Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh City Council delays action on public-safety training center as controversy simmers
Pittsburgh City Council delayed action Wednesday on a controversial plan to convert a former Veterans Affairs hospital to a public safety training center — setting council up to revisit the debate after it returns from its August recess.
Council voted to hold off for seven weeks on approving a contract related to the proposal, first made during the administration of former Mayor Bill Peduto.
“In many ways, we really need … to go back to the drawing board and look at what the potential options are that we have for the use of that land,” said Councilor Khari Mosley during the 20-minute discussion. “Even though this is eight years into this, in some ways we can look at this as early in the process.”
The Peduto administration acquired the land from the federal government after the hospital closed, with plans to use it as a state-of-the-art training facility. In that vision, the center would include a “Hogan’s Alley” — a simulated urban environment for police to train in — as well as fitness equipment, shooting ranges, and other training facilities.
Those plans sparked alarms among some progressive activists in the wake of a bitter national dispute over “Cop City,” a controversial training facility in Atlanta.
Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration has said it has a different vision for the site, one that would offer training for all the city’s first responders.
Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak told council earlier this month that cop city concerns “mostly reflect the previous vision for the site, which did include a relocation of police headquarters, the special deployment division [and] the Zone 5 police station … alongside training facilities. All of those uses have been removed from this proposal, in part to address those concerns.”
Pawlak said the administration’s new proposal “would replace existing training assets that we have elsewhere in the city,” including a defunct tower once used by city firefighters.
Pawlak also warned that under the terms of the city’s acquisition of the land, the site had to be used for public-safety purposes. And he said the city was required to have a master plan for the site completed by next June. If it didn’t, he said, the federal government could take back the property — and potentially use it for immigration-related purposes.
On Wednesday, however, council members still had doubts.
The vote before them Wednesday involved a comparatively modest sum: a $1.8 million contract with Henningson Durham & Richardson to perform a master plan for the site, complete with a review of underground utilities. But it was clear that broader concerns were also just below the surface.
“This just seems so entirely unnecessary,” said Councilor Barb Warwick. “And the idea of this larger-scale training facility — whether it be for the police, for fire, or for EMS — at this point in time just seems sort of pie in the sky.
“We have pools that need to be fixed. We have rec centers that need to be fixed,” she added.
Warwick said that fears of the Trump administration using the site for immigration detention sounded like an “excuse” because the administration had already shown an ability to ramp up detention facilities elsewhere.
Councilor Deb Gross said the original deal struck by Peduto left council facing a dilemma. Officials might want to use the site for other purposes entirely, she said, such as recreation or affordable housing.
“How do we not lose the site and have to give it back to the federal government, but then … how to do what Pittsburghers want and are asking us to do within the constraints of that contract?” she asked. “Is there still an opportunity to say … ‘Actually, we changed our mind and we’d like to do housing here?’ We don’t have the answer to that right now.”
Short of a sweeping change to plans for the site, councilors ruminated over the possibility that a public-safety center could be both opened up to the community, and used to support more community-based responses. The city has sought to include social-support professionals on some police calls, and it has long espoused better police-community relations.
“I do support our police officers, and I do think we need them,” said Councilor Theresa Kail-Smith. “And I do think we need to do things in combination to get people help.”
But with such broad questions unanswered, council members voted to delay action on the contract until after they return from their summer recess.
Anthony Coghill, who chairs council’s public safety committee and has often been a vocal supporter of more robust policing, was absent for the discussion Wednesday. But some public-safety union leaders said a new facility would help their members.
“We just don’t have enough classroom space to keep up with the training that we do,” Tim Leech, vice president of the city’s firefighter union, told WESA.
Firefighters currently use Allegheny County resources to train, he said, and “a new, updated training facility would be great. If we had adequate facilities that we could use like that, we wouldn’t need to take our training up to the county’s training facility.”
Jon Atkinson, president of Pittsburgh’s local paramedic and EMT union, agreed that EMTs could use updated training space. But he’s also concerned about where the city would find the money to provide that space, and whether it would come from other public-safety needs.
“The city’s got some budgetary issues, and I just don’t know how they would fund it,” he said. “Especially when you consider the more immediate needs of public safety, the fact that our fleet is in pretty rough shape right now.”
Many critics, meanwhile, appear to have few doubts that the proposal is a bad idea. Council’s move to delay the vote came after an hour-long public comment period, which was dominated by speakers who opposed the plan. Several said they had bad encounters with city police during the George Floyd-related protests of 2020, and they warned that the facility would instill a more militarist mindset among police.
“If we give military training to our police, they are more likely to act as military police,” said Daniel Dulaney of Shadyside.
Another speaker, Daniel Patel, decried the possibility of spending money on a police-training facility at a time when community needs such as public transit and social-safety-net programs such as food stamps were being threatened by cuts at other levels of government. When he hears the plan discussed, he said, “My heart tells me that this American dystopia is alive in my city, too.”
Other police reformers have yet to weigh in, in part because of uncertainty about what Gainey — long a standard-bearer for reform efforts — has in mind.
Brandi Fisher, executive director of the Alliance for Police Accountability, said her organization was initially against the plan back when it started under Peduto. She said that confusion surrounds the current proposal, and that activists are scheduling a meeting with Pawlak to understand it better.
“It seems like things have changed depending on who has been in power, and that’s where the lack of clarity is coming from,” she said.
On Sept. 17, multi-platinum country music star Luke Bryan will bring his Farm Tour to 1846 Farms near Latrobe.
Westmoreland County is no stranger to large outdoor concerts. Some may remember the Rolling Rock Town Fair in the early 2000s, while others may recall Luke Bryan’s stop at a farm in South Huntingdon Township just two years ago. Now the country music superstar is returning to the area.
The Unity Township farm’s general manager, Aleisha Stas, gave KDKA a tour of the family farm, which dates back to before the Civil War. She says Bryan’s team first reached out after finding the farm on social media, but she says at first, she and her family thought it was too good to be true.
“This was around April Fools, so we thought it was an April Fools prank,” Stas said. “My whole family, we were like, there’s no way this is about to happen. But this has been incredible.”
Stas says Bryan’s team is handling everything logistically from parking and bathrooms to deciding exactly where the concert will be staged.
“If we have it on this side of the property, we can hold 12,000 people,” Stas said. “And if we have it on (the other side) of the property, it can be up to 20,000. But we have not determined that yet.”
Many of those decisions will be made as September gets closer. In the meantime, however, the farm is holding off on planting in certain fields until the final concert location is selected.
And while hosting thousands of people may sound a little intimidating, Stas says her family is excited to welcome fans to the farm for what they hope will be a memorable night.
“Obviously, we’ve never had this many people here before, so it will be a new thing for all of us, but we are not worried,” said Stas. “Luke Bryan’s team are experts with this, and I think it will go great.”
Tickets for this concert are currently on sale, and they will run you about $77 per person, plus tax for general admission.
Pittsburg, PA
2025 Steelers Offseason Recall: Garrett shutdown as Pittsburgh bullied Browns in Week 6 | Steel City Underground
Steel City Underground presents post-game takeaways in our Steelers Offseason Recall series, revisiting key moments from the 2025 season and how they shaped the year that followed.
AFC North football rarely looks pretty, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 6 matchup against the Cleveland Browns at Acrisure Stadium followed that familiar formula. What started as a defensive slugfest on a torn-up field eventually turned into another frustrating afternoon for Cleveland as Pittsburgh pulled away for a 23-9 victory.
The win improved the Steelers to 4-1 and extended their remarkable regular season home winning streak against the Browns to 22 games. More importantly, it reinforced an early-season identity centered around disruptive defense, efficient quarterback play, and winning the battle in the trenches.
Looking back, these were the biggest surprises from Pittsburgh’s victory.
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Jalen Ramsey stole the show from Watt and Garrett
Nobody expected Jalen Ramsey to leave Week 6 with more sacks than T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett combined, but that’s exactly what happened.
Ramsey entered the game after missing practice time earlier in the week and proceeded to deliver one of the more unexpected stat lines of the season. The veteran defensive back recorded two sacks and six combined tackles while frequently helping confuse Cleveland’s protection schemes.
Meanwhile, Watt recorded half a sack while Garrett failed to register one entirely.
Ramsey even admitted afterward that the performance surprised him. His production highlighted an emerging trend within Pittsburgh’s defense: pressure was coming from everywhere.
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The Steelers defense overwhelmed Cleveland’s offense
While Ramsey grabbed headlines, the collective defensive effort suffocated Cleveland for most of the afternoon.
The Steelers finished with six sacks as Nick Herbig led the team with two sacks while Ramsey added two of his own. Derrick Harmon, Watt, and Alex Highsmith also got involved as Pittsburgh repeatedly collapsed the pocket around rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel.
Gabriel never looked comfortable. The rookie completed 29 of 59 passes for 221 yards and struggled once Cleveland became one-dimensional after falling behind. He finished with a passer rating of 66.3 while absorbing constant punishment.
Pittsburgh didn’t rely solely on edge pressure either. Defensive backs blitzed, interior rushers collapsed protection, and disguised looks forced Cleveland into mistakes.
Perhaps equally impressive was how the Steelers handled Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. Entering the matchup, Judkins had averaged 4.6 yards per carry and looked like one of Cleveland’s few consistent offensive weapons. Pittsburgh erased that advantage, holding him to a season-low 36 rushing yards on 12 carries while limiting him to 3.0 yards per attempt.
Through five games played after their bye week, the Steelers had already amassed 20 sacks and were rapidly becoming one of football’s most disruptive defenses.
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Myles Garrett disappeared
The Browns needed a game-changing performance from Myles Garrett. Instead, Pittsburgh’s offensive line turned in one of its best performances of the season.
Garrett moved around the formation throughout the game, but he spent much of the afternoon lined up across from Broderick Jones. With occasional help early and more one-on-one opportunities later, Jones and company neutralized Cleveland’s biggest defensive weapon.
Garrett finished with only two combined tackles. He failed to record a solo tackle, sack, forced fumble, quarterback hit, or pass defended.
Keeping Garrett quiet fundamentally changed how Cleveland could attack Rodgers and allowed Pittsburgh’s offense to remain balanced throughout the afternoon.
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Rodgers stayed efficient and upright
Aaron Rodgers didn’t deliver a vintage statistical masterpiece: he simply controlled the game.
The veteran quarterback completed 21 of 30 passes for 235 yards while distributing the football efficiently and trusting Arthur Smith‘s offensive approach. Rodgers leaned heavily on his tight ends early before taking advantage of favorable matchups later in the game.
His biggest moments arrived in the second half. Rodgers connected with Connor Heyward for a touchdown strike before finding D.K. Metcalf for another score that helped create separation on the scoreboard.
Equally important, Rodgers stayed upright. For only the second time that season, Pittsburgh allowed zero sacks. Cleveland hit Rodgers only three times despite him attempting 30 passes.
Compare that with Dillon Gabriel, who absorbed six sacks and 16 total quarterback hits.
The offensive line, aided by extra blocking looks featuring Spencer Anderson, kept Cleveland’s front from controlling the game and allowed Rodgers to operate comfortably. Metcalf benefited from the protection, turning four receptions into 95 yards while the Steelers spread touches across Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, Roman Wilson, Darnell Washington, and Heyward.
Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren, Kenneth Gainwell, and Kaleb Johnson combined for 89 rushing yards to maintain offensive balance. Pittsburgh averaged 5.8 yards per play and controlled possession despite both teams having the same number of drives.
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The officiating nearly stole the spotlight
Not everything about the victory came without frustration. Ron Torbert’s officiating crew inserted itself into the game repeatedly as Pittsburgh absorbed ten accepted penalties during an afternoon filled with questionable decisions.
Several pass interference rulings frustrated players and fans alike.
Jerry Jeudy appeared to drag Brandin Echols down by both shoulder pads on one play, yet the result went against Pittsburgh. Later, Browns cornerback Denzel Ward appeared to pin D.K. Metcalf’s arm without drawing a flag.
Even Watt found himself repeatedly flagged for alignment penalties despite checking positioning with officials beforehand, leading to visible frustration from Mike Tomlin on the sideline.
The most controversial moment arrived on special teams. Ke’Shawn Williams appeared to spark the crowd with a 47-yard punt return before an illegal blindside block penalty on Jabrill Peppers erased the play. The penalty not only wiped away field position but also backed Pittsburgh up an additional ten yards.
Despite the officiating frustrations, the Steelers remained composed, and by the end of the afternoon, that discipline, paired with suffocating defense and efficient offense, delivered another divisional win and continued building momentum heading into a critical AFC North stretch.
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