Water Damage Restoration in Pittsburgh, PA

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh native and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is making a hometown homecoming this weekend for Sunday's primetime matchup against the Steelers.

In McCarthy's hometown neighborhood of Greenfield, people are excited to welcome him back to Pittsburgh.

From his Greenfield roots to coaching in Green Bay, Dallas, and everywhere in between, McCarthy has always had the support of the community where he grew up and got his start.

While McCarthy will be coaching on the opposing sideline this Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium, it goes deeper than supporting the colors he wears -- it's a community that rallies around one of their own.

Amy Smith lives in Greenfield, knows McCarthy's family, and says she's a hardcore Steelers fan, but still wants to see him do well and succeed.

"Anytime somebody from this neighborhood gets to go above and beyond, that's a triumph for all of us," Smith said. "If you're triumphant or winning, I'm here to celebrate with you. But if you're struggling, I'm here to help you out. That's what this community is all about."

Pittsburgh roots run deep for Mike McCarthy

Even while he was coaching the Packers to a win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, McCarthy has always kept a contingent in Greenfield.

Ali Elwagaa has owned Yesterday's bar on Greenfield Avenue for almost 15 years. He said he's met some of McCarthy's friends and classmates who have always rooted for him to succeed.

Elwagaa said that when the Steelers and Packers played one another in the past, half of the people in the bar would be cheering for the Packers because of McCarthy.

"He always was involved in the community," Elwagaa said. "Every time when there's a break, he stops here and he talks to the people here and sees his friends."

McCarthy graduated from St. Rosalia Academy on Greenfield Avenue and gave money to the school up until it closed in 2018.

Despite the journey that McCarthy's coaching career has taken him on from a graduate assistant at Pitt to more than 160 wins in the NFL and a Lombardi trophy, he's never forgotten his roots.

McCarthy has lost both games he coached against the Steelers in Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium and has beaten them just once in five tries overall.

Josh Taylor

Josh Taylor joined the KDKA Sports team in 2015 as an anchor, reporter and producer, after spending more than two years as the weekend sports anchor at KHBS-KHOG in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

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PITTSBURGH —

Gov. Josh Shapiro says Pittsburgh's future starts downtown. He says nearly $600 million will go to revitalize the Golden Triangle, thanks to an historic plan.

"This is so unheard of — the state government working together with local government, working together with the private sector, where everybody's got some skin in the game because everybody really gives a damn about this community," Shapiro said as he announced the plan Friday. "It's a big deal."

Shapiro says the 10-year plan will bring more housing, including affordable housing, revitalize public spaces and improve safety. To name a few improvements, the plan will transform the 8th Street Block civic space, Market Square and Liberty Avenue medians, and Point State Park.

The governor says private sectors and foundations like PPG Industries, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Highmark and the Heinz Endowments are stepping in to help.

"We will work together as our beloved public spaces like Market Square and Point State Park that you heard the governor talk about, underused spaces like that, to be reimagined for better community parks, better recreational space, things that we can bring our families to," Mayor Ed Gainey said.

The commonwealth is investing more than $62 million in the first four years, with the city committing $22.1 million.

Shapiro says nearly $600 million has been committed toward shovel-ready projects that are expected to be done by 2028, and he says more jobs will come to the city.

"We're going to create jobs for artists. We're going to create jobs for construction workers. We're going to create jobs for retail clerks who are going to work in the new establishments that are here. We're going to create jobs for people who clean the buildings, people who do the work in the buildings," Shapiro said. "This is all really, really exciting. After those 3,500 construction jobs, a whole lot of other job growth is going to be spurred on because of this."

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis says the plan will power the entire western Pennsylvania region like an economic engine.

"This is an exciting time for Pittsburgh and for us to think bigger than just the city limits," Davis said. "This is a regional downtown that serves the five-county region, and so, it's not just going to attract people from the city of Pittsburgh, but counties like Lawrence, Beaver and Butler."

Shapiro says he is looking forward for the improvements to start in time for the 2026 NFL draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh.

A 10-year plan to revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh is in the works.

PITTSBURGH, PA —Gov. Josh Shapiro and local elected officials on Friday unveiled details of a historic $600 million plan to reinvent Downtown Pittsburgh.

The public-private partnership's initial plans, expected to be completed by 2028, will involve creating about 1,000 new apartments and a hotel in seven current office buildings and renovating three public open spaces: Point State Park and Market Square and a block of 8th Street in the Cultural District.

The entire Downtown makeover is expected to take a decade to complete.

“Pittsburgh is a great city, and in order for our commonwealth to thrive, we need to ensure downtown Pittsburgh is a hub of innovation, opportunity and culture," Shapiro said in a statement.

"With the commonwealth’s significant support, we have a plan to invest in and revitalize downtown – and help it reach its full potential as a great neighborhood where thousands of Pennsylvanians can live, work, enjoy safe public spaces and contribute to our vibrant culture. Pittsburgh’s elected officials, corporate leaders, sports teams, nonprofits, union workers and artists are all behind this plan – and together, we will write the next chapter of this great city’s story."

With a significant backing of state dollars, seven major mixed-use development and housing projects will be developed using $501.1 million in combined capital to create or preserve nearly 1,000 residential units — nearly a third of those units being affordable for residents with low-to-moderate incomes.

Those projects include:

To complement the new mixed-use residential developments, private and public funding will transform these public spaces:

The state is investing $62.6 million and the City of Pittsburgh is committing $22.1 million through the Urban Redevelopment Authority towards the redevelopment efforts.

A coalition of private sector leaders and regional foundations have committed more than $40 million. They include BNY; Dollar Bank; Duquesne Light; Federated Hermes; FNB Bank; Giant Eagle; Highmark; Pitt Ohio; PNC Bank; PPG Industries; Reed Smith; Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC; K&L Gates; the Buhl Foundation; the Eden Hall Foundation; the Heinz Endowments; the Hillman Foundation; the Jewish Healthcare Foundation; the Pittsburgh Steelers; the Pittsburgh Pirates; and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Those public and nonprofit dollars are expected to spur an additional $376.9 million in private sector investment from real estate developers Downtown.

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Duquesne University men's basketball team's championship drought had lasted considerably longer than the Pirates' current one, and that's saying something. So when the Dukes surprisingly won the Atlantic 10 championship in March, the team's fans were as shocked as they were euphoric.

The Dukes capturing their first title since 1977 was a historic moment, so much so that the season leading up to it is recounted in a new book. "47 Years: The Story of the 2023-24 Duquesne Dukes" was published this week and is available on Amazon and at the Duquesne Barnes & Noble.

The 304-page chronicle of the impressive run is a collaboration between noted Pittsburgh sports historian, author and Duquesne graduate David Finoli; Robert Healy III, a full-time faculty member in the Duquesne Media Department since 2014; and jack-of-all-trades Pittsburgh sports journalist Zachary Weiss.

"All three of us had different roles in making this book. As a result, there is a lens for everyone," Weiss told Patch.

"If you want the historical meaning, we've got you covered. If you want to look back at the games and relive the build to history, you're all set. If you want to know about the players, coaches and support staff beyond the box scores, it is well represented here."

The book details how the once-proud Duquesne program fell into disarray and how it was rebuilt by now-retired coach Keith Dambrot. It also provides game-by-game accounts through a season that resulted in the conference championship win against VCU. Additionally, there are detailed biographies of the team's players, coaches and support staff.

"We told a story that almost feels like a Disney movie in a lot of respects," Weiss said. "Writing this book together has been nothing short of a labor of love for all of us."

DERRY BOROUGH, Pa. (KDKA) -- The truth behind sightings of a mysterious bird-like creature in Pennsylvania was examined in a TV series.

KDKA-TV did some digging with help from a well-known researcher, along with a council member for Derry Borough, because the borough is known for unexplained mysteries.

"The most prominent reporting usually has to do with its wingspan, which has been said to be as large as a small aircraft," said Nathan Bundy, vice president of Derry Borough Council.

The mystery of the Thunderbird of Pennsylvania terrorizing Chestnut Ridge in the westernmost ridge of the Allegheny Mountains soared into the spotlight on the Discovery Channel on Wednesday night. In the series "Lost Monster Files," a group of experts investigate cryptozoologist Ivan Sanderson's lost archive of unexplained creatures.

Bundy said he's looking forward to seeing what clues are uncovered.

Derry Borough is known as the "gateway to the mysterious Chestnut Ridge." Bigfoot was even declared the official cryptid of the town, and officials put up a Bigfoot statue.

"We have sasquatch sightings, multiple sasquatch, albino sasquatch, black panthers, Thunderbirds, and then UFOs," Bundy said.

The most recent Thunderbird sighting in the Derry ridge was reported to legendary researcher and author Stan Gordon in January.

"That section of the Chestnut Ridge has historically been very active for years and years," Gordon said.

Gordon runs a 24-hour sighting hotline that can be reached at 724-838-7768. He's investigated UFO sightings, Bigfoot encounters, Thunderbird and other cryptid reports in Pennsylvania and the greater Pittsburgh area since 1959.

"I've never personally seen a Bigfoot or a UFO or a cryptid. I've interviewed thousands of witnesses. I get reports in here all the time," Gordon said.

"We've had quite a little surge of Thunderbird sightings this year. Off the top of my head, I can think of eight reports that happened since January. In some cases, these huge flying creatures, even in recent months, have been very low altitude, treetop level, in some cases came down within 20 or so feet of vehicles in recent months around the greater Pittsburgh area," Gordon added.

They hope interest in the scary flying creature takes flight and helps keep the unusual stories alive for generations.

"When you get good media coverage, it helps to give credibility to the people who have seen these things, experienced these types of events, who might have been reluctant to talk about it publicly for fear of ridicule," Gordon said.

"People are more comfortable talking about it. It's not sort of this taboo subject, and it is a fun part of the folklore of the area," Bundy said.

The Thunderbird "Lost Monster Files" episode aired at 10:01 p.m. on Wednesday on the Discovery Channel and will be available on Max.

Derry Borough has a few spooky events coming up if you want to visit the town that's been making paranormal headlines:

Jessica Guay

Jessica Guay joined KDKA as a reporter in February 2021. Before joining KDKA, Jessica was a morning anchor and reporter at WJAC in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She was also an anchor and reporter at WCHS in Charleston, West Virginia, and at WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio.

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