In a near-unanimous vote, the Pennsylvania state Senate this week passed a measure that seeks to add safeguards for children who interact with artificial intelligence chatbots.

With the notable exception of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman — who spent much of his allotted time in the hearing criticizing his own party — Mullin faced some sharp queries from Democrats, as well as Kentucky Republican Rand Paul.

In the biggest shakeup on the local theater scene in decades, Pittsburgh’s two largest theater companies have voted to merge into a single group. The merger is the result of more than year of research and discussion by the groups to ensure their survival in the face of financial woes.

Jazz musician and music scholar James T. Johnson, Jr., who co-founded Pittsburgh’s Afro American Music Institute with his wife, Pamela, died Monday at age 76. “Anybody that knows him, he touched their heart,” said Cecilia Coleman, one of his five children. “He was a pillar of the community.”

Officials announced Monday morning that the Heinz Endowments, in partnership with the Pittsburgh Foundation, will pay $750,000 to help complete the project, which aims to create a roadmap to guide future development in the city through the year 2050.

The lawsuit, filed Monday morning by a Republican voter in the district, argues that Ehab Akkary cannot run for the seat because he has not been a resident of Pennsylvania for the four years required under state law.

Citizens Live at the Wylie, operated by Live Nation, is still under construction. But the venue announced Monday it will open Oct. 2 with a performance by Wiz, known for hits like “Black and Yellow.”

The invasive Hessian fly spurred suspicions of biological warfare, threatened the new nation’s economy and inspired the nation’s first citizen science project.

Braddock residents, elected officials and housing advocates gathered in the lobby of Avenue Apartments in Braddock to celebrate $3M in federal funding earmarked for taking vacant or under-occupied apartment buildings in Allegheny County and turning them into at least 50 affordable housing units.

Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor has put his stamp on the leadership of the city’s Planning Commission, after a City Council majority approved all seven of his picks to the body Tuesday. And while some “no” votes were cast against his nominees, Councilors who dissented had little to say afterward.

Nurses also plan to propose staffing standards for the hospital’s emergency department, the adult intensive care unit, medical-surgical unit, oncology unit, lactation consultants, and outpatient clinics.

Beset by financial troubles, the boards of Pittsburgh Public Theater and the Pittsburgh CLO are set to vote this month on whether to consolidate as new organization. The entity would produce both the new and classic musicals CLO now stages & the new & classic plays currently mounted by the Public.

Streamlining the city’s permitting system has been a stated priority of O’Connor’s since last year’s Democratic mayoral primary. O’Connor saidmthat he wants to “encourage growth,” which was a common refrain throughout his campaign last year and a focus of his public statements since taking office.

Mosley and his monumental abstract sculptures made from salvaged wood have been a constant presence on the local art scene since the 1950s. According to a statement released by his family, he died at his North Side home after a period of hospice care.

 ”She was tenacious about what she believed in and what she fought for,” said former City Council Bruce Kraus. “And you know, there were times when we were in perfect harmony and in sync, and times that we were not.”

Two of Republicans’ strongest issues in 2024 — the economy and immigration — may be among their weaknesses in this year’s midterms, as the party looks to hold onto three Pennsylvania congressional seats key to maintaining a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Pittsburgh city officials say police are increasing their patrols around religious institutions in some areas following a third day of threatening and hateful messages broadcast over a public safety radio channel.

The messages, all of which appear to have been pre-recorded, feature Nazi propaganda, refer to the conflict in Iran, make threats against Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor, and celebrate the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill.

In an order Monday, Judge Cathy Bissoon reaffirmed her December denial of the DOJ’s subpoena to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for records and rejected the DOJ’s offer to accept anonymized records.

Squirrel Hill’s annual Lunar New Year celebration has been canceled this year, amid fears in Pgh’s Asian community about the surge in federal immigration enforcement. The decision was made in January, and was made in partnership with the Pgh chapter of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

Local government, law enforcement, waterways organizations and marine salvage companies have been at work surveying the problem, prioritizing problem boats and sketching out what the removal process looks like at each stage.

Arts funding from the state of Pennsylvania is changing, which could make some artists and arts organizations ineligible for grant funding.

Some voting advocates warn that closed primaries, coupled with America’s dominant two-party system, essentially disenfranchise the fastest-growing group of the commonwealth’s electorate.

Dozens of college students gathered at Schenley Plaza on Friday afternoon to protest increased federal immigration enforcement action in the Pittsburgh region and nationwide. “Everyone should be able to walk around this campus and feel safe,” said Connor Chapman, a graduate student worker at Pitt.

More than 200 Allderdice students joined the protest Wednesday afternoon, walking from the Squirrel Hill high school to a parking lot at the corner of Murray and Forward Avenues while chanting “abolish ICE” and other slogans using more colorful language.

Dozens of local Mon Valley residents and officials gathered in North Braddock Tuesday afternoon to celebrate more than a million dollars in federal funding earmarked to clean up vacant and abandoned properties.

State-run universities in Western Pennsylvania say enrollment numbers are strong this spring. PennWest University — which is made up of the California, Clarion, and Edinboro campuses, plus online courses — now has 10,121 students. That’s nearly 2.5% above the school’s target.

In what could prove to be another battle between local universities and the Trump administration, a new report says that Carnegie Mellon University may be at risk of losing access to a tuition reimbursement offered to military service members looking to pursue their studies

The demonstration, which took place along two blocks of Pittsburgh Street, was prompted by the detention of Cordova Flores, an immigrant from Peru who was taken into custody after a traffic stop on Feb. 10.

While Wednesday’s jobs report beat expectations for growth in January, about 4,000 Pennsylvania workers have received notices so far this year that they’ll be laid off.

Legalizing recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania continues to face a “very divided” Republican caucus, a major obstacle as Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro again calls for the state to take action.

Electric bills across the country have been rising faster than the rate of inflation over the past few years, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In Pittsburgh last year, residential Duquesne Light customers saw default rates increase 15% in June and more than 10% in December.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, Pittsburgh-area chocolate manufacturers big and small continue to reckon with the global shocks of chocolate prices, but they persist — pumping out chocolate-coated sweetness from classic bites of gooey caramel to fresh cracks into ganache.

Escalating federal immigrant raids from Minneapolis to Oakmont have set students, families and educators in the Pittsburgh region on edge. Rumors of an ICE agent approaching Taylor Allderdice High School’s campus in Squirrel Hill last week had students and teachers on high alert.

The protest, organized by Pgh-based activists aligned with the national Sunrise Movement, began at 11 p.m. at the Residence Inn by Marriott, across the street from PNC Park. The purpose was to disturb the sleep of agents, who protest organizers believed were preparing to deploy here this week.

Cutting-edge genealogy has cracked the oldest cold case of an unidentified person at the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's office. Forensic genome sequencing — increasingly used to identify crime suspects — led investigators to the identity of a 1992 homicide victim. www.wesa.fm/courts-justi...

Allegheny County officials announced Wednesday that thanks to cutting-edge forensics, investigators have identified this John Doe as Allan Keener. Keener was born Feb. 5, 1940, and had ties to Ohio and Kentucky.

Councilor Barb Warwick introduced a bill Tuesday that would direct the Department of City Planning to collect data on the usage of curb-cuts, intersections, bus stops, and other infrastructure, so that Pittsburgh can establish processes for better clearing them of snow.

A long-simmering dispute over who owns digital copies of millions of Pennsylvania’s treasured historical records landed before a state appellate court this week. The ruling could determine whether those belong to the public or are under the control of a privately owned genealogy powerhouse.

If thou groweth weary of this season of crusty gray snowbanks of the soul, steel thyself: there’s more snow and cold on the way. The Pittsburgh area is forecast to see one to two inches of snow Friday, piling on to the 11 inches of accumulation from the Jan. 25 snowstorm.

Gov. Josh Shapiro is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to come together and finalize a bill to prohibit students from using their cellphones during the school day.

Citing rising housing costs, limited supply, corporate pressures on prices, and declining aid from the federal govt, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signed a sweeping executive order, relating to everything from gathering more housing data to expanding housing supply locally.

The recent arrest of an immigrant from Nicaragua living in Oakmont is generating confusion from neighbors and blowback from local elected officials. They’re seeking clarity about the situation from ICE, but say the agency lacks transparency and has been largely unresponsive to their questions.

Mayor Corey O’Connor nominated the two men for their roles: They were among the first choices he made to help lead the city last year. Both have been serving in an acting capacity since O’Connor took office.

At the heart of the event is the main stage on the North Shore, where picks are announced and players receive their respective team's jersey after being selected. That stage is set to be placed outside Acrisure Stadium along Art Rooney Avenue and General Robinson Street.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2026-2027 budget proposal has a record-setting $53.2 billion price tag, contains no tax increase, and includes a contingency fund in case of sudden changes in federal support under President Donald Trump.

A state House panel approved legislation Wednesday that would ensure workers in the meatpacking industry receive safety instructions in the language they speak. House Bill 1923 passed with a 14-12 vote along party lines.

A new Pennsylvania law aimed at removing unregulated vapes from the market and protecting kids may not be very effective due to loopholes, insufficient funding for enforcement, and limited public health backing.

The Foundation said that it would give the city a $2M grant towards purchasing 15 new snowplows. News of the gift came one day after UPMC pledged $10M for new ambulances — a donation that Mayor= O’Connor said would free up enough of the city’s cash to purchase some 35 trucks.

The organization, called Pittsburgh Alliance for People Empowered Reporting, or PAPER for short, seeks to look into possible models to continue reporting after the Block family, which owns the Post-Gazette, ceases publication.