Non Political Current Events Thread

[skullman80]

I did read about the indoor pickleball thing...that would be cool. Pickleball is a huge thing in the Monroeville Park during spring/summer. It really seemed to blow up last year. Even when I went walking at like 7am people were out there playing pickleball...especially after they redid all the courts and made them much nicer.

[LITT]

that was station square related, not monreoville mall related

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

The Brazilian steakhouse is still there and so in grand concourse, and imo those places probably still do ok because they are destinations. They may not be your cup of tea, but they are still destinations

I’m sure at some point another residential building will be built next to the other two.

[skullman80]

that was station square related, not monreoville mall related

my bad, but I'm pretty sure I read about that going into the Monroeville Mall at some point too recently...though that was before the sale.

[Rylan]

The Brazilian steakhouse is still there and so in grand concourse, and imo those places probably still do ok because they are destinations. They may not be your cup of tea, but they are still destinations

I’m sure at some point another residential building will be built next to the other two.

When in doubt, more luxury condos. Its what Pittsburgh has been needing.

[willeyeam]

pittsburgh has a 10,000 unit housing shortage

[Rylan]

yea...i dont think Luxury condos/apartments fixes that. But thats just me...

[MR25]

Lot of NIMBYs in Pittsburgh preventing any sort of progress in that regard. There's one or two people in Shadyside that file complaints on every proposed mass-unit housing complex brought to council.

[Shyster]

Station Square went downhill the instant that Chauncy’s closed.

[Ad@m]

Pennsylvania State Police are searching for a suspect after nearly 100,000 eggs were stolen from an egg distributor in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Officers responded to Pete & Jerry’s Organics in Antrim Township following reports of the theft, which occurred from the back of a distribution trailer. Police estimate the stolen eggs have a retail value of $40,000. Officials say the investigation is ongoing, but no suspect or suspects have been identified at this time and they are continually searching for the suspect.

[faftorial]

Egg Gangsters!

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

2024-2028 will be known as the Egg Years

[faftorial]

2024-2028 will be known as the Egg Years

Time to buy powdered egg futures.

[LITT]

Station Square related, from pittsburgh business times. sorry for formatting and errors

A Boston developer steeped in an urban approach to a host of different kinds of
mixed-use projects is in talks to buy Station Square and its 650,000 square feet
of ofces, restaurants and other attractions, sources indicate.
The company is a rm called WS Development, sources say, which touts a
portfolio of more than 22 million square feet around the country and showcases
on its website a collection of waterfront projects in its hometown that offer a
mix of retail and performance space as well as major ofces for Amazon.com
Inc. and others
WS Development didn't respond for comment to an inquiry about its bid to buy
Station Square.
The property is owned by afliates of Brookeld Properties, for which
Wilmington Trust led a group of lenders that led a foreclosure action last
November seeking a debt balance of around $143 million.
A spokesman for Brookeld declined comment. Station Square has been
marketed for sale by the capital markets group at JLL in Pittsburgh, in an
assignment lead by Senior Managing Director Mark Popovich. A call to
Popovich was not immediately returned.
Station Square has had a couple of high-prole restaurant closings of late, with
announcements by Hard Rock Cafe as well as the closing of Buca di Beppo, both
after runs of about 20 years or so.
But Station Square remains a well-located local landmark just across the river
from downtown and includes a mile and half of riverfront and in the range of
52 acres of land, functioning as a restaurant destination for its historic Grand
Concourse, along with remaining restaurant anchors Texas de Brazil and the
Melting Pot. The complex serves as the headquarters for Fortune 500 company
WESCO International Inc. (NYSE: WCC) as well as video game development
studio Schell Games, among others.
Brookeld Properties, part of a global investment rm with more than $925
billion in assets, has owned Station Square since 2018 when the Pittsburgh
property was included in a larger portfolio of then Cleveland-based Forest
City Enterprises.
If a nal deal comes together, WS Development, which has been active with
major projects along Boston's Seaport, also would come to Station Square with
a Boston connection to Pittsburgh.
The WS Development website details plans by the rm to pursue development
projects on about ves acres neighboring Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red
Sox, in a joint venture with the real estate arm of Fenway Sports Group, the
same company that owns The Pittsburgh Penguins, currently working to
redevelop the Lower Hill site with partner Buccini Pollin Group.
The project near Fenway Park is expected to range around two million square
feet of space in eight buildings, including a mix of commercial, residential,
shops and restaurants.
If and when WS Development is able to reach a nal closing to buy Station
Square is still to be determined. Such a buy will need to past muster with the
group of leaders who sought to le the foreclosure action in the Allegheny
County Court of Common Pleas, for which there's been no new legal ling
added to the docket since January 7.
Arthur Ziegler, co-founder of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, the
nonprot that originally saved and led the redevelopment of Station Square in
the 1970s and sill maintains its ofce there, suggested both some challenges and
some strengths of the complex now.
"The big stumbling block is that they divided it all up. Different entities own
different pieces," he said of Station Square, for which the Sheraton Pittsburgh
Hotel at Station Square is separately owned as is Highmark Stadium,
home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team. "So it's very hard to
leverage anything."
Yet Ziegler also sees the Grand Concourse, Texas de Brazil and the Melting Pot
still doing well at drawing in diners along with the Glasshouse Apartments.
"There's a lot there waiting for plans and ideas," he said

[DigitalGypsy66]

Here's a great bill in the Illinois Legislature:

Creates the Balanced Earnings And Record Standards (BEARS) and Stadium Oversight and Expectations Act. Sets forth the purpose of the Act. Defines terms. Provides that, to be eligible for public financing, a professional sports team must have achieved a 0.500 record in at least 3 out of the last 5 regular seasons. Provides that the eligibility requirement applies to all requests for public financing related to: (1) stadium construction; (2) stadium renovation; and (3) stadium maintenance. Provides that teams that have been in existence for fewer than 5 years are exempt from the eligibility requirement but must demonstrate competitive performance by achieving a 0.500 or above record in at least 2 out of the team's first 5 seasons before applying for additional public financing.

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillSt ... gID=161208

I'd like to see the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania do something similar.

[Dickie Dunn]

Meta’s executive officers could earn a bonus of 200% of their base salary under the company’s new executive bonus plan, up from the 75% they earned previously, according to a Thursday filing.

The updated bonus plan doesn’t apply to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The approval of the new executive bonus plan comes a week after Meta began laying off 5% of its overall workforce. The company had previously said this would impact its lowest performers.

Eat the rich.

[shafnutz05]

Pens telecast was preempted by coverage on this:

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/natio ... 53775cabf9

A York County police officer was reportedly killed after a gunman opened fire inside UPMC Memorial.

"Our West York Borough family is suffering a painful loss today in response to a tragic mutual aid call earlier today in West Manchester Township at UPMC. Our hearts break at the innocent loss of life," the borough wrote on Facebook.

West York Borough Police Officer Andrew Duarte was reportedly killed at the scene of the active shooting.

"We ask that the community come together in solidarity, respect and prayer at this time as broken hearts mourn. You are welcome to lay flowers in a show of support and respect at 1381 West Poplar Street, West York Borough, Pennsylvania," officers wrote on Facebook.

[Ad@m]

Penn State University's annual THON fundraising event, which concluded Sunday, raised over $17 million for pediatric cancer research, a new record for the event.

Over 700 dancers spent 46 consecutive hours in the Bryce Jordan Center to raise money for the fight against childhood cancer.

The total amount came to an impressive $17,737,040.93. This year's event beat the $16,955,683.63 raised in 2024 by nearly $800,000.

[MR25]

Penn State to close 12 branch campuses, likely by the end of the 2026-27 academic year

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsbur ... h-campuses

Honestly, shocked to find they have NINETEEN branch campuses. Seems like spreading yourself thin when you compare to a Pitt or Ohio State with only 4-5 branches.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Speaking of university stuff, our president was just hired to replace Gordon Gee at WVU.

He was making $245K plus benefits (and a beach front presidential manse).

Financially struggling WVU is paying him $845K plus benefits per year, as well as an interesting deferred compensation plan that will be worth $1.5 million if he stays for the duration of his 5 year contract. I guess that's the going rate for an R1 University president!

https://www.dominionpost.com/2025/02/24 ... el-benson/

[Beveridge]

Penn State to close 12 branch campuses, likely by the end of the 2026-27 academic year

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/pittsbur ... h-campuses

Honestly, shocked to find they have NINETEEN branch campuses. Seems like spreading yourself thin when you compare to a Pitt or Ohio State with only 4-5 branches.

There are 12 campuses that will be reviewed. I doubt they end up closing all 12, but they could.

[dodint]

University of Wisconsin has so many satellite campuses that they don't really do community colleges. It's an interesting system.

[faftorial]

I read somewhere that PSU main has more out of state students than in state students.

There aren't enough kids in PA to keep all these schools open. I'm expecting some of the state colleges to close down at some point. I know they consolidated some of them under common leadership but they're all still open.

[DigitalGypsy66]

60% of our 11000 students are from out of state. Tons of PA, NJ, NY students here (judging from the sports paraphernalia and license plates). Evidently, the out of state tuition here is cheaper than PSU, Pitt etc.

In fact, since COVID, the SC Legislature won't allow in state tuition to go up but no such restriction on out of state tuition.

[nocera]

South Carolina death row inmate to be executed by firing squad, first in US in 15 years
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/us/brad- ... index.html

Attorneys for Sigmon said he faced an “impossible” choice between “barbaric” methods used by the state for execution.

“Unless he elected lethal injection or the firing squad, he would die in South Carolina’s ancient electric chair, which would burn and cook him alive. But the alternative is just as monstrous,” Gerald “Bo” King, one of Sigmon’s attorneys, said in a news release after his client told the state his preferred method.

“If he chose lethal injection, he risked the prolonged death suffered by all three of the men South Carolina has executed since September,” King added.