Allegheny County elections officials have issued this video explaining how absentee and mail-in ballots are counted. (Courtesy Allegheny County via YouTube)
Ahead of Tuesday’s election, Pennsylvania has become ground-zero for election conspiracy theories, experts warned this week, and they are cautioning the public not to be fooled.
Officials with the Allegheny County Elections Bureau have already attempted to debunk social media rumors after a video circulated of an absentee ballot drop-off location in South Park.
County officials said no illegal activity occured at the South Park drop-off facility, located at the county-owned ice rink on Corrigan Drive. The county elections bureau has opened temporary satellite offices at nine locations, including in Duquesne, Squirrel Hill and six other neighborhoods, where voters may deliver their own absentee ballots to elections workers.
One of the hot issues for younger voters — the year-long Israeli bombing campaign on Palestine, following an October 2023 surprise attack by Hamas — was barely mentioned Tuesday during a get-out-the-vote rally in McKeesport’s Renziehausen Park.
The closest anyone came was when former President Bill Clinton was listing a variety of problems the country was facing. The issue received less attention than questions about artificial intelligence.
Earlier in the day, an appearance by Clinton at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg was briefly interrupted when a 20-year-old protestor who identified herself only as “Faith” interrupted the former president’s remarks to ask why the United States is still supplying weapons to Israel.
Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for president, speaks during a 2016 campaign stop in Omaha, Neb. (Matt A.J. photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0)
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein will attend a candidate forum in Renziehausen Park tonight (Wednesday) sponsored by Mon Valley-based Take Action Advocacy Group and Pittsburgh’s 412 Justice.
The Environmental Justice Candidate Forum begins at 5 p.m. at Jacob Woll Pavilion in McKeesport. The event is free, but online registration is requested.
In addition to Stein, other candidates who are scheduled to attend include Leila Hazou, Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate; U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, Democrat of Swissvale, who is seeking her second term in Congress, and challenger James Hayes (Republican Party); state attorney general candidates Eugene DePasquale (Democratic Party) and Richard L. Weiss (Green Party); Malcolm Kenyatta, Democratic candidate for state auditor general; Erin McClelland, Democratic candidate for state treasurer; State Sen. Jay Costa, Forest Hills Democrat, seeking re-election in the 43rd District; and John Ritter, Republican candidate for state General Assembly in the 25th District.
Former President Bill Clinton, who visited McKeesport in 1992 while running for president, helped lead a “get-out-the-vote” rally for local Democrats at Renziehausen Park on Tuesday. (Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim photo for Tube City Almanac)
Former President Bill Clinton came to McKeesport on Tuesday for a Get Out the Vote rally in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president.
With early voting underway and Election Day less than a week away, Democrats, Republicans, and the Green Party are trying to secure votes with the little time they have left in Pennsylvania, which is considered the key swing state this year.
On the same day that Clinton came to McKeesport, Trump held a rally in Allentown. Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential candidate, will be coming to McKeesport tonight (Wednesday) for an environmental justice forum in Renziehausen Park from 5 to 8 p.m.
National Alliance on Mental Illness McKeesport Support Group will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 6 in Room 122 of the Frable Building, Penn State Greater Allegheny, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness. A “care and share” session will be held. This opportunity offers understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones.
For more information about the McKeesport meeting, call (412) 527-6600. For the free NAMI Helpline, call (412) 366-3788 weekdays between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Penn State’s Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport will hold a community Halloween bash from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 29).
Guests will enjoy indoor and outdoor activities and games located in the Student Community Center and on the Buck Family Lawn. Parking is available in the Red Lot across from the SCC.
The event is being organized by students at PSUGA, said Rason Conner, who is majoring in recreation, park and tourism management at Greater Allegheny Campus.
Event highlights include trunk-or-treat, a costume contest, a photo booth, apple bobbing, a “smash the pumpkin” game, pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe and other games, scary stories, scary movies, and arts and crafts.
Witnesses said a car driven by a Wilkins Twp. man “had to be pushing 100” miles per hour before it collided with another car in North Versailles Twp., leading to a Duquesne woman’s death.
Aaron J. Butler, 21, is charged by Allegheny County police with homicide in connection with the April 7 death of 66-year-old Tammy Chonko. Butler is free on $25,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing Nov. 1 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.
Charges were filed Oct. 17.
Detectives allege that Butler was speeding, driving erratically and high on marijuana when his car collided with Chonko’s car at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Crooked Run Road in North Versailles Twp.
The McKeesport Area School District has received 12 applications for the open position of superintendent, and is hoping to receive some more before the cut-off date on Oct. 31, officials said last week.
The hiring process began after the previous superintendent, Tia Wanzo, resigned amidst allegations of a failure to properly report a case of sexual contact between a 24-year-old security guard — Alexis Brown — and a 17-year-old student.
That case is separate from rumored allegations against an anonymous McKeesport Area teacher who was reportedly placed on administrative leave after being accused of sexual misconduct by a student. District officials have declined comment in that case.
At a sometimes contentious board meeting last week, McKeesport resident Bridgette Truss raised the issue of special education students. Two positions have been vacant since the beginning of the school year, she said, coordinator of special education and assistant coordinator of special education and accessibility.
A White Oak man was arrested following a traffic stop after Allegheny County police alleged he was in possession of crack cocaine, marijuana and a digital scale used to weigh narcotics.
Lamont J. Price, 27, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing Oct. 21 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene F. Riazzi Jr.
According to a criminal complaint, county detectives were working a violence suppression detail in the area of Crawford Village in McKeesport on Oct. 9 when they observed a Ford Escape make a turn without signalling, and then go through a stop sign.
A city man is charged with narcotics possession and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with a one-car crash on Fifth Avenue.
Robert Demery, 61, faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 25 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene F. Riazzi Jr.
According to a criminal complaint, McKeesport police responded early on the morning of Oct. 7 to a report of a one-car crash near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and White Street. Officers arrived to find a Ford SUV had collided with a utility pole, but no driver present, the complaint states.
More than four out of 10 Pennsylvanians told pollsters they’d support an outright ban on fracking.
Sean O'Leary, senior researcher at the Ohio River Valley Institute, said the poll was conducted to assess voters’ attitudes toward the fracking industry. Multiple questions were asked about what could be done to minimize or reduce some of the impacts of fracking.
“And what we found was that, across the board, across a variety of different measures,” said O'Leary, “more than 90 percent of all Pennsylvanians supported increased efforts in those regards.”
Carla Lukehart and Andrew J.G. Schwartz of Environmental Planning & Design presented a report to McKeesport officials at the October council meeting. It recommends a series of phased improvements to make three key corridors safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. (Tube City Almanac photo)
A new report envisions a series of street and sidewalk improvements that would reshape three main corridors through the heart of McKeesport to improve access for bicyclists, pedestrians and bus riders.
The report — created by Environmental Planning & Design after more than two years of data collection and community input from city residents — stops short of recommending dedicated bike lanes, such as those in Pittsburgh and other major cities.
Instead, the report recommends the city plan to make investments in improved signage, safer drains and storm basins, and curb-cuts to make it easier for bicyclists, walkers and people in wheelchairs to connect to the Great Allegheny Passage, bus routes and shopping and recreation.
McKeesport Area School Board is asking for the public to provide input as it searches for a new superintendent.
At last week’s agenda meeting, resident Louis Patil suggested that although the last two superintendents were graduates of McKeesport Area schools and longtime employees, the district’s next leader should not have any connection to the district.
“You’re looking for input about the new superintendent,” Patile said. “I honestly think the next superintendent should not have any connection to McKeesport from before. When businesses get in trouble, they don’t promote from within. They go out and find someone from outside who has no pre-conceived notions.”
District Solicitor Gary Matta said he welcomed those kinds of comments. “We are trying to get public input on expectations for a superintendent,” he said. “Then we can give it to the consultant” and talk to the people that truly want the job.
(Photos courtesy North Versailles Police Department via Facebook)
A Penn Hills man is being held in the Allegheny County Jail following the robbery of a convenience store in North Versailles Twp.
Anthony D. Leone, 44, is charged by North Versailles police in connection with an Oct. 3 holdup of the Speedway on Route 30, according to a criminal complaint. Police said Leone was identified in part by witnesses after township police posted surveillance photos on social media.
He faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 7 before Magisterial District Judge Roxanne Sakoian Eichler.
According to the complaint, a man armed with what appeared to be a handgun held up the store just after 9 p.m. Oct. 3 and fled in a dark gray Ford SUV.
Sue and Steve Braunfield, who donated musical instruments to Duquesne and McKeesport schools, posed with members of Rachel Shively’s music class in Duquesne. (Photo courtesy Jeremy Tepper, Allegheny Intermediate Unit)
Music is transformative. That’s one of the primary reasons why Western Pennsylvania natives Sue and Steve Braunfield returned to the Mon Valley last week to donate brand new musical instruments to students in need.
The retired First Energy employees visited both the McKeesport Area and Duquesne City school districts to deliver clarinets, saxophones and trumpets.
The gesture comes in memory of Sue’s brother, Frank Sprentz Jr. of McKeesport, a passionate drummer, singer, songwriter and band member — he played with Sudden Grace, Harmony, and Glenn Pavone & The Cyclones — who died Feb. 13 at age 73.
When Sprentz passed, the couple decided they wanted to cement his legacy in a way that would make him happy. And while the Braunfields now live in Painesville, Ohio, they hadn’t forgotten their roots.
The view from the bandshell stage at Renziehausen Park on Oct. 27, 1974: “It was just like any other Sunday in the park,” McKeesport Mayor Jack Pribanic later said, “except it was the day of the big Rock Concert.” (Courtesy Tom Rosso)
If you go...
McKeesport Rock Concert 50th anniversary Featuring Ledsmith and Three Sides
Where: Renziehausen Park, McKeesport
When: 4 p.m. Saturday (Oct. 12), Lions Club bandshell
Tickets: Free
If you were in Renziehausen Park on Oct. 27, 1974, you know why that day was special.
It was the day — 50 years ago this month — when a crowd estimated at more than 50,000 people from all over the Pittsburgh area descended on Renzie to see three of the biggest rock groups of the year — the headliner, Brownsville Station, the opening act, a Pittsburgh band called Diamond Reo, and a new band that was on one of its first U.S. tours: Aerosmith.
On Saturday afternoon, the city, McKeesport Lions Club and McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center will pay tribute to that memorable weekend and host a 50th anniversary concert featuring Aerosmith cover band Ledsmith and opening act Three Sides, a local acoustic band.
“It was a defining kind of moment for that generation,” said Jen Vertullo, vice-president of the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center. “For small town people to be able to see something as big as Aerosmith — and at that point, they were not even as big as they would come to be.”
Tiffany Carter Siar of Take Action Advocacy Group and Women for a Healthy Environment accepts a proclamation from McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko at the October council meeting. (Tube City Almanac photo)
City officials have joined Take Action Advocacy Group and Women for a Healthy Environment to remind residents to get their homes checked for lead exposure.
Mayor Michael Cherepko and city council last week issued a proclamation recognizing Oct. 20-26 as National Lead Poisoning Week in McKeesport and October as Children’s Health Month.
Tiffany Carter Siar, a community health worker with WHE and TAAG, accepted the proclamation on behalf of both groups.
TAAG and WHE, based in Pittsburgh, have teamed up for a series of events in the McKeesport area designed to raise awareness of lead poisoining, especially in infants, children and pregnant mothers.
Duquesne City Council has passed an ordinance to restrict parking on two streets where residents and emergency personnel have identified problems.
At the October meeting, council by 4-0 vote adopted an ordinance establishing “No Parking Anytime Zones” on Crawford Avenue between South Fifth Street and Mifflin Street, and on Overland Avenue between Richford Street and Clearview Avenue. Councilman Aaron Adams was absent on business.
Council also passed a new Property Maintenance Code by a 4-0 vote.
During Mayor R. Scott Adams’ Public Safety report, council discussed the possibility of public vehicle charging stations for electric vehicles. Officials are currently in talks with the school district, which owns the property adjacent to City Hall, about creating a charging station. Currently, council is talking about having two or three electric connections available for public use.
In her Public Works Department report, Councilperson Elaine Washington noted that the city has received a final cost quote for an excavator. The cost is set at $185,722. “It would help with demolition of houses destroyed by fire,” she said. The money for the equipment would come from the city’s liquid fuel tax funds.
Two private performances by Scott Blasey sold for $6,000 each during the live auction at Auberle’s 20th Annual Voices Carry event.
Initially, the offer was for just one performance, and the bidding began below $1,000, but Blasey agreed to a second performance for the second bidder in the spur of the moment.
The event brought in 324 attendees, all of whom witnessed performances of 1960s classics by Ashley Marina, Kelsey Friday, Jeff Schmutz, Blazey and a dozen others.
The Western Pennsylvania-based human resources agency raised over $271,000 in unrestricted funds at this event, surpassing last year’s event by just under $50,000.
Duquesne needs additional people to serve on a committee to study a home-rule charter and city officials are urging interested residents to run as write-ins in the November election.
Mayor R. Scott Adams said four residents are running to serve on the commission in the Nov. 5 election but additional people will be needed to fill the remaining three seats on the seven-member board.
The committee would serve for a year and would recommend whether or not the city should scrap its current form of government for a new, more flexible home-rule charter.
Currently, the city is governed by the state’s third-class city code, which can only be altered by the state legislature. A home-rule charter can be changed and amended by residents and city council.
Visitors pause at the historic pump house in Munhall before the 2023 Tour de Mon. (Photo courtesy Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce)
Bicyclists will take to the trail on Saturday in a fundraiser that also shows off progress and development in the Mon-Yough region.
The 13th annual Tour de Mon, sponsored by the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce, departs from the historic pumphouse on the Waterfront in Munhall at 8 a.m., and heads out on the Great Allegheny Passage through West Mifflin, Duquesne, McKeesport, Port Vue, Liberty, Lincoln and Elizabeth Twp.
“A race is a race — this is a ride,” says Robert Johnson of the chamber’s board of directors. “It's a majestic ride. And seeing everything that's going on in the valley gives people a positive view of the river and the communities that have developed along the river.”
Registration is $30 for adults, $20 for 18 and under, and $60 for families.
Officials have confirmed that the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is investigating “irregularities” that were uncovered in the evidence room at the McKeesport police station.
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV said that the office of District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. had been asked to investigate whether money had gone missing from the evidence room.
“The circumstances in question pertain to an ongoing investigation and potential personnel matters, which limits my legal ability to comment,” McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said Wednesday in a prepared statement.
Cherepko said Zappala’s office was contacted by McKeesport police Chief Mark Steele following an internal audit of the evidence room.
A Pittsburgh TV station reported Tuesday that investigators from the Allegheny County district attorney’s office are probing whether money has gone missing from the evidence room at the McKeesport police station.
In a report aired at 5 and 6 p.m., WPXI-TV reported that county investigators were notified by city police officials following an internal audit of the evidence room.
WPXI cited unnamed sources with knowledge of the investigation. A message left by Tube City Almanac for the Allegheny County district attorney’s office seeking to confirm or deny the report was not immediately returned.
The McKeesport group of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will meet at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Oct. 2) in Room 122 of the Frable Building at Penn State Greater Allegheny, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness. A share-and-care session will be held offering understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones.
Members also will be discussing the upcoming NAMIWalks to be held Sunday (Oct. 6) at Monroeville Community Park West to fuel mental health awareness, raise funds for NAMI’s mission and let people know they are not alone.
For more information about the McKeesport meeting, call (412) 527-6600.
Fawn Walker-Montgomery, chief executive officer and co-founder of Take Action Advocacy Group, shares information about the advocacy and programs that her organization provides. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Take Action Advocacy Group marked a decade of advocacy with a celebration, a panel discussion and a vision for the future.
Founded in 2014 as Take Action Mon Valley, TAAG’s 10th anniversary celebration was held Sept. 22 in the Student Community Center’s Ostermayer Room at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
The group was sparked out of a discussion between then-McKeesport City Council Member Fawn Walker-Montgomery, community member Autumn Perkins, and Walker-Montgomery’s cousin, Mae Herriott Hudson.
Hudson had lost a son to violence, and Perkins noted that in Pittsburgh, community advocates were demanding justice for victims of homicide. We need justice, too, in the Mon Valley, Perkins said.
In February, students at Francis McClure Elementary School learned about volcanoes and the culture of Chile with the help of Pittsburgh’s Latino Community Center and teacher Nevenka Kostley. The non-profit LCC is urging the McKeesport Area School District to do more to help the region’s small but growing Spanish-speaking population. (Photo courtesy Latino Community Center via Facebook)
An educator who works with the McKeesport area’s growing number of Spanish-speaking students said that more needs to be done to help them learn and succeed.
Last month, McKeesport Area school board approved the hiring of Kaelynn Hillegass for translation services at a rate of $35 per hour, not to exceed 10 hours per week, to be paid for by Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
Hillegass was already helping McKeesport Area High School students prepare for college or a career, through her work with Human Services Center Mon Valley, she said. The new role ensures that gaps will be “bridged” between the district and families.
Although Hillegass’s help is welcome, Monica Mendez, director of programs for the Latino Community Center, cautioned that the school district is going to need to do more.
“Adding one person, as amazing as she may be, is not going to be enough,” Mendez said. “The kids need super amounts of support in order for them to be able to advance.”
