It's Thursday!

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of showers and thunderstorms, high near 84.

🎧 Sounds like: "Every Breath You Take," by The Police.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Mary Gallick!

🏈 Situational awareness: The Steelers play their first preseason game today at Acrisure against the Green Bay Packers. Kickoff is at 7pm.

• Tickets available here. Watch on KDKA channel 2.

Today's newsletter is 990 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Pittsburgh has installed its first automated red-light cameras at two city intersections.

Why it matters: Pittsburgh has seen hundreds of crashes linked to drivers running red lights over the years, killing several people, and automated cameras in other cities like Philadelphia have proven to save lives.

The latest: Cameras at the intersections at North Dallas Avenue and Penn Avenue in Point Breeze and Saw Mill Run Boulevard and Woodruff Street in Beechview are live.

• A 60-day warning period started yesterday, during which violators will receive warnings mailed to the vehicle's owner.
• Starting Oct. 11, violators will receive tickets.

State law sets the fine at $100.

• A police officer reviews each incident before sending out tickets.
• Tickets from red-light cameras are treated like parking infractions, and there are no points against drivers’ insurance.
• Violators have 30 days to pay the fine or appeal.

How it works: Cameras will take photos and video of drivers who move past the stop bar at intersections while the light is red, per Verra Mobility, the company supplying the cameras.

• Photos are only taken of the rear of the vehicle to confirm the license plate.

Zoom in: Four more intersections will implement automated red-light enforcement cameras over the next few months. Those will have 30-day warning periods after each goes live. They are:

• General Robinson and Anderson streets near the Parkway North on-ramp in the North Shore
• Negley and Fifth avenues in Shadyside
• Browns Hill Road and Parkview Boulevard near the Homestead-Grays Bridge in Squirrel Hill
• Chateau Street and West End Bridge on the North Side

What they’re saying: “Those milliseconds can change someone’s life. We are committed to the goal of no more traffic deaths in the city,” said Mayor Corey O’Connor.

By the numbers: The city reported 759 crashes due to drivers running red lights between 2019-2023.

• There were 39 associated crashes at the six targeted intersections between 2019-2023.

Zoom out: Over 300 cities nationwide use automated red-light cameras.

• They have reduced fatal red-light crash rates by 21%, per the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Learn more about Pittsburgh’s red-light program here.

What’s next: The city plans to add the cameras to up to 21 intersections over the next several years, said O’Connor.

Go deeper

E. coli continues to limit recreation and elevate health risks in urban streams that feed into Pittsburgh’s rivers, per a new report.

Why it matters: It's one of a few reasons plenty of Pittsburghers are happy to kayak on our rivers but often draw the line at taking the plunge.

• Swimming in water contaminated with fecal bacteria like E. coli raises the risk of gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, among other health issues. E. coli can also indicate the presence of other harmful pathogens, like Giardia, per the EPA.

The big picture: The report and mapping tool from environmental nonprofit PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center asks, “Are Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams safe for swimming?”

• The study found that 55% of 650+ monitoring locations in Pennsylvania experienced at least one day when E. coli reached potentially unsafe levels for swimming in 2024-25.

Case in point: Researchers found potentially unsafe levels in over 80% of samples collected at sites along Saw Mill Run, an Ohio River tributary, and 55% of samples taken from Streets Run, a Mon River tributary.

Zoom in: Common sources of bacteria like E. coli include stormwater runoff and sewer overflow, per the report. Overflow points can send stormwater mixed with raw sewage into waterways during heavy rain.

The fine print: Researchers considered samples “potentially unsafe” if at least one sample on a testing day exceeded the EPA’s Beach Action Value.

More resources: ALCOSAN posts sewer overflow alerts online and raises orange flags along the rivers, warning recreational users to limit water contact.

The bottom line

💉The Richard King Mellon Foundation is investing $25 million to launch Rare Ventures, a Pittsburgh research hub designed to speed rare-disease therapies modeled after a nonprofit co-founded by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. (Post-Gazette)

👻 Kennywood's Phantom Fall Fest kicks off Sept. 12 with a new fall menu, a trick-or-treating experience, haunts and more than 30 rides and attractions. Calendar here. (Press release)

🌮 Tako Torta in Bakery Square announced it's closing for good. (Instagram)

Friday

Spin the Restaurant Roulette wheel to pick dinner during Pittsburgh Restaurant Week through Sunday.

• 📍 Locations and prices vary

Saturday

Sip your way down Lincoln Avenue at the Bellevue Rhythm & Brews Festival.

• 📍 Registration is at 318 Lincoln Ave. or 532 Lincoln Ave.
• ⏰ 4pm-9pm
• 💰 $55 per person

Learn the basics of kayaking, biking, birding and more at "Outdoors for All."

• 📍 Allegheny Commons West near Lake Elizabeth, North Side
• ⏰ 11am-3pm
• 💰 Free!

Sunday

Explore the city's cannabis scene with food trucks, vendors, and education at Pittsburgh Cannabis Fest.

• 📍 Allegheny Commons East, North Side
• ⏰ 11am–5pm
• 💰 Free!

Bloomfield's annual street festival is back!

The intrigue: The free four-day festival is today through Sunday, transforming the city's Little Italy neighborhood into a celebration of paisans.

What to expect: Scores of Italian and non-Italian food and drink vendors. DiAnoia's is a hit, and the limoncello spritz is super refreshing.

• Live music at three stages.
• The local celebrity bocce game starts at 6pm tonight on Cedarville Street.

Learn more at the festival's website.

📺 Chrissy is visiting Resellouts in Ambridge this weekend.

🏦 Ryan learned that Lancaster County residents have to pay their local income tax directly to the county, not through their municipalities.

Thanks to Chloe Gonzales for editing this newsletter.