If overtures about police corruption in the Steel City have made you queasy, take some comfort in the fact that, at least as far as we know, the bureau's troubles don't hold a candle to the sort of malfeasance that has been uncovered in departments in our neighbors to the west, Washington County. Take this gem from East Washington:

Bad things happen when you romance a police chief's ex-wife, make silencers and own a machine gun. post-gazette.com/stories/local/…

— Rich Lord (@richelord) February 19, 2013

At the start of the week, prompted by news that Chief Nate Harper had quietly set up a side business with subordinates and that another police commander held an outside full-time job, Mayor Luke Ravensthal appointed former Washington County District Attorney Steven M. Toprani to lead an outside review of police policies and procedures.

Here's a little background on Mr. Toprani for those who might not be familiar:

Mr. Toprani's history of crack-downs on corrupt departments is part of the reason he was chosen for the job, the mayor's office said. Within his first two years in office, he sought to empanel an investigative grand jury -- the county's first -- to investigate police corruption and indicted five officers from various departments. Three were from one small department, as Jon Silver details here.

Still, he had mixed success in that regard. Of the five, three pleaded guilty. But for the remaining two -- Derek Dayoub and Amber Price -- charges were dropped and the officers later sued. Mr. Toprani said Officer Dayoub's charges were dropped because of his cooperation, but in a suit, he claims they never should have been filed in the first place. 

Officer Price's suit, which alleged she was prosecuted after she asked questions about a hidden camera in her changing room, was recently settled for $15,000. 

The stuff about the police credit union accounts paying for condos during the G-20? That might not have happened after all, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said last night.

Ravenstahl signaled yesterday morning that he stayed in a private condo paid out of an account of the type being investigated by the FBI but moved away from that in comments after his reelection kickoff to the P-G's Jim O'Toole. Rather, the account may have paid for furniture rental. Or not:

"I actually found out this afternoon I might have been wrong about that ...I actually don't know that that account was used for those condos. Again this is part of the process. We're gathering information. I'm doing my best to share it as quickly as I can. I did stay in a condo, we did stay in a condo, I don't know who paid for them ... I know we paid for them, I don't know what account. ... I fact I'm told today the condos themselves were donated, but we paid for the furniture rental in the condos I don't know out of what account. Again, these are all that we're were looking at,"

As promised, Bill Peduto's mayoral campaign announced some union endorsments today from SEIU and three laborers groups. "The leaders of the service and building trades movement understand that Pittsburgh needs new leadership and they have joined the political leadership of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald in supporting Bill Peduto for Mayor," the camp said in a statement.

Full statement after the jump:

With the mind still reeling from the connections among meteor strikes, the Masons and the NBA draft, attention turns to the five important stories to start the day:

1. Allegheny County Council approved natural gas drilling at the Pittsburgh airport but in a split vote where even Jim Burn -- Pennsylvania's Democratic Party chair -- split with county exec Rich Fitzgerald over the plan. Andrew McGill has the story.

2. The Pittsburgh VA had a chance to stop a Legionnaires' outbreak -- which has killed at least five and sickened 21 -- back in mid-2011 but didn't, Sean Hammill writes.

3. A crowd of more than 200 people attended Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's reelection kickoff at the old Obama headquarters in the Strip District last night, where Jim O'Toole covered the incumbent taking a shot at Fitzgerald, pointed to growth in the city's job force and neighborhood development and (of course) avoiding any mention of the ongoing FBI probe of the police bureau. It's worth clicking on the story just for the picture of 4-year-old son Cooper -- who ran through the crowd at his dad's call -- standing at attention.

4. Pennsylvania will be among the most-impacted states in military cuts due in the March 1 sequestration, USA Today writes, with more than $1 billion in cuts. Scroll to the bottom of their story for details.

5. Pens-Flyers. Enough said.