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Tag: Pittsburgh

  • CEO David Burritt says U.S. Steel

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    U.S. Steel’s acquisition last year by Japan’s Nippon Steel came with a notable condition to win approval from the Trump administration: a so-called “golden share” that gives President Trump the power to approve certain major corporate decisions, including closing plants or changing locations. But CEO David Burritt tells CBS News, “There’s nothing in this golden share that prevents us from doing what we want to do.” 

    “We’re aligned with what the president wants us to do. In fact, we wouldn’t agree to this thing if we weren’t sure it was going to be great for our workers and great for our company,” Burritt told “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil at one of the company’s plants in Pittsburgh.

    Burritt downplayed some of the provisions in the deal, saying there were certain aspects that would need approval, such as changing the company’s name or being forced to follow existing trade laws, that don’t have any impact on what U.S. Steel’s plans were to begin with. 

    But asked if the company would require Mr. Trump’s approval for business decisions down the line, such as closing a plant, Burritt insisted, “We don’t see us closing the plant. In fact, we just did have an opening here because of demand increasing at Granite City [Illinois].” 

    Burritt said, despite Mr. Trump’s own claims last year, that the president did not veto the company’s decision to close down the Granite City operation, which had been dormant since 2023. He said the company recently restarted a blast furnace at the location due to increased customer demand.

    Burritt acknowledged that in the future, “If we had to make a difficult business decision, we would have to get approval to close a plant.”

    “But we don’t see a reason to do that,” he added.

    “We can’t guarantee things are going to stay open,” Burritt said. “We are going to manage the business and we’re going to keep a great relationship with this administration, who did so much for us and the United States, to help get this deal done.”

    Burritt touted the acquisition, saying, “Without the partnership, we would not be able to invest as much money as what we are now. … This is really a wonderful thing for the workers, and the workers are the ones who made this happen.”

    He also highlighted the $14 billion investment from the deal that, he says, the company will be spending in the coming years, supporting as many as “100,000 direct or indirect jobs.”

    Burritt said, despite the acquisition, U.S. Steel is “absolutely” still a U.S. company.

    “U.S. Steel Corporation: That’s our brand. That’s our name. Headquartered right here in Pittsburgh, and we’re gonna keep it there and continue to build here,” he said.

    “We have a fiduciary duty to national security. And we have a fiduciary duty to Nippon. We keep them aligned and it’s a beautiful thing,” he said, adding: “We’re still mined, melted and made in the good ol’ USA.”

    Burritt called Mr. Trump’s tariffs a “game changer,” saying, “We really appreciate that the tariffs are in place. This strengthens national security, economic security and also makes sure we have job security and creates jobs.”

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  • Mike Tomlin stepping down as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach

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    Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has informed the team that he is stepping down from his position.

    Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, thanking Tomlin for his contributions to the team.

    “During our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that he has decided to step down as our Head Coach,” Rooney said.  

    “Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for all the hard work, dedication and success we have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard for me to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl championship and made the playoffs 13 times during his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight times in his career.”

    PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 12: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the fourth quarter of the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

    Lauren Leigh Bacho / Getty Images


    Tomlin also issued his own statement, thanking the organization, players, and fans for their support during his tenure.

    “This organization has been a huge part of my life for many years, and it has been an absolute honor to lead this team. I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support.

    “While this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited for what the future holds for this organization, and I will forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh.”

    Since Tomlin stepped down while under contract, the team will retain his coaching rights. 

    Tomlin resigns after wild-card round defeat

    Tomlin’s resignation comes less than 24 hours after the Steelers lost 30-6 to the Houston Texans in the AFC wild-card round.

    Pittsburgh’s last playoff win came against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 playoffs. Since then, Pittsburgh has lost its last seven postseason games. Tomlin’s seven-game postseason losing streak ties former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak by an NFL coach.

    Steelers coaching search 

    Including Tomlin, the Steelers have only employed three head coaches since the 1969 season. Chuck Noll served as head coach from 1969 through the 1991 season, giving way to Crafton, Pennsylvania, native Bill Cowher, who helmed the position from 1992 through the 2006 season. Both Noll and Cowher have since been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

    During Tomlin’s 19 seasons as head coach, he famously never finished with a losing record, with his teams finishing at a .500 record or better during his entire tenure.

    Tomlin became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at 36 years old, leading the Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals, a record later surpassed by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay after McVay won Super Bowl LVI in 2021.

    Tomlin’s Super Bowl victory in his second season as head coach made him the fastest Steelers coach to win a championship.

    AFC North coaching turnover

    Within the span of nine days, three of the four teams in the AFC North have made head coach changes. 

    Kevin Stefanski was fired by the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 5 after going 46-58 during six seasons as the team’s head coach. One day later, the Baltimore Ravens fired head coach John Harbaugh after 18 seasons. His final game was a 26-24 loss to the Steelers in Week 18. 

    Now, after Tomlin announced he is stepping down, Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor is the only returning coach in the division.

    Overall, nine NFL teams have head coaching openings. 

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  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, one of the nation’s oldest newspapers, shuttering

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    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be shutting down its operations with a final edition slated for May 3, the newspaper’s owner, Block Communications, announced Wednesday.”We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement states.The Post-Gazette is the largest newspaper representing the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and traces its roots to 1786, forming under its current name in 1927.Block Communications said the closure comes after losing “more than $350 million in cash operating the Post-Gazette” over the past 20 years. In addition, Pittsburghsister station WTAE reports that they cited a November decision that ruled in favor of the paper’s union, restoring the terms of its 2014-17 contract. Workers represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh had been on strike for more than three years, then the longest active strike in the country.On Wednesday morning, the Post-Gazette’s publisher asked a court to freeze an order requiring the company to change its health insurance for union workers. Shortly after they were denied, the announcement came that the newspaper would close.In the announcement on Wednesday, Block Communications said the decision would require them to work under a contract that was “outdated and inflexible operational practices unsuited for today’s local journalism.””We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement stated.The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh released a statement about the Post-Gazette shutdown, saying in part, “Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh.”Post-Gazette staff learned about the closure during a Zoom meeting. In the video, which Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has seen, the president of Block Communications called it extremely difficult news as she made the virtual announcement that will end nearly two centuries of the P-G in Pittsburgh.”This is a seismic change for the entire region,” said Andrew Conte, managing director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. “We often talk about the local news crisis as a problem of the media, but really, it’s a crisis for all of us. It’s a community challenge because it affects how people interact with local news and information, and when something as large as the Post-Gazette goes away, it creates a huge void.”Conte worked as a journalist in the Pittsburgh area for decades. Like many Pittsburghers, he has watched the yearslong battle between Post-Gazette journalists and Block Communications and the recent end to a three-year strike.”People have been thinking about what it would mean to lose the Post-Gazette for a long time,” he said. “But when it actually happened today, it felt like a gut punch.”The Post-Gazette started out in 1786 as a weekly called The Pittsburgh Gazette and was the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains. As one of its first major stories, the Gazette published the newly adopted Constitution of the United States.Pittsburgh is located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. County Executive Sara Innamorato called the decision to close “a major loss” for the area.”I’m deeply worried about the public’s ability to access trustworthy and fact-checked information at a time when misinformation is running rampant online,” she said in a statement.It is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States.Conte said it’s tough news for the journalists losing their jobs, as well as the community.”The real challenge is the work that journalists do that is accurate, objective, relevant to lots of people, that trained people are going out and asking these questions and finding out what’s going on and telling people, and that’s what’s being lost here is that we have fewer people doing that work,” he said.Announcement follows Supreme Court denial of bid to halt order Also on Jan. 7, 2026, the Supreme Court denied the Post-Gazette’s request to freeze a temporary injunction that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit had issued more than nine months ago. In a November 2025 decision, the appeals court held that the company had bargained in bad faith and improperly declared an impasse in the bargaining process. It ordered the company to comply with remedies ordered by the National Labor Relations Board.PG Publishing Co. filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to stay the order in response. In the Jan. 7 decision, which vacated a Dec. 22 stay from Justice Samuel Alito’s that had paused the 3rd Circuit’s injunction, justices did not explain their reasoning, Bloomberg Law reported.Second Pittsburgh paper to announce closing in one weekBlock Communications is the same company that owned the Pittsburgh City Paper, a free alt-weekly that announced it was closing on Dec. 31, 2025, after 34 years serving the city.In a statement to sister station WTAE’s news partners at the Trib, owner Block Communications said, in part, “The City Paper business model has not reached a level of financial performance that allows Block Communications to continue operating it responsibly.”Block Communications also owns The Blade, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.

    PITTSBURGH —

    The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will be shutting down its operations with a final edition slated for May 3, the newspaper’s owner, Block Communications, announced Wednesday.

    “We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement states.

    The Post-Gazette is the largest newspaper representing the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and traces its roots to 1786, forming under its current name in 1927.

    Block Communications said the closure comes after losing “more than $350 million in cash operating the Post-Gazette” over the past 20 years. In addition, Pittsburghsister station WTAE reports that they cited a November decision that ruled in favor of the paper’s union, restoring the terms of its 2014-17 contract. Workers represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh had been on strike for more than three years, then the longest active strike in the country.

    On Wednesday morning, the Post-Gazette’s publisher asked a court to freeze an order requiring the company to change its health insurance for union workers. Shortly after they were denied, the announcement came that the newspaper would close.

    In the announcement on Wednesday, Block Communications said the decision would require them to work under a contract that was “outdated and inflexible operational practices unsuited for today’s local journalism.”

    “We deeply regret the impact this decision will have on Pittsburgh and the surrounding region,” the announcement stated.

    The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh released a statement about the Post-Gazette shutdown, saying in part, “Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh.”

    Post-Gazette staff learned about the closure during a Zoom meeting. In the video, which Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 has seen, the president of Block Communications called it extremely difficult news as she made the virtual announcement that will end nearly two centuries of the P-G in Pittsburgh.

    “This is a seismic change for the entire region,” said Andrew Conte, managing director of the Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University. “We often talk about the local news crisis as a problem of the media, but really, it’s a crisis for all of us. It’s a community challenge because it affects how people interact with local news and information, and when something as large as the Post-Gazette goes away, it creates a huge void.”

    Conte worked as a journalist in the Pittsburgh area for decades. Like many Pittsburghers, he has watched the yearslong battle between Post-Gazette journalists and Block Communications and the recent end to a three-year strike.

    “People have been thinking about what it would mean to lose the Post-Gazette for a long time,” he said. “But when it actually happened today, it felt like a gut punch.”

    The Post-Gazette started out in 1786 as a weekly called The Pittsburgh Gazette and was the first newspaper published west of the Allegheny Mountains. As one of its first major stories, the Gazette published the newly adopted Constitution of the United States.

    Pittsburgh is located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. County Executive Sara Innamorato called the decision to close “a major loss” for the area.

    “I’m deeply worried about the public’s ability to access trustworthy and fact-checked information at a time when misinformation is running rampant online,” she said in a statement.

    It is one of the oldest continuously published newspapers in the United States.

    Conte said it’s tough news for the journalists losing their jobs, as well as the community.

    “The real challenge is the work that journalists do that is accurate, objective, relevant to lots of people, that trained people are going out and asking these questions and finding out what’s going on and telling people, and that’s what’s being lost here is that we have fewer people doing that work,” he said.

    Announcement follows Supreme Court denial of bid to halt order

    Also on Jan. 7, 2026, the Supreme Court denied the Post-Gazette’s request to freeze a temporary injunction that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit had issued more than nine months ago.

    In a November 2025 decision, the appeals court held that the company had bargained in bad faith and improperly declared an impasse in the bargaining process. It ordered the company to comply with remedies ordered by the National Labor Relations Board.

    PG Publishing Co. filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court to stay the order in response.

    In the Jan. 7 decision, which vacated a Dec. 22 stay from Justice Samuel Alito’s that had paused the 3rd Circuit’s injunction, justices did not explain their reasoning, Bloomberg Law reported.

    Second Pittsburgh paper to announce closing in one week

    Block Communications is the same company that owned the Pittsburgh City Paper, a free alt-weekly that announced it was closing on Dec. 31, 2025, after 34 years serving the city.

    In a statement to sister station WTAE’s news partners at the Trib, owner Block Communications said, in part, “The City Paper business model has not reached a level of financial performance that allows Block Communications to continue operating it responsibly.”

    Block Communications also owns The Blade, a newspaper in Toledo, Ohio.

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  • This woman’s Tourette’s took a lot from her; She got her life back with a unique treatment

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    Pennsylvania woman finds relief from Tourette’s with deep brain stimulation

    BRAIN. I HAVEN’T PUT THIS BODY IN A DRESS IN YEARS, SO HONESTLY, I. I HONESTLY DON’T EVEN KNOW WE’RE IN FOR WE’RE IN FOR A SHOCK TODAY. SO ABBY BAILEY HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR ABOUT THE UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE, INCLUDING TOURETTE’S. WHAT KIND OF DRESS ARE WE LOOKING FOR HERE? I’M LOOKING FOR A LACE DRESS. IF YOU ALL KNOW WHO HAILEY BIEBER IS, I WANT, I WANT, I WANT HER DRESS. EXCEPT NOT STRAPLESS. NOT. I LIKE THE SLEEVES ON THIS ONE. ABBY. THAT ONE’S PRETTY, TOO. I THINK WE CAN GET IT IN, I BREAK IT DOESN’T HAVE TO COME AND WATCH. WITH GENERATIONS OF WOMEN IN HER CORNER TOASTING A HAPPY DAY THAT ABBY BAILEY NEVER THOUGHT COULD HAPPEN. WHERE’S MIMI AND THEM? LOOK PRETTY. I LOVE IT, I LIKE IT, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT. TO REWIND TO KINDERGARTEN, GRADUATION. ABOUT EIGHT SECONDS INTO THE VIDEO, HER PARENTS RECORDED, YOU SEE THE TICS START THE OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS OF TOURETTE’S CAME AT AGE THREE AND A HALF. I KNEW LIKE THIRD GRADE. ON FIFTH GRADE. I REMEMBER IT A LOT. BUT MIDDLE SCHOOL IS REALLY WHERE I STARTED, LIKE HAVING PROBLEMS AND WHERE I STARTED LIKE NOTICING IT BEING MORE PRONE IN MY LIFE. ABBY’S MOM, COLLEEN, WOULD PUT ICE PACKS ON HER TO CALM THE EFFECTS OF TOURETTE’S, WHICH INCLUDES INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENT AND OCD. OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER. SHE WOULD WALK TO THE CAR AND SHE WOULD WALK THREE STEPS, DO A TWIRL, TOUCH THE GROUND, WALK THREE STEPS, TWIRL, TOUCH THE GROUND. AND MY HUSBAND WOULD BE LIKE, OKAY, FORGET THIS. AND HE WOULD JUST PICK HER UP AND JUST WALK TO THE CAR. AND WHEN I WOULD LAY IN BED, I’D HAVE TO TELL MY MOM, LIKE, DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU EVERYTHING? I DO SAY, THINK, ACT. BUT EVERY DAY I HAD TO ADD ANOTHER WORD ON TO IT SO IT WOULD BE A WHOLE LONG THING. AND GOD FORBID I DIDN’T SEE IT BEFORE I WENT TO BED LIKE I WAS. IT JUST BLEW UP. ABBY’S CONDITION WAS VERY SEVERE. IT SHE’D HAD SYMPTOMS SINCE ABOUT THREE YEARS OF AGE AND IT HAD BEEN PROGRESSIVE. SHE ACTUALLY INJURED HERSELF, YOU KNOW, BREAKING FINGERS, BREAKING RIBS BY THESE INADVERTENT MOVEMENTS. ALL YOU WANT IS TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOUR KIDS, AND YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS. AND WHEN YOU CAN’T, IT’S DEVASTATING. SO ALL I DID WAS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WAS A RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. THROUGH ALL OF THAT, ABBY GOT HER ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK WHEN SHE TRULY WANTED WAS HER BACHELOR’S. MY TRACKS ACTUALLY KEPT ME FROM GOING TO COLLEGE. SHE LANDED A JOB AS A CASE MANAGER WITH CONNECTIVE, ARE WORKING IN THE MEDICAL FIELD. I WAS SO HAPPY I COULDN’T EVEN PUT IT INTO WORDS. SO WHAT I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL FOR, IT’S WHAT I WANTED MY DEGREE IN AND I GOT THE JOB. SO I WAS SO EXCITED. AND THEN IT WENT. IT WAS LIKE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME AND STOPPED. HER TOURETTE’S, THOUGH, HAD ADVANCED SO MUCH SHE HAD TO RESIGN FROM HER JOB. NEW YEAR’S EVE 2024 ABBY HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL. IT WAS SEPSIS AND I REMEMBER JUST BEING IN THE HOSPITAL AND I WAS LIKE, IT’S TIME. LIKE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT AND TALKING ABOUT IT AND I KEPT PUSHING IT OFF. I DIDN’T WANT IT. I DIDN’T WANT IT BECAUSE IN HIGH SCHOOL I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT AND I STILL DIDN’T WANT IT. YOU KNEW IT WAS AN OPTION? YES, I KNEW IT WAS AN OPTION. THAT OPTION, DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION, BRAIN SURGERY, SOMETHING THE CHAIR OF NEUROSCIENCES INSTITUTE, DOCTOR DONALD WHITING, TELLS ME HE’S BEEN PERFORMING FOR A QUARTER CENTURY ON THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT IS IS WHERE WE PUT AN ELECTRODE INTO A CERTAIN PART OF THE BRAIN THAT ISN’T FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. AND THEN WE PUT ELECTRICAL CURRENT, LOW VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL CURRENT INTO THAT AREA TO GET IT TO GET BACK IN SYNC WITH THE REST OF THE BRAIN RHYTHMS. OKAY, ABBY, IT’S FOUR IN THE MORNING, DAY OF THE SURGERY. HOW DO YOU FEEL? AWESOME. VERY NERVOUS, BUT I’M EXCITED TO GET IT DONE WITH GUYS, I LOVE YOU. SHE’S GIVING ME MY VALIUM. I ROCK THE SURGICAL CARE CENTER GETTING READY FOR BRAIN SURGERY. SURGERY NUMBER TWO, DOCTOR WHITING SAYS AFTER THE PROCEDURE TO IMPLANT THE ELECTRODE AND THEN THE PACEMAKER LIKE DEVICE, YOU DON’T JUST FLIP A SWITCH TO ERASE TOURETTE’S. PROGRAMMERS SPEND MONTHS PROGRAMING ABBY’S HARDWARE, NAVIGATING 64,000 SETTINGS. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GETS SURGERY AND THEY SAY, I WANT TO WAKE UP AND BE BETTER. WELL, THIS ISN’T LIKE THAT. THIS IS LIKE BUYING YOU A GUITAR AND THEN YOU LEARN TO PLAY IT. AND THE MORE YOU PRACTICE, THE BETTER IT GETS WITH US, THE MORE WE PROGRAM. TILL WE GET TO THAT RIGHT SETTING, THE BETTER IT GETS. BUT IT’S WHEN THEY TURN THE BATTERY ON THAT I FELT LIKE A SENSE OF HAPPINESS. DESCRIBE THAT TO ME. SO YOU FELT A DIFFERENCE WHEN THEY JUST TURNED THE BATTERY? I FELT LIKE MY LIFE WAS LIKE COMING BACK. LIKE I WAS GETTING IT BACK. THIS WAS THE NEXT STEP. IT’S HAPPY. YEAH IT IS. THESE ARE HAPPY TEARS. YEAH. FOUR VISITS TO RECALIBRATE AND ADJUST THE AMPS. YOU CAN FEEL EVERY AMP THEY GO UP. OH WOW. WE’RE CRANKING YOU, ABBY AND ABBY’S LIKE I CAN FEEL IT IN MY NOSE. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. LIKE A TASTE IN HER MOUTH. METAL TASTE METAL IN MY MOUTH. OR LIKE, ONE SIDE, DEPENDING ON WHAT SIDE THE ELECTRODES ARE ON. I CAN FEEL ONE SIDE OF MY BRAIN, LIKE BURNING OR THE OTHER SIDE BURNING. SO IT TOOK HER PROBABLY ABOUT THREE MONTHS TO GET TO WHERE IT WAS. AND, AND BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT TEAM WHO DOES GREAT PROGRAMING. AND SHE GOT TO WHERE SHE ALL OF HER SYMPTOMS WERE GONE. ALL OF THEM. YOU SAY THAT PHRASE, ALL OF HER SYMPTOMS WERE GONE. THAT JUST MAKES YOU CHOKED UP BECAUSE YOU’RE GIVING HER HER LIFE BACK. FAST FORWARD TO OCTOBER. LET’S JUST GO SHOPPING. BUT HE’S LIKE, I’M THINKING ABOUT PROPOSING TO ABBY. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK? AND WE’RE LIKE, GO FOR IT. LIKE, THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. ABBY’S BOYFRIEND, SHANE SMITH POPPED THE QUESTION ON THE BEACH. SHE SAID, YES, WE’RE VERY HAPPY TOGETHER. HE’S A COUNTRY BOY. WHILE SHE PLANS HER OCTOBER WEDDING, SHE’S GOING BACK TO COLLEGE AT ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY FOR THAT BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION. AND ONE MORE THING. SHE GOT HER OLD JOB BACK. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR YOU, SORT OF YOUR FIRST DAY BACK ON THE JOB? OH, I SAW ALL MY OLD FRIENDS. I SAW MY OLD BOSSES. IT WAS AMAZING. EVERYONE WAS LIKE, HOW ARE YOU DOING? OH MY GOSH. ABBY AND HER FAMILY ARE GRATEFUL FOR DOCTOR WHITING AND HIS TEAM. I JUST THANK H

    Pennsylvania woman finds relief from Tourette’s with deep brain stimulation

    Updated: 3:19 PM EST Jan 3, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Abigail Bailey was tired of living with Tourette’s syndrome. The 24-year-old from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, had to resign from her job and suspend her college career because the tics and OCD that come with Tourette’s became too severe. The tics led to broken fingers and ribs.”I knew, like, third grade or fifth grade. I remember it a lot. But middle school is really where I started having problems, and where I started noticing it being more prone in my life,” Bailey said.On New Year’s Eve in 2024, Bailey went to the hospital with sepsis. It was there that she made the decision to go ahead with deep brain stimulation, a treatment that was established in the 1980s to treat Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and essential tremors.Dr. Donald Whiting, chair of the AHN Neuroscience Institute, believed Bailey could benefit from DBS.”Abby’s condition was very severe,” Whiting said. “She had symptoms since about 3 years of age, and it had been progressive. She actually injured herself, breaking fingers, breaking ribs by these inadvertent movements.”The procedure involves one surgery to implant electrodes in precise areas of the brain. An extension wire connects to the electrode and is threaded under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder. The second part involves connecting the wires to a pulse generator, like a pacemaker, which is implanted near the collarbone.A post-surgery calibration requires multiple visits back to Allegheny General Hospital, where programmers work with the patient to adjust the amps.Bailey let Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 anchor Shannon Perrine come along with her as she shopped for a wedding dress. She says she is nearly 100% free of Tourette’s effects. She went back to college to earn her bachelor’s degree, and got her old job back. The wedding is scheduled for October.Whiting was one of the first physicians to perform DBS. In 2008, he performed DBS on 19-year-old Ed Cwalinski for a severe case of dystonia. Cwalinski continues to do well after surgery almost 20 years ago.

    Abigail Bailey was tired of living with Tourette’s syndrome. The 24-year-old from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, had to resign from her job and suspend her college career because the tics and OCD that come with Tourette’s became too severe. The tics led to broken fingers and ribs.

    “I knew, like, third grade or fifth grade. I remember it a lot. But middle school is really where I started having problems, and where I started noticing it being more prone in my life,” Bailey said.

    On New Year’s Eve in 2024, Bailey went to the hospital with sepsis. It was there that she made the decision to go ahead with deep brain stimulation, a treatment that was established in the 1980s to treat Parkinson’s disease, dystonia and essential tremors.

    Dr. Donald Whiting, chair of the AHN Neuroscience Institute, believed Bailey could benefit from DBS.

    “Abby’s condition was very severe,” Whiting said. “She had symptoms since about 3 years of age, and it had been progressive. She actually injured herself, breaking fingers, breaking ribs by these inadvertent movements.”

    The procedure involves one surgery to implant electrodes in precise areas of the brain. An extension wire connects to the electrode and is threaded under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder. The second part involves connecting the wires to a pulse generator, like a pacemaker, which is implanted near the collarbone.

    A post-surgery calibration requires multiple visits back to Allegheny General Hospital, where programmers work with the patient to adjust the amps.

    Bailey let Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 anchor Shannon Perrine come along with her as she shopped for a wedding dress. She says she is nearly 100% free of Tourette’s effects. She went back to college to earn her bachelor’s degree, and got her old job back. The wedding is scheduled for October.

    Whiting was one of the first physicians to perform DBS. In 2008, he performed DBS on 19-year-old Ed Cwalinski for a severe case of dystonia. Cwalinski continues to do well after surgery almost 20 years ago.

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  • Rabbi who knew Bondi Beach victim emphasizes importance of celebrating Hanukkah amid tragedy

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    HANUKKAH CELEBRATIONS ARE WELL UNDERWAY. AND TONIGHT A LOCAL CONGREGATION IS MAKING SURE THEY STAND TOGETHER IN THE WAKE OF A DEADLY MASS SHOOTING IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, TARGETING A HANUKKAH EVENT. ORGANIZERS AT THE MONROEVILLE LIGHT OF NIGHT CELEBRATION SAY THEY COORDINATED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AHEAD OF THE EVENT, COVERING ALLEGHENY COUNTY IN MONROEVILLE, PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER JORDAN CIOPPA HEARD WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR THE JEWISH COMMUNITY TO KEEP THE TRADITION GOING THIS YEAR, DESPITE THE ANTI-SEMITISM OVERSEAS. IT’S THE SECOND NIGHT OF HANUKKAH, AND TONIGHT, THE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN MONROEVILLE WENT ALL OUT WITH A MENORAH MADE OF ICE. PEOPLE. THE CELEBRATION EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SPREADING LIGHT IN A TIME OF DARKNESS. LET US DEDICATE THE LIGHTS OF THESE CANDLES IN THEIR MEMORY, SO THAT WE CAN ONLY INCREASE IN THE LIGHT. THE CONGREGANTS OF CHABAD JEWISH CENTER OF MONROEVILLE CELEBRATED NIGHT TWO OF HANUKKAH WITH THEIR JEWISH BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN AUSTRALIA. ON THEIR MINDS, JUST REALLY HEARTBROKEN. RABBI MENDY SHAPIRO SAYS HE WAS CLASSMATES WITH RABBI ELI SCHLANGER, ONE OF THE 15 PEOPLE KILLED IN AN ATTACK ON HANUKKAH CELEBRATION ON SYDNEY’S BONDI BEACH. SHAPIRO SAYS HE GREW UP WITH SCHLANGER IN NEW YORK AND HAD RECENTLY CONNECTED WITH HIM AT AN EVENT THERE. HE’S JUST A SPECIAL PERSON AND HIS MESSAGE, I KNOW THAT HE HE WAS THERE AT THIS EVENT, SPREADING LIGHT IN THE FACE OF ALL THE DARKNESS THAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD, AND THAT THAT’S SOMETHING THAT I KNOW HE’S BEEN TEACHING. SHAPIRO MADE SURE TO DO THE SAME MONDAY NIGHT. BUNDLED UP IN HEAVY COATS, HATS AND GLOVES, THE CROWD DIDN’T LET THE FRIGID TEMPS HINDER THEM FROM CARRYING ON BELOVED HANUKKAH TRADITIONS. WELL, FOR SURE, OF COURSE, WE’RE LETTING THE MENORAH EVERY NIGHT. WE ALWAYS HAVE THE BATTLE IN OUR FAMILY, WHICH IS WHICH WE LIKE BETTER. THE THE LATKES OR THE JELLY DONUTS. SO WE COMPROMISE AND DO BOTH. AND IT TURNS OUT THE COLD WEATHER MADE THE PERFECT ENVIRONMENT FOR THE MENORAH ICE SCULPTURE, WITH THE WEATHER BEING LIKE IT IS RIGHT NOW AND THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP, IT’S JUST IT JUST SHOWS THE IDEA OF COMMUNITY AND IT’S JUST A GREAT TIME. TO. THE CELEBRATION WRAPPED UP WITH CHOCOLATE COINS RAINING DOWN ON THE CHILDREN IN WHAT’S CALLED THE GUILT DROP THROUGH SMILES, LAUGHTER AND LIGHT. THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF MONROEVILLE SPREADING A POWERFUL MESSAGE THIS HOLIDAY, AND A WAY TO PUSH AWAY DARKNESS IS NOT TO FIGHT. IT IS TO BRING MORE LIGHT. AND WHEN YOU LIGHT SOME MORE LIGHT, YOU PUSH AWAY THE DARKNESS. ORGANIZERS SAY THEY’RE TAKING PRECAUTIONS FOR HANUKKAH DINNER ON THURSDAY AS WELL, COVERING ALLEGHEN

    Rabbi who knew Bondi Beach victim emphasizes importance of celebrating Hanukkah amid tragedy

    Updated: 2:43 AM PST Dec 16, 2025

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    Members of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville near Pittsburgh celebrated night two of Hanukkah with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia on their minds. “Let us dedicate the lights of these candles in their memory so that we can only increase in the light,” Rabbi Mendy Schapiro told the crowd at Monroeville’s 10th annual Light up the Night event on Monday. Schapiro told sister station WTAE that he was classmates with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the 15 people killed in an attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach. The rabbi said he grew up with Schlanger in New York and had recently connected with him at an event there. “He’s such a special person and his message, I know that he was there at this event spreading light in the face of all of the darkness that’s going on in the world,” Schapiro said. “That’s something that I know that he’s been teaching.”Video above: Sacramento rabbi mourns family friend killed at Bondi BeachSchapiro made sure to do the same on Monday night. Bundled up in heavy coats, hats, and gloves, the crowd didn’t let the frigid temps hinder them from carrying on beloved Hanukkah traditions. “Of course, we’re lighting the menorah every night. We always have the battle in our family, which do we like better, the latkes or the jelly doughnuts? So we compromise and do both,” Michael Edelstein said. It turns out the cold weather made the perfect environment for the event’s menorah ice sculpture. “With the weather being like it is right now and the amount of people that showed up, it just shows the idea of community, and it’s a great time,” said Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie. The celebration wrapped up with chocolate coins raining down on the children in what’s called the “gelt drop.”Through smiles, laughter, and light, the Jewish community of Monroeville spread a powerful message this holiday. “The way to push away darkness is not to fight it; it’s to bring more light. And when you light more light, you push away the darkness,” Schapiro said. Organizers said they coordinated with local law enforcement ahead of Monday’s event and an upcoming Hanukkah dinner on Thursday in the name of safety.

    Members of the Chabad Jewish Center of Monroeville near Pittsburgh celebrated night two of Hanukkah with their Jewish brothers and sisters in Australia on their minds.

    “Let us dedicate the lights of these candles in their memory so that we can only increase in the light,” Rabbi Mendy Schapiro told the crowd at Monroeville’s 10th annual Light up the Night event on Monday.

    Schapiro told sister station WTAE that he was classmates with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of the 15 people killed in an attack on a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

    The rabbi said he grew up with Schlanger in New York and had recently connected with him at an event there.

    “He’s such a special person and his message, I know that he was there at this event spreading light in the face of all of the darkness that’s going on in the world,” Schapiro said. “That’s something that I know that he’s been teaching.”

    Video above: Sacramento rabbi mourns family friend killed at Bondi Beach

    Schapiro made sure to do the same on Monday night. Bundled up in heavy coats, hats, and gloves, the crowd didn’t let the frigid temps hinder them from carrying on beloved Hanukkah traditions.

    “Of course, we’re lighting the menorah every night. We always have the battle in our family, which do we like better, the latkes or the jelly doughnuts? So we compromise and do both,” Michael Edelstein said.

    It turns out the cold weather made the perfect environment for the event’s menorah ice sculpture.

    “With the weather being like it is right now and the amount of people that showed up, it just shows the idea of community, and it’s a great time,” said Turtle Creek Mayor Adam Forgie.

    The celebration wrapped up with chocolate coins raining down on the children in what’s called the “gelt drop.”

    Through smiles, laughter, and light, the Jewish community of Monroeville spread a powerful message this holiday.

    “The way to push away darkness is not to fight it; it’s to bring more light. And when you light more light, you push away the darkness,” Schapiro said.

    Organizers said they coordinated with local law enforcement ahead of Monday’s event and an upcoming Hanukkah dinner on Thursday in the name of safety.

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  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists planning to return to work, ending 3-year strike

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    Striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists are set to return to work Monday morning, ending what had become the country’s longest active strike. 

    Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh voted last week to end the walkout after, they say, they won all their 2022 strike demands through the courts. The strike had lasted three years.

    “I’m looking forward to having a front-page story again,” said Andrew Goldstein, a reporter at the Post-Gazette and the President of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. “I’m really excited. I would also say a little anxious, maybe even a little nervous.”

    Part of those nerves comes from what happens on Monday. After a rally outside the paper’s office to celebrate Monday morning they will head inside, unsure of exactly what to expect.

    “We’ve heard nothing from the Post-Gazette,” Goldstein said.

    He’s confident, based on rumors, they will be welcomed back inside the building, but anything beyond that is unknown, he said. Reporters don’t know if they’ll get their old beats back. 

    “There is a lot of work that still needs to be done,” Goldstein said. “Just because the strike is over, it doesn’t mean that the situation is going to be perfect.”

    The strike began over unfair labor practice charges, issues with health care, and the paper taking away the union’s contract, Goldstein said. The vote that ended the strike came after the union said the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the paper to restore the work they had taken away.

    “That gave us everything that we had wanted when we started this strike,” Goldstein said. 

    The Post-Gazette told the Columbia Journalism Review it would appeal the ruling. Goldstein said he’s confident justice will be done, and pointed out the low chances the Supreme Court will take the case.

    The newspaper also told the Columbia Journalism Review that if the court decision is allowed to stand, it would lead to the closure of the paper. 

    “It’s upsetting to see that, but also the Post-Gazette has a history of saying that they’re going to shut down at different times and do different things,” Goldstein said. 

    Looking ahead, there’s still the matter of working toward a new contract, Goldstein said.  

    Twenty-six union members are returning to the Post-Gazette, down from 60 journalists who originally went on strike. Some members have found different jobs; others have crossed the picket line. 

    The guild’s website lists nearly 100 people as “scabs,” indicating that they crossed the picket line, having worked at the Post-Gazette since the strike, with many of them having joined the paper after the strike began. 

    Asked how workers who remained on strike will be able to work with those who crossed the picket line, Goldstein said, “I hope, my hope is everyone is a professional and recognizes when we work together that’s what’s best for Pittsburgh.”

    It’s the very reason he’s coming back, despite what the paper did.

    “I believe very strongly that Pittsburgh deserves quality journalism, and I want to do whatever I can to be a part of that.”

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  • Oregon is back in the top five of the AP Top 25 poll, Miami leads pack of 5 ranked ACC teams

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    Oregon returned to the top five of The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday, five Atlantic Coast Conference teams were ranked for the second time this season and Georgia Tech took the biggest fall after its second loss in three games.

    Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M remained the top three teams for a sixth straight week, and Georgia was No. 4 for the second week in a row.

    Oregon jumped over idle Mississippi to No. 5, its highest ranking since it was No. 3 in the Oct. 5 poll. The Ducks strengthened their College Football Playoff resume with a 15-point victory over then-No. 16 Southern California, extending their winning streak to five games.

    Mississippi was followed by Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama.

    Ohio State is No. 1 for a 13th straight week going into its game at No. 15 Michigan. The Buckeyes received 58 first-place votes and were 53 points ahead of Indiana, which was listed first on seven voters’ ballots. Texas A&M got the remaining first-place vote.

    Miami, which beat Virginia Tech by 17 points on the road, moved up a spot to No. 13 and was the highest-ranked of five ACC teams. Virginia climbed two spots to No. 17. Georgia Tech, beaten 42-28 at home by Pittsburgh, dropped eight rungs to No. 23.

    Pittsburgh, which has three losses, was one spot behind the two-loss Yellow Jackets. No. 25 SMU re-entered the poll for the first time since Sept. 2.

    No. 20 James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference remained the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the AP poll. The Dukes, up one spot from a week ago, came from behind to beat Washington State 24-20.

    No. 21 North Texas of the American Conference was one spot ahead of Tulane. The Green Wave were the only Group of Five team in the CFP selection committee’s rankings last week, at No. 24.

    In and out

    — No. 24 Pittsburgh bounced back from its 22-point home loss to Notre Dame and returned after a one-week absence.

    — No. 25 SMU beat Louisville by 32 points for its third straight win and can return to the ACC championship game with a win at California.

    Missouri (No. 23) and Houston (No. 25) dropped out.

    Poll points

    — Five teams from the state of Texas are ranked for a second straight week. The Lone Star State hadn’t had five teams in back-to-back polls since 2016.

    — The ACC, in addition to this week, had five teams in the poll on Nov. 9. That makes this the fourth straight year the ACC has had five teams ranked in two or more polls.

    Conference call

    SEC (8 ranked teams): Nos. 3 Texas A&M, 4 Georgia, 6 Ole Miss, 8 Oklahoma, 10 Alabama, 12 Vanderbilt, 16 Texas, 18 Tennessee.

    ACC (5): Nos. 13 Miami (Fla.), 17 Virginia, 23 Georgia Tech, 24 Pittsburgh, 25 SMU.

    Big Ten (5): Nos. 1 Ohio State, 2 Indiana, 5 Oregon, 15 Michigan, 19 USC.

    Big 12 (3): Nos. 7 Texas Tech, 11 BYU, 14 Utah.

    American (2): Nos. 21 North Texas, 22 Tulane.

    Independent (1): No. 9 Notre Dame.

    Sun Belt (1): No. 20 James Madison.

    Ranked vs. ranked

    No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) at No. 15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1, No. 18), Saturday: Buckeyes have lost four straight to Michigan. They haven’t dropped five in a row to their archrival since they lost six straight from 1922-27.

    No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0 SEC, No. 3 CFP) at No. 16 Texas (8-3, 5-2, No. 17), Friday: Aggies lock up spot in SEC title game with a win; they would need lots of help to get to Atlanta if they lose. Arch Manning’s six-touchdown day against Arkansas gives the Longhorns mojo for this rivalry game.

    No. 4 Georgia (10-1, No. 4 CFP) at No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2, No. 16), Friday: Bulldogs have won seven straight in the series and haven’t lost to Yellow Jackets in Atlanta since 1999.

    No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 14 CFP) at No. 18 Tennessee (8-3, 4-3, No. 20), Saturday: Commodores are going for a 10th win for first time in program history. They’re 12-41-2 all-time in Knoxville, and only four of those wins have come in the last 50 years.

    No. 13 Miami (9-2, 5-2, No. 13 CFP) at No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3, 6-1), Saturday: Both teams still have narrow paths to the ACC title game. Miami clinging to playoff hopes. Pitt trying to land best possible bowl.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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  • Fan falls from stands at Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena during Penguins-Blues game

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    A fan suffered life-threatening injuries when he fell from the stands at PPG Paints Arena during Monday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Public Safety said. 

    The man fell from the 200 level, hitting another person in the suite level below before falling to the 100 level, Pittsburgh Public Safety said in a post on Facebook. The man who fell was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh with life-threatening injuries, officials said. 

    A man fell from the stands at PPG Paints Arena during Monday’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues.

    (Photo Credit: David Peters)


    The fall happened during the first period on Monday, and play did not stop at any point. First responders were called to the arena around 7:15 p.m., officials said. 

    The person struck by the falling man was evaluated by first responders and declined to go to the hospital. In a statement, the Penguins said, in part, that the organization and OVG Management Group, which operates PPG Paints Arena, are “closely monitoring the situation. Our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”

    A photo from the area on Monday showed about 10 200-level seats roped off with yellow tape. A pane of glass in the front of the section is also missing. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fall. No additional information was released on Monday night. 

    “We saw a bunch of people scrambling over there … saw him taken away,” witness Devin Voop told KDKA. “Obviously, I hope he’s OK.”

    pensfan102725-1761612417.jpg

    A fan fell from the stands at PPG Paints Arena during a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 27, 2025. 

    (Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)


    The incident comes on the heels of a worker at Acrisure Stadium falling 50 feet from the stadium’s scoreboard on Saturday night. Authorities said the worker, suffered severe injuries, mainly to his lower extremities, and was listed in critical condition.

    Earlier this year, Kavan Markwood fell 21 feet from his seat onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates’ game against the Chicago Cubs. Doctors said he suffered several injuries, including to his skull, brain, spine, ribs and lungs. But at the time, they said he was recovering ahead of schedule, given the severity of his injuries.

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  • ‘Joy of making artwork’: Alison Zapata honors Latino heritage through displays

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    HERITAGE VERY CLOSE TO HEART. WITH EVERY BRUSHSTROKE, ALISON ZAPATA POURS EVERYTHING IN HER PIECES JUST LIKE THIS. BUT ONE THING HAS REMAINED CLEAR THAT SHE HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN HER ROOTS. THROUGH EVERY PIECE, ALISON ZAPATA HAS CREATED THE MEANING BEHIND THEM MAY CHANGE, BUT AT THE CORE, THE MISSION IS THE SAME. JOY, BEAUTY, MAYBE SOME STILLNESS. SOME CALM, BUT ALSO REALLY WRAPPING PEOPLE AROUND WITH LOVE. HER GRANDFATHER WAS BORN IN SAN LUIS POTOSI BEFORE COMING TO PITTSBURGH. A BORN AND RAISED PITTSBURGH. ZAPATA IS A YINZER THROUGH AND THROUGH. BUT GROWING UP, SHE SAYS SHE’S ALWAYS UNDERSTOOD HER HERITAGE. YOU KNOW, HE WOULD ALWAYS TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DON’T FORGET YOUR ROOTS. MAKE SURE YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME. ALWAYS SAY YOUR LAST NAME THE RIGHT WAY. MAKE SURE THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU HONOR YOUR HERITAGE. AND IT IT SUNK IN. ZAPATA’S WORK CAN BE SEEN ALL OVER THE PITTSBURGH AREA IN RESTAURANTS, IN PARKS, OR BESIDES BUILDINGS. YOU PASS BY EVERY DAY. FOR HER, IT’S ABOUT CARRYING THE TORCH OF ART FORWARD. IT IMPACTED ME IN A WAY THAT WAS ABLE TO SUPPORT THE ARTWORK. SO IF I’M ABLE TO. YEAH. IMPACT OTHERS. I THINK THAT’S THAT’S THE BIGGEST THANKS THAT I COULD POSSIBLY HAVE FOR MY FAMILY. AND YOU KNOW, THE LONG LINEAGE OF ARTISTS THAT HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE ME. AND AS HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CONTINUES, ZAPATA SAYS SHE WILL CELEBRATE THOSE WHO HAVE PAVED THE PATH FORWARD. SHE WILL ALSO PLAY HER PART IN HER OWN JOURNEY. IT’S A VERY SPECIAL TIME FOR CELEBRATION, FOR HONORING TRADITIONS, FOR HONORING THE COMMUNITY THAT’S HERE NOW. AND TO HIGHLIGHT THE BEAUTY IN THE GIFTS AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF LATINOS HERE IN PITTSBURGH. ZAPATA HOPES TO CONTINUE TO INSPIRE THE NEXT GENERATION TO BECOME ARTISTS, AND WILL CONTINUE TO SET THE EXAMPLE EVERY DAY. BUT FOR NOW. COVERI

    ‘Joy of making artwork’: Alison Zapata honors Latino heritage through displays

    Updated: 4:49 PM EDT Oct 11, 2025

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    Alison Zapata, an artist, creates pieces that reflect her heritage and mission of joy, beauty, and love, with her work displayed throughout her hometown. Her grandfather was born in San Luis Potosí before coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She said growing up, her parents emphasized the importance of remembering her roots. “He would always talk about , you know, don’t forget your roots. Make sure you say your last name. Always say your last name the right way. Make sure that you honor your heritage, and it’s sunk in,” Zapata said.Zapata’s artwork can be seen all over Pittsburgh, in restaurants, parks, and beside buildings. For her, it’s about carrying the torch of art forward.”It’s part of, you know, the joy of making artwork. If I’m able to, yeah. And impact others, I think that’s the biggest thing that I could possibly have for my family. And, you know, the long lineage of artists that have done this before me,” Zapata said.As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, Zapata celebrates those who have paved a path forward and wants to play her part through her own journey.”It’s a very special time for celebration, for honoring traditions, for honoring the community that’s here now, and to highlight the beauty in the gifts and the contributions of Latinos here in Pittsburgh,” Zapata said.Zapata hopes to continue to inspire the next generation to become artists and will continue to set the example every day.

    Alison Zapata, an artist, creates pieces that reflect her heritage and mission of joy, beauty, and love, with her work displayed throughout her hometown.

    Her grandfather was born in San Luis Potosí before coming to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

    She said growing up, her parents emphasized the importance of remembering her roots.

    “He would always talk about [and say], you know, don’t forget your roots. Make sure you say your last name. Always say your last name the right way. Make sure that you honor your heritage, and it’s sunk in,” Zapata said.

    Zapata’s artwork can be seen all over Pittsburgh, in restaurants, parks, and beside buildings. For her, it’s about carrying the torch of art forward.

    “It’s part of, you know, the joy of making artwork. If I’m able to, yeah. And impact others, I think that’s the biggest thing that I could possibly have for my family. And, you know, the long lineage of artists that have done this before me,” Zapata said.

    As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, Zapata celebrates those who have paved a path forward and wants to play her part through her own journey.

    “It’s a very special time for celebration, for honoring traditions, for honoring the community that’s here now, and to highlight the beauty in the gifts and the contributions of Latinos here in Pittsburgh,” Zapata said.

    Zapata hopes to continue to inspire the next generation to become artists and will continue to set the example every day.

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  • Pirates play spoiler role, nip wild-card hopeful Reds

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    (Photo credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images)

    Oneil Cruz belted a two-run homer and five relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates past the Cincinnati Reds 4-2 on Tuesday night in Cincinnati.

    Elly De La Cruz homered and went 3-for-4 for the Reds, who entered the night tied with the New York Mets for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. Both teams had a one-game lead over Arizona.

    Left-handed reliever Hunter Barco (1-0) made his major league debut for Pittsburgh (68-89), tossing a scoreless sixth inning to earn his first big league win. Dennis Santana tossed a scoreless ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.

    The Reds (80-77) hit into double plays to end each of the final three innings.

    After hitting a batter in the first, Cincinnati starter Brady Singer (14-11) got into trouble in the second when Jack Suwinski doubled, Nick Yorke hit an RBI single to center and Alexander Canario doubled to make it 2-0.

    Following another out, Cruz drove a Singer sinker into the seats in left for a 4-0 Pirates lead. Singer was charged with four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

    De La Cruz, who hadn’t homered since July 31 before belting a long ball Saturday, connected for his second homer in three games against Pittsburgh starter Johan Oviedo in the second to get two runs back. De La Cruz’s 21st of the season came with Spencer Steer aboard and cut the Pittsburgh lead to 4-2.

    Oviedo, charged with two runs on two hits and three walks over 4 2/3 innings, was removed one out from being eligible for the win in the fifth, as Dauri Moreta was called on to get the final out. Moreta recorded it when TJ Friedl was thrown out trying to advance on a potential wild pitch to Noelvi Marte.

    The Reds caught a break in the bottom of the fourth. Will Benson’s foul fly down the left field line was ruled a catch by Suwinski, who made a lunging, full extension grab of the ball as it was slicing away from him. But the Reds challenged, and the ball was ruled a trap.

    But given a second chance with runners on first and second, Benson struck out to end the frame.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Pennsylvania State Police Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive wanted for murder arrested in Pittsburgh

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    A man on the Pennsylvania State Police Top 10 Most Wanted list, who is wanted on murder charges, was arrested in Pittsburgh.

    According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Daryl Beckett, 36, was arrested at a house on the 1600 block of Brighton Place in the California-Kirkbride neighborhood on Monday.

    Police said Beckett is suspected of shooting and killing a driver after firing over 40 shots from a rifle into a moving vehicle on I-95 in Upper Chichester in Delaware County on Oct. 7, 2023. Investigators said the passenger was injured in the shooting.

    The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force in Philadelphia had been assigned to his case. A task force surveillance member reported seeing him in Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Police and Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team were requested.

    The teams worked together to take Beckett into custody without incident.

    “Thanks to the outstanding collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and Pennsylvania State Police, a dangerous murderer has been captured and our community is safer tonight,” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy for the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force.

    Beckett has been wanted since December 2024, when the homicide warrant was filed against him.

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  • Eviction Over Unpaid Rent Leads To Horrific Discovery Of Four Dead Babies Stashed In Closet & Attic – Perez Hilton

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    [Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

    A woman in rural Pennsylvania was evicted from her rental home, and when the landlord went inside to clean up, what he found was absolutely horrifying.

    According to multiple local media reports in western Pennsylvania, landlord Brent Flanigan evicted a 39-year-old woman named Jessica Mauthe (pictured above in her mugshot) from her rental home in the tiny town of Cadogan Township, Pennsylvania which is northeast of Pittsburgh. Then, when Flanigan went inside the home to clean it up, he smelled a strong odor coming from a trash bag that was stashed in a closet.

    He went in the closet to investigate, and what he came upon was absolutely horrific: the bag contained a dead baby. Shocked to his core, Flanigan called the cops. They showed up, and things only got worse from there.

    Related: Taylor Swift Terrified Of Very Real ‘Threats’ After Charlie Kirk Murder!

    Cops searched the entire house up and down, and they discovered two more bags in the attic — each of which contained another dead infant, per WTAE News and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

    Mauthe was tracked down and charged with criminal homicide and abuse of a corpse for the discoveries of three dead babies.

    But then, days later, officials with the Pennsylvania State Police announced one more horrific discovery: a fourth set of infant remains had been found inside the house. That’s right. Mauthe’s former residence was hosting the decaying remains of four deceased children.

    What. The. F**k.

    Per the Post-Gazette, Mauthe allegedly admitted to investigators that she hid the bodies of three of the infants each shortly after giving birth to them in her home.

    In one of the incidents, she gave birth to a baby in the bathroom about six years ago, and then passed out after hearing the baby “whimpering,” per the police report. When she regained consciousness, she claimed the baby was dead, and so she hid its body.

    She reportedly told cops she also gave birth to the two other children in similar circumstances, and put their remains in garbage bags and then tote bags which she placed around the home. Per the Post-Gazette, the police report stated:

    “She could hear the child making several noises. Mauthe removed the child from the toilet, wrapped a towel around the infant’s entire body, where it remained until it stopped making noises.”

    OMG…

    The circumstances surrounding the fourth set of remains that police later uncovered in the home are not yet clear. However, cops say Mauthe never sought medical attention for any of the infants, nor did she notify anybody about their deaths.

    Related: Bryan Kohberger’s Shirtless Selfies After Idaho Murders Clearly Show Hand Wound!

    The woman has two sons, ages 6 and 8, who she shares with her husband — a man who is currently incarcerated. Media reports say the rental home in which the remains were discovered was the childhood home where Mauthe grew up; she took over the lease a few years back after her father died.

    Now, the accused woman faces one count of criminal homicide, one count of involuntary manslaughter, four counts of concealing the death of a child and four counts of abuse of a corpse, according to to state police officials. She’s being held in the Armstrong County Jail while awaiting her next court appearance.

    Here is more on this truly awful story (below):

    Wow. We don’t even know what to say. So, so sad.

    If you have sincere cause to suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.

    [Image via Armstrong County Jail]

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    Perez Hilton

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  • Suspect in custody after allegedly ramming car into FBI Pittsburgh field office in

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    A suspect is in custody after being accused of committing a “targeted attack” by allegedly using his car to ram the entrance gate to the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field office.

    The FBI says Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who they say used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday, is in custody. 

    FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Giordano said early Wednesday that after crashing into the gate, Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate.

    “We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said. “This was a targeted attack on this building.” The FBI has since backed away from calling the incident an “act of terror.” 

    No one was reported injured at the time of the crash, according to the FBI. 

    The FBI is looking for a man they’ve identified as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who is accused of ramming his vehicle into the entrance gate of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office on the city’s South Side.

    KDKA Photojournalist Anthony Sichi


    The FBI says Henson left the area on foot after crashing into the gate.

    Video taken by someone who was working security at a nearby gas station showed Henson walking away from the scene. 

    “Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI,” Giordano said. “It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.” 

    The car the FBI says Henson used appeared to have some sort of message written on one of its side windows, which Giordano said investigators are still looking into and brought in a bomb squad to clear the vehicle.

    The FBI says that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.

    “In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said. “We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.”

    The FBI says he is believed to have a history of mental health issues and is believed to be a former member of the military. 

    Mike Darnay

    Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
    He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.

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  • “Act of terror” at FBI Pittsburgh field office prompts search for suspect after car rams into entrance gate

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    A search is underway for a man accused of committing an “act of terror” by allegedly using his car to ram the entrance gate to the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field office.

    The FBI says they’re searching for Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who they say used his car to ram the gate to the building around 2:40 a.m. on Wednesday.

    FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent In Charge Christopher Giordano said early Wednesday that after crashing into the gate, Henson grabbed an American flag from inside the vehicle and threw it over the gate.

    “We look at this as an act of terror against the FBI,” Giordano said. “This was a targeted attack on this building.” 

    No one was reported injured at the time of the crash, according to the FBI. 

    The FBI is looking for a man they’ve identified as Donald Henson, of Penn Hills, who is accused of ramming his vehicle into the entrance gate of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office on the city’s South Side.

    KDKA Photojournalist Anthony Sichi


    The FBI says Henson left the area on foot after crashing into the gate and has yet to be apprehended.

    “Right now, he is wanted in connection with this crime against the FBI” Giordano said. “It is a federal offense and we will be seeking prosecution to the fullest extent.” 

    The car the FBI says Henson used appeared to have some sort of message written on one of its side windows, which Giordano said investigators are still looking into and brought in a bomb squad to clear the vehicle.

    The FBI says that Henson visited the Pittsburgh office recently.

    “In scouring our indexes, we did find that he visited the field office a couple of weeks ago to make a complaint that didn’t make a whole lot of sense,” Giordano said. “We ran down everything that he came down with. It didn’t have a federal nexus. We contacted him to let him know there wasn’t a federal offense that we were able to charge.”

    Anyone with information about Henson’s whereabouts is asked to call 911. 

    There’s no indication that Henson is armed, but the FBI says he is believed to have a history of mental health issues and believed to be a former member of the military. 

    Mike Darnay

    Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
    He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.

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    Mike Darnay

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  • Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey declares Disaster Emergency following Squirrel Hill apartment building fire

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    Mayor Ed Gainey has declared a local Disaster Emergency in Pittsburgh following the devastating fire at the Jefferson Apartments in Squirrel Hill.

    The fire started at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday and resulted in the total loss of the building, which now requires demolition.

    PHOTOS: Massive fire at Squirrel Hill apartment building

    Dozens of residents have been permanently displaced, suffering severe personal and property losses.

    “This is a heartbreaking moment for our community,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “The Jefferson Apartments were home to so many of our neighbors — families, seniors, students, and individuals who have now lost everything.”

    Previous coverage: Business owners, tenants wait on demolition of apartment building destroyed by fire in Squirrel Hill

    Mayor Gainey expressed gratitude to the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, stating, “I want to thank the brave members of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire, whose quick action and courage prevented what could have been a tragic loss of life.”

    The emergency declaration, issued under the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code and City Code, allows for an immediate and coordinated response to support the victims and stabilize the neighborhood.

    Previous coverage: Families who lost everything in apartment fire being helped by the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse

    Many affected residents do not have rental insurance, the city said, compounding the hardship they face.

    The declaration enables the activation of emergency management plans and expedites recovery operations and aid distribution.

    Displaced residents who meet program qualifications can seek state and federal assistance for losses incurred in the fire.

    The disaster emergency declaration is effective immediately and will remain in place for up to seven days, subject to extension with approval from the Pittsburgh City Council.

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  • Pennsylvania plastics company settles ‘nurdles’ pollution case for $2.6 million

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    A Pennsylvania plastics manufacturer will pay $2.6 million for allegedly violating the federal Clean Water Act and will ensure that no more of its plastic pellets leak into waterways, under a proposed settlement with two environmental groups.

    • This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

    PennEnvironment and Three Rivers Waterkeeper sued Styropek USA, claiming the company discharged large quantities of “nurdles”—tiny pellets used to produce a wide variety of plastic products—into a western Pennsylvania creek, polluting the water and leaving the pellets on creek-side vegetation. Testing by state officials also found that the plastic pollution had increased due to stormwater runoff from the site.

    Environmentalists called the agreement, announced Thursday, a landmark that will set a precedent for other plastics manufacturers in Pennsylvania and around the country. It comes amid growing evidence that plastics in general, and nurdles specifically, represent a threat to human health and natural systems.

    “It’s a precedent-setting settlement in many ways,” said David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, in an interview. “It has one of the largest Clean Water Act citizen-suit penalties in Pennsylvania history but even more important, it includes requirements that should get the facility to move to zero discharge of pellets.”

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    The plaintiffs were joined in recent weeks by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, which intervened in the case, saying the company violated two state laws in addition to the federal statute.

    “Pennsylvanians have a right to a clean and safe environment,” DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said in a statement. “This consent decree holds Styropek accountable for its violations and ensures they act to stop further unlawful discharges while supporting the cleanup of a treasured creek in Beaver County.”

    The company said it welcomed the settlement, which resolves a related notice of violation from the DEP, and added that it is committed to environmental quality. “Styropek is pleased that the parties have reached an agreement that will contribute positively to the Beaver County community,” it said in a statement.

    The agreement requires Styropek, which uses nurdles to make polystyrene foam, to install the latest monitoring technology to track whether the pellets leak from its Monaca property. The settlement imposes an automatic penalty if even a single pellet is found outside its plant. The company is also required to redesign its stormwater system so that it captures all pellet waste rather than spreading it into waterways.

    For now, because the company idled the plant in March, the settlement applies to flows of stormwater from its 400-acre site. If the plant restarts production or is sold, the requirements would also apply to production.

    Steve Miano, an environmental lawyer at Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller in Philadelphia, who wasn’t involved in the case, said it’s not clear whether the settlement will set a national precedent as the plaintiffs believe, because other plastics cases are pending.

    But he called the consent decree “very comprehensive” and said it “could very well” be used as a template for similar cases. “It remains to be seen if the technologies employed … will sufficiently remove the plastics from the discharges,” he wrote in an email. “The [consent decree] seems to require alternative plans if the initial technology is not effective.”

    The required use of monitoring technology aims to prevent future nurdle releases because the pellets are virtually impossible to clean up, said Heather Hulton VanTassel, executive director of Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

    “The widespread installation of these technologies is the next step to preventing future plastic pollution and protecting our source drinking water,” she said.

    The pellets often look like food to many aquatic animals and birds, which eat them. They remain in the stomachs of wildlife, leading to malnutrition and starvation, and sometimes death, Masur said. As they break down and become microplastics, they serve as magnets for harmful chemicals, including carcinogens, neurotoxins and endocrine disruptors, which become more concentrated and toxic as they move up the food chain, with devastating impacts on wildlife and, potentially, human health.

    Styropek was chosen for the suit, filed in December 2023, because it had a track record of Clean Water Act violations, Masur said. That’s in contrast to the nearby ethane-cracker plant operated by Shell, although that plant has had a long series of air-quality violations since it opened in 2022.

    VanTassel said her group and the Mountain Watershed Association have been watching for nurdle discharges from the Shell plant for the last several years but have not found significant quantities of the pellets from that source. The groups found large nurdle discharges that were traced to Styropek, and that data was used in the suit.

    She predicted the settlement will set a national precedent because it’s the first citizen action on plastic pellets to be based on Clean Water Act violations of an inland waterway, and because this is the first time in a citizen lawsuit over nurdles that a state regulator intervened in support of plaintiffs’ claims.

    “Our regulators have decided that our agreement to deal with plastic-pellet pollution at the zero-tolerance level is the appropriate way to regulate plastics,” she said.

    The agreement is expected to be approved by the federal court for Western Pennsylvania, given that all parties have agreed to it and the judge had been pushing to finalize it, Masur said.

    Of the fine, $2 million will support a fund to investigate and clean up pellet pollution in the water, sediment and banks of Raccoon Creek, where the company operates. A further $500,000 will create a fund to support efforts to protect water quality in the creek and nearby areas of the Ohio River watershed. The company agreed to pay another $100,000 in civil penalties to a clean water fund operated by the state.

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    Jon Hurdle, Inside Climate News

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  • From Pittsburgh to Mississippi: Hurricane Katrina 20 years later

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    It’s been 20 years since one of the worst hurricanes ever hit the U.S.

    Hurricane Katrina killed more than 13-hundred people and caused $125 billion in damage along the Gulf Coast.

    New Orleans bore the brunt of the storm, but it left damage along the coast.

    In that time of need, teachers and students from Pittsburgh answered the call for help.

    Channel Eleven’s Rick Earle traveled with them on their first trip to Mississippi 20 years ago.

    That one visit led to nearly a dozen trips over a decade to help the residents of Bay St. Louis.

    Earle went with the teachers on their first trip.

    During the next ten years, they would return every year with groups of high school students who volunteered their time to help rebuild homes and lives torn apart by Hurricane Katrina.

    Earle recently sat down with Richard Yount, the man who organized the relief effort, and a chaperon who participated in a number of trips.

    Earle: Is it hard to believe it’s been 20 years?

    Yount: Yes and no. It seems like yesterday, but I know I’ve gotten 20 years older.

    20 years ago and just three months after Hurricane Katrina, Yount and a group of teachers from Baldwin High School boarded a small jet at the Allegheny County Airport.

    “We’re going to go down and assess the situation and see exactly what the people need,” said Yount at the time.

    The group headed to the Mississippi coast. They had seen the devastation and destruction on television and wanted to help.

    Earle also traveled with them.

    “There we go, we just touched down in Mississippi,” said Earle.

    They landed in Biloxi and drove to Bay St. Louis.

    There was damage and destruction everywhere.

    “The storm surge from the bay slammed into Bay St. Louis, and now nearly three months later, the beach here is still littered with debris,” Earle reported at the time.

    “It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen,” said Yount.

    One of the first stops, the Bay St. Louis school district.

    “We’re here to help,” said Yount, when he arrived at the temporary offices they were working out of.

    “Once I did go I felt like I had to keep going. There was so much to do,” said Yount, during an interview this week at his home in Crafton.

    That one trip 20 years ago, led to a decade long mission to Mississippi to rebuild homes and lives.

    Yount showed us pictures and memorabilia from his trips.

    “This was a house we built in four days,” Yount said.

    Yount, an english teacher at Baldwin High School and fellow teachers launched Vision Club.

    They recruited students.

    “This is a 93 year old lady who lost everything,” said Yount.

    They helped put insulation in her home and built a railing for her handicap ramp.

    Every year for a decade, students on their easter break would travel to the gulf coast to help those devastated by Katrina.

    “We put up at least two houses from scratch, remodeled probably half a dozen. We did drywall work electrical work, plumbing work,” said Yount.

    The students raised funds, and paid their own way. Yount and chaperone Kevin Clancy said students were eager to help.

    “A lot of these students started out not knowing which end of the nail to drive into the wall, and now they’re asking their parents for power tools for Christmas,” said Clancy.

    Yount and Clancy, whose two daughters participated, teamed up with Habitat For Humanity in Mississippi and Brother’s Brother in Pittsburgh.

    For a decade from 2005 to 2015, Yount made at least ten trips with more than 200 students and 70 chaperones.

    “It was like they came along side of us and said how can we help and I still tear up when I think about it,” said Donna Torres, who was with the Bay St. Louis school district when Katrina hit.

    Earle and the teachers met Torres on that first trip, 20 years ago.

    Today, she fondly recalls the helpers from Pittsburgh.

    She said Yount put together most of the furniture to get the administrative offices up and running again.

    “We were able to see the best of humankind, the best of our neighbors and you wouldn’t normally think of Pittsburgh being a neighbor, but truly that neighborhood spirit came out of that,” said Torres.

    “That’s the reason we kept going back. They were incredibly appreciative. They couldn’t do enough for us, and they had nothing,” said Yount.

    It’s been ten years since Yount and his students wrapped up their work in Mississippi, and 20 years since the devastating Hurricane, but they saw the incredible transformation.

    “Watching the evolution from the total devastation to coming back as a community, you just can’t beat that. It was amazing,” said Clancy, who served in the military and is now retired.

    Yount: For the most part it looks like a brand new city.

    Earle: And that’s all thanks to you and your students?

    Yount: Well, most of the kids and the chaperones. I was just the organizer.

    The organizer who made it all happen.

    Yount retired from teaching in 2010, but continued leading students to Mississippi until 2015.

    He still does some volunteer work with Habitat For Humanity.

    He said he misses the yearly trips to Mississippi, but he’s glad he played a small part in helping to rebuild the communities along the Gulf coast.

    Yount said he couldn’t have done it without the support of the Baldwin School District.

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  • Pittsburgh police looking for 12-year-old last seen in Lawrenceville

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    Detectives are asking for help finding a missing 12-year-old boy last seen in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood.

    Pittsburgh police Special Victims unit detectives are looking for Jeremiah Lewis, who they say was last seen getting out of a relative’s vehicle around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 3600 block of Liberty Avenue and starting to walk inbound.

    Jeremiah is 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighs 140 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black compression top, burgundy football pants and black and white Under Armour cleats.

    Anyone who sees Jeremiah or knows his whereabouts is asked to call 412-323-7141 or 911.

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  • Johan Oviedo, Tommy Pham propel Pirates past Jays

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    (Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

    Johan Oviedo struck out six batters over five innings and combined with three relievers on a three-hitter, leading the host Pittsburgh Pirates to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon.

    Oviedo (1-0) picked up his first win since Sept. 21, 2023 while making his second start of this season after coming back from Tommy John surgery.

    Oviedo lasted only one inning and allowed two runs on two hits in his first outing on Aug. 4 before being optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis. He fared much better on Wednesday, yielding one run on two hits and one walk before exiting after 75 pitches.

    Kyle Nicolas, Isaac Mattson and Dennis Santana combined to allow only one hit over four scoreless innings. Santana retired the side in the ninth inning to record his ninth save.

    Oviedo’s only costly mistake came against the first batter he faced: George Springer.

    Springer capped a 10-pitch at-bat by belting his 21st homer of the season to give Toronto the early advantage.

    Oviedo recovered and finished off the first inning on 22 pitches after retiring the next three batters in order, including strikeouts of Bo Bichette and Alejandro Kirk.

    Pittsburgh answered immediately with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first, ignited by Bryan Reynolds’ double off Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt (11-7). Spencer Horwitz walked and Tommy Pham doubled down the left-field line to drive in both runners and give the Pirates the cushion they needed to win for the third time in four games and take two of three from the American League East division leaders.

    The loss was the Blue Jays’ third in their past four games and squandered a quality start from Bassitt, who struck out 10 over 5 2/3 innings. He also allowed six hits and walked two batters.

    Bichette had the other two hits in the game for Toronto.

    In order to make room for Oviedo on the roster, the Pirates optioned left-hander Evan Sisk to Triple-A Indianapolis.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Using night mode on your phone can help capture photos of the northern lights. Here’s how to turn it on.

    Using night mode on your phone can help capture photos of the northern lights. Here’s how to turn it on.

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    How to use night mode to get good photos of the northern lights


    How to use night mode to get good photos of the northern lights

    02:10

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) — The northern lights are expected to be visible again throughout parts of the United States on Friday night. 

    When the northern lights, or the aurora borealis, are visible, the best way to see them is to find a dark spot away from bright lights, allow time to enable your eyes adjust to the darkness and look toward the north.  

    The northern lights show up best in photos.

    Here’s how to use night mode on your phone’s camera to try to capture photos of the colorful auroras.   

    How do I turn on night mode on an iPhone? 

    If you are using an iPhone, Apple says the default settings will have night mode turn on automatically “when the camera detects a low-light environment.”

    When night mode is active, an icon will turn yellow in the top left corner of your screen.

    A number will show up next to that icon showing you how long it will take for the photo to take. 

    You can adjust how long the exposure will last by tapping the arrow that shows up above the viewfinder.

    kdka-iphone-samsung-galaxy-night-mode-settings.png
    Side-by-side screenshots show how an iPhone and how a Samsung Galaxy phone can enable night mode, which can help capture better photos of the northern lights.

    How do I turn on night mode on an Android phone? 

    Starting night mode on an Android device will depend on the type of device you have. 

    On a Samsung Galaxy device, a yellow moon icon will pop up in the bottom right of your screen. On a Pixel device, you can tap Night Light, then tap Capture and hold your phone still for a few seconds. In the Google Camera app, you can turn Night mode on by tapping settings and turning the mode on or off. 

    Will the northern lights be visible where I live?

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued its “Aurora Forecast” for Friday with numerous parts of the United States in the range of potentially being able to see the bright auroras of the northern lights. 

    screenshot-2024-10-11-032947.png
    NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center has issued its aurora forecast for Friday night.

    Space Weather Prediction Center


    The map of the aurora forecast shows that northern parts of the country have a better chance of seeing the auroras. 

    A view line that shows “the southern extent of where aurora might be seen on the northern horizon” stretches from Washington, D.C. across the Midwest and through Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York. 

    The northern lights were on display on Thursday night 

    The northern lights were visible all throughout the country on Thursday night.

    1000033386.jpg
    The northern lights in Plainfield, Illinois on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.

    Mario Carrasco


    Photos of the northern lights were captured in places like Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Boston, New York, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. 

    The colorful auroras had green, purple, red and pink hues scattered throughout the skies. 

    What causes the northern lights? 

    When a geomagnetic storm occurs, solar wind is sent toward Earth. 

    Charged protons and electrons follow Earth’s magnetic field and enter the atmosphere where the magnetic fields are the weakest: the poles. 

    The electrons smash into all the different molecules that make up our atmosphere, creating a dazzling display of colors in the sky.

    Mike Darnay

    Mike Darnay is a digital producer and photojournalist at CBS Pittsburgh. Mike has also written and produced content for Vox Media and the Mon Valley Independent.
    He often covers overnight breaking news, the Pittsburgh Steelers and high school sports.

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