Northeast
Pastor announces gender transition during service with congregation: ‘Giving up pretending to be a man’
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A Methodist pastor in New York revealed last week plans to transition into a woman and said the 51-year-old now identifies as asexual.
Rev. Phillip Phaneuf, of North Chili United Methodist Church in Rochester, made the announcement during a Nov. 23 Sunday service. The personal update was delivered from the pulpit while wearing a rainbow stole.
“So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning,” Phaneuf said. “I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender. The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man. This is a process, and it may be shocking for some as to what this all means.”
Phaneuf added that the pastor’s sexuality is now asexual, an orientation in which a person experiences little or no sexual attraction to others.
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Phil Phaneuf wearing a blonde wig and makeup. (Phil Phaneuf/Facebook)
“I’m in the category of what they call asexual,” Phaneuf said. “I’ve been that way since we’ve all been together, in that I am not living my life in a way that involves looking for romance.”
Phaneuf said the name will be changed to Phillippa, and the preferred pronouns are she/her. Hormone replacement therapy has been underway for the past three months, Phaneuf confirmed, and changes to appearance, voice and hair are expected.
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Phil Phaneuf conducts a Sunday service on Nov. 23, 2025, in Rochester, New York. (Phil Phaneuf/Facebook)
Phaneuf told Fox News Digital Tuesday that the details of the transition process are accurate and that the community has been extremely welcoming.
“Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!” Phaneuf said.
The pastor said the bishop, church and theology support the transition, noting that the bishop was consulted before the announcement and that any pastoral duties at the church will not be affected. “What will stay the same is my deepening love for all of you,” Phaneuf said.
The 51-year-old’s parents, however, do not support the decision. “They asked me to tell you all that they do not support me,” Phaneuf announced during the sermon. “They asked me to tell you this.”
Phil Phaneuf revealed during a Sunday service that the pastor will be transitioning into a woman. (Phil Phaneuf/Facebook)
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Last year, the United Methodist Church reversed rules that condemned LGBTQ+ identities in the community, according to its official website. The UMC now affirms human sexuality “as a sacred gift” and says this “applies to all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” according to its official website.
“The United Methodist Church commits to befriending and caring for all persons, including LGBTQ persons in our churches and communities,” it said.
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Pittsburg, PA
Nearly a Century Old, This Sears House Kit Home in Fineview is Still Fine | Pittsburgh Magazine
Built in 1928, the hillside home is packed with original millwork, charming details and loads of storage.
PHOTOS BY DONNELLY MEDIA, LLC
When Alena Taylor Keefe was in elementary school, her family moved to 2035 Biggs Ave. in Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood.
The year was 1975, and she recalls being delighted with the Craftsman-style home built from a Sears housing kit that her family would call theirs for the next 50 years.
“It’s a place that you can call home,” she says. “Some places you can’t really say that about, but it’s just such a great family home.”

Built in 1928, the house has three bedrooms and one bathroom packed into 1,500 square feet.
“I grump about the fact that there’s only one bathroom and the kitchen is small because I love to cook, but I still made it work for many family suppers,” Keefe says. “We hosted holiday dinners where we extended the dining table into the living room to accommodate everybody. It was just home.”

The first floor of the home has that small, yet functional kitchen, a nicely sized dining room and a large living room that spans the front of the home. Keefe warmly recalls coming down the front staircase on Christmas mornings and posing in formal dresses beside the steps before school dances. She says her family also enjoyed the long front porch that runs along the living room.
“My dad would come out and read the newspaper, and I’d be on the swing with my mom while she worked on her crochet,” she says.
On the second floor, three equally sized bedrooms share a hallway bathroom with double sinks. A set of pull-down stairs leads to ample storage under the eaves.

Now in their 80s, Keefe’s parents have moved to a maintenance-free home near Keefe’s current home in Beaver County, so they can continue to enjoy family dinners together, but without the responsibility of home ownership.
While Keefe is wistful about selling the home her parents carefully loved for half a century, she is certain a new buyer will recognize its charm and value.
“So much has never been touched,” she says. “There is original woodwork, an original fireplace that still has a coal chute to the outside and a lovely built-in China cabinet in the dining room.”

Keefe also touts the home’s plentiful storage; there’s a clean, dry basement, attic storage and a detached two-car garage with a lower level could be space for a workshop, studio or general storage.
Keefe notes the roof was replaced in the last decade; there also were updates to the HVAC, including adding air conditioning, and the family replaced the upstairs flooring in preparation to sell the carefully maintained home.

The house is now listed by Brian Larson of Howard Hanna for $245,000. He says it checks all the right boxes for a first-time homebuyer — or anyone shopping for a clean, well-maintained home.
“This is a home that has clearly been loved and lived in with care,” says Larson. “Over the years, attention has been given to maintaining and improving the property in a way that supports comfortable, everyday living. While no home of this era is ever ‘finished,’ per se, the overall condition reflects consistent stewardship rather than deferred maintenance.”

Larson says buyers should not have issues with financing for this home, including loans through the Federal Housing Administration or other specialized lending programs. Priced right around the city’s median home price, Larson encourages shoppers to check it out.
“Many first-time buyer programs are available that may offer down payment assistance and competitive interest rates, helping make homeownership more attainable for qualified buyers,” he says.
Larson adds that he loves the sun-soaked room that runs along the front of the home, as well as the wide front porch and the property’s proximity to Fineview Park.
“Fineview is also known as one of the best vantage points in the city for fireworks and skyline views,” he adds. “With convenient bus access and an easy commute to Downtown, the neighborhood offers a unique blend of tranquility, accessibility and city connection.”

Keefe says that while the neighbors have changed over the course of 50 years, her family has always been thankful for the close-knit Fineview community.
“There are some chickens running loose, but everybody up there is so kind,” she says with a laugh. “The mailman lives up on the corner; everybody knows everybody. It’s just so nice.”
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Connecticut
Connecticut’s Murphy: Greenland Is a Distraction
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said Sunday that if President Trump acts on his desire to “annex Greenland,” that would end the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He also suggested the whole Greenland issue was an unnecessary distraction.
“It would be the end of NATO,” the Democrat told NBC’s Meet the Press. “NATO would have an obligation to defend Greenland.” That, he suggested, would pit the U.S. against its NATO peers.
Murphy said the larger issue is that the president is “spending every single day thinking about invading Greenland, managing the Venezuelan economy, building a ballroom.” That takes time away from addressing healthcare and affordability issues, he said.
Maine
NYC mayor and Ms. Rachel team up – and share a Maine connection
In New York City, two notable figures with connections to Maine teamed up Friday for a performance of a time-tested tune: “Wheels on the Bus.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and sensational children’s educator Ms. Rachel sung the children’s nursery rhyme with a group of preschoolers at a Lower Manhattan pre-K as part of an announcement of free childcare for 2-year-olds in New York City.
In addition to a commitment to expanding accessible childcare, both Mamdani and Ms. Rachel, whose full name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, hold ties to the state of Maine.
On YouTube, Accurso, 43, shares widely beloved educational videos for toddlers. Her channel has over 18 million subscribers and more than 14 billion views, with some episodes streaming on Netflix as well.
Accurso grew up in the Springvale area of Sanford and graduated from Sanford High School. Her singing career began in the Portland area before she moved to New York City. Accurso also served on Mamdani’s inaugural committee.
An advocate for children everywhere, her outspoken concern for Palestinian children in Gaza has garnered her both praise and criticism this past year.
Mamdani’s connection to Maine anchors in Brunswick, where he attended Bowdoin College. At the small liberal arts college, from which he graduated in 2014, he majored in Africana studies, was involved in the student newspaper and co-founded the college’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.
While Accurso is much more experienced in entertaining children than the new mayor, she shared how Mamdani, 34, rose to the occasion on Friday.
She wrote on Instagram how the night before they sang, she sent Mamdani’s team a video of “Wheels on the Bus” in case he wanted to rehearse it, expecting the mayor to be too busy. But his team immediately wrote back saying he wanted to practice the song, she said.
“He showed up and nailed the song and choreo,” Accurso wrote. “You can tell he really cares about the children.”
Mamdani and Accurso also led a rendition of “If You’re Happy and You Know It,” followed by a discussion with the children about their feelings. Mamdani said he was feeling happy because of universal childcare for all 2-year-olds in the city.
The duo’s appearance at the pre-K followed the announcement on Thursday – Mamdani’s eighth day in office – that New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will partner with Mamdani to deliver free childcare for two-year-olds in New York City starting in September, as well as strengthening the existing 3K program. The state committed to funding the program for two years, according to the city’s website, and the program will impact nearly 100,000 children.
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