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POLITICS: Dems Endorse
Votes cast by more than 1,400 Democratic committee members saw a mix of establishment picks and progressive upsets win the party endorsement Sunday.
Topping the bill, veteran politico John Weinstein clenched support for his county executive bid over progressive lawmaker Sara Innamorato, despite her support from prominent officials such as Mayor Ed Gainey and Rep. Summer Lee.
Meanwhile, incumbent District Attorney Steve Zappala lost the endorsement to Matt Dugan, the county’s chief public defender who’s now looking to switch sides.
The establishment-insurgent split played out neatly through much of the ticket. Incumbent Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor handily fought off progressive underdog Darwin Leuba. Bethany Hallam, an at-large county councillor and outspoken progressive kept the endorsement from Joanna Doven, a former mayoral press secretary challenging Hallam from the right.
The municipal primary election will take place May 16.
As a shuttered Oakland strip club prepares to reopen under a new name, concerns have emerged about the alleged new owner’s history of sexual misconduct.
TikTok user jadednature, a dancer based in Pittsburgh, posted a video March 1 detailing how the former Cricket Lounge on Morewood Avenue has come under new ownership and will soon open as Medusa’s Lair.
In the video, the poster states she was messaged by another dancer in the area who told her the owner was a man named Aaron Duran, who has a history of sexual assaults. Court records reviewed by Pittsburgh City Paper show Aaron Duran of Green Tree has convictions for indecent assault on an unconscious victim and public lewdness.
City Paper could not reach Duran or confirm the status of the new business.
NEWS: First Black Woman Speaker
State Rep. Joanna McClinton became the first Black woman to lead Pennsylvania’s lower chamber last week after state Democrats secured a small majority through February special elections in Allegheny County.
Her predecessor, Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks), picked up the speaker’s gavel in January through a bi-partisan vote reflecting a near deadlocked chamber. To win Republican support, Rozzi vowed to serve as an independent rather than caucusing with his party.
Since Rozzi’s appointment, the victory of three Democrats in Allegheny County last month shifted the balance of power more conclusively in their party’s favor, prompting a reshuffle.
According to reporting from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, McClinton (D-Philadelphia) vowed to pursue a progressive agenda.
“We are going to have rules that protect women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, because this is Pennsylvania where democracy was born,” McClinton said. “It shouldn’t matter who you love. It shouldn’t matter whether you pray, and it shouldn’t matter how you were born, and the color of your skin.”
Demonstrators on bicycles blocked parts of Penn Avenue and 16th Street last Tuesday to call attention to a critical collision 12 days earlier.
The cyclists, led by PGH Bike Jam, rode in circles around the intersection, calling attention to hazardous road conditions. The name of the collision victim and her condition were unknown to the leaders of the Feb. 28 demonstration.
ENVIRONMENT: Air Quality Questions
As concerns about regional air quality continue to dominate headlines, a slate of environmental and health experts last week urged county council to investigate the health department’s effectiveness as a regulator.
The speakers, convened by Clean Water Action Pittsburgh, questioned whether the health department is enforcing a 2021 law requiring polluters reduce their emissions on days when weather inversions trap pollutants close to the ground.
“Many residents and organizations feel that despite the [Mon Valley Air Pollution Episode Rule] requiring that companies lower their emissions during events that will cause worse air quality than normal, nothing has changed,” the organization said in a press release before the Feb. 28 hearing.
The hearing, convened by Allegheny County Council’s Committee on Health and Human Services was purely advisory and did not include action items.
This article appears in Mar 8-14, 2023.
