St. John's Lutheran Church will be holding a Jewelry, Scarf and Bag Sale from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 6 at the church, located at 715 Lincoln Hwy. in North Versailles Twp.
The event will include a hot cocoa bar, bake sale, free Christmas craft, caroling and a visit from Buddy the Elf.
Then, St. John’s will hold a Holiday Showcase and Local Book Show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 13.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas already, and West Newton organizations are scheduling holiday activities.
The West Newton Community Singers will hold their Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at First Baptist Church, corner of Sixth and Vine streets. Tickets are $8 in advance and can be purchased at Maria’s Alterations, Main Street. Tickets will be sold for $10 at the door, or $5 for students.
The West Newton First Church of God will hold its seventh-annual Christmas Cookie Walk from 10 a.m. to 12 noon Dec. 13 at 157 N. Second St. Visitors can fill a box with cookies and pay $10 per pound for them. The church also will sell chocolate-covered peanut butter balls for $9 per dozen. For more information, call (724) 872-7467.
Spring Street between Cornell and Jenny Lind streets was repaired as part of a sewer line replacement project. City officials would like to reopen the street. (Tube City Almanac photo)
City officials are working on a proposal to reopen Spring Street between Cornell and Jenny Lind streets — but there’s a hitch.
About a quarter-mile of the street was abandoned when Twin Rivers Elementary School was built in 2014 and the intersection at Cornell Street will need to be re-aligned.
City council last week authorized Mayor Michael Cherepko’s administration to pursue $400,000 in funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to complete the work.
Spring Street was closed for safety reasons in 2009 when the pavement began to fail and cave in. Before the closure, it was an important link between Walnut Street and the Seventh Ward neighborhood, including homes, schools, and Carnegie Library of McKeesport.
This house at 1500 Versailles Ave. is designed to serve as a “gateway” to the library district, says an ACTION-Housing official. (Submitted photo courtesy ACTION-Housing)
A local non-profit is looking for the right owner who wants to call a newly renovated home their own.
ACTION-Housing has rehabilitated a 1920s bungalow-style house on Versailles Avenue, one block from Carnegie Library of McKeesport. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is listed at $180,000, but buyer assistance is available.
“We wanted to invest in the cultural district of McKeesport,” said Joseph Costa, ACTION senior development associate. “So we looked at several homes, some of which were on demo lists, and some where people were just looking to downsize.”
ACTION purchased the home in 2022. The agency, based in Pittsburgh, provides a variety of home repair and weatherization services for low- and moderate-income homeowners and provides related support services to communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
Despite freezing temperatures and gusty winds, McKeesport marked Veterans Day on Tuesday with a ceremony at Memorial Park on Lysle Boulevard.
After thanking God for the “nice crisp day,” the Rev. Christine Pope Portiss of True Vine Ministries recalled how her grandmother had put stars in the window for her five family members who were serving during World War II.
She also recalled how her high school boyfriend was killed while serving in Vietnam.
“This day means a lot to many of us, so if you have somebody who served, thank God for them, and thank them for their service,” said Portiss, who offered the opening prayer. About 75 people attended, fighting to stay warm amidst snow flurries and a steady gale that kept American flags flying stiffly and several times threatened to topple a memorial wreath.
Ed Shoucair, president and co-founder of The Collaborative, prepares to lead a group of about 30 residents on a walking tour Thursday afternoon in Downtown McKeesport. (Tube City Almanac photo)
A group of internationally known community planners has begun its third day of meeting with city residents and business owners as they begin the process of developing a strategy for reinventing McKeesport’s Downtown.
On Wednesday, the consultants — known as The Collaborative — met with local elected officials and a group of students at McKeesport Area High School.
They were impressed with the students’ “great and relevant ideas” and will be meeting with them on a regular basis as they develop a plan, said Ed Shoucair, president and co-founder of The Collaborative.
The process is expected to take about nine months, said Matthew Craig, executive director of the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh, which obtained the grant to hire The Collaborative on behalf of McKeesport.
Crystal Reist relies on SNAP benefits to care for herself and her mother: “If it’s between paying a bill or purchasing food, we will choose having food on the table.” (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Although two federal judges have ordered the U.S. Government to pay supplemental nutrition benefits to about 42 million Americans, the funds remain frozen.
That has left nearly 2 million Pennsylvania residents — including 160,000 people in the Pittsburgh area — unsure how they’re going to pay their bills this month.
Crystal Reist is a 40-year-old McKeesport resident receiving disability benefits due to bipolar disorder, debilitating migraines and herniated discs in both her neck and back. She shares an apartment with her mother, who also receives disability benefits.
Without the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Reist said, she worries about making ends meet and hopes nothing major such as a large appliance breaks down, because they won't be able to cover costs for repairs. It will be out of the question to buy clothes or shoes, and we’ll need to cut back on everything, she said.
“If it’s between paying a bill or purchasing food, we will choose having food on the table,” Reist said.
Two polling places in Duquesne will move to new locations for Tuesday’s election, Allegheny County officials announced.
Voters in precincts 3-1 and 3-3 who usually vote at St. Peter and Paul Byzantine Church Social Hall will vote instead at the Orchard Park Apartment Offices, 1001 Ridge St.
A county spokeswoman said approximately two dozen total polling locations have moved since the last election, so every voter is encouraged to check their polling place and make a plan to cast their ballots. Voters can check their polling place here.
(Written by Adam Reinherz, Leslie Savisky and Jason Togyer)
Four seats are open on the McKeesport Area School Board and six candidates are currently seeking election on Tuesday.
Polling places are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A county spokeswoman said that anyone in line as of 8 p.m. on Election Day will be allowed to vote. First-time and newly registered voters will be asked to show an approved form of identification upon arrival to the polling place.
Although school board elections in Pennsylvania are officially non-partisan, in May’s primary, voters selected candidates to run on both the Republican and Democratic tickets.
Top vote-getters in the primary were, on the Democratic side, Matthew Holtzman, Arla Payne, David G. Donato and Kevin Kovach; and, on the Republican side, Holtzman, Donato, Kovach and Bob Boyle.
Donato and Holtzman are current members of the school board running for re-election.
In addition, Josh Lefcowitz, a White Oak resident who was appointed to a vacant seat on the school board in May, is running as a write-in candidate.
Biographical sketches of each candidate follows. To find your polling place and verify that you’re registered, visit the Allegheny County Elections Website.
A Dravosburg man died early Monday morning following a shooting at a house party in Duquesne.
Shawn O’Leary, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said.
Allegheny County police said emergency personnel were called to a home in the 1000 block of Crawford Avenue just before 1 a.m. for a report of shots fired and discovered a victim, identified as O’Leary, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
County homicide detectives are investigating. In a release, police said preliminary information shows there was a house party at the residence when the shooting occurred.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the county police tip line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers may remain anonymous.
