🌱 St. Patrick's Day Parade Prep + Wintery Weather Return + Boulder

Hi all! I'm here right on time with your Thursday edition of the Pittsburgh Patch newsletter, filled with everything you need to know about what's going on in town. Today you'll find these stories and more...

• Pittsburgh officials prepare for St. Patrick's Day parade, celebration
• Wintery rain and snow to make its return Friday
• Missing McCandless teen found

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But first, today's weather: Partly sunny. High: 50 Low: 34.

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Here are the top stories in Pittsburgh today:

1) Unlike their counterparts in neighboring Philadelphia, administrators in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Allegheny County district that is the state's second largest with more than 20,000 students, are not able to unionize under current state law. A new bill being introduced by two Democratic state senators could change that. Lindsey Williams of Allegheny County and Christine Tartaglione of Philadelphia want to assure that education administrators have the resources and tools they need to educate and serve our students. "Principals and vice principals play a critical role in our schools and students' success," the pair wrote in a recent memo to colleagues.

(Pittsburgh Patch)

2) The city of Pittsburgh is prepping to celebrate St. Patrick's Day Downtown, and so are city officials. Pittsburgh Public Safety bureaus and local law enforcement partners will be present throughout the festivities, starting at 10 a.m. on Liberty Avenue and 11th Street and ending at Stanwix Street, to ensure the festivities go smoothly and safely. "Pittsburgh police will have extra officers in areas where officials expect people to gather after the parade, including mounted units stationed on the South Side in preparation to handle heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic expected there and to deal with 'the expected increased alcohol consumption in these areas.'"

(TribLIVE)

3) A wintry mix of rain and snow is set to make its return on Friday. As of now, it looks like the arrival of rain and snow showers will hit by late Friday morning, with scattered, light snow showers early Saturday morning. Attendees of the Pittsburgh St. Patrick's Day Parade should dress for the weather, with scattered snow expected early in the day. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 30s or 40s.

(WTAE Pittsburgh)

4) A former nurse's lawsuit against UPMC claims Western Psych staff mistook his disability for an alcohol or drug impairment and injected him with an antipsychotic against his will. Aaron Diamond, formerly a charge nurse for UPMC Western Psych's eating disorder unit, filed the lawsuit against UPMC, Western Psych as well as two of its employees. The basis for the suit was an alleged incident that occurred in March 2021 in which he said he ended up being involuntarily committed and then was coerced into resigning. "He is claiming a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, false imprisonment, assault and battery and invasion of privacy."

(WPXI Pittsburgh)

5) A busy Jefferson Hills road is closed indefinitely after a boulder fell into the roadway causing major damage yesterday. According to Jefferson Hills Borough police, State Route 837 is closed between the Elizabeth bridge and St. Clair Avenue. Police said PennDOT will need to inspect the roadway and the potentially unstable hillside before the road can reopen.

(WPXI Pittsburgh)

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Today in Pittsburgh:

• Prime Rib Night (4 PM)
• Taps & Apps Happy Hour (5 PM)
• Rainforest Engineers — Plum Community Library (6:30 PM)
• Book Lab — Mount Lebanon Public Library (6:30 PM)

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From my notebook:

• The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: "Hitting the halfway point! Hint 4 of 8. 🔜 2023-2024 PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh announcement coming on March 13 🎭" (The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust via Facebook)
• Pittsburgh Bureau of Police: "⬇️ Important information regarding this weekend's #PGHStPatricksDay parade and festivities. ⬇️" (Pittsburgh Bureau of Police via Facebook)
• Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: "Attend our Used Orchid Sale for a chance to pick up used orchids from Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show: Origin Stories for your own garden!" (Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens via Facebook)
• Carnegie Science Center: "Catch music from 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Beetlejuice,' 'The Lion King,' and much more set to brilliant graphics in Laser Symphony of the Stars! Showings begin at 2 p.m. daily in Buhl Planetarium." (Carnegie Science Center via Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday. I'll see you soon!

— 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 Patch newsletter? Contact me at pittsburgh@patch.com