December 30, 2024 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
As President-elect Donald Trump takes office, federal safety net programs such as Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP, which support 85 million low-income Americans, may face cuts to reduce inflation and debt.
In Pennsylvania, 40 percent of the child population is covered through Medicaid.
Carolyn Myers, communications director for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said Medicaid has been instrumental in reducing the child uninsured rate. Cuts to the program will threaten coverage and benefits to the 1.2 million children currently enrolled in Pennsylvania.
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December 30, 2024 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
In January, low-wage workers in Pennsylvania will be missing out on pay hikes seen in 23 other states.
Neighboring states such as Ohio are starting the new year with higher minimum wages.
Gillian Kratzer, deputy director of the advocacy group Better Pennsylvania, said the state’s minimum wage has stayed the same as the federal minimum wage, $7.25, since 2009. Her group argues that a better economy requires people to have money to spend.
“When you are living not just at minimum wage but even within some distance above it, you do not have money to spend, you are living paycheck to paycheck,” Kratzer said.
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December 25, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Editorial Cartoons
Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
(Psalm 97: 11-12)
December 24, 2024 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
The North Versailles library and community center have been closed since 2023 after a building inspection revealed structural damage. (Kristen Keleschenyi photo for Tube City Almanac)
North Versailles Twp. commissioners will seek bids to repair the North Versailles Library and Community Center.
The library, located at 1401 Greensburg Ave., has been closed since September 2023 after a building inspection indicated structural damage.
Years of storing road salt in the building's garage space caused cracks to form in the walls. The building has remained closed, due to an abundance of caution, and a temporary site has been operating in the Great Valley Shopping Center in the former Good Samaritan Thrift Store.
A resident survey, distributed in late spring and early summer, was part of the catalyst to get the repairs done as soon as possible. “We got a lot of feedback with that,” said Commissioner Louise Beswick said. “People want their community center and library open.”
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December 20, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Pam Irizarry of Irwin gives last-minute instructions Thursday morning to helpers before parents of needy children begin “shopping” at Mission: Agape in McKeesport. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Volunteers from Mission: Agape this week distributed 2,000 toys and gifts for almost 400 children in the Mon-Yough area.
At a makeshift toy store set up inside the former Wesley United Methodist Church on Prescott Street, volunteers guided parents and guardians through a series of shopping stations grouped by ages ranging from birth to 18 year olds. “Shoppers” entered in groups of 10 at a time.
No children were permitted so that all gifts will remain a surprise until unwrapped, said Lori Smith-Sakalousky of Latrobe, who was helping organize this week’s giveaways along with Pam Irizarry of Irwin.
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December 16, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Illustration based on “Republic Services Trash Truck” by Jon Cutrer, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0)
Many McKeesport residents reacted with anger after city council this month voted to increase the annual Municipal Service Fee from $300 to $400.
The fee, payable in quarterly installments, has not been raised for several years. But Mayor Michael Cherepko told council that the cost of trash collection has more than doubled.
“We’ve eaten that cost the last two years,” Cherepko said. “I didn’t think it was right to increase that fee when our garbage collection was poor at times. I didn’t feel comfortable pursuing this increase until our service was satisfactory.”
Following three years during which residents alleged that the previous contractor was skipping houses, missing entire streets or leaving trash in the road, McKeesport returned in 2023 to Big’s Sanitation of Forward Twp. Cherepko said that complaints have dramatically decreased since the switch.
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December 16, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Duquesne News
Santa Claus has been making the rounds in Mon-Yough communities, in many cases with the assistance of volunteer firefighters and their departments, Tube City Almanac has learned.
The North Pole resident, shown here, visited Duquesne on Dec. 1.
A spokesperson for the jolly old elf said Santa and Duquesne firefighters began their rounds on Library Court, then traveled to St. Joseph Church, St. Nicholas Church, Payne Chapel A.M.E. Church, Orchard Park, Crawford Avenue, Kennedy Avenue, the former Duquesne football field, the Hilltop apartments and Oliver Plaza, ending their trip at City Hall on South Second Street.
Claus, whose age was not listed, is scheduled to return to the area on Dec. 24.
All photos are courtesy Duquesne Councilman Councilman Aaron Adams.
December 16, 2024 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
School Board President Mark Holtzman Sr. congratulates Sen. James Brewster. (Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
Two longtime public servants were honored by McKeesport Area School District during Thursday’s meeting. Retiring state Sen. James Brewster and school director David Donato were recognized for decades of service to the district.
Brewster, a 1966 graduate of McKeesport Area High School, praised his alma mater, its educators, coaches and the city at-large for providing a surplus of edifying and meaningful experiences.
“I always talked about it in the senate. Jay Costa will tell you I talked about it ad nauseam,” Brewster said. “McKeesport has had four NFL players and a number of good athletes, attorneys, judges, you name it. We’ve had a lieutenant governor, senators — and that's a tribute to the city and the school district.”
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December 15, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Download Duquesne’s 2025 Budget
Duquesne has approved a 2025 budget with no tax increase.
At the Dec. 3 meeting, city council voted 4-0 to approve a $4 million spending plan with no tax increase.
The city’s tax millage will remain at 20 mills. According to the budget, some $620,000 will be allocated to County Hauling for garbage pickup. A total of $200,000 is allocated for vacant building demolition in the new year.
Officials said that a code enforcement officer might be hired in 2025.
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December 15, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne will move forward with a study to decide whether to adopt a home-rule charter.
At this month’s council meeting, City Manager Douglas Sample announced that voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of a home-rule study commission, 1,313 to 674. “We are good to go,” he said.
Duquesne is currently governed by the state’s third-class city code. Home rule gives municipalities greater flexibility to set their own laws and ordinances. McKeesport and Monroeville are among municipalities that converted to home-rule government.
City residents also appointed members of the home-rule commission, with Councilwoman Denise Brownfield leading all vote-getters with 901. Connie A. Lucas-Kemp, who according to her LinkedIn page, is founder of Duquesne Network for Fairness & Community Development Corporation, came in second with 794.
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December 10, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Four people, including two with ties to the Mon-Yough area, have been accused by the state Attorney General’s office with being part of a “smash-and-grab” burglary ring that took credit cards and checkbooks from vehicles, then stole cash from the victims.
Investigators have linked the group to at least 68 thefts in 19 different communities, according to a spokesperson for Attorney General Michelle Henry.
Charges were filed Friday in magisterial district court in Cranberry Twp., Butler County, where at least seven of the thefts are alleged to have occurred.
In some cases, investigators allege, the group preyed on victims who were at churches, day care centers, playgrounds and parks.
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December 10, 2024 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A national shortage of teachers for kindergarten through 12th grade is impacting McKeesport Area School District as well, officials said.
At Thursday’s meeting, school directors and district officials addressed concerns about the resignation of Angela Cale, MASD’s coordinator of special education and alternative services.
Cale is a McKeesport Area High School graduate and former dean of students and principal of East End Academy. She had served as special ed coordinator since 2013, according to the district. Her resignation was effective Dec. 10.
McKeesport resident Carolyn Cash asked the board how Cale’s resignation would affect student education. Residents have previously voiced concerns about vacancies in special education and other departments.
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December 10, 2024 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School District is moving ahead with its superintendent search.
“We have a total of 28 applicants,” board president Mark Holtzman Sr. said during a Dec. 5 open agenda meeting. “We're pretty excited about that.”
The applicants, who are vying to fill the position vacated by Tia Wanzo following her resignation last month, stem from multiple backgrounds.
Candidates include one executive director, 12 superintendents, four assistant superintendents, five principals or assistant principals, and six others that “work in central administration in districts around here,” Holtzman said.
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December 06, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Duquesne News
Related Story: Duquesne OK’s EOS Plant in RIDC Park
A proposed battery manufacturing plant in Duquesne could benefit from a $303.5 million loan announced this week by the U.S. Department of Energy.
The Biden Administration announced this week that the DOE has closed the loan guarantee with EOS Energy Enterprises to finance the construction of two new production lines at the company’s facility in Turtle Creek to produce the company’s “EOS Z3” industrial-scale electricity storage systems.
The guarantee includes $277.5 million in principal and $26 million in interest.
The production lines could produce enough storage batteries to power the annual electricity needs of 130,000 homes.
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December 06, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Related Story: EOS Energy Secures $303.5M Federal Loan
This proposed EOS Energy facility in Duquesne would feature two assembly lines producing industrial-scale zinc storage batteries. (Illustration courtesy Gateway Engineers via City of Duquesne)
Duquesne City Council has approved construction of a manufacturing facility that could bring 300 to 400 jobs to the RIDC industrial park along the Monongahela River.
At a meeting this week, council voted 4-0 to give conditional approval to EOS Energy Enterprises’ plan to build a 181,000 square foot facility on 28 acres of the former U.S. Steel Duquesne Works. Mayor R. Scott Adams was unable to attend.
Doug Sample, Duquesne’s city manager, said the city’s planning commission has reviewed and recommended the project.
Councilwoman Denise Brownfield thanked the company for considering Duquesne. “Welcome,” she said, adding that she hopes city residents would apply for jobs with EOS.
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December 05, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Craig White, an engineer working on the extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, points to construction areas on an aerial photo. (Photo courtesy Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce via Facebook)
The next portion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, a roughly six-mile-long segment stretching from Route 51 to near the Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin, could be open as soon as fall of 2026.
But the highway’s entrance into the Dravosburg and Duquesne areas will have to wait a little bit longer, representatives of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission told members of the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce at a meeting on Wednesday morning. About 40 people attended.
The commission is still attempting to secure remaining pieces of right-of-way near Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, said Craig White, senior associate with Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson Inc., one of the engineering firms overseeing work on the project to extend the toll road otherwise known as Route 43.
One thing that won’t hold up further construction is a lack of funding. State Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin said that a dedicated funding stream has been developed in Pennsylvania’s budget to complete the highway.
“There should never again be a point where the project just completely stops,” Pisciottano said.
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December 05, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(Tube City Almanac file photo by Vickie Babyak)
McKeesport’s 39th annual Festival of Trees opened Thursday afternoon with more than 90 decorated holiday displays representing different groups and organizations in the Mon-Yough area.
Hours are 12 noon to 9 p.m. daily through Dec. 9. The festival is located in the newly renovated Jacob Woll Pavilion in Renziehausen Park.
Admission is $2. Children 12 and under who bring a canned good or non-perishable food for donation to a local food pantry are admitted for free.
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December 05, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport’s police chief will retire at the end of the year to take a job in South Allegheny School District.
Chief Mark Steele’s departure was announced Wednesday night at McKeesport’s city council meeting. Mayor Michael Cherepko said Assistant Chief Josh Alfer, who was appointed last month, will serve as interim chief until a new police chief is chosen.
At a separate meeting on Wednesday, South Allegheny School Board hired Steele as a school police officer.
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December 03, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: White Oak News
A White Oak area resident $3 million richer after purchasing a winning scratch-off ticket from a local business, the Pennsylvania Lottery has announced.
The identity of the winner was not revealed.
A lottery spokesperson said the winning ticket was sold at Nic’s Tobacco, 1620 Lincoln Way. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
The ticket sold was part of the $3 million Golden Ticket game and had a $30 face value. The game includes four $3 million prizes. According to the lottery’s posted odds, the chances of winning the top prize is 1 in 1.08 million.
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December 02, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport police Chief Mark Steele and Mayor Michael Cherepko (right) congratulate new assistant chief Josh Alfer (center) following his promotion. (Tube City Almanac photo)
McKeesport’s new assistant police chief comes from a family with deep local roots, and helped create the department’s program to recruit and train new officers.
Josh Alfer, an 18-year veteran who previously served as the lieutenant in charge of patrol, was appointed second-in-command of the department in November. The position of assistant chief had been vacant since current police Chief Mark Steele was promoted from assistant chief more than a year ago.
Mayor Michael Cherepko said Alfer and other candidates were screened by the personnel committee following civil service testing.
“We had unbelievably qualified candidates, but obviously there comes a time to make a very difficult decision,” Cherepko said, adding that he was confident in Alfer’s abilities.
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December 02, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Children play at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Family Services Center in Wilmerding. AIU officials said the center will be forced to close without continued funding from Allegheny County. (Photo courtesy Allegheny Intermediate Unit)
Mon-Yough area social services organizations are sounding the alarm over Allegheny County’s budget impasse, warning that programs that parents and seniors have come to rely upon could be eliminated.
Allegheny County Council is scheduled to meet Tuesday to consider a $1.2 billion budget proposal from County Executive Sara Innamorato that includes a 2.2-mill property tax increase.
Members of council have told reporters they consider her budget “dead on arrival” and that it lacks the necessary approval of 10 council members in order to pass. A council committee last week recommended a proposal that includes an increase of slightly more than half of what the executive has said is needed to avoid drastic and severe across-the-board cutbacks.
Council must approve a budget by Friday.
Wendy Smith, director of early childhood, family, and community services for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, said that its 10 family centers — including in McKeesport, Duquesne, Wilmerding, Clairton and Homestead — will close without county funding.
“About half of the budget for these centers comes directly from Allegheny County, and the other half comes from the state through Allegheny County,” she said.
Without funding for the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Smith said, “they will be gone.”
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