December 27, 2022 |
By Elizabeth Laughlin | Posted in: White Oak News
Santa visited White Oak neighborhoods on the night before Christmas, courtesy of the borough’s two volunteer fire departments. Although many Mon-Yough communities give Santa a lift during December, White Oak officials think the community is one of only a few that holds the event on the night of Dec. 24. (Submitted photo)
On Christmas Eve, two local volunteer fire departments — Rainbow Volunteer Fire Company and White Oak Volunteer Fire Company #1 — celebrated the holidays by visiting neighborhoods in White Oak. Riding the back of fire trucks, Santa Claus waved and handed out candy canes.
Brandon Schmidt is the fire chief of Rainbow Volunteer Fire Co., located on Jacks Run Road, and has been an official member for 20 years. Most of his family, including his parents and brother, have also been affiliated with the organization. Currently, there are 42 active members of the company.
Schmidt expressed his excitement over the Christmas Eve tradition. Although many fire departments in Western Pennsylvania give Santa a ride through the community each holiday season, Schmidt said the White Oak departments are one of the few that do it on the night before Christmas, “to the best of my knowledge.”
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December 21, 2022 |
By Dianne Ribecca | Posted in: Announcements, North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. has announced winners of the holiday light contest for 2022.
Township Commissioner Tracy Yusko said this year’s winners are:
• Thomas residence at 785 Angeline Dr. won Best Children’s Theme.
• Procacina residence at 206 Taylor St. won the Traditionally Elegant category.
• Clark Griswold award went to the Nichol residence at 302 Lincoln Ave.
Each of those homes won a $50 gift card for Home Depot.
The Connelly residence at 515 Cedarhurst Dr. won the Best Overall category and was awarded a $100 gift card for Home Depot.
December 19, 2022 |
By Dianne Ribecca | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
There will be no local property tax increase for North Versailles Twp. residents in 2023 — but sewerage rates will be increasing slightly.
Commissioners this month approved next year’s $8 million spending plan with a property tax rate of 7.25 mills and a fire-tax of 0.50 mills. The fire tax helps fund buildings, vehicles, equipment and operations of the township’s volunteer fire companies and also helps pay for the training of fire personnel.
The 2023 budget is slightly less — about 1 percent — than the 2022 budget. (PDF download)
The commissioners also approved an increased budget of $4.68 million for the North Versailles Twp. Sanitary Authority. Sewerage rates will increase by $1.50 per 1,000 gallons of water used.
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December 19, 2022 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne’s 2023 budget is expected to hold the line on real-estate and earned-income taxes.
City council will vote on the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting.
The preliminary spending plan, developed by interim city Manager George Newsome and Councilman Derek Artim, was posted on the city’s website Dec. 7.
Duquesne officials say there will be no increase in the real estate or earned income tax in 2023. The municipal real estate tax rate is a blended $21.33 per $1,000 and the earned income tax rate is 1.65 percent for residents and 1.30 percent for non-residents.
Also unchanged is the 1-mill of current real estate tax dedicated to the fire department expenditures. This amount does not include the approximate $20,000 from the Firemen’s Relief fund.
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December 15, 2022 |
By Elizabeth Laughlin | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Submitted photo courtesy McKeesport Model Railroad Club)
The McKeesport Model Railroad Club will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday for its final holiday train show of 2022.
The organization, which formed in the 1950s, first met in a McKeesport freight train station before moving to their current location on Walnut Street. Every Christmas season, they open their doors to the community to observe their model-railroad layout.
“We just want people to enjoy it,” Vice President Steve Raith said. “We have families that come back every year as a tradition.”
Raith became involved with the club after his young son expressed interest. After attending a few meetings, Raith decided to volunteer and eventually became one of the board members.
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December 14, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
McKeesport Area High School is offering counseling and support to students following a shooting outside of a convenience store that killed one 16-year-old and sent another teen-ager to the hospital.
The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said Chance Naylor, 16, died Tuesday afternoon in the emergency room of UPMC McKeesport hospital following the incident on Versailles Avenue.
Naylor’s death has been ruled a homicide.
The other victim is reportedly in critical condition at a hospital.
Allegheny County police said the shooting happened at around 3:30 p.m. near the corner of Versailles and Grandview avenues. The shooter has not been publicly identified by police.
The school district announced that both the high school and East End Academy would have virtual classes Wednesday. Both of the victims were students at the high school, the district said.
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December 09, 2022 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne’s city hall stood in for the Fayette County Courthouse this month when “American Rust” filmed some scenes there. The web-based TV series is expected to return in early 2023. (Thomas Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
Parts of Duquesne were transformed into the fictional Fayette County community of Buell this month when the cast and crew of “American Rust” came to town.
Crews filmed exterior scenes in front of City Hall on Second Street, and even employed some Duquesne police officers for overtime, said Interim City Manager George Newsome.
Based on a novel by Phillip Meyer, “American Rust” is a gritty police drama with Jeff Daniels playing sheriff Del Harris and Maura Tierney as his love interest.
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December 09, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
More than a dozen people had to be assisted by the American Red Cross after fire swept through an apartment building on Hartman Street on Wednesday afternoon.
One person jumped from a third-floor window and two tenants were rescued by firefighters using ladders, emergency officials said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office.
The fire at 916 Hartman St. was reported at 1:03 p.m., emergency personnel said, and quickly escalated to three alarms. The building is a four-story brick structure with 16 units, according to county real-estate records, and is owned by a McKeesport resident.
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December 09, 2022 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
After three years of a sometimes-frustrating relationship with its contracted garbage collection company, McKeesport is changing vendors and preparing to go to court.
At Wednesday’s meeting, city council by 7-0 vote approved a three-year contract with Big’s Sanitation of Rostraver Twp., Westmoreland County, to collect trash and recyclables. Big’s was the city’s garbage hauler from 2015 until 2019, when the contract was awarded to County Hauling, also of Rostraver.
The city is considering legal action against County Hauling over its poor performance, Mayor Michael Cherepko said Wednesday night.
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December 07, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections, State & Region
Summer Lee and Austin Davis, shown here at their Mon Valley Youth Expo in 2019, have resigned their respective state legislative seats. Lee has been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, while Davis is slated to become Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor. (Submitted photo courtesy Pennsylvania House of Representatives)
Mon-Yough area voters will be asked to choose replacements for two state legislators who have been elected to higher offices.
State Rep. Austin Davis of McKeesport and State Rep. Summer Lee of Swissvale, both Democrats, submitted their resignations on Wednesday. Davis has been elected lieutenant governor, replacing John Fetterman of Braddock, while Lee has been elected to the congressional seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, who is retiring.
On Wednesday, state House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia announced that a special election will be held Feb. 7 to replace Davis, Lee and state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, who died in October.
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