Morning Roundup: Free health clinic at convention center; traffic calming projects start in Hill District

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Oct. 23:

Free health clinic set at convention center

Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh this weekend will host an annual free dental, vision and hearing clinic at Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Free services are available to adults and children 2 and older. There are no income, insurance or other eligibility requirements.

Nearly 2,000 dentists, clinicians, opticians, ophthalmologists, nurses, imaging technicians and other volunteers will be on hand, according to the nonprofit group.

Doors will open at 6 a.m. Friday and Saturday and close once capacity is reached. Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis.

People will be able to receive an array of services, including dental exams, cleanings, fillings, tooth extractions, root canals, eye exams, eyeglass fittings, prescription eyeglasses, hearing screenings and hearing aids. People with high blood pressure will receive free home monitoring devices from the American Heart Association. Pediatric dentists will offer specialized care for kids.

“This year’s clinic will once again help those individuals who suffer in pain because of lack of insurance or financial hardship,” said Dr. Daniel Pituch, co-founder of Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh and chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at UPMC Mercy and UPMC Shadyside. “The entire building will be filled with compassionate people who donate their time, their energy and their talents for one purpose: to provide access to vital care for our most vulnerable neighbors in the community.”

Last year, 58% of Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh patients had no insurance and 35% arrived experiencing dental pain. The nonprofit last year served 1,676 patients, and conducted over 9,000 dental procedures, nearly 700 eye exams and over 400 hearing exams. Nearly $2.37 million in services — including 552 free pairs of eyeglasses and 586 free hearing aides — were provided last year.

State police seek runaway teen

Pennsylvania State Police are looking for a runaway who left an Adelphoi treatment center Wednesday.

Taliyah Torres, 15, was last seen around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, state police said, and was headed toward Route 981 in Latrobe. She was wearing black pants and a red sweatshirts and is described as being 157 pounds with dark hair and eyes.

❗️Runaway❗️The below Taliyah Torres Ran away from Adelphoi today roughly 6:15AM. Last seen wearing black pants red sweat shirt headed towards 981 in Latrobe. 15YOA, 507, 157lbs, dark hair and eyes.
Sorry, Only a black and white pictures provided.
Call 911 w/ info pic.twitter.com/uI8qh2BMf6

— Troopers Steve Limani & Cliff Greenfield (@PSPTroopAPIO) October 22, 2025

Anyone with information is asked to call 911.

Pittsburgh announces traffic calming projects in Hill District

Pittsburgh officials this week started a pair of traffic calming projects aimed to reduce crashes in the city’s Hill District.

The first project, on Bryn Mawr Road in the Upper Hill, will include three speed humps and a speed table, plus crosswalk updates between Milwaukee and Iowa streets.

The improvements come after six crashes — including a fatal wreck — along that stretch from 2020-24, city officials said. About 65% of drivers traveling on Bryn Mawr Road exceed the 25 mph speed limit.

A second traffic calming project on Francis Street in the Middle Hill will include three speed bumps. It also will upgrade existing crosswalks to a piano key design for better visibility.

The project — which focuses on Francis Street between Wylie and Centre avenues — came over city officials conducted a traffic study that showed more than half of vehicles on that stretch were driving faster than the 25 mph speed limit. A maximum speed of 51 mph was recorded there.

“I am proud to bring forth so much investment in traffic safety to areas that have been typically left behind, especially when it comes to capital investments,” Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement.

Both traffic calming efforts are part of the city’s broader Vision Zero initiative, which aims to reduce to zero the number of fatal wrecks in the city each year.

Fire breaks out in North Braddock duplex

No injuries were reported after a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon inside a duplex in North Braddock.

The fire, reported just before 3 p.m., happened in the 800 block of North Avenue, according to TribLive news partner WTAE.

WTAE reported that the fire also spread to a neighboring duplex but was largely contained to the first building. The county fire marshal is investigating.

Police say man stashed gun in KFC garbage can

The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday announced the arrest of a man accused of hiding a gun in a KFC restaurant.

Stephon Smith, 39, was charged with two firearms counts and a count of receiving stolen property in May. Pittsburgh police were conducting a warrant patrol along Brownsville Road and saw him in the KFC parking lot with a weapon in his sweatpants, officials said.

According to the sheriff’s office, when Smith saw officers, he entered the KFC and went into the bathroom for less than a minute. An officer then found a black and silver .357 revolver under some paper in the trash can. Smith left the restaurant before officers could make an arrest, and a check of the weapon showed it was stolen.

This week, detectives from the sheriff’s office apprehended Smith in a suspected drug house on Westmont Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood. Officials said they also arrested five other individuals — who they did not name — who had bench warrants from Allegheny, Butler and Washington counties.

Parkway closures set in Robinson, Collier for anti-icing work

PennDOT announced overnight ramp closures on the inbound Parkway West (Interstate 376) starting Friday as crews install an anti-icing system.

The ramp that carries the parkway to northbound I-79 will close from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday into Saturday the next two weekends. It also will be closed from 6 p.m. through 5 a.m. each night Monday through Thursday next week.

The work is part of a $12.6 million Pennsylvania Department of Transportation project of between the Ridge Road and I-79 exits on the Parkway West. The project also will include ramp preservation work, overhead sign structure repairs, drainage improvements, guide rail updates and sign and pavement markings.

Most work is expected to be completed by the end of the year, with some work continuing through January.