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Jimmy Cloutier

@jrcloutier.com
572 followers 1.7K following 118 posts

Level 33 human | Investigative Data Reporter @post-gazette.com | Previously at @opensecrets.org, News21 | Former Peace Corps volunteer in Armenia 🇦🇲 | Québécois + American Signal: @jrcloutier.92

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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 30/09/2026
The Pennsylvania Department of Health today confirmed that another person with measles has died — the fifth fatality since August.
post-gazette.com
Fifth Pennsylvania resident dies after contracting measles
As measles cases continue to increase in Pennsylvania, another resident has died after contracting the disease — the fifth fatality in an outbreak...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 26/09/2026
I spoke with the parents of the 18-year-old woman who died in Pennsylvania this month after contracting measles. Her story is a heartbreaking reminder of how serious this virus can be.
post-gazette.com
The tragic death of a Pennsylvania Amish woman stricken by measles
LEWISTOWN, Pa. — In an aging, white Pennsylvania farmhouse at the end of a long gravel driveway, the Amish couple brought their 18-year-old daughter...
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Sara Gaiser @akrazia.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) on Wednesday said the nation’s worst measles outbreak in the United States in 35 years is “going to be a terrible legacy for this administration,” citing recent deaths in Pennsylvania.
wapo.st
Sen. Cassidy says measles surge will be administration’s ‘terrible legacy’
Under questioning by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), Trump’s surgeon general pick Nicole Saphier called a combined vaccine “our greatest tool for combating measles infections.”
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 15/09/2026
A fourth person has died after contracting measles — an 18-year-old in Mifflin County, following rare complications from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which causes swelling of the brain and spinal cord.
post-gazette.com
As outbreak spirals in Pennsylvania, a fourth person dies after contracting the measles.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported that a fourth person has died after being infected with measles — the most fatalities related...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 13/09/2026
A third measles death has been reported in Pennsylvania — this time a 40-year-old woman in Jefferson County.
post-gazette.com
Another Pennsylvanian has died from measles-related complications, officials say
As the measles outbreak continues to spread across Pennsylvania, a 40-year-old Jefferson County woman died on Saturday from complications of the disease,...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 12/09/2026
ICYMI: I went to Lancaster — ground zero for the measles outbreak, with nearly half of all statewide cases — to understand why some parents have chosen not to vaccinate their children. One mother vaccinated two of her children but not the three youngest. All three caught measles.
post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania’s measles crisis: Inside the nation’s largest outbreak
LANCASTER — For Hilda Smucker, the signs that her daughter was sickened with measles came soon after she arrived from camp. It started with tiny...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 12/09/2026
676 cases and counting: Pennsylvania just passed South Carolina this year after reporting 50+ new measles cases today. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 02/09/2026
'We are sounding the alarm': Mayor says the city's financial picture is far more dire than previously known
post-gazette.com
'We are sounding the alarm': Mayor says the city's financial picture is far more dire than previously known
Ten months ago, former Mayor Ed Gainey stood inside City Council chambers to deliver his final budget address — and to defend his financial stewardship...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 02/09/2026
Pennsylvania health officials reported 40 new measles cases today, bringing the statewide total to 540. Pennsylvania has now surpassed Utah in total measles infections this year. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 02/09/2026
In an unusual move, the Centers for Disease Control left two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania out of its latest weekly update.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 01/09/2026
Allegheny County health officials are warning that people who visited UPMC Children's Hospital last week may have been exposed to measles, after two people who were at the hospital later tested positive for the virus.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 26/08/2026
State health officials have confirmed that two people in Lancaster County have died after contracting measles, the first deaths related to the highly contagious virus this year.
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Tory Wegerski @producertory.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Back in March, KDKA Investigates checked out a community's complaints that their air smelled like nail polish remover, and found a major environmental violation by the nearby Sherwin-Williams plant. Today, the PA DEP announced a $124K civil penalty and a consent agreement.
cbsnews.com
Sherwin-Williams to pay $124,700 penalty after Beaver County residents say air smells of "pure chemicals"
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company entered into a consent order and agreement.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 08/08/2026
In the week since this story was published, 59 additional measles cases have been reported, bringing the annual total to 226 just weeks before the start of the school year.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 31/07/2026
Pennsylvania's measles outbreak is accelerating. In just the past week, the virus has spread to two more counties and sickened more than two dozen people. At least 167 cases have been reported this year.
post-gazette.com
With spike in new cases, measles outbreak intensifies across Pennsylvania
With thousands of Pennsylvania students about to embark on another school year, the measles outbreak is intensifying at a remarkable rate, spreading to...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 24/07/2026
In 2017, a global network of online accounts coordinated a social media harassment campaign against a Pittsburgh pediatric practice after it posted a video promoting the HPV vaccine. The online attack — the largest of its kind at the time — was a prelude to the coming battles over vaccines.
post-gazette.com
The viral online attack on Pittsburgh doctors that sparked a national debate over vaccines
One by one, the faces of the doctors splashed across the screen in a dramatic video created to reach thousands of viewers with a simple message. The HPV...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 24/07/2026
The U.S. hit another grim milestone today: 2,318 measles cases have been reported this year — the highest count in more than three decades — as a childhood disease once eliminated in this country spreads to dozens of states.
nytimes.com
Measles Cases Hit New Record in U.S., as Vaccination Rates Wane (Gift Article)
More measles cases have been reported in the United States in the last two years than in all the years from 2000 through 2024 combined.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 16/07/2026
Fetterman warns Democrats he'd leave the party if it turns its back on Israel — and most Democrats are fine with that
post-gazette.com
Fetterman warns Democrats he'd leave the party if it turns its back on Israel — and most Democrats are fine with that
After years of growing estrangement from his fellow Democrats, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said on Thursday that he would abandon the party if it turned on...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 04/07/2026
Charleroi braces for uncertain future after Supreme Court ruling leaves Haitians in limbo
post-gazette.com
Charleroi braces for uncertain future after Supreme Court ruling leaves Haitians in limbo
In a small brick church in the heart of Charleroi, the Rev. Sharon Woomer had been planning a wedding with a pair of congregants when her phone buzzed,...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 01/07/2026
Pittsburgh's heat wave could usher in 'violent' storms during Fourth of July weekend
post-gazette.com
Pittsburgh's heat wave could usher in 'violent' storms during Fourth of July weekend
Meteorologists say “violent” storms could hit the Pittsburgh region this Fourth of July weekend after a dayslong heat wave that’s driven...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 01/07/2026
Giant Eagle to be acquired by Kroger in deal worth $1.65 billion
post-gazette.com
Giant Eagle to be acquired by Kroger in deal worth $1.65 billion
Pittsburgh’s grocery scene is about to be upended. Cincinnati-based Kroger announced Wednesday morning that it is acquiring Giant Eagle in a deal...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 28/06/2026
Lingering distrust, low vaccine rates threaten containment of Lancaster measles outbreak
post-gazette.com
Lingering distrust, low vaccine rates threaten containment of Lancaster measles outbreak
LANCASTER, Pa. — A growing distrust of health professionals seems to be undermining their efforts in central and southeastern Pennsylvania to stop...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 26/06/2026
As Pa. measles outbreak worsens, state health officials issue strong call to action: 'We are not just sitting back and watching this virus spread'
post-gazette.com
As Pa. measles outbreak worsens, state health officials issue strong call to action: 'We are not just sitting back and watching this virus spread'
LANCASTER, Pa. — State Health Secretary Debra Bogen on Friday issued a strong call to action in the wake of a measles outbreak not seen in Pennsylvania...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 18/06/2026
Amid a spike in measles cases, Pennsylvania House Democrats plan to reintroduce legislation that would require parents seeking school vaccine waivers for their children to first consult a doctor before the start of every year.
post-gazette.com
How Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to tighten school vaccine exemptions as measles cases spike
With the spread of dangerous childhood diseases rising across Pennsylvania, top lawmakers say they want to rein in the legal exemptions that have allowed...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 11/06/2026
In a letter to school leaders today, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said it will make school immunization rates easily accessible to parents — a move meant to improve transparency and boost compliance with state vaccine requirements.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 22/05/2026
This story is playing out across the country as more parents skip routine childhood vaccines. Here in Pennsylvania, vaccination rates in hundreds kindergarten classrooms have dropped below the 95% threshold needed to stop measles from spreading.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 14/05/2026
The latest episode of Widow’s Bay has one of the most haunting shots I’ve seen in a while, and it flashes on screen so quickly my wife missed it. This show is so good.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 10/05/2026
Amid a surge in measles cases, top Pa. state lawmakers say school vaccine rates need to be made public. Several states already do this. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania lawmakers: Falling school vaccine rates need to be made public
With hundreds of children sickened by measles nationwide, top Pennsylvania lawmakers say the state needs to disclose the vaccination rates of all schools...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 07/05/2026
Pa.’s second measles outbreak this year comes as vaccination rates plummet in schools across the state. In Lebanon County, rates in kindergarten classrooms have fallen in nearly every school, with five dropping below herd immunity for measles, the level needed to stem the spread of the disease.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 05/05/2026
The Venetoulis Institute, the new owner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, plans on holding listening sessions in the coming to months to learn how the region’s largest news organization can better serve the community.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A Note to Readers
The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which started The Baltimore Banner four years ago, takes ownership Monday of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
We are thrilled to have this opportunity to ensure that Western Pennsylvania maintains access to high-quality local journalism. We're grateful to the Block family for its civic leadership over nearly a century and take seriously our obligation to serve the community with fairness and integrity.
As newcomers to Pittsburgh, we have been careful to fill the organization with top-notch journalists and business leaders from the old Post-Gazette. We'll rely on them to help us get to know this great city and region. We'll also begin this spring hosting community listening sessions throughout the area to make sure we hear directly from you about what you need and want in your news organization.Venetoulis was founded in response to the nationwide erosion of local news, with so many newspapers shutting down or being purchased by hedge funds with a single-minded focus on financial returns. We are driven, first and foremost, by a civic mission to bring trusted local reporting to communities that need it most. We're also determined to create a successful model for local journalism that can be refined in Maryland and replicated here in Pittsburgh — and perhaps elsewhere in the coming years. Progress at The Banner suggests we are on the right path, with strong business growth, an expanding newsroom, and a Pulitzer Prize last year in local reporting.Over time, you will notice some changes in the PG as we take vital steps to build an even more relevant, compelling, and sustainable news organization that, on its best days, will serve as something of a town square for this community. For example, as a nonprofit organization, Venetoulis does not endorse candidates or, as an institution, take positions on matters of policy. That means we will be ending the Opinion section, though we are committed to vigorously reporting on key issues so that you can be an informed citizen, and we will continue to have columnists. At the same time, being a nonprofit allows us to raise donations from the community, which has proven to be an important ingredient in Maryland for building a resilient news business. We'll still be coming out twice weekly in print as well as delivering the daily e-edition. We're committed, as ever, to local news, sports, and investigative work.
And we'll focus on upgrading the experience on the website and app to better appeal to the growing base of digital readers.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 02/05/2026
This week was difficult. We had braced for cuts, but nothing prepares you to watch talented colleagues — some of the finest reporters and photographers in Pennsylvania — lose their jobs. The expertise they brought and the community relationships they built can’t easily be replaced.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 30/04/2026
🐧 Heartbreaking game.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 28/04/2026
Post-Gazette wins national award for investigation that exposed enforcement failures in protecting miners
post-gazette.com
Post-Gazette wins national award for investigation that exposed enforcement failures in protecting miners
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette received one of the country’s oldest national journalism awards for its investigative series that exposed critical breakdowns...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 28/04/2026
A lot has been written about falling vaccination rates across the U.S. Our latest investigation found that in Pennsylvania, hundreds of school leaders are contributing to the decline by failing to enforce the state’s school vaccine laws. newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/pennsylvania...
newsinteractive.post-gazette.com
How Pa.'s falling school vaccination rates and enforcement failures put thousands of children at risk
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...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 27/04/2026
Incredibly grateful to @healthjournalism.org for recognizing our investigation on black lung disease. Kudos to @michaeldsallah.bsky.social, @wereschagin.bsky.social, and the @medillschool.bsky.social student journalists who contributed to the investigation. healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/04...
healthjournalism.org
AHCJ announces winners of 2025 health journalism awards
Now in its 22nd year, the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism recognizes the best of health care reporting across all platforms.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 14/04/2026
Some good news for Pittsburgh: the nonprofit Venetoulis Institute, which owns @thebaltimorebanner.com, has acquired the @post-gazette.com, ensuring the future of Western Pennsylvania’s oldest and largest newspaper. www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...
post-gazette.com
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to continue publishing after sale to nonprofit media group
Toledo, Ohio-based Block Communications Inc. is selling the Post-Gazette assets to the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Baltimore Banner.
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Eviction Lab @evictionlab.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
“If we can bring more safeguards to tenants who speak up, we can improve the quality of housing and safety standards across Allegheny County.” www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...
post-gazette.com
New Allegheny County law strengthens protections for renters
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signed new legislation Friday to bolster protections for renters who file complaints against their landlords,...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 03/03/2026
Incredibly honored that our reporting on the black lung epidemic and the federal government’s regulation of silica — or lack thereof — has been recognized alongside some of the best investigative journalism of last year. Some truly remarkable and important work on this list.
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Mike Wereschagin @wereschagin.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
How Allegheny County’s tax base is collapsing — one appeal at a time www.post-gazette.com/business/dev... by @madaleinerubin.bsky.social & @jrcloutier.com
post-gazette.com
How Allegheny County’s tax base is collapsing — one appeal at a time
Michael Ernette knew his property taxes were too high when he faced a stark decision: pay what he owed or let the aging pipes beneath his home freeze again...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 14/02/2026
In his last piece for the @post-gazette.com, @benkail.bsky.social covers Pennsylvania’s role in the battle over voting reforms and the Trump administration’s efforts to “nationalize” elections ahead of the midterms. www.post-gazette.com/news/politic...
post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania on front lines of election power battle ahead of midterms
When he was mayor of Hazelton a few years before heading to Capitol Hill, former Rep. Lou Barletta left an international conference of mayors in Barcelona...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 03/02/2026
Measles outbreak confirmed in Lancaster County
post-gazette.com
Measles outbreak confirmed in Lancaster County
An outbreak of measles has been confirmed in Lancaster County, about 250 miles east of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed via...
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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 29/01/2026
Sen. John Fetterman on Thursday voted against advancing a highly-contested government funding package that includes allocations for the Department of Homeland Security, despite noting his objections to shutting down the government earlier this week.
inquirer.com
John Fetterman joins other Democrats in voting against advancing DHS funding as potential shutdown looms
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 25/01/2026
Washington County clinic helps black lung patients battle for crucial benefits — and to survive
post-gazette.com
Washington County clinic helps black lung patients battle for crucial benefits — and to survive
In battle against black lung, Pennsylvania clinic fights for miners
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Philadelphia Inquirer @inquirer.com · 24/01/2026
In the end, the pressure on the family simply became too great. Johny Merida Aguilara, the detained immigrant father of a 5-year-old son with brain cancer, has decided to drop efforts to stay in the United States, prompting his family to make a decision as well. 🔗 www.inquirer.com/news/johny...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 24/01/2026
Salt delivery delays force some Western Pa. towns to strategize ahead of snowstorm
post-gazette.com
Salt delivery delays force some Western Pa. towns to strategize ahead of snowstorm
Salt will be crucial during a historic snowstorm that will rip through most of the country and blanket Pittsburgh with up to 14 inches of snow this weekend. But...
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 24/01/2026
More than a hundred demonstrators gathered at the Target in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood, claiming the retail giant is cooperating with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis. Jacob Geanous has the details ⬇️
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 11/01/2026
The weather today in Pittsburgh is brutal. 12° F with windchill, 34mph gusts, and snow. But demonstrators have still come out to protest immigration enforcement following three shootings by federal agents last week.
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Jimmy Cloutier @jrcloutier.com · 04/01/2026
Breaking with fellow Democrats once more, Sen. John Fetterman joined GOP Sen. Dave McCormick in praising the U.S. military operation that deposed Venezuela's leader — an action the U.N. secretary-general called a "dangerous precedent."
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 01/01/2026
Massive fraud scheme that fleeced thousands of people had ties to Pittsburgh area
post-gazette.com
Massive fraud scheme that fleeced thousands of people had ties to Pittsburgh area
Before he was freed from prison by President Donald Trump five weeks ago, David Gentile was a power player in the world of private equity companies, amassing...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 26/12/2025
Federal judge stops DOJ's efforts to get UPMC Children’s to turn over patient info on gender-affirming care
post-gazette.com
Federal judge stops DOJ's efforts to get UPMC Children’s to turn over patient info on gender-affirming care
A federal judge in Pittsburgh has halted the U.S. government’s attempts to force UPMC Children’s Hospital to turn over detailed personal information...
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