Pittsburg, PA
Whistleblowers allege poor construction of new parking garage at airport, council president says
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The president of Allegheny County Council said whistleblowers contacted him with allegations of poor construction of the new parking garage at Pittsburgh International Airport.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority, though, said any safety concerns are unfounded and it has identified solutions for cosmetic hairline cracks.
Allegheny County Council President Patrick Catena said he was sent several pictures and a video showing cracks in the floors of a parking garage that’s being built at Pittsburgh International Airport. According to Catena, a handful of people reached out to him with concerns about the quality of work being done, fearing it would be swept under the rug if it wasn’t made public.
“There are allegations that the principal contractor for the parking garage – Michael Baker International, Inc. – is aware that the condition of the parking decks in the garage is of substandard quality. There are also allegations that Baker has directed a subcontractor – Rycon Construction, Inc. – to apply a coating to the parking decks to conceal the quality issues, rather than fixing them,” Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority runs the airport, and the county still owns the land. Control over what happens on the property was given to the airport authority about 25 years ago, and the authority is required to maintain the airport in good condition and repair.
“It thus appears any cover up of the deficient construction quality in the new garage would also cover up a potential default on the contract by the airport authority,” Catena said.
The Allegheny County Airport Authority told KDKA-TV it is disappointing Catena did not contact it directly with any safety concerns, which it says are unfounded.
The airport authority statement also said, in part, “During the preparations to apply a finishing coating on a portion of the new parking garage, hairline cracks appeared. These cracks are cosmetic, and our analysis shows no impact on the structural integrity of the building. The contractor has already developed a plan to seal the cracks in the coming weeks, and the ACAA is closely monitoring the situation through our rigorous quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program.”
Catena is calling on the airport authority to do a review of the alleged construction issues and give the council and the chief executive a thorough, transparent report by Nov. 21, or he’ll initiate a council investigation.
He said he wants to make sure the work is done in the best fashion for all the people who use the airport.
“I think we need to look at everything, at some point whether that’s cosmetic, at some point, even if they seal it, that’s not going to last,” Catena said.
“I have concerns that it needs to be done correctly and safely, and want to make sure that’s it going to last because this is a lot of money, not the taxpayers funding the airport but a lot of money being spent on this project,” he added.
KDKA-TV reached out to Michael Baker International., which said, “Michael Baker International, Inc. (“Michael Baker”) is a full-service engineering and architecture firm and provided the initial design of the parking garage. Michael Baker is not a construction contractor. Michael Baker has not done any construction onsite and does not have the authority to direct any construction contractor or subcontractor.”
KDKA-TV also reached out to Rycon Construction for comment, because Catena mentioned the company in his press conference and it helped with the project but did not hear back on Tuesday.
The Cincinnati Reds are in a rain delay for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s rain delay came before the game even started. Sunday’s rain delay occurred in the bottom of the 8th inning.
“The tarp is on the field, and we are in a delay here at PNC,” the Pirates official account posted on X. “We’ll update when we have info.”
Update: The grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field and the game is expected to resume around 5:20 ET.
The Pittsburgh Pirates lead the Reds 5-4 in the 8th.
Let’s take a look at how we got there.
Game Recap
In the second inning, Esmerlyn Valdez hit a ground-rule double off Reds starting pitcher Brady Singer that scored Nick Gonzalez, giving the Pirates an early 1-0 lead.
Later in the inning, former Red Tyler Callihan hit his third home run of the year, giving Pittsburgh a 4-0 lead.
However, in the fourth, the Reds would battle back. After Elly De La Cruz reached on an error and Sal Stewart singled, JJ Bleday added a single of his own that would score both, making it a 4-2 Pittsburgh advantage.
The Reds continued to rally in the fifth. After Noelvi Marte walked, Tyler Stephenson stayed hot with an RBI double to left field, getting the Reds back within a run.
Edwin Arroyo followed with an RBI single of his own that tied the game at 4.
The Pirates got a run back in the bottom half of the fifth when Ryan O’Hearn hit his 12th home run of the season. That would be it for Singer, who gave up five runs on nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out six and did not walk a batter.
The Pirates had a big opportunity to break the game wide open in the seventh when Zach McCambley walked the bases loaded. Reds manager Terry Francona brought in Brock Burke, who was miraculously able to get out of the jam with a pop-up and an inning-ending double play.
The Reds had a big chance to tie the game in the 8th when they had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, Nathaniel Lowe popped out, Spencer Steer flew out, and Noelvi Marte grounded out to end the threat.
Pierce Johnson was set to come in the game for the Reds when the game entered a rain delay.
We will provide an update as we know more.
Sign Up For Our DAILY Newsletter for More Free Coverage of the Cincinnati Reds Delivered to YOU Directly
Follow me on X at @RedsDaily4 for more.
Make sure you bookmark Cincinnati Reds Talk for the latest news, exclusive interviews, and daily coverage of the Cincinnati Reds! Follow Cincinnati Reds OnSI on Twitter/X: @RedsTalkSI. Like Our Cincinnati Reds On SI Facebook Page. Follow Cincinnati Reds On SI on Instagram.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Two people are dead after an early morning crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
According to state police, around 2:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, they were called to a single-vehicle crash near Hempfield Township in Westmoreland County.
A vehicle with two people inside reportedly drove onto an embankment, where it lost control. After losing control, it then hit the overpass, causing it to flip, which trapped the two people inside.
State police said that once fire and rescue crews arrived on the scene, both of the occupants of the vehicle were dead, and the coroner was called to the scene.
The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the driver as Hunter Fronius of Connellsville and the passenger as Raymond Foster, also of Connellsville.
According to the coroner’s report, the cause of death for both of the deceased was blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was ruled to be accidental.
The coroner’s report also stated that neither of the men in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash.
You don’t need to have your eyes checked, you are seeing things right – the Cincinnati Reds have won a second straight game against a National League Central division opponent. The win in a back-and-forth game came down to the 9th inning and down to their last strike the Reds got a 3-run home run from Eugenio Suarez and they held on to beat the Pirates and pick up a series win in Pittsburgh with one game left on Sunday.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (39-42) | 9 | 10 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (41-42) | 7 | 11 | 2 |
| W: Ferguson (1-0) L: Soto (4-2) SV: Petty (1) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
After a delayed start due to some rain, the game started about 40 minutes after the originally scheduled time. Cincinnati didn’t take much time to grab a lead. Sal Stewart took the 4th pitch of the game and went the other way for a solo home run. Chase Burns had to work around two singles in the bottom of the inning but he got out of the jam to keep the lead.
Two innings later the Reds offense got back to it when Jose Trevino led off with a ground-rule double and later came in to score on a 2-out hit by Stewart as he picked up his second run batted in on the day. The Pirates put together a rally of their own in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back singles got things started and then Brandon Lowe came through for the home team with a 3-run home run to put Pittsburgh in the lead. In the 4th inning they would tack on another run on a single by Jared Triolo that made it 4-2.
Cincinnati got back in the game in the 5th with plenty of help from the Pirates. Dane Myers walked and then took second base thanks to a balk. A wild pitch moved him to third base and he would later score on a double by Edwin Arroyo. A second wild pitch in the inning moved him up to third and then he scored when Brandon Lowe failed to come up with a grounder cleanly at second base with two outs and that tied up the game.
The next inning the Reds would take the lead. They would load the bases with one out thanks to a walk and two singles. That set things up for Jose Trevino who came through with a 2-run single that made it 6-4.
At 90 pitches on the day, Chase Burns headed back to the mound for the 7th inning with a lead but he gave up a leadoff double that just missed being a home run off of the top of the wall in right field. That ended his day and manager Terry Francona called on Sam Moll from the bullpen. He would get a groundout, but it moved Jared Triolo up to third base and he then came in to score on a sacrifice fly that made it a 1-run game. Moll then walked Bryan Reynolds and Nick Gonzales, bringing up left-handed hitter Ryan O’Hearn and he came through with a game-tying single into right field. Tejay Antone then entered the game and struck out Marcell Ozuna to end the inning.
Pittsburgh would see a new reliever to start the 8th inning as Caleb Ferguson took over for Antone. He got a line out to begin the inning but then Esmerlyn Valdez took the first pitch he saw and hit it into the seats in right field for a go-ahead solo home run to give Pittsburgh the lead.
Cincinnati entered the top of the 9th down by a run but they got the tying run on base immediately as Edwin Arroyo lined a single into right field. Elly De La Cruz was called out on strikes, but he challenged the call and it was overturned and turned strike three into ball four and the Reds had two men on with no outs. After Sal Stewart grounded into a double play, moving Arroyo to third base, JJ Bleday worked a walk to put runners on the corners for Eugenio Suarez. He came through in the biggest way as he took a 2-2 97 MPH fastball and went the other way for a 3-run home run to put Cincinnati up 9-7.
Now holding a lead the Reds sent Chase Petty to the mound. The first pitch he threw turned into a groundout. It took four pitches to get Bryan Reynolds to pop up for the second out. Petty fell behind the next hitter and wound up walking Nick Gonzalez, bringing Ryan O’Hearn to the plate as the tying run. He pulled a line drive down the line but Spencer Steer was standing right there to catch it and end the game.
Key Moment of the Game
Eugenio Suarez hitting a go-ahead 3-run home run in the top of the 9th inning.
Notes Worth Noting
Cincinnati had just two wins against the NL Central when this series began. They’ve now doubled that and have a chance at a sweep on Sunday.
Sal Stewart, Jose Trevino, and Edwin Arroyo all had 2-hit days.
Eugenio Suarez had been in a big slump, going 1-22 from June 16-23rd. But since then he’s been heating up a bit, going 4-11 with two doubles, a home run, and two walks in the last three games.
Chase Petty picked up his first career save.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Pittsburgh Pirates
Sunday June 28th, 1:35pm ET
Brady Singer (3-6, 4.81 ERA) vs Mitch Keller (5-5, 4.89 ERA)
-
Lifestyle27 minutes ago‘House of the Dragon,’ Season 3, Episode 2: Honey, I’m home!
-
Technology37 minutes agoChina’s Z.ai claims it can match Mythos on cybersecurity
-
World42 minutes agoShipping giant warns Strait of Hormuz chaos is ‘new normal’ as Tehran shifts 4M barrels
-
Politics49 minutes agoJacob Frey praises Somali community as Minnesota faces renewed scrutiny over fraud investigations
-
Sports57 minutes agoJ.T. Poston posts a 12 on a single hole at Travelers Championship in stunning meltdown
-
Technology1 hour agoMidjourney’s wild body scanner scans you in water
-
Business1 hour agoWhy tech stocks are getting hammered
-
Entertainment1 hour agoSigh. Again? ‘Love Island USA’ confirms another contestant fired over apparent use of racial slur
