The companies behind the construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline that crosses through the Mon-Yough area have been convicted of criminal charges related to the project.
On Friday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announcedthat Sunoco Pipeline LP and ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC have pleaded no contest to charges related to contamination of lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater during the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline.
The Mariner East 2 pipeline, which goes through 17 southern Pennsylvania counties, crosses Forward Twp. and passes near communities such as Sutersville, West Newton and Finleyville. It parallels an older gasoline pipeline built in the 1930s.
Homeowners who live in the pipeline’s path and want to have their water tested have until Aug. 19 to file a request.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled this week that so-called “no excuse” mail-in voting in the state is constitutional.
The ruling is seen as a setback to 14 Republican lawmakers who challenged the expansion of absentee ballots in court.
Meg Pierce, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said mail-in ballots are important to ensure elections are accessible to everyone.
“Voting by mail is convenient and secure, and has resulted in an incredible boost in voter turnout in Pennsylvania's recent election,” Pierce said. “About 170,000 (additional) registered voters voted in Pennsylvania elections when they were allowed to vote by mail.”
Until 2019, Pennsylvania voters could only use an absentee ballot under certain conditions, such as illness, disability or being out of town on Election Day. That year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly voted to implement “no excuse” mail-in ballots for anyone who requests them.
Bridge inspection work could cause delays on several area roadways.
A district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said Friday that crews will be inspecting several local bridges, beginning Aug. 8. The work will continue through most of the month, weather-permitting, on the following roadways:
McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge — A traffic shift will occur on the bridge
Northbound Route 837 ramp at the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge — Shoulder restrictions will occur on northbound Route 837 under the bridge
Union Railroad bridge on Route 837 in Clairton between Mulberry Avenue and Mendelssohn Street — Single-lane alternating traffic will occur
Railroad viaduct inspection on the Tri-Boro Expressway in Turtle Creek between Electric Avenue and Ramp B — Single-lane restrictions in the southbound right lane
Crews from HDR and the Sofis Rigging Company will conduct the work, the PennDOT spokesman said. Motorists should be prepared for changing traffic patterns. Please use caution when driving through the area.
City officials hope to have an answer soon whether or not it will be possible to salvage a building that was damaged Tuesday morning by an apparent natural gas explosion.
An Allegheny County spokeswoman said Wednesday that investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blast that caused severe damage to The Common Grounds Building.
Emergency personnel believe the explosion was triggered after two contractors installing a wheelchair ramp at the rear of the building struck a gas line just before 8 a.m.
The contractors, whose names have not been officially released, were hospitalized.
Older Pennsylvanians and those with disabilities who have been approved for state tax or rent rebates will be receiving a one-time bonus payment in the coming weeks, officials have announced.
The Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities 18 or older. The income eligibility limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, and half of Social Security income is excluded.
Approximately $140 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, allocated by the 2022-23 state budget, will be used to fund the supplemental payments, said state Rep. Austin Davis of McKeesport.
(Submitted photo courtesy Jefferson Regional Foundation)
A McKeesport resident and former school director has been named the new chief executive officer of the Jefferson Regional Foundation.
The appointment of Trisha M. Gadson was announced Tuesday by Richard Talarico, chair of the foundation board.
Gadson, who has served as the CEO of the Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center in Pittsburgh since 2010, will replace Mary Phan-Gruber, who is retiring after serving as the Jefferson foundation’s CEO since 2013.
The Jefferson Regional Foundation was created upon the merger of Jefferson Regional Medical Center with Allegheny Health Network and invests in health and wellness projects in the Mon Valley and South Hills.
Duquesne City School District’s “Dukes” are a comeback story in the making.
Once known for their athletic prowess in the mill town’s glory days, the Dukes were forced to leave the playing field in 2012 due to serious financial challenges, which ultimately caused the closure of both DCSD’s middle school and high school.
However, this fall marks their triumphant reappearance. For the first time in 10 years, DCSD will sponsor school athletics in conjunction with the recent return of seventh-graders — which happened in the fall 2021 — and upcoming return of eighth-graders, which is happening this fall.
All in all, Superintendent Sue Mariani sees a bright future ahead for the Dukes and the district as a whole.
“As DCSD works to restore equity in the classroom and provide students the opportunities and access they deserve, they stay diligent in their efforts to restore athletic facilities, to help restore the pride, excitement and community support that comes with rebuilding team sports,” Mariani said.
An explosion ripped through the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue on Tuesday morning, seriously damaging the building, which houses Penn State’s Mon Valley LaunchBox as well as the Ninth Street Clinic and other offices. The Allegheny County fire marshal is investigating. (City of McKeesport official photo via Facebook)
BREAKING: This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
Investigators are combing through the debris at the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue to determine what caused an explosion Tuesday morning that sent two people to the hospital.
Emergency personnel believe that a contractor excavating in a parking lot to build a wheelchair accessible ramp may have struck a gas line, triggering the blast at about 8 a.m.
The building, owned by the city, is home to a small-business incubator run by Penn State Greater Allegheny as well as the Ninth Street Clinic, a free medical clinic for people without health insurance.
The two-story office building, constructed in the 1950s, was heavily damaged in the blast and an engineer has determined it is unsafe for occupancy, said a spokesperson for McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko.
None of the offices were occupied at the time of the blast.
With nine days to go until McKeesport’s International Village, we still need sponsors for our annual video webcast.
If you donate at any level, we'll mention your name on the broadcast.
Deadline for donations is Aug. 8.
Your donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
To receive a written confirmation of your donation for tax purposes, please make sure to include your full name and address.
(Last year, a number of donations didn’t have a name or address, and we could not send thank-yous.)
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Residents in Duquesne may be required to have garbage cans on trash day.
At this month’s council meeting, Councilman Aaron R. Adams said that “animals going through trash” have been a problem and “trash cans would limit that.”
An ordinance would need to be created to lay out fines to residents who don’t properly use the trash cans. Council voted 4-0 on a motion to proceed with the measure.
In other business, City Engineer LaFranz Hemphill discussed that the city has a $44,000 grant that was supposed to earmarked for improvements at the Duquesne Place Playground, but that was before officials discovered that the property was owned by Duquesne City School District.
