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Ben Schmitt

@bencschmitt.bsky.social

Tribune-Review deputy managing editor. Ex-Detroit Free Presser. Husband. Dad. Michigan State grad. Raised in Pittsburgh. Peabody High School.

323 Followers  |  141 Following  |  776 Posts  |  Joined: 07.02.2024  |  1.6535

Latest posts by bencschmitt.bsky.social on Bluesky


2nd lawsuit filed by family of East Huntingdon man killed in Clairton Coke Works blast The wife of a Westmoreland County man killed in the Aug. 11 Clairton Coke Works explosion is suing for wrongful death. Danielle Menefee filed the complaint Friday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Nippon Steel North America Inc., which took over U.S. Steel in June; MPW Industrial Services Inc.,

2nd lawsuit filed by family of East Huntingdon man killed in Clairton Coke Works blast

24.02.2026 14:40 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Home for sex offenders on Pittsburgh’s South Side prompts uproar About a dozen sex offenders living in a recovery house in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes will be moving out amid community uproar, according to the city councilman who represents the neighborhood. The three-quarter house on Salisbury Street spurred concerns among neighbors who received notifications that sex offenders were moving in,

Home for sex offenders on Pittsburgh's South Side prompts uproar

24.02.2026 17:10 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
NFL Films and Pat McAfee celebrate Pittsburgh with ‘The Football Town’ The NFL Draft is 60 days away, but its first local event will arrive much sooner on the screen of the Kamin Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema. “The Football Town,” a celebration of Pittsburgh’s gridiron genealogy, premieres Saturday to science center visitors. “This is our first real activation headed up

NFL Films and Pat McAfee celebrate Pittsburgh with 'The Football Town'

23.02.2026 18:31 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
From Forbes Field to PNC Park, fans remember Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski Dave Sedor felt chills Saturday as he paced along a patch of grass at the remains of the Forbes Field outfield wall thinking of the late Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski. Sedor, of Madison, Wis., was in Charleroi celebrating his aunt’s 101st birthday when he heard Mazeroski had died. “I

From Forbes Field to PNC Park, fans remember Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski

21.02.2026 22:10 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Here’s what to know about the ICE detention center in Clearfield County Editor’s note: This is Part 2 of a three-part series. PHILIPSBURG — When detainees first step into a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center facility in Clearfield County, their risk level is quickly determined — and it shows in the color of their jumpsuit. Red marks those classified as

Here's what to know about the ICE detention center in Clearfield County

22.02.2026 12:50 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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From Forbes Field to PNC Park, fans remember Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski Dave Sedor felt chills Saturday as he paced along a patch of grass at the remains of the Forbes Field outfield wall thinking of the late Pittsburgh Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski. Sedor, a Madison, Wis...

Broke out the old reporting hat for Maz.
triblive.com/sports/pirat...

21.02.2026 20:35 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Bill Mazeroski, former Pirates World Series legend, dies at 89 Bill Mazeroski, the Pirates second baseman whose one swing of the bat nearly overshadowed his reputation as a wizard with the glove, died Friday. He was 89. The Pirates announced his death Saturday mo...

triblive.com/sports/bill-...

21.02.2026 13:18 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Lawsuit claims Nippon failed to avert fatal Clairton Coke Works blast A lawsuit filed by the sister of a man killed in an explosion at Clairton Coke Works last summer alleges that if owner Nippon Steel had addressed ongoing, known safety concerns at the facility when it...

triblive.com/business/law...

20.02.2026 18:14 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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TV Talk: WTAE promotes from within, names LaQuatra morning co-anchor Following Michelle Wright’s Feb. 27 final broadcast before retirement, morning traffic reporter Elena LaQuatra will succeed Wright at the anchor desk as WTAE returns to a two-anchor morning form...

TV Talk: WTAE promotes from within, names new morning co-anchor for after Michelle Wright retires this month + Olympics rate locally, per NBC + #HannahMontana reunion scheduled, via @triblive.bsky.social triblive.com/aande/movies...

18.02.2026 15:11 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Woodland Hills board president resigns after felony charges Woodland Hills School Board President Terri Lawson has resigned following controversy surrounding suspected misuse of nearly $10,000 in unauthorized purchases on a borough credit card. Lawson, former Rankin borough manager, was charged with felony counts of theft and fraud as well as misdemeanor counts of forgery and tampering with records

Woodland Hills board president resigns after felony charges

18.02.2026 16:32 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Construction to begin on Oakland’s Panther Hollow Bridge Construction is set to begin on the Panther Hollow Bridge, which has been closed since inspectors discovered corrosion on the span’s steel trusses during an inspection in fall 2024. Pittsburgh on Wednesday said repairs on the 640-foot-long bridge — which spans Panther Hollow near Anderson Playground — will start within

Construction to begin on Oakland's Panther Hollow Bridge

18.02.2026 18:16 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
TV Talk: WTAE promotes from within, names new morning co-anchor Following Michelle Wright’s Feb. 27 final broadcast before retirement, morning traffic reporter Elena LaQuatra will succeed Wright at the anchor desk as WTAE returns to a two-anchor morning format. Janelle Hall will remain at the morning anchor desk alongside LaQuatra and meteorologist Ashley Dougherty but Ryan Recker will move to

TV Talk: WTAE promotes from within, names new morning co-anchor

18.02.2026 21:36 — 👍 0    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Downtown Pittsburgh assault near Kaufmann’s clock leads to 3 arrests Police on Wednesday arrested three of four suspects charged with punching and kicking a man dozens of times earlier this month while beating him in Downtown Pittsburgh near the landmark Kaufmann&rsquo...

triblive.com/local/downto...

18.02.2026 22:02 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Post image

Driver waives hearing, faces trial in fiery wrong-way crash on I-376.

@pastatepolice.bsky.social say the 23-year-old’s blood-alcohol was nearly twice the legal limit. One motorist suffered multiple broken bones. @triblive.bsky.social

LINK IN COMMENTS

17.02.2026 23:53 — 👍 0    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
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‘Electric personality’: Jesse Jackson left lasting impressions in Pittsburgh The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon who died Tuesday, stumped in Pittsburgh during his presidential runs in 1984 and 1988, and returned a generation later to rally the city behind President ...

'Electric personality': Jesse Jackson left lasting impressions in Pittsburgh
triblive.com/local/electr...
(Via TribLive)

18.02.2026 00:17 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Pittsburgh girl a top Girl Scout cookie seller Pim Marie Anorak Neill became enamored with selling Girl Scouts cookies at just 3 years old, long before she was old enough to become a Scout. Now a 6-year-old from Mt. Washington, Pim is the top seller in the organization’s 27-county Western Pennsylvania district. Pim has sold 106,800 boxes of

Pittsburgh girl a top Girl Scout cookie seller

17.02.2026 00:36 — 👍 0    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Confrontation erupts at anti-ICE protest in Springdale A rally in Springdale to protest the arrest of a South American man living in Springdale by ICE agents turned violent Saturday when a confrontation erupted between a passing motorist and rally participants. The rally in the area of Pittsburgh and School streets was organized to protest the arrest of

Confrontation erupts at anti-ICE protest in Springdale

14.02.2026 20:20 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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‘The Pitt’ tries a Pittsburgh accent, and locals have opinions The Pittsburgh accent is one of those “if you know, you know” things. Lifelong denizens of the 412 can recognize it in others immediately, but outsiders can struggle to pick it out —...

'The Pitt' tries a Pittsburgh accent, and locals have opinions
triblive.com/aande/movies...
(Via TribLive)

14.02.2026 16:05 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Springdale Police detain, hand over resident to ICE after traffic stop, family says Randy Cordova-Flores was driving near the corner of Lincoln and James streets in Springdale on Tuesday, when local police pulled him over, according to his sister, Paulette. Soon after, he was in the ...

triblive.com/local/valley...

10.02.2026 22:20 — 👍 1    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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The Marc Fogel story: An unexplained departure and a triumphant return to the U.S. For months, Marc Fogel had just been going through the motions of his captivity in the Russian prison system more than 5,000 miles from his home in Pittsburgh. After being left behind in a massive, mu...

Chapter 4: triblive.com/local/region...

10.02.2026 14:50 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Diocese of Pittsburgh to close 7 churches next month The Diocese of Pittsburgh will close seven of eight churches in its Saint Joseph the Worker Parish next month. During Saturday evening and Sunday morning Masses, pastors read churchgoers a letter written by Bishop Mark Eckman, outlining the closure of the seven churches — Good Shepherd in Braddock, Sacred Heart

Diocese of Pittsburgh to close 7 churches next month

09.02.2026 12:03 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
TV Talk: Super Bowl ads embrace AI, nostalgia, warmth Super Bowl LX commercials put an emphasis on artificial intelligence, 1980s and ‘90s culture, feel-good situations, Pittsburgh celebrities and, uh, an out-there focus on rear ends. Pittsburgh native actor Jeff Goldblum (“Wicked: For Good”) turned up in ads for Comcast Xfinity’s Wi-Fi, revisiting his “Jurassic Park” role, and in another

TV Talk: Super Bowl ads embrace AI, nostalgia, warmth

09.02.2026 12:53 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show delivers a party with a message of love While the reason to tune in to the Super Bowl on Sunday night was ostensibly to watch the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots duke it out for the NFL championship, the buzz leading up to the broadcast was all about the music. In September, it was announced that Puerto

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show delivers a party with a message of love

09.02.2026 13:43 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Firefighters battle 'stubborn' fire at Ross Park Mall, opening delayed
triblive.com/local/north-...
(Via TribLive)

08.02.2026 16:47 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Man dies in wrong-way crash on Parkway West A man was killed and another was injured in a wrong-way crash Sunday on the Parkway West, police said Pennsylvania State Police said the crash occurred at 3:54 a.m. on the Parkway West near the Campbells Run Road exit. A blue Toyota Prius was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes

Man dies in wrong-way crash on Parkway West

08.02.2026 14:30 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Oakmont man released from ICE custody ‘profoundly relieved and grateful to God,’ attorney says The Flores family is back together after Jose Flores was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody Saturday. A Saturday evening Instagram post from Oakmont Bakery, where Flores works, said Flores was released and reunited with his family. The post thanks various parties, including ICE officials, “who made the decision

Oakmont man released from ICE custody 'profoundly relieved and grateful to God,' attorney says

08.02.2026 02:10 — 👍 9    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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The Marc Fogel story: Fogel maps legal strategy for court, and ultimately feels Russian wrath On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded a plane to Moscow to begin their final year teaching at...

'Injustice system': Fogel maps legal strategy for court, and ultimately feels Russian wrath
triblive.com/local/region...
(Via TribLive)

08.02.2026 13:02 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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From Darkness to Light: Marc Fogel’s journey to freedom From Darkness to Light: Marc Fogel's journey to freedom On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded...

Marc hadn’t told Jane about the contact cases, about how he had packed his prescription medical marijuana inside them to bring it into Russia, a country with strict drug laws.

Marc glanced at his wife.

“That’s an image I have now of her,” Marc said.

07.02.2026 12:38 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Shapiro condemns Trump’s post about Obamas as ‘racist garbage’ Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has condemned a video shared by President Donald Trump depicting former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes as “racist garbage.” &ld...

Shapiro condemns Trump's post about Obamas as 'racist garbage'
triblive.com/news/pennsyl...
(Via TribLive)

06.02.2026 23:30 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Coming Saturday: From Darkness to Light: The Marc Fogel story Beginning Saturday, our exclusive series From Darkness to Light: The Marc Fogel story by Paula Reed Ward. Only on TribLive.

Stellar reporting and writing in a @triblive.bsky.social series beginning tomorrow
triblive.com/local/coming...

06.02.2026 18:28 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

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