October 02, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Mon Yough Chorale will hold a hot dog and bake sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lot of Busy Beaver, Oak Park Mall, White Oak.
A spokesman said a hot dog, bag of snacks and a beverage will be sold for $2.50, and baked goods will be sold separately. All proceeds benefit the Mon Yough Chorale, a community chorus that performs throughout Western Pennsylvania.
Members of the chorus also will be on hand to discuss how to join the group. Meetings and open rehearsals are held at 7 p.m. Sundays at Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church, Lincoln Way, White Oak.
For more information, visit www.monyoughchorale.org.
October 02, 2019 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man was ordered held for court after family members told police he attempted to burn down their house.
According to court records, Michael L. Belcher, 43, is currently free on non-monetary bond pending formal arraignment Nov. 1 at the Allegheny County Courthouse.
McKeesport police said that officers were dispatched early on the morning of Aug. 29 to a home in the 2700 block of Grover Street when callers reported someone was pouring gasoline throughout the house.
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October 02, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(Photo courtesy Human Services Center Corp., via Facebook)
The 19th annual Mon Valley HIV/AIDS Awareness Walk will take place Oct. 5, a spokeswoman said.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot of Bethlehem Baptist Church, corner of Eighth Avenue and Walnut Street, and the walk sets off at 9:15 a.m. A light breakfast is provided before the walk and lunch is provided afterwards.
The walk route is about two miles long, the spokeswoman said.
Organized by the Human Services Center Corp., based in Turtle Creek, the walk is led by its HIV/AIDS Working Group and continues to be the only HIV/AIDS awareness walk in Western Pennsylvania, said Abbie Godollei, outreach coordinator for HSCC.
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October 02, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Marking the start of construction on a new house along Lemon Street in the city are state Sen. Jim Brewster, McKeesport resident Shawnda Little-Dreher, who owns a house renovated by Habitat; Mike Rizzo, chief risk officer FHLB Pittsburgh; state Rep. Austin Davis; US. Rep. Mike Doyle; McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko; Howard B. Slaughter Jr. of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh; and Michelle Ufner, regional wellness manager,Team Rubicon USA. (Richard Finch Jr. photo special to Tube City Almanac)
Volunteers who came to Lemon Street in McKeesport Monday morning to “raise the wall” of a family’s new home, instead huddled under umbrellas to wait out the rain.
But the rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of Dr. Howard B. Slaughter, Jr., president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh.
“The effort today, to begin this development --- raising the wall --- is important.” Slaughter said.
Habitat of Greater Pittsburgh received an Affordable Housing Grant of $225,000 from Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh for the development of the vacant lot on Lemon Street in McKeesport and two vacant lots in Penn Hills.
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October 01, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport officials are pressuring owners of vacant commercial properties like this one across from city hall to "either pay the fines and fix the building up, or sell it," Mayor Michael Cherepko says. (Tube City Almanac photo)
In 1960, McKeesport was the second-largest retail center in Allegheny County, with more than 700 stores doing $100 million in sales --- adjusted for inflation, about $857 million today.
Fifty years later, there were only 81 retail businesses in the city, doing about $300 million in business.
Vacant storefronts fill entire blocks of Fifth Avenue, once the city's main commercial street. But over the past year, something new has been showing up on otherwise empty store windows --- condemnation notices.
"As we continue to market our city and try to attract new businesses in addition to new residents, one of the biggest obstacles we face is blight in our commercial district," McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko says. "Over the last year or so, we’ve really gotten aggressive in addressing issues in the Downtown area."
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September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
North Versailles Twp. commissioners will consider an ordinance requiring a sewer dye test to be performed prior to the sale and transfer of any property.
At September's meeting, the commissioners authorized Township Manager Patricia Logo to advertise the ordinance. Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal at their October meeting.
In other business, commissioners approved a subdivision and consolidation request for the former Nigro's Restaurant at Fifth Avenue and Washington Road.
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September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Duquesne News
A Duquesne city councilman acknowledged that recent meetings have been “lengthy and contentious,” but said elected officials are working towards a common goal.
“People need to understand the mills are gone from the city and so is the tax base they supported,” Councilman Tim Caldwell said after the Sept. 24 meeting. “It’s a different era. Once we get our finances in order we’ll be on top of our game. Despite what people are saying, Duquesne is coming up.”
Duquesne has been under Act 47 financially distressed status since 1991, but is working on a plan to exit that process by 2022. Caldwell said council also is focused on bringing in partners to redevelop blighted properties.
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September 30, 2019 |
By Richard Finch Jr. | Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne City Council has directed the mayor or police chief to respond to complaints submitted to the new citizens' police review board within 30 days.
At the Sept. 24 meeting, council approved a motion presented by councilwoman Terra Henderson-Murphy designed to streamline the process.
The move came after residents filled council chambers, many of them speaking out about their frustrations with how the review board process has been handled up until now. Prior to the meeting, there was no established timeframe for complaints to be investigated.
“Residents don’t feel they're being heard,” Councilman Tim Caldwell said after the meeting. “They are concerned they are not getting answers right away.”
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September 30, 2019 |
By Chris Baumann | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
In August, members of the LaRosa Boys & Girls Club and Duquesne-West Mifflin Boys & Girls Club participated in a STEM summer camp led by McKeesport's Blueroof Technologies. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania are opening an after-school career preparation academy in October at the former McKeesport Daily News Building, Downtown. (Photo courtesy Boys and Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, via Facebook.)
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania is opening a Workforce Development Academy called Career Works in the beginning of October in Downtown McKeesport.
Located in the Tube City Center for Business and Innovation --- the former Daily News Building at 409 Walnut St.--- the program will primarily focus on developing career opportunities for highschool students grades 9-12.
Students from any area school district are welcome to participate and applications are being accepted online. The program will meet from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays beginning Oct. 1 through June 1.
Career Works will offer academic development, soft skill development, career coaching, internship programs and many other valuable career-related resources, said Lisa Abel-Palmieri, president and chief executive officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.
“Our organization has been offering career development for over a decade, but we want to serve a broader teen demographic,” she said. “We want to retain students past the K-8 level. In the past they have tended to lose interest in the organization due to a lack of programming for their age range.”
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September 27, 2019 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
People who are concerned about the use of e-cigarettes and “vapes” by their children and grandchildren are invited to a free forum Saturday (Sept. 28) at the Healthy Village Learning Institute.
Founder Keith Murphy said the free information session will begin at 4 p.m. and is expected to last about 90 minutes.
The forum is free and open to the public, said Murphy, who hopes to hold additional sessions in the future on the health risks of vaping.
“There was a call from parents and grandparents saying, my kid is doing this stuff,” Murphy says. “Locally, if we know that our kids are vaping inside middle school, inside high school, that, for us, says we have a building problem right now.”
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