We once again are broadcasting this year’s McKeesport International Village from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 12, 13 aqnd 14, and we could use your help.
If your business, group, or organization would like to sponsor the broadcast, sponsorships are $175 for one 30-second announcement per hour, or $300 for two 30-second announcements per hour. Please email your announcement to tubecitytiger@gmail.com.
If you would simply like to make a donation in exchange for being mentioned during the broadcast, please visit our website and click the "Donate" link: http://www.tubecityonline.com/contact/
Deadline for sponsorships is Aug. 5. Tube City Community Media Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and donations may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. This is not tax advice; consult a tax professional for information.
About a month ago, we asked readers for help. Advertising income is down, expenses are way up, and we’re going to need to raise about another $5,000 every year just to keep going.
Well, I’m very humbled to report that readers and listeners came through in a big way!
We received around $900 in PayPal donations in June, which is a major jump from our normal revenue.
Many, many of you also sent donations in the mail, via check, and we’ll be depositing those soon.
The bad news is that we’re going to have to raise money on a regular basis from now on; I hate writing that sentence even more than you hate reading it, but there’s no use beating around the bush about it.
If you would like to donate to support Tube City Community Media Inc., we are a tax-exempt non-profit corporation. You may send a check or money order to Tube City Community Media Inc., P.O. Box 94, McKeesport, PA 15134-0094. Every dollar we raise goes directly to pay our writers for their work, and our expenses, including rent, Internet service and other fees.
In the meanwhile, here is an old-school thank you to everyone who donated via PayPal:
Leonard Ashcroft, McKeesport Chris Bach, White Oak Thomas Callahan, McKeesport Richard Collage, Elizabeth Twp. Daniel Cook, White Oak Pamela Eisele, McKeesport Renee Elwood, Pittsburgh Michaeline Kasa, Latrobe Janet Kulis, Elizabeth Twp. Kelly Laidacker, McKeesport Mara Layman, Elizabeth Twp. August Marconi, North Huntingdon Twp. Doris Martino, North Huntingdon Twp. Suzanne Mesiarik-Golik, Elizabeth Thomas Molanick, Duquesne Virginia Ogurchak, McKeesport James Piergrossi, Fayette City Matt Porter, Stowe — in honor of The Electric Crush Jennifer Sheets, McMurray Glenn Sloane, Prescott Valley, Arizona Janice Starbuck, Winchester, Indiana Michele Stefanides, Wellsboro John Stegman, White Oak Jim Stripsky, McKeesport Gary Thorne, Belleair Bluffs, Florida Mary Tomovcsik, McKeesport Susan Walters, White Oak — in memory of Bill Phillips Debra Wesolowski, Jefferson Hills
McKeesport City Council has approved a contract to demolish another 20 blighted structures.
At this month’s meeting, council awarded a $319,500 bid for demolition/construction to Betters Company Inc. City officials said the list original had 35 buildings, but had to be trimmed down.
The contract includes demolition of houses on Abraham and Atcheson streets, one on Atlantic Avenue, four on Bailie Avenue, and properties on Butler, Craig, Erie, Freeland, Garbett, Huey and Jenny Lind streets; as well as units on Madison Avenue and two on Manor Avenue.
Also included are two on Maple Street, one on Shaw and two on Spring Street, and others on Stewart and Versailles Avenue, as well as Washington and three on Willow Street.
Volunteers with the Mon-Yough Trail Council dedicate a few hours each week to keeping their portion of the Great Allegheny Passage trail clear and open. (Photo courtesy Mon-Yough Trail Council)
After heavy storms and flooding affected much of the Mon Valley earlier this summer, Ken Medved with the Mon-Yough Trail Council was glad to see that its section of the Great Allegheny Passage didn’t have any weather-related damage.
Thankfully, volunteers have been able to focus on their usual summer maintenance — mowing, grooming weeds, and checking for erosion — readying this part of the trail for their busiest season.
Those members who give their time every Wednesday and Saturday are dedicated to keeping the 15-mile stretch of the GAP trail from Port Vue to the Westmoreland County line as accessible and welcoming as possible. This care and passion is evident in the events they host, like the recently held Half Marathon and five-kilometer Run/Walk.
New McKeesport police Chief Josh Alfer shares a laugh with Senior Magisterial District Judge Thomas Brletic, a former police chief. (Thomas Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
Four former McKeesport police chiefs were in attendance Wednesday night when Josh Alfer officially sworn into office as the newest.
Alfer, a city native who has been with the department since 2006, had been serving as acting police chief since former chief Mark Steele retired in January. He had previously served as assistant police chief and as a lieutenant.
The new chief was sworn in by his father-in-law, Senior Magisterial District Judge Thomas S. Brletic. Brletic — himself a former McKeesport police chief — gave Alfer his badge with instructions, “Don’t tarnish it.”
The badge promptly fell to the floor. “I meant ‘don’t bring shame to it’,” Brletic added, to laughter.
Duquesne City Council has amended its landlord-tenant ordinance to clarify several points — including to exempt publicly owned housing.
At this week’s meeting, council clarified the ordinance to “clearly identify who is applicable under the ordinance, including the exemption of County- and Commonwealth-owned properties.”
Mayor R. Scott Adams said that landlords will be charged a rental fee each year. That fee was not immediately announced.
Council also voted to “clearly identify boats as recreational vehicles and to delineate the proper area for storage.” In recent meetings, the council has discussed changing the law as a way to prevent residents from parking boats on the city’s narrow streets.
Duquesne’s mayor commended the city’s volunteer fire department for its efforts to battle a blaze that claimed the life of a resident.
At this week’s council meeting, Duquesne Fire Chief Frank Cobb told city officials that volunteers arrived at the scene of the June 26 house fire within five to six minutes of the initial call, but the home was already completely engulfed by flame.
The blaze destroyed 138 and 136 North Third St., and one unidentified resident was killed in the blaze. Two other homes, at 130 and 140 North Third Street, received slight damage, according to Cobb.
A two-alarm fire caused heavy damage June 15 to Cal’s Cantina on Eden Park Boulevard. (Leslie Savisky photo for Tube City Almanac)
Two weeks after a devastating fire at a popular city restaurant, there is no word yet on whether it will reopen.
Cal’s Cantina on Eden Park Boulevard was damaged by a two-alarm fire in the early morning hours of June 15.
According to McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik, the blaze was called in at 3:21 a.m. and extinguished 44 minutes later, at 4:05 a.m. Fortunately, the building was not occupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
The fire is under investigation by the Allegheny County fire marshal’s office, said Kasey Reigner, public information officer for Allegheny County Department of Emergency Services.
The Trump Administration’s budget — which the president and Republicans have called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — hit a roadblock after the Senate parliamentarian has ruled that a key Medicaid provider tax change violates chamber rules.
The House version would slash federal Medicaid spending by at least $700 billion to help fund tax cuts and other Trump-era priorities.
Molly McCullough, a telemetry float registered nurse in southwestern Pennsylvania, warned the cuts could put seniors at risk and threaten rural hospitals. She said many older adults in this part of the state depend on Medicaid, adding that she hopes the Senate’s action helps protect their care.
National Alliance on Mental Illness McKeesport Support Group will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday (July 2) 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. This opportunity offers understanding and support unique to those who are affected by mental health conditions of loved ones, the spokeswoman added.
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.
Semper Fidelis Club members and officers pose with the scholarship recipients and retired state Supreme Court Justice Cynthia Baldwin. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
Three outstanding local students received scholarships from McKeesport’s Semper Fidelis club.
At its annual “Salute to the Graduates” program, held at the Healthy Village Learning Institute on Freemont Street, Saniya Rivers, Santana Kennedy and Treyvon Bowling were recognized by Semper Fi. Established in 1919, it is one of Pennsylvania’s long-standing clubs and has a commitment to community service and scholarship awards.
Along with awarding scholarships, the club also makes donations to various organizations in the Mon Valley, contributed to the African American room at the University of Pittsburgh, and helped raise money for the Carnegie Library of McKeesport, chairperson Fawn Walker Montgomery said.
