May 08, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The Versailles Avenue Viaduct, which crosses Ravine Street, closed in 2022. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
McKeesport’s mayor is hopeful that an infusion of federal funding will help the city replace the closed Versailles Avenue Viaduct.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Mayor Michael Cherepko said city officials have had productive conversations with U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and are scheduling meetings with U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick.
“Up to this point, the only money that has come into this project has been from the state,” Cherepko said. Funding obtained by retired state Sen. Jim Brewster and the late Rep. Matt Gergely enabled engineering and design work to begin, he said.
“Once the engineering is done, we’re hoping additional funding will come with it, and much more quickly,” Cherepko said.
Read More
May 04, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
McKeesport Area School Board will vote on updated policies concerning the eligibility of nonresident students and the use of generative artificial intelligence during Thursday’s school board meeting.
Both policies received first readings during the April 10 meeting.
Policy 202, the eligibility of nonresident students, was last updated Jan. 23, 2013, according to district records.
The new policy’s purpose ensures the board operates “district schools for the benefit of students residing in this district who are eligible for attendance.” Additionally, according to the policy, “the Board reserves the right to verify claims of residency, dependency or guardianship and to remove from school attendance a nonresident student whose claim is invalid.”
Read More
April 29, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
Two months after taking the helm of McKeesport Area School District, Superintendent Don MacFann has routinely employed a practice he’s long preached: communication.
“The one thing I've always believed in is that communication is key,” he said. “Not to sound redundant, but that's the truth.”
MacFann signed a five year contract with MASD in January; his first day was March 3. During the 30 years prior — whether at Bethlehem-Center, East Allegheny or Clairton City — the school leader has advocated horizontal and vertical communication.
The former, he said, includes everyone in the school “from the part-time bus driver all the way up to the president of the school board and everybody in between.” When it's effectuated properly, “everyone’s on board,” he continued. “They’re fully aware of what’s going on in the district and that’s half the battle.”
Read More
April 28, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News
Nine candidates for McKeesport Area School District’s school board will debate Tuesday night in the high school auditorium, a district spokeswoman announced.
The debate, at 7 p.m. April 29, is being organized by political science teacher Gerald McGrew and his honors political science class. The public is welcome to attend and the debate also will be streamed on the district’s YouTube channel, the spokeswoman said.
“The class has been working on preparing questions and candidate bios from the information received in class,” McGrew said in a release. “The debate will be run very professionally by the students most of whom are juniors, but we do have a couple of seniors in the class as well.”
Read More
April 25, 2025 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
New museum manager Tim Kunes has moved from the classroom to the exhibit area at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center. (Yousuf Ibrahim photo for Tube City Almanac)
Former social studies teacher Tim Kunes has left the classroom, but he hasn’t left education. In March, McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center hired Kunes as the new manager of its museum in Renziehausen Park.
According to board member Jennifer Vertullo, the center has been fully-board and volunteer-operated for several months, having been without staff since September 2024.
The center, which also provides genealogy and history resources for researchers, including a complete archive of the McKeesport Daily News on microfilm, is restaffing as it prepares for the grand opening of a newly constructed addition.
Kunes retired from education after 30 years of teaching in the McKeesport Area School District before applying to the open position. “I really did love teaching,” said the Geneva College graduate, “and I feel like I tried to make a lot of my classroom instruction dynamic and interactive.”
Read More
April 23, 2025 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment, McKeesport and Region News
The cast strikes a pose during rehearsals for one of the dance numbers in Serra Catholic High School’s production of “Peter Pan” musical. (Submitted photo courtesy Jesse Bush, Serra Catholic High School)
If you go...
|
|
“Peter Pan”
Where: Serra Catholic High School, 200 Hershey Drive
When: 7 p.m. Friday (April 25), 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday (April 26), and 2 p.m. Sunday (April 27)
Tickets: $10 for adults, $5 for students (and anyone under 18). Tickets are good for one performance. Available from any cast member and at the door for each performance, or visit the school website.
|
Tasked with selecting the annual spring musical at Serra Catholic, director Jesse Bush said he wanted to do something different to give the students a new experience.
“I try to pick a variety of styles of musicals. Last year was the ‘Addams Family,’ year before was ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ and I thought it was time to do something a little more lighthearted,” he said.
The result is “Peter Pan,” based on the 1954 Broadway version starring Mary Martin as the boy who won’t grow up, which opens Friday (April 25) at 7 p.m.
Read More
April 17, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School Board unanimously approved a preliminary budget for the 2025-26 school year.
At Thursday’s meeting, school directors by 8-0 vote approved a budget of $86,579,617, which represents a 5 percent increase in expenses at McKeesport Area School District.
Property tax millage remains the same, at 20.96 mills. A homeowner whose house has an assessed value of $100,000 would pay $2,096 in school property taxes annually.
Among those expenses is a $50,000 line item for salaries for a “bus matron/monitors.”
The item, as School Director David Seropian explained, was inserted “per the request” of School Director Diane Elias. Elias’ request comes on the heels of comments made about student safety last month by Sidney Walker and Stephanie Pollock.
Read More
April 17, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School Board is seeking applications from residents of the community to replace School Director Dan Goughnour, who has resigned.
Goughnor’s resignation was accepted by the board at last week’s meeting. He won the special election to the state General Assembly and was sworn into office on April 7.
During the April 10 meeting, school district Solicitor Gary Matta said the school board has 30 days to appoint a replacement for Goughnour.
Read More
April 11, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
* Correction: Due to an editing error, this story was corrected after publication.
(City of McKeesport photo)
McKeesport Area school board members expressed surprise on Thursday that the district is being charged a permit fee for the use of athletic fields at Renziehausen Park.
At this week’s board meeting, School Director Jason Pavlecic reported the district “recently received a bill from the city charging us a few thousand dollars to rent the fields.”
The bill, according to Pavlecic, included a $500 cost to use Jimmy Long Field, a $500 cost to use Filotei Field and a $1,000 fee to use Helen Richey Field.
“And that is to increase next year,” Pavlecic said. “To my knowledge, as well as [MASD Athletic Director] Charley Kiss’ knowledge, this has never occurred previously.”
Read More
April 10, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Fitness trainer Jessica McCauley demonstrates equipment at her new facility, Flash Fitness, located in the city’s 10th Ward. (Stacy Alderman photo for Tube City Almanac)
Since becoming a certified trainer in 2016, Jessica McCauley has worked at multiple gyms throughout the area. Along the way, she met clients who followed her from place to place, even if it was to a temporary gym in her garage.
Now, those dedicated customers, along with new ones, have the opportunity to see her in action as the owner of her own facility, Flash Fitness, at 524 West 5th Ave. in the city’s 10th Ward.
The facility will host its first public event on May 31st, a spring “VIP dance” where kids can bring their “VIP” to hang out, dance, and enjoy snacks and a photo booth. “There’s are always father-daughter dances,” McCauley says. “But this is an event where kids of any age, whether you’re 5 or 15, can bring a grandparent, aunt, sibling, or mentor to enjoy an evening of fun.”
Tickets are $25 per couple.
Read More
