In case you missed it: News from winter break 2017

December 13 — Former Pitt professor Carol Stabile published an article in Ms. Magazine claiming there was widespread harassment and discrimination within the University’s communication department in the early 2000s. University spokesperson Joe Miksch told The Pitt News Dec. 16 that Pitt’s Title IX office would begin an investigation into Stabile’s claims.

December 13 and 18 — University of Pittsburgh chemistry professor Theodore Cohen and history professor and writer Donald Goldstein passed away. Cohen passed away Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the age of 88. Goldstein died of heart failure Dec. 18, at the age of 86.

December 18 — The Board of Trustees’ Compensation Committee approved an increase in salary of 2.25 percent for the 2018 calendar year for eight of Pitt’s senior leaders.

December 19 — Mayor Bill Peduto named City Councilman Dan Gilman his new chief of staff, leaving Gilman’s District 8 seat empty. Gilman began working at his new position Jan. 3 — the first day of Peduto’s second term as mayor. City Council President Bruce Kraus scheduled a special election for Tuesday, March 6, to fill the now-open seat to represent District 8.

December 20 — Congress passed the Republican tax plan, marking the largest overhaul of the tax system in more than 30 years. It passed in both the Senate and the House without any Democratic support.

January 3 — Mayor William Peduto was sworn in at Soldiers & Sailors to serve his second term after winning re-election in November.

January 4 — The City of Pittsburgh hosted the Western PA Mobility Showcase on Thursday at the University of Pittsburgh. The showcase featured alternate transportation options such as self-driving vehicles, bicycles and public transit to encourage residents to choose different methods of mobility.

January 7 — A waterline broke in the William Pitt Union Sunday morning, causing flooding in the bottom two floors and closing the building for the day.