Luis Fábregas stories
Former VP Mike Pence reflects on faith and civility at Duquesne University
Long before Mike Pence became one of the country’s most prominent evangelical Christians, he grew up Catholic and even served as an altar boy in his native Indiana. The former vice president was on decidedly friendly territory Thursday when he spoke at Duquesne University, the largest Catholic university in Western...
Lower Burrell native Tom Squitieri remembered as a determined journalist and devoted father
Tom Squitieri, a veteran journalist who began his career at the Valley News Dispatch and became an award-winning foreign correspondent for top newspapers in the country, died Sept. 1, his family said. Squitieri, a native of Lower Burrell, died in Washington, D.C., from an aggressive form of leukemia. He was...
Former Allegheny Valley Hospital CEO John R. England dies
When patients, employees and visitors walked the hallways of Allegheny Valley Hospital in the 1980s and ’90s, it wasn’t rare for them to run into Jack England, the hospital’s gregarious administrator. The bespectacled tall man in a suit that everyone knew as Mr. England routinely left his office in the...
‘Finally at peace’: Remembering Hannah Kunkel, whose pediatric cancer battle was chronicled by the Trib
Hannah Kunkel lived knowing full well that her life could be cut short at any moment. At age 5, she was diagnosed with a rare, ruthless type of brain cancer that killed every child who ever got it. Doctors at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh told her parents that Hannah would...
UPMC doctor: ‘No idea’ whether Trump’s treatment will work
The experimental treatment given to President Trump is a reasonable move to prevent the progression of covid-19, but it’s unknown whether it’s going to be effective, a top UPMC doctor said Saturday. “We have no idea, in the president, whether it will hasten his recovery,” said Dr. John Mellors, chief...
Facing incurable, speech-robbing disorder, Westmoreland Chamber CEO Chad Amond forges ahead
The first signs of trouble were unmistakably odd. It wasn’t like Chad Amond to forget the name of someone he knew as they greeted. Not once but twice. And it certainly wasn’t like him to ask his wife, Amy, when she brought home a new type of his favorite ginger...
First Pittsburgh patients treated with plasma from coronavirus survivors at UPMC
UPMC doctors have started treating covid-19 patients with blood plasma from survivors — a technique not proven for coronavirus but successfully used to fight off outbreaks of measles and influenza. “The patients and the families of infected individuals who are in ICUs are really desperate for a therapy, and that’s...
Platinum Ridge workers spread messages of hope with sidewalk chalk
The messages are simple but uplifting. The front of the Platinum Ridge skilled nursing facility in Brackenridge was covered Tuesday morning with colorful and encouraging messages created by its workers. The goal: To help alleviate the tension and uncertainty of the coronavirus crisis. “We want to make everybody happy when...
UPMC closing ambulatory care centers
UPMC announced Sunday it is closing all of its ambulatory surgery centers and consolidating surgeries and procedures into its hospitals. The decision reflects UPMC’s goal to only go forward with procedures that doctors have determined to be medically necessary, said UPMC spokesman Paul Wood. “These efforts will help us to...
UPMC doctor on coronavirus: ‘Fear can be a very healthy thing’
The fear and anxiety that is gripping the nation as coronavirus cases soar is not necessarily a bad thing, a top UPMC doctor leading preparations at the Pittsburgh-based health giant said Thursday. “Fear can be a very healthy thing,” Dr. Don Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, told the Tribune-Review....
5 Pittsburgh chicken sandwiches you must try
We get it. You can’t get your hands on the Popeye’s chicken sandwich and you’re a tad unnerved. Your belly needs a chicken sandwich, come hell or high water. We have you covered. Believe us, plenty of other Pittsburgh places serve up succulent options when it comes to chicken sandwiches....
Brain health app is helping workers stay focused
John Ciferno constantly worries about the safety of his employees. The majority of the 60 or so workers at Ciferno Well Services in Rostraver are truck drivers, some of whom work over-long shifts. “It’s easy for drivers to get fatigued,” said Ciferno, who has owned the company for almost two...
5 ways 2019 will be Pittsburgh’s best year yet
This past year had its ups and downs, but as we roll into 2019, we’re focusing on the ups to come. Pittsburgh is set to have a stellar 2019. Here are just a few of the things we can’t wait for. 1. The Mister Rogers movie filmed in Pittsburgh The...
