Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh International receives another $5.3 million in federal funds for terminal project – Pittsburgh Union Progress
Pittsburgh International Airport has received another $5.3 million federal grant to help with construction of its new $1.57 billion terminal.
The grant is part of $970 million in grants announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Department of Transportation for airport terminals across the county, including three others in Pennsylvania. The grants are the third round of awards from the $5 billion earmarked for terminal improvements under the Biden administration’s $2.1 trillion infrastructure program.
This is the third grant the Allegheny County Airport Authority has received for the new PIA terminal and brings the total to $28.8 million. The project will replace the current terminal that features two buildings joined by an underground train with a single, environmentally neutral building that is scheduled to open in early 2025.
“We’re thankful to our federal partners who understand the positive impact this funding will have on the regional economy and the importance of investing in the next generation of Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure,” Vince Gastgeb, chief government and corporate affairs officer for the authority, said in a statement. “The Airport Authority is extremely proud of the progress we’ve made on the new terminal for Pittsburgh International Airport — and the thousands of jobs it supports — and this funding will help us deliver the new front door to the region that is emblematic of our thriving community today.”
At a briefing for the news media Wednesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the grants will pay for improvements at 114 terminals that will “add up to a better experience” for travelers by making terminals “safer, more efficient and more enjoyable.”
“These are projects that are going to save passengers time and money,” he said.
The grants will range from facilities with several hundred thousand square feet of terminal space to small facilities that currently operate out of trailers. Work will include making facilities accessible for people with disabilities and improving security check points, passenger check in and baggage claim facilities.
“This funding is real,” Shannetta Griffin, associate administrator for airports at the Federal Aviation Administration, said during the briefing. “We are changing lives.”
Other grants in Pennsylvania were $20.4 million toward a $63 million project at Philadelphia International Airport; $7.5 million toward a $15.7 million project at Harrisburg International Airport; and $2.7 million toward a $73.5 million project at Lancaster Airport.
The grants were extremely competitive, Buttigieg said, with the agency receiving 654 applications for about $14 billion.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.
Pittsburg, PA
NASA astronaut from Western Pa. returns to Pittsburgh for 1st time since suffering unprecedented medical event in space
This time, the warm-up was brief. After getting off to one of the chilliest starts (tied for 2nd coldest first 3 days when it comes to daily average temperature) on record in May, we saw two above-average days over the past two days.
We won’t make it three with temperatures today cooling down behind widespread morning rain. We’ve already seen our high temperature for today, with Pittsburgh seeing a daily high of around 62 degrees. That was our midnight temperature, but sometimes they adjust it slightly up or down due to the number being sent out technically happening around 8 minutes before the top of the hour.
Temperatures will be in the 50s for the rest of the day. Skies will be mostly cloudy with variable but breezy winds of around 15mph this afternoon.
It’ll be damp and cool. You’ll certainly want long sleeves this afternoon if you are outside for any extended period of time.
When it comes to rain chances, rain will be fairly consistent through around 8 o’clock, then become more scattered for the rest of the morning.
This afternoon is looking dry for pretty much everyone. I can’t totally rule out an isolated shower in the Laurel Highlands.
After today, our next rain chance comes Friday morning with the potential for an isolated shower or storm. There will be a better chance for rain on Saturday, with rain once again confined to the morning hours.
Saturday afternoon is looking dry. Mother’s Day is also looking dry for most of the day, with rain showers arriving after 4 p.m.
Highs will hit the low 70s ahead of the rain chance.
Pittsburg, PA
After all of Pittsburgh area’s Smokey Bones restaurants close, what should consumers do with gift cards?
All three remaining Smokey Bones locations in the Pittsburgh area have closed after the restaurant chain’s parent company filed for bankruptcy.
After the locations in Hempfield, Cranberry and at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer closed, people reached out to KDKA asking what to do with their unused gift cards.
Michael Litvak from Beaver County says he’s stuck with $100 worth of Smokey Bones gift cards.
“And the one in Robinson closed about, I guess it was maybe about two weeks ago, they closed it 3 weeks ago, but nothing was said when they closed that that they were closing any other locations,” Litvak said. “And then on April 28, I found out we were going to go to Smokey Bones in Cranberry with friends and our friends said, ‘hey, we just checked their site, we was gonna check the menu, and it says they’re closed.’ So I started looking around, and here they closed all their restaurants on April 28, not even letting anybody know.”
Gift cards are treated as unsecured claims in a bankruptcy. That means you’re in the back of the line, behind the banks and the landlords to get your money back, so the likelihood of recouping your money is slim to none.
What to do with Smokey Bones gift cards
If you bought the gift card with a credit card, that’s your best shot at getting money back. Contact the credit card company and ask for a chargeback for goods and services not received. But you have to ask fast. This works best if you’re only one to four months out from the purchase.
Did you get it from a third party? If you snagged the card on one of those big display sets at a Costco or grocery store, they’ll sometimes refund or exchange gift cards in special situations like this one.
If both fail, decide if it’s worth the hassle of filing a claim.
The Better Business Bureau recommends always checking with the company’s ownership. In this case, it’s FAT Brands. Right now, the BBB says the claim form and filing instructions are on FAT Brand’s website.
Even though FAT Brands owns other restaurants in the area, like Twin Peaks, they said they will not be honoring the Smokey Bones gift cards at those locations.
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