Looking back at the biggest Pittsburgh stories of 2019

Here’s a look look back at some of the biggest Pittsburgh news stories of 2019 as reported by the Tribune-Review.

Michael Rosfeld verdict

Former East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld was acquitted in March in the shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose II.

Rosfeld was on trial for shooting Rose three times as the teenager ran from a June 19, 2018 traffic stop in East Pittsburgh. His death sparked demonstrations for weeks throughout Pittsburgh and the suburbs that summer.

The March trial, held in Allegheny County with a jury selected from Dauphin County, lasted four days. Rosfeld faced one count of homicide. His acquittal sparked peaceful demonstrations in Downtown Pittsburgh and East Liberty.

Antwon Rose Sr. speaks pic.twitter.com/hVNxtnhC2G

— Megan Guza (@meganguzaTrib) March 23, 2019

Months later, the family of Rose reached a settlement with Rosfeld and the Borough of East Pittsburgh in a separate federal civil lawsuit. The lawsuit argued that Rosfeld’s actions were unlawful and unwarranted, and that practices, including a lack of training, at the East Pittsburgh Police Department partly caused Rose’s death.

The case was settled for $2 million. Rose’s family received about $1.1 million, with the rest going to attorneys to cover fees and costs.

Downtown Sinkhole

Pittsburgh rallied around a sinkhole that nearly swallowed a bus in Downtown Pittsburgh in October, spurring memes, merchandise and concerns about the city’s infrastructure.

The sinkhole — which measured about 100 feet long and 20 feet deep — opened up on 10th Street between Penn and Liberty as the bus was stopped at a traffic light during the morning rush. The rear of the 14-ton Allegheny County Port Authority Bus fell in. There were no injuries, but the bus damaged several utility lines belonging to Duquesne Light, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, Pittsburgh Allegheny County Thermal LTD and several telecommunications companies.

Busy day on Tenth Street in @DowntownPitt today.

Thanks to our @PghPublicSafety Bureaus, @pgh2o, @PGHtransit, @PGHTransitPD, & many other partners for your efforts today.

Thanks to the public for your patience. Please stay clear of the area for the foreseeable future. pic.twitter.com/W13QOQNh4r

— City of Pittsburgh (@CityPGH) October 29, 2019

City officials said water washed away soil supporting the street, but have not yet determined the specific cause of the street collapse.

Pittsburghers on social media had fun with the scene, floating conspiracy theories and cracking jokes about the city’s pot holes, bike lanes and Steelers’ losses. Local businesses capitalized on the viral Pittsburgh moment with sinkhole-themed ice cream sundaes, Christmas ornaments, T-shirts, tattoos and jewelry.

Mister Rogers Movie

Months of Tom Hanks sightings in the Pittsburgh area culminated with the debut of “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” in November.

The film portrayed the real-life friendship between Latrobe native Fred Rogers, played by Hanks, and a journalist assigned to profile him. It was shot in Pittsburgh and included several city landmarks, including WQED studios, one of the three Sister Bridges and the historic Omni William Penn Hotel.

Joanne Rogers and director Marielle Heller on the red carpet for ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ prior to its showing at SouthSide Works pic.twitter.com/YxzZ81PAQn

— JoAnne Harrop (@JHarrop_Trib) November 20, 2019

A red carpet gala and special screening was held in Pittsburgh’s South Side to celebrate the film.

Rogers’ wife, Joanne Rogers, made a cameo in the film as a diner in a restaurant scene. She attended the November screening, and told reporters that she loved the film and the accurate sets.

Gun legislation

Pittsburgh City Council voted in April to approve a package of bills banning certain weapons in the city, sparking lawsuits from Second Amendment rights groups who argued that the legislation violates state law.

The three bills banned the possession and use of certain semiautomatic weapons as well as ammunition and accessories like large capacity magazines. They also permitted the courts to temporarily remove guns from a person deemed to be a public threat.

Council members Corey O’Connor of Swisshelm Park and Erika Strassburger of Squirrel Hill proposed the legislation following a mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill in 2018.

Mayor Bill Peduto signed the bills in April.

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto signs gun legislation aimed at banning certain weapons in the city and keeping guns out of the hands of people deemed public threats pic.twitter.com/mKhcixoQqc

— Nate Smallwood (@nsmallwoodphoto) April 9, 2019

Second Amendment rights groups took the city to court and an Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge struck down the ordinances in October. The city is appealing the ruling in state Commonwealth Court.

UPMC and Highmark contract

Health care giants UPMC and Highmark struck a deal in June that will allow Western Pennsylvanians to access hospitals and doctors across both networks for the next ten years.

The two were scheduled to split June 30. Patients insured with Highmark would have lost access to 11 hospitals. Those still using UPMC doctors and facilities would have confronted a controversial “prepay-in-full” rule.

The new 10-year contract covers most patients within the 29-county region included in the agreement; however, some patients will still not have access to both networks, depending on their health care plan.

“This is a big deal,” #PA @GovernorTomWolf said of the 10-year truce between #Pittsburgh-based health giants Highmark and UPMC.

Says that the boards of each nonprofit behemoth voted on the deal today. Now it awaits final approval by the Department of Insurance. pic.twitter.com/oM4P0jvgE9

— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) June 24, 2019

The agreement also does not cover patients in Central Pennsylvania, where both systems are expanding.

Steel Curtain rolls

Kennywood debuted the Steel Curtain, a Steelers-themed roller-coaster that stands 220 feet tall with a 205-foot drop. The two-minute, 4,000-foot-long ride consists of nine inversions and tops out at 75 mph. It also breaks the record of the world’s tallest inversion at 197 feet.

Jack and Gavin from HARRISON (AK Valley represent) in the front row for the FIRST RIDE on the #SteelCurtain!!!! #steelers #kennywood #sneakpeak #valleynews @TribLIVE @VNDNews pic.twitter.com/Y2xRayxpIh

— Maddy Lee (@MLeeTrib) July 12, 2019

The coaster earned the Best New Roller Coaster award at an industry event in September.

But it didn’t ride without a hitch. The coaster suffered several outages and closings in its first few weeks.

‘Stronger Than Hate Day’

Pennsylvania lawmakers on April 10 established the state’s official “Stronger Than Hate Day” to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Tree of Life in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. A gunman on Oct. 27, 2018, opened fire inside the synagogue, killing 11 people. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.

Speakers make remarks at a memorial service at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland, marking one year since the Tree of Life shooting on Oct. 27, 2019. pic.twitter.com/q2RqH30q1x

— Nate Smallwood (@nsmallwoodphoto) October 27, 2019

The joint legislative session to create the special day was just the third in history. Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly previously came together to remember the 9/11 terrorists attacks and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.