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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
UPMC walks back mask requirements
Two days after issuing a mask mandate for its facilities, UPMC has softened its language, stating that masks are recommended, not required. On Monday, UPMC issued a statement that masks would be required for people at all its facilities in an attempt to curb the spread of respiratory viruses. On...
U.S. defense chief suggests Ukraine should abandon hope of winning all territory back from Russia
BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops. Hours later, President Donald Trump...
‘I’d like to know why’: Family seeks answers as Clairton killer is sent to prison
A day after the start of trial for a Clairton man accused of killing his friend’s father, Sabr Ellis decided to change his not guilty plea. The 25-year-old instead admitted Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter for the Jan. 21, 2021, stabbing death of Anthony Koontz. As part of the negotiated agreement,...
Podcast: The long-awaited release of Marc Fogel from Russia
Marc Fogel, the 63-year-old Butler native and former Oakmont teacher, was released Tuesday and is back in the United States. Fogel, an American history teacher, spent 1,278 days in a Russian penal colony after being was arrested in Moscow on Aug. 14, 2021, for taking prescribed medical marijuana into the...
‘On top of the world’: Marc Fogel enjoys 1st breakfast back in the U.S.
Marc Fogel woke up Wednesday morning in a plush Washington, D.C., hotel and enjoyed a breakfast of bacon and eggs for the first time in more than 31⁄2 years. “He’s just grateful and on top of the world right now,” his mother, Malphine Fogel, told TribLive. “There’s only good things...
Daniel and Carole Kamin give $25M to Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin continue to give back big to Pittsburgh. A little over a year after donating $65 million to the Carnegie Science Center on Pittsburgh’s North Shore — the largest gift to the Carnegie museums since their founding by Andrew Carnegie — the couple have gifted...
Trump upends US Ukraine policy and says he and Putin have agreed to begin negotiations on ending war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump upended three years of U.S. policy toward Ukraine on Wednesday, saying that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the war following a dramatic prisoner swap. Trump said in a social media post that he and Putin held a...
Pittsburgh City Council to hold public hearing on Ragland
Pittsburgh City Council will host a public hearing to give residents a chance to share their opinions on acting police Chief Christopher Ragland before they vote on whether to confirm him as permanent chief. This comes after the Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP asked city leaders to allow for a...
Who is Steve Witkoff? The man behind Marc Fogel’s release
When teacher Marc Fogel returned to the United States on Tuesday after three and a half years’ imprisonment in Russia, he was accompanied by a figure many don’t know much about — Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. “What a dynamic man this guy is,” Fogel said of Witkoff during a press...
Butler County storage facility in spotlight after Elon Musk mention
A private storage facility in Butler County found itself in the spotlight after being indirectly mentioned by Elon Musk on Tuesday. The billionaire owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk is serving as an adviser to President Donald Trump, spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to...
Marc Fogel expresses gratitude for support, calls Trump a ‘hero’ after returning from Russian prison
As an entourage led by President Donald Trump waited Tuesday night under an awning outside the White House, the newly freed prisoner walked forward through the snow. “Mr. President,” said Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy who had just completed a whirlwind roundtrip to Russia on a top-secret mission to...
Marc Fogel’s return to the U.S. from Russia carried a Pittsburgh theme
Marc Fogel’s return to the United States was as much a Pittsburgh moment as it was patriotic. “I’m a proud Pittsburgher,” said Fogel, the 63-year-old teacher, formerly of Oakmont, who was released Tuesday after nearly four years in Russian prisons. He was wearing a Steelers stocking cap as he kissed...
Shady Side Academy middle school to be donated to National Aviary
A Shady Side Academy alum is helping the National Aviary find a nest for its next breeding and conservation center, teaching hospital and educational space. S. Kent Rockwell, Fox Chapel resident and 1962 academy graduate, is in the process of acquiring his alma mater’s 35-acre middle school campus. The plan...
Who are the Americans still in Russian custody?
Russia has released an American teacher imprisoned over what his family said was prescribed medical marijuana, but several other Americans remain in Russian custody. Teacher Marc Fogel was released in what the White House described Tuesday as a diplomatic thaw. Fogel was arrested in August 2021 and is serving a...
With final approval, Market Square revitalization to start in April
Construction is set to start in April on a project that aims to revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh’s Market square. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Tuesday earned the Planning Commission’s approval for its proposal to reimagine the Downtown hub with limited vehicle traffic, more greenery and seating and semi-circular trellis canopy where...
Convicted Russian criminal Alexander Vinnik being freed as part of swap for American Marc Fogel
MOSCOW — Alexander Vinnik, a convicted Russian criminal, is being freed as part of a swap that saw Moscow’s release of American Marc Fogel, two U.S. officials confirmed Wednesday. Vinnik was arrested in 2017 in Greece at the request of the U.S. on cryptocurrency fraud charges and was later extradited...
Retired Pittsburgh police officer charged with attempted homicide
A retired Pittsburgh police officer was arrested Tuesday after allegedly shooting her grandson in the leg. Virginia Beck, 63, of Pittsburgh is retired from the city’s police bureau, public safety spokeswoman Cara Cruz confirmed. Pittsburgh police arrested Beck in connection with the shooting. She faces charges of criminal attempted homicide,...
Goodbye, Lincoln? Few lament possible loss of penny as Trump orders Mint to halt production
Ending production of the penny makes sense, a cross-section of area coin collectors and business owners told TribLive after a directive to do so was ordered this week by President Donald Trump. But Trump doesn’t appear to have the authority to make the decision. The U.S. Mint is part of...
‘Unbelievable’: Marc Fogel’s mother celebrates son’s release from Russian prison 
When Malphine Fogel heard the words, she felt dizzy. She took a seat and tried to collect herself. Her son, Marc Fogel, was on the other end of a phone line in Moscow. He was coming home from a Russian prison after more than three years. “He said, ‘I’m waiting...
Route 28 reopens near Etna following tanker crash, spill
The southbound lanes of Route 28 near Etna reopened early Wednesday morning after a tanker crashed in the area and started leaking fuel Tuesday evening. An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said emergency units were alerted of a single-vehicle crash by the exit around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. One person was taken...
‘Very excited’: Oakmont residents and visitors react to Marc Fogel’s release
Residents and visitors in Oakmont were all smiles Tuesday when they heard fellow resident Marc Fogel was headed home. According to a statement released by the White House, U.S. officials negotiated a deal with Russian authorities that led to the release of Fogel, an American teacher. Fogel was sentenced to...
Appeals court won’t halt judge’s order requiring Trump administration to unfreeze all federal cash
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to immediately halt a judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in federal grants and loans that remain frozen even after a court blocked a sweeping pause on federal funding. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of...
Western Pa. politicians laud release of Oakmont’s Marc Fogel
Elected Pennsylvania leaders from both parties lauded Tuesday’s release of Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel after nearly four years in Russian captivity — a rare instance of solidarity in an increasingly divided political environment. “Today is a day of celebration, thankfulness and gratitude knowing our fellow Pennsylvanian will soon be back...
O’Connor outpaces Gainey in campaign fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral primary
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor is far outraising incumbent Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey amid a heated Democratic primary battle for the mayor’s office. O’Connor in January raised nearly $465,000, according to campaign finance reports. Gainey brought in about $24,000. Overall, the Gainey campaign has about $237,000 cash on hand, compared...
After meeting with Trump, Jordan’s king says his country opposes displacing Palestinians in Gaza 
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday and renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the...


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