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  • City Council

    Security and space agreements approved as city prepares for NFL Draft.

    Some North Shore light poles are coming down to make room for NFL Draft crowds, the city's technology director said. One holds a crowd monitoring camera that the city wants atop a garage by the stadium during the event. On March 11, council gave preliminary approval to that and two no-cost space deals, including a warehouse for police training.

    Survey

    During major events like the NFL Draft, which public safety concerns matter most to you?

  • School Board

    Board denies Montessori charter application amid broader magnet program debate.

    A district facilities plan proposed eliminating most of Pittsburgh's K-5 magnet programs. One board member said Pittsburgh Montessori should go too if the plan passes, for fairness. Then, on Feb. 25, the board unanimously denied a charter bid from Three Rivers Wildflower Montessori. About 20 parents, students, and teachers had defended Montessori at a hearing two days earlier.

  • School Board

    School board directors to make closure decisions before summer.

    On Feb. 17, the school board agreed to decide before summer whether to close nine school buildings. The board rejected the closure plan in November, then voted in January to reconsider it. Directors asked for more information on staffing and on the buildings if they close. Then, at a Feb. 23 hearing, parents opposed the closures, and one said many questions remain unanswered.

    Survey

    What information would you need before feeling confident in a closure plan?

  • City Council

    Homewood's Operation Better Block in line for $300,000 anti-violence contract renewal.

    Group violence intervention tries to curb gun violence by focusing on the people most at risk. Now the city's public safety director wants council to approve a three-year, $300,000 deal with Homewood's Operation Better Block. The group provides technology for the program, like tracking outreach work and potential hot spots. Council is set to take it up March 11.

    Survey

    Which of the following would make you more confident that a group violence intervention program is working in your neighborhood?

  • City Council

    $1 million transfer approved for two new ambulances as fleet needs mount.

    On March 4, council gave preliminary approval to use $1 million in grant money for two new ambulances. A council member also asked about two out-of-service fire vehicles. The city's senior fleet manager said the city should push hard to buy fire vehicles. But he said new ones must be modified for narrow streets and hills, so they can take years to arrive.

    Survey

    Which emergency vehicles should the city prioritize upgrading?

  • City Council

    State grant would fund new traffic signal at dangerous Oakland intersection.

    Fifth Avenue and Dithridge Street in Oakland saw 10 crashes, including one death, from 2020 to 2025. The city's transportation department now wants council to accept an $806,000 state grant to replace the traffic light there. The intersection sits in front of a student-heavy apartment complex, and five transit routes pass through. Council is set to discuss it March 11.

  • County Council

    Committee moves forward with legislation to limit county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

    Residents have told Allegheny County Council that county officers have been turning immigrants over to ICE. On March 2, the public safety committee voted to advance a bill limiting county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Three members opposed it, and one warned the county could lose federal funding. Next, the full council could vote as early as March 10.

  • County Council

    Public comment time cut in half as immigration debate draws crowds.

    Seventy people signed up to speak at Allegheny County Council's Feb. 24 meeting. As it began, nine of 15 members voted to cut each speaker's time from three minutes to 90 seconds. Comments were overwhelmingly against county cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. So far, council hasn't said whether it'll do the same on March 10.

  • City Council

    Carnegie Mellon to cover a $200,000 match for safe streets.

    Carnegie Mellon has offered to cover a $200,000 match the city lacks for a federal street safety grant. That brings the Safe Streets and Roads for All project to $400,000. Still, a council member wondered whether one large contribution from nonprofits that don't pay city taxes would be more efficient. Council voted to keep moving toward accepting the money.

    Survey

    Agree or Disagree: The benefits of securing $400k in funding for the Safe Streets and Roads for All project are more important than concerns about large nonprofits not paying property taxes to the city

  • City Council

    City Council weighing whether ShotSpotter is worth the cost.

    ShotSpotter sensors alert Pittsburgh police to gunfire without waiting for a 911 call. Council is still weighing whether to renew the $1.2 million yearly contract. A city audit found ShotSpotter got police to possible gunfire about five minutes faster than 911 calls. Still, critics say the system leads to over-policing in marginalized areas.

    Survey

    Which of the following is most important in considering a contract renewal with Shotspotter?

  • Westmoreland County

    County advances housing safety, treatment programs and major infrastructure funding.

    While public comment centered on immigration enforcement, most formal actions taken by commissioners focused on housing, public health and infrastructure investments.

  • Westmoreland County

    ICE agreement sparks packed meeting and legal dispute among commissioners.

    More than 80 residents attended the February meeting of the Westmoreland County Board of Commissioners as nearly 20 speakers provided comments. Most of the comments were about Sheriff James Albert’s agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the federal 287(g) program which allows local police agencies to enforce federal immigration laws.

  • Westmoreland County

    Paper ballot printing agreement approved while residents ask for more ballot drop boxes.

    Commissioners approved an agreement to purchase paper ballots to supplement electronic voting at a rate of $0.215 per ballot, plus $0.03 for a window in the outer return envelope. Residents will vote by marking the paper ballots by hand. The ballots will then be scanned and counted in much the same manner as electronic ballots.

  • Forward Township

    Parkway bridge closure will affect commuters for 25 days.

    Cline announced that the Interstate 376/Commercial Street Bridge on the Parkway East in Pittsburgh will close for 25 days for construction.

  • Forward Township

    Part-time road crew hire approved without posting the job.

    The board voted 2-0 to hire Mark Stewart as a part-time road crew employee, with Levdansky abstaining.

  • Forward Township

    Forward will pay more for police, but locks in two more years of coverage.

    Forward approved an increase to its existing police contract with Elizabeth Township during a contentious Feb. 9 meeting that drew a packed audience of residents.

  • County Council

    Hallam reports there are fewer people sleeping outdoors than last year.

    Fewer people are living outdoors in Allegheny County than last year, a county council member said. Counting on Feb. 3, she saw no one on a South Side trail where she said 60 to 70 lived last year. She credited coordinated outreach and the Housing First approach. Still, winter shelters are open, she noted, so warmer months may look different.

    Survey

    How satisfied are you with the county's approach to addressing homelessness, including the Housing First model and coordinated outreach efforts?

  • County Council

    New legislation will take some of the bite out of rising taxes.

    For longtime homeowners in redeveloping areas, rising market values can mean rising tax bills. On Feb. 10, Allegheny County Council passed a program capping eligible owners' tax increases at 35%. Owners qualify after 10 years in their homes, with incomes up to $131,625 for a family of four. However, one council member argued the income limit should be higher.

    Survey

    The new tax protection program is available to homeowners who earn at or below 125% of area median income, about $131,625 for a family of four. Do you think this income limit is:

  • County Council

    Snow clearing, housing and public safety highlight county executive report.

    In her Feb. 10 address to council, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato reported progress on snow clearing, public safety, and housing. She said homicides fell last year to the lowest level since electronic records began, crediting violence interruption teams. Her Feb. 5 executive order introduced a Housing Investment Fund. Her goal is $50 million to $100 million in public and private money for affordable housing.

    Survey

    Which of the following initiatives do you believe should be the highest priority for continued investment?

  • City Council

    City to study how to maintain accessibility even after a big snow storm.

    Last month's snowstorm left some wheelchair users stuck at home for weeks, a council member said. So she's proposing a citywide inventory of curb cuts, intersections, and transit stops to guide snow clearing. It would also have the city cite owners who don't clear sidewalks. But council held the bill for two weeks to get feedback from city planners.