Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

10/31/2025

Nitazenes were first created in the second half of the 20th century as a potential alternative to morphine, but they were never approved for use in the United States. They first showed up in the illicit supply in 2019 and have been peppered throughout bags of fentanyl for the last few years, leading to 45 deaths in Pennsylvania since 2023.

A form of dangerous synthetic opioids that has worried Pennsylvania officials and contributed to at least a few dozen deaths in the state would be permanently...

10/30/2025

As spectators inside PPG Paints Arena celebrated a second Penguins goal, one fan was watching a nightmare unfold.

A man a couple of rows in front of her seat in Section 234 on Monday had attempted to jump sideways from one row to the next while moving toward the staircase separating sections 234 and 201, she said, rather than asking people between him and the stairs to stand.

He couldn’t catch himself on the seats in the row in front of him, she said. Or the next. Or the next.

The fan said the man's fall began about halfway up the section and carried him all the way over the railing in the front row headfirst.

“He just couldn’t get his balance, couldn’t get stopped.”

Read more: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2025/10/30/ppg-paints-arena-penguins-fall/stories/202510300105

10/30/2025

ANALYSIS | Konnor Griffin gets plenty of attention these days — and deservedly so. Bubba Chandler’s part of a young and talented starting rotation. Seth Hernandez was a terrific first-round pick this past summer.

Edward Florentino isn’t as well known, at least outside of hardcore Pittsburgh Pirates fans, although that could change in 2026.

The 18-year-old the Pirates signed for $395,000 during the 2024 international signing period has made a fast and impressive ascent, Florentino this season joining top-100 lists at MLB Pipeline (No. 81) and Baseball America (No. 94).

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pirates/2025/10/30/minor-league-prospects-analysis-cherington-nutting-konnor-griffin/stories/202510290058

10/30/2025

Pittsburgh’s end-of-year restaurant opening boom is getting another dose of good news with Kristin Butterworth’s return to the region as the executive chef of soon-to-open Cork & Crust at The Oaklander Hotel in Oakland.

Pittsburgh’s end-of-year restaurant opening boom is getting another dose of good news with Kristin Butterworth’s return to the region as the...

10/30/2025

Beth Hoffman, an assistant professor in Pitt’s School of Public Health, knows the power of television to influence medical decisions. In February 2023, after her sister, Emily, was gravely injured when she was hit by a car while walking home in Point Breeze, her family felt at peace removing her from life support and donating her organs – not only because the organ donation box was checked on her driver’s license but because Emily had discussed the issue with her sister while watching an episode of “ER.”

Now, a new medical show is making an impact on public health — the Pittsburgh-set HBO Max production “The Pitt.” A study released this week by the University of Southern California’s Norman Lear Center found that viewers of the show were significantly more likely than nonviewers to seek out and share information about organ donation and end-of-life decision making.

For Ms. Hoffman and several other Pittsburgh experts who connected with the writing staff of “The Pitt,” it’s gratifying to see results from a show that spent so much time trying to portray Pittsburgh health care accurately.

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/tv-radio/2025/10/30/the-pitt-usc-study/stories/202510300068

10/30/2025

The next generation of McKees Rocks athletes just got a major boost from the Josh Gibson Foundation.

The foundation announced Thursday the first steps in turning the former Boys & Girls Club of McKees Rocks into the Josh Gibson Champions Club and Sports Matter Center.

The state-of-the-art facility will help the community through a variety of programs, including athletics, academics, mentorship and community support.

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/local/west/2025/10/30/josh-gibson-foundation-announced-major-project-in-mckees-rocks/stories/202510300109

10/30/2025

Rex Ryan talked a good game when he was the coach of the Jets and Bills. He talks an even better game as one of the outspoken analysts on ESPN’s NFL shows.

On Monday morning, after the Pittsburgh Steelers surrendered 35 points to the Green Bay Packers, Ryan took a page out of Warren Sapp’s playbook to criticize the Steelers defense.

“They look old,” Ryan said. “It looks like they just fell off a cliff. The names look great — Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey. You have all these names. ... It doesn’t matter. All of a sudden, the play has stopped. ... This is a team that has no speed.”

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2025/10/30/defense-old-slow-ramsey-tomlin-austin/stories/202510300071

10/30/2025

The Pentagon has ordered thousands of specialized National Guard personnel to complete civil unrest mission training over the next several months, an indication that the Trump administration’s effort to send uniformed military forces into urban centers — once reserved for extraordinary emergencies — could become the norm.

The Pentagon has ordered thousands of specialized National Guard personnel to complete civil unrest mission training over the next several months, an indication...

10/30/2025

Students at Minadeo PreK-5 will still get to enjoy their field trips this fall thanks to parents and community members who stepped in to cover costs as the state budget stalemate stretches beyond 100 days late.

A GoFundMe page was set up this month to help the Minadeo PTO raise funds to cover field trip transportation costs. Typically, those costs are covered by individual schools while at Minadeo, a Squirrel Hill South school of 300 students, the PTO pays for admission of students and teachers during the trip.

So far, the GoFundMe has raised almost $3,600.

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2025/10/30/pittsburgh-field-trip-funding-impasse-schools/stories/202510290057

10/30/2025

BREAKING | The Pittsburgh Penguins released some new findings in the fall at PPG Paints Arena that left a man critically injured.

🔗Here's the latest: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2025/10/30/ppg-paints-arena-penguins-fall/stories/202510300105

10/30/2025

Across the Monongahela River from the Carrie Blast Furnaces — a giant relic of Pittsburgh’s industrial past and one of the region’s most recognizable landmarks — local leaders on Thursday touted a new commitment to the Mon Valley.

The Mon Valley Forward strategic plan will aim to bring public and private partners to build “long-term economic competitiveness” in the region.

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2025/10/30/mon-valley-economic-development-allegheny-county/stories/202510300079

10/30/2025

JOE STARKEY | “In Pittsburgh, we need to be making bets on guys that are not proven.” — Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Ben Cherington, Sept. 30, 2025

Talk about stoking excitement. Cherington got this offseason off to a rousing start with those immortal words. And they should probably be our guide as we morbidly await a critical offseason and wonder how this team might ruin a third straight year of Paul Skenes, who is maybe the greatest young pitcher in baseball history.

Adam Frazier 3.0, anyone?

🔗: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/joe-starkey/2025/10/30/pirates-nutting-cherington-free-agency-mlb/stories/202510300074