Pittsburg, PA
Petition for ‘antisemitic’ ballot referendum dropped before judge hears objections
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A petition for a ballot referendum that Jewish organizations call antisemitic was dropped shortly before a judge was expected to hear objections to the case.
It would have prohibited Pittsburgh from doing business with anyone engaged in working with Israel. A judge said this withdrawal came down to the fact that the petitioners did not have the proper amount of valid signatures to put the referendum on the ballot.
“This is about something that was illegal and not appropriate to be on the ballot,” said Jeff Finkelstein, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
He referred to a petition for a referendum that sought to prevent the city from funding or engaging with any entity doing business with Israel, until “Israel ends its military action in Gaza.”
It came from a group called ‘No War Crimes On Our Dime,’ with the Pittsburgh Democratic Socialists of America.
Ben Case is one of the leaders.
“This grassroots coalition came together in a matter of weeks this summer on the energy of Pittsburghers who felt this was something we could do to support the people of Palestine and pressure for peace,” Case said.
The federation and other Jewish organizations, with the city controller, filed objections to the referendum, calling it antisemitic.
“If you look at the definition of antisemitism, which is called the IHRA definition, one of the things it talks about is when the State of Israel is held to a higher standard than any other country in the world,” Finkelstein said. “You don’t see any of these groups talking about any country in the world and putting any kinds of sanctions on them. It’s only the State of Israel.”
They also said it is a violation of state law.
“The state has legislation saying that you cannot boycott, divest, or have sanctions against the State of Israel,” Finkelstein said.
Those wanting the ballot question said the county elections office did an initial review of the signatures they submitted and told them the referendum could be on the ballot. Technically, it didn’t have the required number of valid signatures from registered voters in Pittsburgh.
However, both sides say the fight is not over.
“We’ll use every avenue available to us to fight for peace, equality, and justice, from Pittsburgh to Palestine,” Case said.
“This is a community that has persevered, suffered the worst antisemitic attack in American history, and will continue to be strong going forward,” Finkelstein said.
Last week, Mayor Ed Gainey’s office told KDKA-TV that the mayor had serious concerns regarding the implications of the proposed referendum if it were to pass, and wanted to prevent it from becoming part of the home rule charter.
Sidney Crosby left the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday and did not return.
The team initially did not disclose why Crosby was ruled out of the game, but coach Dan Muse told reporters postgame that Crosby has a lower-body injury. Crosby left the ice and went to the locker room early in the second period. The Penguins went on to beat the Senators in a shootout, 4-3.
Pittsburgh also played Thursday’s game without Evgeni Malkin, who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury. It remains unclear how long he will be out, with the team only saying Malkin is “day-to-day,” according to a post on X from March 24.
Crosby returned to Pittsburgh’s lineup on March 18 against the Carolina Hurricanes after missing four weeks due to a lower-body injury suffered during the Olympic tournament. Crosby was injured during Team Canada’s quarterfinal win over Team Czechia after a hit by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas.
Crosby was placed on injured reserve and missed 11 games. In the five games since returning to the lineup, Crosby has tallied five points. This season, the 38-year-old star for the Penguins has a team-high 28 goals, and he is third on the team with 36 assists.
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Pittsburgh (36-20-16) sits in second place in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division with 88 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Islanders both have 87 points.
A Pittsburgh hospital will be getting a big bonus for selling a $1.5 million-winning Pennsylvania Lottery scratch-off ticket.
UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital sold the Cash Spectacular ticket, and, as a result, will get a $10,000 bonus.
According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Cash Spectacular is a $30 game that offers the top prize of $1.5 million.
As they often do when a big winner such as this one happens, the Pennsylvania Lottery is reminding players that scratch-off prizes are valid for one year from the game’s end-sale date, which can be found on their website.
The Pennsylvania Lottery also said that scratch-offs are distributed at random, so neither the lottery nor the retailers know where winning tickets will be sold.
Pittsburgh area million-dollar winners
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, the Pittsburgh area has been one lucky place, with multiple million-dollar or more winning tickets sold since January.
The first came on January 8 when a $1 million scratch-off was sold at a North Huntingdon Township Walmart. The $20 Jackpot Scratch-Off yielded the top prize of $1 million.
Just a week later, again in Westmoreland County, a Match 6 Lotto ticket was sold at the North Huntingdon Sheetz, giving someone a $1.4 million prize.
One of the biggest jackpots of the year came earlier this month in Armstrong County, when one lucky player won $1 million for year for life.
That ticket was sold at a BP gas station on Buffalo Street in Freeport Borough. As a result, the BP got a $100,000 bonus.
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