Pittsburg, PA
NFL Insider: 'Strong Sense' Pittsburgh Will Be Awarded 2026 NFL Draft
The city of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be moving closer to hosting the 2026 NFL Draft.
According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, there is a “strong sense” from the league meetings in Nashville this week that the Steelers and the city will be awarded the 2026 NFL Draft, with an official announcement expected soon.
At the NFL league meetings here in Nashville, there’s a strong sense that Pittsburgh will be awarded the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell @NFLonCBS. Announcement later today is possible.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) May 22, 2024
Pittsburgh officially submitted its bid to host either the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft back in February, and in late April it was reported by WTAE’s Andrew Stockey that the Steelers were on the short list to host the draft in 2026 or 2027.
Team president and owner Art Rooney II stated during a Q&A session last week at Acrisure Stadium during a community event that things were looking good regarding the bid to host the draft, and that the team was expecting to hear at some point this week.
Now, that announcement appears to be on the horizon, with some potentially great news for not only the city, but the franchise as well.
Back in February, Pittsburgh officially announced its bid to host the draft, releasing a hype video in the process to make clear their interest in hosting the draft. The official bid to host the draft came after rumors of the city being a future destination started up last fall as NFL personnel reportedly were scouting locations to possibly hold the event in Pittsburgh.
The bid is in!
We have officially submitted Pittsburgh’s NFL Draft Bid to host the event in 2026 or 2027.@vstpgh | @Innamo | @gainey_ed pic.twitter.com/cWY8VppX0j
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 16, 2024
Then, shortly after the 2023 season concluded, Rooney started to make his public push for the city to host the draft, confirming the team’s interest, which is what the Steelers have had as a goal since the NFL began shopping locations after holding the draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
During the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, which saw more than 775,000 fans attend the three-day event in the Motor City, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hinted that Pittsburgh could be coming soon as a host city for the NFL Draft in either 2026 or 2027.
“They’re in the mix,” Goodell said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. “I’ll tell you that. So that may be coming soon.”
Soon appears to have arrived. We’ll see if an official announcement is made today from Nashville.
If Pittsburgh is awarded the 2026 NFL Draft, it would have quite the economic impact on the city. According to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who spoke with WPXI’s Jenna Harner late last week, the draft coming to Pittsburgh would have an economic impact between $100-$150 million.
“We’re estimating there’ll be over 300 to 350,000 visitors that would come to Pittsburgh, putting an economic impact anywhere from 100 million to $150 million,” Fitzgerald said to Harner, according to WPXI.com. “And that’s I think being actually somewhat conservative.”
Fitzgerald might be a bit conservative there, especially with the impact the draft had on Detroit, bringing in an estimated $165 million over the three-day draft.
Rooney stated that having the draft in Pittsburgh would be the biggest visitor event in the city’s history.
“I think it’d probably be the biggest visitor event in the history of the city,” Rooney said in February to WTAE’s Andrew Stockey. “And so it’s very exciting. We think where Pittsburgh is located, not only will we have thousands of Steeler fans, but would have thousands of fans from all of the NFL cities that are, you know, let’s say within a 500-mile radius of Pittsburgh. So, I think it would be, number one, a huge visitor event for the city.”
Pittsburg, PA
Allegheny County to hold 100th birthday bash for the Andy Warhol Bridge this summer
With America celebrating its 250th birthday this summer, a major landmark in Pittsburgh will celebrate its 100th birthday.
Allegheny County announced a 100th Birthday Bash for the Andy Warhol Bridge on Saturday, June 27, from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato made the event official on Friday morning and said it will feature art, music, games, and more.
“Allegheny County’s history is filled with innovation and creativity, beautiful architecture, and talented homegrown artists, and the Andy Warhol Bridge encapsulates all of that in one iconic structure,” said Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato. “I hope everyone will come down for a fun day of art, community, and a shared celebration of our history on June 27.”
Part of the celebration will be art projects hosted and led by the Andy Warhol Museum and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. Local artist Strawberry Luna will also create a special, commemorative poster celebrating the bridge’s history.
The Andy Warhol Bridge is the only bridge in the country to be named for a visual artist, according to Allegheny County.
“As our nation commemorates the U.S. Semiquincentennial, it is fitting that we recognize the oldest of the three Sister Bridges, which represent Pittsburgh’s tradition of innovation, ingenuity, and ‘we can do it’ spirit,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center. “These iconic bridges, painted in ‘Aztec Gold’ as an homage to the city’s official colors, are symbols of Pittsburgh’s vibrancy, culture, and most importantly, its people.”
Formerly known as the Seventh Street Bridge, it was renamed the Andy Warhol Bridge in 2005 to honor the famous artist as well as the 10th anniversary of the Andy Warhol Museum, which is two blocks away.
Pittsburg, PA
Man critically injured after assault in Pittsburgh
A man was critically injured after being assaulted by a group of people in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood on Thursday evening, authorities said.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said officers were called to South St. Clair and Eva streets around 5 p.m. for reports of a man who was assaulted by a group of people. The assault happened next to a Whole Foods store.
At the scene, which bordered a park with a playground, first responders found a man who was unconscious and not breathing. Officers and medics performed CPR on the man until he was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. The exact nature of his injuries was not released.
Pittsburgh Public Safety said “several males of unknown age” were detained and transported to police headquarters for questioning. It was not immediately known if any of them would be charged.
A KDKA-TV crew observed a second police scene nearby on Centre Avenue next to The Fresh Market, which was previously a Whole Foods. At that scene, KDKA-TV observed what appeared to be at least one teenager being taken into a police car. A witness told KDKA-TV they saw police questioning nearly 10 people, ranging from grade schoolers to teenagers.
Pittsburgh Public Safety did not say what led up to the assault.
“Those kids, whoever they were, need to be reprimanded for that, because that was horrible, horrible,” said Asia Wilter, who was nearby on Thursday evening.
Over the weekend, another man was assaulted outside a 7-Eleven store on Penn Avenue in Downtown Pittsburgh. Police say the assault started inside the 7-Eleven after the victim mentioned to an employee that he believed a group of teenage males was shoplifting.
Pittsburgh police say the victim scraped his elbow and had a small abrasion on his face. He refused to be transported to the hospital, but police say he went on his own to get checked out. Police are searching for the teens.
Earlier this month, six teenage girls were charged after authorities said they chased a woman into a Sephora store in East Liberty and beat her. Sephora’s loss prevention officer estimated the teens caused approximately $30,000 in damage.
Pittsburg, PA
Bystander helps students involved in school bus crash in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood
Just before 8 a.m. on Thursday morning, a school bus rammed into a tree in Highland Park.
The students on the bus were being transported to Schiller STEAM Academy when the driver began to swerve, ultimately running off the road and colliding with the tree on Bryant Street.
According to EMS, about 10 students were on the bus, and they were evaluated on the scene. Medics on the scene determined the students had not been injured in the crash.
A woman who lived nearby heard the crash and immediately jumped into action to help the students.
“Utmost importance was the kids’ safety,” said Vinnie Branch, the bystander. “I just wanted to make sure they were safe, and I just went into mom mode to protect them.”
“I think it looks a lot worse than it turned out to be,” said Brian Haravan, Pittsburgh EMS District Chief. “Thankfully, the utility pole wasn’t damaged, so while the school bus and property were, everyone else seemed ok.”
The driver of the bus was taken to the hospital for evaluation, and the cause of the crash is under investigation.
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