Port Vue Slates Fall Clean-Up This Weekend

September 24, 2018 |

By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements

Port Vue will have fall cleanup days this Saturday and Sunday, a spokesperson said.

Trash bins for bulk collection will be located at the Romine Avenue Fields, in the parking lot near the comfort stations, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Only borough residents with proper identification may use the bins.

Electronics also may be recycled for $5 per item. For more information, call 412-664-9323.

NV Twp. Thanks Scout for Park Beautification Project

September 23, 2018 |

By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News

(Submitted photo courtesy Martino family)

A North Versailles Twp. student’s landscape gardening project has brought him one step closer to earning the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

Last week at the township commissioners' regular monthly meeting, board President Frank Bivens presented Noah Martino, 17, with a certificate of recognition and accompanying plaque for successfully completing the North Versailles Park Beautification Project in June.

“I have one merit badge that I am finishing over the next two months, and then I will officially get the Eagle rank,” Martino said.

White Oak Residents Demand Answers to Sewage Problems

September 23, 2018 |

By Cami DiBattista | Posted in: White Oak News

A room full of White Oak residents attended this month’s borough council meeting to air grievances after they said their homes were flooded with sewage when heavy storms hit the area Sept. 8, 9 and 10.

“I had three inches of sewage in my basement --- sewage, not rain water,” said John Baker, who lives on California Avenue. “Something’s not right. Something has to be done.”

Borough Manager John Palyo issued a statement on behalf of council, saying that White Oak does not own the sanitary sewer system, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County does.

White Oak Solicitor Krisha DiMascio said the Westmoreland municipal authority was asked to attend the council meeting. No one from the authority attended.

McKeesport Woman Killed in Wreck; Driver Faces Charges

September 23, 2018 |

By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News

A McKeesport woman died Sunday morning when the car in which she was a passenger was struck by another vehicle near Allegheny County Airport.

Marlee Anne Hill, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said. The accident happened just before 4 a.m.

Allegheny County police Lt. Andrew Schurman said in a prepared statement that Hill was in the back seat of a Volkswagen Jetta sedan that was stopped at the three-way intersection of Lebanon Church Road, Buttermilk Hollow Road and MacArthur Drive.

One Dead in Duquesne Shooting; Man's Death Ruled Homicide

September 23, 2018 |

By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News

(Updated 10 p.m. Sunday)

A Pittsburgh man died following a shooting Saturday afternoon in Duquesne.

A spokesman for the Allegheny County police said Duquesne police and McKeesport paramedics were dispatched to the 1100 block of Grant Avenue just after 4:30 p.m. when callers to 9-1-1 reported that a man had been shot.

When police and paramedics arrived, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

The Allegheny County medical examiner's office on Sunday identified the victim as Bronson Szallar, 22. A spokesperson said Szallar was found near the intersection of Pitts Avenue and Wilmot Street. Szallar's death has been ruled a homicide.

American Textile Expanding to City's Industrial Park

September 20, 2018 |

By Staff Reports | Posted in: News

(Tube City Almanac photo)

A Duquesne-based manufacturer of bedding sold in stores around the country is expanding into McKeesport.

American Textile Co. has signed a lease for a 98,000-square-foot building in the Industrial Center of McKeesport, located on the site of the former U.S. Steel National Works.

The deal was announced Thursday by the non-profit Regional Industrial Development Corp., which owns the industrial park. American Textile will be using a building at 200 Center St. formerly occupied by Steel City Products.

An RIDC spokeswoman said Steel City Products, an auto parts distributor, has moved elsewhere.

“As our pillow business continues to grow, we need this additional space to cover growing demand,” Lance Ruttenberg, American Textile's chief executive officer and president, said in a prepared statement. The company expects to add 30 employees at the McKeesport location.

Local Legislators Unveil Plan to Reform Police-Community Relations

September 17, 2018 |

By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News, News

State Rep. Austin Davis, center, and State Sen. Jim Brewster (right, back to camera) participated in a peace walk through McKeesport July 6 following a police-involved shooting in East Pittsburgh. The McKeesport legislators have joined colleagues from Pittsburgh, Forest Hills and Mt. Lebanon to promote police reform legislation. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)

In the wake of a police-involved shooting in East Pittsburgh that killed a 17-year-old and roiled the community, several local state legislators have unveiled a package of reform bills.

The legislation would be designed to improve police officer training and salaries; provide incentives for small municipalities to pursue regional police forces; encourage additional community oversight and recruitment of more diverse candidates to become police officers; and provide for an independent response team to investigate police shootings.

Backing the package of bills are state Sens. Jim Brewster of McKeesport, Jay Costa of Forest Hills and Wayne Fontana of Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood, along with state Reps. Austin Davis of McKeesport, Ed Gainey of East Liberty and Jake Wheatley of the Hill District.

“We need to do more to improve the training, quality and support of officers,” Costa said at a press conference last week. “But our improvements need to extend beyond police departments and into communities. I believe the package of bills we are working on can do that.”

3rd 'Bark in the Park' Announces Coloring, Art Contest

September 17, 2018 |

By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements

Volunteers pause in their work at Cindy's Memorial Bark Park in Port Vue. (Photo via Facebook)

Kids in kindergarten through sixth grade are being encouraged to compete in a coloring and art contest sponsored as part of the third-annual "Bark in the Park."

The annual event at Romine Avenue Fields, Port Vue, raises money for Cindy's Memorial Bark Park, a three-acre dog park that is currently being completed near the Port Vue Athletic Association off of Portsmouth Drive.

Scheduled for 12 to 5 p.m. Oct. 6, this year's Bark in the Park will feature craft and pet supply vendors, food trucks, games, face painting, "pet stenciling," photos with pets, "make and take" crafts for kids, raffles, an "Ask the Vet" booth and a pet supply drive for the Hello Bully pit bull rescue project.

Events tentatively include a "blessing of the pets" at 12:30 p.m., a "tricks for treats" contest at 1:30, a "cutest canine costume contest" at 2 p.m., field games for kids at 2:30 p.m., a police K-9 demonstration at 3:30 p.m.

Entries for the art and coloring contest should be dropped off before 3:30 p.m. on the day of the event. Winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded at 4:30 p.m.

Dark Comedy 'Sordid Lives' Brings Plenty of Laughs at MLT

September 13, 2018 |

By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment

The cast of McKeesport Little Theater's season-opening "Sordid Lives" rehearses a scene from the funeral of Peggy Ingram, whose unexpected death prompts some soul-searching among family members and friends. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo)

A comedy --- albeit a dark one --- is sure to bring plenty of laughs to the audience as McKeesport Little Theater kicks off its 58th season with a strong ensemble cast in “Sordid Lives.”

If the title sounds somewhat familiar, it probably is. Del Shores originally wrote “Sordid Lives” as a play, then directed an independent film with the same name in 2000, followed by a television series in 2008 called “Sordid Lives: The Series.”

Producer Anthony Gomez, who also is president of McKeesport Little Theater’s board of directors, said “Sordid Lives” is all about family and acceptance.

The play is set in Winters, Texas, and was nominated for more than 30 awards. Family matriarch Peggy Ingram, known in the community as an upright, Christian woman, dies in an unfortunate accident when she trips over her lover’s wooden legs and hits her head, causing quite a stir.

New Technology Programs Enhance Learning at Duquesne School

September 13, 2018 |

By Cami DiBattista | Posted in: Duquesne News

(Students at Duquesne Elementary School learn how to use a MakerBot 3D printer. Duquesne City School District photo via Facebook)

Duquesne City School District students were excited to learn about some new programs and opportunities awaiting them when they began school this year.

A new coding program called Codes and Bots --- complete with a new lab space for elementary students to utilize --- an addition to the curriculum for the 2018-2019 school year.

Dubbed the CAB Lab, the area has been stocked with virtual reality googles, 3-D printers, iMacs, LEGO racers, light tables and other new equipment. Additionally, iPads were distributed to all students for use during school hours.