A truck driver was injured Tuesday morning when the trailer-load of stainless steel scrap he was hauling flipped over on Bowman Avenue in the city's Highland Grove neighborhood.
McKeesport police said the driver was taken to a local hospital by McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service. His name and condition were not immediately available and the cause of the accident remains under investigation, police said.
Police said the accident was reported at 8:12 a.m. when the southbound rig, bound for ELG Metals in Port Vue, overturned between Highland Avenue and Fairmont Street.
Readers: Most of the ads you see on this website are served to us by Google. We don't have a lot of control, although I do block some types of advertisers from running.
This morning, I noticed a number of ads --- like this one --- that seemed a little sleazy:
I clicked on them, and sure enough, they were both scam artists. One of them was selling a diet pill that's not approved by the FDA, and the other was trying to install viruses on people's computers. I reported them to Google and tried to block the ads from appearing again on any of our websites.
If you see an ad that seems sleazy, please alert me as soon as possible at tubecitytiger@gmail.com. We can't catch all of them, but I do try. And thanks for reading Tube City Online.
(Above: Keith Murphy was one of four people honored at Monday night's special city council meeting for living the "McKeesport Message." Tube City Almanac photo: Jason Togyer)
Four city residents were presented with proclamations on Monday night for living the "McKeesport Message" of Respect, Dignity, Hope and Love.
McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko made the presentations before a special meeting of city council.
The recipients were nominated by the McKeesport Message Committee, a subgroup of the mayor's Select Committee on Crime and Violence.
Honored were Regis Mellinger for the value of "Respect," Keenon Mikell for "Dignity," Keith Murphy for "Hope" and Dee Connor for "Love." Biographies of the awardees are below.
For the 16th consecutive year, workers from the Allegheny County Health Department are placing rabies vaccine baits in an attempt to curb the spread of the disease.
Now through Aug. 11, more than 300,000 of the baits are being distributed across the county by health department employees on foot and in vehicles, said Melissa Wade, health department spokeswoman.
The baits are specifically designed to be eaten by raccoons and inoculate them with the rabies vaccine, Wade said. Residents should confine their pets to their property or keep them on leashes, she said. Although the rabies baits are not harmful to dogs and cats, county officials want them to be eaten by raccoons --- not pets.
The department is also asking the public to make a special effort to bring any food indoors that raccoons might eat, and to make sure that garbage containers kept outdoors have secure lids.
It also produces a weekly 30-minute podcast, "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes," available from iTunes and other services, and which is heard Sunday morning on WEDO (810) in McKeesport and WZUM (1550) radio in Braddock.
Members of the board of directors for 2017-18 are Alycia Bencloski, Andi Cartwright, Doug Goffus, Bob Janis, Dan Malesky, Mike Mauer, Judy Rosenfeld, Tom Schroll Jr., Jennifer Sopko, Chris Stillwell and Jason Togyer.
Goffus was elected chair of the board, Sopko was elected secretary and Bencloski was elected treasurer, said Togyer, who also serves as executive director.
Nominations are still being accepted for the annual "Women of Achievement" Awards, presented by the Mon River Fleet.
A spokesperson said that the deadline for the awards has been extended until Aug. 11.
The annual Mon River Fleet Women of Achievement Awards Dinner recognizes and honors Women of Excellence in their field for outstanding contributions that have impacted the Mon Valley region through their integrity and compassion for all, the spokesperson said.
All proceeds benefit the State Health Improvement Plan, or "SHIP," initiatives in Braddock, Clairton, Duquesne, McKeesport and surrounding communities within the Mon Valley.
The fleet partners with more than 300 member agencies located in the Mon Valley to offer programs and services that concentrate on the well-being and needs of residents.
Mon-Yough area residents --- especially those who care for small children and who live in homes or apartments built before 1978 --- are being encouraged to get their homes inspected for lead paint hazards under a free program being offered by ACTION-Housing.
Lu Ethel Nesbit, who administers ACTION's McKeesport Weatherization office, said the Lead-Safe Homes program will help up to 175 families in Allegheny County identify and cope with lead paint hazards in their homes.
For more information, call (412) 227-5700; visit the program website; or email alleghenylead@actionhousing.org. This program is only dealing with lead paint, not with lead-based plumbing fixtures, according to ACTION-Housing.
Lead was commonly used as a pigment in residential paints. Although lead paint has been banned for residential use since 1978, more than 90 percent of the houses in McKeesport were built before that ban took effect, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
McKeesport police are seeking the person or persons who shot two young men Tuesday night in the 1100 block of Washington Street.
The shooting happened not far from where residents were marking "National Night Out," a yearly event designed to improve cooperation between police and the community.
Police said in a prepared statement that officers were called at 7:30 p.m. for a report of "several shots fired" and two victims, ages 17 and 20, were found wounded. Neither is suffering life-threatening injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at (412) 675-5015.
Listen: Jamie Holmes is our guest this week on "Two Rivers, 30 Minutes." The show airs Sundays at 8 a.m. on WEDO (810) and WZUM (1550) and at 3 p.m. on Internet radio station WMCK.FM. It's also available as a free podcast from our website.
In 2005, a 17-year-old who had just graduated from McKeesport Area High School started a charity with the help of her grandma's checkbook.
Last year, Jamie's Dream Team raised nearly $400,000 to provide help to children and families in serious need. More than 3,000 people have benefited from Jamie's Dream Team since its inception, Holmes says.
"We've grown fairly quickly," she says. Although the charity remains based in the McKeesport area, it now serves families anywhere in the United States. "Where the money is raised is where the money stays," Holmes says. "If we get a request from North Carolina, we try to raise the money there."
The charity is presently trying to raise $52,000 to send 10 families to Walt Disney World in Florida and to help raise funds will hold a fishing derby Aug. 12 at Twin Lakes Park just east of Greensburg. Contestants will be able to compete for cash prizes as well as gift cards, Holmes says.
