Lee’s town hall offers chilling reminders of the mess we’re in and a call to action
We tried to approach it as just another Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Buses rumbled up Centre Avenue in a light rain. We entered the Hill District and thought about dinner as we passed Freedom Corner. We made a note to check the scores of the opening-round games of the NCAA tournament. Then we turned onto…
‘This is a crisis’: Pittsburgh Regional Transit forecasts 35% cut in service, an increase to $3 basic fare
For months, Pittsburgh Regional Transit has warned riders and elected officials it would have to make “devastating” service cuts and increase fares next year unless it receives more state funding. The agency outlined those cuts Thursday, and they may be even more impactful than expected. Faced with a $100 million deficit for the year that…
Crossover begins this weekend on Parkway East between Penn Hills and Monroeville
With spring now officially on the books, it’s time to rev up major road work. Here are projects starting in the next few days:
It’s spring! Enjoy the outdoors and learn, too, with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy activities and events
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s spring programs aim for city residents and visitors to leave winter behind and reap the benefits of being outdoors again through a mix of annual, ongoing and new activities. “The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Earth Month celebrations offer everyone the opportunity to take pride in their local green spaces and foster a personal, meaningful connection to…
PUP softball notebook: Hempfield’s hot start proves Spartans appear ready to reclaim throne in Class 6A
For a team with a tradition as rich as Hempfield, making it to the WPIAL softball semifinals simply isn’t good enough. Most teams would consider that a successful season, or at least something to build upon for the future — especially after finishing with an overall record of 18-2 — but not the Spartans. At Hempfield,…
PUP baseball notebook: Serra Catholic’s large collection of basketball players make a speedy transition to the diamond following long playoff run
With nearly half of Serra Catholic’s baseball roster also on the school’s basketball team whose season ended with a loss in the PIAA playoffs last Tuesday — just days before the start of the baseball regular season — one might assume that it would take a while before the baseball-playing Eagles would be at full…
Working people find they have value in this year’s race for Pittsburgh mayor
Steve Kelly, a tall man wearing a purple hooded sweatshirt, stood at a small podium in Downtown’s Mellon Square Park on Tuesday morning and talked about the importance of his union, SEIU 32BJ. Its members keep Pittsburgh and its offices clean. In Kelly’s words, they are “the heartbeat of the city.” Kelly then looked up…
Work resumes on walking bridge to Pittsburgh’s Riverview Park
Construction resumed this week on the Davis Avenue pedestrian bridge that will connect Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights neighborhood with Riverview Park. The project, which had been scheduled for completion last year, was delayed for several months due to a supply chain issue with the fabricated steel needed for the new bridge, said Jacob Williams, spokesman for…
The state tournament: On to the semis
PIAA boys basketball semifinal preview: With a trip to Hershey at stake, South Allegheny takes on Aliquippa in a much-anticipated rematch of WPIAL championship thriller
One team is looking to reach the PIAA final for the first time, while the other is trying to do it for the fourth year in a row. Throw in the fact that it’s a rematch of a thrilling WPIAL championship game, and Saturday’s showdown between South Allegheny and Aliquippa will be the biggest game…
PIAA girls basketball semifinal preview: Tailor-made rivals Peters Township, South Fayette gearing up for colossal rematch in Class 5A
You can search far and wide all over the state, but you won’t find a better Final Four matchup than the PIAA Class 5A girls semifinal showdown scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Canon-McMillan. When high-powered South Hills rivals Peters Township and South Fayette collide for the second time this season in a rematch of…
One shining moment: Former North Hills standout Royce Parham ready to make NCAA tournament debut with Marquette
Royce Parham got a taste of the intensity over the past week. The former North Hills standout, now a freshman forward at Marquette, played in his first Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He said he received a valuable education in postseason basketball at the NCAA Division I level. “I…
Teens capture Hill District life through a ‘Saturday Light Brigade’ women’s oral history project
Darlene Moore has lived in the Hill District for 60 of her 67 years. When she raised her children there, she said it was a very wealthy community. But then it disintegrated, and it became a struggle to live there. She and her friends had to travel for their everyday needs, such as day care.…
‘Tis the seasons
WPIAL baseball season preview
Sure, it’s only March 14 and the Pirates don’t play their season opener for another two weeks, but for WPIAL baseball teams, this is opening day. Here are some top baseball storylines, teams and players to watch for when the season begins for WPIAL teams on Friday. Top stories Three-peat, anyone? Only once has a…
WPIAL softball season preview
Ready or not, the spring sports season is already upon us — and there is plenty to catch up on before the games get underway later this week. Here are some top softball storylines, teams and players to watch for when the season begins for WPIAL teams on Friday. Big stories TJ’s “Road Warriors” gearing…
WPIAL track and field season preview
Sophia Mazzoni is a dog lover. Mazzoni and her family have two as pets — a cane corso named Bruno and a boxer named Luca — but her affection for canines extends beyond her home, with Mazzoni working part time at a nearby business that provides grooming, boarding and day care services for pooches. “It’s…
In other news …
August Wilson’s plays inspire the Voices of History project that records stories of Black life and community
August Wilson’s cycle of 10 plays — all but one set in Pittsburgh — captured the Black experience in the 20th century through everyday people’s stories. His works of fiction have inspired Voices of History, a statewide PA Humanities initiative to document and preserve Black history. The project launched here last year and moved on…
Look how cuke this transit courtesy campaign is!
Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced a new campaign Tuesday to encourage riders to be nicer to each other so they don’t leave their bus or light rail ride with a sour taste in their mouth. The agency decided to mount the pickle-based campaign with the tagline “Rider courtesy. It’s a big dill” after getting complaints from…
Waiting for news of the GOP’s Medicaid cuts is like ‘staring down the barrel of a shotgun’
Here’s a moral dilemma we should present to every Sunday school class in America: You’re facing pressure from your wealthy boss to provide tax relief for people who can afford fleets of private jets, but in order to do so you must eviscerate a program that’s keeping some of your most vulnerable neighbors alive and…
