City Cast Pittsburgh
💰Pittsburgh passes 2025 budget
December 18, 2024 · — Francesca Dabecco
🛑 Stop right there, neighbor! Whether you’re showing family and friends around town this holiday season or scurrying to finish your shopping, we’re here to help you navigate our narrow, hilly streets with 12 essential Pittsburgh driving rules on today’s City Cast Pittsburgh podcast 🚙🎧
⭐ Bonus points if you listen to this episode while simultaneously merging on the Fort Pitt Bridge!
What's CITY Talking About?
💰 City Council Passes 2025 Budget
Despite ongoing concerns about Pittsburgh’s finances, council approved a $785 million budget that cuts overtime pay for first responders; reduces the number of budgeted police offers from 850 to 800; adds litter inspectors; invests in an automated red light enforcement system; and bumps pay for most city employees. It doesn’t include layoffs. [90.5 WESA / TribLive]
🛏️ Concerns With New North Side Winter Shelter
The county opened a 90-bed facility inside an old school in Perry South, more than a year after permanently closing a longtime Downtown shelter inside of Smithfield United Church of Christ. City human relations officials say it doesn’t make sense to open a shelter farther away from access to transportation and social services. [PublicSource]
- Protesters demonstrated outside of Mayor Ed Gainey’s house Monday, criticizing his administration’s sweep of homeless encampments. [90.5 WESA]
⚖️ Biden Grants Clemency to ‘Kids for Cash’ Judge
President Joe Biden granted clemency to former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted of sending young people to for-profit detention centers in exchange for more than $2 million in kickbacks. Gov. Josh Shapiro says Biden “got it absolutely wrong.” [Politico]
- Biden also commuted the sentence of a man who operated a heroin ring in McKees Rocks. [TribLive]
🧽 Execs Scrubbed From Health Insurance Sites
Bios of executives at Highmark and photos of executives at UPMC have been removed from the companies’ websites following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month. [Pittsburgh Independent]
- The alleged shooter, Luigi Mangione, potentially traveled to Pittsburgh before his arrest in an Altoona McDonald’s last week. [🎧 City Cast Pittsburgh]
What To Do
Wednesday, Dec. 18
- 🎵 Babesburgh Holiday Music Bingo at Mt. Lebanon Taproom | 7-9 p.m. | $2+ | Mt. Lebanon
- 🎶 Winter Wonders and Cool Carols at Phipps Conservatory | 8 p.m. | $25+ | Oakland
- 🪩 Black and Bold Party | 8 p.m. - 12 a.m. | $35 | Downtown
Thursday, Dec. 19
- 🌬️ Mind Blown Arts & Culture: Dreamscapes at Community Forge | 5-8 p.m. | $15+ | Wilkinsburg
- 📽️ The Muppet Christmas Carol at Two Frays Brewery | 7 p.m. | free | Garfield
- ❄️ Seasonal Wellness Party at Village Therapy | 7-9 p.m. | $40 | Glenshaw
- 🧶 Queer Craft Night at Assemble | 7-9 p.m. | $20 | Garfield
- 🌕 Christmas On The Moon, Baby at Spirit | 8-11:59 p.m. | $18+ | Lawrenceville
🎶🎄🕎 Don’t forget! We’re hosting an all-request holiday music show on Friday with City Cast contributor Kevin Gavin and WZUM. Stop by our office in Downtown from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to say hi to the City Cast Pittsburgh team, eat some cookies, and request a song! We’re located on the 10th floor of the Benedum Trees Building.
If you can’t make it, send us your request now and tune in to WZUM 1550 AM, 101.1 FM, or stream online at wzum.org.
Free · Daily