Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Across Pennsylvania, thousands of children are unvaccinated against the measles, putting communities below the critical threshold of herd immunity — the level that experts say is needed to stem the spread of the disease. At many schools in Pittsburgh, the number of kindergartners who are immunized against measles and other diseases has dropped for the last six years, leaving hundreds of students without the critical protections that have been in place for generations. It happened under the watch of principals and superintendents who are entrusted with protecting the health of students. A six-month Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found that school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions that let them forgo the shots on religious or philosophical grounds — a violation of state vaccine laws. Read the full investigation at the link in our bio. 📝: Jimmy Cloutier, Michael D. Sallah, Mike Wereschagin and Hanna Webster/Post-Gazette; Melissa Dai and Isaiah Steinberg/Medill Investigative Lab 📸: Samara McCallum and Alexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette

Across Pennsylvania, thousands of children are unvaccinated against the measles, putting communities below the critical threshold of herd immunity — the level that experts say is needed to stem the spread of the disease. At many schools in Pittsburgh, the number of kindergartners who are immunized against measles and other diseases has dropped for the last six years, leaving hundreds of students without the critical protections that have been in place for generations. It happened under the watch of principals and superintendents who are entrusted with protecting the health of students. A six-month Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found that school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions that let them forgo the shots on religious or philosophical grounds — a violation of state vaccine laws. Last year alone, school officials let nearly 16,000 into classrooms, despite warnings from public health officials that students face severe risks when rates fall to unsafe levels. Combined with the students who have the legal exemptions — about 23,000 — the total number who are attending classes in Pennsylvania without the shots has soared to at least 40,000, records show. Pennsylvania’s state health department says all students must meet vaccine requirements “or risk exclusion,” and district leaders are responsible for enforcing those mandates. But the Post-Gazette found that, in the last two years, hundreds of superintendents and principals have failed to ensure that the requirements were met. Read the full investigation at the link in our bio. 📝: Jimmy Cloutier, Michael D. Sallah, Mike Wereschagin and Hanna Webster/Post-Gazette; Melissa Dai and Isaiah Steinberg/Medill Investigative Lab 📸: Samara McCallum, Justin Guido and Alexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette

Just two years after a deadly outbreak of polio raged across the country, the children lined up in the basement gymnasium of a Pittsburgh elementary school for what became the largest medical experiment in America. Under the glare of news cameras, the first public trial of the vaccine at Arsenal Elementary School in 1954 was a turning point in the battle against an epidemic that had left thousands of people dead and even more sickened and paralyzed. The shots would nearly eliminate the polio cases spreading across the country and help build a broad acceptance of childhood immunizations for decades to follow. But the Pittsburgh school that helped launch one of medicine’s most towering achievements is now at high risk of another dangerous childhood disease: measles. At Pittsburgh Allegheny on the North Side and Concord Elementary near the city’s southern border, the number of kindergartners who are immunized against measles and other diseases has dropped for the last six years, leaving hundreds of students without the critical protections that have been in place for generations. Statewide, thousands of children are unvaccinated against the measles, putting communities below the critical threshold of herd immunity — the level that experts say is needed to stem the spread of the disease. And it happened under the watch of principals and superintendents who are entrusted with protecting the health of students. A six-month Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found that school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions that let them forgo the shots on religious or philosophical grounds — a violation of state vaccine laws. Read the full investigation at the link in our bio. 📝: Jimmy Cloutier, Michael D. Sallah, Mike Wereschagin and Hanna Webster/Post-Gazette; Melissa Dai and Isaiah Steinberg/Medill Investigative Lab 📸: Samara McCallum, Justin Guido and Alexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette, Associated Press

Using QR codes on nesting boxes to count and track Eastern bluebirds in North Park gets Ken Knapp very excited. Now ubiquitous in parks throughout Pennsylvania, bluebird nesting boxes have helped save the Eastern bluebird population, starting in the 1960s. With 555 bluebirds fledged from nesting boxes in North Park and other communities last year — along with 99 more reported by Allegheny County residents — Knapp said the county ranks third in the state for the number of fledged young bluebirds. “I’m a competitive guy,” said the 65-year-old Pine resident, who trained to become a naturalist after he retired from BNY Mellon Financial about a decade ago. Read more at the link in our bio. 📝 Mary Ann Thomas/Post-Gazette 📷: Courtesy of Steve Gosser & Ken Knapp

Aaron Rodgers has finally agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $25 million to return to the @steelers next season, sources confirmed to the Post-Gazette. Rodgers will be guaranteed $22 million as part of the deal and is expected to be with the team when offseason training activities begin Monday. The Steelers did not meet with Rodgers, who has been in town, and agreed to the deal with his agent, David Dunn, on Saturday night. The deal is contingent on the 42-year-old passing a physical. More at the link in our bio.

In the summer of 2024, Grant Henkel started experiencing symptoms he couldn’t explain. His legs swelled. He struggled to breathe during routine activities and while working out at the gym — something he had always done regularly. He couldn’t sleep and dealt with intense itchiness, all while experiencing a general “sickness” feeling. A visit to his primary care provider led to a blood test — and then a call, the next morning, instructing him to go to the emergency room. There, he was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure from an unknown cause. A few months after starting dialysis, Henkel, of Mount Washington, learned his kidney function wasn’t improving and that he would need a transplant. At first, he wasn’t doing much public outreach to find a donor. Read more of Grant's story at the link in our bio.

A North Side hospital landmark is getting a face-lift valued at $36 million. Allegheny General Hospital’s iconic 22-story South Tower will start to undergo an exterior renovation in June, which will last four years. Patient care and hospital operations are not expected to be affected. Read more at the link in our bio. 📸: Giuseppe LoPiccolo/Post-Gazette

The Steelers will open the 2026 NFL regular season on Sept. 13 at home against the Atlanta Falcons as part of a 17-game slate that includes a Black Friday game and four primetime appearances. Head to the link in our bio to read the Post-Gazette’s analysis of all 17 games on the Steelers’ regular season slate. 📸: Post-Gazette & Associated Press

Is Harmony worth the weekend roadtrip from Pittsburgh? 🚗 The PG's Sono Motoyama explored the small Butler County town. She found baked goods, ice cream and cool coffee. Read more about the town and what it has to offer at the link in our bio. 📷: Sono Motoyama/Post-Gazette, courtesy photos #pittsburgh #roadtrip

Tina Demchak would like to make one thing clear: “I don’t think there is anything exceptional about me in any way.” Her physical fitness indicates otherwise. Demchak will turn 90 this summer. She has run 17 marathons and numerous shorter races, including half-marathons. A breast cancer survivor, Demchak will bike 15 miles Sunday in the Rush to Crush Cancer, a fundraiser for cancer research at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. If this “super ager” can do all of this, surely you can head to the link in our bio and read more. 📝: Anya Sostek/Post-Gazette 📸: Alexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette

These Pittsburgh-area pups are looking for their forever homes. 🐾: Keller is a 1-year-old German shepherd mix who is deaf and blind, but it’s sometimes hard to tell. 🐾: Blizzard is a 6-month-old husky mix with a playful personality and a heart full of love. 🐾: Waylin is a 2-year-old mixed-breed dog weighing 66 pounds. His head is as big as his heart. 🐾: Mario is living proof that age is just a number. At 7 years old, this 75-pound Lab mix has seen it all. Every month, the Post-Gazette offers a monthly column, Shelter Soulmates, which spotlights animals in Pittsburgh-area shelters and rescues. You can read more about each pup at the link in our bio. 📝 Abby Kirkland/For the Post-Gazette 📽️: Courtesy videos

BRANDON McGINLEY | When Market Square was first renovated nearly two decades ago, the primary activity associated with the square went from illicit transactions to al fresco dining. And Downtown’s center of gravity shifted away from Grant Street and toward the historic courtyard. Coming out of a new $15 million refresh, today Market Square enjoys a mixed reputation. It has lost some active storefronts to banks, which contribute nothing to the public realm. But it looks better than ever, with cool programming — such as the temporary roller rink echoing PPG Plaza’s winter skating rink — and renewed interest in the remaining restaurants. At the same time, the square has made headlines as a hub for young people who congregate in Downtown. So, what’s the truth about Market Square? I went down to see for myself — and spoke with the people who spend more time there than almost anyone: outreach workers who serve the young people drawn to this open public space. The story they tell doesn’t fit any easy political narrative. Read the full column at the link in our bio. 📷: Post-Gazette