September 25, 2021 |
By Matt Germaine | Posted in: Duquesne News
After nearly three years of seeking grant funds to demolish an abandoned house at 129 South First St., Duquesne City Council has approved a measure to raze the structure using city funds.
“The demo [has been] tricky for grants to approve because the house is in an Historic District,” said LaFranz Hemphill of Glenn Engineering. “If the city pays for it, then there is no need to get a grant to demo the house.”
According to residents who commented during the meeting, the structure has become a hazardous nuisance over the years due to falling building matter. Bids to perform the demolition have come in at around $10,500, and the work can begin as soon as Oct. 4, city officials said.
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September 24, 2021 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements, Duquesne News
Members of Clifton Pitts’ family and local officials join state Rep. Austin Davis and state Sen. Jim Brewster during a ceremony to celebrate the designation of a portion of Route 837 as the “Clifton P. Pitts Memorial Highway.” (Submitted photo courtesy state Rep. Austin Davis)
A portion of state Route 837 in Duquesne and West Mifflin has been renamed to honor the late Clifton P. Pitts.
Local, county and state officials gathered Friday morning at Macedonia Baptist Church to dedicate part of the road as the Clifton P. Pitts Memorial Highway. Pitts died in November 2020 of complications of COVID-19. He was 76.
Pitts was born in Pittsburgh but grew up in Duquesne. In the 1970s, Pitts worked as a community activist throughout the Mon Valley, working for a local anti-poverty campaign and also volunteering his time to fight segregation and racial discrimination, and to encourage Black residents to register to vote and run for local offices.
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August 02, 2021 |
By Matt Germaine | Posted in: Duquesne News
The Duquesne City School District will kick off the 2021-2022 school year with a new STEM Center, thanks in part to the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.
Geared towards older students, the facility will join the similar “makerspaces” utilized by the district’s younger students. But teachers can reserve any facility if they feel it will enhance lessons related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to Jamie Schmidt, Ed.D., the district’s director of curriculum and instruction.
“We've found since we have implemented the elementary makerspaces, our students do well. They're most engaged in these spaces,” said Schmidt. “So teachers are looking for any opportunity to take their kids and really engage them in learning because the students love it.”
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July 12, 2021 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Duquesne News, Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News, North Versailles Twp. News, White Oak News
More than $270,000 in grants have been awarded to Mon-Yough area fire and EMS companies through a state program.
For agencies that could not conduct regular fundraisers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the money can be used to help make up for lost revenue, say local state representatives.
The annual Fire Company and Emergency Medical Service Grant Program, which is overseen by the Office of the State Fire Commissioner, provides funding for volunteer and career fire companies, emergency medical services and rescue squads.
Eligible organizations can use the funds for facilities and equipment, debt reduction, training and education and recruitment and retention.
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July 06, 2021 |
By Nichole Faina | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
A fire May 12 rendered this Duquesne building uninhabitable. The demand for affordable housing in the Mon Valley outstrips the supply, say housing advocates and state Rep. Austin Davis. (Tube City Almanac photo)
On the night of May 12, Lakeya Wilson entrusted her four children, all under age 5, to her family members to babysit at her Duquesne home. Forty-five minutes later, Wilson received a call that her apartment building was on fire.
Thankfully, her family escaped unharmed, but the apartment where they had lived for two and a half years is now uninhabitable.
Wilson has a federal housing choice voucher — the program commonly called “Section 8” — and like many people in the Mon Valley is in search of a better apartment.
Wilson and her children are currently staying with family. She says she’s contacted more than 10 landlords to see if they have any vacancies for a Section 8 holder. So far, she says, all she’s heard is “no.”
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June 22, 2021 |
By Matt Germaine | Posted in: Duquesne News
In March 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic forced all Pennsylvania schools to switch to remote instruction, state Rep. Austin Davis visited Duquesne Education Center to read to pupils. (Courtesy State Rep. Austin Davis)
Despite a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Duquesne City School District finished the 2020-2021 academic year strong and with an optimistic outlook on the year to come.
“We’ve had about 25 [cases] total, it really has been remarkable,” said Sue Mariani, the Duquesne City School District’s superintendent. “We’ve been very, very fortunate. To me, it’s the due diligence of everybody just doing their part to keep everyone safe.”
In March 2020, the district sent each of its 360 students home with either an iPad or a Chromebook, depending on grade level and teacher pedagogy. But while students learned from home, the district’s faculty and staff adopted a proactive mindset regarding the logistics of the months to come.
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May 26, 2021 |
By Amanda B. Gillooly | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne residents can expect changes in the way the city does business, with officials announcing a “soft opening” for the municipal building, planned website upgrades, and some procedural changes with delinquent water bill collection.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, City Administrator Kelly Robertson announced that the municipal building would again be open to the public as of June 1, after being closed for more than a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Those who visit the building will be required to wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Public restrooms would not be available.
“No one will be able to leave the lobby,” Robertson said.
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May 20, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
Duquesne Mayor Nickole Nesby was defeated for the Democratic nomination for a second term in office, but Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey held off his primary challenger.
Winners of primaries in each party will face one another in the general election Nov. 2.
Duquesne Mayor
According to complete but unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division, Nesby, the first Black woman elected mayor of Duquesne, was defeated in the Democratic Primary by City Councilman R. Scott Adams by a sizable margin.
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May 13, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Duquesne News
(Image via Google maps)
More than a dozen fire companies from two counties spent several hours Wednesday night battling a blaze at a Duquesne building that forced six people out of their apartments.
The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is investigating the source and cause of a fire that destroyed the second floor of the building at 414 Grant St. and threatened a neighboring church.
No injuries were reported, but Duquesne fire Chief Frank Cobb said some fire hoses and a ladder were damaged when part of a second-story porch collapsed.
There were two apartments on the second floor of the building. The first floor at one time housed Capristo’s Barber Shop but it was vacant and was being remodeled, Cobb said.
The American Red Cross is helping the victims, Cobb said, and a GoFundMe has been set up for one of the displaced families.
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April 30, 2021 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Duquesne News
Duquesne will receive a grant of $25,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for the Polish Hill Playground Project, state Rep. Austin Davis has announced.
The project will replace old equipment with new playcenters, new swings and rubber safety surfacing. It also includes new benches, a trash receptacle and installing a drainage system.
In addition, $143,394 was awarded to Clairton for Clairton City Park Green Infrastructure. The project includes the design and construction of five rain gardens that will control stormwater runoff, reduce flooding and help protect water quality within the Peters Creek Watershed.
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