November 20, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Azael Alvarez, project manager for the Better Block Foundation, helps to paint the Cox’s Corner parking lot on Monday. (Tube City Almanac photo)
City officials, Penn State Greater Allegheny and the Texas-based Better Block Foundation will use this weekend’s Salute to Santa parade to encourage economic and cultural investment in the Downtown business district.
The parade — still among the largest Christmas parades in Western Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh — gets underway along Fifth Avenue between Market and Sinclair streets beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 23). Tube City Almanac will provide live-streamed video coverage, weather-permitting.
Better Block, with support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, is transforming the Cox’s Corner lot — a parking area on the site of the former Cox’s Department Store at Fifth and Walnut streets — into a colorful temporary performance area.
A pop-up holiday market is being created for this Saturday only across the street in the People’s Building and the vacant D&K Stores and CVS Pharmacy. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
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November 15, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The Allegheny County fire marshal’s office is investigating blazes this week that destroyed a vacant house on Jenny Lind Street and severely damaged two other homes on Packer Street.
The Jenny Lind Street fire is considered suspicious, McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik said.
The first fire was reported early Sunday morning in a home at 1803 Packer St. and quickly spread to a neighboring house at 1801. When crews arrived, the first house was heavily engulfed in fire and the second house was catching, and a second alarm was issued.
Both homes were wood-frame construction, according to Allegheny County property tax records. The houses were less than 10 feet apart.
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November 13, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Council Member Amber Webb speaks during a town hall meeting Nov. 2 at Jacob Woll Pavilion. (Tom Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
Relationships between local police and community residents — especially Black residents — are burdened by a legacy of racism and stereotypes, said speakers at a town-hall meeting organized by Take Action Advocacy Group.
But most speakers at the event, held Nov. 2 at Jacob Woll Pavilion, stopped short of using language such as “defund the police,” instead arguing that resources should be allocated for other first-responders and organizations to respond to mental-health crises and non-violent situations, and for the use of conflict resolution techniques to resolve neighborhood disputes.
About 20 people attended the event, which included Take Action co-founder and chief executive officer Fawn Walker-Montgomery, McKeesport Council Member Amber Webb, and Autumn Redcross and Margo Hu from Abolitionist Law Center-Court Watch.
Former Duquesne Mayor Nickole Nesby and former Allegheny County Councilwoman Olivia Bennett were among those who also spoke at the meeting.
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October 30, 2024 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
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.
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October 21, 2024 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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.
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October 16, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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.
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October 14, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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.
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October 10, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
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.
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October 10, 2024 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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...
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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
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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.”
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October 08, 2024 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Photo courtesy Auberle, via Facebook)
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.
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