September 05, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Penn State Greater Allegheny Chancellor Jacqueline Edmondson, state Sen. Jim Brewster, Penn State University President Eric Barron and McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko during Wednesday's ribbon-cutting at the Mon Valley LaunchBox, located at the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue. (Submitted photo courtesy state Sen. Jim Brewster)
There was a ribbon-cutting Wednesday for Penn State's "Mon Valley LaunchBox," even though it's not really a physical place, said Aaron Whigham, manager of strategic initiatives for the university's Greater Allegheny Campus.
It's more of an idea, an initiative and a spirit of collaboration between the campus and the McKeesport area, he said Wednesday.
"We have made a concerted effort to actually become more intentional in our efforts in the community," said Whigham, who coordinates the Mon Valley LaunchBox along with Eric Ewell, Greater Allegheny's director of continuing education.
"This has been a collective effort," Whigham said. "We're not looking to be a savior, but we are looking to provide resources to make the area that we're in stronger."
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September 04, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf visited McKeesport on Wednesday to announce new rules for charter schools. (Pennsylvania Office of the Governor photo)
In a visit Wednesday to McKeesport, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf discussed his plan for the state Department of Education to impose new fees and rules for charter schools.
The "fee-for-service" model, he said, is an attempt to recoup costs on behalf of the state, while the new rules are designed to hold charter schools to the same right-to-know and ethical standards as public school districts.
In a speech at Twin Rivers Elementary School, Wolf said the Education Department also will take steps to establish higher performance standards for online-only, or "cyber," charter schools, which have been criticized for what critics claim are high costs and low standards of student achievement.
“While there are high-quality charter schools, some of them, especially some cyber-charter schools, are underperforming,” Wolf said Wednesday. “The state and school districts need more tools to hold charters accountable and increase educational quality.”
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September 04, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 17-year-old city teen-ager was arrested after McKeesport police alleged he drove an unlicensed dirt bike at high speeds on the Great Allegheny Passage.
The youth, whose name was not released by police, was charged after he lost control of the dirt bike and collided with a patrol car near the corner of Market Street and 11th Avenue on the afternoon of Aug. 24.
Following treatment at UPMC McKeesport hospital for a leg injury, the suspect was transported to Shuman Juvenile Detention Center for processing, police said.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Six new inductees have been named to the McKeesport High School Hall of Fame and will be inducted during the Oct. 5 homecoming game.
Tickets may be purchased now via Eventbrite.
Scheduled for induction into the hall of fame are the late Glenn Rojohn (Class of 1941), Helen Donato Tozzi (1948), Dr. Rawlin A. "Pete" Fairbaugh (1950), Robert I. Fisher (1959), Joseph M. Ivcevich (1960) and H. Thomas Temple (1976), said Vicki Corwin of the Consortium for Public Education, on behalf of the MHS Alumni & Friends Association.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners have lent their support to an effort to purchase the former Churchill Valley Country Club for use as green space.
At their August meeting, commissioners authorized township manager Patricia Logo to send a letter to Allegheny Land Trust backing the group's effort. The club closed more than 10 years ago. The land trust has proposed preserving the property in part to help curtail flooding in the area.
In other business, township commissioners:
Approved hiring Henry Rizzo as the Road Department Superintendent at a rate of $30 per hour, with no benefits, beginning Aug. 19 with a three-month probation period.
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September 03, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Even with nearly three weeks of summer to go, LuEthel Nesbit of ACTION-Housing says local residents should be getting ready for winter now. Temperatures briefly hit 85 degrees in Downtown McKeesport last week, but more pleasant weather is in store this week for the Mon-Yough area. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Most Mon-Yough residents are probably still savoring the last tastes of summer and hoping for a few remaining barbecues or dips in the swimming pool.
But even though fall is still nearly three weeks away, Lu Ethel Nesbit of ACTION-Housing's weatherization program says now is the time for local residents to get ready for colder temperatures.
Nesbit, who also serves as a McKeesport city councilwoman, has been working in weatherization since 1983, originally with the Steel Valley OIC. She's currently the administrator of ACTION's McKeesport weatherization office, which serves much of the Mon Valley.
"We operate all year-round and we take applications year-round," Nesbit says. "We would prefer that they apply in the summer, so that they don’t have their doors open in the dead of winter, when they’re freezing."
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Scenes from an August painting class at the West Newton Center for Active Adults. (Courtesy West Newton Center via Facebook)
The West Newton Center for Active Adults, 103 E. Main St., will host a community open house from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 17, a spokesperson said.
A full day of events is planned to showcase the many programs that the non-profit organization --- also known as the West Newton Senior Center --- has to offer for the West Newton area.
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
West Newton Public Library’s annual “Tea on Broadway” this year will pay tribute to a longtime community booster and volunteer.
The event will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Le Grande Banquet Room, 105 S. Second St., West Newton, a spokesman said. Doors will open at 12 noon.
A limited number of tickets are available and are now on sale at the library, 124 N. Water St., or Gary’s Chuck Wagon Restaurant.
This year’s event will pay tribute to Emma Jean Pritchard (above), who died in March at age 97. Pritchard was a longtime supporter of many charitable and community causes in West Newton, and a volunteer at the library.
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September 01, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
The Mon Yough Chorale, a community chorus based in White Oak, is having an open house and its first rehearsal of the fall-winter season at 7 p.m. Sept. 8, a spokeswoman said.
The group meets at Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church, 1665 Lincoln Way, White Oak.
A regional, volunteer group, the Mon Yough Chorale accepts members with an interest in community singing, at any skill level, the spokeswoman said. No auditions are required.
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August 30, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Two separate construction projects have the potential to cause delays beginning Tuesday, the state Department of Transportation has announced.
Weather-permitting, crews will begin drainage improvement work on a stretch of the road from Clairton through Dravosburg, Duquesne and West Mifflin, said Steve Cowan, PennDOT District 11 spokesman.
The shoulders of the road also will be repaired as part of the $3.79 million contract, Cowan said. Single-lane alternating traffic will be necessary at various locations where the work is being done.
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