No funding for free smoke detectors, $43.2 million in overtime pay, police drones, paramedic dreams, and homicide trauma reduction.

From horses to drones, city police use all available tools.

City police are flying into 2026 with nine new drones, and reaching back to the first days of policing with additional mounted officers.

Fire budget will not cover free smoke detector program.

While the image of city firefighters is of them rescuing residents from raging infernos, Fire Chief Darryl Jones said during a Nov. 20 budget meeting the real work is saving lives before the trucks…

Emergency Medical Services looks to expand its training academy.

Emergency medical services (EMS) chief Amera Gilchrist said the city could use an in-house paramedic academy.

Health and Safety workers reach out where the police can’t.

As the city tries to solve its fleet crisis, the Office of Community Health and Safety (OCHS) solved its own.

DPW officials say they need more money for equipment, capital improvements.

The Department of Public Works (DPW) faces a challenging 2026.

Pittsburgh Water bills sink budget.

During the dry talk about budgets, city council learned that Pittsburgh is drowning in unpaid water bills.

City unable to pay ~$5m water bill, selling water infrastructure for $1, and requesting $4.5 for overdue maintenance.

City and Pittsburgh Water iron out sale of treatment plant, pipes.

Pittsburgh Water is ready to buy the city’s water and sewer systems for a buck.

City looks to keep more compostables out of the landfills.

The Department of City Planning (DCP) is trying to divert the compost the city currently sends to landfills over to a composting program in order to create richer soil.

New contract could bump up household hazardous materials collections.

Pittsburghers should be able to finally pitch their basement paint can collections next year.

Vendors may be appearing on city sidewalks again.

City council is a step closer to allowing vendors and peddlers to sell their wares on Pittsburgh’s sidewalks.

The sidewalk vendor debate continues, a new electronics, chemical recycling contract and studying city-wide composting.

Clean ups barely make a dent in litter problem.

City council members won’t stop talking trash.

Cleaning endless litter, catching illegal dumpers, automating traffic tickets and repairing city steps.

It will be a long climb to fix the city’s steps.

Funding requests climbed this week for city step repairs.

Police traffic ticket books may be a thing of the past.

City police need an automated system for traffic citations instead of the inefficient paper tickets it currently issues.

City may borrow cameras to catch illegal dumpers.

The Department of Public Works wants to catch illegal dumpers in the act.

Update on “protected classes.”

Council did not cast its final vote to simplify language in the city code for protected classes. Council Member Erika Strassburger of Upper Squirrel Hill said the legal department advised them to…

Opening up to more sidewalk vendors, emergency grants for social service orgs, and revising the Lower Hill’s community benefits agreement.

Community benefits agreement reinforced for Lower Hill.

After the Pittsburgh Penguins skated away from redeveloping the Lower Hill Special Planning District, last week, the council member representing the area moved to make sure the community benefits…