Community Corner
🌱 Major Region Projects + Scarf 'Bombing' + Davis Lieutenant Governor
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Pittsburgh.
Hello, neighbors. It's me, Rachel Tasker, your host of the Pittsburgh Daily — back in your inbox with all the most important things happening locally! Today you'll find news about these stories and more...
- Major projects on the way to rejuvenate Pittsburgh's former industrial scenes
- A Penn Hills woman sets out to give warmth to locals
- A fire under a Pittsburgh bridge halts 'T' operations
And more! Here we go...
Cloudy. High: 41 Low: 36.
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Here are the top stories today in Pittsburgh:
1) This year marks the start of major progress on various projects aimed at bettering economic development and job creation in former industrial regions around Pittsburgh. "In 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, and RIDC announced plans for the Pennsylvania Safety, Transportation and Research Track, or PennSTART — and the project is now moving forward." The facility will be built at RIDC's Westmoreland Innovation Center, a former industrial site. Industry stakeholders are participating in plans for development and operation of the test track and the research center connected to it. Carrie Furnace, a historic site in the Pittsburgh region, is also on its way to a new and productive future as a symbol of a revitalized Pittsburgh. The first phase of the project will include infrastructure work and construction on the core and shell of the first of two 60,000-square-foot speculative tech-flex industrial buildings. Plans are also being developed and design work is underway for a film studio at the site. Like Carrie Furnace, Hazelwood Green was unused for years, a site with enormous potential that had been a center of the community in its days as a J&L steel mill. Mill 19, located on a portion of Hazelwood Green, is expected to gain a complete construction of a third building. Designed to fit within the north end of the existing steel skeleton, the three-story 100,000-square-foot office and R&D building will have panoramic views of downtown and the Oakland skyline. More important, it will serve as an engine for jobs, an asset for the community and a center of gravity for community-based activity.
2) A Penn Hills woman has made it her personal mission to keep Pittsburgh locals warm throughout the cold winter months. Suzanne Volpe calls herself a "scarf bombardier," as she crochets two to three scarves per day, then 'bombards' communities in need by giving them something to keep them warm. She got the idea after seeing a friend of hers post a similar giveaway that took place in Connecticut. "I have a friend in Connecticut who jumped on it, and I said, 'Somebody should do that here,'" Volpe recalled. She knows some people take a scarf for someone they love, especially during the COVID-19 years. If you'd like to help Volpe in her mission, visit her Facebook page to find easy patterns to start crocheting scarves, or make an easier version of fleece scarves.
3) The Pennsylvania Turnpike's Mon-Fayette Expressway is set to undergo a $1.3 billion expansion project soon between Route 51 and Interstate 376, according to the Turnpike Commission. When complete, the Mon-Fayette Expressway will stretch north to the Parkway East in Monroeville, with the new extension running through the Turtle Creek valley. "This long-awaited project represents a significant investment in the Mon Valley that will not only enhance mobility in the area but is expected to bring economic opportunities to the region," Sean Logan, Pennsylvania Turnpike Commissioner, said in a statement. Turnpike Chief Engineer Brad Heigel said motorists will be able to drive on sections of the Mon-Fayette extension as they are completed.
(TribLIVE)
4) A fire underneath Pittsburgh's Panhandle Bridge, which allows trolleys to cross the Monongahela River, caused the 'T' rail system to stop operations. A Pittsburgh Regional Transit representative said the fire started at a homeless encampment and may have been out, but engineers needed to check the bridge for any potential damage. Until the bridge cleared, the T cars couldn't move, officials said.
5) History was made in Pennsylvania yesterday as Austin Davis was sworn in as the state's first Black lieutenant governor. Davis, 33, became the highest-ranking Black official in the state's executive branch. He was inaugurated in the state Senate chambers shortly before the inauguration of Josh Shapiro as the state's 48th governor. Shapiro succeeds former Gov. Tom Wolf, who was term-limited after serving for eight years. Davis is native to the city, growing up in the McKeesport area of Allegheny County. He then spent four years in the state House before vaulting to his current position. He succeeds John Fetterman, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November.
Today in Pittsburgh:
- Winter Flower Show and Light Garden at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (All Day)
- Citizens Police Academy — University of Pittsburgh (All Day)
- Winter Reading Challenge — Community Library of Castle Shannon (All Day)
- Hero Appreciation Wednesday (8:00 AM)
- Book Babies — Mount Lebanon Public Library (9:30 AM)
- Knitting and Crochet Group — Mount Lebanon Public Library (10:00 AM)
- Baby Talk — C.C. Mellor Memorial Library (10:30 AM)
- Baby Lapsit — Andrew Bayne Memorial Library (10:30 AM)
- Estate Planning — Northland Public Library (11:00 AM)
- Taxes In Retirement Seminar at Mt. Lebanon Recreation Center (11:00 AM)
- Estate Planning Seminar at Northland Public Library (11:00 AM)
From my notebook:
- The Andy Warhol Museum: "Vote for us! We have been nominated for 'Best Art Museum' in the 2023 USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice travel awards. You can vote once a day for the run of the contest, which ends Monday, Feb. 13 at 12 p.m. ET: https://bit.ly/3IYVBui" (The Andy Warhol Museum via Facebook)
- Carnegie Science Center: "Keep an eye on the sky the next few weeks. A green comet is passing by Earth for the first time in 50,000 years! ☄️" (Carnegie Science Center via Facebook)
- Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy: "Today is Table Top Tuesday! Join us for board games at the Schenley Park Visitor Center from 12-2 p.m. Destress, increase brain function and meet new people for free every Tuesday this January – March 28th." (Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy via Facebook)
- POGOH: "✨Join our team! https://pogoh.com/join-our-tea... ✨Want to get more people excited about riding bikes? Want to create an inclusive bike community and break down barriers to biking for people in Pittsburgh?" (POGOH via Facebook)
Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Wednesday off right! I'll be in your inbox tomorrow morning with your next update.
— Rachel Tasker
About me: Rachel is a native Pennsylvanian with stops in Erie and State College before making Pittsburgh her home in 2020. She's got a background in a little bit of everything... from working in media newsrooms and public health to the 2016 Presidential election in Washington, D.C. and the 2019 Super Bowl where (surprise!) Tom Brady won... AGAIN. She loves good coffee, bad reality T.V., attending local events and trying new food in the 412. She resides in the South Hills.
Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Pittsburgh Daily? Contact me at pittsburgh@patch.com
