May 13, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
Name: Diane Elias
Address: Diehl Drive, McKeesport
Filed as: Republican/Democratic
Almanac: Why are you running for school board, and what are your qualifications?
Elias: So I can continue to support our students, staff and taxpayers.
Almanac: One constant question at board meetings has been about gun violence. Prior to this election, how have you addressed gun-related violence within the community?
Elias: I have attended several gun violence meetings and agree to work collectively with other board members, administration and any other community leaders.
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May 13, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
Name: Jeffery Anderson
Address: Washington St., McKeesport
Filed as: Democratic
Almanac: Why are you running for school board, and what are your qualifications?
Anderson: I’m running for school board because I believe the district needs a change and new direction. I believe the current board is failing our children. I am very well known for the community work that I do such as my non-profit, the Mentoring Village. I run a weekly food pantry. I am also known for the Buddy Benches I made for the school district last school year.
Almanac: One constant question at board meetings has been about gun violence. Prior to this election, how have you addressed gun-related violence within the community?
Anderson: The recent gun violence is very sad and unfortunate. It’s mainly kids killing kids, but I feel like if these kids had something to keep their minds occupied — keep them off the streets — it would at least eliminate (not take away all of it) but eliminate a lot of the gun violence that is occurring throughout the community.
I also believe holding the parents accountable for the actions of their children would help eliminate some of the violence through the community.
I think that’s why it’s very important to know “if you see something, say something.” It’s not considered snitching when you're protecting the lives of others.
And it also leads back to the safety of our schools — so that what happened in Tennessee a few weeks back, and what’s been happening throughout the country, does not happen in our school district. Upgrading the security in our schools, coming up with new active shooter guidelines, I think is very important. Hopefully with me on the school board we can get a chance to make the changes that need to be made for the safety of our kids, and our staff and our school buildings.
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May 13, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Janet and Barry Wagner of White Oak examine the monument to the McKeesport 23 following Saturday’s rededication ceremony on the lawn of McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center. Wagner’s first husband, U.S. Army Capt. Terry Martell, is one of the local soldiers killed in action in Vietnam whose name appears on the tablet. (Tube City Almanac photo)
U.S. Army Pfc. Denny Pliska was engaged to be married to his girlfriend just a few days before he was deployed to Vietnam. He was saving his combat pay to buy a Corvette when he got back to McKeesport.
Pliska didn’t make it home. He was killed in action only six days after fellow Army Pfc. Mike Nemchick — who, like Pliska, was an alumnus of McKeesport Vocational High School — also became a casualty of the Vietnam War.
Nemchick, said Joe Hoffman, former White Oak police chief, had planned to go to college on the GI Bill when he returned to McKeesport. He wanted to become a physical education teacher, Hoffman said, and work with Sam LaRosa at the McKeesport Boys Club. Nemchick, who was killed by a sniper on Feb. 22, 1966, never got the chance.
Those were just two of the stories of the McKeesport 23 — former city residents who were killed in the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1971 — that Hoffman shared on Saturday during a ceremony rededicating a monument in their memory.
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May 11, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport will look to add more police officers to fill vacancies, and the city’s mayor said the candidates that have applied so far seem “excited, energetic and eager to learn.”
The additions — plus three full-time officers welcomed last month — will help boost a department that is still healing from a shooting on Feb. 6 that claimed the life of police Officer Sean Sluganski and wounded Officer Chuck Thomas Jr.
A city man faces homicide charges in connection with that incident.
At this month’s city council meeting, Mayor Michael Cherepko said McKeesport police have done “an incredible job” since coming back to work after Sluganski’s death. County and state police and other agencies patrolled in McKeesport following the incident.
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May 11, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Parts of nine McKeesport streets will be resurfaced under a contract awarded this month by city council, with more to come as weather and personnel permit, officials said.
City council awarded a $629,647 contract to El Grande Industries of Donora, Washington County, for paving along Cornell, Coursin, Forest, Reed, Porter, Soles and Steele streets and Evans and North Grandview avenues.
El Grande was the lowest of three bidders, city officials said.
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said public works crews also will pave several streets using city equipment, but employ outside contractors such as El Grande to mill — or remove — the old paving. He praised Steve Kondrosky, city public-works director, for work done last year.
“Steve and the guys did an incredible job last year, so the bar is set pretty high,” Cherepko said. “The amount of roads we did in-house is amazing.”
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May 08, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Trillium Flow Technologies, formerly Ralph A. Hiller Co., is moving into the former roll shop at RIDC’s Industrial Center of McKeesport. The move will more than double the company’s current space. The company supplies valves, pumps and other equipment for a variety of industrial uses. (Submitted photo courtesy RIDC)
A tenant at McKeesport’s industrial park has signed a five-year lease that will more than double the amount of space it currently occupies.
The non-profit Regional Industrial Development Corp., which operates the RIDC Industrial Center of McKeesport on the former U.S. Steel National Plant property, said that Trillium Flow Technologies has signed an agreement to use more than 27,000 square feet in the former Roll Shop at 1000 Industry Drive.
A spokeswoman said Trillium will be moving from its current 12,500 square foot space at 241 Center St. in the same park.
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May 04, 2023 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Students are hard at work organizing and sorting clothes for The McKeesport Agape Center on Prescott Street in White Oak. (Submitted photo courtesy Rachelle Cilli)
Life Skills students from McKeesport Area School District students have been learning to be the best they can be by volunteering and gaining valuable job skills every Tuesday afternoon at the McKeesport Agape Center in White Oak.
MASD special education teacher, Rachelle Cilli, instructs the Community Based Experiences class. She takes students into the community to learn about job skills that will help them after they graduate high school and become employed.
Cilli said her class began volunteering at Agape in September 2022. “The class has worked at different places throughout the community but this was our first year at Agape. I didn’t realize the variety of experience the students would gain here,” she said.
Life Skills classes are a program for students who have learning challenges and need additional support to learn tasks that enable them to live with a degree of independence. Additional instruction is provided with academics, personal wellness, home economics, communications and social skills, and job skills.
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May 01, 2023 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A budget presentation by McKeesport Area School District business manager Scott Domowicz added heft to an already weighty meeting last week.
Domowicz said next year’s total proposed budget is for $86 million with an approximate fund balance of $10.6 million. The 2022-23 budget approved by the board was approximately $79.8 million.
“We’ve added to our general fund balance, however, we have to be responsible with the spending,” School Board President Latoya Wright said.
Despite the fund balance, increased costs stand to hamper the district, Domowicz explained. “Contractual labor agreements and additional staffing represents an increase in payroll expenses of 8 percent,” he said.
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May 01, 2023 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A discussion of possible institutional bias dominated April’s meeting of the McKeesport Area School Board.
The wide-ranging conversation was triggered by a social media post, and subsequent comments, that alleged an unidentified student received preferential treatment.
“Everyone needs to be consistent,” School Board President Latoya Wright said.
The district’s policy manual authorizes the board to establish “fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory rules and regulations” regarding student conduct, and delegates the superintendent to ensure policies are followed. In the event of an infraction, students “shall have a right to notice,” and suspensions and expulsions shall be carried out according to board policy.
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April 26, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Rev. Dr. Moni McIntyre embraces McKeesport police Officer Charles Thomas on Tuesday at the city’s Public Safety Building. (Special to Tube City Almanac)
A Downtown church on Tuesday presented a city police officer who is recovering from wounds sustained during a shooting with more than $300 in gift cards in honor of his service.
The gift to McKeesport police Officer Charles Thomas Jr. was the idea of Jo Pratt of White Oak, a parishioner at St. Stephen Episcopal Church, Walnut Street, and was quickly adopted by other members of the congregation, who contributed to the collection.
“We felt it was really, really necessary, because our church is in the community, and we realize the risk our police officers take with their lives, and that the compensation they receive does not in any way compare,” Pratt said. “We wanted (Thomas) to get a night out and to let all of our police know that we care, and that they are in our constant thoughts and prayers.”
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