July 08, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport City Council has approved a contract to demolish another 20 blighted structures.
At this month’s meeting, council awarded a $319,500 bid for demolition/construction to Betters Company Inc. City officials said the list original had 35 buildings, but had to be trimmed down.
The contract includes demolition of houses on Abraham and Atcheson streets, one on Atlantic Avenue, four on Bailie Avenue, and properties on Butler, Craig, Erie, Freeland, Garbett, Huey and Jenny Lind streets; as well as units on Madison Avenue and two on Manor Avenue.
Also included are two on Maple Street, one on Shaw and two on Spring Street, and others on Stewart and Versailles Avenue, as well as Washington and three on Willow Street.
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July 06, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: State & Region
Volunteers with the Mon-Yough Trail Council dedicate a few hours each week to keeping their portion of the Great Allegheny Passage trail clear and open. (Photo courtesy Mon-Yough Trail Council)
After heavy storms and flooding affected much of the Mon Valley earlier this summer, Ken Medved with the Mon-Yough Trail Council was glad to see that its section of the Great Allegheny Passage didn’t have any weather-related damage.
Thankfully, volunteers have been able to focus on their usual summer maintenance — mowing, grooming weeds, and checking for erosion — readying this part of the trail for their busiest season.
Those members who give their time every Wednesday and Saturday are dedicated to keeping the 15-mile stretch of the GAP trail from Port Vue to the Westmoreland County line as accessible and welcoming as possible. This care and passion is evident in the events they host, like the recently held Half Marathon and five-kilometer Run/Walk.
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July 06, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
New McKeesport police Chief Josh Alfer shares a laugh with Senior Magisterial District Judge Thomas Brletic, a former police chief. (Thomas Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
Four former McKeesport police chiefs were in attendance Wednesday night when Josh Alfer officially sworn into office as the newest.
Alfer, a city native who has been with the department since 2006, had been serving as acting police chief since former chief Mark Steele retired in January. He had previously served as assistant police chief and as a lieutenant.
The new chief was sworn in by his father-in-law, Senior Magisterial District Judge Thomas S. Brletic. Brletic — himself a former McKeesport police chief — gave Alfer his badge with instructions, “Don’t tarnish it.”
The badge promptly fell to the floor. “I meant ‘don’t bring shame to it’,” Brletic added, to laughter.
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July 04, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne City Council has amended its landlord-tenant ordinance to clarify several points — including to exempt publicly owned housing.
At this week’s meeting, council clarified the ordinance to “clearly identify who is applicable under the ordinance, including the exemption of County- and Commonwealth-owned properties.”
Mayor R. Scott Adams said that landlords will be charged a rental fee each year. That fee was not immediately announced.
Council also voted to “clearly identify boats as recreational vehicles and to delineate the proper area for storage.” In recent meetings, the council has discussed changing the law as a way to prevent residents from parking boats on the city’s narrow streets.
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July 04, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne’s mayor commended the city’s volunteer fire department for its efforts to battle a blaze that claimed the life of a resident.
At this week’s council meeting, Duquesne Fire Chief Frank Cobb told city officials that volunteers arrived at the scene of the June 26 house fire within five to six minutes of the initial call, but the home was already completely engulfed by flame.
The blaze destroyed 138 and 136 North Third St., and one unidentified resident was killed in the blaze. Two other homes, at 130 and 140 North Third Street, received slight damage, according to Cobb.
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July 03, 2025 |
By Leslie Savisky | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A two-alarm fire caused heavy damage June 15 to Cal’s Cantina on Eden Park Boulevard. (Leslie Savisky photo for Tube City Almanac)
Two weeks after a devastating fire at a popular city restaurant, there is no word yet on whether it will reopen.
Cal’s Cantina on Eden Park Boulevard was damaged by a two-alarm fire in the early morning hours of June 15.
According to McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik, the blaze was called in at 3:21 a.m. and extinguished 44 minutes later, at 4:05 a.m. Fortunately, the building was not occupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
The fire is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office, said Kasey Reigner, public information officer for Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services.
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July 01, 2025 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
The Trump Administration’s budget — which the president and Republicans have called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — hit a roadblock after the Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a key Medicaid provider tax change violates chamber rules.
The House version would slash federal Medicaid spending by at least $700 billion to help fund tax cuts and other Trump-era priorities.
Molly McCullough, a telemetry float registered nurse in southwestern Pennsylvania, warned the cuts could put seniors at risk and threaten rural hospitals. She said many older adults in this part of the state depend on Medicaid, adding that she hopes the Senate’s action helps protect their care.
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July 01, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
National Alliance on Mental Illness McKeesport Support Group will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday (July 2) at Penn State Greater Allegheny in Frable Building, Room 122, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness. This opportunity offers understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones, the spokeswoman added.
For more information about the McKeesport meeting, call (412) 527-6600. For the NAMI Helpline, call (412) 366-3788 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
July 01, 2025 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Semper Fidelis Club members and officers pose with the scholarship recipients and retired state Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Three outstanding local students received scholarships from McKeesport’s Semper Fidelis club.
At its annual “Salute to the Graduates” program, held at the Healthy Village Learning Institute on Freemont Street, Saniya Rivers, Santana Kennedy and Treyvon Bowling were recognized by Semper Fi. Established in 1919, it is one of Pennsylvania’s long-standing clubs and has a commitment to community service and scholarship awards.
Along with awarding scholarships, the club also makes donations to various organizations in the Mon Valley, contributed to the African American room at the University of Pittsburgh, and helped raise money for the Carnegie Library of McKeesport, chairperson Fawn Walker Montgomery said.
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June 26, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Crews were still working Thursday on the scene of an early morning fire in Duquesne. (Tom Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
One person is dead and four homes were left damaged following a fast-moving fire in Duquesne early Thursday.
Crews remained on scene well into the afternoon following the blaze, which was reported at 1:20 a.m. at a two-story wood-frame home at 136 N. Third St. Emergency personnel said the blaze then spread to 138 N. Third St.
According to reports, when first responders arrived, one house was fully engulfed, and one resident was outside of the burning home, shouting for his wife who was still inside. She was unaccounted for on Thursday morning and presumed dead.
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