November 07, 2021 |
By Siana Emery | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The McKeesport unit of the NAACP asked for an apology at McKeesport Area School Board’s October meeting, saying that Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. misconstrued the group’s support.
Brenda Sawyer, unit president, said that during a discussion at the Sept. 22 meeting, Holtzman implied that the NAACP backed the early renewal of Assistant Superintendent Tia Wanzo’s contract.
“We were unaware that (Wanzo’s) contract was being renewed with two years remaining,” Sawyer said. “Where is the transparency in that? Who knew that you and Dr. Wanzo would resign and be re-hired within 48 hours on the new contract, with years remaining on the current contract? The taxpayers had no idea.”
Members of the NAACP are individuals and district taxpayers and are capable of expressing their own opinions, Sawyer said.
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November 04, 2021 |
By Sarah Turnbull | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Local, county and state officials joined Auberle staff and board members and Bishop David Zubik to dedicate a new family emergency center at Auberle’s Hartman Street campus. (Sarah Turnbull photo for Tube City Almanac)
Auberle held its annual board meeting, “Reimagining Essential Services During COVID,” Wednesday at its McKeesport campus.
The group honored Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services as its “Community Partner of the Year.” In addition, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and the Most Rev. David Zubik, Roman Catholic Bishop of Pittsburgh, helped to dedicate Auberle’s newest Family Emergency Shelter.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our human services department,” Fitzgerald said. “It takes all of us working together. Pittsburgh has learned a lot since the 1918 pandemic.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Auberle launched nine new services to address housing, unemployment, mental health support and more, group spokespersons said. These services include virtual behavioral health and therapy sessions, virtual support groups for foster parents, and mental health support for youth aging out of foster care.
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November 03, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections, White Oak News
Republicans swept four vacant seats on White Oak borough council in Tuesday's election.
According to complete but unofficial results from the Allegheny County elections office, Loree Scharritter led the field with 1,188 votes, followed by incumbent Julie A. Opferman and newcomers Joelle M. Harbert and Jason Russell.
Former White Oak councilman David J. Pasternak came in fifth place; followed by Kenneth Robb and George Dillinger, who lost their bids for re-election; and Kenneth A. Obusek.
Pasternak, Robb, Dillinger and Obusek are Democrats.
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October 23, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
River Materials Inc. transfers bulk materials, including coal and coke, between railroad cars and barges. The company’s McKeesport facility, opened in 2019, uses a former U.S. Steel and Dravo Corp. barge dock that was previously considered “unusable.” (Submitted photo courtesy River Materials Inc.)
An intermodal facility near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge has purchased nearly 10 additional acres of land with an eye toward expanding its operations.
It’s the second major business announcement at McKeesport’s industrial park in less than a month, following the news that medical cannabis producer Trulieve is acquiring 37 acres of land, and three buildings, in a $10.4 million deal.
River Materials Inc. is purchasing 9.92 acres from Regional Industrial Development Corp. at a cost of $595,200 and plans to build a 10,000-square-foot operations center on Center Street.
The deal was announced this week by the company and RIDC.
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October 19, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Lee Wagner, shown at left, is program manager for Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard. He spoke to members of the Altrusa clubs during a meeting in McKeesport on Saturday. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Lee Wagner wants to help break down the barriers and stigma attached to frightening topics like suicide and substance abuse among veterans.
Wagner, the program manager for Pittsburgh-based Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of Robert Morris and Point Park universities. He spoke Saturday at a workshop for members of Altrusa International, hosted by the McKeesport Altrusa club.
“I don’t talk about happy things,” Wagner warned club members. Instead, he talked about the special challenges faced by women who have served in the military, and the resources available for them.
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October 18, 2021 |
By Siana Emery | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Parked school buses sit idle near Chicago. (John Picken photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0)
After weeks of cancellations that have stranded hundreds of students, McKeesport Area School District and its school bus provider are operating under an agreement being monitored by an Allegheny County judge.
But McKeesport students aren’t the only ones who have found the beginning of the 2021-22 school year to be a bumpy ride.
On Monday, as part of School Bus Safety Week, the state Department of Transportation released a public service announcement from Rick Focht of Clearfield County-based Fullington Trailways Co. appealing for more drivers.
“Students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely riding on a school bus than in a private car. And the drivers are skilled professionals,” Focht said.
“Unfortunately there is a shortage of school bus drivers,” he said, urging viewers to contact their local school bus providers or school districts for information about employment: “It just might be the best job you never knew you would love.”
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October 18, 2021 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(File photo)
A Wisconsin-based investment group is purchasing the former G.C. Murphy Co. distribution center in Christy Park and plans to “immediately commence upgrades to the facility to accommodate new tenant occupancy.”
Phoenix Investors LLC announced Monday that it will purchase the 627,000-square-foot facility, which stretches over 36 acres between 28th and 35th avenues.
The building has been occupied since 1995 by Magic Creations, which manufactures and distributes plastic housewares and other items to discount stores. The company will continue to occupy a portion of the facility, Anthony Crivello, executive vice president of Phoenix Investors, told Tube City Almanac.
Terms of the deal are not yet being disclosed, Crivello said.
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October 14, 2021 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Drum major Josh Wos leads the Tiger Marching Band in fine tuning "SOLARbration!" for its exhibition at the Oct. 16 home show. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo for Tube City Almanac)
After months of preparation, McKeesport Band, Orchestra, and Guard Boosters will host the Tournament of Bands Competition home show on Saturday.
It will feature performances by 10 high school bands and and exhibition by the home band of its popular “SOLARbration!” The show starts at 5 p.m. at Weigle-Schaffer Stadium, 1960 Eden Park Blvd.
“This season has been a very memorable one with the return of band competitions and our home show showcasing the music talents of so many young people,” McKeesport Area High School Tiger Marching Band director Drew DeCarlo said.
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October 12, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Robin Marshall-Kelly points out the overgrowth in the empty lot next to her home on North Grandview Avenue. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
For many residents of McKeesport, the battle against blight is one worth fighting, even though the struggle can feel overwhelming at times.
“Help us stay in McKeesport,” said Robin Marshall-Kelly, a North Grandview Avenue homeowner. “I own my home, and with all the abandoned properties, sometimes, I feel like I’m losing.”
Jackie Blake has lived in McKeesport for 27 years and owns her home in Grandview.
“My friends keep asking me when am I going to move, but I have too much invested in my home,” Blake said. “I don’t want to move.”
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October 12, 2021 |
By Sarah Turnbull | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko: “You have to attack this issue from every angle and focus on what will have the greatest impact on the city as a whole.” The blight removal program has received “an overwhelming amount of positive feedback,” he says. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
When Mike Cherepko was elected mayor of McKeesport in 2011, he knew he wanted to fulfill his campaign motto “Working Together for a Better McKeesport” specifically by cleaning up blight.
Traditionally defined as the decline of an urban area due to neglect or age, blight is one of the key issues facing the Cherepko administration.
“Blight is any structure that becomes an eyesore, or poses a health or fire risk – like rodents, mold or weeds,” Cherepko said. “It’s my biggest challenge as mayor.”
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