July 16, 2015 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Podcast
Last week on "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes," I talked to Maury Burgwin, president of the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce, about programs offered by the chamber and its goals.
We discussed the need for regional cooperation and the signs of progress --- albeit too slow for many people's tastes --- in the Mon Valley.
And we also talked about the possible completion of the Mon-Fayette Expressway from Route 51 into Pittsburgh. A few years ago, the project was given up for dead, but recent news reports indicate state officials are taking another look at the final leg of the controversial highway.
Borrowing an idea from Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show," I decided to post an extended version of our conversation online.
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Tomorrow on "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes," we'll talk to Juan Garrett, executive director of the Riverside Center for Innovation (and a McKeesport native). The Riverside Center has expanded from its roots on Pittsburgh's North Side to offer redevelopment help throughout the Pittsburgh region ... including, recently, in McKeesport and Clairton.
"Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" airs at 9:30 a.m. Fridays on WEDO (810), 8 a.m. Sundays on WZUM (1550), and is available as a free podcast from Stitcher and iTunes.
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ADVERTISEMENT: Support for "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" comes in part from the McKeesport Hospital Foundation. Since 1976, the foundation has addressed key concerns that affect our good health, as well as our education, social needs, recreation, and safety and security. The foundation partners with UPMC McKeesport and other agencies to eliminate barriers to all services for all residents of the Mon Valley. Visit www.mckhospitalfoundation.com, or call (412) 664-2590.
July 14, 2015 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A robber hit two banks near Century III Mall --- the most recent on Tuesday morning --- and police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are seeking the public's help.
Special Agent Gregory Heeb of the FBI's Pittsburgh office said the man (shown above) entered the First National Bank on Lebanon Church Road near the intersection with Lebanon Road at about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday morning and handed a teller a note demanding money.
No weapon was seen, the FBI spokesman said.
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July 14, 2015 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A former West Mifflin doctor has been sentenced to 33 months' imprisonment and nearly $312,000 in restitution for putting patients into hospice care who didn't need it.
Oliver W. Herndon, 43, formerly of Peters Twp., Washington County, also was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Arthur Schwab to three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton said.
Herndon, who once had a medical practice on Lewis Run Road and advertised himself as a "pain management specialist," was sentenced in 2012 for writing more than $700,000 in fraudulent prescriptions for painkillers.
Herndon was the medical director for Horizons Hospice on Mosside Boulevard in Monroeville. Hickton said Herndon falsely certified that patients were eligible for hospice care in order to inflate the company's billing to federal insurance programs.
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July 07, 2015 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The two-year-long reconstruction of Lincoln Way in White Oak is causing more pain this week for McKeesport and Norwin area motorists.
Between Henderson Road (Epler's gas station) and Route 48, the southbound lane of Lincoln Way was closed on Monday and will remain closed through July 19, weather permitting.
A district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation says the closure is necessary to accommodate the ongoing reconstruction of the road. Northbound traffic --- from Route 48 toward Route 148 --- is not affected.
About 16,000 cars daily use that stretch of Lincoln Way, according to PennDOT traffic maps.
Businesses located on both sides of Lincoln Way remain open to customers during construction, the PennDOT spokesman said.
Lincoln Way is in the midst of a $6.9 million improvement project which includes widening to add turning lanes, intersection realignment, milling and resurfacing, drainage and traffic signal upgrades through the borough's business district. Overall work is set to be completed in May 2016.
Last week, crews also began paving the section of Lincoln Way between Route 48 and the Westmoreland County line.
The project is part of a $4.14 million contract to resurface four roadways in Allegheny County, and included milling and resurfacing, bituminous pavement installation and pavement marking improvements.
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June 25, 2015 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Podcast
Last week on "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes," we talked to Maggie Jensen, chief executive officer of the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh.
We asked her what are the greatest social service needs in the Mon Valley area? How is the YWCA addressing those needs? And how can people in McKeesport, Homestead, Braddock, Clairton and the surrounding areas connect with health insurance and child care resources?
Tomorrow: In honor of McKeesport native, author and historian John P. Hoerr (above), we'll broadcast his 2009 speech at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center, when he discussed the life of McKeesport-born playwright Marc Connelly, as well as his own novel about McKeesport, "Monongahela Dusk."
Hoerr died Sunday at age 84 in Massachusetts, where he had lived for several years.
A graduate of McKeesport High School and Penn State University, Hoerr was a veteran of the U.S. Army who began his long career as a journalist with United Press in 1956. He may be best known for his work as a labor reporter and editor with Business Week magazine.
But his biggest legacy may be his books he wrote about the Mon Valley, especially his 1988 book about the collapse of the American steel industry, "And the Wolf Finally Came."
"Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" airs at 9:30 a.m. Fridays on WEDO (810), 8 a.m. Sundays on WZUM (1550), and as a free podcast from Stitcher Radio and iTunes.
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ADVERTISEMENT: Support for "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes" comes in part from the McKeesport Hospital Foundation. Since 1976, the foundation has addressed key concerns that affect our good health, as well as our education, social needs, recreation, and safety and security. The foundation partners with UPMC McKeesport and other agencies to eliminate barriers to all services for all residents of the Mon Valley. Visit www.mckhospitalfoundation.com, or call (412) 664-2590.
