Pittsburgh Expects 2013 Completion For Point State Park Fountain

It will be another spring before the fountain at Point State Park bubbles up again.

That was the message Thursday about progress on the $9.6 million fountain renovation, which began in late 2011, part of a $35 million makeover of the entire park.

If the weather stays mild, flooding remains minimal and the construction work proceeds smoothly, park manager Matt Greene said he is “cautiously optimistic” that water will return to the fountain in spring 2013. The fountain was shut off in April 2009.

“So far, so good,” Mr. Greene said as he surveyed the tip of the Point.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/city-expects-2013-completion-for-point-state-park-fountain-636861/

Pennsylvania’s First Indoor Biking Park To Open In Pittsburgh’s Homewood Section

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Local mountain bikers are celebrating early, and their excitement is aimed at Homewood.

There, in a former metal fabricating plant on an entire block, biking aficionado Harry Geyer is creating The Wheel Mill, the state’s first indoor park for bicyclists — mountain bikers, BMX racers and free-stylists and even cyclists who like to keep their wheels on the ground.

Mr. Geyer is leasing the building at 6815 Hamilton Ave., to which he also moved the office of his construction and remodeling business. He has access to 57,000 square feet; Global Links has 23,000 square feet of warehouse space on the eastern end.

Possibly as soon as late summer, Mr. Geyer will open the bike park, rolling it out in stages from one immense room to another so that eventually, people won’t have to drive to Ray’s MTB Indoor Park in Cleveland.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/pennsylvanias-first-indoor-biking-park-to-open-in-homewood-636804/

Allegheny County Defends $3M Strip Search Settlement

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Allegheny County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Speaking of strip searches and WTF moments!

PITTSBURGH – Attorneys for western Pennsylvania‘s largest county jail are defending their decision to pay $3 million to settle a class action involving 1,600 inmates who were strip searched before doing time for minor offenses, even though the U.S. Supreme Court decided such searches are legal earlier this week.

The 2010 settlement involving the Allegheny County Jail included payments to any inmates strip searched for a minor offense between July 13, 2004 and March 18, 2008. About 12,000 inmates were believed to have been eligible for the money, but only a fraction responded with class action claims. Those inmates divided the money remaining after deducting $1 million in attorneys’ fees and another $265,000 went to pay a firm that processed the claims.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20120403_ap_pacountydefends3mstripsearchsettlement.html#ixzz1rDqsASbf
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Highmark Fires CEO After Extramarital Scandal Revealed

Highmark Place from PNC Park in Pittsburgh, taken 2008 showing the new Highmark branding atop. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Highmark today fired president and CEO Kenneth R. Melani in the wake of a scandal involving an extramarital affair and allegations that he assaulted the husband of his mistress.

The insurance giant’s board of directors announced the firing after a meeting this morning, in a statement that said his termination was “for cause.”

“The board has reviewed this situation thoroughly and has taken decisive action to address the matter,” said board chairman and acting CEO J. Robert Baum.

“For 75 years, Highmark has served this community with integrity and is committed to maintaining the highest standards. We have dedicated, hard-working employees and I know they take great pride in working for Highmark. Our mission of providing quality, affordable health care has never been more important, and I’m looking forward to working with our employees and senior management team in addressing the many challenges and opportunities that lie ahead,” he said.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-city/highmark-fires-ceo-melani-629445/

Tree Pollen Found In Pittsburgh Air In February, Earliest Ever Recorded

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The pollen counter on the roof of Allegheny General Hospital detected tree pollen in the air Thursday, the first time it’s been recorded there in February.

That’s the harbinger of an early season for spring allergy sufferers and the result of a warmer-than-normal winter, said AGH allergist David Skoner.

“Moderate counts of tree [pollen] already!!! Wow!,” Dr. Skoner, director of AGH’s Division of Allergies, Asthma and Immunology, wrote in an email after the pollen count was measured by division research associate Asha Patel.

Tree pollen counts usually start in early April, peak in late April and early May and disappear by Memorial Day.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12056/1212557-114.stm#ixzz1nQ4er7Nc

PeoplExpress Airlines Trying To Reconstitute Itself, Eyes Pittsburgh International Airport

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Visitors to Pittsburgh International Airport can be forgiven for thinking, at certain times, that they wandered into an aviation ghost town. Where once US Airways alone operated more than 500 daily flights into Pittsburgh, the airport is now left with an average of 139 non-stops a day for all airlines.

There’s no question the airport needs more flights and the people who take them — and that makes the news that PeoplExpress is reviving an old brand and is eying a presence in Pittsburgh especially encouraging.

As Post-Gazette staff writer Mark Belko wrote last week, the airline’s plan is to concentrate on routes that have been largely abandoned by other airlines — such as West Palm Beach and Providence, R.I.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12052/1211501-192.stm#ixzz1nPy4zZL8

New Allegheny County Executive Lures Frontier Airlines Back To Pittsburgh International Airport

Editor’s note:  Mr. Fitzgerald replaces Don Onorato who unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Pennsylvania against Tom Corbett.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald

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has spent the early days of his administration beating the bushes trying to bring more flights to Pittsburgh International Airport. On Friday, his hard work paid some early dividends.

Mr. Fitzgerald announced that Frontier Airlines will restart nonstop service to Milwaukee, with two flights a day beginning Thursday, May 17. Frontier will fly into its hub at Milwaukee General Mitchell International Airport.

The decision comes less than two months after Frontier ended the flights, leaving Pittsburgh without nonstop service to the Wisconsin market. The new flights can be booked at www.frontierairlines.com.

Milwaukee was one of the cities Mr. Fitzgerald — and others in the region — targeted for nonstop service after he took office in January. He has vowed to work to bring more service to Pittsburgh International, which has lost hundreds of flights over the last decade as a result of US Airways cutbacks.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12056/1212520-28.stm#ixzz1nPvAwlHQ

Punxsutawney Phil Saw His Shadow :(

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PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s famous groundhog Punxsutawney (puhnk-suh-TAW’-nee) Phil has emerged from his lair and saw his shadow, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.

But, at this rate, that might not be so bad.

The groundhog made his “prediction” on Gobbler’s Knob, a tiny hill in the town for which he’s named about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/note-to-punxsutawney-phil-6-more-weeks-of-an-unseasonably-warm-winter-might-not-be-so-bad/2012/02/02/gIQA1irgjQ_story.html

Pittsburgh Residential Assessments Jump 46 Percent

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The city of Pittsburgh‘s residential properties are now assessed at a total of $10.78 billion, up 46 percent from their prior assessment of $7.33 billion, officials said in the courtroom of Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. today.

“That would mean everyone whose assessment went up by one-third would actually be paying fewer taxes, if the commercial came in at that amount” of increase, Judge Wettick said.

The city and school district must lower their millage, he noted, so they do not take an illegal windfall from the county’s reassessment.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11364/1200250-100-0.stm#ixzz1i2sm26oj

Pittsburgh Ranks 37th In Best-Performing Cities List

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The Pittsburgh metro area fell five spots but remained in the Top 40 in the 2011 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index measuring economic and job growth.

Pittsburgh was ranked 37 on the 2011 list compared to 32 in 2010. This year’s No. 32 was York-Hanover, Pa; the only other Pennsylvania city in the top 50 was Philadelphia, at No. 49.

Pittsburgh was 30th in the United States when it came to one-year job growth during the recession years of 2009-10, and 60th in terms of five-year growth from 2005 to 2010. It was 50th in terms of job growth from June 2010 to June 2011, the Milken Institute said.

Read more: http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2011/12/19/pittsburgh-37th-best-performing-city.html?ed=2011-12-19&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Pittsburgh’s “Christmas Lady”

Even though it was summertime, the living room and dining room were still decorated for Christmas. Ms. Vicini leaves her Christmas tree, village and Santa collection out year-round.

“I enjoy them so much, I never wanted to put them away,” she explained. “Why just enjoy them for one month when you can enjoy them all year?”

Ms. Vicini, who turned 61 this week, has been celebrating Christmas every day for at least 15 years. She says her family and friends understand perfectly.

“They figure this woman was born on St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) and she’s named Carol. Apparently she has the Christmas spirit, so let’s just let her go,” she said, laughing.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11344/1195943-55.stm#ixzz1gBvXxNL0

Metropolitan Pittsburgh Records Population Gain For Second Year In A Row

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For most of the span since the end of World War II, more people have been leaving the Pittsburgh region than flocking to it.

For the second year in a row, that trend has been halted. The relative health of the local economy appears to be a motivator for retaining existing Pittsburghers and creating new ones.

The seven-county metropolitan region attracted 1,430 more people than the number who left it between 2009 and 2010, based on new Internal Revenue Service migration data, according to a report by Christopher Briem, a regional economist for the University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for Social and Urban Research.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11344/1195941-53.stm#ixzz1gBpZAiaH

Lack Of Competition On Nonstop Flights Between Philly And Pittsburgh Will Skyrocket Ticket Prices

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This is a classic example of why competition is necessary in an economy.  Southwest Airlines is ending their Philadelphia to Pittsburgh nonstop service on January 8th.  Starting January 9th, US Airways will be the only carrier with nonstop flights between Pennsylvania‘s two largest cities. 

Today, a nonrefundable round-trip ticket will set you back $118.00 before taxes.  After Southwest ends their nonstop service, the same ticket, for the same flight, will cost you $698.00 on US Airways.

Taking a flight with one connecting stop makes flying almost equivalent to driving across the state.  Amtrak and Megabus are also not options for business travelers who need to make same-day round-trips.

Just another example of corporate greed.

Pittsburgh’s Port Authority Transit Facing 35 Percent Cuts In Service And Major Layoffs

The Port Authority has begun preparing for service cuts that are more than twice the size of the reductions that took effect in March, when thousands of riders were stranded and others jammed into overcrowded buses.

CEO Steve Bland told the authority board last week that planning has begun for a 35 percent reduction in service hours that will come next fall if Gov. Tom Corbett and the Legislature fail to act on a statewide transportation funding shortfall.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11333/1193283-53.stm#ixzz1f949DohH

Yet Another Movie To Start Filming In Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh is becoming Hollywood East.  Another movie, starring Tom Cruise, will begin filming in Pittsburgh in October.  The movie, One Shot, will film through the end of the year.

Tom, Katie and Suri were spotted in Wexford, PA over the weekend on a family outing.

One Shot has a targeted release date of February 2013 according to Paramount Pictures.  The movie is a murder mystery.

Pittsburgh Scores High Marks From Abduction Cast Member And Producer

Great article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about the filming of Abduction, which opens in theaters today.  The movie filmed in Greater Pittsburgh for 51 days and stars Taylor Lautner from Twilight.  The movie includes scenes from around Pittsburgh and even Fiddle’s Diner in Brownsville, Fayette County.  The Pittsburgh area is becoming an increasingly popular location for Hollywood film makers along with other areas of Pennsylvania.

To read the article, click here:

http://ht.ly/6D7l9

Poverty Rate Climbing In Pennsylvania

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According to statistics released from the U.S. Census Bureau, families in Pennsylvania are worse off than they were 10 years ago.

Cumberland County saw its poverty rate for families increase from 6.2 percent in 1999 to 7.8 percent.

Dauphin County saw its poverty rate for families increase from 12 percent to 20 percent!

Lebanon County saw its poverty rate for families increase from 8.9 percent to 15.2 percent.

York County saw its poverty rate for families increase from 7.1 percent to 11.4 percent

Crawford County saw its poverty rate for families increase from 16.2 percent to 20.7 percent.

Erie County saw its poverty rate rise to 17.4 percent while the City of Erie’s poverty rate increased six percent to 30.2 percent and is the second-highest poverty rate in Pennsylvania.

The City of Reading has a poverty rate of 41.3 percent and comes in at numero uno!  Poverty rates for other major Pennsylvania cities are Allentown 27 percent, Philadelphia 26.7 percent, Pittsburgh 22.3 percent, 21.1 in Scranton and 20.9 in Bethlehem.

The poverty rate for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is 13.4 percent or more than 1.6 million Pennsylvanians.  More than half a million people living in poverty are children under the age of 18!

These rates are higher for minority families.  For example, 45 percent of blacks and Hispanic families in Erie live under the poverty level.  The poverty rate is 25 percent for white residents.

The U.S.poverty rate hit a 17 year high of 15.1 percent.  46.2 million people in the United States were living below the poverty level in 2010.  The federal poverty level for a family of four is a yearly income of less than $22,314.

Lancaster PA 10th-Smoggiest Midsized Metropolitan Area In The United States

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Despite continuing air-quality improvements, Lancaster was the 10th-smoggiest midsize metropolitan area in the United States during 2010, according to a report.

Using data from government air-quality monitors, the Philadelphia-based group PennEnvironment also found the Lancaster area tied with Pittsburgh for the second-most number of unhealthy smog days among all metropolitan areas in Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia had the worst smog in the state, according to the report, “Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/463395_Group–Air-here-still-dirty.html#ixzz1YcaawN00

Pittsburgh Is Getting Younger – Average Age Of City Residents Falling

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Pittsburgh has become an example of reverse brain drain.  The City of Pittsburgh is attracting more and more people in their 20′s and 30′s.  The median age of city residents fell from 35.5 to 33.2 in the last ten years.  (By comparison, the median age of Pennsylvania’s 12.7 million residents in 2010 was 40.1, up from 38.0 in 2000.)  This phenomenon is rarely seen outside the Sun Belt and never in the Rust Belt.  But then again, this isn’t you’re parent’s Pittsburgh, anymore.

The smokey steel city of the 40′s and 50′s is long gone.  Heavy industry has been replaced with education, health-care, robotics, computer technology and other high-tech and green industry.  Pittsburgh is building itself a more diversified economy and consistently ranks high on the list of America’s Most Livable Cities.  The cost of living in Pittsburgh makes it very attractive to young people.

Because of all these factors, and more, Pittsburgh will be hosting the One Young World Summit in 2012.  2,000 young leaders from 160 countries will be coming to Pittsburgh to discuss topics like global health, climate change and micro-economics.  Most of these delegates will be in their 20′s.  This will be the third year for One Young World.  Last year the event was held in London and this year it was held in Zurich.

Pittsburgh beat out Johannesburg, South Africa to host One Young World in 2012.  Other countries that bid for the conference besides South Africa were China, Australia, Peru and Dubai.  Pittsburgh was the only American city bidding to host this event.

 

Cooperation and Collaboration Are Not Dirty Words In Pittsburgh

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An excellent opinion piece was published in Sunday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, written by award-winning journalist and author Steven Beschloss, about how Pittsburgh has propelled itself forward during troubled periods in the city’s past.  The author suggests that in today’s troubled economic times, America look at the Pittsburgh model of cooperation and collaboration as a way forward.

Here is an excerpt from Mr. Beschloss’ piece:

…We can rewind to the 1940s when Democratic Mayor David L. Lawrence allied with Republican financier Richard King Mellon to shape the city’s Renaissance Project, giving Pittsburgh a new lease on life at a grave moment of decline and worry. It’s worth recalling how Lawrence described that economic development effort to revive the city and bring together a complex coalition of interests: “This is a Pittsburgh project, not a Democratic or a Republican project.”…

The same cooperation and collaboration has enabled Pittsburgh to survive the collapse of the steel industry and reinvent itself as a city built on education, health care, computer science, biomedicine and engineering.

To read Steven Beschloss’ opinion piece, click here: http://postgazette.com/pg/11233/1168445-109-0.stm?cmpid=newspanel