A 1-year-old girl died Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car in a parking lot in North Versailles Twp.
Arionna Porter was pronounced dead at the scene of blunt-force traumatic injuries, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said Wednesday. Allegheny County police are investigating.
In a prepared statement, homicide detectives said the accident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. at the Eastland Apartments on East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard.
The driver of the vehicle, whose name has not been released by police, remained on scene, detectives said. An investigation has been initiated. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
Logan Elementary kindergarten teacher Cathy Maloney with current ESL students and their siblings at the annual ESL Community Night held in May. (Submitted photo courtesy of East Allegheny Education Association)
As students eagerly begin their summer vacation, teachers and staff of Logan Elementary School in North Versailles Twp. are reflecting on an unusual school year. Enrollment in an English as a Second Language, or ESL, program tripled during the school year, from eight pupils in 2021-22 to 23 students in 2022-23.
Twelve countries are represented within the Logan community, according to East Allegheny School District. Many of the students are from Spanish-speaking countries but there also is representation from Afghanistan, Ghana, Iran and Latvia.
In one kindergarten classroom, taught by teacher Cathy Maloney, seven out of 23 students were in the ESL program.
“Four out of seven we knew about. The other three came in later,” says Maloney, who offered to take the additional three students who arrived after the school year had begun to help maximize ESL resources.
Allegheny County police are investigating a head-on collision Tuesday that killed a 65-year-old driver.
Police said the accident happened just before 3:30 p.m. under the George Westinghouse Bridge in North Versailles Twp.
Investigators said an SUV driven by a 19-year-old man was traveling west on East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard, toward East Pittsburgh, when it crossed the center line and collided with an eastbound passenger van.
A non-profit veterans organization had the winning bid for a former elementary school in North Versailles Twp.
Wellness for Veterans, located in Blairsville, must raise $615,000 or risk losing its opportunity to purchase the former Green Valley Elementary School at 3290 Crestview Drive, which was offered at public auction.
East Allegheny School Board this month accepted an offer from Wellness for Veterans. The group must deposit $20,000 to secure the sale and complete the transaction in 120 days, officials said.
Steve Miller, founder and chief executive officer of Wellness for Veterans, said he is feeling the pressure to come up with the money or lose the building.
The cast of East Allegheny High School’s “Anastasia” rehearses the show-stopping “Paris” dance number. (Kristen Keleschenyi photo for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
“Anastasia”
Where: East Allegheny High School, 1150 Jacks Run Rd., North Versailles
When: 7:30 p.m. April 13 and 14; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. April 15
The story of a princess with amnesia is about to come to life at East Allegheny.
The high school’s spring musical, “Anastasia,” opens on Thursday (April 13). The story revolves around Anastasia “Anya” Romanov, who is trying to find out about her past, but ends up befriending two con men who have ulterior motives.
Although the show is not a Disney musical, it has all the elements of one — a princess, great song and dance numbers, and (of course) there’s a love story. The show is based on the 1997 animated film of the same name, and a 1956 live-action film.
Musical director Amanda Rosco said this particular musical paired well with the students who came out to audition and their skill sets. The licensing rights to “Anastasia” just became available to schools last musical season, and EA is only the third school in the area — Belle Vernon Area being the closest and most recent — to present it to an audience.
The North Versailles Twp. Parks & Recreation Department has announced a full schedule of events for April:
North Versailles Twp. children can enjoy Art and Apple Juice for free at the North Versailles Community Center from 6 to 8 p.m. April 4. Groups will be sectioned into grades K-3 and 4-6. Students will be instructed by East Allegheny High School art students and teachers on how to paint an age-appropriate painting. Kids can paint pictures to take home while enjoying snacks and juice. Goodwill donations will be accepted for the EAHS Art Scholarship fund.
The North Versailles Twp. Parks & Recreation Department will hold an Easter Egg Hunt at Crestas Park, 2298 Milligan St., from 12 noon to 2 p.m. April 8. Kids will enjoy outdoor games and a magician show, while Bud Bunny will be available for a meet and greet. RSVP to nvtparksandrec@gmail.com or call (412) 823-6602 ext. 104 by April 5.
Photo: Ma’s Pantry volunteers Debbie Griffith (treasurer), Karen Kane, Louise Beswick (secretary), Paula Greenwald, Nikesh Datta, John Hall and Alan Eichler (president) with their certificate from State Senator Jim Brewster’s office. (Kristen Keleschenyi photo for Tube City Almanac)
A local food pantry is celebrating 40 years of helping their neighbors in need.
Ma’s Pantry was created in 1983 by the Ministerial Association of North Versailles and East McKeesport.
The association was made up of five churches including Broadway Alliance, First United Methodist, Linway Presbyterian, Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran and Saint Robert Bellarmine Roman Catholic Church. This multi-denominational effort was unprecedented at the time but the need in the community went beyond religious affiliations.
“They did not think it would last 40 years,” says Karen Kane, who has been volunteering with the pantry since 2004. “They thought it would meet the immediate need of the mills shutting down, but the whole country has been economically challenged.”
New traffic lights installed at the entrance to the former Eastland Mall aren’t configured correctly, residents of Maryland Avenue told North Versailles Twp. commissioners this month.
At the township commission’s March meeting, residents said the signals at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard were installed in anticipation of a new Amazon distribution center opening at the property, but the job isn’t finished.
That said that motorists who turn left from Maryland onto the boulevard are immediately confronted with a red light. This configuration causes confusion about whether you should stop immediately after making the left turn or continue.
Pittsburgh and surrounding neighborhoods continue to be desirable locations to shoot films of all genres and budgets.
The region “has a little bit of everything,” said film producer and writer Mark Cantu. “You can be in a very urban environment one minute and then drive 20 minutes away and be in a very rural farming community.”
Cantu recently completed his upcoming horror-comedy, “Wolf Hollow,” filmed in and around McKeesport and North Versailles Twp.
The movie, which will premiere April 1 at Dormont’s Hollywood Theater, follows a group of filmmakers as they journey to the fictional location of “Wolf Hollow,” searching for an area to shoot a new film only to discover that they are surrounded by a family of werewolves and must fight for their survival.
East Allegheny School Board has approved the public sale and auction of the former Green Valley School, located at 3290 Crestview Drive in North Versailles Twp.
Built in 1951, Green Valley School formerly educated kindergarteners through third graders. When the school closed in 2016, those students were combined with those at Logan Middle School, making Logan a K-6 facility.
The sale was authorized by 9-0 vote at this month’s meeting.
The district is asking for a minimum bid of $499,900 for the school and the successful bidder must get final approval from the board on the intended use of the building.
