Pittsburg, PA
'Real results': VP Kamala Harris visits Pittsburgh to celebrate clean water efforts
Vice President Kamala Harris visited Pittsburgh Tuesday to celebrate the region’s success in replacing over 18,000 lead water lines and improving drinking water infrastructure.
The trip came 18 months after she came to the city advocating for new funding to replace tens of thousands of lead pipes.
“When President Biden and I talk about why we do what we do, it is about real results for real people,” Harris told about 100 supporters at the Kingsley Association in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood. “For basic things, like people having access to clean water.”
Harris spoke for about 10 minutes. She was joined by joined by Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, and U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, and Summer Lee, D-Swissvale.
The vice president celebrated the recent award of over $32 million to Pittsburgh, part of an allotment of roughly $5.8 billion across the nation to improve drinking water infrastructure. That money, in turn, is coming from about $50 billion earmarked for water infrastructure, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan, who was also in attendance.
All of the funding ultimately derives from the President Joe Biden’s signature $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law passed in late 2022.
Harris said no American, regardless of income, should have to drink from lead pipes. She praised Pittsburgh’s success in replacing water service lines.
“It is an infrastructure matter, but it is also a public health matter,” she said to applause from the crowd.
Harris’s trip comes on the heels of several other Pittsburgh visits lately from Biden’s cabinet, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Pennsylvania is a key swing state and Biden’s approval rating has been lagging here. Recent polls have shown a tight contest between Biden and former President Donald Trump in a likely November match up.
Harris said the city has replaced more than 3,000 lead service lines since she last visited Pittsburgh in July 2022.
Pittsburgh became a regional poster child for lead pipe problems starting in 2014, when the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority began experiencing elevated contamination levels in drinking water, highlighting the decades-long lack of investment in the city’s water infrastructure.
By 2016, readings showed lead levels above 15 parts per billion, the federal level requiring action be taken to mitigate the problem.
The authority started replacing lines in 2016 and has since replaced over 10,778 public and 7,578 private lead water lines.
Earlier this month, the authority said it was halfway towards its goal of replacing all lines within its coverage area, which includes most of the city of Pittsburgh, and the entire borough of Millvale.
Recent testing showed lead levels of 3.58 parts per billion, a historic low.
Innamorato said public officials ignored the problem for decades, and the deferred maintenance piled up. She thanked Harris and the Biden administration for their work in funneling funding to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
“We finally got action,” she said.
The authority estimates the new $32 million in funding will cover the replacement of an additional 1,375 public and 1,260 private lead service lines within Millvale and 10 Pittsburgh neighborhoods.
The $5.8 billion national allotment is to replace lead pipes, improve storm water infrastructure and remove contaminants. Of that, Pennsylvania will get $200 million.
To date, Pennsylvania has received $659 million for clean water infrastructure, according to Lee’s office.
Lee was also thankful for the federal funding and action taken to replace lead pipes, but emphasized that there were still plenty of communities in the region that need to see upgraded water infrastructure.
“We need to finish the job,” she said. “Clean drinking water is a human right.”
Earlier in the day, Harris touted an additional $5.3 million targeted for Pittsburgh International Airport’s $1.5 billion modernization project.
That funding also came from the bipartisan infrastructure law. Last year, the federal government announced a $20 million grant for the Pittsburgh airport.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
Noah Kahan is appropriating Will Toledo’s culture. The viral folk star’s eventful Great Divide tour happened to stop by Pittsburgh last night while the furry convention was in town, and he was for some reason very excited about that, welcoming the furries and even trying on the head of an audience member’s furry costume.
“Pittsburgh: if you are caught between attending the worlds largest furry convention or my show tonight then please know you are welcome to combine the two,” Kahan wrote on X before the show. Responding to a poster who asked what his fursona would be, he posted “Squid man.”
“Furries are welcome. All the animal kingdom is welcome tonight,” Kahan then said onstage at PNC Park. “I don’t see any so far but I will be looking and asking a lot of questions after the show.” At the prop payphone booth that’s been a part of his show setup, he took a phone call from the “National Center For Furry Awareness” and learned furries do not necessarily have sex in their suits.
“The National Center For Furry Awareness? Oh, they don’t have sex… not necessarily? Okay, well that’s good to know.”
“If there are any furries in the crowd, say, ‘Hell yeah,’” he added to a mostly furryless crowd. Watch below.
Ohio black bears
A third sighting of 2026 confirms black bears are back for good in Ohio.
If you see a black bear near Pittsburgh, give it space, and don’t let your pet bother it.
That’s the advice Allegheny County’s parks department gave locals after a bear was spotted in a lake north of Pittsburgh, with the department issuing a warning in partnership with Allegheny County Police Department on June 16.
Here’s what to know about the bear sighting and bears around the Pittsburgh area.
When, where was black bear spotted near Pittsburgh?
A black bear was spotted in North Park Lake in McCandless Township in Allegheny County just north of Pittsburgh.
Allegheny County Parks didn’t say when the bear was seen, but they posted about the sighting on Facebook on June 16, saying the Pennsylvania Game Commission had been notified and was monitoring the situation.
What should you do if you spot a black bear in Pittsburgh area?
After a black bear was spotted in North Park Lake, Allegheny County Parks and Allegheny County Police Department put out a joint statement warning residents not to bother bears.
If you see a bear, you should use caution and give it “plenty of space,” according to the county parks department. Don’t approach it, and don’t try to interact with it. If you have a pet with you, keep them controlled on a leash.
“The best thing you can do is view wildlife from a safe distance and allow it to move through the area undisturbed,” the parks department said.
The state also bans residents from feeding bears.
How common are black bears in Pittsburgh area?
Bears inhabit forested areas across more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania, though they’ve been spotted in every county, according to the state game commission. The bears seen in large urban centers and agricultural areas, like the southeastern corners of the state and parts of the western border, are generally transient, as those areas don’t have enough woods to create a good habitat.
The population of bears statewide is estimated to be about 19,000 and is managed through regulated hunting to reduce the risk of more frequent human-bear conflicts. Hunters harvested 2,873 black bears in 2026, with Tioga County reporting the most harvests. Allegheny did not rank among the counties with the top 10 most bears harvested.
Black bears are also not uncommon across the border in Ohio. The state set a record with more than 500 sightings in 2025, according to a report from the Ohio Department of National Resources, with the department finding “consistent evidence” that female black bears live in the northeast corner of the state.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
We break down when Pittsburgh fireworks cross from fun into illegal
In Pennsylvania, it’s easier than ever to buy consumer fireworks, but using them inside Pittsburgh city limits is where the law tightens up.
In Pennsylvania, it’s easier than ever to buy consumer fireworks, but using them inside Pittsburgh city limits is where the law tightens up. For this week’s “Is It Legal?” series, the key distinction is that purchase and possession are generally allowed under state law, while where and how you launch them is restricted by local rules and safety regulations.
In Pittsburgh, residents can’t legally set off fireworks in public spaces like streets, sidewalks, parks or right-of-way areas. They’re also not supposed to launch them near buildings or vehicles, or in any way that directs fireworks toward people or property.
In rowhouse neighborhoods and dense blocks, that effectively rules out most front yards, alleys and tight backyards, because they sit too close to homes and parked cars to meet the distance and safety requirements. On top of that, noise and nuisance ordinances can come into play, especially late at night, giving police grounds to respond when fireworks are reported as a disturbance or hazard.
Officials stress that fireworks are explosives, not toys, and point to common risks: injuries from misfires, fires on roofs or in yards, and the impact on pets, older neighbors and veterans with PTSD. That’s why they consistently urge residents to skip DIY backyard launches and attend permitted, professional shows instead, where licensed operators, fire crews and safety plans are already in place.
So, when viewers ask “Is it legal?” the answer is nuanced: Buying fireworks is broadly legal under state law, but setting them off in most Pittsburgh neighborhoods — especially in public spaces or close to buildings — is often not, and can quickly lead to citations or police visits rather than a celebration.
This article by Gabby Sartori was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
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