July 18, 2023 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Commentary-Editorial
A United Parcel Service truck makes a delivery in New York City in 2014. (File photo by Chris Sampson via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 2.0)
State Reps. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin and Elizabeth Fiedler of Philadelphia write:
Pennsylvania’s history is the history of organized labor. Our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, and generations beyond literally risked their lives to stand up against the robber barons and their corrupt allies in government that put the rich above the people.
They shed their blood in dangerous mines and factories. They died in preventable accidents caused by greed and indifference toward the plight of working people. They led the fight for the things we take for granted today: 40-hour workweeks, paid holidays, health insurance, a chance to retire, and so much more.
The Mine Workers, the Steelworkers, the Autoworkers, the International Ladies Garment Workers — those organizations turned America’s economy into the most powerful economy in the world and did it by creating the strongest middle class on the planet, full of workers paid fairly with enough money and enough time to spend their dollars in the community.
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July 18, 2023 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
One man was hospitalized following a shooting early Monday morning in Wilmerding.
Allegheny County police said the incident happened just after 5 a.m. in the 600 block of Airbrake Avenue. The victim’s name was not released. Homicide detectives said police and paramedics found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.
No further details were released. Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call the county police tip line at 1 (833) ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
July 17, 2023 |
By Dianne Ribecca | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
The principal of Logan Elementary School has been named acting superintendent of the East Allegheny School District.
At a special board meeting on June 26, Joseph Dilucente was hired to fill the role for one year, starting July 1.
The appointment was necessary after the school board voted in February not to renew former Superintendent Alan Johnson’s contract, which expired June 30.
Although Johnson was not present at the special board meeting, Toni Valicenti, board secretary and director of fiscal affairs, thanked him for his efforts to lead the district during the COVID pandemic.
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July 17, 2023 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Food vouchers redeemable at local farmer’s markets will be distributed to local senior citizens beginning on July 25, the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging has announced.
The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program helps eligible older adults supplement their diets with locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables by providing a set of four vouchers for a total of $50.
Vouchers will be distributed by the AAA senior center network on a first-come, first-served basis, a spokesman said. The vouchers may be used through Nov. 30 to purchase Pennsylvania grown produce from participating vendors at farmers’ markets throughout Allegheny County.
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July 17, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
Artist Duane Michals, a McKeesport native, clowns with Meagan Donnelly, community outreach coordinator and research specialist at McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center during an event Friday night. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Pittsburgh’s most famous 20th century artist wasn’t known for being articulate, one of his contemporaries told a crowd of McKeesporters on Friday night.
Talking to Andy Warhol — who was notoriously shy and tongue-tied — was “like talking to a phone off the hook,” Duane Michals said, imitating Warhol: “Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.”
Michals, 91, a McKeesport native whose photography has appeared in galleries around the world and in magazines such as Life, Time, Mirabella and Vogue, returned to his hometown to lead a three-day photography and filmmaking safari in McKeesport, Rankin and Pittsburgh.
On Friday, more than 150 people were regaled with stories of Michals’ interactions with the rich and famous — his opinion of former President Donald Trump, who he photographed for a magazine feature story, is best described as “not family friendly” — and not-so-famous, like Arnold Varga, an illustrator for McKeesport’s Cox’s Department Store whose work went onto win national awards.
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July 13, 2023 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
A new study sheds light on the urgent need for policies to reduce emissions from U.S. oil and gas production, showing the public health effects are costing billions of dollars.
The research estimated in 2016, in the U.S. alone, oil and gas-related pollution caused $77 billion in health damages, contributing to 7,500 early deaths and more than 400,000 asthma exacerbations.
Dr. Barbara W. Brandom, a retired professor of pediatric anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania, said she saw firsthand the impact of poor air quality on children's health because asthmatic kids had complications with anesthesia.
“Basically, we need to stop burning fossil fuels,” she said.
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July 11, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport police Chief Adam Alfer, left, and Mayor Michael Cherepko, at right, pose with newly hired police officers Dylan Culbertson, Rich Dell, Ca’leb Brevard and Dylan Vaniel. (Tube City Almanac photo)
Although many police departments nationwide have reported a shortage of applicants, McKeesport’s police chief said that targeted recruiting has paid off for his agency.
At this month’s meeting, city council approved hiring four additional full-time officers, bringing the department to 44 full-timers and two part-timers. In addition, council approved the promotion of Detective Dan Goughnour to lieutenant. Goughnour heads the department’s juvenile squad, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said.
Police Chief Adam Alfer said that recruiters from McKeesport have worked with the Allegheny County and Indiana University of Pennsylvania police academies to identify candidates.
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July 07, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Workers at a Downtown supermarket were sanitizing shelves and throwing out merchandise Friday morning following a “Consumer Alert” from the Allegheny County Health Department.
Jeff Ross, owner of the Shop ’n Save on Fifth Avenue at Coursin Street, said the store has been battling mice ever since several buildings were torn down next to the supermarket.
“Please tell our customers we appreciate their business and we’re here in McKeesport to stay,” he said Friday. “Obviously, we want to correct the problem quickly, but it will be a little bit of a process. We hope they will work with us.”
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July 05, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Duane Michals, 91, shown here in a 2002 self-portrait taken in the ruins of his childhood home in McKeesport, will return to the city this month to mentor a group of aspiring local photographers. (Duane Michals photo © 2002)
Internationally known photographer and McKeesport native Duane Michals will return to his hometown this month to lead a three-day workshop for both aspiring and experienced local artists.
Michals, 91, a self-taught photojournalist whose works hang in galleries and museums around the world, will join with local artist and educator Richard Kelly on July 14, 15 and 16 to teach “Picture This: A Photo Experience” on location at several Mon Valley sites, including the former McKeesport Daily News Building and Carrie Furnaces in Rankin.
Although the three-day event is sold-out, the public also is invited to meet Michals, Kelly and other participants at 6:30 p.m. July 14 at the McKeesport Regional History & Heritage Center in Renziehausen Park.
Kelly, an adjunct instructor at Point Park University who previously taught at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, says he’s hoping the Michals visit sparks more creative interest in McKeesport and the surrounding area.
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July 05, 2023 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, North Versailles Twp. News
A 1-year-old girl died Tuesday afternoon after being struck by a car in a parking lot in North Versailles Twp.
Arionna Porter was pronounced dead at the scene of blunt-force traumatic injuries, the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said Wednesday. Allegheny County police are investigating.
In a prepared statement, homicide detectives said the accident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. at the Eastland Apartments on East Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard.
The driver of the vehicle, whose name has not been released by police, remained on scene, detectives said. An investigation has been initiated. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
