Bloomfield residents raise concerns about sharing sidewalk space with delivery robots; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 26, 2021

NICK TROMBOLA , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Bloomfield residents raise concerns about sharing sidewalk space with delivery robots

"Bloomfield may be sharing its streets with delivery robots in the near future — a development that has residents of the neighborhood raising concerns about their implementation.

Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure is planning a pilot program to test out personal delivery devices, or PDDs, in Bloomfield this summer. The devices will come from Los Angeles-based Kiwibot.

The six-month pilot program, tentatively set to start in June, is meant to help the city learn more about how the emerging technology could affect communities, according to Erin Clark, a policy analyst at the city agency."

A Citizen of the World Retires; University of Pittsburgh, January 29, 2020

University of Pittsburgh; A Citizen of the World Retires

"After a 54-year career at Pitt, E. Maxine Bruhns announced her retirement earlier this month as director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at age 96.

Born in West Virginia in 1924, Bruhns is considered at Pitt as a “citizen of the world”—growing the Nationality Rooms into a collection of 31 mini-museums representing the immigrant populations of Pittsburgh and their contributions to the city. Today, the rooms are collectively designated a historical landmark by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.

“The Nationality Rooms are, and will forever be, linked to the identity of the city of Pittsburgh. Maxine has been absolutely instrumental in this achievement,” said Ariel C. Armony, vice provost for global affairs and director of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS), which houses the Nationality Rooms. “This is her legacy.”"

Food delivery robots from Starship Technologies are coming to Pitt’s Oakland campus; Nextpittsburgh, September 3, 2019

Bill O'Toole, Nextpittsburgh; Food delivery robots from Starship Technologies are coming to Pitt’s Oakland campus

"Stakeholders got their first look at the project last week when the Oakland Planning and Development Corporation (OPDC) held a public meeting where Starship gave a presentation on the project.

The university has confirmed to us that Starship’s service is due to launch later this fall, but the company declined to offer further specifics about the project to NEXTpittsburgh. According to the minutes of the meeting, they plan to begin a staged rollout in mid-September. The fleet will eventually have 25 autonomous rovers carting goods (presumably to hungry students) from campus food vendors such as Forbes Street Market...

The food delivery service poses obvious practical challenges for the flow of traffic and people throughout the bustling neighborhood. According to the minutes of the public meeting, several attendees expressed concerns over the potential for traffic and bicycle accidents.

“It’ll be interesting to see how they interface with people there in the public right of ways,” says Georgia Petropoulos, executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, which has no formal role in the project."

Nurse who treated Pittsburgh shooter: 'I'm sure he had no idea I was Jewish' ; The Guardian, November 4, 2018

Martin Pengelly, The Guardian; Nurse who treated Pittsburgh shooter: 'I'm sure he had no idea I was Jewish'

"Mahler said he would not go into great detail, because of privacy rules. But he wrote that the gunman “thanked me for saving him, for showing him kindness, and for treating him the same way I treat every other patient.

“This was the same Robert Bowers that just committed mass homicide. The Robert Bowers who instilled panic in my heart worrying my parents were two of his 11 victims less than an hour before his arrival.

“I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. Why thank a Jewish nurse, when 15 minutes beforehand, you’d shoot me in the head with no remorse?

“I didn’t say a word to him about my religion. I chose not to say anything to him the entire time. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt that the best way to honour his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Besides, if he finds out I’m Jewish, does it really matter? 

The better question is, what does it mean to you?”

In conclusion, Mahler wrote: “If my actions mean anything, love means everything.”"

August Wilson’s Pittsburgh; New York Times, August 15, 2017

John L. Dorman, New York Times; August Wilson’s Pittsburgh

"The stacks of the main Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh soon became Wilson’s new classroom, nurturing his intellectual curiosity. I walked throughout the building, imagining Wilson using the large reading rooms and admiring the architecture. With the words “Free to the People” etched in stone across the entrance, the ornate library, which opened in 1895, complements the nearby 42-story Gothic Revival Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh.

Back in the Hill District, the local Carnegie Library branch has a community room dedicated to Wilson. During my visit it was packed, filled with patrons playing chess. There is that stool salvaged from Eddie’s restaurant, a large map of the Hill District and notably, a high school diploma issued to Wilson by the library.

August Wilson was 60 years old when he died of liver cancer. His memorial service, held at the grand Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland, was followed by a jazz-infused procession through the Hill District.

“When Wynton Marsalis played ‘Danny Boy’ at the service, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Mr. Udin said. “August dealt with death in a manner of dignity, the same way he would have done with any of his characters.”

I always wondered how August Wilson could write about joy and tragedy with such vigor. But then I realized that his use of raw vernacular among African-Americans was rather unprecedented. Not only are Wilson’s poems and plays necessary, but they will continue to be vital in understanding the complexities of the common man."

Setting a standard: The new city Ethics Board is a vital matter; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12/4/16

Editorial Board, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Setting a standard: The new city Ethics Board is a vital matter:

"The city’s reconstituted Ethics Hearing Board has the opportunity to set a standard for local government. Legislation passed by Pittsburgh City Council and signed by Mayor Bill Peduto appears to give the board real teeth to root out ethics violations and impose discipline. Just as important, however, will be the board’s work in fostering a climate where officials, employees and others involved in the city better understand the rules and diligently strive to comply with them... Board members must have taught law, been subject to ethics codes or otherwise have an “ethics background.”"

City ethics board opens an office; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/21/16

Adam Smeltz, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; City ethics board opens an office:

"Pittsburgh officials opened an office last week for the city’s reconstituted Ethics Hearing Board.

The board held its first public meeting in several years on Nov. 3, following new ethics legislation approved by Mayor Bill Peduto in October 2015. Board members will receive and investigate complaints under the reworked city Ethics Code, which requires independent and impartial conduct by city workers...

The board, which also can offer advice on ethical conduct, has a website."

TPP trade deal pits Pittsburgh against Philadelphia; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1/3/16

Tracie Mauriello, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; TPP trade deal pits Pittsburgh against Philadelphia:

"Pittsburgh manufactures the products. Philadelphia ships them around the world.

One city stands to gain from expanding trade into the Pacific Rim while the other has much to lose, their mayors say.

That’s why Philadelphia’s outgoing mayor, Michael Nutter, has been helping the White House stump for the Trans-Pacific Partnership while Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto stands opposed...

Mr. Peduto acknowledges that the trade deal might be good for some industries, but says any benefits are outweighed by harm it would do to the steel industry."

Are city surveillance camera regulations being ignored?; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4/14/15

Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Are city surveillance camera regulations being ignored? :

"A largely ignored privacy law that Bill Peduto pushed for when he was a Pittsburgh councilman should be enforced but loosened to allow police to look further back in time using surveillance footage, the mayor said last week.

The city’s Privacy Policy for Public Security Camera Systems, hashed out in 2008 between council and then-Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, set rules on where the city can surveil, who may see the footage and how long it should be stored. Mr. Peduto drove that legislation and became mayor 15 months ago — but confirmed Thursday that “we’re not following the rules right now.”"

'Code for America' fellows aim to make Pittsburgh more transparent; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2/13/15

Robert Zullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 'Code for America' fellows aim to make Pittsburgh more transparent:

"Contracts and campaign contributions often are the fuel that powers political machines, but Mr. Peduto said he wants the three Code for America fellows who will spend a year in Pittsburgh to help open up city purchasing to small businesses and others who have been historically shut out of the process and strip away “that whole machine.”

“For the taxpayers, they’re basically left in the dark they look at government with suspicion because they don’t really see how their money’s being spent,” Mr. Peduto said at the Thursday news conference. “What if we shed light on it so everyone could see how that money has an influence and then take away the influence by allowing more people to bid on contracts.”

Pittsburgh was one of eight government entities selected to receive 2015 fellows from the national nonprofit, which allows young technology professionals to spend a year working to make government services “simple, effective and easy to use,” a news release said.

“We’re going to create the model for cities all around this country and all around the world to follow,” Mr. Peduto said."