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Pittsburgh International receives another $5.3 million in federal funds for terminal project – Pittsburgh Union Progress

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Pittsburgh International receives another .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.”

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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.

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The grants were extremely competitive, Buttigieg said, with the agency receiving 654 applications for about $14 billion.



Ed Blazina

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Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he’s currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.

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Pittsburg, PA

Megyn Kelly rallies for Trump in Pittsburgh claiming he will be a 'protector of women'

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Megyn Kelly rallies for Trump in Pittsburgh claiming he will be a 'protector of women'


Sirius XM radio host Megyn Kelly campaigned for former President Trump in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania in hopes of convincing the remaining undecided president to rally behind him over Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Kelly revealed Monday on her show that the Trump campaign had invited her to appear alongside the Republican nominee in Pittsburgh. She previously announced she would vote for Trump in the presidential race against President Biden before he withdrew from the race.

BIDEN’S ‘GARBAGE’ SHOT AT TRUMP SUPPORTERS DOWNPLAYED, DISMISSED, SPUN BY MEDIA: ‘COME DOWN TO AN APOSTROPHE’

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

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Kelly joined Trump on stage to praise him as a “protector of women” and that is the reason she is endorsing him. 

“He will be a protector of women. And it’s why I’m voting for him,” she said. “He will close the border. He will keep the boys out of girls sports and where they don’t belong. And you know what else? One more thing. He will look out for our boys, to our forgotten boys and our forgotten men. Guys like you. Guys like these guys. Who got the calluses on their hands? Who work for a living with the beards and the tats. Who maybe have a beer after work and don’t want to be judged by people like Oprah and Beyoncé, who will never have to face the consequences of her disastrous economic policies.”

Megyn Kelly

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens to US commentator and media personality Megyn Kelly (L) speak during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Image)

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The former Fox News anchor famously had a tense relationship with Trump during the 2016 election cycle.

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Pittsburg, PA

Federal district court temporarily pauses closure of a Charleroi glass factory

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Federal district court temporarily pauses closure of a Charleroi glass factory


Rally to save at Charleroi glass plant

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Rally to save at Charleroi glass plant

02:04

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A federal district court has temporarily paused the closure of a glass factory in Charleroi, Washington County.

In a news release on Monday, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said the court granted its office a temporary restraining order pausing the closure of the Anchor Hocking plant, which employs about 300 workers. The ruling prevents  Anchor Hocking Holdings and Centre Lane Partners from removing equipment and other materials from the plant before the next scheduled hearing. 

A hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction is scheduled for Nov. 12, the news release said. 

“The closure of this longtime manufacturing hub will have permanent impact on the Charleroi community and surrounding neighborhoods, which depend on the plant for employment that is vital to the local economy and prosperity of families living there,” Attorney General Michele Henry said in the news release. “My office intervened in plans to close what is the only large-scale manufacturing operation in that area, and we are very pleased that the federal district court agreed with our position.”

In September, Anchor Hocking announced plans to close the plant and move its operations to Ohio. The announcement sent shockwaves through the community as the plant, which makes cookware like Pyrex, has been a fixture in the community. 

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Last month, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notices were sent to workers at the plant, telling one-third of that workforce that by December their services would no longer be required.

Workers previously rallied to save the glass plant and called on company leadership to sit down with them and work this out.



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Pittsburg, PA

Trump, Harris both in Pittsburgh day before Election Day

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Trump, Harris both in Pittsburgh day before Election Day


Pittsburgh and Allegheny County prepared Monday for the election-eve convergence of presidential candidates in the most unusual election in more than half a century.

Republican nominee Donald Trump is expected to speak at PPG Paints Arena, in Uptown, at around 6 p.m.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is expected to be at the Carrie Blast Furnace National Historic Landmark, in Swissvale, at some point in the evening.

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Christopher Ragland, acting chief of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, prepares to brief the media on election-related plans, on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at Pittsburgh Police Headquarters. (Photo by Rich Lord/PublicSource)

“At this time, there are no election-related threats registered by our intel unit, which continues to monitor the situation,” said Chris Ragland, acting chief of police for Pittsburgh. He said he was unaware of any recent election-related threats, and that the bureau is prepared to respond to “First Amendment activity,” but doesn’t have reason to believe it needs to deploy extra officers to any specific parts of the city.

Pittsburgh police will be in charge of escorting Harris to Swissvale, but will not have meaningful involvement in security at that event. Harris was initially expected to speak at Point State Park, but plans shifted over the weekend. Ragland denied any involvement in the change of venue, or knowledge of the reasons behind it, but said it would “probably” make things easier for his bureau.

Pittsburgh police will respond to any reports of crimes at polling places within the city, Ragland said, but incidents that are election-related but are not crimes will be handled by the Allegheny County sheriffs.

Police will work their usual 10-hour shifts, but all days off in the coming days have been canceled. Campaigns won’t be billed for overtime paid to officers related to today’s events, but the Trump campaign will be billed for extra medic staffing this evening.

If any post-election protest emerges, the bureau is ready to coordinate with county, state and campus police forces, Ragland said. “We will not tolerate violence, and we will intervene when we see such.”

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Spending the last evening here

Coming so late in an election in which more than 200,000 Allegheny County residents have already voted by mail and most minds appear to have been made up, the dueling rallies reflect desperation on both sides to get as many people to turn out tomorrow as possible.

“If you can get 100, 200, 500 people to turn out who would not have voted in a state like Pennsylvania, that’s a good use of your time,” said Christopher Beem, managing director of Penn State’s McCourtney Institute for Democracy. “Given that Pittsburgh and its surrounding areas have this tradition of going both ways, Democratic and Republican, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if both campaigns have a similar read on that situation.”

Though Allegheny County’s 526,000 registered Democrats nearly double the Republican ranks, the GOP last year came within 10,000 votes of winning the election for county executive.

In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden won Pennsylvania, besting Trump by around 80,000 votes. This year, the seven swing states are polling as neck-and-neck contests, and Pennsylvania is the largest.

“It’s conceivable for both of them to come up with a winning ticket that excludes Pennsylvania, but it’s much, much harder,” said Beem. “You basically have to get all the other big states. You have to get Michigan and Georgia and North Carolina.”

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The polls in Pennsylvania, Beem said, are “so close that this kind of event, they’re not expecting to make a huge impact, but it’s worth it.”

Anticipating “large crowds and road closures,” the Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Friday that students would have a half day.

The county and city announced they’d dismiss non-essential employees at noon. (The County Office Building was to remain open until 4:30 p.m. for ballot returns.)

Check back with PublicSource this evening for coverage of the candidates’ events.

Charlie Wolfson is PublicSource’s local government reporter and a Report for America corps member. He can be reached at charlie@publicsource.org or at @chwolfson on Twitter.

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Rich Lord is PublicSource’s managing editor. He can be reached at rich@publicsource.org.

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