March 08, 2022 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
City officials estimate that repairs to the Lysle Boulevard parking garage, closed since 1999, will cost about $900,000 more than previously believed. (Tube City Almanac file photo)
The rehabilitation of the Lysle Boulevard parking garage is temporarily on hold while McKeesport seeks additional funding for the project, city officials said.
City council has approved an application to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for $1 million to pay for masonry and concrete work, painting, drainage improvements and other repairs on the facility at the corner of Lysle and Locust streets.
The garage, built in 1959, has a capacity for more than 400 cars, but has been closed to the public since 1999, when pieces of its concrete decks began crumbling. The garage has been used for storage since then.
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March 08, 2022 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport City Council has awarded contracts totalling more than $1 million for an extensive street paving program this spring and summer.
At Wednesday’s meeting, council voted 6-0 to award two contracts to El Grande Industries of Donora, Washington County. El Grande was the lowest of three bids, city officials said. Council Vice President Lu Ethel Nesbit was absent.
Mayor Michael Cherepko said the paving project will complete repaving on Versailles Avenue — with the exception of the viaduct over Ravine Street — and also will include portions of Ohio, Pirl, Evans, Bailie, Jenny Lind, Grandview and Fawcett streets.
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March 08, 2022 |
By Emily Scott © Public News Service | Posted in: State & Region
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf greets Iryna Mazur, Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Philadelphia, during a press conference Monday in Harrisburg. (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania photo)
A Pennsylvania group that helps resettle refugees is asking federal officials to provide more support to people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Cathryn Miller-Wilson, executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania, said Ukrainian refugees already here are worried about their relatives still in the country.
“The family petitions require processing at a U.S. embassy, and the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine is closed,” said Miller-Wilson. “But, I mean, it will take a long time. The Ukrainian has to successfully flee and then get in touch with their relatives here. The paperwork has to be filed. It’s a very, very long process.”
Pennsylvania has the second-highest Ukrainian population of any U.S. state, with more than 122,000 citizens claiming Ukrainian heritage, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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March 08, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: White Oak News
A contractor on Wednesday will begin the process of clearing away a landslide that has closed Lincoln Way in White Oak since last week.
“We expect that work will continue into next week,” said Steve Cowan, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
PennDOT will meet back at the site this Friday to review the progress and evaluate the condition of the road, he said.
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March 08, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A White Oak man was killed and two other people were injured in a crash Wednesday on state Route 148 in East McKeesport.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said that John D. Semenko, 59, died at a hospital about an hour after the wreck.
An Allegheny County police spokesperson said Semenko was the driver of a Ford SUV that collided with a Dodge mini-van just before 11 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Congress Street.
The Dodge’s driver, a 24-year-old man, and a passenger in the minivan, a 22-year-old woman, were taken to area hospitals in stable condition, police said. Their names were not released.
Allegheny County police homicide and collision detectives are investigating.
March 01, 2022 |
By Vickie Babyak | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area High School staff placed positive notes of encouragement in school hallways to boost students' morale. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
After two years, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause shortages of teachers, substitute teachers and bus drivers for school districts across the country — and McKeesport Area School District has been no exception.
So a group of teachers, counselors and staff decided to come together and brainstorm ideas on how to uplift everyone's morale at McKeesport Area High School. They looked for budget-friendly activities to start a wave of positive emotions.
The “positivity project” was born.
“Students have had to adapt to new ways in accessing their education and teachers have had to learn new ways in delivering that education," said Sherri Geyer, school counselor. “Mental health and morale get lost in the process.”
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March 01, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a blaze that damaged a Union Avenue home on Sunday afternoon, but the fire is not considered suspicious in nature.
McKeesport firefighters were dispatched to a duplex at 1307 Union Ave. just after 12 noon when one of the occupants of the home spotted flames in an upstairs bedroom, said firefighter Garrett Segelson.
Their quick decision to call 9-1-1 probably saved the home and helped keep the fire from spreading, he said.
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March 01, 2022 |
By Jason A. Mignanelli | Posted in: Announcements
A portrait of restaurant founder Matilda DeMarino Teti Smith — better known to everyone as “Tillie” — graces the dining room at Tillie’s Restaurant in McKeesport. The restaurant is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. (Jason A. Mignanelli photo for Tube City Almanac)
On a recent Saturday night, a steady crowd of McKeesport regulars — along with others who were visiting for the first time — funneled into the tiny entrance of Tillie’s Restaurant on 36th Avenue.
Some were aware that Tillie’s was approaching its 60th anniversary. Others had no idea. But people who frequent Tillie’s have many fond memories of the restaurant throughout the years.
“I remember coming here with grandma when I was just young. She’s no longer living but it brings back memories,” said Robyn Lewis of McKeesport, who was waiting to be seated with her husband, Wayne, and their daughter Taylor.
For Wayne, his favorite dish is plain old spaghetti and meatballs. For Taylor, it’s the homemade gnocchi. As for Robyn, she sticks with the giant raviolis made from scratch.
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March 01, 2022 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church of McKeesport-Duquesne will hold fish fries on March 4, 11, 18 and 25 during Lent.
The fish fry menu will be for take-out only. Orders may be placed by phone, or at 901 Hartman St., a spokeswoman said. The menu may be found on the church’s website.
The menu is similar from week to week with the exception of a different soup each Friday.
Pre-orders will be taken prior to each event from Sunday through Wednesday by calling DeeDee Baskot at (412) 469-2955. Pre-order payment will be by credit card only. On the day of the fish fry, orders may be picked up in the church hall from 2 to 6 p.m.
March 01, 2022 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Two men were in critical condition following a shooting on Monday night on Sixth Avenue in the city.
McKeesport police and paramedics were dispatched to the Hi-View Gardens apartment complex just before 12 midnight when callers to Allegheny County 9-1-1 reported a shooting.
Crews found two men — one 21-years-old, the other 22-years-old — suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, Allegheny County police said.
Both men were taken to area hospitals in critical condition. One man was detained at the scene for further questioning and county homicide detectives are investigating, police said.
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