Bob Bauder stories, Page 11
Pittsburgh planning tight security during New Year’s Eve First NightVideo
Streets in Downtown Pittsburgh will begin closing as early as 10 a.m. Tuesday in preparation for the city’s annual First Night celebration. Public Safety officials plan to have an army of police officers from the city, state, Allegheny County and Port Authority of Allegheny County on the streets and monitoring...
Pittsburgh police: No celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve
Pittsburgh police are once again reminding New Year’s Eve revelers that celebratory gunfire is illegal and officers will monitor the city’s gunshot detection system to track down violators. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said in a statement that police will keep an eye on ShotSpotter alerts throughout the city and...
Pittsburgh police investigate allegation that Darlene Harris took city property
Pittsburgh police on Monday opened an investigation into allegations that outgoing Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who has been cleaning out her office, stole items given to the city by foreign visitors, officials said. Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police began the investigation based on information that Public Safety Director Wendell...
14 pounds of sugar used in gingerbread replicas of Pittsburgh City-County Building
Building two gingerbread replicas of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building was nearly as complicated as erecting the actual building. Hampton artist Mary Jo Dowling used original photographs, 1915 architectural drawings and a laser cutter at a Carnegie Mellon University robotics lab in Lawrenceville to construct the two scale models from 14 edible...
Pittsburgh announces Christmas tree recycling locations
Pittsburgh is expanding its Christmas tree recycling program this year to include 12 drop-0ff locations across the city. Residents must remove all ornaments, netting, tinsel and tree stands before depositing trees at recycling locations. The trees will be chipped for pine mulch and offered to residents in the spring. City...
Strip District street to close for 30 months
A portion of Pittsburgh’s Waterfront Place, a street paralleling the Allegheny River between 11th and 21st streets, will close for more than two years beginning in January for a second phase of a $400 million residential development known as Riverfront Landing. The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure and The...
Pittsburgh police receive water shut-off notice
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority for a second time in two years Friday threatened to shut off water at a city-occupied building for failure to pay a past due bill. PWSA posted a water shut-off notice at city police headquarters on the North Side’s Western Avenue, giving the city...
Allegheny County awards Familylinks $1 million contract to combat homelessness
Allegheny County has chosen an East Liberty human services provider to oversee a homeless prevention project. The county’s Department of Human Services is providing Familylinks with about $1 million to prevent homelessness among families in the county’s child welfare system. “This award represents recognition of the many hears that Familylinks...
Pittsburgh’s longest-serving crossing guard caught off guard by mayor’s honor
Pittsburgh crossing guard Supervisor Elaine Alter has been dodging traffic for 43 years to safely guide children across busy streets on their way to school. But Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday caught Alter completely off-guard when he presented her with the Mayor Sophie Masloff Employee of the Month Award during...
Pittsburgh Council kills pension enhancement amendment
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday effectively killed a amendment that would have enhanced pension payouts for elected officials, including outgoing Councilwoman Darlene Harris. Members voted 6-2 without comment to table the amendment aimed at eliminating a so-called Social Security offset. Harris and Councilman Anthony Coghill voted no and Councilwoman Theresa...
Strip District merchants aren’t happy with suggestions to improve parking, traffic safety
Longtime Strip District merchants are panning a consultant’s draft report that suggests ways to improve parking and pedestrian safety in the historic wholesale district. Stantec, a Boston-based urban design firm, reported that the Strip has 10,300 parking spaces on streets and in lots, but only about 3,800 are available to...
Affordable housing expert hired as Pittsburgh’s economic development chief
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Wednesday announced the hiring of an affordable housing expert as the city’s new economic development chief. Marty LaMar most recently worked as a regional vice president for the property management company McCormack Baron Management and previously served as president and CEO of the Lucas Metropolitan...
Pittsburgh residents voice concerns over proposed Shadyside development
Pittsburgh residents Tuesday criticized the proposed redevelopment of a Giant Eagle shopping plaza in Shadyside, saying it would add to traffic congestion and building density in an area that’s already overcrowded. Echo Realty, which owns the plaza at Penn and Shady avenues known as Shady Hill Center, has yet to...
Pittsburgh’s $608 million budget includes no tax increase
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Bill Peduto’s $608 million operating and $108 million capital spending plans for 2020 but noted the numbers could change, depending on the outcome of ongoing contract negotiations with the police union. The operating budget represents a $33 million increase in spending over this...
Lyft offering free rides to the unemployed around Pittsburgh through February
Lyft will offer free rides for unemployed Pittsburghers to and from job interviews, job training programs and the first two weeks of a new job, company officials announced on Tuesday. Lyft’s Jobs Access Program aims to close short-term transportation gaps for unemployed people who need rides to jobs and job...
Mayor Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent agree to work on school funding sourcesVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto met with Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Hamlet on Monday, saying he wanted to “clear the air” and offer to help find alternative funding sources for the financially ailing district. It was their first meeting since Peduto criticized the district over a proposed property tax increase...
Pittsburgh resident going to court in hopes of ousting Councilman Ricky Burgess
A resident of Pittsburgh’s East End is attempting to oust Councilman Ricky Burgess, contending in a court challenge that he is in violation of the city’s Home Rule Charter because he also works as a professor at the Community College of Allegheny County. Carmen Brown, 41, of Lincoln-Lemington cites a...
Post-Gazette employees to end byline strike after 1 month
Unionized journalists at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday will end a month-long byline strike protesting what the union has described as a hostile work environment. Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, which represents about 140 employees at the Post-Gazette, began withholding names from all stories, columns, photos and graphics...
Pittsburgh reducing carbon footprint through renewable energy sources
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Friday signed an agreement maintaining membership in a group that purchases electricity in bulk and positions the city to meet a goal of transitioning away from fossil fuel energy within 10 years. Peduto said the Western Pennsylvania Energy Consortium, consisting of 35 local municipalities, institutions...
FNB announces plans for 24-story office tower on former Civic Arena site
First National Bank announced plans Thursday to anchor the Penguins’ long-awaited development in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District with a 24-story, $200 million office tower that will include its corporate headquarters, first-floor shops and a state-of-the-art FNB branch. FNB Financial Center, planned for the corner of Washington Place and Bedford Avenue,...
Pittsburgh councilwoman Darlene Harris sues city over campaign finance ordinance
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Darlene Harris on Wednesday sued the city, Mayor Bill Peduto and the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board, contending the city illegally fined her for failing to file campaign finance reports with the ethics board during the spring primary. The board in September fined Harris, 66, of Spring Hill...
Pittsburgh council kills proposal to name soccer field after former Mayor Ravenstahl and family
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday effectively killed a resolution seeking to name a North Side soccer field after former Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and his family. North Side Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who has long sought to dedicate the field in Riverview Park after the former mayor, proposed the resolution in the...
Pittsburgh council can nix park tax, but members expect it to pass
Pittsburgh City Council can nullify the November ballot referendum that called for a 0.5 mill property tax increase to fund city park improvements, but members polled on Wednesday said they would likely approve the levy early next year. Council must approve the tax in order for it to go into...
Pittsburgh council postpones vote on pension enhancement for elected officials
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote on a pension enhancement for elected officials that appears to conflict with an ordinance members approved two years ago banning changes in pension payments outside of collective bargaining. Council unanimously postponed the vote for a week. Members on Tuesday fast-tracked an amendment...
VP Mike Pence asks for 4 more years in White House during Beaver County visit
Vice President Mike Pence promised during a visit Tuesday to a Beaver County Veterans of Foreign Wars post that he and President Trump would make Pennsylvania “more prosperous than you could possibly imagine” if reelected in 2020. Pence called the impeachment inquiry a “disgrace,” vowed continued support for military veterans...
