August 16, 2022 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
School buses sit in a garage during the summer vacation. (File photo by Jason Morrison via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-2.0.)
After eight years, the Pennsylvania school-funding lawsuit is in the hands of a judge, creating a waiting game heading into the new school year.
Oral argument ended in July.
In 2014, six Pennsylvania school districts sued state legislative officials, state education officials and Gov. Tom Wolf, alleging that the state’s school funding system violates the clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution that promises to provide a “thorough and efficient” system of public education.
The Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, the NAACP-Pennsylvania State Conference and a group of public school parents are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
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August 16, 2022 |
By Amy George | Posted in: Duquesne News
After 20 turbulent years, Duquesne City School District leaders say they’re positioning the district for success.
“DCSD is a comeback story in the making,” district Superintendent Sue Mariani said. “Like a phoenix, (we are) rising from the ashes.”
After improvements carried out over three years, in fall 2021, seventh-graders, who were being bused to neighboring districts, returned to school in Duquesne — the first time that’s happened in Pennsylvania. Eighth graders will return on Aug. 29 for the fall 2022 semester.
To date, 50 students and counting have enrolled in eighth grade, adding to the 430 and counting enrolled in kindergarten through seventh grades. All students will have the option of attending class in person or through the Duquesne Virtual Academy.
The expansion of services was approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education in early 2022.
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August 16, 2022 |
By Elizabeth Laughlin | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
On a rainy day, customers wait outside Hi Eatery with umbrellas and paper bags.
“Sometimes people get here at 10 a.m.,” owner Keith Colecchi said, “which is before we open.”
Hi Eatery, a food truck, opened last year in July on a vacant lot along Walnut Street, Downtown. It has become a hit for McKeesport residents—and even beyond.
“I’ve had customers from the other side of the state,” Colecchi said. “You never know who is going to show up.”
After working almost 20 years for Duquesne Light, Colecchi decided that he wanted a change.
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August 08, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A Munhall man is being held in the Allegheny County Jail without bail in connection with a shooting Saturday morning on Hamilton Street in McKeesport.
County police allege the shooting happened after the suspect attempted to rob someone from whom he had arranged to buy marijuana.
Police said the victim is in critical condition after being flown to a Pittsburgh hospital by medical helicopter.
Davon Blue, 20, is charged by Allegheny County police with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, recklessly endangering another person, obstructing administration of law and giving false information to law enforcement.
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August 05, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: State & Region
The companies behind the construction of a controversial natural gas pipeline that crosses through the Mon-Yough area have been convicted of criminal charges related to the project.
On Friday, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced that Sunoco Pipeline LP and ETC Northeast Pipeline LLC have pleaded no contest to charges related to contamination of lakes, rivers, streams and groundwater during the construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline.
The Mariner East 2 pipeline, which goes through 17 southern Pennsylvania counties, crosses Forward Twp. and passes near communities such as Sutersville, West Newton and Finleyville. It parallels an older gasoline pipeline built in the 1930s.
Homeowners who live in the pipeline’s path and want to have their water tested have until Aug. 19 to file a request.
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August 05, 2022 |
By Danielle M. Smith - Public News Service | Posted in: Politics & Elections, State & Region
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled this week that so-called “no excuse” mail-in voting in the state is constitutional.
The ruling is seen as a setback to 14 Republican lawmakers who challenged the expansion of absentee ballots in court.
Meg Pierce, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania, said mail-in ballots are important to ensure elections are accessible to everyone.
“Voting by mail is convenient and secure, and has resulted in an incredible boost in voter turnout in Pennsylvania's recent election,” Pierce said. “About 170,000 (additional) registered voters voted in Pennsylvania elections when they were allowed to vote by mail.”
Until 2019, Pennsylvania voters could only use an absentee ballot under certain conditions, such as illness, disability or being out of town on Election Day. That year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly voted to implement “no excuse” mail-in ballots for anyone who requests them.
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August 05, 2022 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
Bridge inspection work could cause delays on several area roadways.
A district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said Friday that crews will be inspecting several local bridges, beginning Aug. 8. The work will continue through most of the month, weather-permitting, on the following roadways:
McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge — A traffic shift will occur on the bridge
Northbound Route 837 ramp at the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge — Shoulder restrictions will occur on northbound Route 837 under the bridge
Union Railroad bridge on Route 837 in Clairton between Mulberry Avenue and Mendelssohn Street — Single-lane alternating traffic will occur
Railroad viaduct inspection on the Tri-Boro Expressway in Turtle Creek between Electric Avenue and Ramp B — Single-lane restrictions in the southbound right lane
Crews from HDR and the Sofis Rigging Company will conduct the work, the PennDOT spokesman said. Motorists should be prepared for changing traffic patterns. Please use caution when driving through the area.
August 03, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
City officials hope to have an answer soon whether or not it will be possible to salvage a building that was damaged Tuesday morning by an apparent natural gas explosion.
An Allegheny County spokeswoman said Wednesday that investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blast that caused severe damage to The Common Grounds Building.
Emergency personnel believe the explosion was triggered after two contractors installing a wheelchair ramp at the rear of the building struck a gas line just before 8 a.m.
The contractors, whose names have not been officially released, were hospitalized.
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August 03, 2022 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Older Pennsylvanians and those with disabilities who have been approved for state tax or rent rebates will be receiving a one-time bonus payment in the coming weeks, officials have announced.
The Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 or older, widows and widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities 18 or older. The income eligibility limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters, and half of Social Security income is excluded.
Approximately $140 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, allocated by the 2022-23 state budget, will be used to fund the supplemental payments, said state Rep. Austin Davis of McKeesport.
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August 03, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Announcements
(Submitted photo courtesy Jefferson Regional Foundation)
A McKeesport resident and former school director has been named the new chief executive officer of the Jefferson Regional Foundation.
The appointment of Trisha M. Gadson was announced Tuesday by Richard Talarico, chair of the foundation board.
Gadson, who has served as the CEO of the Macedonia Family and Community Enrichment Center in Pittsburgh since 2010, will replace Mary Phan-Gruber, who is retiring after serving as the Jefferson foundation’s CEO since 2013.
The Jefferson Regional Foundation was created upon the merger of Jefferson Regional Medical Center with Allegheny Health Network and invests in health and wellness projects in the Mon Valley and South Hills.
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