Pittsburg, PA
Doug Emhoff to speak at groundbreaking of memorial for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims
PITTSBURGH (AP/KDKA) — Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish person to serve as the spouse of a nationally elected U.S. leader, will deliver remarks on Sunday at the groundbreaking of the memorial to victims of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
The White House announced that Emhoff, who has been among the most visible and outspoken Biden administration officials on combating antisemitism at home and abroad, would attend the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Tree of Life campus.
Designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, who co-designed the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site, the building will have a skylit atrium running the length of the building, signifying hope.
The synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood was home to the deadliest antisemitic attack in the United States, in which 11 worshipers were killed by a gunman driven by hatred of Jews. The space will include a new place of worship, a museum devoted to studying the hatred of Jews in the U.S. and a memorial to the victims.
The June 23 event will include community leaders, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who will serve as the ceremony’s host.
Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue awarded $1 million for education
Last month, Senator Bob Casey announced that $1 million in federal funding would be going to the Tree of Life synagogue to develop new educational programming at the K-12 level. The money is broken down into staffing, technology and classrooms.
Across the country, antisemitic incidents are on the rise. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were more 8,800 last year, a 140 percent increase from 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh-area native riding out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica says it’s “the scariest thing”
As Hurricane Melissa rips through Jamaica, thousands of locals and visitors are riding it out, including a woman from southwestern Pennsylvania.
As the winds blew and the rain came pouring down in Montego Bay, Antoinette Margita hunkered down in her hotel, filled with anxiety.
“I just don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been through anything like this,” Margita said. “It’s probably the scariest thing.”
From Duquesne, she flew out of Pittsburgh and got to Jamaica on Friday for what was supposed to be a trip celebrating her friend’s birthday. But when there were early signs of a potential storm, her friend decided to stay back.
“I should have listened to her,” Margita said.
She could not get an early flight out, so she enjoyed the sunshine until Monday night, when the front started to come in and pick up Tuesday morning.
“I kind of feel like I’m in a movie. It’s not real, but it is real,” Margita said. “You can hear like the wind. It’s like whistling. The door sounds like the door is going to come open.”
The hotel gave the guests care packages with lots of water, along with notes on how to ride out the hurricane, instructing them to put a mattress against the window.
So far, so good, as her hotel is running on a generator, but shortly after Melissa made landfall nearly 40 miles away, a little water started flooding under her door.
“Just thinking positive and just trying to talk to my friends on the phone to get me through it,” Margita said.
As the hours go on, Margita hopes things don’t get worse, waiting for the moment she can fly back to Pittsburgh.
“I just want to come home, honestly, that’s what I want,” Margita said.
Margita was originally supposed to fly out on Tuesday. The flight was, of course, cancelled, as was her new flight for Wednesday. It’s unclear when the airport will reopen.
Pittsburg, PA
Fan suffers ‘life-threatening’ injuries in fall at Pittsburgh Penguins game, officials say
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Pittsburgh Public Safety Department confirmed that a fan fell from the upper bowl of PPG Paints Arena during the game between the Penguins and the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 27.
The Department said in a statement posted to Facebook that an adult male fell from the 200 level of the arena at around 7:15 local time, striking a individual located in the suite level below before continuing to fall to the 100 level.
Pittsburgh EMS paramedics transported the individual to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the statement. The person struck on the suite level was evaluated by paramedics on scene and declined transport to the hospital, officials said.
The Penguins said in a statement posted to X that the team and OVG Management Group, which operates the arena, are monitoring the situation and “our concerns remain with the individual and his family at this time.”
USA TODAY has reached out to OVG Management Group for further comment.
After the game, the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby — who became the ninth player in NHL history to surpass 1,700 career points — seemed more focused on the well-being of the fan who fell than his own personal milestone.
“We just heard someone fell tonight,” Crosby said. “Doesn’t feel right to be talking about points. My thoughts and prayers to that person.”
This is a developing story
Pittsburg, PA
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t seeking ‘revenge’ against the Packers, who gave him a reality check instead
PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers spent the week insisting his first-ever game against the Green Bay Packers wasn’t personal. That he wasn’t looking for revenge against the team he defined for the better part of two decades.
Good thing, because there was none to be had on Sunday night in Pittsburgh’s 35-25 loss to Green Bay.
Instead, there was only reminder after reminder that while the 41-year-old Rodgers can still compete at a high level, the team that surrounds him remains very much a work in progress. And maybe an iffy one at that.
Rodgers threw for 219 yards and two scores in Pittsburgh’s second straight loss, the first time he’s ever looked across the field and watched the Packers celebrate victory on the other.
“Disappointed,” Rodgers said. “Disappointed that I didn’t play better, that we didn’t play better, especially in the second half.”
Rodgers spent 18 years in Green Bay building a resume that will one day land him in the Hall of Fame. Four MVPs and a Super Bowl title will do that. Yet rather than retire as a Packer, Rodgers kept going.
That journey eventually brought him to Pittsburgh, where he is serving as a highly skilled stopgap to whichever franchise quarterback might come next. Rodgers has shown flashes that he can still bring it when he has to in his 21st season. But the days when his brilliance can almost single-handedly overcome his team’s considerable warts are over.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
After a promising 4-1 start, the Steelers have dropped two straight and while Rodgers has no interest in riding the weekly roller coaster that is the NFL season, he’s also well aware there’s too much for Pittsburgh to address for him to get caught up in playing “remember when” when talking about the Packers.
Rodgers spent a chunk of the pregame catching up with old friends, many of them members of the Green Bay support staff who have remained following his departure.
Yet when he was introduced to a loud and long ovation while wearing Pittsburgh’s garish or inspired (depending on your perspective) throwbacks, Rodgers was all business. All Pittsburgh.
He deftly guided the Steelers to four scoring drives in the first half while building a 16-7 lead. The problem is, three of those drives ended in long field goals by Chris Boswell instead of touchdowns.
Green Bay Packers’ Rashan Gary sacks Pittsburgh Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Pittsburgh. Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki

“Bos bailed us out on four incredible kicks, but when you’re playing good teams, you need to score touchdowns, and we stalled out in the high red zone,” Rodgers said.
Green Bay righted itself offensively after halftime behind Love — who at one point tied a franchise record by completing 20 straight passes — and Rodgers and the rest of the Steelers couldn’t keep pace.
Pittsburgh’s first five possessions in the second half went punt, field goal, punt, punt, fumble. A wholly unnecessary 15-yard penalty against wide receiver DK Metcalf blunted a late drive before it even started. A fumble by running back Kenny Gainwell set up a Green Bay field goal that effectively put the game out of reach.
“We can’t beat ourselves,” Rodgers said. “I think in the three losses, there’s been times where we’ve had opportunities and we’ve hurt ourselves with turnovers or just negative plays. So we got to cut those out. We got to get on the same page on offense and defense and keep the faith.”
That faith will be tested in the coming weeks. Pittsburgh welcomes AFC South leading Indianapolis next week before a trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers. There is plenty to clean up, particularly on a high-priced defense that has looked overmatched for long stretches and has now not produced a turnover in three straight games.
If there is a saving grace for Rodgers, it’s this: there are no longer any more former teams for him to face this season. Seven weeks after his tenure with Pittsburgh began with a four-touchdown masterpiece against the Jets, he watched Love put on a Rodgers-like performance while he and the Steelers sputtered at key times.
Afterward, Rodgers and Love shared a brief embrace at midfield, with Love putting in a request to get a signed jersey from the man who showed him what it means to be a professional quarterback.
And as discouraged as he might have been at the final score, Rodgers also couldn’t help but take notice of his protege, the player who looks and plays at times an awful lot like his mentor.
“He played great,” Rodgers said. “He played fantastic. He’s had a really nice season. He’s been really efficient with the football.”
All sentences that have been used to describe Rodgers at times during his career. Just maybe not on Sunday, when nostalgia gave way to the reality that there is work to be done if Rodgers wants his one-year coda in Pittsburgh to end on a more upbeat note than his time in Green Bay did.
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