Springdale Data Center, Pittsburgh Budget Woes, Wintry Mix Ahead, Penguins Potential Sale, Pitt Volleyball Soars

Good morning, this is Pittsburgh Local Pulse for Thursday, December eighteenth, and we are catching up on what is happening around our city and neighborhoods right now. We start with a major decision just up the Allegheny. In Springdale, just past the Hulton Bridge, borough council has voted five to two to let a large data center move into the old Cheswick coal plant site. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports neighbors packed the meeting, worried about round the clock noise, health impacts, and what it means for property values, but council members say the small town cannot afford a costly lawsuit from the developer. So we get new tax revenue, roughly two thirds of a million dollars a year, but also big questions about quality of life along the river. Here in the city, money is also the story. Pittsburgh City Council is warning that a property tax increase may be on the way as leaders struggle to close a budget gap. According to Channel 11, Council President Dan Lavelle has already floated five percent cuts across most departments, and we are seeing the impact. TribLive reports the city just scrapped a nearly seven million dollar plan to replace a crumbling salt storage dome, raising fresh worries about how well our streets on the North Side and in Hazelwood will be treated in the next winter storm. We are already feeling that in our daily lives. After the heaviest snowfall in about three years, Pittsburgh City Paper says our snowplow fleet is in rough shape, and the online plow tracker has been down. That means slower plowing on side streets from Beechview to Bloomfield. Today we stay cold but calmer, with clouds, a few flurries in the higher hills, and highs in the 30s. Roads are mostly clear on the main routes like the Parkway East and 279, but we should still watch for icy spots on hills and bridges. Looking ahead, we stay chilly with another light wintry mix possible over the weekend. For our schools, Pittsburgh Public Schools just adopted a new budget that includes about a two percent property tax increase for district residents. Channel 11 reports the board says it is needed to keep programs and staffing stable, so families in neighborhoods like Homewood, the Hill District, and Brookline will see slightly higher bills, but the district avoids deeper cuts to classrooms. In the suburbs, Irwin police in Westmoreland County are investigating a late night shooting at the Bevington Building on Sweetbriar Drive in the Villages of Easton apartments. KDKA reports the first 911 calls came in just before midnight, and detectives say there is no ongoing danger to the public, but they are still sorting out what happened. On the jobs and real estate front, the new Horizon Market in New Kensington has just opened its doors, bringing dozens of retail and warehouse jobs and a fresh boost to the commercial strip there. And with mortgage rates easing slightly, local agents say we are seeing more listings pop up again in places like Lawrenceville and Dor This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.