February 28, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Editor’s Note: During the final week of Black History Month 2021, Vickie Babyak is taking a look at some local community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Employees and children at A Developmental Journey Christian Childcare enjoy an after-school game of bingo. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Anica Jones-Paige will celebrate a milestone soon: A Developmental Journey Christian Childcare, the group site she founded and owns, will mark its 21st year in business in June.
That means she’ll soon be serving a second generation of children and their families in McKeesport.
Jones-Paige started with family care, then moved into center care, and presently provides group site care. ADJ is at full enrollment with 12 children, and some of them have been with the center since they were infants.
In the past, Ms. Paige’s child care center included infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age children. More recently, her facility is limited to school age children.
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February 28, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Editor’s Note: During the final week of Black History Month 2021, Vickie Babyak is taking a look at some local community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Kellee Turner, owner of Soulll Connections displays her holistic products at home. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
The word holistic was introduced in the 1970s. It gained popularity as a catchphrase for providing personalized treatment of a person’s psyche and soul as well as body.
Kellee Turner is the owner of Soulll Connections and believes the world needs an enormous amount of healing. She uses a holistic approach to bring love and balance into people’s lives. Her slogan is, “Help me, help you, balance you! Changing energy, one soul at a time.”
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Turner realized she needed a change. She worked two jobs, had two school age children and a baby. Turner said her baby was the inspiration. She wrote down a list of goals and decided to start her business, which she called Soulll Connections.
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February 26, 2021 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Nick Janosek of C&D Towing & Recovery looks over the damage as crews prepare to remove a vehicle that crashed into a building in Dravosburg on Thursday. (Photo courtesy C&D Towing & Recovery)
A 52-year-old West Mifflin man was injured Thursday when his SUV went off of Richland Avenue and crashed into a storefront in Dravosburg.
Residents of the apartments above the building at the corner of Fourth Street and Richland have been evacuated until an engineer determines whether the structure is safe, officials said. That determination is expected some time next week.
The Salvation Army was at the scene Thursday helping the residents. Fourth Avenue is currently closed.
McKeesport police Capt. Chris Halaszynski said the driver, whose name has not been released, was northbound, heading up Dravosburg Hill just before 12 noon when the SUV left the road and went through the front of the building, winding up almost against the back wall.
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February 23, 2021 |
By Sarah Turnbull | Posted in: White Oak News
A large crowd attended Monday’s White Oak borough council meeting to raise concerns over an recently enacted feral cat ordinance.
More than two dozen people, some of whom had to stand for lack of chairs, attended to discuss the impact of the ordinance, enacted by council in December.
The ordinance requires cat owners to vaccinate their own anials against rabies, as well as to have their cats neutered or spayed and tipped. The ordinance also makes it unlawful to continue feeding or keeping feral cats if it causes a nuisance to neighbors.
Several people on Monday questioned whether the ordinance was legal or could withstand a court challenge.
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February 23, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Editor’s Note: During the final week of Black History Month 2021, Vickie Babyak is taking a look at some local community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Emmau Crosby holding up two of her hand-crafted, custom ordered trays. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Emmau Crosby is a McKeesport business owner, a mom, an artist, entrepreneur and the CEO of Sour Puff Girls LLC. “I love my diverse roles and consider it a win-win situation, even though everything is a balancing act,” Crosby says.
Crosby finds herself extremely busy with three children, ages 10, 6 and 8 months old. She manages her home, creates art, and markets her merchandise at trade shows.
“Other women have told me that I’m an inspiration,” says Crosby. “It gives me a sense of pride to know I can encourage others.” She stays focused and her motto is “Powerful Women with High Standards.”
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February 22, 2021 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
McKeesport Area Ministerium will host a ecumenical prayer service to pray for “healing for our nation” from 12 noon to 1 p.m. March 3 at Zion Baptist Church, 1300 Locust St.
A spokesperson said participants are invited to worship in person, with COVID-19 safety measures in place, or virtually via Zoom or Facebook.
To participate on Facebook, visit Zion Baptist’s Facebook page, zion.baptist.9883. On Zoom, use meeting ID 987 1990 4323, passcode 044730. To participate via phone, call (978) 990-5000 and enter code 145613, and identify yourself as “Zion Baptist Church.”
February 22, 2021 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Editor’s Note: During the final week of Black History Month 2021, Vickie Babyak is taking a look at some local community leaders and entrepreneurs.
Fawn Walker Montgomery working from her home office. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Take Action Mon Valley (TAMV) is a nonprofit organization located in McKeesport, and its mission is to combat all forms of community violence, activism and organizing. The nonprofit was originated in 2014.
“My cousin’s son, Carlos Hudson Jr. was murdered,” said Fawn Walker Montgomery, Co-Founder and Executive Director of TAMV. “He wasn’t the first or last relative I’ve lost to violence, so my cousin, Mae Herriott Hudson, and I decided to do something about solving homicides in our community. Since then, we have developed into a social justice organization that reaches out to surrounding communities.”
Montgomery takes complaints on violence throughout Allegheny County and focuses on generating solutions for local communities. Any individual, organization or group can make a complaint.
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February 20, 2021 |
By Sarah Turnbull | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News, Sports
When Autumn Christner was trying out different sports growing up, she wasn’t expecting to fall in love with swimming. Thirteen years on, she’s setting new records.
“I did all types of different sports growing up, and I didn’t really like any of it. My sister did swimming — that’s what got me into it,” Christner said.
The East Allegheny senior broke a 39-year-old record for the 100-meter breaststroke in a swim meet against North Catholic on Feb. 9.
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February 17, 2021 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
East Allegheny students continue returning for in-person instruction.
At this month’s school board meeting, Superintendent Alan Johnson reported the gradual process began Jan. 25 with special education students. Each week following has ushered in the return of select grades and will conclude on Feb. 22 with the remaining grades 9, 10, and 11 to make the transition complete.
The students are assigned to color coded cohorts (blue on Mondays and Tuesdays, gold on Thursdays and Fridays). Wednesday is a remote day in order to give custodial staff a chance to clean the buildings between cohorts. The recent winter weather advisories have caused disruptions in the return process as some of the in-person days were moved to remote due to travel concerns.
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February 16, 2021 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County police are investigating a one-car crash in Dravosburg late Friday night that led to the death of a Clairton man.
Alex K.A. Brown Jr., 41, was pronounced dead at a hospital early Saturday morning, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said.
Emergency personnel said one person was ejected from the car, which rolled over.
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