September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners will consider an ordinance requiring a sewer dye test to be performed prior to the sale and transfer of any property.
At September's meeting, the commissioners authorized Township Manager Patricia Logo to advertise the ordinance. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal at their October meeting.
In other business, commissioners approved a subdivision and consolidation request for the former Nigro's Restaurant at Fifth Avenue and Washington Road.
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September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Duquesne News
A Duquesne city councilman acknowledged that recent meetings have been “lengthy and contentious,” but said elected officials are working towards a common goal.
“People need to understand the mills are gone from the city and so is the tax base they supported,” Councilman Tim Caldwell said after the Sept. 24 meeting. “It’s a different era. Once we get our finances in order we’ll be on top of our game. Despite what people are saying, Duquesne is coming up.”
Duquesne has been under Act 47 financially distressed status since 1991, but is working on a plan to exit that process by 2022. Caldwell said council also is focused on bringing in partners to redevelop blighted properties.
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September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne City Council has directed the mayor or police chief to respond to complaints submitted to the new citizens' police review board within 30 days.
At the Sept. 24 meeting, council approved a motion presented by councilwoman Terra Henderson-Murphy designed to streamline the process.
The move came after residents filled council chambers, many of them speaking out about their frustrations with how the review board process has been handled up until now. Prior to the meeting, there was no established timeframe for complaints to be investigated.
“Residents don’t feel they're being heard,” Councilman Tim Caldwell said after the meeting. “They are concerned they are not getting answers right away.”
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September 30, 2019 |
By Chris Baumann | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
In August, members of the LaRosa Boys & Girls Club and Duquesne-West Mifflin Boys & Girls Club participated in a STEM summer camp led by McKeesport's Blueroof Technologies. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania are opening an after-school career preparation academy in October at the former McKeesport Daily News Building, Downtown. (Photo courtesy Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, via Facebook.)
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania is opening a Workforce Development Academy called Career Works in the beginning of October in Downtown McKeesport.
Located in the Tube City Center for Business and Innovation --- the former Daily News Building at 409 Walnut St.--- the program will primarily focus on developing career opportunities for highschool students grades 9-12.
Students from any area school district are welcome to participate and applications are being accepted online. The program will meet from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays beginning Oct. 1 through June 1.
Career Works will offer academic development, soft skill development, career coaching, internship programs and many other valuable career-related resources, said Lisa Abel-Palmieri, president and chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.
“Our organization has been offering career development for over a decade, but we want to serve a broader teen demographic,” she said. “We want to retain students past the K-8 level. In the past they have tended to lose interest in the organization due to a lack of programming for their age range.”
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September 27, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
People who are concerned about the use of e-cigarettes and “vapes” by their children and grandchildren are invited to a free forum Saturday (Sept. 28) at the Healthy Village Learning Institute.
Founder Keith Murphy said the free information session will begin at 4 p.m. and is expected to last about 90 minutes.
The forum is free and open to the public, said Murphy, who hopes to hold additional sessions in the future on the health risks of vaping.
“There was a call from parents and grandparents saying, my kid is doing this stuff,” Murphy says. “Locally, if we know that our kids are vaping inside middle school, inside high school, that, for us, says we have a building problem right now.”
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September 27, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
One of the last vestiges of the railroad tracks that once cut through the heart of Downtown is finally getting a makeover.
McKeesport City Council this month awarded a $24,500 contract to Kucich Construction Inc. to renovate the former Baltimore & Ohio Railroad crossing tower at the corner of Walnut Street and Sixth Avenue.
McKeesport-based Kucich was the lowest responsible bidder, city officials said.
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September 27, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s visit this month to Twin Rivers Elementary gave McKeesport Area School District a chance to share its views on charter schools, Superintendent Mark Holtzman said.
During Wednesday’s school board meeting, Holtzman discussed the Sept. 4 joint news conference with Wolf.
“We were able to talk about some of the things that need to change when it comes to charter schools,” Holtzman said.
At the press conference, Wolf discussed charter school reform including what he called a “fee-for-service model,” that will charge charter schools to resolve payment disputes with local districts, enabling the Pennsylvania Department of Education to recoup costs they are currently incurring from charter schools.
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September 27, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A portion of the transcript provided by family members. (Photo via Facebook.)
The superintendent of McKeesport Area School District will meet with an Allegheny County judge who reportedly called the school system substandard.
According to family members, the fact that the child’s mother lived in McKeesport was the deciding factor in awarding custody to the child’s father.
At Wednesday’s board meeting, Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. confirmed Judge Kathryn Hens-Greco will tour the school district with him on Oct. 25.
Hens-Greco’s remarks were reportedly made Aug. 7 during a child custody hearing. What appears to be an official court transcript was posted on Facebook by the child’s mother and has been widely circulated.
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September 26, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(Photo courtesy state Rep. Ed Gainey)
State Rep. Ed Gainey will deliver the keynote address Oct. 5 when the McKeesport Unit of the NAACP holds its 59th annual Human Rights Dinner.
An NAACP spokeswoman said Gainey's topic will be, "Where Do We Go From Here?"
The dinner will be held at the Palisades Ballroom, 100 Fifth Ave. at Water Street, Downtown. A reception begins at 5 p.m. and the dinner and program start at 6 p.m.
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September 26, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Three teen-agers were arrested after McKeesport police spotted them Monday night in a car that had been reported stolen in a carjacking in Wilkinsburg.
All three are being charged as juveniles, McKeesport police said.
McKeesport police said officers on patrol in the area of Bailie Avenue and Jenny Lind Street were searching for a Toyota Corolla which had been taken at gunpoint earlier in the day in Wilkinsburg.
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September 26, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, West Newton News
The West Newton Lions Club will hold a community Halloween parade Oct. 26, a spokesperson said.
Marchers should line up at 12:30 p.m. at West Newton Elementary School, 1208 Vine St. The parade will then begin at 1 p.m. with a police escort down Vine Street to the park, where participants will receive treats from members of the Lions Club.
In the event of rain, treats will be handed out in the gymnasium.
West Newton borough will then hold trick or treat following the parade until 5 p.m., the spokesperson said.
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September 24, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
A scene from the 2015 Senior Wellness and Safety Expo at the Palisades. (Photo courtesy state Sen. Jim Brewster)
Free flu shots and health screenings will be available for older adults during a Senior Wellness and Safety Expo from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 26) at the Palisades ballroom, 100 Fifth Ave., State Sen. Jim Brewster announced.
“Hosting this event is an excellent opportunity to provide valuable information to our seniors,” Brewster said in a prepared release. “It is also an opportunity to provide them with beneficial health services and screenings.”
Health screenings for hearing, vision, blood pressure, bone density, carbon monoxide and blood glucose will be available.
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September 24, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
An 81-year-old woman reported missing from North Versailles Twp. on Monday was found dead Tuesday after an auto accident in Jefferson Hills.
Emergency personnel said the body of Georgeanne Faison was inside her car off of Cochran Mill Road, not far from South Park.
Police said the vehicle was upside down in a creek alongside a private lot. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office was investigating but police said Faison's car appeared to have gone off the road and the death was not believed to be suspicious.
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September 22, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
First Street in the West Wilmerding section of North Versailles Twp. is a state-maintained road. Residents are asking the township to pressure PennDOT to complete repairs. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Residents of North Versailles Twp. asked commissioners to do something about dangerous conditions on state-maintained roads and bridges.
During the public comment portion of the commissioners’ Sept. 19 meeting, Julie Davis, who uses a walker, said she has difficulty getting to the nearest bus stop, located at the intersection of Overhill Road and East Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard, where she resides.
The intersection is on a state-maintained road that Davis said is “very dangerous,” due to missing sections of sidewalk that were not replaced after work was completed to repair water lines.
“Somebody may be seriously injured or killed,” unless a traffic light or stop sign is placed at the intersection, she told commissioners. “There is no traffic light there, no sidewalk, no curb, I’m using a walker, I fell a couple of times,” Davis said.
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September 22, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Pennsylvania American Water Co. customers in portions of Allegheny County no longer need to boil their water before use or take any additional precautions, the company announced Sunday.
Acceptable test results were obtained from samples collected on Sept. 20 and 21, and the state Department of Environmental Protection has authorized lifting the advisory.
Clairton, Dravosburg, Homestead, Jefferson Hills, Munhall, Pleasant Hills, West Homestead, West Mifflin and Whitaker were among more than 30 communities affected. The advisory was issued following a massive water-main break Friday morning in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood.
September 20, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(UPDATED: This story was updated with new information Friday night.)
(Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety, via Twitter)
Parts of the Mon-Yough area remain under a boil-water advisory after a massive water line broke Friday morning in Pittsburgh's South Hills.
Clairton, Dravosburg, Homestead, Jefferson Hills, Munhall, Pleasant Hills, West Homestead, West Mifflin and Whitaker are among the communities affected, said a spokesman for Pennsylvania American Water Co.
Water tankers were being delivered Friday night to 15 locations, including the Munhall Municipal Building, 1900 West St., and West Mifflin Municipal Building, 1020 Lebanon Road. Customers should bring their own water containers.
The company said that water pressure was returning to normal in the affected area, but the boil-water advisory would remain in effect until at least Sunday morning.
Pennsylvania American customers on the opposite side of the river in Elizabeth, Liberty and Glassport are not affected, and communities such as McKeesport and Port Vue that get their water from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County also are not affected.
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September 20, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(Vickie Babyak photo special to Tube City Almanac)
“Wise Walks” have resumed in Renziehausen Park under the guidance of the Carnegie Library of McKeesport.
A spokeswoman said participants meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the parking lot of the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, 1832 Arboretum Drive, and walk through the park.
“You can walk at your own pace, with the library, with friends or by yourself,” she said. All ages are welcome.
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September 20, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Carnegie Library of McKeesport will present an encore screening of “Missing McKeesport” at 2 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 22) in the children’s room, a spokeswoman said.
Written, directed and produced by Sam Zolten (above), the 92-minute film is the product of seven years of research into the lives of Jewish McKeesporters, exploring the city’s ethnic heritage, culture, rise and decline.
Zolten, who was born in McKeesport but now lives in Philadelphia, interviewed more than 150 past and present McKeesport area residents to collect their stories. The film debuted in 2017 and a DVD is for sale at the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center.
The library is located at 1507 Library Ave. The screening is free but is recommended for adults. Registration is requested. For more information, call (412) 672-0625 or visit www.mckeesportlibrary.org.
September 20, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(Jon Dawson photo via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-ND 2.0.)
A panel of guests from U.S. Steel Corp., the United Steelworkers union, the building trades and state government will participate in a discussion called “The Future of Manufacturing in the Mon Valley.”
The event begins at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Sunset Room, off Route 48 in Elizabeth Twp., and is being organized by the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce.
Although tickets are free, seats are limited and advance registration is required, said Maury Burgwin, the chamber’s executive director. For more information, call (412) 678-2450 or visit the website.
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September 19, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former McKeesport man has pleaded guilty to charges that he attempted to coerce at least two children into sexual activity.
Scott J. Payne, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh to charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and possession of child pornography, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady.
Payne also accepted responsibility for two additional counts of coercion and three counts of production of images depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.
At the time of his arrest, Payne was already on probation in connection with a previous conviction on child pornography charges.
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September 19, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
From left, Keith Murphy, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko and Los Angeles-based educators Angelina Arrington and Darnell Bell following an anti-violence workshop with young people at Auberle in June. The workshop was funded in part by the state Commission on Crime and Delinquency in support of McKeesport's Gun Violence Reduction Project. (Submitted photo courtesy City of McKeesport)
For the second year in a row, McKeesport has been awarded funding from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to support programs to reduce gun violence.
The $133,000 grant to the McKeesport Alternative Policing Strategies Initiative and the McKeesport Gun Violence Reduction Program includes money earmarked toward policing as well as mentoring and community outreach to divert young people away from violent confrontations.
The money will partially pay for an additional patrol vehicle as well as license-plate recognition, or LPR, equipment, McKeesport police Chief Adam Alfer said in a prepared statement.
"From a law-enforcement perspective, this grant allows McKeesport police to increase patrols by adding an additional vehicle to nightly saturation patrols," he said. "It also allows us to continue adding LPR camera systems to intersections throughout the City of McKeesport, which aids in solving crimes not only here, but across Allegheny County."
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September 17, 2019 |
By Christy Walters | Posted in: White Oak News
White Oak Council has rejected all of the quotes it received to upgrade the gym lights at White Oak Athletic Association, and will seek new ones.
At September's council meeting, officials reported that over the past month, the borough used the request for quote process to solicit bids to convert to LED lighting. All of the bids exceeded the state's limits.
Council carried a motion to formally reject the bids received and rebid the project.
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September 17, 2019 |
By Christy Walters | Posted in: Announcements, White Oak News
White Oak Borough will hold a “Truck-or-Treat” event at the community center at the White Oak Athletic Association on Oct. 26.
Councilman Lou Bender announced details of the event at September’s borough council meeting.
This free, public event will include a Halloween parade on community center grounds, music, snacks, treat bags, prizes for best boy and girl costumes, and the opportunity to see, touch and explore trucks and heavy machinery.
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September 17, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
One of the baskets to be raffled at Renzie on Sept. 22 to benefit Paws Across Pittsburgh. (Submitted photo via Facebook)
Volunteers will hold a basket raffle and luncheon in Renziehausen Park on Sept. 22 to benefit a local pet rescue charity.
Proceeds benefit Paws Across Pittsburgh, a regional all-volunteer group which places pets in foster homes while they wait to be adopted.
More than 50 gift baskets as well as other door prizes will available during the event at Jacob Woll Pavilion, a spokeswoman said. The event begins at 11 a.m. and admission costs $10.
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September 16, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
Approximate path of the truck detour around Route 48 in Elizabeth Twp. that will be in place, starting later this week. (Google Maps)
Motorists who use Route 48 near Boston in Elizabeth Twp. will be contending with a detour, beginning this week.
And for truck drivers, it's going to be a long one.
On Wednesday morning, the road will be restricted in the area of Droopy's Bar and Grill to a single, alternating lane of traffic as crews install temporary shoring, said Steve Cowan, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Then, beginning at midnight Thursday, the road will be closed entirely so that crews can replace a culvert and retaining wall between Fey and Keddie roads.
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September 16, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
A scene from a July worship service at West Newton First Church of God. (Photo courtesy West Newton Church of God via Facebook)
West Newton First Church of God will celebrate its 175th Anniversary on Sept. 29 with a special morning worship service at 10:25 a.m., followed by a catered lunch at the church, a spokesperson said.
Reservations for lunch are required by calling (724) 872-7467 and leaving a message. The deadline for reservations is Sept. 23. Donations will be accepted to offset the cost of lunch.
The church began in the home of Timothy Obley, 167 N. Second St., and the first minister, Elder Joseph A. Dodson, was appointed Oct. 28, 1844.
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September 16, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former Port Vue man faces 15 years in federal prison for his connection to an interstate drug ring that funneled large quantities of heroin from New Jersey into the Mon Valley.
Jarran Bell, 38, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh in May to three counts of conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession with intent to distribute heroin.
He was sentenced Sept. 11 by U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bissoon, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady.
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September 15, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
A 23-year-old man was killed Sunday morning after the vehicle in which he was a passenger left Lysle Boulevard and crashed into an apartment building Downtown.
Allegheny County police are investigating the accident that also sent another 23-year-old man to the hospital, where he was in stable condition on Friday afternoon. The 24-year-old driver was treated at the hospital and released, county police Sgt. Venerando Costa said.
Police did not release the names of the victims.
McKeesport police, firefighters and paramedics were dispatched just before 7 a.m. to the intersection of Lysle Boulevard and Center Street.
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September 14, 2019 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment, North Versailles Twp. News
East Allegheny Wildcats Marching Band members take to the field for a practice session on a beautiful summer evening. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo special to Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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East Allegheny Wildcats band competition
Where: Churchman Stadium, Jacks Run Road, North Versailles Twp.
When: 6 p.m. today (Sept. 14)
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East Allegheny Wildcats Marching Band will showcase its jazz-themed show when it hosts eight other units for a competition that begins at 6 p.m. today (Sept. 14) at Churchman Stadium in North Versailles Twp.
“We’ve been doing jazz music since 2015 — we’ve found our own niche — and the students enjoy the music and have become very proficient with it,” band director Justin Rosco said.
The show “New York Dreams” features three main production numbers performed against a New York City skyline for a production that runs approximately eight and a half minutes, he said, and includes vocal performances.
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September 13, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County police said that the man in these surveillance photos (left and center) taken by cameras at a Washington County Walmart is Ramonta “Mo” Yancey (right). (Courtesy Allegheny County police)
A third man is now in custody and is being questioned in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found near Renziehausen Park on Thursday morning.
The victim was identified Friday by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office as Tameka L. Dallas, 43, of Monroeville. Sources who knew the victim said she was 44.
Allegheny County police Inspector Andrew Schurman said Ramonta “Mo” Yancey, 26, of Pittsburgh's East Liberty neighborhood surrendered to McKeesport police on Friday.
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September 13, 2019 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
Matt Tracy as Schroeder is taken aback by Catherine Hayashi as Lucy. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo, special to Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
Where: McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St.
When: Sept. 13-29, with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $18 for adults, $12 for students.
Reservations or more information: 412-673-1100 or through the website.
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McKeesport Little Theater kicks off its new season with three weekends of the family-friendly musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”
The show made its Off-Broadway debut in 1967, based on characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his Peanuts comic strip. It opened on Broadway in 1971, with a revival in 1999 that led to a Tony Award for actor Kristin Chenoweth.
Lora Oxenreiter returns to MLT as director and set designer for the production, which opens today (Sept. 13).
“We are doing the 1999 revival that has a few new numbers,” Oxenreiter said.
Featured are Scott Thompson as Charlie Brown, Adam Wainwright as Snoopy, Ben Blinn as blanket-toting Linus, Matt Tracy as piano prodigy Schroeder, Anneke Elmhirst as Charlie Brown’s sister Sally, and Catherine Hayashi as opinionated Lucy. The producer is Phillip Boatright.
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September 13, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a developing story. It will be updated with new information as it becomes available.
Allegheny County police are looking for a suspect identified only as “Mo” in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found near Renziehausen Park on Thursday morning.
They believe he may be in the McKeesport or Pittsburgh areas.
Two Pittsburgh men who were using the victim’s car on Thursday night in Washington County are being held on charges of receiving stolen property.
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September 12, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION, Sept. 13, 2019
A similar car to the one wanted in connection with the case. (Photo courtesy Allegheny County police)
An unidentified woman was found dead Thursday morning in a wooded area alongside Renziehausen Park, Allegheny County police said.
A vehicle believed to be connected with her death was found Thursday night in Washington County and two men are being questioned. County police detectives said they are currently looking for a third person of interest.
In a prepared statement, Allegheny County police Inspector Andrew Schurman said McKeesport police and paramedics were dispatched just before 10 a.m. Thursday to the parking lot of the dek hockey complex in Renzie.
Witnesses had reported seeing a woman in the woods who was not breathing or moving, not far from a trail, Schurman said. The victim was described as a black woman wearing a yellow sundress. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Schurman said.
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September 12, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
The state Department of Human Services has opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a former Steelers player who was living at a McKeesport personal care home.
Samuel R. "The Tight Man" Davis, 75, died Tuesday night of complications related to heart disease, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said Wednesday. The office ruled that his death was of natural causes.
Davis was found in the basement of New Life Personal Care Home on Versailles Avenue about 14 hours after he was reported missing to McKeesport police and was pronounced dead a short time later at the hospital.
Davis, who was legally blind, was reportedly suffering from dementia related to a severe injury he suffered in 1991, after retiring from professional football.
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September 11, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former Pittsburgh Steelers guard who was found in the basement of a personal care home on Versailles Avenue in the city died of complications related to heart disease, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Samuel R. Davis, 75, known as "the Tight Man" while playing with Steelers teams that won four Super Bowls in the 1970s, was found just after 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at New Life Personal Care Home on Versailles Avenue.
McKeesport police said Davis, who was legally blind and needed daily medications, had been seen leaving the care home Tuesday morning and was reported missing before 7 a.m.
The medical examiner's office said Davis was taken to the hospital Tuesday night and pronounced dead a few minutes later. His death was of natural causes, a spokesperson said.
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September 10, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
A North Versailles Twp. man died Tuesday morning after being struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Routes 30 and 48.
Kevin Kolesar, 60, died before 7 a.m. in the emergency room of Forbes Regional Hospital of blunt-force traumatic injuries, said a spokesperson for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. His death has been ruled an accident.
Allegheny County police Lt. Kenneth Ruckel said Kolesar was struck while walking on Aldi Drive near Route 48, in front of the Home Depot store, just after 6 a.m. Tuesday. The driver of the car, a 57-year-old woman whose name was not released, stayed at the scene, Ruckel said.
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September 09, 2019 |
By Chris Baumann | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
* CORRECTIONS: This article was corrected after publication. - Editor
Paul Fields portrays McKeesport's first African-American police officer, George W. Simmons, during the 2016 Living History Tour. (Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center)
If you go...
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Fifth-Annual Living History Tour
Where: McKeesport & Versailles Cemetery
When: 12 to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 and 22
Encore: 6 p.m. Sept. 26 at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center
Tickets: $10 in advance; $12 at the event
More information: (412) 678-1832 or mckeesportheritage.org
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The more that Bob MacPherson learned about George H. Lysle, the more he realized he was the ideal person to portray the legendary McKeesport mayor.
“First of all, I’m Scotch-Irish, my background is the same as his,” MacPherson said. “But I also learned that my great-grandfather, George Victor Parkins*, was a contemporary of Mayor Lysle. They were here during the same time and its safe to say they had a lot of interaction. He and Lysle were probably very close.”
The McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center is hosting its fifth-annual Living History Tour from 12 to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 and 22 at McKeesport and Versailles Cemetery.
For those unable to attend the weekend performances, or who may not be able to walk on the tour, there will be an additional performance at the Heritage Center at 6 p.m. Sept. 26.
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September 09, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Illustration by Desmone Architects, courtesy River Materials Inc.)
A barge and railcar loading facility now under construction near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge will transform the appearance of the RIDC Industrial Park, McKeesport officials said.
At Wednesday's meeting, McKeesport city council by 6-0 vote approved a request from River Materials Inc. of Forest Hills to combine four separate parcels of land into one parcel.
River Materials is planning to use about 18 to 19 acres of the former U.S. Steel National Works site for warehousing, processing and recycling, as well as truck, barge and railroad loading and unloading services for power plants and other industrial customers.
Cliff Wise, president and chief executive officer of River Materials, also owns General Trade Corp., Gulf Materials LLC, Gulf Trading and Transport LLC and Specialty Steel Products.
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September 09, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Owners of several landmark businesses in the 900 and 1000 blocks of Fifth Avenue in McKeesport are asking for the city's help to address what they called deteriorating conditions on the street. (Tube City Almanac photo)
McKeesport officials are working on a plan that would provide $450,000 per year for six years to remove blight and stabilize the Downtown business district.
But owners of several longtime Fifth Avenue businesses --- including the landmark Minerva Bakery --- said their patience is wearing thin.
"It's wonderful that we're able to create new businesses, but we need to take care of the oldest businesses," said Denise Letterman, whose father, Murray Siegel, 95, owns Tube City Novelty Co.
At Wednesday's city council meeting, Mayor Michael Cherepko said the city has applied to the state Department of Community & Economic Development to create a neighborhood partnership program, or NPP, to address a high rate of vacant and abandoned buildings along Lysle Boulevard and Fifth Avenue.
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September 05, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Penn State Greater Allegheny Chancellor Jacqueline Edmondson, state Sen. Jim Brewster, Penn State University President Eric Barron and McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko during Wednesday's ribbon-cutting at the Mon Valley LaunchBox, located at the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue. (Submitted photo courtesy state Sen. Jim Brewster)
There was a ribbon-cutting Wednesday for Penn State's "Mon Valley LaunchBox," even though it's not really a physical place, said Aaron Whigham, manager of strategic initiatives for the university's Greater Allegheny Campus.
It's more of an idea, an initiative and a spirit of collaboration between the campus and the McKeesport area, he said Wednesday.
"We have made a concerted effort to actually become more intentional in our efforts in the community," said Whigham, who coordinates the Mon Valley LaunchBox along with Eric Ewell, Greater Allegheny's director of continuing education.
"This has been a collective effort," Whigham said. "We're not looking to be a savior, but we are looking to provide resources to make the area that we're in stronger."
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September 04, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf visited McKeesport on Wednesday to announce new rules for charter schools. (Pennsylvania Office of the Governor photo)
In a visit Wednesday to McKeesport, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf discussed his plan for the state Department of Education to impose new fees and rules for charter schools.
The "fee-for-service" model, he said, is an attempt to recoup costs on behalf of the state, while the new rules are designed to hold charter schools to the same right-to-know and ethical standards as public school districts.
In a speech at Twin Rivers Elementary School, Wolf said the Education Department also will take steps to establish higher performance standards for online-only, or "cyber," charter schools, which have been criticized for what critics claim are high costs and low standards of student achievement.
“While there are high-quality charter schools, some of them, especially some cyber-charter schools, are underperforming,” Wolf said Wednesday. “The state and school districts need more tools to hold charters accountable and increase educational quality.”
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September 04, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 17-year-old city teen-ager was arrested after McKeesport police alleged he drove an unlicensed dirt bike at high speeds on the Great Allegheny Passage.
The youth, whose name was not released by police, was charged after he lost control of the dirt bike and collided with a patrol car near the corner of Market Street and 11th Avenue on the afternoon of Aug. 24.
Following treatment at UPMC McKeesport hospital for a leg injury, the suspect was transported to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center for processing, police said.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Six new inductees have been named to the McKeesport High School Hall of Fame and will be inducted during the Oct. 5 homecoming game.
Tickets may be purchased now via Eventbrite.
Scheduled for induction into the hall of fame are the late Glenn Rojohn (Class of 1941), Helen Donato Tozzi (1948), Dr. Rawlin A. "Pete" Fairbaugh (1950), Robert I. Fisher (1959), Joseph M. Ivcevich (1960) and H. Thomas Temple (1976), said Vicki Corwin of the Consortium for Public Education, on behalf of the MHS Alumni & Friends Association.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners have lent their support to an effort to purchase the former Churchill Valley Country Club for use as green space.
At their August meeting, commissioners authorized township manager Patricia Logo to send a letter to Allegheny Land Trust backing the group's effort. The club closed more than 10 years ago. The land trust has proposed preserving the property in part to help curtail flooding in the area.
In other business, township commissioners:
Approved hiring Henry Rizzo as the Road Department Superintendent at a rate of $30 per hour, with no benefits, beginning Aug. 19 with a three-month probation period.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Even with nearly three weeks of summer to go, LuEthel Nesbit of ACTION-Housing says local residents should be getting ready for winter now. Temperatures briefly hit 85 degrees in Downtown McKeesport last week, but more pleasant weather is in store this week for the Mon-Yough area. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Most Mon-Yough residents are probably still savoring the last tastes of summer and hoping for a few remaining barbecues or dips in the swimming pool.
But even though fall is still nearly three weeks away, Lu Ethel Nesbit of ACTION-Housing's weatherization program says now is the time for local residents to get ready for colder temperatures.
Nesbit, who also serves as a McKeesport city councilwoman, has been working in weatherization since 1983, originally with the Steel Valley OIC. She's currently the administrator of ACTION's McKeesport weatherization office, which serves much of the Mon Valley.
"We operate all year-round and we take applications year-round," Nesbit says. "We would prefer that they apply in the summer, so that they don’t have their doors open in the dead of winter, when they’re freezing."
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Scenes from an August painting class at the West Newton Center for Active Adults. (Courtesy West Newton Center via Facebook)
The West Newton Center for Active Adults, 103 E. Main St., will host a community open house from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 17, a spokesperson said.
A full day of events is planned to showcase the many programs that the non-profit organization --- also known as the West Newton Senior Center --- has to offer for the West Newton area.
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
West Newton Public Library’s annual “Tea on Broadway” this year will pay tribute to a longtime community booster and volunteer.
The event will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Le Grande Banquet Room, 105 S. Second St., West Newton, a spokesman said. Doors will open at 12 noon.
A limited number of tickets are available and are now on sale at the library, 124 N. Water St., or Gary’s Chuck Wagon Restaurant.
This year’s event will pay tribute to Emma Jean Pritchard (above), who died in March at age 97. Pritchard was a longtime supporter of many charitable and community causes in West Newton, and a volunteer at the library.
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
The Mon Yough Chorale, a community chorus based in White Oak, is having an open house and its first rehearsal of the fall-winter season at 7 p.m. Sept. 8, a spokeswoman said.
The group meets at Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church, 1665 Lincoln Way, White Oak.
A regional, volunteer group, the Mon Yough Chorale accepts members with an interest in community singing, at any skill level, the spokeswoman said. No auditions are required.
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