Julia Felton stories, Page 11

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said his main focus as mayor is restoring city services. Gainey said that’s reflected in his 2024 budget proposal, which prioritizes funding to take care of core needs such as repairing bridges, updating what the mayor called “totally outdated” recreation centers and ensuring the Department of...

Pittsburgh is poised to formally dedicate the second Monday of every October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The day is typically celebrated as Columbus Day, but 20 states across the country — not including Pennsylvania — have devoted the day to indigenous people, said Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield. Warwick, who sponsored...

Pittsburgh city employees would be able to get free child care when public schools close unexpectedly or they want to participate in certain city meetings or events under Council legislation advanced Wednesday. The city had offered a similar child care service before the covid-19 pandemic, but it was not reinstated...

Former state Rep. Sara Innamorato and former PNC executive Joe Rockey on Tuesday outlined their platforms in an hourlong live, televised debate hosted by Tribune-Review news partner WTAE and the League of Women Voters. Innamorato, of Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood, and Rockey, of Ohio Township, spent much of the debate discussing...

Some residents in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood are pushing for a new co-op grocery store in their community. Lutual Love, pastor of Hazelwood’s Praise Deliverance Church, is spearheading an effort to bring a community-owned and operated grocery store to the neighborhood. He said public and private developers constructing other projects in...

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed operating and capital budgets for next year, released late Friday afternoon, do not call for any tax increases. The preliminary budgets prioritize “investment in key neighborhood projects, core constituent services, expanded capacity to care for our city-owned bridges and enhanced public safety,” Gainey’s office said...

A limited bow hunting program to cull deer will start in Pittsburgh’s Frick and Riverview parks on Saturday. Maria Montaño, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, said parks will not be closed during the hunting. Officials had previously said parks would be closed on designated deer hunting days. City Council...

The Youth Civic Leadership Academy’s second class of students were welcomed into the program Thursday in a ceremony at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. The program gives middle and high school students an opportunity to earn college credits, learn about local government and engage with...

The first phase of work to redevelop the Bedford Dwellings section of Pittsburgh’s Hill District got underway Thursday with an event where community leaders said the project would be transformative in multiple ways. The first phase includes construction of a seven-story building called City’s Edge, which will bring 110 new...

Kevin Hu starts every day by cleaning up the area outside the Downtown Pittsburgh store where he’s worked since 2015. “I love Pittsburgh,” he said Thursday while working at The Headgear, a hat shop on Forbes Avenue. “I love the city.” But Hu said he’s sometimes frustrated by the cleanliness...

Pittsburgh city employees may have access to on-site child care when Pittsburgh Public Schools close unexpectedly or they have to participate in some city meetings. “The legislation is necessary to enable city employees with children who attend Pittsburgh Public Schools the opportunity to not miss work while ensuring the safety...

Pittsburgh officials are considering tweaks to the city’s smart loading zone pilot program after some local business owners voiced concerns the new initiative was a hindrance. City officials have touted the smart loading zones — which are marked with purple-painted curbs and matching signage — as a way to make...

Owners of rental units and Airbnbs in Pittsburgh will need to go through a permitting and inspection process after City Council on Tuesday approved legislation that aims to regulate such properties. People who own long- or short-term rental units will need to apply for a permit annually. They will need...

A zoning change approved Tuesday by Pittsburgh City Council paves the way for a new GetGo to be built in the city’s Homewood West neighborhood. The zoning change would allow for a new GetGo gas station and store to be built on a vacant 1.3-acre site near the corner of...

Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto met Wednesday with White House officials to advocate for legislation that would allow local news outlets to negotiate for fair compensation from large digital platforms that use their content. The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would allow news publishers to collectively negotiate...

Local leaders expressed optimism Tuesday about the state of Downtown Pittsburgh, pushing back against criticism that the Golden Triangle has become unsafe, dirty and plagued by office vacancies and business closures. “Our Downtown is doing well,” Mayor Ed Gainey said during a forum at Point Park University’s University Center. Gainey...

Changes made to traffic patterns around Pittsburgh’s newly constructed Fern Hollow Bridge have resulted in confusion and frustration for some motorists, who argue that the changes are making the area less safe and have boosted driving times. The new span in Frick Park reopened last December, replacing a bridge that...

Beginning Monday, every household in the country can again order free at-home covid-19 tests. People can order four free rapid tests at covid.gov/tests or by calling 1-800-232-0233. The U.S. Postal Service will begin shipping the covid-19 tests to people’s homes the week of Oct. 2, according to its website. Families...

Construction on a traffic calming project is slated to start next week in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood, according to city officials. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will be installing speed humps on Seagirt Street between Tokay Street and Mooseheart Street beginning Wednesday. Construction work is expected to take place...

A nonprofit is offering free training and equipment to youth-serving organizations that want to take advantage of a pilot program allowing camping in Pittsburgh’s Riverview Park. The city last year authorized a pilot program that allows youth organizations to get permits to camp in city parks. Officials are rolling out...

Residents of nearly three dozen Pittsburgh neighborhoods will collect litter this weekend in the city’s annual Garbage Olympics. Teams from 34 neighborhoods across the city and Penn Hills will compete to gather the most garbage in the seventh annual Garbage Olympics event. Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works and the Clean...

Anyone who owns a rental property, including long-term rentals and Airbnbs, would be required to go through a permitting and inspection process under legislation advanced by Pittsburgh City Council. People would need to apply for a permit each year, according to the proposed legislation. They would be required to provide...

North Allegheny School District has so far this academic year been unable to provide transportation for students who live in the district and attend three private schools, a district spokesperson said Sept. 18. The school district transports about 9,500 students to and from school, district spokeswoman Brandi Smith said. Approximately...

No one was injured in a fire late Wednesday afternoon in Brookline, officials said. Pittsburgh fire Capt. Robert Geyer said no one had been injured or trapped in the fire, which broke out just before 5 p.m. in a house in the 2800 block of Sageman Avenue. “Crews were able...

The University of Pittsburgh has received approval from the city’s Planning Commission to build a biomanufacturing facility in Hazelwood. The $250 million facility will serve as a cell and gene therapy innovation hub in the Hazelwood Green development along the Monongahela River. University officials have said about three-quarters of the...