September 30, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Tony Wills looks on as the Rev. J. Matthew Elanjileth prepares to celebrate his 104th birthday during a luncheon at Di’s Kornerstone Restaurant in Versailles. (Tube City Almanac photo)
When he was born in 1921 in Kerala on the southern tip of India, he was a British subject — the country had not yet regained its independence from the United Kingdom.
When he was ordained by the Right Rev. Bernard Regno in Sri Lanka in 1945, that nation was still known as Ceylon and the Japanese had not yet surrendered in World War II.
When he arrived in McKeesport in 1981, U.S. Steel’s National Works still occupied most of the city’s riverfront.
On Monday, friends of the Rev. J. Matthew Elanjileth gathered at a Versailles restaurant to celebrate the 104th birthday of “Father Matt,” retired pastor of St. Mary’s Romanian Rite Catholic Church in Christy Park.
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September 29, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: White Oak News
Ariel Jenkins turned her love of party-planning into a full-time career. Her new store, Party Rockers Pittsburgh, recently celebrated a grand opening on Route 48 in White Oak. (Submitted photo)
When Ariel Jenkins became a mom at 19, she didn’t have a lot of help. So when special occasions like birthday parties came around, she ended up planning the events by herself.
Turning to the Pinterest social media app for inspiration, Jenkins began constructing balloon arches that soon caught everyone’s attention.
“People were always asking—‘who did that?’” she said. “And the answer was always me. Soon I was creating things for other people for free, but then I realized I could start charging for this kind of service. It helped pay for college and childcare while I was working retail.”
Fast-forward several years. With hard-earned experience behind her, Jenkins now has her own business — Party Rockers Pittsburgh — with a brand-new storefront on Jacks Run Road in White Oak. The store opened last month.
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September 29, 2025 |
By Leslie Savisky | Posted in: Announcements
Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is looking for community members to join in a habitat reclamation project from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 4 and 11 in Versailles, a spokesperson said.
The space is in the process of being transformed into a public park, and volunteers can help make a lasting impact on wildlife and the community.
Meeting location is at the parking lot across from the intersection of Center and Railroad Streets.
Activities will include removing invasive plant species, planting native trees and shrubs and creating a welcoming butterfly and bird-friendly garden near the entrance. All material will be provided but volunteers may choose to bring their own gloves.
Register at www.aswp.org under programs, and click on "Chimney Swift Habitat Planting."
For questions, call Audubon at (412) 963-6100.
September 29, 2025 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
EA’s newly designed Wildcat logo is displayed on a video monitor. The official logo will begin replacing “ad hoc” mascots that previously were used around the district. (T.J. Martin photo for Tube City Almanac)
There’s a new “cat” at the East Allegheny School District, but it’s not an incoming freshman or a transfer student.
This summer, the school board of the district, which serves students living in East McKeesport, North Versailles, Wall and Wilmerding, was presented with its new logo designed by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.
AIU is a regional public education agency which provides services to Allegheny County’s suburban school districts as well as non-public, charter and vocational-technical schools. It also serves as a liaison between schools and the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is one of 29 intermediate units throughout the state.
Dan Rinkus of the marketing & strategic communication department of the AIU, offered the school board the services of the AIU in October 2024, advising them then that a design would take several months and go through several revisions.
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September 24, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(File photo courtesy state Sen. Nick Pisciottano)
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano will welcome constituents and community leaders to the official grand opening celebration for his district office on Lysle Boulevard during a drop-in open house event.
Hours are 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday (Sept. 25), a spokesperson said. The office is located on the ground floor of the McKeesport Public Safety Building, 201 Lysle Blvd.
A former state representative, Pisciotanno, a West Mifflin Democrat, was elected to the 45th Senatorial District seat last year, following the retirement of longtime state Sen. Jim Brewster of McKeesport.
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September 24, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(Almanac file photo)
City, state and federal officials will hold a public hearing Wednesday (Oct. 1) to discuss the upcoming replacement of the Versailles Avenue Bridge.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in city council chambers, Public Safety Building, 201 Lysle Blvd.
Officials from the state Department of Transportation and the federal Highway Administration are scheduled to attend.
The bridge closed in February 2022 after an inspection concluded the nearly 300-foot-long span across Ravine Street was no longer safe. According to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, which studies regional transportation needs, the estimated cost of replacing the bridge is $14.2 million.
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September 23, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
National Alliance on Mental Illness McKeesport Support Group will meet from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 at Penn State Greater Allegheny in Frable Building, Room 122, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness. The NAMI chapter meets on the first Wednesday of every month.
A “care and share” session will be held at the October meeting. This opportunity offers understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones.
For more information about the McKeesport meeting, call (412) 527-6600. For the NAMI Helpline, call (412) 366-3788 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
September 23, 2025 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
Measles cases in the United States plummeted after vaccines became available in the 1960s. The disease was considered all but eradicated in the U.S. until recently. (Graphic by Julius Senegal via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)
Doctors are worried about a new analysis that showed that Pennsylvania’s childhood vaccination rates have slipped again.
For the second year in a row, kindergarten immunizations fell below the 95 percent target set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Becky Ludwick, vice president of public policy for Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said state data show a steady decline over the past seven years, even before COVID-19. The report highlighted a decline in vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, otherwise known as MMR vaccines.
“In the most recent school year available, we saw that there were almost 8,000 kindergartners who weren’t up-to-date on their MMR vaccine,” Ludwick said. “That has doubled since the 2017-2018 school year.”
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September 22, 2025 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Musicians and color guard gathered in show attire before their first competition. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School)
For its 2025 competition show, the Serra Catholic High School Marching Band is looking to the Far Fast and into the past, with music and costuming inspired by Japanese culture and the world of the samurai.
“Bushido: The Way of the Warrior” tells a story of a girl who wants to become a samurai, band director Jesse Bush said. The band performed it for the first time in competition at Penn-Trafford on Sept. 6, and again Sept. 13 at East Allegheny, where Serra placed first of three schools in Group 1-A.
The band is next scheduled to compete Oct. 4 at Jeannette and Oct. 11 at McKeesport.
“The 2025 band camp was absolutely successful,” Bush said, noting it was during some of the hottest days of the summer. “We’re off to a nice start. I’m excited to see and hear where this show goes.
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September 18, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was corrected after publication.
The sixth-annual* “Taste of Serbia” festival will be held 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 3 and 12 noon to 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, 901 Hartman St., a spokeswoman said.
Rain or shine, patrons may dine inside the church hall or outside under the courtyard tent, she said. Take-out orders are available. No pre-orders. Spirits and soft drinks will be sold at the kafana bar outside.
Orkestar Pobeda will entertain from 3 to 7 p.m. Oct. 4. The multi-talented musicians from the greater Pittsburgh area perform a variety of ethnic music for listening and dancing.
Favorite menu items include the famous award-winning hand-breaded haddock filet sandwich, available Oct. 3 only, and the boneless slow-roasted sliced lamb sandwich, available both days.
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