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 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 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 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 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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November 30, 2024 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Photographer Vickie Babyak captured these views of last week’s 2024 Salute to Santa Parade in Downtown McKeesport. Members of the Better Block Foundation served as grand marshal for the Nov. 23 event, along with special guest Cooper the Emu.
Nie’Zhay Jefferson, representing McKeesport Little Theater, was crowned as the queen of the parade, while Gabrielle Poston, representing the McKeesport Little Tigers, was crowned as princess.
Other candidates included princess nominees Skylar Crenshaw (McKeesport Area Shared Ministry, Beulah Park Campus); Sydney Hrinda (McKeesport Little Theater), Dee’Asia Little (LaRosa Youth Club), Mariah Robinson (McKeesport Little Tigers), and Zariah Swindle (McKeesport Area High School Cheerleaders)
Queen nominees included Alaysia Brewton (MAHS Cheerleaders), Kaitlyn Brush (McKeesport Area High School Tiger Marching Band), Madison Martino, (McKeesport Area High School National Honor Society), Elizabeth Nemes (MAHS Choir), Saniya Rivers (LaRosa Youth Club), Riley Sheposh (MAHS Student Council) and Ashley Slagle (MAHS Colorguard)
To request a reprint of any photo, email vbabyak@yahoo.com.
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November 27, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Investigators are probing a fire that damaged an apartment building Tuesday morning on Versailles Avenue.
McKeesport firefighters said crews were dispatched to 3212 Versailles Ave. just before 7 a.m. after Allegheny County 9-1-1 reported receiving multiple calls about a fire in a second-floor apartment. The blaze at the corner of Versailles and Craig streets quickly went to two alarms.
The first floor of the building previously housed Omerta Ink, a tattoo parlor. According to a post on Facebook, Omerta Ink closed Sept. 26.
Firefighters said the upper floor of the building was not occupied as a residence at the present time and appeared to be a storage area.
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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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