Community Corner
🌱 Winter Storm + Holiday Parties + PPS Approves Budget
The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Pittsburgh.
Hello all. It's me, Rachel Tasker, your host of the Daily. Here's all the community news you need to know right now. In today's issue, we'll touch on...
- Pittsburgh bundles up with dangerous wind chills on the way
- On the Tahn: Dance parties at Spirit, Thunderbird, and more
- Pittsburgh Public Schools board approves budget with no tax increase
Periods of rain. High: 41 Low: 11.
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Here are the top stories in Pittsburgh today:
1) Winter has officially kicked off, and a big bang is coming along with it. Temperatures in and around Pittsburgh are set to plummet in the coming days, with dangerous wind chills on the way for Friday and Saturday. Thursday will see scattered showers with a wintry mix in the mountains to the east of Pittsburgh. All eyes will be on the sky starting Friday. Friday is an Alert Day as the rain is predicted to change over to snow. Those fast-falling temperatures and gusty winds begin Friday morning, making the roads a bit tricky for the travel day before the Christmas weekend. Temperatures will drop about 20 to 30 degrees in a short time frame, causing a potential flash freeze. The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. Strong winds could produce damage to trees and power lines, resulting in scattered power outages. Stay safe!
2) Ready to put on your dancing shoes for the holiday weekend away? These local spots are hosting: the BOOM Concepts Holiday Party at Casa Brasil will happen from 8-10 p.m. tonight. Enjoy music, light food, and festive fun during a holiday party thrown by the BOOM Concepts nonprofit arts organization. On Friday, check out Panda Claws X!: The Holiday Dance Party at Brillobox, starting at 8 p.m. For the 10th year, this holiday dance party returns to Brillo, this time with Fistful of Ballers, a live band playing all hip-hop and R&B covers all night long. There will also be a DJ set from Rave Mustaine, described on Facebook as ranging from the "funky textures of disco house and dance, to the euphoric driving maximalism of drum 'n bass & breaks, and back again. Also on Saturday is 90's Night Ugly Sweater Party at Squirrel Hill Sports Bar, kicking off at 9 p.m. Break out your most heinous holiday duds and head to Squirrel Hill Sports Bar for a night of pop, alternative, and hip-hop hits from the 1990s. Find even more parties at the link below.
3) Members of the Pittsburgh Public Schools board approved a $678.3 million budget that prioritizes maintaining current staffing and buildings on Wednesday night. Two board members, though, indicated last week that they did not support a budget that carried a deficit. The $9 million deficit for this year — while smaller than the $27 million deficit last year — was unnecessary, according to board member Gene Walker. He said it is the responsibility of the board to have the hard conversations necessary to balance the budget. Walker voted down the budget along with board members Tracey Reed, Jamie Piotrowski and Kevin Carter. Walker also asked if it would make sense to hold off on capital projects until the district makes decisions about the future of its buildings. "So that we don't start to spend millions of dollars on plans and projects for schools that may not be a part of this district in a year or two," he said. The average age of a Pittsburgh Public School is 89 years, with the oldest at 115 years. Its 58 buildings are at 57 percent capacity. Chief Operations Officer Mike McNamara said last week that the capital projects planned for the next year will keep schools operational.
4) A man has been accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh and Morgantown, and now there's a warrant out for his arrest. The Ronald McDonald House provides families with a "home away from home" for seriously ill children receiving medical treatment. Families supported by Ronald McDonald House called this crime disgusting. "For somebody to do that, it's a Scrooge move and it's despicable," Lorraine Hoopsick said. She makes the long trek from Erie, sometimes multiple times a week, so her son can get chemotherapy treatments. Police say 39-year-old Albert Sams, from the Atlanta, Georgia area, forged 18 checks meant for a vendor of the Ronald McDonald house. Those checks never made it into the right hands. Court documents say that Sams, who works for UPS, electronically duplicated the checks, signed them to his name and cashed them — worth nearly $86,000. That money was meant to make the lives of families with very sick children a little easier. "To stay here is a blessing that you don't have to worry about where your kids are, who's taking care of your kids, how you're going to get back and forth," Hoopsick added.
5) A homeless woman was accidentally scooped up by a Pittsburgh city heavy equipment operator during a homeless encampment cleanup job. The crew commented that they didn't realize that a homeless woman was still in a tent when they began the operation on the North Side. According to multiple sources, a front loader operator began scooping up the tents they suspected were already empty and tossing them into dump trucks to haul away. According to sources, the homeless woman began screaming and poked her head out of the tent. She then fell to the ground. It's unclear how far she fell, but sources say it was likely between six and eight feet. The woman declined medical assistance and got up and walked away from the scene. After clearing the area along Stockton Avenue, the city also fenced it off to keep the homeless out. A spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey's administration said all of the tents were checked before the cleanup, but she said in light of what happened, a review is now underway to determine what went wrong."County and city employees who were working to clean the encampment on Stockton Ave(nue) did a thorough review of all of the tents prior to the decommissioning of the camp. We are currently reviewing what happened in regard to an individual being inside of a tent at the time of the incident. The individual walked away from the scene after turning down assistance and we have had no contact with them at this time," said Mario Montano, the mayor's press secretary.
Today in Pittsburgh:
- Prime Rib Night at Live! Casino (4:00 PM)
- Dazzling Nights Pittsburgh (5:30 PM)
- Super Smash Tournament - Penn Hills Public Library (6:00 PM)
- PBR Throwdown Thursday at Live! Casino (8:00 PM)
From my notebook:
- US National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA: "Looking to spread some holiday cheer? Consider giving the gift of weather risk knowledge by sharing a link to our hazardous outlook page. Its all lit up and green and red, just in time for the holiday weekend. 🤪 https://www.weather.gov/..." (US National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA via Facebook)
- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: "Our Winter Light Garden has been shining bright and has us buzzing with holiday cheer! Here's some of our favorite photos, sure to brighten your feed! Visit here: https://www.phipps.conservator... Photo © ..." (Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens via Facebook)
- Bike Pittsburgh: "In memory of a true legend. Did you know: Franco Harris owned a pro cycling team called the Pittsburgh Power. He will be missed." (Bike Pittsburgh via Facebook)
- Tree Pittsburgh: "Congratulations to our Volunteers of the Year! These individuals, groups, and corporations have donated their time and talents to help us further our mission." (Tree Pittsburgh via Facebook)
- The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: "BLACK ON BLACK LOVE is on display at 820 Gallery through Jan. 8. Taka a deeper dive into the exhibition with 'Burgh Vivant ➡️ https://bit.ly/3PLG02G" (The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust via Facebook)
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History: "New gemstone on display! This 1.5 carat gray spinel from Mozambique is now on view in the Spinel case in Wertz Gallery. The specimen adds a new color and locality to the variety of spinels displayed there. " (Carnegie Museum of Natural History via Facebook)
Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another 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
