Amy Whipple

part-time writer, part-time writing instructor, full-time awesome // 🏳️‍🌈 // she/her

Articles by Amy Whipple

Property taxes increase by 20%, budget reaches $693 million and naming new violence prevention anchor organizations (2025-12-26)
Violence prevention funds to be redirected to city trucks, $6m planning contracts in jeopardy, and out-of-state property buyers to be blocked–Tell council what you think (2025-12-19)
Transferring 8th Street, winter salt storage and supporting local startups—Tell Council What you Think (2025-12-12)
Council weighs housing fund cuts, surprise vehicle repair bills, and employee bus passes as $30 million budget gap looms (2025-12-05)
This Week’s Top Agenda Items (2025-11-28)
City unable to pay ~$5m water bill, selling water infrastructure for $1, and requesting $4.5 for overdue maintenance (2025-11-21)
The sidewalk vendor debate continues, a new electronics, chemical recycling contract and studying city-wide composting (2025-11-14)
Cleaning endless litter, catching illegal dumpers, automating traffic tickets and repairing city steps (2025-11-07)
Opening up to more sidewalk vendors, emergency grants for social service orgs, and revising the Lower Hill’s community benefits agreement (2025-10-31)
Inclusionary Zoning Takes New Turn While Pittsburgh Addresses Failing Fleet and Preserves Landmarks (2025-10-17)
Weighing Neighborhood Meeting Reforms, Reviewing Storm Damage and a Contentious Snow Removal Debate (2025-10-10)
Petition Calls for Pittsburgh to declare itself a Sanctuary City (2025-10-03)
Council Considers Homeless Protections From Housing Discrimination and May Monitor Social Media (2025-09-26)
Driver’s ed pilot program, supporting police/social worker teams and rooftop surveillance cameras—City Council Week of September 8 (2025-09-12)
Sweeping public safety investments: automated red light enforcement, violence prevention grants, and fire station construction funding—City Council Week of September 1 (2025-09-05)
One Thousand 911 calls in 1 minute, emergency communications breakdowns and an aging emergency vehicle fleet—City Council Week of July 28 (2025-08-01)
New urban search and rescue team and filling gaps in afterschool programming—City Council Week of July 21 (2025-07-25)
New regulations for short-term rentals, frustrations with unused funds and $1.5 million for food justice—City Council Week of July 14 (2025-07-18)
Council to expand LGBTQIA+ protections, deer population controls, and funding for police recruitment,—City Council Week of July 7 (2025-07-11)
An 8-hour Council meeting covers protecting sex workers, a new public safety training campus and funding violence prevention—City Council Week of June 30 (2025-07-04)
Protecting gender-affirming care, respecting community input and park use—City Council Week of June 23 (2025-06-27)
Reducing permit waits, buying City-owned houses and City Employee wellness—City Council Week of June 16 (2025-06-20)
City may get its own Department of Public Health and Park Improvement Funding—City Council Week of June 9 (2025-06-13)
This Week’s Top Agenda Items (2025-06-06)
Esplanade Jeopardizes Urban Farm, City Land Bank needs more money, and a call for Transparency from the Housing Authority—City Council Week of May 26 (2025-05-30)
Council Celebrates Youth Violence Prevention Program , Accepts Funds to Combat Car Thefts - City Council Week of May 19 (2025-05-23)
Aging EMS & Fire Fleets Pose Public Safety Risk - City Council Week of May 12 (2025-05-16)
Council Extends State of Emergency, debriefs with Deputy Mayor after Storm - City Council Week of May 5 (2025-05-09)
Council Approves Tiny Lots, Seeks State help To Save Public Transit - City Council Week of April 28 (2025-05-02)
Council to Consider Pollinator Gardens and Natural Landscaping; Public Hearing on Historic Designation for Closed Gay Bar in Polish Hill—City Council Week of April 21 (2025-04-25)
Untested Sexual Assault Kits to Be Processed, 2024 Shelter Contract Delayed another 5 Weeks - City Council Week of April 14 (2025-04-18)
Reports on Winter Shelters and Affordable Housing, Bakery Square Expansion & Police Recruitment - City Council Week of March 31 (2025-04-04)
Broken Bathrooms in City Parks plus Green Lighting New City Vendors - City Council Week of March 24 (2025-03-28)
Property Tax Exemptions, Bridge Demolition, and Zoning Reform - City Council Week of March 17 (2025-03-21)
City Council Week of March 10 (2025-03-14)
Council Proposes New Hiring Process Following Interim Chief Ragland's Departure, a New Downtown Substance Abuse Center, and a Study to Reunite Manchester and Chateau—City Council Week of March 3 (2025-03-07)
Council Discusses Residents' Frustrations on Snow Removal with No Action Taken, Sidewalk Repair Program for Low-Income Residents to be Made Permanent—City Council Week of Feb 24 (2025-02-28)
(2025-02-21)
Council Calls for Public Hearing Ahead of Approving New Police Chief, Extends Downtown Ambassador Program, and more—City Council Week of Feb 10 (2025-02-13)
City Council Greenlights Three Charter Amendments, $4.2M for Children and Families, and $2M to Curb Evictions—City Council Week of Feb 3 (2025-02-06)
Expanding Discrimination Protections & Unsafe Affordable Housing - City Council Week of Jan 27 (2025-01-31)