September 28, 2018 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area teachers began their year with a bus tour of the communities and neighborhoods the school district serves.
At last week's board meeting, Superintendent Mark Holtzman Jr. told school directors the tour --- involving more than 350 employees and 10 school buses --- was "a very powerful event."
“I spoke to our staff a little bit about what we’re doing, what our direction is as a school district, and how we meet the needs of our students, and it was very moving,” he said, adding that he hopes the event sets the tone for a positive school year.
“I’m extremely proud of our building administration, our principals, people on the front line, our teachers and support staff, and their attitudes toward the education of our students,” Holtzman said. “We have a rejuvenated, energized and passionate group, and I look forward to building on that as we move throughout the year."
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September 26, 2018 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners are considering a request from people in the Arlington neighborhood for emergency repairs to an alley.
At this month's meeting, Ward 2 Commissioner Daryl Mitchell said the alley between Union and Broadway avenues is so bad, some residents can't get to their homes.
“One of the residents there can’t even back his car up, without going into a gutter --- that’s how bad it is,” Mitchell said. "With the rain we had recently, it has gotten worse ... I know we set a budget, but with all this rain we’ve had, it’s caused a lot of damage, all I’m asking is there some way we can help make some type of improvement in that alley.”
Commission President Sam Juliano said repairing the alley was on the township's paving “wish list” earlier this year, but it was deleted for budgetary concerns.
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September 26, 2018 |
By Cami DiBattista | Posted in: White Oak News
White Oak officials are preparing to make improvements to handicapped accessibility around Heritage Hills Pool.
At this month's meeting, council authorized the borough engineer to develop specifications and advertise for bids for Phase I of the project. A community development block grant of $35,000 has been approved for the project, borough officials said.
Council also awarded a $121,695 contract to Tennis Roofing of Washington, Pa., to replace the roof on the bathhouse at the pool.
In other business, council awarded a $63,165 contract to Swede Construction Corp. of Elizabeth Twp. to construction a new salt shed.
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September 24, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Port Vue will have fall cleanup days this Saturday and Sunday, a spokesperson said.
Trash bins for bulk collection will be located at the Romine Avenue Fields, in the parking lot near the comfort stations, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Only borough residents with proper identification may use the bins.
Electronics also may be recycled for $5 per item. For more information, call 412-664-9323.
September 23, 2018 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
(Submitted photo courtesy Martino family)
A North Versailles Twp. student’s landscape gardening project has brought him one step closer to earning the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.
Last week at the township commissioners' regular monthly meeting, board President Frank Bivens presented Noah Martino, 17, with a certificate of recognition and accompanying plaque for successfully completing the North Versailles Park Beautification Project in June.
“I have one merit badge that I am finishing over the next two months, and then I will officially get the Eagle rank,” Martino said.
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September 23, 2018 |
By Cami DiBattista | Posted in: White Oak News
A room full of White Oak residents attended this month’s borough council meeting to air grievances after they said their homes were flooded with sewage when heavy storms hit the area Sept. 8, 9 and 10.
“I had three inches of sewage in my basement --- sewage, not rain water,” said John Baker, who lives on California Avenue. “Something’s not right. Something has to be done.”
Borough Manager John Palyo issued a statement on behalf of council, saying that White Oak does not own the sanitary sewer system, the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County does.
White Oak Solicitor Krisha DiMascio said the Westmoreland municipal authority was asked to attend the council meeting. No one from the authority attended.
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September 23, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport woman died Sunday morning when the car in which she was a passenger was struck by another vehicle near Allegheny County Airport.
Marlee Anne Hill, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said. The accident happened just before 4 a.m.
Allegheny County police Lt. Andrew Schurman said in a prepared statement that Hill was in the back seat of a Volkswagen Jetta sedan that was stopped at the three-way intersection of Lebanon Church Road, Buttermilk Hollow Road and MacArthur Drive.
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September 23, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News
(Updated 10 p.m. Sunday)
A Pittsburgh man died following a shooting Saturday afternoon in Duquesne.
A spokesman for the Allegheny County police said Duquesne police and McKeesport paramedics were dispatched to the 1100 block of Grant Avenue just after 4:30 p.m. when callers to 9-1-1 reported that a man had been shot.
When police and paramedics arrived, they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
The Allegheny County medical examiner's office on Sunday identified the victim as Bronson Szallar, 22. A spokesperson said Szallar was found near the intersection of Pitts Avenue and Wilmot Street. Szallar's death has been ruled a homicide.
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September 20, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
A Duquesne-based manufacturer of bedding sold in stores around the country is expanding into McKeesport.
American Textile Co. has signed a lease for a 98,000-square-foot building in the Industrial Center of McKeesport, located on the site of the former U.S. Steel National Works.
The deal was announced Thursday by the non-profit Regional Industrial Development Corp., which owns the industrial park. American Textile will be using a building at 200 Center St. formerly occupied by Steel City Products.
An RIDC spokeswoman said Steel City Products, an auto parts distributor, has moved elsewhere.
“As our pillow business continues to grow, we need this additional space to cover growing demand,” Lance Ruttenberg, American Textile's chief executive officer and president, said in a prepared statement. The company expects to add 30 employees at the McKeesport location.
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September 17, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News, McKeesport and Region News
State Rep. Austin Davis, center, and State Sen. Jim Brewster (right, back to camera) participated in a peace walk through McKeesport July 6 following a police-involved shooting in East Pittsburgh. The McKeesport legislators have joined colleagues from Pittsburgh, Forest Hills and Mt. Lebanon to promote police reform legislation. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
In the wake of a police-involved shooting in East Pittsburgh that killed a 17-year-old and roiled the community, several local state legislators have unveiled a package of reform bills.
The legislation would be designed to improve police officer training and salaries; provide incentives for small municipalities to pursue regional police forces; encourage additional community oversight and recruitment of more diverse candidates to become police officers; and provide for an independent response team to investigate police shootings.
Backing the package of bills are state Sens. Jim Brewster of McKeesport, Jay Costa of Forest Hills and Wayne Fontana of Pittsburgh's Brookline neighborhood, along with state Reps. Austin Davis of McKeesport, Ed Gainey of East Liberty and Jake Wheatley of the Hill District.
“We need to do more to improve the training, quality and support of officers,” Costa said at a press conference last week. “But our improvements need to extend beyond police departments and into communities. I believe the package of bills we are working on can do that.”
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