September 13, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
During a ceremony at a senior-citizen center in Philadelphia in August, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro ceremonially signed legislation which expands the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program to nearly 175,000 more Pennsylvania seniors and doubles rebates for many of the 400,000 Pennsylvanians who already qualify. (Submitted photo courtesy office of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro)
Older Pennsylvanians will soon see some financial relief with their property taxes and rent.
Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed House Bill 1100 into law, expanding the state’s existing property tax and rent rebate program.
Bill Johnston-Walsh, state director for AARP Pennsylvania, said the expansion of the program will significantly boost property tax rebates for older adults, alleviating the financial burden for homeowners and renters. He said the yearly maximum standard will increase from $650 to $1,000 for individuals.
It is the first expansion of the program in nearly 20 years, Johnston-Walsh said. “Both property taxes across the state, and rents, have been increasing year after year. And that’s why AARP Pennsylvania fought so hard to expand the property tax rebate program.”
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September 13, 2023 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
From left, Nyjair Wilkerson hones his skills as Squidward Q. Tentacles, with Michael Stanley and Dylan Stramaski, who play dual roles in the show. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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“The SpongeBob Musical”
Where: McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St., www.mckeesportlittletheater.com
When: Sept. 15-17 and Sept. 22-24. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m
Admission: $20 for adults, $12 for students. Tickets available through the MLT website or by calling the theater at (412) 673-1100
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The show that director Will Dixon calls “the hardest show I’ve ever done” is about a sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.
“The SpongeBob Musical” opens Friday at McKeesport Little Theater and runs for two weekends. Rehearsals started in June. Dixon said the musical’s intense choreography, music and dancing makes it an ambitious show for a small community theater.
The beloved children’s cartoon show — which held plenty of humor for parents as well — was adapted to a musical for all ages that opened on Broadway in 2017. That’s when Dixon and a few others who eventually became part of the MLT cast decided to take a road trip and headed to New York City to see it.
“I had not slept for 36 hours,” he said. “Still, I was on the edge of my seat. After that, I knew I wanted to direct it.”
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September 13, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
Penn State’s “McKeesport Center” — predecessor of today’s Greater Allegheny Campus — opened in 1948. The campus will host a community party this Saturday. (Photo courtesy Penn State Greater Allegheny)
Penn State University will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its McKeesport campus with a community party this Saturday on the lawn of the student union.
Spokeswoman Victoria Garwood said the “Blue & White Watch Party” will begin at 12 noon outside of the Student Community Center and will include both a free play area for families and a special ticketed event for guests 21 and over.
Visitors will be able to see the Penn State Nittany Lions football team take on the University of Illinois on either indoor or outdoor big-screen TVs, Garwood said.
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September 13, 2023 |
By Kristen Keleschenyi | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
Brennen Runt, Aiden Geary, Landon Kieler and Zachary Meredith belt out the ’60s juke box hits during practice for East Allegheny High School’s new band show. (Kristen Keleschenyi photo for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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East Allegheny Marching Band home show competition
Also featuring Serra, Penn Trafford and Woodland Hills high school bands
Where: Churchman Stadium, East Allegheny High School, 1150 Jacks Run Road, North Versailles Twp.
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 16
Admission: $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors
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The East Allegheny Marching Band is taking audiences back in time this year with its 2023 field show featuring the music of “Jersey Boys.”
The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2005 and ran for 12 years, is inspired by the 1960s rock group The Four Seasons.
Senior band member and co-drum major Daniel Cipcic says the show is certainly something to see. “They may be older songs, but you’ll still know them,” he says. “They’re very recognizable and we put on a good show.”
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September 09, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Damage to the east wing of McKeesport Towers may affect 26 to 30 units, MHA says. (Tube City Almanac photo)
• Related story: Officials praise response, evacuation efforts at high-rise
Residents of McKeesport Towers should begin to know by Sunday afternoon when they can return to their apartments.
On Friday, 180 people were forced to evacuate after fire broke out in a seventh-floor apartment on the Coursin Street side of the 12-story high-rise complex. Although the fire was extinguished in less than 30 minutes, damage to that portion of the building was extensive, said Diane Raible, deputy director of the McKeesport Housing Authority.
“I’ve seen a lot of fires and I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude,” she said.
Raible spent all night at the scene along with other MHA employees. She said her thoughts — and theirs — were with two residents who remained hospitalized in critical condition on Saturday. “Property is nothing compared to life,” Raible said.
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September 09, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
• Related Story: Residents should learn soon when they can return to their homes
Four people were injured during a fire at a McKeesport high-rise that involved the rescue and evacuation of nearly 200 elderly residents on Friday afternoon.
At least two people remained hospitalized, reportedly in critical condition, on Saturday.
The blaze broke out in a seventh-floor apartment on the Coursin Street side of the McKeesport Towers, a 12-story apartment building owned and operated by McKeesport Housing Authority.
McKeesport Deputy Fire Chief Gene Esken said the resident of the unit where the fire was first reported was home at the time of the fire and was in a wheelchair. The resident, whose name is not being released, was able to escape into the hallway and was evacuated by fire crews, Esken said.
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September 08, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY AND DETAILS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
The Allegheny County fire marshal's office and multiple fire departments were on the scene of a blaze at the McKeesport Towers high-rise on Friday afternoon that forced the evacuation of its senior-citizen residents.
The fire was reported just after 2:30 p.m. and quickly raised to three alarms, emergency personnel said. Flames could be seen pouring from the windows of a seventh-floor unit, and smoke was visible throughout the city.
The 192-unit building is a senior-citizen apartment building along Sixth Avenue at Huey Street and is owned and operated by McKeesport Housing Authority.
Emergency personnel were evacuating the building and several ambulances were on the scene. There were unconfirmed reports that three people were injured.
Due to the number of ambulances required to evacuate residents, a mass-casualty incident was declared, emergency personnel said. Rescue crews from as far away as Robinson Twp. and McCandless were sent to the scene. Motorists and onlookers were being asked to avoid the area.
Residents were temporarily taken to an emergency shelter at the McKees Point Palisades. Preliminary reports indicated that the fire may have begun in a mattress.
In addition to McKeesport fire department, crews from Allegheny County Airport, Dravosburg, Glassport, Homestead, Liberty Borough, Munhall No. 1, Port Vue, Swissvale No. 1, Homeville, Duquesne Annex, West Mifflin No. 3, White Oak No. 1, Rainbow and Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory were on the scene Friday afternoon.
September 07, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
File photo: “Day 100 in Kindergarten” by Meriwether Lewis Elementary School, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.
The Keystone State has some work to do to provide more access to quality pre-Kindergarten programs for the youngest Pennsylvanians.
Only 43 percent of eligible 3- and-4-year-olds are in high-quality, publicly funded pre-K, leaving more than 87,000 without access, according to a new report entitled, “State of Early Care and Education in Pennsylvania.”
Maggie Livelsberger, policy director for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said young children need access to programs preparing them to start Kindergarten. But she said inadequate funding for child care has led to issues of supply and demand, affecting a family's ability to find care they can afford.
“It also impacts child care providers, and their ability to be compensated fairly, to pay their teachers and maintain their business expenses,” Livelsberger said. “We are living in a world where there is a very historic workforce shortage within the child care system, and a lot of that is due to unlivable wages.”
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September 07, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A man wanted in connection with the killing of a well-known Pittsburgh business owner following a football game in Clairton was arrested in McKeesport following a brief standoff.
Allegheny County police said Edwin Gregory Wylie-Biggs, 42, of Clairton was hiding inside a residence on Strawberry Alley, Downtown, and refused to surrender to officers who had a warrant for his arrest.
The Allegheny County police special weapons and tactics team was called to the scene and Wylie-Biggs surrendered without further incident, police said.
Wylie-Biggs is the suspect in the Aug. 25 shooting of Victor G. Musgrove Sr., 51, of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood. Police said Musgrove attended a football game between Clairton High School and Westinghouse High School, and afterward, visited the Village Inn tavern on Miller Avenue in Clairton.
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September 07, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A city man is charged with homicide in connection with a fatal shooting Wednesday night at a home on Flagler Street. Robbery appears to have been the motive, detectives said.
The victim, Reginald A. Hall, 48, was shot in the torso and left leg just after 10 p.m. and died a short time later in the emergency room at UPMC McKeesport hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Jeffrey W. Robinson, 53, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bond pending a preliminary hearing at 8 a.m. Sept. 22 before Magisterial District Judge Kim Berkeley Clark.
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