to feed people, pets during Christmas week
People aren’t the only ones facing food insecurity this holiday season. Pets need help as well. With that in mind, 412 Food Rescue and the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART) are teaming up to distribute food for people and pets experiencing food insecurity during Christmas week. On Wednesday, the...
Taming the pandemic: Pitt virologists forge ahead with coronavirus vaccineVideo
Millions of doses of the covid-19 vaccine have shipped around the nation, but virologist Sham Nambulli’s work is far from done. He rises daily in his South Fayette home, hops into his Toyota Camry and heads north on I-79 toward the Parkway West. His destination is the University of Pittsburgh’s...
Pittsburgh council sets weekend meeting for people to comment on 2021 budget
Dozens of Pittsburgh residents who have provided Pittsburgh City Council with comments on the 2021 budget have lamented when the meetings are generally scheduled – on weekday mornings. They’ve said many more people would offer input on the budget and what programs people would like to see the city prioritize...
