Tom Davidson stories, Page 13

Members of the Pittsburgh Community Task Force on Policing Reform had a singular message for City Council members Thursday: They want the recommendations in their 47-page report implemented. The 15-member task force met regularly since it was formed in June by Mayor Bill Peduto. They disagreed on many things during...

More than $1.8 million will be allocated to address landslides around Riverview Park on Pittsburgh’s North Side, Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration announced Wednesday. The money will come from the Regional Asset District’s capital fund and the first area to be addressed is the hill near Riverview Park’s Chapel Shelter. “Residents...

President-elect Joe Biden has named several people with Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania ties to the agency review teams that will guide a transition before Jan. 20, when Biden is scheduled to take office. Although they don’t have a say in the matter, political science experts in the region say Biden should...

There are now “No Hunting” signs in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park. The city’s Public Safety Department put up the signs at key points in the more than 600-acre wooded greenspace in the city’s Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze and Regent Square neighborhoods. “There are numerous children, bicyclists, pedestrians and pets within the...

Five Pittsburgh-area programs will benefit from more than $3 million from previously-approved federal coronavirus relief legislation, Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration announced Tuesday. The bulk of the money, $2 million, will go to the Urban Redevelopment Authority for rental assistance under the URA’s Housing Stabilization Program. About 1,000 households have been...

Hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug pushed by President Trump to treat covid-19, has again shown to be ineffective in treating people hospitalized with covid-19, according to results of a study published Monday. The study “puts to rest any lingering hope that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment against covid-19,” said co-author Dr....

A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help leaders in Baltimore and Pittsburgh work to develop new STEM learning programs at their recreation centers. The grant, awarded to the Baltimore-based Digital Harbor Foundation, will help the foundation build on its programs in the cities. Science, technology, engineering...

The covid-19 pandemic was as big a driver of alcohol sales as Christmas in Pennsylvania, according to the latest report from the state Liquor Control Board. Allegheny County reported the top sales figures, with more that $288 million in 2019-20, according to the report. Westmoreland County ranked 9th with sales...

The independent board tasked with reviewing police conduct in Pittsburgh received an endorsement from voters Tuesday, who overwhelmingly voted to expand the board’s power. More than 76% of voters supported a ballot question expanding the board’s power, according to unofficial, incomplete election results as of Wednesday afternoon. “It’s a very...

Peters Township School District officials formally apologized to their counterparts at Woodland Hills for an “insensitive” choice of costumes by two drum majors during an Oct. 30 football game between the schools. The two students wore black, full-body spandex suits that appeared to some as if they were in blackface...

Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said Tuesday night that there were only isolated problems at the polls and no significant issues reported during Tuesday election. They also reiterated people to be patient as the votes are tallied. “I encourage all of us to take a deep...

Republican challenger Nicole Ziccarelli maintained a slim lead over incumbent state Sen. Jim Brewster in a race for Pennsylvania’s 45th State Senate District, according to incomplete and unofficial election results. Ziccarelli had received 50.67% of the 124,396 votes counted, leading Brewster by 1,658 votes. Early election returns Tuesday night showed...

An Allegheny County judge will likely decide the fate of the Christopher Columbus statue in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. Judge John T. McVay Jr. has set a virtual status conference on a lawsuit filed by the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, for 1 p.m. Thursday. The lawsuit seeks to halt...

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is asking Pittsburgh residents to observe a moment of silence and reflection at 9:54 a.m. Tuesday, the moment when the shooting started in 2018 at the Squirrel Hill synagogue that left 11 people dead and wounded two others. “My thoughts continue to be with everyone impacted...

A bee, a butterfly and a lightning bug gather at a park next to a waterfall. This isn’t the opening of a joke — it’s a public art project that’s part of $4.2 million in improvements to Wightman Park in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. The park is set to reopen...

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials this week approved measures protecting Black residents from being discriminated against because of their hairstyles. County Council also joined Pittsburgh in recognizing the African American observance Juneteenth as a paid holiday for county employees and approved a motion urging Congress to designate Juneteenth National Freedom...

Pittsburgh officials are poised to settle a 2018 lawsuit filed by a former Pittsburgh police officer who alleges police officials harassed him and retaliated against him for investigating a company that provided the department with costly software upgrades that either weren’t used or did not work. The $250,000 settlement, recommended...