The thrust-and-parry of the Pittsburgh mayor's race continues today with a new attack ad from the Jack Wagner campaign.

Last week Team Wagner went positive as the Bill Peduto campaign attacked him. With exactly two weeks until the May 21 Democratic primary Team Peduto went positive today while the Wagner forces are swinging back with their own negative spot, hammering the councilman on a Homewood housing project he opposed (it's also the "senior housing" in the ad) and for battling with fellow councilors Darlene Harris and Ricky Burgess.

The attack ad on the councilman from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl also hit the Homewood vote. Peduto has said he voted against the Homewood project due to concerns there was not enough consultation with neighborhood leaders.

The new Wagner spot's mention of a proposed property tax hike concerns an idea some on council floated in 2003 when the city was facing a $42 million budget shortfall.

Said the Wagner campaign:

"This ad speaks for itself. After weeks of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on dishonest attacks misrepresenting Jack Wagner's career of fighting for progressive principles, Bill Peduto must now face the truth about his own career as a divisive politician in a dysfunctional government," said Wagner for Mayor Campaign Manager Henry De Koninck.

Also from the main site: Former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff, 95, is ill and has been admitted to UPMC Shadyside:

"Mayor Masloff has not been feeling well over the past two days. At her doctor's suggestion, she is being admitted today to Shadyside Hospital for tests," family spokesman Frederick Frank said.

Ms. Masloff, 95, of Squirrel Hill, similarly spent time at the hospital in October 2011 on her doctor's recommendation.

She was Pittsburgh's mayor from May 1988 to January 1994.

From the main site: Several subpoenas have been served on the city of Pittsburgh in recent weeks. From the Lord/Silver/Navratil story:

Over the past several weeks, a federal grand jury has served multiple subpoenas upon the City of Pittsburgh for administrative records, Solicitor Daniel Regan confirmed this morning.

Mr. Regan would not reveal what records were sought or which city department or departments maintained them.

In a separate and possibly related development this morning, two men, one in a Pittsburgh police T-shirt, wheeled a pile of boxes -- including at least one labeled "Parking Variances," into the grand jury room in the federal courthouse on Liberty Avenue, Downtown.

By now, the revelation that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is behind the recent onslaught of ads attacking candidate Bill Peduto is old news.

Well, until the next onslaught.

But some of you erstwhile Ravenstahl supporters — perhaps even a few "14th warders" — may be wondering how your contributions to the mayor's re-election campaign, defunct though it is, have now been turned to slam his opponent.

The answer? According to the Pennsylvania elections code, the mayor can do anything he wants with your money — as long as it is used to "influence the outcome of an election."