April 2022 Est. 1985
The Northside Chronicle
Volume 38 Issue 4 - FREE -
The Community Newspaper of Pittsburgh’s Historic Northside
THERE’S A NEW MARDI GRAS KING IN TOWN
Larry Berger, founder of the ‘Saturday Light Brigade’ radio program based in Pittsburgh’s Northside, took this year’s title.
Special elections on April 5 to be held under old legislative district maps By Ashlee Green Approximately 93,000 registered voters can determine who will fill the now-vacant state House seats of Jake Wheatley and Ed Gainey in the April 5 special elections. Wheatley left his former position as state Representative for Pa.’s 19th District, which includes parts of Pittsburgh’s Northside, to take on the role of Chief of Staff for now-Mayor Ed Gainey. Gainey left his former position as state Representative for Pa.’s 24th District to assume the office of Pittsburgh mayor on Jan. 3. Democrat Aerion Abney will be on the ballot vying for Wheatley’s former position, while Democrat Rev. Glenn Grayson is reportedly “mounting a write-in campaign” for the same spot, according to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Democrat Martell Covington and Republican Todd Koger will be on the ballot, battling over Gainey’s former position. Only voters who live in the 19th and 24th districts of Pa. are eligible to vote in these special elections. Typically, special elections are held the same day as a primary or general election, The Trib reported. Since Pennsylvania has been in the process of legislative redistricting, though, House Speaker Bryan Cutler made the call for the special elections to be held on “their own unique date,” according to a press release, in order to “[eliminate] potential See Maps, Page 10
Photo: Ashlee Green
The 2022 Northside Mardi Gras King Larry Berger, right, pays homage to his predecessors Roger Humphries, left, and Brian O’Neill, center, at the Allegheny Elks Lodge #339 Fat Tuesday party on March 1. See Page 26 for more photos.
Troy Hill Firehouse may become neighborhood’s latest historic landmark By Atiya Irvin-Mitchell
Troy Hill Firehouse #39 came one step closer to becoming a historic landmark on March 2, after the City’s Historic Review Commission (HRC) voted in favor of approving the building’s nomination. The century-old firehouse was built in 1901, and as the name suggests, has been a staple in the center of the Troy Hill neighborhood for decades. The firehouse shut down officially in 2005; these days, it’s used mostly as a
INSIDE
By Ashlee Green
garage. Preservation Pittsburgh, a local advocacy organization, however, would like the building to be a landmark that goes beyond ceremonial purposes. The firehouse has had a plaque honoring its significance since 2001, but according to Melissa McSwigan, a Preservation Pittsburgh board member, the City designating the firehouse as a landmark would afford the property protection. “If the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission and
Shipments of relief supplies are steadily leaving the Brother’s Brother Foundation (BBF) warehouse in Pittsburgh’s Northside for delivery to areas in and around Ukraine. At the time of printing, BBF has now secured over $1 million for its Ukraine Relief Fund—quadruple the $250,000 starting goal the organization set with the Pittsburgh Technology Council. According to a BBF press release, 100% of the funds the organization receives will go toward “emergency relief and logistics” for the Ukrainian Ministry of Health (MOH) as well as to reception centers in Poland and Romania. So
See Firehouse, Page 19
See Ukraine, Page 10
- Redistricting in Pennsylvania, Page 6 - Northside Business Briefs, Page 12 STORIES, COLUMNS, - Northside Homebuyer Guide, Page 13
FEATURES & MORE
BBF Ukraine Relief Fund reaches $1 mil. mark
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