Penn State University’s poet laureate will visit the Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport to read from her works on Monday, a spokeswoman announced.
Shara McCallum, 2021-22 Penn State Laureate and Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of English, will speak at 12:15 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Originally from Jamaica, McCallum is a poet who has authored six books and has had poems and essays published in journals, anthologies, and textbooks throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and Israel.
North Versailles Twp. Commissioner George Thompson presents Commission President Frank Bivins with a framed certificate from the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Commissioners in recognition of 36 years of service on the board. (Kristen Keleschenyi photo for Tube City Almanac)
It “probably the worst-kept secret in the world,” joked North Versailles Twp. Commissioner Allen Wagner at this week's meeting.
Township commissioners reacted to the news — finally confirmed this month — that Internet shopping giant Amazon.com is building a distribution center at the site of the former Eastland Mall.
At the October meeting, board members confirmed the recent sale of the former Eastland Mall property to Amazon.com.
The Pittsburgh Business Times first reported on Oct. 14 that the 46-acre property at 2900 Maryland Ave. is being sold by Realty Development Eastland Inc. — an affiliate of Buffalo, N.Y., shopping mall owner Benderson Development LLC — for $9 million.
An Elizabeth Twp. man is in the Allegheny County Jail after McKeesport police said he assaulted a state narcotics agent while being arrested earlier this month.
Troy D. Cesaire, 41, faces a preliminary hearing Nov. 1 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi. He is being held in lieu of $25,000 bond, court documents indicate.
The driver of the car in which Cesaire was riding was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Police said he refused to submit to a blood test.
McKeesport police said that officers on patrol noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in the 900 block of Union Avenue on the morning of Oct. 7. Police said the area has had problems with drug trafficking in the past.
River Materials Inc. transfers bulk materials, including coal and coke, between railroad cars and barges. The company’s McKeesport facility, opened in 2019, uses a former U.S. Steel and Dravo Corp. barge dock that was previously considered “unusable.” (Submitted photo courtesy River Materials Inc.)
An intermodal facility near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge has purchased nearly 10 additional acres of land with an eye toward expanding its operations.
It’s the second major business announcement at McKeesport’s industrial park in less than a month, following the news that medical cannabis producer Trulieve is acquiring 37 acres of land, and three buildings, in a $10.4 million deal.
River Materials Inc. is purchasing 9.92 acres from Regional Industrial Development Corp. at a cost of $595,200 and plans to build a 10,000-square-foot operations center on Center Street.
The deal was announced this week by the company and RIDC.
The White Oak Parks and Recreation Committee announced that the Halloween Parade and Truck-and-Treat event will be held 12 noon until 3 p.m. Oct. 30 at Sampson’s Mills Presbyterian Church. The parade line up will begin at 11:30 a.m.
“The borough will also host a Halloween decorating contest. Interested residents should email their name, contact information and pictures to Michelle (Gessner) at the borough,” said Councilwoman Julie Opferman.
Trick-or-treat hours in White Oak are designated for 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 31.
White Oak borough will apply for a $250,000 grant to be used for economic development projects, the council announced at Monday’s meeting.
Council voted unanimously to pass this resolution, with council members George Dillinger and Joe Nagy being absent.
Offered by the Gaining Economic Development Tourism Fund — a branch of the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County — this grant provides financial assistance for economic projects to communities in Allegheny County.
Penn State Greater Allegheny will reopen its Free Store 15132 this week, a spokeswoman said.
The store is located on the lower level of the Frable Building on the McKeesport campus.
A “free store” redistributes unwanted items in good condition to people that need them. The Free Store 15132 was originally opened in 2017 as part of Penn State Greater Allegheny’s Sustainability Signature Program. Available items may have ended up in landfills, but now have a new purpose for those with a need.
The concept was invented in San Francisco in the 1960s but was repopularlized locally by Giselle Fetterman, wife of then-Braddock mayor, now lieutentant governor, John Fetterman.
The Jerome Avenue Bridge will be closed to all traffic early Thursday morning so that construction work can continue, the state Department of Transportation announced.
The eastbound lane, from 10th Ward to Downtown McKeesport, will be closed to traffic between 2 and 5 a.m. Thursday (Oct. 21), weather-permitting, so that crews can place parts of the bridge deck.
The eastbound lane also was closed Sunday for bridge deck replacement work Co. is the prime contractor.
Due to inclement weather, the West Newton Public Library will hold its “fill-a-bag” used book sale at the West Newton gymnasium at the corner of Vine and Fifth streets, a spokesperson said.
Lee Wagner, shown at left, is program manager for Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard. He spoke to members of the Altrusa clubs during a meeting in McKeesport on Saturday. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Lee Wagner wants to help break down the barriers and stigma attached to frightening topics like suicide and substance abuse among veterans.
Wagner, the program manager for Pittsburgh-based Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard, is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and a graduate of Robert Morris and Point Park universities. He spoke Saturday at a workshop for members of Altrusa International, hosted by the McKeesport Altrusa club.
“I don’t talk about happy things,” Wagner warned club members. Instead, he talked about the special challenges faced by women who have served in the military, and the resources available for them.
