Pittsburgh Public Schools to lease parking lots for NFL Draft as students move remote
NOW ON PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR. JUST ONE DAY AFTER A CEASE FIRE WAS CELEBRATED BETWEEN THE U.S. AND IRAN, THE CRACKS BEGINNING TO FORM AS STRIKES CONTINUE. PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTERS UNION LEADERS PUSHING FOR MORE FUNDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT AMID CONCERNS OVER THEIR AGING FLEET. THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR SPECIAL EXPERIENCE DURING THE NFL DRAFT. WE’LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THAT AHEAD. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR AT SEVEN STARTS NOW. GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT AT 7:00 ON. I’M MIKE CLARK. WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH BREAKING NEWS OUT OF ARMSTRONG COUNTY. ONE PERSON HAS DIED INVOLVED IN A MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH ALONG ROUTE 28. SKY 4 ABOVE THAT SCENE JUST MOMENTS AGO. AND YOU CAN SEE A TANKER TRUCK WAS AMONG THE VEHICLES INVOLVED. AND THE TRUCK WENT OFF THE ROAD. AS YOU SEE RIGHT NOW. OUR DESK IS MAKING CALLS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE. THE PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTERS UNION IS URGING CITY OFFICIALS TONIGHT TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES. THEIR OUTDATED FLEET OF FIRE TRUCKS IS CAUSING THEM. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER KALEA GUNDERSON INVESTIGATES THE CHALLENGES THEIR AGING FIRE FLEET POSES TO THEIR RESPONSE TIMES. THE PITTSBURGH BUREAU OF FIRE UNDERFUNDED FOR DECADES. THAT’S HOW FIREFIGHTERS UNION LEADERS PUT IT WHEN LAYING OUT THE NEEDS OF THE DEPARTMENT BOTH NOW AND YEARS INTO THE FUTURE. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHEN WE GET IN THIS TRUCK, IT’S GOING TO START AND IT’S GOING TO GET TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE IN THE TIME WE NEED TO BE THERE. WHEN YOU’RE HANGING OUT THE WINDOW WAITING FOR US TO GET THAT LADDER UP TO YOU, TO RESCUE YOU. THE SWIFT RESPONSE OF FIREFIGHTERS IN A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION IS A GIVEN. BUT SOCORRO, PRESIDENT OF THE PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL NUMBER ONE HAS COME TO EXPECT ROADBLOCKS ON THEIR ROUTE, OFTEN BEFORE THEIR TRUCKS EVEN LEAVE THE FIRE STATION. IN FEBRUARY, WE HAD A LADDER TRUCK IN OAKLAND THAT PROTECTS THE OAKLAND AREA, WHICH IS LOTS OF HIGH RISES. LOTS OF STUDENTS WAS OUT OF SERVICE BECAUSE IT WENT DOWN. WE HAD NO TRUCKS, SPARES. AND AGAIN, WEEKS LATER, DOWNTOWN’S LADDER TRUCK NUMBER FOUR. IT ALSO BROKE DOWN IN MARCH. WE HAD NO SPARES TO BE ABLE TO PUT IN BOTH TRUCKS OUT OF SERVICE FOR A WEEK, TWO INSTANCES. SOCORRO SAYS WERE TWO OF MANY. CURRENTLY, THE BUREAU OF FIRE HAS 12 LADDER TRUCKS AND 28 FIRE ENGINES, WHICH CARRY THE WATER AND HOSES NEEDED IN A FIRE RESPONSE. TEN OF THOSE TRUCKS ARE SPARES SUBBED IN WHILE THE FRONTLINE TRUCKS ARE OUT OF SERVICE FOR MAINTENANCE OR REPAIRS. THE FREQUENT BREAKDOWNS, LARGELY STEMMING FROM THE AGE OF THE TRUCKS, AND BATTALION CHIEF ED FARLEY, WHO SERVES AS A UNION TRUSTEE, SAYS PITTSBURGH’S TERRAIN DOESN’T GO EASY ON THE TRUCKS. YOU’RE GOING 2 OR 3 MILES AN HOUR JUST TO GET UP THE HILL ON AN EMERGENCY CALL WITH PEOPLE TRAPPED WITH FIRES GOING ON. BASED ON PITTSBURGH’S BUREAU OF FIRE STANDARDS, A LADDER, TRUCK OR FIRE ENGINE SHOULD ONLY BE USED AS A FRONTLINE VEHICLE FOR TEN YEARS BEFORE GOING INTO RESERVE FOR FIVE YEARS AND RETIRED AFTER 15 YEARS. THIS LADDER TRUCK HERE, WHICH IS A FRONTLINE VEHICLE, IS 18 YEARS OLD, AND THIS TRUCK AT PITTSBURGH SWISSHELM PARK STATION HAS BEEN IN USE LONGER THAN BATTALION CHIEF. FARLEY HAS BEEN A PITTSBURGH FIREFIGHTER. THIS IS MY 31ST YEAR AS A FIREFIGHTER HERE IN PITTSBURGH. ENGINE 19 IN ITS 32ND YEAR WAS BROUGHT OUT OF RETIREMENT FROM SERVICE TO ANOTHER CITY TO BE USED AS A FRONTLINE VEHICLE HERE, SOCORRO SAYS EIGHT OUT OF THE 12 LADDER TRUCKS AND 14 OUT OF THE 28 ENGINES ARE CONSIDERED PAST THEIR USEFUL LIFE. FOR DECADES, WE’VE HAD A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM WHERE CITY OFFICIALS DO NOT ALLOCATE ENOUGH FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO EQUIPMENT LEASING AUTHORITY TO HAVE A PROPER PURCHASING PLAN TO REPLACE FIRE APPARATUS, AMONG OTHER CITY VEHICLES ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE CITY’S EQUIPMENT LEASING AUTHORITY, OR ILA, WHICH OVERSEES BUYING AND LEASING FOR THE CITY’S ENTIRE VEHICLE FLEET, MEETS AGAIN TOMORROW TO MAKE ITS TENTATIVE BUYING PLAN FOR AMBULANCES AND SNOWPLOWS. TWO MAJOR FLEET NEEDS FUNDED INTENTIONALLY BY RECENT GIFTS FROM UPMC AND PNC, PITTSBURGH’S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SHARON WERNER, WHO SERVES AS CHAIR OF THE ILA, SAYS THE NEXT PHASE FOR THE COMMITTEE WILL BE DETERMINING HOW THE FLEET BUDGET THAT’S LEFT GETS SPENT, AND WE ARE HOPING THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO ALLOCATE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT TO FIRE TO THE FIRE FLEET, AND IT WILL THEN TAKE SOME TIME BECAUSE AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT WITH RFPS AND SOLICITATIONS AND MAKE SURE WE’RE GETTING THE BEST VALUE FOR OUR MONEY. WERNER ESTIMATES FIRE COULD BE ALLOCATED SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS TO PURCHASE NEW VEHICLES, AND AT A HIGHER DOLLAR AMOUNT THAN THE DEPARTMENT RECEIVED LAST YEAR FOR FIRE, IN PARTICULAR. YES, IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG SINCE THEY’VE GOTTEN REAL INVESTMENT IN THEIR FLEET. MY RECOLLECTION NEXT YEAR IT’S ONLY $5 MILLION. THEN IT GOES DOWN TO $3 MILLION. DOWN TO $2 MILLION. WE’RE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. COUNCILPERSON BARBARA WARRICK PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED LEGISLATION THAT WOULD DEDICATE A SET AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THE CITY’S FLEET EACH YEAR. THAT LEGISLATION IS ON HOLD. THE PROPOSAL ON THE TABLE IS FOR $20 MILLION A YEAR. I AM VERY OPEN TO NEGOTIATING ON THIS BILL. JUST TELL ME A NUMBER. THE MAYOR’S PRESS SECRETARY, MOLLY, ON OFFER, TOLD PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS. FOUR TRUST FUNDS CAN LIMIT THE ABILITY OF BOTH COUNCIL AND THE ADMINISTRATION TO SHAPE THE BUDGET AROUND THE CURRENT YEAR’S NEEDS, ADDING THE ADMINISTRATION ENCOURAGES COUNCIL TO, QUOTE, ADVOCATE FOR SPENDING IN SPECIFIC AREAS THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS. FARLEY HOPEFUL THIS WEEK’S E L A MEETING SIGNALS SOME ADVANCEMENT FOR THE CITY’S FIRE FLEET. IT’S VITAL FOR THE CITIZENS HERE. IT’S VITAL FOR THE FIREFIGHTER SAFETY. WE NEED THESE VEHICLES RIGHT NOW. WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THE CITY’S EQUIPMENT LEASING AUTHORITY MAKES DECISIONS MOVING FORWARD. COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY IN PITTSBURGH, KALEA GUNDERSON. PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR TURNING NOW TO PITTSBURGH’S ACTION WEATHER. WHAT A SHOT FROM OUR ACTION CAM. A BEAUTIFUL, CLEAR AND SUNNY AFTERNOON ALL ACROSS THE REGION WITH TEMPERATURES ON THE RISE AFTER A CHILLY START. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST MIKE HARVEY JOINS US NOW WITH YOUR CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE FORECAST. MIKE. WE’RE ACTUALLY GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WARMER OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. WE ARE. AND BOY, I’LL TELL YOU, IT WAS COLD THIS MORNING DOWN TO 25 DEGREES FOR OUR LOW TEMPERATURE IN PITTSBURGH, INDIANA GOT DOWN TO 19 DEGREES. SO CHILLY THIS MORNING. BUT BOY DID WE RECOVER UP TO 60 DEGREES FOR THE HIGH TEMPERATURE SUNSHINE STRAIGHT THROUGH THE DAY. STILL BEAUTIFUL OUT THERE. A VERY COMFORTABLE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IT WILL BE EVEN WARMER AS WE GO INTO TOMORROW. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 70S. MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES RIGHT ON THROUGH THE DAY, AND OTHER THAN A FEW HIGH CLOUDS, THAT IS GOING TO BE ABOUT IT. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THURSDAY, TEMPERATURE WISE, AROUND 72 FOR YOUR HIGH IN PITTSBURGH, GREENSBURG AND WASHINGTON. BUTLER HIGH OF 71 DEGREES IN PITTSBURGH, 72 FOR YOUR HIGH. MOSTLY SUNNY, CERTAINLY A MILD DAY. THEN ON FRIDAY, PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES, 75 DEGREES FOR YOUR HIGH TEMPERATURE. BUT WE WILL HAVE SOME RAIN SHOWERS COMING IN IN THE EVENING AND NIGHTTIME HOURS. WE’LL HAVE YOUR WEEKEND FORECAST COMING UP IN JUST A FEW MINUTES. ALL RIGHT MIKE, THANKS TO PITTSBURGH’S EAST ALLEGHENY NEIGHBORHOOD TONIGHT, WHERE POLICE RESPONDED TO A REPORT OF A GRENADE THAT WAS FOUND ON THE PORCH OF A HOME. PITTSBURGH POLICE SAY OFFICERS WERE ALERTED TO THAT REPORTED GRENADE JUST AFTER 1130 ON EAST OHIO STREET. THE CITY’S BOMB SQUAD RESPONDED AND DETERMINED IT WAS AN INERT TRAINING GRENADE, NOT LIVE. RESIDENTS NEARBY WERE BRIEFLY EVACUATED WHILE THE THREAT WAS BEING INVESTIGATED, BUT WERE ABLE TO GO BACK WITHIN AN HOUR COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY. THE MAN CHARGED WITH INTENTIONALLY BLOWING UP HIS HOME IN PLUM FOUR YEARS AGO, APPEARED IN COURT THIS MORNING. 18 OF THE 25 CRIMINAL CHARGES JACOB RABB IS FACING WERE HELD FOR COURT. POLICE SAY BACK IN 2022, RABB DISCONNECTED THE DRYER’S GAS CONNECTION TO THE HOUSE THE DAY OF THE EXPLOSION. THEY SAY HE CONFESSED TO BLOWING UP THE HOME IN A NOTE TO HIS PARTNER. BOTH OF THEM, AS WELL AS THREE OF THEIR SONS, WERE HOME AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION. HE IS CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED HOMICIDE COVERING BUTLER COUNTY, NOW, A TWO ALARM FIRE IN THE CITY OF BUTLER SENT ONE PERSON TO THE HOSPITAL THIS MORNING. THE SKY 4 PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS CHOPPER ABOVE THAT SCENE ALONG CENTRAL AVENUE. EMERGENCY DISPATCHERS TELL US THIS STARTED
Pittsburgh Public Schools to lease parking lots for NFL Draft as students move remote
Updated: 8:03 PM EDT Apr 8, 2026
Pittsburgh Public Schools is offering some of its parking lots to NFL Draft attendees, as students will transition to remote learning amid thousands expected to flood Downtown Pittsburgh. VIDEO: Top Stories on April 8, 2026 PPS said in a statement to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Wednesday that the district is partnering to lease four parking lots for the draft. Two additional lots remain under consideration. A spokesperson said the current sites include Allegheny, King, Conroy, and Manchester.”The District made these lots available following the decision to transition schools to remote learning due to widespread road closures extending beyond Downtown and out of concerns for student safety,” the district said in a statement. The district continued, saying, “revenue generated from the leases will be directed to the District’s general fund to support the core work of educating students and maintaining school operations.”The NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23-25. Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.
PITTSBURGH —
Pittsburgh Public Schools is offering some of its parking lots to NFL Draft attendees, as students will transition to remote learning amid thousands expected to flood Downtown Pittsburgh.
VIDEO: Top Stories on April 8, 2026
PPS said in a statement to Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 on Wednesday that the district is partnering to lease four parking lots for the draft. Two additional lots remain under consideration.
A spokesperson said the current sites include Allegheny, King, Conroy, and Manchester.
“The District made these lots available following the decision to transition schools to remote learning due to widespread road closures extending beyond Downtown and out of concerns for student safety,” the district said in a statement.
The district continued, saying, “revenue generated from the leases will be directed to the District’s general fund to support the core work of educating students and maintaining school operations.”
The NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 23-25.
Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.