(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.
Duquesne City School District’s “Dukes” are a comeback story in the making.
Once known for their athletic prowess in the mill town’s glory days, the Dukes were forced to leave the playing field in 2012 due to serious financial challenges, which ultimately caused the closure of both DCSD’s middle school and high school.
However, this fall marks their triumphant reappearance. For the first time in 10 years, DCSD will sponsor school athletics in conjunction with the recent return of seventh-graders — which happened in the fall 2021 — and upcoming return of eighth-graders, which is happening this fall.
All in all, Superintendent Sue Mariani sees a bright future ahead for the Dukes and the district as a whole.
“As DCSD works to restore equity in the classroom and provide students the opportunities and access they deserve, they stay diligent in their efforts to restore athletic facilities, to help restore the pride, excitement and community support that comes with rebuilding team sports,” Mariani said.
An explosion ripped through the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue on Tuesday morning, seriously damaging the building, which houses Penn State’s Mon Valley LaunchBox as well as the Ninth Street Clinic and other offices. The Allegheny County fire marshal is investigating. (City of McKeesport official photo via Facebook)
BREAKING: This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
Investigators are combing through the debris at the former YWCA on Ninth Avenue to determine what caused an explosion Tuesday morning that sent two people to the hospital.
Emergency personnel believe that a contractor excavating in a parking lot to build a wheelchair accessible ramp may have struck a gas line, triggering the blast at about 8 a.m.
The building, owned by the city, is home to a small-business incubator run by Penn State Greater Allegheny as well as the Ninth Street Clinic, a free medical clinic for people without health insurance.
The two-story office building, constructed in the 1950s, was heavily damaged in the blast and an engineer has determined it is unsafe for occupancy, said a spokesperson for McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko.
None of the offices were occupied at the time of the blast.
With nine days to go until McKeesport’s International Village, we still need sponsors for our annual video webcast.
If you donate at any level, we'll mention your name on the broadcast.
Deadline for donations is Aug. 8.
Your donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
To receive a written confirmation of your donation for tax purposes, please make sure to include your full name and address.
(Last year, a number of donations didn’t have a name or address, and we could not send thank-yous.)
Advertisers
If your business or organization would like to advertise during our International Village webcast, we need your information right away! Contact me at tubecitytiger@gmail.com or (412) 614-9659.
For $175, we will make a minimum of one 30-second announcement for your group, business or organization every hour, plus we will post your video on Tube City Online for at least 30 days.
For $300, we will make a minimum of one 60-second announcement for your group, business or organization every hour, plus we will run a banner ad on Tube City Online for at least 30 days.
Residents in Duquesne may be required to have garbage cans on trash day.
At this month’s council meeting, Councilman Aaron R. Adams said that “animals going through trash” have been a problem and “trash cans would limit that.”
An ordinance would need to be created to lay out fines to residents who don’t properly use the trash cans. Council voted 4-0 on a motion to proceed with the measure.
In other business, City Engineer LaFranz Hemphill discussed that the city has a $44,000 grant that was supposed to earmarked for improvements at the Duquesne Place Playground, but that was before officials discovered that the property was owned by Duquesne City School District.
The McKeesport affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness will meet at 6 p.m. Aug. 3 at Penn State Greater Allegheny in the Frable Building, Room F122, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting is open to families and friends of loved ones living with mental illness.
Sara Levine Steinberg, Event and Technology Coordinator for NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania, will discuss plans for the annual NAMI Walk in October. She will also describe the services and resources available from NAMI Keystone by calling (412) 366-3788 or www.namikeystonepa.org.
NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, and offers understanding and support unique to those who are affected by these conditions.
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.
A former Pittsburgh man who threatened to shoot up a house in McKeesport in 2015 has been found guilty on federal narcotics trafficking and firearms charges.
James Taric Byrd, 45, will be sentenced Dec. 5, said a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Cindy K. Chung in Pittsburgh. Byrd could face life in prison and a fine of up to $1.5 million.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately an hour on July 21 before convicting Byrd, who was tried before U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon.
With McKeesport’s International Village right around the corner, organizers of the 13th annual “Village for Kids” are getting ready, too.
The event will be held rain or shine from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Renziehausen Park band shell, a spokeswoman said. “Village for Kids” will include crowning a prince and princess for International Village, which will be held from Aug. 9 to 11.
Free activities on Aug. 8 will include games, crafts and other activities for children.
When Kelly Robertson spoke at the conclusion of Tuesday’s Duquesne City Council meeting, she said she couldn’t thank the people of the city enough for the opportunity to serve as manager for nearly two years.
A chance to get reconnected with the city was invaluable to her, she said.
Robertson has announced her intention to resign as city manager. On Aug. 12, she will leave to become executive director for the Governor’s Center for Local Government Services with the Department of Community & Economic Development. The job will keep her involved in the Act 47 program for municipalities throughout the Commonwealth.
A search for Robertson’s replacement has not yet been announced.
One Duquesne police officer is resigning to become chief of police in Kiski Twp., and another is leaving for Pleasant Hills.
At this month’s meeting, new police Chief Tom Shaw told Duquesne City Council that two more officers are planning to leave to work in nearby Homestead. That would leave Duquesne with four police officers.
Council voted 4-0, with Councilman Timothy Caldwell absent, to hire one new police officer, under the condition that the candidate pass all physical and psychological tests.
