May 07, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport officials will have difficult choices to make in the months ahead as the coronavirus pandemic strains the city’s already-tight budget.
Following Wednesday’s city council meeting, Mayor Michael Cherepko said that although federal officials have promised relief for municipalities with pandemic-related expenses, the aid packages in most cases don’t cover wages and salaries.
“We’re all dealing with COVID-19 and the impact it’s having, but I’m very concerned about the economy and I’m very concerned about the deficits we’re already seeing,” Cherepko said.
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May 06, 2020 |
By Nick Zurawsky | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
Rainbow Kitchen is falling into a comfortable routine, despite the chaos of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Executive Director Donna Little.
The iconic Homestead community food service was affected on all fronts by the quarantine measures put into effect after the national emergency declaration on March 13.
Almost every aspect of Rainbow Kitchen’s operation has changed. For example, it went from serving people daily in their cafeteria to packaging and handing out meals from the curbside.
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May 05, 2020 |
By Jason A. Mignanelli | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, White Oak News
(Submitted photo)
Kelly and Mike Doyle never could have imagined that they would be feeding 100 different families when they started a small community Facebook page called, “What’s Happening in White Oak & Surrounding Areas.”
The Doyles live in White Oak with their five children, where they also own and operate the privately held White Oak Post Office.
“We are just a normal middle-class family,” Kelly Doyle said.
About six years ago, Kelly started the “What’s Happening in White Oak & Surrounding Areas” Facebook page, hoping to keep the community up-to-date on current events.
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May 04, 2020 |
By Emily Pidgeon | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Residents of Allegheny County want to know about coronavirus testing, and during a recent telephone town hall with local elected officials, they made that known in a big way.
During the April 22 phone call, organized by the Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition, U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, Democrat of Forest Hills, said legislators wanted residents to be able to ask questions about “unemployment, COVID-19 testing, funding, stimulus payments and other pandemic-related issues.”
Testing quickly topped the list of questions. Callers asked Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, about a lack of testing in local communities — specifically in predominantly Black neighborhoods in the East End and Mon Valley.
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May 04, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
On April 21, McKeesport Area School District administrators distributed electronic devices to students and parents so that they could do schoolwork from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Joan Wehmer, district business manager, and below, Mark Holtzman Jr., district superintendent. (Both photos: Richard Finch Jr. for Tube City Almanac)
School board members in McKeesport Area School District expect to be considering a property tax increase for the 2020-21 academic year.
At April’s board meeting, Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. told school directors that the administration is working on a preliminary budget to determine “what the deficit is, and how we can manage that based on our current fund balance and expenses.”
Some of the expenses were predictable, including debt service, increases in pension costs and tuition for charter school students, Holtzman said, but others are related to the COVID-19 crisis that forced schools statewide to cancel all in-person classes on March 13.
Holtzman said the district is “still working on trying to (keep) the numbers down.”
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May 04, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The docks are in and McKees Point Marina is welcoming boaters again, but with social-distancing restrictions in place. (Tube City Almanac photo)
In a small sign of normality returning amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the McKees Point Marina opened for the season on May 1.
“We’re ready to go — we’re excited for another boating season, for the boaters especially,” McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said. “We’re just hoping everyone can enjoy their boating season.”
But the mayor cautioned there will likely be changes to other city activities, including the summer concert series and McKeesport’s premier annual event, the three-day International Village ethnic food and music festival, which is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Along with golf courses, privately operated campgrounds and guided fishing trips, marinas were among the outdoor facilities that Pennsylvania officials last week said could resume operations.
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April 29, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Liberty Borough News, McKeesport and Region News
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Lisa Duval is “incredibly proud” of teachers and staff in South Allegheny School District.
Duval, the school superintendent, said South Allegheny is not a so-called “1:1” district that already provides a laptop or tablet for every student. That created challenges during the district’s transition to distance learning.
South Allegheny serves more than 1,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grade in Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue.
On March 30, South Allegheny began a review process to determine which students had access to electronic devices and Internet service at home, and which did not.
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April 29, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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When Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all schools to shut down and move to online learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, Clairton City School District did not have funding to provide electronic devices to all students.
About 90 percent of nearly 800 students in the district are economically disadvantaged.
So on April 2, Clairton School Superintendent Ginny Hunt and other district officials launched the “Clairton Supplemental Education Fund,” seeking donations to procure more laptops and Internet access.
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April 29, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
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Switching to distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic has been easier for some schools than others.
Serra Catholic High School, located in McKeesport’s Haler Heights neighborhood, is a “1:1” school. Since 2013, it has provided a laptop for each of its nearly 300 students, said Robert Childs, associate principal.
Serra uses Google Chromebook laptops and does a yearly survey to make sure all families can connect to the Internet at home, Childs said. The school was already using online, flexible instruction during snow days — what students and teachers refer to as “Chrome from Home” days.
The school, Childs said, “is in a fortunate place” when it comes to online learning.
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April 29, 2020 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Last week, State Sen. Jim Brewster joined other volunteers to help pass out “grab-n-go” meals to students in Duquesne City School District. (Photo courtesy state Sen. Jim Brewster)
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In towns across the Mon Valley, school buses now deliver “grab-n-go” breakfasts and lunches to students who no longer can gather together in cafeterias.
Instead of homerooms and classrooms, teachers are using Google Hangouts and other online resources to connect with their students, allowing them to hold virtual office hours to check on the well-being and academic progress of young people they can no longer meet with face-to-face.
The unprecedented lengthy school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have created challenges for teachers and students, as almost none of the school districts in the Mon Valley — or elsewhere — were prepared to engage in distance learning for an extended period of time.
School district officials were mostly left to find their own solutions, and as the struggle continues, local educators said lessons are being learned on the fly.
“I think, unfortunately, we’re shifting into a new normal for the short-term, maybe even medium-term, and so it’s a challenge on what the needs of the community are and how we can best serve them,” said Edward Wehrer, superintendent of the Steel Valley School District.
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