Pittsburgh All Local

Pittsburgh Regional Transit officials have proposed a 588-million-dollar preliminary budget package for the new fiscal year. This budget features no service cuts, layoffs or fare increases. This proposal marks a major turnaround for PRT from the previous year, when severe cuts were threatened due to funding shortages, but was avoided thanks to state funding support.

Port Authority Police are investigating a fight involving juveniles on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus Friday. Pittsburgh Regional Transit says an investigation is underway after a video circulating online shows several juveniles involved in a physical altercation on a PRT bus. The footage appears to show multiple people yelling inside the bus before one person punches another, triggering a larger fight. Several individuals then move off the bus during the incident. In a statement to KDKA Radio, PRT says this type of behavior is not representative of the community and will not be tolerated. Officials emphasize that the safety of riders and operators remains the agency’s top priority. PRT adds it will continue taking appropriate steps to ensure its vehicles remain safe spaces for everyone who relies on public transit.

Officials at Pittsburgh International are preparing for a dramatic uptick in traffic during the NFL Draft, both commercial and private. Airport spokesman Bob Kerlik telling KDKA Radio that while they're not seeing extra flights being added, they do expect the number of people on those flights to be very high.

ICE agents are no longer conducting security checks at Pittsburgh International. The Airport Authority confirms for KDKA Radio the agents have left. They were sent to multiple airports last month by the President to help ease the congestion at security checkpoints....after Homeland Security funding was shut off----and employees who weren't getting paid weren't showing up.

A toddler was lightly injured by a wolf at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo after he crawled under a fence and stuck his hand into the animal’s enclosure. Officials at the ZooAmerica North Wildlife Park, part of the HersheyPark Theme Park,onfirmed Sunday that an unsupervised child reached the metal enclosure around the wolf habitat on Sunday morning and put his hand through. That's when a wolf approached and made contact with the child's hand.. Officials found evidence that the childs parents had walked away from the 18-month-old and were on their cellphones. Police have charged the parents with endangering the welfare of children. The child was unharmed and reunited with his family. That incident in Hershey may be prompting concerns about what safety precautions are being taken at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium CEO Jeremy Goodman says, for one, they have improved barriers to make it harder for a child to get near its animals. He says they also do multiple drills, both live drills and table top drills to practice for reports of missing children. These are things the Zoo does as an accredited facility with the USDA. He says on busy days, it's not uncommon for kids to get separated from their parents....but the drills they practice usually mean there's a quick reunion.

Excitement is building over tonight's Pirates home opener - less than 4 hours away!

Beginning June 5th, drivers caught on their phones will face a $50 fine plus court costs. The law, named for Paul Miller, who was killed by a distracted driver in 2010, allows hands-free calls and GPS but bans texting or scrolling while driving. Nearly 10,000 crashes in 2024 involved distracted drivers, resulting in more than 6,000 injuries and 49 fatalities and officials say just a moment of inattention can have life-altering consequences. Pennsylvania State Police and PennDOT are urging all motorists to put the phone away and stay focused on the road.

The price for a gallon of gas continues to skyrocket, both nationally and locally. The national average for a gallon of gas rose above $4 today. Prices have increased more than $1 since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28th. In Pittsburgh, Triple-A reports the average is $3.97. The last time gas was above $4 per gallon was in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Another non-profit is giving the City millions of dollars. The University of Pittsburgh's $5 million, 5 year investment will be used by the City to target three key areas: neighborhood parks, main street business districts and public safety.

Police have been preparing this week for a possible Downtown takeover just days after a brawl at Market Square. Planning started as soon as one of the department's crime analysts spotted a flyer on social media calling for a youth takeover. Police Chief Jason Lando talked about it with KDKA's Marty Griffin. The time and location is unclear. Chief Lando said on-duty officers are being moved from other areas in the city for what he calls an "adequate presence Downtown tonight. Lando also said he's confident the Bureau of Police is prepared.

Pittsburgh Public Schools is urging parents to discourage students from attending a planned “Downtown Takeover,” saying the event is unsanctioned and raises safety concerns. Public Safety Director Sheldon Williams tells Marty Griffin the city is seeing what he calls an informal youth culture — a description he says has drawn criticism. Williams says he wants to focus more on “prevention and intervention” to curb such problematic behavior among kids hanging out Downtown.

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office served a search warrant Monday on the City of Pittsburgh. The warrant is sealed but sources say it involves no bid contracts under the Gainey administration. A statement from the DA's office said the warrant was sealed for “good cause” without elaborating further. A spokesperson for Mayor Corey O’Connor’s administration declined to comment on the investigation but said the city will cooperate with court orders.

Reaction is coming in to legislation introduced today in Pittsburgh Council that would prohibit police from working with ICE. The City GOP issued a statement saying federal immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal agencies....adding the bills would set a dangerous precedent about selectively cooperating with federal authorities. Some public commenters agreed. But supporters spoke out too. The proposals come up for discussion next Wednesday.

A month before Pittsburgh hosts the NFL Draft, Commissioner Roger Goodell gave KDKA Radio's Michael Bartley an exclusive interview this morning. Goodell says the draft has changed a lot in his more than 40 years with the League....going from a hotel ballroom event to an internationally-attended three-day spectacular. He says it will give Pittsburgh a chance to shine...as the city where memories are made that will last forever. With up to 700-thousand people expected, many will be international visitors. Goodell says they will be here because they love the NFL.

Community College of Beaver County is the victim of a cyber-attack. Marty Griffin broke the story on KDKA just moments ago. It is an encryption-based attack on their data (cryptolocker). All college IT resources are currently locked down and the campus closed as of 9:30 a.m. Students and faculty are on spring break this week.

Some state lawmakers want to know why gasoline prices have gone up about 25 cents a gallon since late February. Two Democratic State House members from Eastern PA want Attorney General Dave Sunday to investigate the sudden spike in prices. Joe Ciresi and Jim Haddock accuse some gas station owners of hiking prices immediately after the US struck Iran---even though the fuel in their tanks was already paid for. The two issued a statement saying the jump in fuel prices warrants an independent investigation to determine if any laws have been broken.

Two women were found dead on Wednesday in Zelienople and a man also deceased in Hillside, Illinois after a murder-suicide. Sources say they were a husband, wife and daughter. State Police say the man was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he reported the women's deaths in Pennsylvania. Officers sent to a home in the 2-hundred block of Dior Drive in Zelienople, found the women dead from gunshot wounds. Names have yet to be released and troopers say more information will be made public.

Fans looking to take part in next month's NFL Draft can now register for activities. News Radio KDKA's David Ballarotto has details. Fans can sign up for free entry to events by downloading the NFL One Pass app or visiting NFL Dot com/Slash Draft Access. The NFL Draft Experience---an interactive football theme park with sections both inside Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park. That's where fans can do thinks like kick a field goal....meet current NFL players...take photos with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and more. There' also Steelers Country...which will be the black and gold's official destination at Point State Park,which will celebrate Steelers Nation.

Allegheny County officials have released a statement about the hateful and threatening messages heard Monday afternoon and agian today on public safety radio channels. Emergency Services says the system was not hacked and an unknown user transmitted the music and messages, which included a death threat against Mayor Corey O'Connor. An investigation involving Emergency Services, County Police and FCC is ongoing.