Pittsburgh category, Page 85
Ed Blank, former Tribune-Review critic and reporter, dies at age 81
Ed Blank, former critic and reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, passed away Wednesday at 81. No immediate cause of death is known, though he had been in ill health for some time, his family said. Edward L. Blank was the youngest of five children and moved from Shadyside to Mt....
From the Newsroom: Workers brave frigid temps to keep Pittsburgh operational
It’s been brutally cold this week in Western Pennsylvania. But, for some people, the job doesn’t stop just because the temperature drops. Justin Vellucci joins host Zac Gibson bringing the experience of Western Pennsylvania’s winter weather workers. This episode centers on stories and strategies from those workers to survive and...
Pittsburgh area chefs, eateries snag semifinal nominations for 35th annual James Beard Awards
Three Pittsburgh restaurants and their chefs are getting national attention after being named semifinalists in the 35th annual James Beard Awards. The chefs at vegan restaurant Apteka, located in Bloomfield, have been nominated for the fourth straight year for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic award, covering New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Maryland...
Smashed ‘N Fried to open inside Mondays Brewing in Greenfield
Soon patrons of Mondays Brewing Co. in Pittsburgh’s Greenfield neighborhood will be able to order a burger and french fries with their craft beer. Smashed ‘N Fried, a food truck that offers smash burgers and more, is opening its first brick-and-mortar location there. “You may think that burgers and fries...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership unveils plan to revitalize Golden Triangle
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership this week outlined a three-year strategic plan to revitalize the city’s Golden Triangle and realize a vision of a Downtown teeming with new residents and an array of businesses. The nonprofit wants to make the neighborhood cleaner, safer and more vibrant as part of its ongoing...
Effort to block Pittsburgh from doing business with Israel spurs City Council backlash
Pittsburgh City Council members want voters to make it official that the city cannot discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin or association with foreign nations when it conducts business. A measure to seek a referendum on the matter comes after a pro-Palestinian group last year sought to...
Pittsburgh councilman seeks more candor in wake of Scirotto refereeing fiasco
A Pittsburgh councilman wants people appointed to run city departments and bureaus to answer council’s questions under oath. The move by Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, comes after council learned that Larry Scirotto, the city’s former police chief, was less than candid during public questioning about whether he would continue to...
Man who pleaded guilty to delivering cocaine from his Maserati headed to prison
A Washington County man accused by police of driving a Maserati to deliver cocaine around the region, will serve 12½ years in federal prison. Dirk Barfield Jr., 38, was still on supervised released from a 2009 federal case when he was arrested on the new charges. According to federal prosecutors,...
Shadyside entrepreneur heats up the local hot sauce scene
Artie Pitt is livin’ the spice life. After a successful 20-plus-year career in the cannabis trade and music industries, Pitt is pursuing a lifelong love of making spicy foods — particularly hand-crafted hot sauce. Pitt launched Artie’s Hot Sauce in October 2023 after cooking up batches of hot sauce and,...
2025 Pittsburgh/Allegheny County homicide victims
A look at each of the homicides that have occurred in Allegheny County in 2025: Jan. 4: Dorrel Ferguson Dorrel Ferguson, 19, of Wilkinsburg was found fatally shot with a single gunshot wound to the upper torso on a Wilkinsburg sidewalk. Read more: Police: Man found dead on Wilkinsburg sidewalk...
Woman found shot dead in Pittsburgh’s Perry South
A woman was fatally shot Saturday in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, city police said. Officers said they were called at about 12:30 p.m. to the 100 block of Hawkins Avenue. At the scene, officers found a woman inside a home with a gunshot wound to the head, according to public...
Morning Roundup: Water line break creates icy road in South Side Slopes; fire in Beechview
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 22: Water line break in South Side A water main break in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood has left one street an icy mess. Crews were called to Mission Street near South 21st Street early Wednesday, according...
Gainey claims progress with Highmark on payments to Pittsburgh, but skeptics abound
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday announced that Highmark, one of the largest nonprofits operating in the city, is willing to make financial contributions to the city — but only if other major nonprofits pay up, too. In a statement, Gainey portrayed Highmark as taking a significant step forward to...
Cuddy’s Soul Food brings the feeling of family with every meal
On his day off, Charles Nelson, 51, co-owner of Cuddy’s Soul Food, is in the kitchen at his mom’s house. He’s helping her cook fried whiting fish, a nostalgic dish tied to Black culture and part of the tradition of Fried Fish Fridays, a Black tradition that is separate from...
Some Pittsburgh Restaurant Week establishments extending deals
The winter edition of Pittsburgh Restaurant Week has lived up to its name. Pittsburgh Restaurant Week is being extended for the first time because of last week’s inclement weather. Two days of snow accumulations led to diners canceling reservations. Snow isn’t predicted for this week but there are below-zero temperatures...
Pittsburgh zoo announces death of 17-year-old giraffe, Sox
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium on Sunday announced the death of Sox, a 17-year-old female Masai giraffe. The giraffe had been euthanized on Friday after a long bout with a chronic condition, the zoo said in the announcement. “Sox had been undergoing treatment for chronic degeneration of the bones in...
Penn Hills teacher killed in crash remembered for inspiring devotion to students
Joshua “Josh” Willy was a popular social studies and gifted program instructor at Penn Hills High School who was known for warmly welcoming students at the start of the school day and offering them inspiration and encouragement. The 49-year-old husband and father of three died Friday morning after his car...
Pittsburgh police say Oakland pedestrian hit by vehicle is in critical condition
A woman walking at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Neville Street in Oakland was in critical condition Friday night after being struck by a vehicle, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The news release said the incident happened as about 7:20 p.m. The woman, who was unconscious when first responders...
‘I view public service as a gift’: U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan stepping down
Every day after the close of testimony in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial — no matter how emotional or gruesome the evidence — U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan and the team of prosecutors met with the victims and family members. They answered their questions, explained the intricacies of the legal system...
Penn Hills teacher dies after plunging down Parkway East hillside near Squirrel Hill Tunnel
The Penn Hills School District is mourning the loss of one of its longtime and beloved teachers. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Joshua Willy, 49, of Oakdale was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash Friday morning beneath a bridge in Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood. Willy worked...
3 Democrats, 1 Republican vie to replace Pittsburgh Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith
Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhoods this year will elect a new City Council member for the first time since 2010, as Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith is poised to retire at the end of her term. Three Democrats and a Republican are running to replace her as the council member for District 2,...
Morning Roundup: Police charge 2 teens in knifepoint robberies; vehicle hits, injures woman carrying child
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 17: Police charge 2 teens in knifepoint robberies Two 15-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with two knifepoint robberies earlier this week at businesses on Pittsburgh’s South Side. Anthony Bennett of Pittsburgh and Adrian Butera of...
Pittsburgh author’s book chronicles her family’s journey with autism
Jennifer Briggs and her husband struggled through their early years as parents. Their daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old. She was nonverbal. It was a struggle to ensure she ate enough to stay healthy. “We’d tried lots of therapies, and nothing was working,” said Briggs, 47,...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 17-19
Some people love the snow and some people hate it, but like it or not, we’re stuck with the fluffy white stuff for now. Here are a variety of events where you can enjoy — or escape — winter this weekend. Mac Miller Tribute The late Pittsburgh-born rapper Mac Miller...
New safety measures coming to Oakland’s Terrace Street after fatal wrecks
In response to a string of crashes that killed pedestrians in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, the city and the University of Pittsburgh are implementing new safety measures along the Terrace Street corridor. Jessie Maroney, 37, of South Park, was killed in a hit-and-run crash crossing at Darragh and Terrace streets in...
