Bob Bauder stories, Page 2

Pittsburgh’s Point State Park fountain is flowing. Park Manager Jake Weiland said the fountain’s annual winter hibernation ended on Wednesday when staff turned on the pumps after about four weeks of prep work. “Lots of people think it’s as simple as turning on switches,” he said. “We’ve been working on...

Pittsburgh City Council members were evenly split Wednesday over a Citizen Police Review Board request to hire a consulting company for a review of police actions during recent protests. The CPRB had requested $25,000 to hire Texas-based Densus Group to assess police use of force during protests Downtown and in...

A Pittsburgh agency that investigates complaints of improper police conduct would have more power to force officer cooperation, under new legislation proposed Tuesday. The bill introduced during a city council meeting by Councilman Ricky Burgess requires an amendment to Pittsburgh’s Home Rule Charter and approval by city voters. It would...

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday asked Mayor Bill Peduto to declare June 19 — a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States — an annual city holiday, starting in 2021. Council President Theresa Kail-Smith sponsored the “will of council” request, which will be sent to the Mayor’s...

The U.S. Justice Department has approved a $676,895 grant to help Pittsburgh offset some Public Safety Department costs during the coronavirus pandemic. The grant would help pay for personal protective equipment, overtime for paramedics and disinfecting public safety buildings and vehicles, according to the city. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is calling for a change in state law to permit the immediate release of police camera footage to the public following critical incidents. Peduto on Friday said cities must exhibit more transparency and accountability for police actions as they face increasing pressure to enact far-ranging reforms...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Thursday announced plans for an 11-member commission to help resolve problems faced by the city’s LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors. The commission would hold monthly public meetings and advise officials on ways to make Pittsburgh a welcoming place for the LGBTQIA+ community. Among other things, members...

Pittsburgh is repairing a landslide in Mt. Washington near the Liberty Tunnels, a city official said. Karina Ricks, director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, said the major slide is one of three that happened along the street linking Arlington and Boggs avenues. The city spent $700,000 in 2018...

Pittsburgh is getting separate grants totaling about $1.6 million for a violence prevention program and as reimbursement for police overtime during two past high-profile events, and at least five residents strongly urged officials to spend it on anything other than the police bureau. City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to...

Messages to Pittsburgh City Council calling for a reduced police budget are arriving daily by the hundreds. Council members responded Tuesday by saying they would work to enact police reform, but they aren’t inclined to disband the police department. Councilwoman Deb Gross of Highland Park said she’s received nearly 3,000...

Neighborhood Allies has arranged free high-speed internet access for 1,000 Pittsburgh Public Schools families as part of a program to provide hardware, online access and digital education to people in need. The nonprofit community development organization since early April has raised $400,000 for its PGH Beyond the Laptops Program. The...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday promoted Sarah Kinter to director of the Permits, Licenses and Inspections Department. Kinter, 32, of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood, had served as acting director since November following the resignation of Maura Kennedy, who left to take a job with Amazon in Washington, D.C. The...

Pittsburgh is planning to create an Office of Community Health and Safety that will provide social service experts to deal with problems, including homelessness, suicide prevention and mental illness, now handled by city police. The Mayor’s Office announced that the city would “redirect city resources” to meet community needs with...

America’s political divide was on stark display Friday in Wilkinsburg. Two groups showed up near the Convenant Church of Pittsburgh’s worship center to see Vice President Mike Pence’s arrival there. One group wore masks. The other didn’t. One group described President Trump and Pence as representative of the “American dream.”...

Former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Nina Ahmad declared victory Thursday over her closest competitor, Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, in a six-way Democratic primary race for Pennsylvania auditor general. As of Thursday afternoon, Ahmad led Lamb by more than 80,000 votes with all but one voting district in Pennsylvania reporting, according to...

Pittsburgh is adding free “Grab and Go” food distribution sites for children and seniors starting June 15 and continuing through August because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and closing of city schools. New locations for kids will be Ammon, Jefferson and Magee recreation centers, Moore Park and Schenley Park at...

Pittsburgh on Wednesday announced the closing of Reservoir Drive around the Highland Park Reservoir to all non-emergency vehicles during the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Bill Peduto said the move provides safe recreational opportunities for residents forced indoors by the pandemic. Vehicles are not allowed, but pedestrians and bicycles are permitted. “After...

William Russell Robinson, known as a fierce advocate for minority causes while serving for decades in local and state elected political posts, died Tuesday. Robinson, 78, of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, died peacefully in his sleep, according to his children. “My dad was a dedicated public servant, who was extremely passionate...

In a bill introduced Tuesday in Pittsburgh City Council, the city would enact a police hiring freeze and redirect $250,000 remaining in a budget for new recruits to a fund aimed at reducing crime and violence. It was one of several bills from Councilman Ricky Burgess, who said that reform...

Allegheny County and Pittsburgh officials plan to introduce separate police reform ordinances Tuesday that include measures limiting the use of force by police in nonviolent protest situations. A bill sponsored by Allegheny County Councilwomen Bethany Hallam and Olivia Bennett would ban the use of so-called less-lethal force, including tear gas...

The Pittsburgh Parking Authority will resume citywide enforcement of street and neighborhood lot meters starting this week. Starting today, officers will issue warning tickets as a notification to drivers. They will begin citing drivers after several days, according to the authority. The authority suspended enforcement in April because of the...

Pittsburgh police officers narrowly escaped potentially serious injuries during rioting in Pittsburgh last week when someone tossed what was believed to be a homemade bomb that hit one officer and blew up at the feet of another, city officials said. The city Public Safety Department on Friday announced the creation...

Forty percent of Allegheny County’s registered Democrats and Republicans voted in Tuesday’s primary election, one of the highest turnouts for a primary in recent years and one that exceeded county expectations, officials said Wednesday. A little more than 311,000 of Allegheny County’s 770,000 registered Democrats and Republicans voted, according to...

Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb was leading by more than 34,000 votes in a six-way Democratic primary race for Pennsylvania auditor general Wednesday morning, a race that remained too close to call around midnight Tuesday. With about 91% of Pennsylvania’s voting districts reporting, Lamb had collected about 33% of the votes...