Julia Burdelski stories, Page 9

The City of Pittsburgh failed to collect more than $800,000 from Phipps Conservatory, the botanical garden complex in Oakland, as part of a longstanding utility reimbursement agreement, according to an audit released Tuesday by Controller Rachael Heisler. Phipps, a nonprofit, has since paid the city the bulk of that sum....

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday voted to halt a program that allows property owners to buy vacant city-owned properties for a steep discount. The Side Yard Sale Program allows property owners to purchase certain vacant, city-owned parcels that sit adjacent to their own for $200. But City Council on Tuesday...

Pittsburgh City Council will try today to uncover details about how lame-duck police Chief Larry Scirotto struck a secretive deal with Mayor Ed Gainey to return to part-time college basketball refereeing while also running the city’s police force. Council is expected to question Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt and Acting...

Buoyed by nearly $600 million of investments, a new plan for Downtown Pittsburgh unveiled Friday by Gov. Josh Shapiro includes nearly 1,000 new housing units, improvements to public spaces in the Golden Triangle and increased public safety efforts. “To have a strong and vibrant commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you have to...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering halting a program to sell vacant blighted properties on the cheap while council members debate who should be allowed to enjoy the discount. The Side Yard Sale Program allows property owners to purchase certain vacant, city-owned properties adjacent to their own for $200. Some council...

Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto said Wednesday that he will take a salary reduction as part of his deal to return to refereeing NCAA college basketball games. Scirotto last week announced he would resume refereeing, something he had given up when Mayor Ed Gainey named him chief last year. He...

Authorities say a Carnegie woman was killed when she struck by vehicle Wednesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Vira Petrakh, 51. She was a pedestrian who was struck at the intersection of South Dallas Avenue and Reynolds Street at...

Pittsburgh will try to sell the Downtown Municipal Courts Building, described by City Council as a money-sucking facility that will cost more than $1 million to maintain. But whether anyone wants to buy the building, and for how much, remain open questions. Council voted Tuesday to send legislation authorizing the...

Pittsburgh officials will more easily be able to cite people who leave garbage on their property, improperly store trash cans or leave their cans at the curb too long before and after trash pickup. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that will allow inspectors to issue quality-of-life tickets to...

A Pittsburgh councilman called Tuesday for public answers about the police chief’s decision to referee NCAA college basketball games while running the 751-member force. Chief Larry Scirotto last week announced he would resume refereeing part time, something he had given up when he was named chief last year. “We need...

Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has charged the owners of the Mon View Heights subsidized housing complex in West Mifflin with a felony amid allegations of failing water systems, rodent and insect infestations, mold growth and a child falling through the floor. The felony count of causing...

Pittsburgh’s top engineer said concerns about steel trusses spurred the closure this weekend of the Panther Hollow Bridge in Schenley Park. Eric Setzler, the city’s chief engineer, could not say when the bridge might reopen. The 640-foot-long bridge, which spans Panther Hollow near Anderson Playground in the city’s Squirrel Hill...

Downtown Pittsburgh’s Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter is scheduled to reopen next week nearly five months after a fire forced it to close. People are expected to begin moving back into the shelter on Oct. 28, with full operations resuming the next day, according to Allegheny County officials. That will...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey made a pitch Wednesday for his vision of Downtown as a vibrant residential neighborhood that serves as a hub of art, culture and entertainment. During a forum on development held at Point Park University, Gainey trumpeted progress in revitalizing the Golden Triangle and painted a rosy...

A formerly blighted parcel of land in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood that enjoyed a 20-year tax break to spur development could return to the tax rolls next year — nearly a decade earlier than expected. If City Council agrees, Pittsburgh, its school district and Allegheny County will see estimated total...

Pittsburgh officials are clearing out a Downtown homeless camp after reports of drug use there, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said Tuesday. The camp sits next to the Fort Pitt Commons office building off Grant Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. People living at the camp will be offered shelter elsewhere...

Pittsburgh officials want to expand access to public bathrooms Downtown, where restrooms can be hard to find. City officials and the nonprofit Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership last September rolled out the “Pittsburgh Potty” initiative, which saw temporary bathrooms installed near the Gateway Center T Station Plaza and the intersection of Smithfield...

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, is set to visit Pittsburgh Thursday. Vance is expected to deliver remarks at 12:30 p.m. at The Pennsylvanian on Liberty Avenue Downtown, according to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign. Doors will open for the event at 10:30 a.m. Vance...

With top-notch universities, a plethora of tech companies and support from local and state leaders, Pittsburgh is at the forefront of innovations in artificial intelligence, industry experts said Monday during an artificial intelligence summit in the city’s East End. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prevalent in daily life, bringing conveniences,...

Pittsburgh officials are allowing a controversial statue of Christopher Columbus to remain mostly uncovered as a lawsuit over the monument’s future stretches into its fifth year. The controversial monument that stands in Schenley Park was wrapped in plastic in October 2020 as it became the center of a legal battle...

A historic former government office building in Downtown Pittsburgh is on track to be turned into affordable housing as part of a $55 million project. The 200 Ross Street site — formerly known as the John P. Robin Civic Building — will be revitalized to include 68 apartments, community space...

After plans to convert Pittsburgh’s historic Troy Hill Fire House into a taphouse, market and cafe fell through, the building is now set to be converted into commercial office space. The redevelopment will include efforts to preserve and restore historic elements of the building, said Chad Chalmers, co-founder of local...

A New York-based developer is entering negotiations with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to buy and revitalize a former steel mill brownfield in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Golden East Investors is looking to develop a 14.2-acre property on 62nd Street into two separate high-bay structures. The $20 million project also would include...

A former Pittsburgh building inspector will not go to prison after pleading guilty in federal court to accepting bribes. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Hornak on Wednesday sentenced Walter Eiseman, 59, to 18 months of probation and 90 days of home confinement. Eiseman also must pay a $1,500 fine and...

A Pittsburgh councilman wants to sell the Municipal Courts Building to Allegheny County for $9 million to save the city the costs of upkeep and utilities at the Downtown facility. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, introduced legislation Tuesday that would instruct the city to scrap its existing lease agreement with the...