Pgh.'s Top 2022 Stories Include Bridge Collapse, Violent Incidents

PITTSBURGH, PA — The facts are depressing but impossible to contradict: the top news stories of the year involved violence against an Uber driver, a North Side shooting in which two bystanders were killed and a Kennywood shooting in which three people were wounded.

There also was historic political change, as Ed Gainey was elected the city's first Black mayor and Summer Lee became the first Black woman in Pennsylvania to be elected to the U.S. House.

Then there was the Fern Hollow Bridge, which just reopened less than a year after its collapse.

Here are Patch's picks for the top 10 stories of the year:

10. Pittsburgh Uber driver murdered.

Christina Spicuzza, a mother of four, begged for her life before she was shot in the head
during a robbery in February while working as an Uber driver.

9. Fatal North Side shootings spark further violence.

Three people were killed in an October shooting on the North Side; two were innocent bystanders. At the funeral service of the third person killed, six people were shot.

8. Prominent Pittsburgh dentist convicted of killing wife.

Dr. Lawrence Rudolph, who once ran a Pittsburgh dental company, was convicted in August of the shooting death of his wife while on a safari in 2016.

7. Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins struck and killed by dump truck.

Steelers reserve quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck and killed by a dump truck in April while walking along a Florida highway to get gas for his vehicle.

6. Kennywood makes numerous security enhancements after amusement park shootings.

The West Mifflin amusement park made security upgrades after three people were wounded in the amusement park in September.

5. Summer Lee becomes the first Black woman to be elected to Congress in Pennsylvania.

State Rep. Summer Lee was elected to the U.S. House to succeed the retiring Mike Doyle.

4. Former Braddock Mayor John Fetterman elected to the U.S. Senate.

In a hotly contested race, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman defeated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz in a battle that helped decide which political party would control the Senate.

3. Ed Gainey becomes Pittsburgh's first Black mayor.

Former state Rep. Ed Gainey was sworn in in January as the city's first Black mayor in city history.

2. Franco Harris dies.

The beloved Steelers Hall-of-Famer died unexpectedly in December, just days before the team retired his number as part of the ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.

1. Fern Hollow Bridge collapses.

It was miraculous that no one was killed and only 10 were injured when the span liking Squirrel Hill and Regent Square tumbled into Frick Park on a snowy January morning. President Joe Biden twice visited the site, and a replacement span remarkably was built quickly and opened in December.