Bob Bauder stories, Page 4

The Pittsburgh Parking Authority has laid off 36 enforcement officers because of declining meter and garage revenues during the coronavirus pandemic, an official said Thursday. David Onorato, the authority’s executive director, said revenue from parking meters and authority-owned garages was down by more than 90% in April. He said the...

Pittsburgh is looking for creative ways to allow safe social activities — including pop-up drive-in theaters — if coronavirus restrictions are necessary through summer months, Mayor Bill Peduto said Wednesday. Peduto, addressing reporters during a teleconference, said traditional activities such as Little League baseball, the city’s annual Fourth of July...

The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority is warning building owners that water in structures shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic could contain contaminants. PWSA advised owners Wednesday to develop a water management plan before reopening buildings for employees and the public. Water standing in pipes for long periods can contain contaminants,...

Paving crews will start resurfacing Pittsburgh streets on Monday, and city officials are asking residents to make sure to move vehicles in advance of the work. Workers will put fliers on vehicle windshields 48 hours before a street is paved and residents registered for telephone alerts from the Pittsburgh Water...

Two Pittsburgh city councilmen on Tuesday proposed a task force that would ensure the city’s minority communities receive equal treatment in government initiatives aimed at helping people during the coronavirus pandemic. Councilmen R. Daniel Lavelle and Ricky Burgess, council’s only black members, introduced a resolution that would create the Greater...

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a seven-day extension of Mayor Bill Peduto’s coronavirus disaster declaration. The declaration is now set to expire May 12. Its provisions include limits on public gatherings and permission for the city to bypass competitive bidding regulations. Peduto declared a state of emergency on...

Pittsburgh contends an Allegheny County judge erred when he ruled three controversial gun ordinances were illegal. In briefs filed with Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court, the city argued the ordinances sidestepped Pennsylvania’s superseding law prohibiting municipalities from regulating the ownership, possession, transfer and transportation of firearms. “Public health research is on our...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, faced with evaporating tax revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic, on Monday announced a halt on filling 64 vacant positions across city government. The hiring freeze will save approximately $3 million in budgeted salaries, according to the Mayor’s Office. Peduto lauded city employees for their work...

Pennsylvanians now can buy up to 12 bottles of booze at a time at the state’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores, and the Liquor Control Board announced it is opening more stores for curbside pickup, including locations in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. The PLCB on Friday doubled the limit...

Facebook is offering cash grants to small businesses in Pittsburgh as part of a $100 million fund designed to help 30,000 businesses in more than 30 countries during the coronavirus pandemic. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, in a teleconference with the Tribune-Review on Friday, said the company chose areas where it...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will ease some restrictions on city employees starting Friday, but the mayor warned that the public should not expect a complete reopening of the city as the coronavirus lingers. The city will permit outside construction work under strict guidelines by employees in the Department of Public...

Pittsburgh should be able to pull through the coronavirus economic fallout with the help of a significant surplus, but would have to consider massive layoffs in 2021 without assistance from the federal government, the city controller said Thursday. Controller Michael Lamb briefed reporters through a teleconference on the state of...

The Carlton restaurant, a mainstay of Downtown Pittsburgh, has found a creative way to generate much-needed revenue since the coronavirus pandemic forced its closure. Early this month, the upscale eatery in the BNY Mellon Center began curbside sales of wine from its extensive cellar. It’s now offering packaged steaks, chicken...

VisitPittsburgh on Wednesday announced the selection of Jerad Bachar as its new president and CEO. Bachar, 50, of Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, served as interim CEO after former CEO Craig Davis resigned in December to take a similar position in Dallas. Since January 2019, he served as VisitPittsburgh’s executive vice president....

Pittsburgh could face an annual $20 million water bill starting this year unless the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission reconsiders a recent order requiring the city to begin paying the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority for total water usage, officials said. Last year the city and PWSA negotiated a cooperation agreement,...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s Office announced plans Tuesday to distribute about $12.6 million in federal grant money to more than a dozen organizations that are helping cash-strapped residents and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. The plans include $4.2 million in Emergency Solutions Grants to help fund homeless shelter improvements, homeless...

Pittsburgh on Tuesday announced that community gardens and city Adopt-A-Lot sites are open for cultivation, but officials urged the public to observe coronavirus guidelines while working the soil. More information about Adopt-A-Lot sites can be found here. More information about community gardens can be found here. The city released the...

Pittsburgh will allow construction projects to begin in the city starting on Friday under protocols established by the state and construction industry, the Mayor’s Office announced Monday. Gov. Tom Wolf last month shuttered most construction projects to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The governor last week announced that...

Pittsburgh would ban discrimination based on a person’s citizenship or immigration status under legislation City Council is scheduled to introduce on Tuesday. Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, the sponsor, said the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission has experienced an uptick of discrimination complaints since the coronavirus pandemic began. The complaints contend people have...

Corporations and foundations across the region are partnering with a Duquesne-based textile company to produce more than 360,000 washable cloth masks for essential workers in nursing homes, medical clinics, grocery stores and other places. Philanthropic and corporate participants have donated more than $750,000 to the Protective Mask Fund that will...

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will open most liquor stores across the state for call-in orders and curbside pickup service starting Monday. PLCB Chairman Tim Holden said Friday that 565 of the state’s nearly 600 Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores would take a limited number of orders on a...

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank was prepared to serve 1,500 vehicles Wednesday at an emergency food distribution at Pittsburgh International Airport, but only about half that number showed up for free boxes of frozen meats and dry goods. Food bank spokeswoman Melissa Murray said volunteers loaded two 25-pound boxes...

UPMC and Pittsburgh paramedics for the first time are using secure video links that permit emergency room doctors to visually examine and assess potential covid-19 patients through smartphones and tablets. The “tele-triage” system improves care for patients because doctors can actually see and communicate with them in real time while...

The Richard King Mellon Foundation has approved a $1.3 million grant for the Pittsburgh Promise to help high school seniors and college students navigate the coronavirus pandemic. Pittsburgh Promise Executive Director Saleem Ghubril said Tuesday that the money would help Pittsburgh high school seniors complete college applications. It will also...

Pittsburgh City Council is considering plans to provide city residents with free fresh produce by ramping up urban farming on vacant land owned by the public. Council on Wednesday will debate three bills designed to facilitate urban agriculture. One would direct the Finance Department to identify vacant properties owned by...