Winners & Losers
This week’s biggest Winners & Losers
Who’s up and who’s down this week?
City & State
While U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has said he has no intention of leaving the Democratic Party, his actions tell a different story as he continues to distance himself from Democrats – and fraternize across the aisle. A bruising Wall Street Journal report recently accused Fetterman of having little interest in the day-to-day duties of a senator, drawing widespread condemnation from Democratic colleagues, and his recent video appearance at the GOP’s midterm convention only further raised the stakes for fellow Dems, who cannot risk losing his membership when control of the Senate is suddenly in sight.
Keep reading for more winners and losers!
Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene -
Why should coastal cities get all the love from Michelin? The très discret French haute-dining guide will unveil its inaugural American Great Lakes edition in April – meaning finer-dining establishments in Pittsburgh and Erie have their shot at reaching a global audience.
Eastern PA consumers -
It’s a Philly driver’s dream, times 23,000. That’s the number of tickets voided by the Philadelphia Parking Authority after a missing speed-limit sign prompted $1.25 million in refunded fines to 800,000 happy motorists. Meanwhile, disgruntled ticket-buyers also saw their moods improve when district attorneys in seven counties – Bucks, Monroe, Montgomery, Lackawanna, Pike, Wyoming and Luzerne – sued ticket seller Vivid Seats for deceptive checkout fees that nearly doubled the advertised prices.
Delco Beetle Lifters -
Several community members in Delaware County are receiving high praise for freeing a woman trapped under a Volkswagen Beetle after a crash involving the Beetle and the woman’s e-bike. Upon seeing the woman trapped underneath the Beetle, multiple bystanders helped lift the vehicle off of the woman, allowing her to be dragged out from underneath the car. She was hospitalized and is reportedly in stable condition.
Temple University -
Tough times for Temple continue. The university announced it will terminate a $55 million gift – the largest donation in the school’s history – from alumnus Christopher Barnett, who's now under federal criminal investigation over allegations of money laundering, wire fraud and more. Barnett, who works in the behavioral healthcare business sector, resigned from Temple’s Board of Trustees. His gift was slated to help Temple’s College of Public Health, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
DA bar deal -
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. is feeling the heat after allowing a controversial bar to stay open. According to reports, police have been called to Capo’s bar on Pittsburgh’s South Side 42 times over the last 18 months, including after a woman was raped after being removed from the bar and left alone. Following the incident, Zappala Jr. is allowing the bar to stay open after the owner agreed to 23 stipulations – a decision that is being met with confusion and anger by Pittsburgh leaders and community members.
Footbrawlers -
Boy, that escalated quickly. Three youth football coaches were charged with disorderly conduct late last week after a children’s football game turned into an all-out brawl. The incident, caught on video, took place in Carnegie during a Steel City Youth Football League game at Honus Wagner Field, when a scuffle between two coaches broke out into a larger fight on the field. That whole last sentence could be a Pittsburgh-themed game of Mad Libs.
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