May 08, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The Versailles Avenue Viaduct, which crosses Ravine Street, closed in 2022. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
McKeesport’s mayor is hopeful that an infusion of federal funding will help the city replace the closed Versailles Avenue Viaduct.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Mayor Michael Cherepko said city officials have had productive conversations with U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and are scheduling meetings with U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick.
“Up to this point, the only money that has come into this project has been from the state,” Cherepko said. Funding obtained by retired state Sen. Jim Brewster and the late Rep. Matt Gergely enabled engineering and design work to begin, he said.
“Once the engineering is done, we’re hoping additional funding will come with it, and much more quickly,” Cherepko said.
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May 07, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Tree Pittsburgh is holding an “adoption event” this Saturday (May 10) in McKeesport. For more information, visit the group’s website. (Photo courtesy Tree Pittsburgh)
Duquesne officials are looking forward to spring and summer months for several projects, including improving the city’s greenscapes and parks.
At this week’s meeting, council voted 5-0 to approve an agreement between the city and the non-profit group Tree Pittsburgh to explore community tree-planting efforts. There is no financial commitment at this time, city officials said.
According to its website, Tree Pittsburgh is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to improving neighborhoods and communities “through tree planting and care, education, advocacy and land conservation.”
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May 04, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
McKeesport Area School Board will vote on updated policies concerning the eligibility of nonresident students and the use of generative artificial intelligence during Thursday’s school board meeting.
Both policies received first readings during the April 10 meeting.
Policy 202, the eligibility of nonresident students, was last updated Jan. 23, 2013, according to district records.
The new policy’s purpose ensures the board operates “district schools for the benefit of students residing in this district who are eligible for attendance.” Additionally, according to the policy, “the Board reserves the right to verify claims of residency, dependency or guardianship and to remove from school attendance a nonresident student whose claim is invalid.”
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April 30, 2025 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
Students from Founders' Middle School will present Moana Jr. as their annual spring musical. (Submitted photo)
If you go...
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Founders’ Hall Middle School presents “Moana Jr.”
Based on the 2016 Disney film “Moana”
Where: Francis McClure Auditorium, 500 Longvue Drive, White Oak
When: Thursday through Saturday, May 1-3 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: $10 for adults, $5 for school-aged children. Available at the door or online at our.show/fhmoanajr
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Founders’ Hall Middle School students Tori Thomas and Skylar Crenshaw have been friends for years, a relationship they agree has helped them bring their well-known characters to life for the spring musical “Moana Jr.”
Thomas plays Moana, who is on a quest to restore the heart of goddess Te Fiti, stolen many years ago by demigod Maui (Crenshaw).
The show is based on the 2016 Disney movie “Moana,” whose storyline and songs already were familiar to the cast of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders when auditions were announced.
It opens at 7 p.m. Thursday (May 1) with all shows performed in the Francis McClure auditorium in White Oak.
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April 29, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
Two months after taking the helm of McKeesport Area School District, Superintendent Don MacFann has routinely employed a practice he’s long preached: communication.
“The one thing I've always believed in is that communication is key,” he said. “Not to sound redundant, but that's the truth.”
MacFann signed a five year contract with MASD in January; his first day was March 3. During the 30 years prior — whether at Bethlehem-Center, East Allegheny or Clairton City — the school leader has advocated horizontal and vertical communication.
The former, he said, includes everyone in the school “from the part-time bus driver all the way up to the president of the school board and everybody in between.” When it's effectuated properly, “everyone’s on board,” he continued. “They’re fully aware of what’s going on in the district and that’s half the battle.”
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April 28, 2025 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: White Oak News
White Oak Mayor Ina Jean Marton (right) swears in new White Oak Police Officer Jeremy Zuber. (T.J. Martin photo for Tube City Almanac)
White Oak Borough Council welcomed a new police officer at its April meeting and announced that it will begin interviewing candidates for its Chief of Police position.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Ina Jean Marton began the meeting by swearing-in newly hired police officer Jeremy Zuber. With the addition of Zuber, the department now has 12 officers.
Later in the meeting, Public Safety Committee Chair Loree Scharritter said the borough has completed the month-long period of accepting applications for its vacant Chief of Police position and will now begin conducting interviews with the qualified applicants. Scharritter declined to disclose how many applications the borough received.
In March, Chief of Police Mark Sargent resigned. He joined the department in January 1994 as an officer and was promoted to Chief of Police in February 2018.
April 28, 2025 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: Wilmerding News
Patton Street Bridge (T.J. Martin photo for Tube City Almanac)
After more than a month in darkness, the lights are back on along the Patton Street Bridge in Wilmerding.
An electrical issue caused the lights which illuminate the bridge to fail in early March, according to Assistant Deputy Director of the Allegheny County Department of Public Works Mike Burdelsky. Repairs were completed earlier this month.
Burdelsky said the outage and repairs won’t affect a rehabilitation project for the bridge scheduled to begin in 2026. That project will completely close the bridge for an estimated one year beginning in 2027.
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April 28, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, McKeesport and Region News
Nine candidates for McKeesport Area School District’s school board will debate Tuesday night in the high school auditorium, a district spokeswoman announced.
The debate, at 7 p.m. April 29, is being organized by political science teacher Gerald McGrew and his honors political science class. The public is welcome to attend and the debate also will be streamed on the district’s YouTube channel, the spokeswoman said.
“The class has been working on preparing questions and candidate bios from the information received in class,” McGrew said in a release. “The debate will be run very professionally by the students most of whom are juniors, but we do have a couple of seniors in the class as well.”
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April 28, 2025 |
By Advertising | Posted in: Paid Advertisement
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April 25, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and State Sen. Nick Pisciotanno greet Mary Esther Van Shura of AARP during an event last week at Penn State Greater Allegheny. Officials have kicked off a statewide tour to promote “age-friendly” communities for senior citizens. (Submitted photo)
Pennsylvania officials are traveling across the state to encourage communities to expand and improve services for senior citizens to make them more “age-friendly.”
Last week, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis joined Department of Aging Secretary Jason Kavulich and local elected officials at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport to kick off the first in the series of events designed to highlight programs to keep older adults in their homes and connected to their communities.
Pennsylvania is the fifth-oldest state in the nation by population. State officials said that one in four Pennsylvanians is over the age of 60, and that number is expected to rise to one in three by 2030.
“Older adults in Allegheny County and here in my hometown of McKeesport are the backbone of our communities,” Davis said in a release. “They are our family, friends and neighbors who have made great contributions in our lives that benefit all of us.
“The organizers of age-friendly communities here in southwest Pennsylvania are making a positive impact, and I applaud their work and dedication as we welcome new faces to the table to expand these initiatives,” he said.
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