October 08, 2024 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Photo courtesy Auberle, via Facebook)
Two private performances by Scott Blasey sold for $6,000 each during the live auction at Auberle’s 20th Annual Voices Carry event.
Initially, the offer was for just one performance, and the bidding began below $1,000, but Blasey agreed to a second performance for the second bidder in the spur of the moment.
The event brought in 324 attendees, all of whom witnessed performances of 1960s classics by Ashley Marina, Kelsey Friday, Jeff Schmutz, Blazey and a dozen others.
The Western Pennsylvania-based human resources agency raised over $271,000 in unrestricted funds at this event, surpassing last year’s event by just under $50,000.
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October 04, 2024 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
(File photo)
Duquesne needs additional people to serve on a committee to study a home-rule charter and city officials are urging interested residents to run as write-ins in the November election.
Mayor R. Scott Adams said four residents are running to serve on the commission in the Nov. 5 election but additional people will be needed to fill the remaining three seats on the seven-member board.
The committee would serve for a year and would recommend whether or not the city should scrap its current form of government for a new, more flexible home-rule charter.
Currently, the city is governed by the state’s third-class city code, which can only be altered by the state legislature. A home-rule charter can be changed and amended by residents and city council.
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October 03, 2024 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
Visitors pause at the historic pump house in Munhall before the 2023 Tour de Mon. (Photo courtesy Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce)
Bicyclists will take to the trail on Saturday in a fundraiser that also shows off progress and development in the Mon-Yough region.
The 13th annual Tour de Mon, sponsored by the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce, departs from the historic pumphouse on the Waterfront in Munhall at 8 a.m., and heads out on the Great Allegheny Passage through West Mifflin, Duquesne, McKeesport, Port Vue, Liberty, Lincoln and Elizabeth Twp.
“A race is a race — this is a ride,” says Robert Johnson of the chamber’s board of directors. “It's a majestic ride. And seeing everything that's going on in the valley gives people a positive view of the river and the communities that have developed along the river.”
Registration is $30 for adults, $20 for 18 and under, and $60 for families.
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October 02, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Officials have confirmed that the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is investigating “irregularities” that were uncovered in the evidence room at the McKeesport police station.
On Tuesday, Pittsburgh’s WPXI-TV said that the office of District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. had been asked to investigate whether money had gone missing from the evidence room.
“The circumstances in question pertain to an ongoing investigation and potential personnel matters, which limits my legal ability to comment,” McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said Wednesday in a prepared statement.
Cherepko said Zappala’s office was contacted by McKeesport police Chief Mark Steele following an internal audit of the evidence room.
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October 01, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A Pittsburgh TV station reported Tuesday that investigators from the Allegheny County district attorney’s office are probing whether money has gone missing from the evidence room at the McKeesport police station.
In a report aired at 5 and 6 p.m., WPXI-TV reported that county investigators were notified by city police officials following an internal audit of the evidence room.
WPXI cited unnamed sources with knowledge of the investigation. A message left by Tube City Almanac for the Allegheny County district attorney’s office seeking to confirm or deny the report was not immediately returned.
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October 01, 2024 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
The McKeesport group of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will meet at 6 p.m. tomorrow (Oct. 2) in Room 122 of the Frable Building at Penn State Greater Allegheny, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness. A share-and-care session will be held offering understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones.
Members also will be discussing the upcoming NAMIWalks to be held Sunday (Oct. 6) at Monroeville Community Park West to fuel mental health awareness, raise funds for NAMI’s mission and let people know they are not alone.
For more information about the McKeesport meeting, call (412) 527-6600.
October 01, 2024 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Fawn Walker-Montgomery, chief executive officer and co-founder of Take Action Advocacy Group, shares information about the advocacy and programs that her organization provides. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Take Action Advocacy Group marked a decade of advocacy with a celebration, a panel discussion and a vision for the future.
Founded in 2014 as Take Action Mon Valley, TAAG’s 10th anniversary celebration was held Sept. 22 in the Student Community Center’s Ostermayer Room at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
The group was sparked out of a discussion between then-McKeesport City Council Member Fawn Walker-Montgomery, community member Autumn Perkins, and Walker-Montgomery’s cousin, Mae Herriott Hudson.
Hudson had lost a son to violence, and Perkins noted that in Pittsburgh, community advocates were demanding justice for victims of homicide. We need justice, too, in the Mon Valley, Perkins said.
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October 01, 2024 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
In February, students at Francis McClure Elementary School learned about volcanoes and the culture of Chile with the help of Pittsburgh’s Latino Community Center and teacher Nevenka Kostley. The non-profit LCC is urging the McKeesport Area School District to do more to help the region’s small but growing Spanish-speaking population. (Photo courtesy Latino Community Center via Facebook)
An educator who works with the McKeesport area’s growing number of Spanish-speaking students said that more needs to be done to help them learn and succeed.
Last month, McKeesport Area school board approved the hiring of Kaelynn Hillegass for translation services at a rate of $35 per hour, not to exceed 10 hours per week, to be paid for by Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
Hillegass was already helping McKeesport Area High School students prepare for college or a career, through her work with Human Services Center Mon Valley, she said. The new role ensures that gaps will be “bridged” between the district and families.
Although Hillegass’s help is welcome, Monica Mendez, director of programs for the Latino Community Center, cautioned that the school district is going to need to do more.
“Adding one person, as amazing as she may be, is not going to be enough,” Mendez said. “The kids need super amounts of support in order for them to be able to advance.”
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September 27, 2024 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Elementary school pupils learn to use tablets in class. (Lexie Flickinger photo from www.schooltechnology.org, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0)
A new report finds Pennsylvania schools are falling behind in teachers’ pay and have not kept up with inflation since the 1990s.
The report from the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union, highlights data on the state’s public schools, educator compensation, school district staffing and funding, and student performance.
Chris Lilienthal, assistant director of communications for the PSEA, said the report aims to educate Pennsylvanians on the challenges and opportunities facing public schools, and educators’ salaries are a big one.
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September 26, 2024 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, West Newton News
Community Revitalization of West Newton will sponsor a scarecrow-building and pumpkin-carving event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 12 at Cort Street Park. The event is free but registration is currently open at crown15089@yahoo.com.
At 2 p.m., registrants can participate in a pumpkin-rolling race. Entry fee is $5 per person and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place.
