April 28, 2025 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: White Oak News
White Oak Mayor Ina Jean Marton (right) swears in new White Oak Police Officer Jeremy Zuber. (T.J. Martin photo for Tube City Almanac)
White Oak Borough Council welcomed a new police officer at its April meeting and announced that it will begin interviewing candidates for its Chief of Police position.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Mayor Ina Jean Marton began the meeting by swearing-in newly hired police officer Jeremy Zuber. With the addition of Zuber, the department now has 12 officers.
Later in the meeting, Public Safety Committee Chair Loree Scharritter said the borough has completed the month-long period of accepting applications for its vacant Chief of Police position and will now begin conducting interviews with the qualified applicants. Scharritter declined to disclose how many applications the borough received.
In March, Chief of Police Mark Sargent resigned. He joined the department in January 1994 as an officer and was promoted to Chief of Police in February 2018.
April 02, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: Announcements, White Oak News
Correction: All children age 10 and under are allowed to participate in the Easter egg hunt. This story was corrected after publication. We apologize for the error.
(File Photo, “Tulips Jubilee,” by Cam Miller, via Flickr. Licensed under Creative Commons By-NC-ND.)
The White Oak community is gearing up for warmer weather with events and activities that will appeal to everyone from kids and craft enthusiasts to athletes and animal lovers.
White Oak Athletic Association
WOAA will host its first youth basketball tournaments starting April 17-19 and again from April 24-27. Softball and baseball are ongoing, and the association’s calendar has several fundraisers, cash bashes, and bingos listed well into May. Their calendar can be found online.
Easter Egg Hunt
For children 10 and under, the borough will host an Easter Egg hunt on April 19 starting at 10 a.m. at Heritage Hill Park.
Read More
March 20, 2025 |
By Stacy Alderman | Posted in: White Oak News
Gala Jewelers owner Chuck Gala is saying farewell to longtime customers after more than 40 years in the jewelry business. With an eye toward retirement, his store in Oak Park Mall is for sale. (Photo special to Tube City Almanac)
When Gala Jewelers announced via social media that the store would soon be closing, calls, emails and texts from customers and well-wishers started pouring in almost immediately.
Owner Chuck Gala couldn’t be more grateful. “I am so thankful and blessed to be a part of peoples’ happy moments,” he said, remembering gifts that were purchased for engagements, weddings and holidays. “The community has been so good to us.”
His father opened Gala Jewelers in McKeesport in 1948 and spent decades at various locations on Fifth Avenue.
Multiple family members worked for the business over the years, and Chuck began attending trade shows when he was just fourteen. In 1994, the store moved to its Oak Park Mall location in White Oak and it’s been a staple for the community ever since.
Read More
January 07, 2025 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: White Oak News
Residents of White Oak Borough will face no real estate tax increase under the 2025 budget approved as 2024 closed. They will, however, pay more to have their garbage collected, and those who work in the borough will pay more to do so.
At a special meeting last week, the White Oak Borough Council voted 5-2 to approve the budget, which calls for expenditures of $6.67 million and projected revenues of $6.13 million. The difference of approximately $541,000 will be made up for from the borough’s reserve fund.
The votes against the budget were cast by George Pambacas and Amanda DePaulis.
Pambacas had an issue with the portion of the budget which allows for 13 police officers plus a chief of police.
Read More
December 03, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: White Oak News
A White Oak area resident $3 million richer after purchasing a winning scratch-off ticket from a local business, the Pennsylvania Lottery has announced.
The identity of the winner was not revealed.
A lottery spokesperson said the winning ticket was sold at Nic’s Tobacco, 1620 Lincoln Way. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket.
The ticket sold was part of the $3 million Golden Ticket game and had a $30 face value. The game includes four $3 million prizes. According to the lottery’s posted odds, the chances of winning the top prize is 1 in 1.08 million.
Read More
November 29, 2024 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: White Oak News
(Vickie Babyak photo)
Mission: Agape is searching for a few angels to help make its annual toy drive a success and spread Christmas joy to children in need from the McKeesport Area School District.
“We believe in serving our communities with unconditional, selfless and sacrificial love,” said Kelly Doyle, co-founder. The charity is known for assisting local families that experience food insecurity and hardship, while providing self-sustaining solutions.
According to the state Department of Education, about 62.5 percent of school-age children in McKeesport Area School District are classified as “economically disadvantaged” and about 35 percent are below the poverty line.
Last year, Doyle said, Mission Agape distributed 5,000 gifts to 1,200 children.
Read More
November 20, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, White Oak News
A parent involved in the McKeesport Area High School Tiger Band’s booster program has been charged after more than $18,000 was reported missing from the volunteer group’s accounts.
Jennifer L. Martino, 49, of White Oak is charged by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office with theft by unlawful taking, access device fraud and misapplication of entrusted property.
Martino was charged Monday. She is currently free on her own recognizance pending a preliminary hearing Dec. 9 before Magisterial District Judge Thomas Miller Jr.
Read More
August 14, 2024 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: White Oak News
Lost dogs and cats that are found in White Oak now have a greater chance of being reunited with their owners following a donation from a local animal welfare group to White Oak Borough.
Gray Paws Sanctuary has donated a microchip reader to the borough. The case containing the reader, a handheld device that looks somewhat like a magnifying glass, will be mounted to a wall in the municipal building lobby so that it will be available for use 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The device will be attached to the case by a cable and the lobby is also monitored by a security camera.
Microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and placed beneath the skin of dogs and cats, usually between the shoulders, by a veterinarian using a syringe, similar to giving an animal a vaccination.
Read More
July 16, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: White Oak News
(Tube City Almanac photo)
A portion of Lincoln Way near Oak Park Mall will remain closed until early August as crews work to replace a bridge over Long Run creek.
Demolition of the Lincoln Way Bridge in White Oak began early Monday morning. Traffic is being detoured via Route 48 to Route 30. Access to Oak Park Mall and White Oak Storage is available, said Steve Cowan, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
The project is part of a two-bridge contract valued at $6.24 million, Cowan said. The new bridge will be widened several feet to accommodate the lengthening of turning lanes across the structure.
Read More
June 15, 2024 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: White Oak News
Wesley Family Services, White Oak officials and East Allegheny’s soccer program will host a kickball game and cookout today (June 15) at White Oak Park and encourage an end to domestic violence.
The Father’s Day Pledge Kickball Cookout will begin at 11 a.m. at the Blue Spruce grove in White Oak Park.
Chris Goyke, head coach of the East Allegheny Middle School soccer team, is scheduled to speak, along with White Oak Mayor Ina Jean Marton.
• Listen: Ryan Conley and Marla Jones of Wesley Family Services were guests this week on our podcast, heard Sunday mornings on WEDO (810) and WZUM (101.1/1550)
The event is part of the national “No More” movement, which promotes awareness and prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault. A spokeswoman said Wesley Family Services is a local ally in a national network of many municipalities, corporations and communities promoting accountability and community involvement to reduce and eliminate domestic abuse.
Read More
TM
