🗳️ Your Allegheny County election guide

Riverview Park To Get A New Pedestrian Bridge

Nearly 15 years after the previous bridge was dismantled, the city broke ground on a new Davis Avenue Pedestrian Bridge last week. The bridge will reconnect Brighton Heights to Riverview Park; residents should be able to walk to the park in about five minutes, instead of the half hour or so it takes now. The project is expected to cost $6.2 million and finish this fall. [City of Pittsburgh]

Wilkinsburg Hotel to Become Apartments

The now-vacant site of the former Penn-Lincoln Hotel — called “Pittsburgh’s Most Modern Suburban Hotel'' when it opened in 1927 — will soon become the Penn-Lincoln Apartments. The 41-unit apartment building will mostly be affordable housing, but will also have a commercial space on the first floor. Its design will harken back to the original hotel. Construction is expected to start later this year. [Pittsburgh Union Progress]

Pittsburgh Launches A New Diversion Program

The new program will offer repeat low-level offenders the chance to seek rehabilitation services instead of facing criminal charges. Many low-level offenses, like retail theft or simple possession, are the result of poverty, mental illness, or substance use disorder, officials say. The program – called Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD – exists in more than 70 other cities; Pittsburgh first began exploring it in 2019, and it’s now a part of Mayor Gainey’s “Plan for Peace.” [90.5 WESA]

• 📣 Mayor Gainey talked about his plans with host Megan Harris. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]

Ready to do your civic duty on April 23? Below is a breakdown of your ballot.

• Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling place here.

Remember: You can only vote in the primary in Pennsylvania if you are a registered Democrat or Republican. Some advocates and lawmakers are trying to change this. According to SpotlightPA, the closed primary system disenfranchises more than 1.3 million voters in Pennsylvania.

President

Pennsylvania’s primary is late in the election cycle. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are already the presumptive nominees. While Biden already won enough delegates, there is a group pushing Democrats to vote "uncommitted" to protest the way he's handled the war in Gaza. Unlike in some other states, "uncommitted" is not a ballot option in Pennsylvania; organizers with Uncommitted PA are urging voters to use the write-in option. Biden plans to visit Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

U.S. Senate

The U.S. Senate is made up of 100 senators who are elected for six-year terms.

• Democrat: Incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey
• Republican: David McCormick

U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members who serve two-year terms. Pennsylvania has 17 representatives up for reelection.

• The big one making headlines in our area is in the 12th Congressional District between two Democrats, Bhavini Patel and incumbent Summer Lee. The winner will face Republican James Hayes in November.
• ➡️ Find the legislator on your ballot.

General Assembly

The Pennsylvania General Assembly is responsible for proposing and passing state laws and developing the budget. The chamber’s senators are elected to four-year terms. Democrats currently control the state House by two votes; Republicans control the state Senate by six.

• We talked about Democrats’ 34th District primary race between incumbent Abigail Salisbury and challenger Ashley Comans on today’s City Cast Pittsburgh podcast. 90.5 WESA’s Chris Potter has great coverage of its peculiarities.
• ➡️ Find out who is running in your district.

🎧 Want more details on the offices and what’s at stake? Listen to today’s City Cast Pittsburgh podcast.

Let’s play a game! Where can you find this photo above? 👀

🌟 Shoutout to Annetra T., Diane T., Nancy L., Vicki R., Zach L., Lyn P. Maria T., Eric A., Martin S., Hillary L., Julie F., Flo B., Timothy I., Tim R., Carla C., Bob S., and Atticus R. who correctly guessed the last “Where Is It?” challenge!

Mural artist Jackie Kresak said that “sewing a quilt is like bringing together the different kinds of people and uniting them into one whole blanket or community. The purple folded block with the pin in it represents that it, like a community, is still under construction and changing for the better,” according to the Pittsburgh Murals blog.

Many of you guessed Garfield and Lawrenceville, but Pittsburgh’s neighborhood map technically puts the mural in Bloomfield. You should all get credit though because Penn Avenue is confusing!

Your 2024 PA Primary Guide

It’s a Presidential election year, and there are a bunch of state and local elections to watch for, too. But before November, we need to get through the primary on April 23! City Cast’s Megan Harris & Mallory Falk are talking through a few key races, plus what’s at stake next week