Days after kids got into a major brawl in Downtown Pittsburgh, some school leaders are reacting, trying to get ahead of more potential activity this weekend.

Pittsburgh Public Schools left a voice message for families Tuesday night, informing them about a flyer circulating on social media of a “downtown takeover” on Friday.

“This event is not sanctioned, not supervised, and poses a serious safety concern for our students. We urge all families to discourage their children from attending,” part of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ message said.

The location is unclear, but it’s scheduled for less than one week after a large brawl at Market Square, a place Pittsburgh Public Safety said has become a hub for kids and teens to gather, and where a fight early Sunday evening resulted in seven minors cited for disorderly conduct, and around 20 treated for exposure to pepper spray.

Jen Grippo, owner of Original Oyster House, said they were closed at the time. However, Grippo said they remain in close contact with their neighboring businesses about any activity.

“It was certainly disappointing,” Grippo said. 

Grippo said she and Kathy Marsico, the operations manager at Nicholas Coffee and Tea Co., were already aware of the potential event on Friday.

“It’s a crazy world right now,” Marsico said. “It’s a cultural, social, kind of environment where the kids are very, you know, just attracted to that type of behavior.” 

Marsico said police are urging all shops that don’t have cameras to put them up and to provide them with access to assist in these situations. She also said they work with an outreach team called AIM.

“They’re trying to make sure that the kids act responsibly and don’t take part in those types of events,” Marsico said.

Between these efforts and the PPS voicemail, businesses are encouraged by the proactive measures, but do feel more long-term solutions are needed, something the Pittsburgh Public Safety director said is in the works, as police confirmed to KDKA they’re monitoring the potential gathering that’s days away.

“We just want to make sure that even if the kids do come Downtown, you’re being safe, you’re being respectful, and you’re not going to cause a ruckus,” Grippo said.

Joining in on the excitement of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the Pittsburg City Commission approved the development of a new park featuring soccer fields.

For months, many soccer players from the Pittsburg area have appeared before the City Commissioners to advocate for much-needed soccer fields. A search for the right spot was conducted, and after several months, a purchase of space for the sport was made during Tuesday’s city commission meeting.

The property, purchased from Mercy Health Pittsburg, is located between Hospital Drive and Springdale Street south of Centennial Drive. The park will sit on 23.7 acres and feature three full-size soccer fields, serving Pittsburg and the surrounding region. The site would also include a walking trail around the lake, offering additional amenities for residents.

Both the City and Mercy share a vision for strengthening community well‑being and enhancing local amenities.

“Mercy thanks the City Commission for approving this transaction, and we couldn’t possibly be more excited to watch what the City has planned to provide the community,” said Dave Smith, Mercy Health Pittsburg administrator. “We appreciate the opportunity to lend our name to the development, deepening our integration into the community. It brings all of us joy to think about being neighbors with a new Pittsburg staple that families will enjoy for years to come.”

City Manager Daron Hall said, “We appreciate the willingness of Mercy to continue our partnership by allowing us to purchase these unique assets for our citizens. Not only does it provide soccer facilities and ample parking, but also a wonderful lake for the entire community to enjoy. We look forward to developing this over the next few years and turn it into another wonderful destination in Pittsburg.”

Beyond providing a place to play soccer, fish, walk, and enjoy the outdoors, the park will also serve as another way to encourage visitors to the area.

“Our goal is to provide a much-needed space for our soccer community and hopefully host tournaments, attract visitors, and create a highly visible recreation destination,” City of Pittsburg Housing and Community Development Director Kim Froman said.

The development of the park will start after design details are finalized. The city is hoping to have soccer fields ready for play in 2027.

Just over a week ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins came to Ball Arena and handed the Avalanche their worst loss of the season. The Avalanche returned the favor on Tuesday.

Colorado went into PPG Paints Arena and used a four-goal first period to win 6-2 and get revenge on Sidney Crosby’s Penguins.

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Martin Necas scored two goals, while Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Malinski, Parker Kelly, and Ross Colton each added one, extending Colorado’s winning streak to three games. The Avs also got an assist from Logan O’Connor, who made his season debut after missing the first 69 games of the regular season. Malinski had a helper too, finishing with two points.

Scott Wedgewood made 30 saves in goal, earning his 26th victory of the season to allow the Avs to remain perfect on their road trip. The Avalanche will play in Winnipeg on Thursday before heading back to Ball Arena for three straight.

This was the closest they’ve been to full health since the trade deadline. With Colton and O’Connor returning, head coach Jared Bednar was finally able to slot Nazem Kadri in as the 3C. He played with wingers Parker Kelly and O’Connor, while Jack Drury centered the fourth line with Joel Kiviranta and Zakhar Bardakov. Nic Roy missed the game with an upper-body injury, joining Artturi Lehkonen on the injured list.

With three strong lines, Bednar distributed the ice time a lot more than he was able to just a few days ago. It allowed the Avs to flex their depth both up front and on the blueline. The points were coming from all over the lineup while the top line still did its part.

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The scoring started with a nice break for MacKinnon. He battled to beat the defenseman and put it past goalie Arturs Silovs to give the Avs a 1-0 lead at 4:57. Just over three minutes later, Egor Chinakhov responded, scoring on a one-timer set up by former Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard.

The score remained knotted up at 1-1 for several minutes. But then the floodgates open. First, Malinski’s tally put the Avs ahead. After that, a power play one-timer goal from Necas that took just five seconds to score doubled the lead. And moments later, O’Connor set up Kelly from behind the net, and his teammate fired a laser into the top corner to make it 4-1.

All three of those goals came in a 1:55 span, and it gave the Avs the same 4-1 lead Pittsburgh had in the first period of their visit to Denver.

Silovs remained in the game for Pittsburgh and gave up one more goal in the second period. It was Necas again, this time scoring on a rebound following a point shot from Devon Toews. Necas’ 34th of the season gives him 12 goals in 15 games since the Olympic break.

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Colton added an empty-netter after Rickard Rakell scored for Pittsburgh. The Avs finished 1-for-2 on the PP and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, which included a lengthy 5-on-4 for the Pens.

Good: Quick Work On The PP

As the power play continues to take steps in the right direction, it’s nice to see the Avs get a goal so quickly off the draw. It came on the first power play chance they had.

Brock Nelson won the faceoff back to Cale Makar and the superstar defenseman skated right down the center with a clear shot on Silovs. At the last moment he sent a pass to the circle for Necas to blast a one-timer home. All of this took just five seconds, and it was a far cry from past PP goals, which often required ample work to get one in.

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The Avs have the fifth best power play in March.

Bad: Nic Roy Injury

Without knowing much about what kept Roy out of the lineup other than it being listed as upper body, it’s a shame that he couldn’t go just as Colton and O’Connor came back. Now the Avs are back to two players out with injuries.

On the bright side, it does sound like Lehkonen is getting close. Bednar has said in the past that he could be back before the end of the road trip.

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