Community speaks out against Mercy Hospital expansion
By Kieran Mclean, Staff Writer
July 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
A group of community members gathered Tuesday to urge the Pittsburgh City Council require UPMC enter a community benefits agreement.
Community groups call for city to release Amazon bid
By Kieran Mclean | For The Pitt News
June 27, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Members of nine community groups gathered at City Hall Thursday morning in front of a sky-blue banner declaring “The City of Pittsburgh Welcomes You.” The crowd demanded that the City release the conditions of its proposal to Amazon. Jules Lobel, Chair of the University of Pittsburgh’s Law Depar...
Michael Rosfeld charged with homicide in Antwon Rose killing
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-chief
June 27, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Michael Rosfeld, the 30-year-old East Pittsburgh police officer from Penn Hills who fatally shot 17-year-old Antwon Rose on June 19, has been charged with one count of criminal homicide, according to court documents filed Wednesday morning. Rosfeld turned himself at City Court on Wednesday at 6:30 a.m. and was granted an unsecured $250,000 b...
GALLERY: The Week in Antwon Rose Protests
By TPN Staff
June 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Visual
June 21, 2018 Early Afternoon—Protesters gathered outside the Allegheny County Courthouse in the second major protest against police brutality after Antwon Rose Jr's death on June 19, 2018. Rose Jr and two others were in a car suspected of involvement in a drive-by shooting Tuesday evening. Rose Jr...
Community responds after high school student fatally shot by police
By Christian Snyder and Kieran Mclean | The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Top Stories
After East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld fatally shot unarmed Woodland Hills High School student Antwon Rose Tuesday night, the community responded quickly, organizing daily protests that Pittsburgh officials expect to continue through the summer. The first protest began outside the East Pit...
Officer involved in fatal shooting was former Pitt police officer
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-chief
June 21, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
This story was first posted at 6:48 p.m. The Allegheny County Police Department confirmed the identity of the officer involved in the Tuesday night fatal shooting of Antwon Rose, a 17-year-old Woodland Hills High School student. [Read: Unarmed 17-year-old fatally shot by East Pittsburgh police...
Unarmed 17-year-old fatally shot by East Pittsburgh police
By The Pitt News Staff
June 21, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
A police officer from the East Pittsburgh Police Department shot and killed Antwon Rose, a 17-year-old Woodland Hills High School student, the night of Tuesday, June 19. Rose was unarmed at the time he was shot. East Pittsburgh is located near the Monongahela River to the southeast of Pitt...
Islamic community comes together to celebrate Eid al-Fitr
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 20, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News, Video
As the sun rose upon Schenley Park on Friday, the park filled with hundreds ready to pray and celebrate. Children played at the petting zoo and three colorful bounce houses, and got their faces painted while parents bought food from the surrounding food trucks to celebrate Eid al-Fitr — a holiday marki...
Voodoo brewery unveils new can for “H2P” IPA
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
June 20, 2018
Pennsylvania-based brewery Voodoo released a new design for its Pitt-themed IPA “H2P” after a legal dispute with Pitt caused the brewery to change the beer’s popular original can design that included the letters “H2P” in Pitt script and an image of the Cathedral of Learning. The new cans st...
The Post-Gazette pushes back after Rob Rogers’ firing
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
June 20, 2018
Filed under City, News, Uncategorized
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette fired cartoonist Rob Rogers June 14 for being “unwilling to collaborate on his cartoons” after 25 years of creating editorial cartoons for the paper. Rogers claims that he was fired because his supervising editors thought he was being too harsh to President Donald Trump...
Oakland business owners say “No More” to sexual harassment
By Sam Weber | Staff Writer
June 13, 2018
Along Oakland Avenue from Sennott Street to Forbes Avenue, local businesses and organizations came out Tuesday afternoon to celebrate a new partnership between the Southwestern PA Says No More initiative and Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. The program is called Oakland Says No More and is a campaign des...
Pittsburgh packs the streets for Pride 2018
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 13, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple lit up downtown Pittsburgh over the weekend as members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies united to celebrate their differences and show support for the community. They danced, sang and kissed under rainbow flags. This was Pittsburgh PrideFest 2018. ...
Photos: Pride across Pittsburgh
By The Pitt News Staff
June 13, 2018
Filed under City, Culture, News, Top Stories, Visual
...
Pitt protesters pressure Peduto on Shell plant
By Jon Kunitsky | For the Pitt News
June 6, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The seven-year-long battle over an ethane cracker plant between Shell Chemical, the petrochemicals arm of Royal Dutch Shell, and clean-climate activists took another turn Friday morning when a group of Pitt alumni and current students took to the Smithfield Street Bridge to drop a banner in protes...
Peduto, Fitzgerald face questions at town hall
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
June 6, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Citizens had a chance to address pressing issues like Amazon, small businesses and the ethane plant in Beaver County with some of Pittsburgh’s most important figures — Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald — Monday night at Union Project in Highland Park. Peduto, F...
Amazon HQ2 debate continues in Pittsburgh
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 30, 2018
Amazon first stirred up conversation in Oakland and in Pittsburgh when the Seattle-based electronic commerce company opened a pickup location on Oakland Avenue in October. The City was launched into one of the biggest national business stories in recent memory when Amazon announced in January that the Steel City was o...
A night at The Priory
By Grant Burgman | News Editor
May 30, 2018
Filed under City, News, Sports, Sports Features, Top Stories
The ballroom of the Priory Grand Hall, a small hotel in the historic Pittsburgh neighborhood of Deutschtown, is actually a converted church — but last Friday it became a boxing ring. A red-matted ring bordered by red and blue ropes sat in the center of the ballroom, hit directly by the fading ev...
Soldiers and Sailors celebrates Memorial Day
By Sam Weber | Staff Writer
May 30, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Butler-local Tom McKay, an ex-Marine, stood outside Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on Monday to experience the museum’s annual celebration for the first time. He described the day as a “sweeping experience.” Red, white and blue T-shirts and flags were scattered across the front lawn of So...
Pennsylvania primaries test new congressional maps
By Noah Manalo | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
At Hitchhiker Brewing — a small brewery in Sharpsburg — thunderous applause greeted Sara Innamorato as she entered the building Tuesday night. Hugging and shaking hands with anyone she passed, she was as excited to see each of them as they were to see her. Innamorato beat incumbent Dom Costa in the D...
Stormy Daniels performs in Pittsburgh amid national controversy
By Christian Snyder | Editor-in-chief
May 16, 2018
Filed under City, News, Uncategorized
Storms have been in Pittsburgh’s forecast ever since spring broke — but May 3 and 4 held a different kind of storm in Downtown’s forecast. The adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, performed two shows on both Wednesday and Thursday at Blush, a strip club on 9th...
Survivors, supporters race for the cure in Schenley
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
May 16, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Amber Baker led her team of “Bosom Buddies” through Schenley Park this Mother’s Day with her daughter, Angelina Chertik, who traveled across the state from Philadelphia to attend the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, an annual 5K run that raises money and awareness for breast cancer. Baker, a ...
Pittsburgh work crew removes Stephen Foster statue
By Grant Burgman | Contributing Editor
April 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The controversial statue of American songwriter Stephen Foster was removed by the city of Pittsburgh from its perch near Schenley Plaza early Thursday morning. Sculpted in 1900 by Giuseppe Moretti, the statue has sat across from the Stephen Foster Memorial since 1940. It depicts Foster, a 19th-cent...
Founders Institute open for entrepreneurship
By Anish Salvi | Staff Writer
April 20, 2018
Randy Eager, a lifelong entrepreneur and Pittsburgh resident of 27 years, realized in the summer of 2017 that Pittsburgh’s entrepreneurial ecosystem lacked two key things — entrepreneur education and corporate investment. While developing his company Aqualibrium LLC, he noticed a need for mentorin...
Wrestler Bruno Sammartino, Oakland native, dies at 82
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
April 19, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Bruno Sammartino, a former professional wrestler and Oakland native, died Wednesday after battling health issues for the last two months. His wife, Carol, and two of his sons were at his side when he died peacefully. He was 82. Sammartino was born in October of 1935 and immigrated to South Oakland from Pizzo...
Public provides input on Foster statue replacement
By Theresa Dickerson | Staff Writer
April 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
There is currently no statue in Pittsburgh that represents an African-American woman. But that is going to change in the next month — and it’s happening right on Pitt’s campus. The City confirmed in March that the 10-foot-tall bronze statue of musician Stephen Foster, located on Forbes Avenue across from the Stephen Foster Memorial, would be removed in April. Foster will be replaced with a local, historical, female African...
Duck Hollow: Pittsburgh’s smallest neighborhood
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
April 17, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
There’s only one way in and out of Pittsburgh’s smallest neighborhood — a one-lane bridge marred with potholes and streaked with graffiti. Duck Hollow was founded 140 years ago as housing for employees of the U.S. Steel Corporation and the Carrie Furnace. Situated south of Squirrel Hill on the north b...
Coloring out cancer: Students run for research
By Theresa Dickerson | For The Pitt News
April 16, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Colors flew through the air in Schenley Park this past weekend at the Pittsburgh Attacks Cancer Together’s 5K Race and Color Run. Members of the Pittsburgh community came to support the student-led organization at its annual event, which aims to raise money for the Hillman Cancer Research Center. Whi...
March for matter: Community comes together for science
By Kenan Meral | Staff Writer
April 16, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Citing an “attack on science and science finding,” Dana Kellerman went to Washington, D.C., last April to join the first March for Science. One year later, Kellerman, a 52-year-old resident of Fox Chapel, came to the Pittsburgh march with a more specific demand. “I marched this year because I...
Gene’s Place raises the bar in #PittMadness challenge
By Amanda Reed / Contributing Editor
April 13, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Move over, Villanova — there’s a new bracket winner in town. Gene’s Place, located on Louisa Street in Oakland, won the Barstool Pitt #PittMadness bracket challenge April 11, beating out student favorites like Mario’s South Side Saloon, Garage Door Saloon, Hemingway’s Cafe and Peter’s Pub ...
Pitt jazz professor dies at 81
By Mackenzie Rodrigues | News Editor
April 11, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Nathan Davis, a former professor at Pitt’s department of music and renowned jazz musician, died on Sunday from natural causes. He was 81. Davis came to Pitt in 1969 as the director of the jazz studies program. During his time at Pitt, he founded and directed the University’s annual jazz seminar. He als...
Allentown stays soulful as businesses flourish
By Alexa Marzina | For The Pitt News
April 6, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Craig Bittner walked into the dimly lit Black Forge Coffee House on Arlington Avenue one breezy Saturday morning in March, past the walls covered in local art for sale and a large chalkboard calendar of local events. He cheerfully greeted the barista and ordered a “cold bro.” Bittner, a 24-yea...
Northview Heights provides refuge in Pittsburgh
By Sarah Shearer | Assistant Opinions Editor
April 5, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Fumbling for their IDs at the entrance, first-time visitors to Northview Heights are often surprised when they see they must present identification to get onto the grounds. Once past the initial guard station, visitors are met with 200 security cameras turned on the neighborhood. Tall metal gates...
Students report on community work in Homewood
By Zane Crowell | Staff Writer
April 3, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories, Uncategorized
Students, Homewood residents and members of the Community Engagement Center filled the Homewood-Brushton Branch YMCA’s meeting room, waiting for their chance to hear how the community workers had been spending their time. Residents of Homewood attended the Pitt CEC’s Community Assistant Report Out e...
‘We’re fed up:’ Thousands demand action against gun violence in Pgh march
By Kenan Meral | For The Pitt News
March 24, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
More than 30,000 people marched through Downtown Saturday afternoon, chanting “enough is enough” and “books not bullets” and waving signs with slogans such as, “If kids are old enough to get shot, they’re old enough to have opinions.” The Pittsburgh March For Our Lives, like others held in Washingt...
Pitt students and alumni run for state House
By Sophia Mastroianni | Staff Writer
March 23, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Jacob Pavlecic and his best friend Quin McLaughlin’s conversations were usually about local sports. But after the 2016 election, McLaughlin — now a student at Slippery Rock University — surprised Pavlecic by switching their conversations to politics. He thought Pavlecic could run for office. ...
NPR correspondent reveals hidden brain
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
March 22, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
The human brain cannot see reality correctly, according to Shankar Vedantam. Vedantam, National Public Radio’s social science correspondent, asserts that the subconscious is so powerful it dramatically impacts the way people view the world. But he believes people can overcome these biases with ...
Dhirana dancers employ visual storytelling in competition
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
March 19, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Anand Mahalingam and Vineet Raghu hosted a dance competition Saturday night for two reasons — nostalgia and hunger. Literal, physical hunger. Strutting around the stage of the Soldiers and Sailors auditorium, the two Pitt graduates hosting Dhirana — the national Indian classical dance competition he...
Forbes Qdoba closed after lawsuit, health violations
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
March 15, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The Forbes Avenue Qdoba closed after the Qdoba Restaurant Corp. sued the franchise’s owners for breach of contract because of numerous code violations. Qdoba filed a lawsuit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Feb. 28 against Brooks Hospitality, Chad Brooks and Sally Brooks. The suit ...
Lamb vs. Saccone: National attention on Pa’s 18th District
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
March 13, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Voters are going to the polls today in Pennsylvania’s 18th District to decide between Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone in a uncharacteristically close race in the deeply Republican district. The 18th District favored President Donald Trump by 20 points in 2016, but polls show a v...
Carnegie library hosts drag queen story hour
By Cassidy Power | Staff Writer
March 12, 2018
Filed under City
Akasha L Van-Cartier had a message for the 130 children and parents that attended the Carnegie Library’s Drag Queen Story Hour Saturday. “You can be anything that you want to be, at any time you want to be it, and if you want to change what you want to be halfway through being it — do that,”...
Erika Strassburger wins District 8 special election
By Christian Snyder | Contributing Editor
March 7, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Independent candidate Erika Strassburger will succeed Dan Gilman on Pittsburgh City Council after District 8 voters handed her a decisive victory Tuesday. Strassburger finished with 64 percent of the vote, more than double her closest opponent, Democratic nominee and East Liberty restaurant owner Sonja Finn, who finished with 28 percent. ...
Faludi discusses gender identity
By Katie Gingerich | For The Pitt News
February 27, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When Susan Faludi stood in front of a large crowd at the Carnegie Music Hall Monday night, she asked more than 1,000 people to consider refugees. “Around the world today are unintentional monuments to the truth that we live in the age of the refugee and the elusiveness of the refuge they seek,”...
District 8 candidates promote platforms
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
February 26, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
For Erika Strassburger, an independent Democratic candidate for District 8, her decision to run is directly tied to the current federal government — she said she saw democracy at risk when President Donald Trump was elected. “I also vowed to myself if I got the opportunity, which I thought would b...
District 8 candidates debate water, air, amazon
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
February 23, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When the four District 8 City Council candidates sat behind a table onstage at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Rennick Remley — the only Republican running in the election — observed that he stood out from the group. “Oversight and accountability in City Council is our major pro...
Q&A: Elizabeth Mahoney revisits Mister Rogers’ archives
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
February 22, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
The iconic children's show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” turned 50 Monday. The show, which was broadcast from 1968 to 2001, was filmed in Pittsburgh and hosted by the late Fred Rogers. In honor of the show’s 50th anniversary, assistant news editor Janine Faust sat down with Elizabeth Mahoney, fo...
Pitt, UPMC announce $200 million Immune Transplant and Therapy Center
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
February 14, 2018
Filed under Administration, City, Health, News
Jeffrey Romoff, president of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, walked on stage at a century-old abandoned car factory Tuesday afternoon and wondered where some of its necessary facilities were. “This is not quite what I expected,” he said. “I can’t find the lavatories, and I can’...
Lawyers navigate the intricacies of assault
By Hannah Schneider | Staff Writer
February 14, 2018
Filed under City, Crime, News, Top Stories
Within the first 24 hours of the #MeToo movement going viral in October 2017, there were more than 12 million posts, comments and reactions made by 4.7 million Facebook users worldwide. The movement has since reached more than 85 countries, shedding a new light on advocacy for survivors of sexual harassment...
Biden brings book tour to Pittsburgh
By Laura Howe | Staff Writer
February 13, 2018
Filed under City, Top Stories
In sharing some of what he’s learned over the years, former Vice President Joe Biden said no amount of money can protect from pollution, joblessness or grief. “For me, the way through grief is finding purpose,” he said. “Ted Kennedy was one of my mentors. He died of the exact same cancer...
Amazon HQ2 community forum reveals concerns
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
February 12, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
“Whose city? Our city! Whose city? Our city!” various Pittsburgh residents declared in unison before the community forum on Amazon began Saturday. This chant reverberated through the Liberty Room of the Human Services Building on Smithfield Street where about 50 audience members and six panelists...
Community questions Amazon’s impact
By Grant Burgman and John Hamilton | The Pitt News Staff
February 8, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said Amazon coming to Pittsburgh would be “unquestionably a good thing,” in an article published by Geekwire Wednesday. But the crowd of 50 people that filled a room in Parran Hall Wednesday afternoon heard five panelists discuss different views on the potential arrival of Amazon’s second headquarters. “Is this an opportunity for grow...
Taking steps for cystic fibrosis
By Zane Crowell | For The Pitt News
February 8, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Members of the Run to Cure Cystic Fibrosis marathon team trek up more than 700 steps of the Cathedral of Learning every Thursday. Then they take the elevator back down and do it two or three more times. The western Pennsylvania chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a donor-funded nonprofit wo...
Me Too founder advocates for community changes
By Briana Canady | For The Pitt News
February 7, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Tarana Burke remembers the first day she saw “Me Too” used on Twitter — Oct. 15, 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano used the phrase in response to the sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein. Burke, who is known as the first person to use the now-popular phrase, is a supporter of the #MeToo movement on social media, but she ...
Whitaker talks sports, jazz in Pittsburgh
By Alexa Marzina | For The Pitt News
February 6, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Mark Whitaker is a Philadelphian infatuated with Pittsburgh. He is also an esteemed journalist who worked for Newsweek Magazine for three decades and became the first African-American to lead a national newsweekly. But that infatuation with the Steel City is what led him to investigate his father’s Pitt...
Global Wordsmiths help with translation troubles
By Sandra Balatkova | For The Pitt News
February 5, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Justina Moktan was born in Singapore and raised by her Nepalese parents to speak both Nepali and English. Now, as an intern at Global Wordsmiths, she helps bridge the gap between the two languages. Moktan — a sophomore finance and marketing major — is able to do this through her work at Global ...
Pitt alum campaigns for state senate seat
By Christian Snyder, Multimedia Editor
February 2, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, Uncategorized
When James Craig’s father was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014, his mother, an opioid addict, overdosed on prescription pills and died. Opioids weren’t new for the family — his aunt overdosed and died two years before that, and his father was an addict when diagnosed. His brother also ove...
Fraternity discusses concerns with policing
By Zane Crowell | For The Pitt News
February 1, 2018
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Wesley Giles, a sophomore finance major at Pitt, claimed he and a friend were walking up to the friend’s car in September 2017 when two police officers allegedly approached them with guns and told them to get on the ground. “Upon reaching us, they cuffed us, emptied our pockets, searched us and then...
District 8 candidates debate housing, Amazon
By Grant Burgman | Contributing Editor
January 29, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
The corporate relations manager of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre stood on stage at Chatham University Sunday afternoon and sang: “one of these things is not like the other.” Rennick Remley wasn’t rehearsing for an audition, but instead preparing to participate in a debate against one Democrat ...
Pitt’s LifeX project to support entrepreneurs
By Anish Salvi | Staff Writer
January 29, 2018
Filed under City, News, Tech Science, Top Stories
After moving on from his career as a pediatric endocrinologist to become a professor in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health, David Finegold never forgot about the patients he treated. He was especially moved by his patients who had suffered from Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a disease that prevent...
Viral video shows cyclist being attacked in Oakland
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
January 28, 2018
Police are investigating a physical altercation between a cyclist and the driver of a red SUV that occured Thursday evening at the intersection of South Bellefield and Fifth avenues. A video filmed at the scene by a man identified as Matt Hajduk, 26, shows the SUV driver, having already exited his ve...
District 8 candidates continue campaigning
By Remy Samuels | Staff Writer
January 25, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
A renowned Pittsburgh chef, an LGBTQ+ advocate and the former chief of staff for Dan Gilman are currently in a race to win a spot on City Council. Gilman stepped down from his position as District 8’s councilman Jan. 3 to become Mayor Bill Peduto’s new chief of staff, triggering a special electio...
Pittsburgh Women’s March focuses on elections
By Madison Hook | Staff Writer
January 22, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Chants of “All love, no hate! That’s what makes America great,” projected through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh Sunday as citizens joined together to take part in the second annual Women’s March. For some, the day was about walking for someone else. Gerard H. Weiss, 73, of Washington...
Republican gubernatorial candidates debate at CMU
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 22, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The crowd erupted into a mix of boos and cheers at the in Kresge Theatre Saturday night when Laura Ellsworth admitted she did not vote for President Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, favoring another Republican candidate — John Kasich — instead. “The reason that I didn’t support Presid...
Photos: Marchers reflect on year since Trump’s election
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 21, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories, Visual
Thousands of Pittsburghers congregated at the City-Council Building Downtown Sunday, carrying signs supporting women’s rights, wearing “pussy hats” and gathering support for local candidates. Held one year after the first march, the 2018 Women’s March pushed concrete changes through activi...
Peduto promotes Pittsburgh community initiatives
By Salina Pressimone | Assistant News Editor
January 19, 2018
Filed under City, News, Student Government, Top Stories
Mayor Bill Peduto prioritizes building up Pittsburgh communities, and thinks Amazon might soon be able to help with this growth at a local level, he said Thursday night. “What will make Pittsburgh competitive is talent produced locally and incredible affordability,” he said. “With those two th...
Pittsburgh among finalists for Amazon’s second headquarters
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
January 18, 2018
Filed under Administration, City, News, Top Stories
Amazon announced 20 cities Thursday that the company is considering as a location to build its second headquarters — and Pittsburgh is on the list. The online retail giant received more than 200 proposals from cities across the country, narrowing it to 20 cities, which will pose some serious compe...
Pitt Progressives host state House candidate Summer Lee
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
January 18, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
When asked what was distinct about her campaign, Summer Lee said she isn’t running on anything that isn’t “basic human stuff.” “I don’t see that I’m not running on anything that isn’t common sense,” Lee said. Lee is a Democratic candidate for District 34 in the Pennsylvania House of Represen...
Pitt, community push opioid crisis solutions
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
January 18, 2018
Filed under City, Health, News, Top Stories
Nearly 3,000 Pennsylvanians died of opioid overdoses in 2015, according to the Pitt Public Health Dynamics Lab. But researchers at Pitt are working to change that statistic. Michael Mallon, the project coordinator for Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health’s Opioid Initiatives, helps arrange ...
Fetterman responds to tough student questions
By Christian Snyder | Multimedia Editor, Multimedia Editor
January 17, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
On the chalkboard in room 236 of the Cathedral of Learning Tuesday night were some small illustrations of a bird and a dog, followed by “ing.” Put it together and you get bird-dogging, the act of closely scrutinizing a politician’s views — which is what a group of five students decided to do when Br...
Finn wins Democratic nomination for District 8
By Elise Lavallee / Contributing Editor
January 14, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Sonja Finn, 38, was nominated Sunday afternoon to run as the democratic candidate in the District 8 City Council seat special election. With no contest from a republican candidate, Finn is expected to run against Erika Strassburger and Marty Healey in the special election March 6. Though in the past t...
Artists converse about work, creativity
By Nina Kneuer | Staff Writer
January 12, 2018
Filed under City, Top Stories
Jo-Anne Bates originally went to school to be a printmaker, so most of her first works were in black and white. But after visiting South Africa and seeing all of the colors in the landscape, the clothing and the artwork, she knew she wanted to incorporate them into her own work. “To be an artis...
District 8 election: a quick look at the candidates
By The Pitt News Staff
January 12, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Dan Gilman stepped down from his position as city councilman Jan. 3. to work as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, triggering a special election to fill the open seat to represent District 8, which includes Oakland, Point Breeze, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. So far, three Democratic candidates have ste...
Pitt alumna runs as Republican gubernatorial candidate
By Sarah Frumkin | Staff Writer
January 11, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Laura Ellsworth grew up loving Nancy Drew, the theatre and teaching — which all came in handy when she decided as an undergraduate at Princeton University to become a lawyer. “You get to be a detective — you get to be a performer because you need to use your presence, use your voice, use e...
Man transported to hospital in stable condition after incident with Port Authority bus
By Mackenzie Rodrigues / News Editor
January 9, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Pittsburgh emergency personnel transported a man to an undisclosed hospital in stable condition after an incident Monday afternoon near Chesterfield Road and Fifth Avenue. According to Pittsburgh police spokesperson Alicia George, fire, EMS and police responded to the scene just after 4 p.m. The firs...
Longtime residents reminisce about old Oakland
By David Solomon | Staff Writer
January 8, 2018
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
At the corner of Bates and McKee streets sits Groceria Merante, an Italian grocery that’s been situated in the neighborhood for nearly four decades. Walk inside and Salvatore Merante, age 86, may be there to ring you up or reminisce about the Oakland he used to know — a calm family neighborhood,...
In case you missed it: News from winter break 2017
By News Editors
January 8, 2018
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
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 ...
Peduto names Gilman chief of staff, triggering District 8 special election
By John Hamilton / Managing Editor
December 19, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Mayor Bill Peduto named City Councilman Dan Gilman his new chief of staff, vacating a seat in Pittsburgh’s eighth district, which includes part of Oakland. Gilman, who has served on city council since 2013, will begin working at his new position on Jan. 3, the first day of Peduto’s second term...
Pitt police use Taser on woman
By Rachel Glasser | News Editor
December 5, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Pitt police deployed a Taser on a woman who fled from UPMC Presbyterian Monday morning. A video aired on WTAE shows the woman wearing a hospital gown walking along Forbes Avenue in the direction of traffic on the road. Pitt police shouted at her to stop moving, but she continued to walk. A University...
Community questions Bigelow plan
By Madison Hook | For The Pitt News
November 10, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Bigelow Boulevard has always divided campus, but now it’s dividing community members as well. The finalized street safety plan for Bigelow Boulevard — discussed during a community forum Thursday night — left longtime residents of Oakland questioning whether the changes would improve the commuting...
Protestors silently disagree with media mogul
By Sid Lingala | Staff Writer
November 9, 2017
Less than a few minutes into Christopher Ruddy’s presentation at the Pittsburgh Playhouse Wednesday night, about 30 Point Park University students stood up silently with their fists in the air, showing off shirts emblazoned with colorful messages such as “People not Profit” and “Love not Hate....
TEDx focuses on feminism
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
November 6, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
anupama jain was familiar and passionate about the topic of her TEDx talk, feminism and gender equality, so her biggest struggle was what she wanted to wear for the event. “My biggest crisis is how casual or formal I should dress,” jain said. “That’s probably not what you want to hear, b...
Community concerned about Bates development
By Madeline Gavatorta and Caroline Bourque | TPN Staff
November 3, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
City Council President Bruce Kraus asked if, by chance, anyone from the development group Oakland Gateway Venture was in attendance at a town hall Thursday evening. William Bannow, whose presence was unknown for the first hour of the meeting, stood up to defend his company against Oakland residents’ cr...
Professor unveils underwear’s history
By Zoe Pawliczek | Staff Writer
November 3, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Jessie B. Ramey showed more than 170 strangers a picture of herself in her underwear Thursday at the Frick, a Pittsburgh art museum in Point Breeze. “Don’t get too excited, this is me at the age of nine in my Underoos,” Ramey told the crowd — plus a Facebook live audience of more than 1,300 pe...
U.S. Department of Homeland Security grants PA REAL ID extension
By Rachel Glasser | News Editor
November 1, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security granted Pennsylvania an extension to comply with REAL ID requirements through fall 2018. The extension — granted Oct. 11 and in effect through Oct. 10, 2018 — means that during this time frame, all current Pennsylvania licenses and identification cards wi...
Art Commission recommends relocating Foster statue
By Caroline Bourque and Rachel Glasser | News Editors
October 27, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Dippy the Dinosaur might be losing a pal in the near future. The Pittsburgh Art Commission reached a unanimous decision Wednesday to recommend the removal of the Stephen Foster statue — located on Forbes Avenue next the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s diplodocus dinosaur statue. Sarika Goula...
Native American author talks race, poverty, reading
By Sid Lingala | For The Pitt News
October 16, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Sherman Alexie entertained an audience of fans Sunday as he talked about growing up with hydrocephalus, a condition where fluid builds up in the brain and swells the head. “My head is enormous and hypnotizing. I couldn’t wear a little league hat as a coach because my head's too big,” Alexie said. ...
Big changes may come to Bigelow
By Madison Hook | For The Pitt News
October 13, 2017
Filed under Campus, City, News
The City of Pittsburgh closed Bigelow Boulevard in 1996 for 29 days. Then-Mayor Tom Murphy said they felt closing Bigelow “would make for ... a more attractive campus.” The trial program didn’t continue after those 29 days. According to city councilman Dan Gilman, “it posed a lot of issues f...
Original Milano’s Pizza receives consumer alert for code violations
By Janine Faust / Assistant News Editor
October 7, 2017
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Original Milano’s Pizza was issued a consumer alert from the Allegheny Health Department Friday for numerous code violations. Malfunctioning refrigeration, evidence of mice and a lack of soap at the handwashing sink were among the violations the health department found at the restaurant located on the 3600 b...
‘It rained for a reason:’ Westboro Baptist Church ends protest early, one counter protester arrested
By Bailey Frisco / Staff Writer
October 5, 2017
The Westboro Baptist Church cut its planned protest route short Thursday for reasons unknown to Pitt. “All we know is they didn’t come,” University spokesperson Joe Miksch said in an email. The Westboro Baptist Church protesters — four women toting multiple signs each — arrived at the cor...
Cracker plant creates controversy
By Remy Samuels | For The Pitt News
October 5, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
Despite the promise of creating 600 permanent jobs, the ethane cracker plant being built about 40 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh by car continues to face scrutiny from environmental groups. Shell Chemical Appalachia decided in 2012 that Beaver County would be the site of a new $6 billion plant to...
Commission and community considers statue’s fate
By Madeline Gavatorta | Staff Writer
October 5, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
At yesterday’s public hearing, three minutes wasn’t enough time for Marshall Goodwin to express his opinion about the Stephen Foster statue. After presenting his viewpoint, Goodwin — an on-and-off resident of Pittsburgh for 50 years who now resides in Schenley Park — asked multiple times...
Sweet success: Donut Dash exceeds $500,000 goal
By Bailey Frisco | For The Pitt News
October 2, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, Campus, City, News
Fried dough and philanthropy were on people’s minds this weekend in Schenley Plaza. Crowds of people dressed in donut costumes and donut headbands — even a man wearing a sparkly silver dress adorned with donuts — packed into the plaza Sunday morning for the ninth annual Donut Dash. The event wa...
City plans to expand smart signals to Oakland
By Sarah Frumkin | For The Pitt News
September 26, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
With the dozens of traffic lights and congestion, driving in Oakland can be frustrating and stressful. But every so often, you can time it perfectly and breeze down Forbes or Fifth Avenue, passing through a string of green lights. Stephen Smith, director of the Intelligent Coordination and Logistics Laboratory at...
Individuals rally to improve accessibility
By Caroline Bourque | Assistant News Editor
September 21, 2017
Filed under Campus, City, News, Top Stories
Disability advocates crowded the sidewalk on the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Forbes Avenue Wednesday, Sept. 20, to spread information on three key issues they want to reform. These three initiatives — distributed to passersby on multi-colored flyers — focused on problems with accessibility in ...
Protesters address the baby elephant in the room
By Amanda Finney and Remy Samuels | For The Pitt News
September 17, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
“Cruelty is Not Entertainment,” was the protesters’ creed. It was printed, along with the slogan “Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium Enslaves and Kills,” on the signs the protesters held as they stood outside the front entrance of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Protesters gathered outs...
Tailgate Guys company partners with Pitt
By Jesse Madden | For The Pitt News
September 17, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Peng Su’s first time tailgating at a Pitt game consisted of the usual tailgate staples — KanJam, food and cornhole. But he found his favorite part about the pre-game tradition was the view he and his fellow tailgaters had from their position on the Great Lawn, the grassy area near Heinz Field bet...
Near and far: Pitt students’ diverse origins
By Anandhini Narayanan | Staff Writer
September 12, 2017
Filed under Campus, City, Top Stories
At Audrey Jonas’ high school, students celebrate “Tractor Day” — a day in which students drive their farm tractors to school and spend time marveling at the assortment of tractors in the parking lot. Jonas grew up in Bernville, Pennsylvania, which has a population of about 1,000 residents. “Trac...
Southwestern restaurant spices up Schenley Plaza
By Rachel Glasser | News Editor
September 6, 2017
Filed under 2. Featured, City, News
The style of food at Robert Sayre’s new restaurant has confused some passersby. “We’ve had to convince Pittsburgh that it’s a New Mexican restaurant, not a ‘new’ Mexican restaurant. So that’s been a bit of a struggle at times,” Sayre said with a laugh. Sayre is the owner and head ...
Peduto discusses local, national politics on campus
By Kirsten Wong | Staff Writer
September 6, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
With the news cycle, the Trump administration is capturing most of the public’s attention, and Mayor Bill Peduto sees a path for cities to bring about change. “We are living in interesting times right now,” he said Tuesday night. “Changes that are happening in this world will happen at the ...
Contestants compete for ‘Idol’ fame
By Rose Luder | Staff Writer
September 4, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
Kanti Kasa’s mother spent time singing on Broadway and raised Kasa to do the same. But unlike her mom, Kasa — who was born with the name Deliylah Johnson — doesn’t want to be on a stage in New York. Her goal is to take the stage in front of the world. Kasa and hundreds of other hopefu...
Thai Hana temporarily closed until violations resolved
By Janine Faust | Assistant News Editor
August 31, 2017
Filed under City, News, Top Stories
The Allegheny County Health Department issued a consumer alert for Thai Hana and Sushi Bar Tuesday. According to the ACHD, the presence of roaches, flies and bags of rice infested by moths were among the reasons for issuing the alert for the restaurant located on the 3600 block of Fifth Avenue. ...