Residents in Duquesne and the surrounding area are without another grocery store, as the Shop ’n Save in the Village Shopping Center suddenly closed for the last time on Friday.
The store along Homeville Road in West Mifflin, which had changed ownership about a year ago, had a small, dedicated group of employees who opened the market at 7:30 a.m. and served nearby residents, including those who live in the neighboring senior-citizen high-rise.
A few years ago, a Save-A-Lot store located in Duquesne Plaza — the last supermarket in the city limits — closed its doors. Many residents started shopping at the Village Shopping Center Shop ’n Save instead.
Efforts to find a new supermarket for Duquesne have been unsuccessful.
As a result, Duquesne is one of the communities classified as a so-called “food desert,” because although there are convenience stores and dollar stores, none of them provide fresh perishable fruits or vegetables.
The West Newton First Church of God, 157 North Second St., will hold a Peach Festival fundraiser from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Lions Club Field House on Pittsburgh Street, a spokesperson said. The fundraiser will feature homemade sandwiches, salads, peach desserts and drinks.
Drum major Tina Wos conducts one of the movements from “All Up in the Air,” brass players sound off during band camp. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photos for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
McKeesport Tiger Band Preview Show
Where: McKeesport Area High School Stadium, 1960 Eden Park Blvd.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 17)
Tickets: Admission is free
There’s lots of excitement — not just in the air, but “All Up in the Air” — from staff and students involved in producing and performing McKeesport Area High School Tiger Marching Band’s 2023 show.
In addition to performing at football games and competitions, the group already was hard at work perfecting skills during band camp on Aug. 4 for an additional event this year.
That is the Bands of America competition on Oct. 7 in Toledo, Ohio, band director Drew DeCarlo confirmed.
“Bands of America is a really big deal,” DeCarlo said. “We will be competing with the top bands in the country. Bands of America boasts that it is life-changing experiences for students,” he said. “It is a memory from their high school years that they will never forget and will carry with them through their lifetime.”
Planning for the 2023 show began in early January as a staff effort, DeCarlo said.
The West Newton Public Library will hold its final book sale for the year in the parking lot at 124 North Water St. on Aug. 26, a spokesperson said. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors may “fill two bags” with used books or other items for $5.
The library recently received a large donation from a book collector who was downsizing, and those items include non-fiction books on sports, history, and rock collecting. All are in good condition.
Other items on sale will include adult fiction, biographies, paperbacks, children’s books and puzzle books. For more information, call (724) 633-0798.
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1873 and forms the nucleus of what is now called the Mon Valley Works. (Mark Dixon photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons)
The jobs of more than 3,000 Mon Valley steelworkers are among those that hang in the balance after competing bidders emerged with offers to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp.
On Sunday evening, the publicly traded company announced that it had retained investment bankers from Barclays Capital Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. to evaluate “strategic alternatives” to “maximize stockholder value” that could include selling all or part of the corporation.
U.S. Steel operates the Pittsburgh area’s last integrated steelmaking facility, the Mon Valley Works, which includes a coal by-products plant in Clairton; a blast-furnace and continuous casting facility, Edgar Thomson Plant, in Braddock and North Braddock; and a rolling mill, Irvin Plant, in West Mifflin.
U.S. Steel confirmed over the weekend that a rival company, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., a steel-making and iron-ore mining conglomerate in Ohio, had made an unsolicited $7.3 billion offer to purchase the corporation.
The Cleveland-Cliffs offer has the support of the United Steelworkers union, according to a letter the company released on its website.
Sponsors and walkers of all ages are being encouraged to participate an event that raises money to fund events at Allegheny County’s Kane Community Living Centers.
The 12th annual Joan Burns Fun Walk 4 Kane will be held beginning at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 16 at the Kane center on Ninth Avenue in McKeesport, a spokesman said. The event supports the Kane Foundation, which provides quality-of-life improvements for residents at the county-operated homes for the aged and people with disabilities.
Registration for the walk costs $20 and donations are tax-deductible. Free registration is available for anyone who collects $50 or more in pledges. To register in advance before Sept. 1, visit the county’s website. Registration on the day of the event begins at 8 a.m.
Checks may be made payable to Kane Foundation Walk, The Kane Foundation, 955 Rivermont Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15207. For more information, call (412) 292-8069.
Motorists who use Route 837 between Duquesne and Dravosburg can expect delays this week as crews conduct pavement repairs, said a district spokesperson for the state Department of Transportation.
Single-lane alternating traffic is currently underway between Coal Valley Road and Watco Terminal and Port Services, south of the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge. Lane restrictions are occurring in various locations from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays through Wednesday, weather permitting.
Flaggers will assist motorists through the work zone, the PennDOT spokeswoman said, adding that drivers should use caution in the area.
Plenty of family fun was provided and information booths were set up by local organizations during the celebration on Friday and Saturday of White Oak Community Days at Heritage Hill Park.
The event was sponsored by White Oak Borough, the 75th Anniversary Committee and White Oak Recreation Board, with additional funding from 75th Anniversary sponsors.
On Friday evening, food and drinks were available and “The New Pure Gold” performed from 6 to 9 p.m.
Saturday’s festivities began at 11 a.m. with food, drinks, games, train rides and a bounce-house. The “Wild World of Animals,” featuring exotic critters, put on an act at the pavilion, while “Beatlemania Magic” took the main stage at 6 p.m.
Kaitlyn Majewski sang the National Anthem and a fireworks display by Pyrotechnico concluded the evening.
Residents enjoyed music, spoken word performances, hot dogs and hamburgers as Duquesne celebrated its 31st annual Community Day on Saturday.
Even the weather cooperated, providing near perfect conditions for the event at Polish Hill Park.
Patricia Ann Haley Bluett, lovingly known as “Miss Pat,” is one of the driving forces for the success of Community Day, Councilman Derek Artim said. “Miss Pat” handed out community pamphlets and talked with countless attendees.
We once again are broadcasting this year’s McKeesport International Village from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 15, 16 and 17, and we could use your help.
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