November 04, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections, White Oak News
Other stories:
‣ Politicians Endorse 'Marsy's Law,' But Some Worry it Goes Too Far
‣ County DA Race Adds Excitement to Municipal Elections
Some of the excitement over the hotly contested race for Allegheny County district attorney has spilled into local politics.
Lisa Middleman, an independent who is challenging incumbent District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr., has lent her support to Fawn Walker-Montgomery, who is running for mayor of McKeesport.
A former city councilwoman, Walker-Montgomery is challenging Mayor Michael Cherepko, who has said he's running on the strength of the "McKeesport Rising" initiative that his administration launched two years ago.
Cherepko, a former city council president and McKeesport Area school teacher, is seeking his third term as mayor. The Democrat is asking voters to keep together the team responsible for "McKeesport Rising."
"McKeesport Rising" has targeted neighborhoods throughout the city for removal of blighted buildings, street paving and infrastructure improvements, as well as expansion of facilities at Renziehausen Park and along the city's waterfront.
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November 04, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Politics & Elections
Other stories:
‣ Politicians Endorse 'Marsy's Law,' But Some Worry it Goes Too Far
‣ City Voters Choosing Mayor, School Board on Tuesday
Voters across Allegheny County are being asked to "skip the straight ticket" and cast ballots on Tuesday for independent candidates.
Countywide, the highest-profile race is for Allegheny County district attorney, where independent Lisa Middleman is challenging five-term incumbent Stephen Zappala Jr.
No federal or statewide offices are on the ballot this year, but voters also are being asked whether the state constitution should be amended to add a so-called "victim's rights" clause known as "Marsy's Law."
The race for Allegheny County District Attorney has caused rifts in the local Democratic party, where longtime incumbent Zappala, 62, is being challenged by former public defender and defense attorney Middleman, 57.
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November 01, 2019 |
By Chris Baumann | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, White Oak News
Versailles volunteer firefighter Nick Ursta, then a volunteer from White Oak, responded to New York City following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (Submitted photo)
When the towers of the World Trade Center fell on Sept. 11, 2001, volunteer firefighter Nick Ursta didn't wait, says his friend Perry Gricar.
“He didn’t even think twice about going, just beelined and was right out there,” says Gricar, chief of the Versailles Volunteer Fire Co., who served alongside Ursta for 14 years. “He was a very selfless person, the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back, who you could call at 3 a.m. Just an all around genuine, great person.”
Ursta died Tuesday --- on his 52nd birthday --- of complications of mesothelioma. Family and friends believe he developed the form of cancer after a week of breathing the toxins in the air at Ground Zero following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
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October 30, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(Illustration courtesy Clipart-Library)
A windy, wet weather forecast has spurred several municipalities to change or reschedule their Halloween activities, but McKeesport is not one of them.
Trick-or-treating will proceed as scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, said a spokeswoman for McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko.
"This decision was made because it is very difficult to communicate any changes effectively in a timely manner," the spokeswoman said. "Changes may be easy for some, but please consider families who have made adjustments to their work and/or personal schedules with Halloween in mind."
The National Weather Service in Moon Twp. is predicting a cold and windy Halloween night, with as much as a half-inch to an inch of rain, an overnight low of 35 degrees and winds from 16 to 20 mph with gusts as high as 40 mph.
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October 29, 2019 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Senior drum major Olivia Bakaturski looks over Tiger Band members in the stands at the Franklin Regional away game on Oct. 18. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo, special to Tube City Almanac)
McKeesport Area High School Tiger Band senior Olivia Bakaturski has come a long way musically since she first considered learning to play clarinet back in in fifth grade.
“I originally wanted to do percussion,” she said with a little laugh following a recent halftime show she directed as drum major.
Bakaturski and her band mates found success this season with the group’s industrial-themed “A Day in the Mill,” performed at football games and competitions. The Tiger Band was named Tournament of Bands Chapter 8, Group 2-0 Champions on Oct. 25.
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October 29, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Author, teacher and philosopher Cornel West meets with Penn Staters prior to Friday evening's discussion at Wunderley Gymnasium in McKeesport. (Photo courtesy Penn State Greater Allegheny via Facebook)
Cornel West is not optimistic about the triumph of equality and justice. But he's hopeful.
There's a difference, he said.
During a discussion Friday night at Wunderley Gymnasium of Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport, West, a philosopher, author and activist, was asked if he found reasons to be hopeful and optimistic about the future lives of Black Americans.
“There is a difference between hope and optimism,” he said. “I'm not optimistic at all, I've never been an optimist.”
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October 29, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
Two people have been charged after a car chase and shooting in North Versailles Twp. that left a Pittsburgh man dead and closed Route 30 for nearly 12 hours.
Several people were injured during the incident, which ended with a three-car crash Sunday night between Great Valley Shopping Center and the George Westinghouse Bridge.
Richard N. Littlejohn Jr., 32, of Pittsburgh's Hill District was pronounced dead at the scene, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said Monday. He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
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October 27, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Mary Jane Keller’s final meeting as a McKeesport Area School Board member was a bittersweet occasion for district officials and her fellow school directors.
At Wednesday's school board meeting, Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. presented Keller with a bouquet of flowers as well as a plaque recognizing her for a combined 45 years of service to the district, first as a teacher, and later as a school director.
Keller has been on the school board for eight years and served as vice-president for the past four.
An emotional Keller said, “It is my hope that I have been a positive voice for children.”
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October 23, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
The owner of the old McKeesport Connecting Railroad roundhouse in the city’s industrial park will use a state grant to remove environmental hazards and prepare the building for potential new tenants.
Regional Industrial Development Corp. has received $671,200 to perform remediation at the roundhouse; the old U.S. Steel National Works guardhouse on Locust Street; and the open hearth building at the old U.S. Steel Duquesne Works.
The grant, announced Wednesday by state Rep. Austin Davis, is from the state Industrial Sites Reuse Program, which helps fund the cleanup of environmental contamination at industrial sites that are going to be used for housing, businesses or recreation areas.
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October 23, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: White Oak News
The owner of the contracted trash hauler for White Oak borough said Wednesday that charges made against his company at a recent council meeting were not accurate.
Joe Eori Sr., who has owned Big's Sanitation since 1999, said the company is not mixing waste with recycling --- in fact, he said, Big's is trying to encourage recycling.
"I want everyone to recycle, because (Big's) pays by the ton" for landfill disposal fees, Eori said Wednesday. "The more (residents) recycle, the less tonnage I take in."
At Monday's meeting, residents said Big's crews were dumping recyclables into a trash truck. Eori said Big's is using a trash truck to haul recycling.
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