January 30, 2020 |
By Chris Baumann | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News
(Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Model Railroad Club)
If you go...
|
|
70th Anniversary Open House
Where: McKeesport Model Railroad Club, 2209 Walnut St.
When: 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday
Tickets: Free
More information: 412-673-1100 or http://www.mckeesportmodelrr.com/
|
The McKeesport Model Railroad Club will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a free public open house from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday at its headquarters, 2209 Walnut St.
The event will include the presentation of a commemorative plaque from the office of state Sen. Jim Brewster.
“I’m still learning a lot of the history myself,” said George Sharp Jr., club president for the last two years. The original founders “were basically a group of (World War II) veterans with a common interest” in model railroading.
According to the club’s website, the club started with “a small local newspaper ad in December 1949 [that] called for interested persons to meet ... to discuss the formation of a local model railroad club.”
Read More
January 30, 2020 |
By Cami DiBattista | Posted in: White Oak News
Dave Manns, pictured with daughter Nikole and son Brandon, became the owner of Manns Drug Store in 1980. (Cami DiBattista photo for Tube City Almanac)
After 94 years of business in White Oak, Manns Drug Store closed its doors last week, much to the dismay of the Manns family and their loyal, long-time customers.
“I would truly like to thank everyone for their patronage,” said owner Dave Manns. “We truly feel like all our customers and employees are part of our family --- they are so important to us. We are blessed to have been a part of the White Oak community for so many years.”
Manns Home Medical Products will remain open and Manns said he looks forward to focusing on the home health care and mobility products portion of the business.
Read More
January 25, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 29-year-old man is in critical condition at a Pittsburgh trauma hospital after police said he was shot Saturday morning on Maple Street in the city.
Allegheny County police Sgt. Michael Caruso said McKeesport police and paramedics were dispatched at 2:16 a.m. to the corner of Maple and Dinsmore streets when callers reported hearing shots fired. Police found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his legs and abdomen.
The victim, whose name was not released, was flown by medical heiicopter to Pittsburgh. Further details about his condition have not been released.
Read More
January 25, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Jeff Ballou, Penn State alumnus and news editor at Al Jazeera’s English language channel, speaks to Jacqueline Edmondson, chancellor of the Greater Allegheny campus, following a Martin Luther King Jr. Day speech on Monday. (Tube City Almanac photo)
A speaker at Penn State Greater Allegheny on Martin Luther King Jr. Day challenged students — and the university itself — to take a bigger stand against economic inequality, including the rising cost of a college education.
Jeff Ballou, former president of the National Press Club, a Penn State graduate and a Pittsburgh native, said Monday that modern audiences make a mistake when they “freeze” Martin Luther King Jr. at a single moment in time — his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington in 1963.
“You think everyone celebrates Dr. King,” said Ballou, a former student at the McKeesport campus. “Well, not in 1967.”
Read More
January 23, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
McKeesport police are asking for public's help in locating a teen-ager who they believe may have run away from home.
Daisha Reyes-Burgos, 14, was last seen at 6 p.m. Monday, police said. She went missing from a home on Sixth Street.
Police said Reyes-Burgos needs medication and did not take it with her. She is approximately 4-feet-8-inches tall.
Anyone with information is asked to call McKeesport police at (412) 675-5015, or dial 9-1-1.
January 23, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Letters to the Editor
(Editor’s note: This letter was originally published with “name withheld upon request.” Patty has now asked us to use her name.)
Patty Smith of Elizabeth Twp. took issue with “PennDOT: Drivers Ignoring Signal on Bunola River Road,” a brief published Jan. 22:
I saw red when I saw that article. That is only a mere fraction of the story! PennDOT only gave you one side.
The reason drivers are ignoring the signals is because the signals blink red a lot of the time at both ends — and you cannot see the light at the other end.
People have no way of knowing if cars are going up or down the hill. They have to take their lives into their own hands and attempt to travel the stretch of road and pray they do not meet anyone coming in the opposite direction.
Read More
January 22, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
A popular shortcut just south of Elizabeth Borough is being closed indefinitely after state Department of Transportation officials say drivers have been ignoring traffic lights placed there following a landslide.
Bunola River Road near Locks & Dam Number 3 in Forward Twp. will be closed at 10 a.m. Friday morning, a PennDOT spokeswoman said.
The road has been restricted to one lane of alternating traffic, controlled by a traffic signal, following a landslide. Due to the number of vehicles who are ignoring the traffic signal, the spokeswoman said, the potential for a crash has increased.
Read More
January 22, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Announcements, Duquesne News, Entertainment
Under the name “Demonstration,” Michael Roberts and Marcus Glover are raising money to build a community center in the East End or Mon Valley by selling apparel. The two are hosting a mixtape party and concert at 24 in Duquesne on Thursday. (Photos via Instagram.)
Marcus Glover and Michael Roberts are working the streets in Pittsburgh's East End and Mon Valley communities, selling athletic apparel from their mobile “storefront,” a small white folding table.
Last summer, the friends started “Demonstration,” a non-profit organization they hope to grow into a brick-and-mortar community center as a safe haven for disadvantaged youths.
They're organizing a mixtape release party to be held at 9 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 23) at 24 (formerly Kanczes City Saloon) on Duquesne Boulevard near Kennywood. The event will feature live music by Aaron Goode and the Goodfellas as well as rap and jazz music, according to Glover.
The desire to reach out and help kids evolved out of the pain that Roberts and Glover experienced as teenagers, each losing a loved one to street violence.
“We started talking and sharing stories,” Glover said. “I told him about how my best friend was murdered at 15, he told me his story, his older brother was murdered when he was 15, we bonded over our similar tragedies. Everything we are trying to do with our organization is from personal experience.”
Read More
January 21, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Politics & Elections
State Rep. Bill Kortz speaks at a rally of Pennsylvania motorcyclists. The Dravosburg Democrat, an avid motorcycle rider, announced his retirement on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy state Rep. Bill Kortz.)
State Rep. Bill Kortz confirmed Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in November.
In announcing his retirement, the Dravosburg resident called his 14 years as a legislator “a tremendous honor and a privilege” but said it was time for him “to take care of my health and step aside for future leaders” of his Mon-Yough district.
A former steelworker at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant with 30 years of service, Kortz, 65, a Democrat, was first elected to the legislature in 2006 and represents the 38th District, which includes Dravosburg, West Mifflin, Glassport, Port Vue, Liberty, Pleasant Hills, South Park, Baldwin and Whitehall.
The legislature was in session on Tuesday and Kortz was not available for an interview.
Read More
January 21, 2020 |
By Christy Walters | Posted in: White Oak News
New members of White Oak Borough Council participated in their first monthly business meeting Monday night.
Council members Julie Opferman and George Pambacas, who were elected in November and sworn in at the council reorganization meeting on Jan. 6, joined the table, and Councilman Chuck Davis headed his first regular meeting as council president.
Another new face at the table was attorney Patricia L. McGrail. Council voted to name McGrail and her law firm as the borough's solicitor for 2020.
Read More
January 21, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Mon Yough Fire Defense Council will be holding its monthly business meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Jan. 22) at Vigilant Hose Co. of Port Vue, 1800 Romine Ave. All member companies are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments to follow.
January 21, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Aerial view of U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant shows proposed expansion of facility. (Courtesy U.S. Steel)
The public is being invited to attend one of two free community education sessions being held by U.S. Steel as the corporation prepares to invest approximately $1.2 billion in upgrades to its facilities in Braddock, Clairton and West Mifflin.
The sessions will be held at 6 p.m. Jan. 28 and 29 at U.S. Steel’s training facility at 1 S. Linden St., Duquesne, in the RIDC industrial park, and will last about one and a half hours.
Both sessions will have identical content, the company said in an prepared announcement.
Bus transportation will be available to and from Duquesne from Braddock and Clairton. The buses will depart Clairton Municipal Building, 551 Ravensburg Blvd., at 5:15 p.m., and Braddock Borough Building, 415 Sixth St., at 5:30 p.m.
Read More
January 21, 2020 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Penn State students from five Pittsburgh-area campuses, including Greater Allegheny in McKeesport, volunteered at six Mon-Yough area charitable organizations on Martin Luther King Day, including Auberle. (Vickie Babyak photo, special to Tube City Almanac)
In 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. told students at Oberlin College, “The time is always right to do what is right.”
When Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus reached out to the Pauline Auberle Home in McKeesport a couple of weeks ago, to find out of students could work on a service project during Martin Luther King Day 2020, the time was right, said Kayla McGrath, volunteer coordinator at Auberle.
“Penn State and Auberle have worked together before but this is the first time we’ve done this type of activity,” McGrath said. “The university was looking for organizations to plan volunteer service on a larger scale inspired by Martin Luther King Day and asked if we’d like to host volunteers.”
Read More
January 15, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The cause of this fire Tuesday afternoon in the 1800 block of Evans Avenue remains under investigation, a fire official said. (Photo courtesy McKeesport Fire Department)
One man was displaced when fire damaged his Evans Avenue home on Tuesday afternoon.
McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik said crews were dispatched at 12:09 p.m. after callers reported smoke and flames coming from the rear of a single-story house at the corner of Evans Avenue and Grant Street.
When police and firefighters arrived, they found the back porch of the house fully engulfed in fire, he said.
A second alarm was sounded and additional fire crews from Allegheny County Airport, Glassport, Liberty Borough, Vigilant Hose (Port Vue) and White Oak No. 1 responded to the scene, Tomovcsik said.
Read More
January 14, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
EDITED to remove typo.
U.S. Steel’s Clairton Plant. (Photo by Mark Dixon/Blue Lens, licensed under Creative Commons)
U.S. Steel has promised to help Allegheny County Health Department develop a plan to predict when weather conditions will make air pollution worse, and respond more quickly.
The health department’s proposal was announced in the wake of a so-called “temperature inversion” that left the Mon Valley and much of Allegheny County covered in smog during the Christmas holidays.
“We know from research that inversions are expected to get worse with climate change,” said Ronald Sugar, interim director of the health department. “We’re seeing that first-hand here.”
A local environmental group welcomed U.S. Steel’s participation, but questioned why the corporation didn’t take voluntary steps to reduce its own output during the inversion Dec. 21 to 26, when pollution was thick in the air.
Read More
January 14, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Sports
CORRECTION: Darius Prince was unable to attend Saturday's game. He was replaced by Chris Edmonds.
Bryan Akinkugbe currently plays for the Steel City Yellow Jackets. He also played professionally in Canada and Mexico. He was among the competitors during a charity basketball game at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport on Saturday. (Richard Finch Jr. photo/special to Tube City Almanac)
Jesús Torres is already working on plans for the third-annual Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Celebrity basketball game, securing commitments from fellow “celebrity” players to return to McKeesport next January.
“I was joking with the players after Saturday's game that we need to sign five-year contracts,” he said. “They all promised to come back here next year to keep this event going.”
Three hundred fans showed up on Saturday for the second-annual game, which raised more than $9,000 for scholarships to support the region’s Hispanic community.
Celebrity players were divided into home and away squads. The unofficial score was 96-90 in favor of the “home” team, but the “official” score was changed to a 96-96 tie, a Penn State spokesman said.
Read More
January 10, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News, North Versailles Twp. News
The Allegheny County SWAT team raided a Duquesne home on Thursday night, looking for a man wanted in connection with a North Versailles Twp. homicide.
Although the wanted man wasn't found, county police arrested a woman after they said they found suspected drugs, a loaded handgun and ammunition inside the house.
Police said Erik Desean Addison, 23, of Pittsburgh remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous.
Read More
January 10, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
CORRECTION: Edited to clarify that recycling will be collected every other week, on the same day as trash pickup. The next recycling pickups are during the week of Jan. 20. We apologize for the error.
McKeesport homeowners will be going back to their old trash pickup days, beginning Monday.
After one week, the city's new trash collection company, County Hauling of Rostraver Twp., has scrapped its attempt to pickup all of the households in two days and will revert to the schedule used by the previous garbage hauler, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said.
The change comes after a week in which many McKeesport residents complained that their trash and recycling were collected late or not at all. Others expressed confusion over the new schedules.
County Hauling also began collecting trash in North Huntingdon Twp. this week, and according to the Tribune-Review, it’s facing complaints there as well.
Read More
January 09, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Sports
(Photo courtesy Penn State Greater Allegheny)
Pittsburgh Pirates’ third-base coach Joey Cora, Arena Football champion and former West Mifflin Area standout Darius Prince, former WNBA point guard Carla Cortijo and others will take the court Saturday in a charity basketball game to raise money for college scholarships.
The Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host its second-annual Celebrity Basketball Game at Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Wunderley Gymnasium in McKeesport, a spokesman said.
The family friendly event begins at 2:30 p.m. and will include activities, giveaways and a visit by the Penn State Nittany Lion and other costumed mascots and characters from local teams and businesses.
Read More
January 09, 2020 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
Colleen Boatright as Jack's mother tells Connor McGrew as Jack that they must sell Milky White, the family cow. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo/special to Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
|
|
“Into the Woods” presented by MLT Juniors
Where: McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St.
When: Jan. 10-19, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12*
Reservations or more information: 412-673-1100 or through the website.
|
(* — Correction: Ticket price corrected, Jan. 9)
A multi-talented cast of young performers has been rehearsing since October to bring some well-known fairy tale characters to the McKeesport Little Theater stage when the Juniors present “Into the Woods.”
The show opens Friday (Jan. 10) and continues through Jan. 19. Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics for the sometimes-complicated and challenging songs – even for seasoned adult professionals.
Characters such as Cinderella (Kaitlyn Majewski), Little Red (Autumn Tavaglione), Rapunzel (Grace Mackowiak), Jack (Connor McGrew), his mother (Colleen Boatright), and a baker (Jonah Higdon) and his wife (Nariah Washington), are joined by a mysterious Witch (Sierra Mitchell) as they journey in and out of the woods.
With more than 20 performers delivering lines, singing, and dancing, producer Jan Gerber explained how the cast was selected.
Read More
January 08, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: West Newton News
(Photo courtesy West Newton Center for Active Adults, via Facebook)
The West Newton Center for Active Adults, 103 E. Main St., has posted several upcoming activities.
Exercise Classes: Join the West Newton Center for free Healthy Steps in Motion exercise classes from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 29.
HSIM is a fall-prevention group exercise program designed to accommodate beginners, intermediates and experts alike.
Read More
January 08, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(File photo courtesy State Sen. Jim Brewster)
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency will hold two financial aid seminars for high school students and their families.
The sessions at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport and Community College of Allegheny County South Campus in West Mifflin are being hosted by state Sen. Jim Brewster.
“Higher education has an essential role in the lives of students preparing to enter the workforce,” Brewster said. “It is important that students are financially prepared for this step in their lives.”
Read More
January 08, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
UPDATED with comments from McKeesport Area School District.
A 16-year-old girl is reportedly in critical condition following a crash Tuesday night near McKeesport Area High School.
Allegheny County police said the accident on Washington Street, which injured two other people, happened after someone shot at the vehicle in which the girl was a passenger.
It was the second such shooting in the city in less than a week. On Friday night, police said a 23-year-old man was shot as he was getting into his car on Soles Street. The victim crashed into a utility pole as he fled the scene.
Read More
January 08, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport officials are urging city residents to have patience with their new trash hauler after some homeowners reported their houses were missed, and others expressed confusion over when recycling would be picked up.
The city's contract with its previous trash hauler, Big's Sanitation, expired on Dec. 31, but the new collector, County Hauling of Rostraver Twp., didn't begin service until Jan. 6.
As a result, some residents reported having almost two weeks' worth of trash that needed to be collected.
County Hauling also has not yet released a schedule for recycling collection or explained what items should be put out for recycling. Emails sent by Tube City Almanac to County Hauling spokespersons asking for clarification have not been answered.
Read More
January 07, 2020 |
By Ann Belser | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
County Councilman John Palmiere, Democrat from Baldwin Twp., is sworn in by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Dan Regan. Palmiere represents District 6, which also includes Clairton, Elizabeth Borough, Jefferson Hills and Pleasant Hills. Looking on is Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Hens-Greco. (Photo by Ann Belser/Print, special to Tube City Almanac)
If its first meeting was any indication, Allegheny County Council could be in for a contentious new year.
On Jan. 2, the night that all of the new and re-elected members of council were sworn in and Pat Catena of Carnegie was elected as the new council president, a dozen residents availed themselves of the public comment period to talk about the poor quality of the air and water in Allegheny County.
“Of all the issues that come before you, none is more serious than the toxic air that we breathe everyday,” John Detwiler of Squirrel Hill said. “Our county’s air is among the worst in the nation, it affects the health and the very lives of our friends and our neighbors, so all of us should care about our air.”
He called on the new council to reshape the Board of Health through its confirmation process to make the board more responsive to air quality issues.
Read More
January 06, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County police are asking for the public's help in solving the shooting Friday night of a 23-year-old man on Soles Street.
In a prepared release, county police said McKeesport police were dispatched just after 10 p.m. to the intersection of Soles and Colfax streets when callers to 9-1-1 reported hearing shots fired, and that a car had collided with a utility pole.
The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital by private vehicle with a grazing wound to the head, county police Inspector Andrew Schurman said. The man's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, he said.
Read More
January 06, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, White Oak News
White Oak police and the Allegheny County Health Department are warning residents to avoid and report any animals that appear to be unusually aggressive or lethargic.
The warnings were issued after the health department reported that a sick raccoon captured on Route 48 near White Oak Park tested positive for rabies.
Residents are reminded to watch for unusual behavior in animals, make sure their pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations, and notify their local animal control service, the police or the Pennsylvania Game Commission immediately if any animal appears to be acting strange or becomes threatening, said Ryan Scarpino, a spokesman for the health department.
Read More
January 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A driver accused of rear-ending a woman's car in Christy Park on Christmas Eve, and then fleeing the scene, has been charged by McKeesport police.
Jason Brakeall, 24, of North Versailles Twp. faces a preliminary hearing Feb. 3 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving a vehicle without valid registration and insurance.
McKeesport police said the victim was headed north on Walnut Street and had stopped in traffic near the corner of 31st Avenue just before 6 p.m. Dec. 24 when her car was struck from behind by a red Kia sedan.
Read More
January 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man who was on probation is being held without bond in the Allegheny County Jail after police said they recovered suspected heroin, suspected crack cocaine and 10 firearms from his home in the Seventh Ward.
Jermaine Pawlik-Curry Sr., 35, faces formal arraignment Feb. 19 in Allegheny County Court on more than a dozen charges, including drug and weapons violations. On Monday, Pawlik-Curry waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport.
According to a police report, Allegheny County probation officers asked for McKeesport police department's help on Dec. 18 to verify that Pawlik-Curry was complying with the terms of his release.
Read More
January 01, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: History
The last time McKeesport entered the “twenties,” the boom was on — the gas boom, that is.
In August 1919, two men, Samuel J. Brendel of West Newton and David Foster of McKeesport, began drilling a well near present-day Renziehausen Park on what Brendel later called “a hunch.”
Their well, in what was then called “Snake Hollow,” struck natural gas. A lot of it — 40 million to 60 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, at first.
By the end of 1919, the famous “McKeesport Gas Boom” had begun. From across the United States, people moved to McKeesport to get jobs drilling wells. Many more people bought shares of stock in hundreds of drilling companies — most of which would turn out to be worthless.
Read More
