August 26, 2015 |
By Mike Mauer | Posted in: History, McKeesport and Region News
Ken Curcio and Rami Nassar before a recent VFW Honor Guard event at Kennywood. Twenty-five years ago, both served during Operation Desert Storm. (Mike Mauer photo)
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The coming months will note a unique anniversary for two life members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 914 Intrepid West Mifflin. The former warriors are marking 25 years since their service during Operation Desert Storm.
Rami Nassar and Ken Curcio, both of West Mifflin, served in Saudi Arabia during the first Persian Gulf War two-and a-half decades ago. And although much of the world seemingly remembers the conflict as a sanitized news blip on television, the military experiences of both these men have impacted them for the rest of their lives.
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August 21, 2015 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A section of a busy commuter route between McKeesport and Pittsburgh that has been closed for more than a month will re-open to traffic on Tuesday (Aug. 25).
Mifflin Road, which also carries a portion of state Route 885, will reopen to bi-directional traffic at 6 a.m., said a district spokesman for state Department of Transportation.
The road was closed July 6 between Doerrville Avenue and Lebanon Road as crews replaced a culvert and rebuilt the roadway as part of a larger construction project to improve drainage and traffic conditions in the area.
PennDOT said short-term, intermittent stoppages will occur through Sept. 7 as crews continue construction activities, including curb and sidewalk construction and traffic signal improvements.
The Mifflin Road improvements are included in an $11 million project to improve the interchanges around the Glenwood Bridge. Golden Triangle Construction is the prime contractor.
August 13, 2015 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
North Braddock police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing 12-year-old girl from Lobinger Avenue.
Namaya Hopkins is African-American, 5-feet-7 and weighs about 130 pounds, police said. She also has a burn mark on her wrist.
Police say when she was last seen on Wednesday (Aug. 12), she was wearing black pants, a multi-color T-shirt, silver sandals and her hair in a ponytail.
If you have information that can assist in helping safely locate her, please call 9-1-1 or the North Braddock police at (412) 351-4900.
August 09, 2015 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Podcast
The seventh-annual "Village for Kids" will be held from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Monday at the Lions Bandshell in Renziehausen Park.
The event, for kids ages 12 and under, is a prelude to McKeesport's 55th annual International Village, which will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 10 p.m.
In addition to music, games, free giveaways and other activities, volunteers will be accepting nominations for the prince and princess of International Village, to be crowned Tuesday at International Village.
This week on "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes," we interviewed the lead organizer of the Village for Kids, Alison Piccolino.
We also talked to the Rev. Dr. Daniel Borsay, pastor of the Free Hungarian Reformed Church of McKeesport, which has participated in every village since 1960, and with McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko.
"Two Rivers" airs at 9:30 a.m. Fridays on WEDO (810), 8 a.m. Sundays on WZUM (1550), and as a free podcast on 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.
August 04, 2015 |
By Mike Mauer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Above: Betty Bugay of West Mifflin is presented a Purple Heart medal by Jake Bradich, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 914 Intrepid. (Mike Mauer photo)
A West Mifflin woman has received a replacement for her late husband's lost Purple Heart medal, through the efforts of the borough's Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
Members of VFW Post 914 "Intrepid" last week presented Betty Bugay with the medal and a certificate on behalf of her husband, John E. Bugay Sr., who died in 1998. The first medal was lost.
Bugay served in the U.S. Army from Nov. 1, 1950, until his discharge July 31, 1952. He was wounded with shrapnel in both legs May 20, 1951, while serving on active combat duty during the Korean War.
In other news, the West Mifflin VFW post also was awarded an Allegheny County Council Certificate of Achievement by the Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey, who represents District 9.
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July 22, 2015 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Above: Quintin B. Bullock, president of CCAC, and Nancy L. Herron, interim chancellor of Penn State Greater Allegheny, ceremoniously exchange the pens they used to sign the Articulation Agreement. (Penn State photo)
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Students at Community College of Allegheny County will be able to seamlessly transfer credits to six Penn State campuses --- including Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport --- under a new agreement effective this fall.
The "articulation agreement" smoothes the transfer of CCAC students into bachelor's degree programs at six Penn State campuses, including Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, New Kensington and Shenango.
“Penn State and CCAC share the common goal of enhancing education for students in our region," said Nancy Herron, interim chancellor of Penn State Greater Allegheny. The agreement will make it easier for CCAC students "to earn an affordable, quality college education," she said.
The agreements provide students who earn their associate degree an academic pathway to transfer into a parallel bachelor’s degree program at the six campuses. The coordination of transferrable coursework, supported through academic advising, will support the successful transition for students.
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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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