Julia Burdelski stories, Page 3
Allegheny County Council members concerned about employees working with ICE
Allegheny County Council members during a Thursday meeting raised concerns that some county employees may be cooperating with U.S. Customs and Immigration enforcement. Six council members last month sponsored a bill that would prohibit the county from cooperating with ICE. The bill comes amid an uptick in ICE actions and...
Multifamily housing could sprout from a 13-story former office building in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is seeking a new buyer to take over its former Downtown office building. The URA moved out of 200 Ross St. about five years ago. The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh and several city departments who used the building have since left, too, all...
Casa San Jose to move into new building in Beechview
Casa San Jose is working virtually amid an uptick in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions — but when they return to in-person programming, they’ll have a new facility. The nonprofit immigrant advocacy organization is buying a building on Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood — which has a significant...
Man killed in fall from building in Downtown Pittsburgh
A man died after falling from a building in Downtown Pittsburgh Thursday morning, public safety officials said. The fatal fall was reported around 11 a.m. Medics pronounced the man dead at the scene. He landed on scaffolding from an unknown height, police said. Officials did not immediately identify the man....
New effort aims to clean, maintain Pittsburgh’s riverfronts
Pittsburgh’s three rivers are often the first image that comes to mind when people think of the city. They welcome visitors emerging from the Fort Pitt Tunnel and dominate the skyline shots shown on television whenever Pittsburgh is in the spotlight, Mayor Corey O’Connor said. A new partnership between the...
Compromise sought to salvage controversial $6M Pittsburgh master plan
A Pittsburgh councilman has offered a compromise that could pave the way for consultants to finish a costly, controversial master plan for the city. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, previously pushed for clawing back about $2 million that had not yet been spent on the $6 million effort. On Wednesday, he...
Pittsburgh push to regulate Airbnb, other short-term rentals, draws mixed reviews
Depending on who’s talking, short-term rentals are either depleting Pittsburgh’s housing stock and destroying local communities or helping the local economy and providing visitors with options beyond hotels. The dueling opinions were presented Wednesday to Pittsburgh City Council members, who are contemplating regulating short-term rentals like those through Airbnb and...
Pittsburgh councilwoman pushes for better sidewalk snow removal
After a massive storm late last month dumped about a foot of snow on Pittsburgh, many sidewalks, parking spots and transit stops remained covered for days. That made it challenging for people, especially those who are physically disabled, to navigate the snow, slush and ice. It’s a problem Councilwoman Barb...
Pittsburgh council approves 1 ballot question for May primary
Pittsburgh voters casting ballots in the May primary will be asked whether the city should change its requirement that notice for public hearings be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation. That includes notice for hearings pertaining to the budget and zoning changes. City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill...
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis stumps in Pittsburgh for boosting 211 help line budget
About a decade ago, Erica Evans was a single mother who had just lost her job as an at-home caregiver. She was living on the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh, where someone handed her a card for 211, the statewide phone line that connects people with a variety of public and...
Ed Gainey gets new job on Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Former Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey secured a new job on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. He was appointed by Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and sworn in Thursday, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach told TribLive Friday. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is an independent state agency tasked with...
Black History Month display at City-County Building honors Vashon family
When people think of abolitionists, they probably think of well-known figures like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman or William Lloyd Garrison. But Paul N.D. Thornell — great-great-grandson of abolitionist John B. Vashon — is striving to ensure his family is remembered in those conversations, too. “Oftentimes, I think historians and history...
What urgently needed vehicles will Pittsburgh buy with $27M?
Even as Pittsburgh officials laud significant donations that will pay for new ambulances and snowplows, pressure is mounting to buy updated fire trucks, too. Ralph Sicuro, who leads the union representing city firefighters, on Friday urged the Equipment Leasing Authority board to prioritize fire truck purchases as nearly half the...
Innamorato launches Housing Investment Fund to ‘address full spectrum of housing needs’
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Thursday signed an executive order creating a new housing strategy, including a fund aimed at investing in affordable and workforce housing. Dubbed HOUSING for All, the order directs county agencies to work with nonprofit, municipal and private partners to “address the full spectrum of...
Walnut Capital seeks exception from inclusionary zoning mandate in Oakland apartment project
Pittsburgh developer Walnut Capital is asking the city’s zoning board to allow it to build a new apartment complex in Oakland without earmarking any units as affordable housing. Oakland is one of several neighborhoods — along with Lawrenceville, Bloomfield and Polish Hill — where Pittsburgh’s inclusionary zoning ordinance mandates that...
Pittsburgh property owners could see later deadline for early-filing discount
Pittsburgh property owners are set to get a bit more time to take advantage of the tax discount offered to early filers. Mayor Corey O’Connor and City Council members want to extend the deadline for the 2% property tax discount by one week, to February 17 from February 10. Officials...
Pittsburgh council confirms O’Connor’s picks for police chief, public safety director
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Jason Lando as police chief and Sheldon Williams as public safety director. The pair have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since Mayor Corey O’Connor took office last month. A Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police force, Lando...
Work underway to make Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle shine under lights of NFL draft
Downtown Pittsburgh is undergoing a facelift before the 2026 NFL Draft shines a massive spotlight on the city in April. Efforts include modernizing Market Square, opening pop-up retail options, filling empty storefronts with art installations and fixing cracked sidewalks, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Jeremy Waldrup said in a virtual quarterly...
Mayor lauds Pittsburgh teen for securing 20,000-pound cereal donation
Ender Lin combined a love of cereal and a desire to help his neighbors to secure a massive food donation that will feed thousands of families in the Pittsburgh region. Ender, 13, of Squirrel Hill, penned a letter to Kellogg, telling the company about “all the amazing things” done by...
Broken plows, inexperienced drivers contributed to Pittsburgh’s snow removal woes, mayor says
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday pointed to broken-down snowplows and inexperienced drivers as key reasons the city struggled last week to clear nearly a foot of snow from the streets. O’Connor said he hopes to remedy both problems before next winter. “We did what we could,” O’Connor said, adding...
PNC Foundation to give Pittsburgh $2M for snow removal equipment
As Pittsburgh crews struggle to plow and salt roads after a massive snowstorm, officials Thursday announced the PNC Foundation will give the city $2 million to buy new snow removal equipment. The foundation’s contribution will fund 15 new vehicles this year for the city’s Department of Public Works. “Last weekend’s...
Pollution control equipment breaks down at Clairton Coke Works
The Allegheny County Health Department has found no indication of a long-term health emergency after U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works experienced a breakdown of pollution control equipment this week. A breakdown occurs when equipment stops working properly and releases more pollution than usual, county health officials said in a statement...
Parkway East’s ‘bathtub’ area reopens after water main break
A stretch of the Parkway East known as the bathtub is reopened Thursday afternoon after a water main break had forced a closure. The portion of I-376 inbound between Grant Street and the Fort Pitt Bridge and the on-ramp from Grant Street to westbound I-376 reopened before 3 p.m., the...
UPMC gives $10M to Pittsburgh for ambulances, freeing up money for snowplows
UPMC on Thursday donated $10 million to Pittsburgh for new ambulances, freeing up money for the city to also buy additional snowplows. Mayor Corey O’Connor joined UPMC President and CEO Leslie Davis at a Downtown medic station — standing in front of a 31-year-old ambulance that has been driven over...
Pittsburgh ‘nowhere near done’ plowing, hauling away snow, mayor says
Crews are still working around the clock to plow and salt roads and haul away massive loads of snow from Pittsburgh’s streets, Mayor Corey O’Connor said Wednesday afternoon. About a foot of snow pummeled Pittsburgh on Sunday, marking the snowiest day the city had seen in 16 years. O’Connor in...
