August 30, 2023 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: White Oak News
Zach Werner of McKeesport proudly stands next to one of three The Little Free Growers Exchange stands he built for community residents to share plants and seeds. (Vickie Babyak photos for Tube City Almanac)
Zach Werner of McKeesport was ready for a challenge when White Oak Councilwoman Julie Opferman contacted leaders of Boy Scout Troop 1640 and made a request for the troop to be more involved with the community.
Troop 1640 is attached to Saint Angela Merici Church in White Oak. Werner was getting ready to try to reach Eagle Scout — something only 6 percent of all Boy Scouts achieve — and he began to brainstorm ideas to help the borough.
“Zach joined the Cub Scouts when he was 5 years old and transitioned into Boy Scouts when he was 11,” his mother Danielle Werner said. “He’s been a member ever since.”
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August 30, 2023 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
With only one day remaining until teachers’ contracts expire on Aug. 31, there’s uncertainty — but optimism — at McKeesport Area School District.
Gerald McGrew Jr., head of the teachers’ union, said negotiations are “moving forward” but didn’t offer a date when parents, students and district members could expect the potential labor crisis to resolve.
“I don't personally see it dragging on too long. But I can’t answer for any factual ending,” he said.
The school board and members of the McKeesport Area Education Association have been negotiating a new contract since January. McGrew said the early stages of the process began “very professionally,” and with positive input from both sides.
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August 30, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News
A Turtle Creek woman faces formal arraignment in Allegheny County Court after being accused of threatening the life of a district magistrate in Duquesne.
Rose Ann Kardell, 58, remains in the Allegheny County Jail pending the Sept. 29 hearing.
Kardell was charged July 20 by the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office with threatening harm against a public official, stalking, disorderly conduct and harassment after Magisterial District Judge Scott Schricker in Duquesne began receiving threatening text messages on his personal cell phone.
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August 17, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A medallion of William Shakespeare that once decorated the front of White’s Opera House in McKeesport is now displayed on the lawn of McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Staff at the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center thought it was a fraud, or an accident, when they were notified of a $10,000 donation that had been received through the organization’s website.
“It came through on PayPal,” said Meagan Donnelly, community outreach coordinator for the museum and historical society in Renziehausen Park. “We thought it was a scam at first, then we were worried that maybe someone meant to send us $10 or $100 and typed in too many zeroes.”
A quick call to Terry Merlin of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a former White Oak resident and McKeesport Area High School graduate, confirmed the donation was very real and made intentionally.
“Our average donation is more like $5 to $20,” Donnelly said. “For a program or a big event like our golf outing, we may occassionally get a hundred dollars. This was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least.”
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August 17, 2023 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Chris Starry from McKeesport and Norma Kwiecinski from Irwin with her grandson, 5-year-old Liam. Starry and Kwiecinski have been friends for a long time and both have attended International Village for years. Kwiecinski said, “I’m introducing my grandson to International Village for the first time.” “I really like the halushki from the Croatian booth,” said Liam. (Vickie Babyak photos for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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McKeesport’s 63rd International Village
Where: Stephen Barry Field, Renziehausen Park (Eden Park Boulevard)
When: 3 to 9 p.m. today (Aug. 17)
Admission: $2 for adults
Website: www.internationalvillage.info
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Families of all generations have been enjoying one of the area’s biggest events since 1960 and have honored their roots while learning about other cultures.
The City of McKeesport is wrapping up its 63rd annual International Village at Stephen Barry Field in Renziehausen Park today. The ethnic heritage celebration ran from Tuesday through Thursday. Food, live entertainment and polka music are a huge attraction for many people of all backgrounds.
Live coverage will be available beginning at 5 p.m. on YouTube via Tube City Community Media Inc.
When International Village began, it was held as part of a larger event called “Old Home Week” on Market Street, Downtown. Many of the traditions started at the first “village” has carried over to the modern day International Village.
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August 16, 2023 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Residents in Duquesne and the surrounding area are without another grocery store, as the Shop ’n Save in the Village Shopping Center suddenly closed for the last time on Friday.
The store along Homeville Road in West Mifflin, which had changed ownership about a year ago, had a small, dedicated group of employees who opened the market at 7:30 a.m. and served nearby residents, including those who live in the neighboring senior-citizen high-rise.
A few years ago, a Save-A-Lot store located in Duquesne Plaza — the last supermarket in the city limits — closed its doors. Many residents started shopping at the Village Shopping Center Shop ’n Save instead.
Efforts to find a new supermarket for Duquesne have been unsuccessful.
As a result, Duquesne is one of the communities classified as a so-called “food desert,” because although there are convenience stores and dollar stores, none of them provide fresh perishable fruits or vegetables.
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August 16, 2023 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, West Newton News
The West Newton First Church of God, 157 North Second St., will hold a Peach Festival fundraiser from 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 31 at the Lions Club Field House on Pittsburgh Street, a spokesperson said. The fundraiser will feature homemade sandwiches, salads, peach desserts and drinks.
August 16, 2023 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Drum major Tina Wos conducts one of the movements from “All Up in the Air,” brass players sound off during band camp. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photos for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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McKeesport Tiger Band Preview Show
Where: McKeesport Area High School Stadium, 1960 Eden Park Blvd.
When: 6:30 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 17)
Tickets: Admission is free
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There’s lots of excitement — not just in the air, but “All Up in the Air” — from staff and students involved in producing and performing McKeesport Area High School Tiger Marching Band’s 2023 show.
In addition to performing at football games and competitions, the group already was hard at work perfecting skills during band camp on Aug. 4 for an additional event this year.
That is the Bands of America competition on Oct. 7 in Toledo, Ohio, band director Drew DeCarlo confirmed.
“Bands of America is a really big deal,” DeCarlo said. “We will be competing with the top bands in the country. Bands of America boasts that it is life-changing experiences for students,” he said. “It is a memory from their high school years that they will never forget and will carry with them through their lifetime.”
Planning for the 2023 show began in early January as a staff effort, DeCarlo said.
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August 16, 2023 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, White Oak News
The West Newton Public Library will hold its final book sale for the year in the parking lot at 124 North Water St. on Aug. 26, a spokesperson said. Hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors may “fill two bags” with used books or other items for $5.
The library recently received a large donation from a book collector who was downsizing, and those items include non-fiction books on sports, history, and rock collecting. All are in good condition.
Other items on sale will include adult fiction, biographies, paperbacks, children’s books and puzzle books. For more information, call (724) 633-0798.
August 14, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1873 and forms the nucleus of what is now called the Mon Valley Works. (Mark Dixon photo via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons)
The jobs of more than 3,000 Mon Valley steelworkers are among those that hang in the balance after competing bidders emerged with offers to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel Corp.
On Sunday evening, the publicly traded company announced that it had retained investment bankers from Barclays Capital Inc. and Goldman Sachs & Co. to evaluate “strategic alternatives” to “maximize stockholder value” that could include selling all or part of the corporation.
U.S. Steel operates the Pittsburgh area’s last integrated steelmaking facility, the Mon Valley Works, which includes a coal by-products plant in Clairton; a blast-furnace and continuous casting facility, Edgar Thomson Plant, in Braddock and North Braddock; and a rolling mill, Irvin Plant, in West Mifflin.
U.S. Steel confirmed over the weekend that a rival company, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., a steel-making and iron-ore mining conglomerate in Ohio, had made an unsolicited $7.3 billion offer to purchase the corporation.
The Cleveland-Cliffs offer has the support of the United Steelworkers union, according to a letter the company released on its website.
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