Downtown Pittsburgh category, Page 5

The final week of October, despite temperatures in the mid to high 70s, customers were waiting outside of Carl W. Herrmann Furs. They wanted to say goodbye to a long-standing business in Downtown Pittsburgh. “The store wasn’t even open yet but they were here,” said Carl “Guy” W. Herrmann IV,...

For anyone who loves adventure, Pittsburgh Public Theater breathes new life into a classic journey with their production of “The Hobbit,” running at the O’Reilly Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh through Nov. 10. And yeah, this one’s kind of for the nerds. Many know the tale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,”...

After working in the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for more than three decades, Christopher Ragland this week said he’s hoping to provide steady leadership and bolster recruitment as he steps into the role of acting chief during a turbulent time for the force. Ragland takes the helm of an understaffed...

Jukebox musicals — musicals that use existing music to tell a new story — have become a little stale since “Mamma Mia!” shot the genre into prominence 25 years ago. So it’s especially impressive that “& Juliet” managed to bring a fresh take to two things: jukebox musicals and Shakespeare’s...

Pittsburgh City Council members were livid Tuesday after learning that three top aides to Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey knew about a secret deal to allow police Chief Larry Scirotto to return to refereeing college basketball after a year on the job but said nothing. The chief last week announced his...

A blighted piece of land in the city’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood will return to the tax rolls nearly a decade earlier than expected. The property, an old slag heap that overlooks the Parkway East near the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, had a 20-year tax break to spur development. But that will...

Mobile bathrooms will be popping up throughout Downtown Pittsburgh and other parts of the city over the next two years. City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to allocate $600,000 in federal covid-19 relief money to bring 11 public restrooms to areas where bathrooms are hard to find. The city will...

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...

Kicking off its 55th Emerald Season this weekend, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will bring magic, pirates and high-flying thrills to the stage with “Peter Pan.” This production is the Pittsburgh premiere of a new interpretation of the classic story, choreographed by Trey McIntyre. “He tried to bring it back to the...

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...

It’s the final weekend before Halloween! Between throwing together last-minute costumes and scrounging for a halfway decent pumpkin, we all have big plans. Just in case you want to scare up something else to do, here are some fun ideas. Row House of Horrors Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville takes...

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 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...

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...

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...

It’s been a chilly week, but the temperature will be jumping back up this weekend. Get up, get out, shake off those cold work week blues and see what’s going on around town this weekend. Highmark International StrEAT Festival Hungry? Head to the Highmark International StrEAT Festival to satisfy all...

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...

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...

Shannon Kearney has been around martial arts most of her life. Her father practiced the Korean-based taekwondo, and her sister worked her way to earning a blue belt. After she was the victim of an armed mugging during her student days at the University of Pittsburgh, Kearney got involved as...

It’s getting chilly out there! For those who like a day in the brisk autumn air, there’s some great events for you this weekend. For those trying to keep toasty — and avoid turning on the furnace too early — we’ve got you covered, too. Here are some things to...

When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation. On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle. He and the...

Amazon and United Parcel Service Inc. each want to hire about 2,000 workers in advance of the holiday shopping season for its distribution centers in Western Pennsylvania, the companies said this week. Workers looking for full-time and part-time seasonal jobs with the competing major shipping and delivery companies can earn...

It may be October, but not every activity has to be about the fall season. Between football games, pumpkin carving and Halloween costume selection, maybe you need a break! Here are a few things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend. Dormont Street and Music Festival Take a stroll through Dormont...

The latest adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson’s work, “The Piano Lesson,” will hit theaters on Nov. 8. Wilson’s niece and executive director of The Historic Hill Institute, Dr. Kimberly Ellis, gave the keynote speech on Sept. 27 at the 109th meeting of the Association for the Study of...