Filed Under: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Category: News || By Staff and Submitted Report
State Rep. Marc Gergely yesterday blasted a proposed mandatory ultrasound bill as intrusive and "invasive," and said he doubted that male Pennsylvania legislators "understood the full implications" of their actions.
The law is similar to a controversial law that recently passed the Virginia House of Delegates. Opponents argue that it would essentially require any Pennsylvania woman seeking an abortion in the early stages of a pregnancy to have an ultrasound probe inserted into her vagina.
At least 10 other states have similar legislation pending, according to a story in the Washington Post.
"I am pro-life, but this proposed government intrusion into the medical care of women is reprehensible," said Gergely, a Democrat from White Oak. "The state should never force any person to undergo such an invasive procedure.
"This is a medical decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor, not legislators for political reasons," he said.
. . .
House Bill 1077 was introduced by state Rep. Kathy Rapp, a Republican from Warren County.
The law has more than 100 co-sponsors, including three Mon-Yough area legislators --- state Rep. Rick Saccone, a Republican who represents Clairton, Elizabeth, Forward, Elrama, Finleyville and Jefferson Hills; state Rep. George Dunbar, a Republican who represents the Norwin area and part of Penn Township; and state Rep. Harry Readshaw, a Democrat whose district includes parts of Pittsburgh's South Hills as well as West Homestead.
"It's hypocritical for any legislator to say that government must stay out of people's lives, then vote for the most personal and private intrusion possible," Gergely said yesterday. "I would be astonished if most of the legislators, including (Dunbar and Saccone), understood the full implications of this legislation and still supported it."
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
After lobbying fellow officials for months with concerns over the district's ability to afford a third new elementary school, McKeesport Area School Director Thomas Maglicco convinced a majority present at Wednesday night's school board meeting to cancel the controversial $30 million project.
"I think we should cut our ties with this part of the process and move forward," he said.
Maglicco's motion to abandon plans for the proposed school passed with a quorum majority vote of 4-3. School directors Mary Jane Keller, Terri Kisan, and Board President Patricia Maksin sided with Maglicco, while Steven Kondrosky, Joseph Lopretto and Christopher Halaszynski voted against the motion. School directors Trisha Gadson and Mark Holtzman were absent.
Although Maglicco has consistently challenged the district's plan to build the new high tech school at finance committee and board meetings over the past year, his motion and the resulting vote came as a surprise to Superintendent Timothy Gabauer, who was unable to elaborate on how officials plan to proceed after the meeting.
Until Wednesday's meeting, the board was attempting to move forward with the brand new elementary/intermediate school, despite Maglicco's financial concerns, opposition from district residents and McKeesport City Council's denial of the site plan back in September.
The district was pursuing acquisition of 26 acres of the former Buck estate owned by Robert DeTorre located along Henderson Road through the state's eminent domain process. Officials had also filed a Plan Con D application with the state Department of Education seeking partial reimbursement for the project's construction costs, but had not yet received a response as of Wednesday's meeting.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
City churches will hold a series of non-denominational Lenten events on Wednesdays during the weeks leading to Easter.
The first will be held Feb. 29 at Rainbow Temple, 536 Shaw Ave., the McKeesport Area Ministerium and Jericho People announced last week.
Subsequent events will be held March 7 at St. John's Lutheran Church, 329 Ninth Ave.; March 14, Auberle, 1101 Hartman St.; March 21, McKeesport Presbyterian Church, 1510 Versailles Ave.; and March 28, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 220 Eighth Ave.
Each service starts at 12 noon and a light luncheon follows, ending by 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and public participation is encouraged, a spokesperson said.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Looking for reliable information about homeownership? Curious about what programs are available that feature low interest rates and closing costs?
The Mon Valley Initiative, an area leader in non-profit real estate development, will host a homebuyer education workshop 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 10 at Citizens Bank, 345 East Eighth Ave., Homestead.
Topics to be covered include budgeting to purchase a home, shopping for a loan, closing procedures and home maintenance. The workshop is sponsored in part by Citizens Bank and Homestead Area Economic Revitalization Corporation.
Taught by mortgage professionals as well as housing counselors certified by NeighborWorks, the class features curriculum approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Attendees will learn qualification guidelines for low-to-moderate income loan products that offer down payment and closing cost assistance, as well as feature low fixed interest rates.
Free parking as well as a light breakfast and lunch will be provided. For information and to register, call Mike Mauer at (412) 464-4000, ext. 4008.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The award-winning Mon-Yough Community Singers are looking for volunteers interested in joining the group. Both professional and amateur singers are welcome, and no auditions are necessary.
Rehearsals are held at 7 p.m. Sundays at Sampson's Mills Presbyterian Church, 1665 Lincoln Way, White Oak. All creeds, denominations, genders and races are invited.
This is an excellent opportunity to get your voice heard and join a warm, friendly group of vocalists.
For more information, contact chorus director Ben Filippone at vivacantando@aol.com or call (412) 609-3588.
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Category: News || By Jenni Dangel
"I've always thought it is extremely important to remember that Iran is heir to a rich and vibrant culture of enormous age, depth and resilience," says director Robert Adanto.
A documentary filmmaker, Adanto will visit McKeesport tomorrow to present a screening of his second feature-length film, Pearls on the Ocean Floor, at Penn State Greater Allegheny.
The event at 12:15 p.m. in the Student Community Center on the McKeesport campus is free and open to the public. A discussion with the director will follow the film.
With Pearls, Adanto explores the complexity of modern Iranian culture by focusing on female artists and the visual imagery they create.
"Given the tragic events that followed the disputed election of 2009, I felt there was no better time than the present to examine this nation at a crossroads," says Adanto, in a statement emailed to the Almanac. "(And) it is women who have collectively bore the brunt of an oppressive regime and the bias of a western media that has repeatedly constructed one-dimensional images portraying them as humorless, repressed, second-class citizens in black chadors."
During the twelve months of production, interviews were completed in New York, London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, San Francisco and Tehran. However, providing an opportunity for the women featured in the film wasn't without risk to the artists.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City officials are hoping a new agreement with a Florida-based company helps McKeesport do a better job tracking absentee landlords.
Council this month approved a contract with Federal Property Registration Corp. of Melbourne, Fla., authorizing the company to create an online database of all foreclosed homes in the city.
While FPRC --- which, despite its name, is not a federal agency --- will only track bank-owned properties, Mayor Mike Cherepko says the city will use the software to track other problem properties --- including rentals.
Under an ordinance passed by a 7-0 council vote, anyone foreclosing on a property in McKeesport will be required to pay a $200 fee to register the property in FPRC's database. As part of the registration, the foreclosure agency will have to provide the name and contact information for the property's legal owner, as well as contact information for a local property manager.
Half of the registration fee will be shared with McKeesport, which is the first city in Western Pennsylvania to partner with FPRC. Susquehanna and Swatara townships in central Pennsylvania are also using FPRC to register foreclosed properties.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Artist and teacher Pat Salopek visits McKeesport Art Group on Tuesday to demonstrate the "wet-on-wet" oil painting technique championed by the late Bill Alexander and Bob Ross.
The meeting at 7:15 p.m. will be held in the art room at McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd., and is free and open to the public, said Jan Catalogna, president of the art group.
Salopek, who works in all media, is one of only three instructors certified in the Alexander method in the Pittsburgh area. She currently teaches at churches, schools and craft stores and is also affiliated with the L.S. Hoffman Gallery in Munhall.
A resident of Pittsburgh, Salopek describes herself as "interested in art as far back as her memory allows" and also enjoys music, floral arranging and embroidery.
For more information about McKeesport Art Group, call Catalogna at (412) 469-2710.
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Category: News || By Submitted Report
City police are looking for a man who is suspected of trying to lure a child into his truck Thursday afternoon.
The incident happened just before 4 p.m. in the 1400 block of Bouquet Street. Police said a 10-year-old boy was walking along the street when a black Chevrolet four-door pickup truck with "dualie" rear wheels and tinted rear windows approached. The driver, described only as a black male wearing a black T-shirt, asked the boy to get into his truck, police said. The boy refused and ran to his grandmother's house.
The truck was last seen heading down Jenny Lind Street toward 13th Avenue.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact McKeesport Police at (412) 675-5015.
. . .
In Other News: Restaurants in the Route 30/Route 22 corridor are being targeted by robbers, and police are trying to see if the crimes are connected. The Primanti Brothers in North Versailles Township was robbed at gunpoint this morning. WTAE-TV reports restaurants in Monroeville, North Huntingdon, Plum and Wilkins also have been hit.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports
Film director Robert Adanto will visit the city next week for a screening of his film Pearls on the Ocean Floor.
The 2010 documentary tells the stories of 16 female artists of Iranian heritage who now work around the world, and is being screened at Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus in conjunction with Pittsburgh's Silk Screen Asian Film Festival.
The screening --- which is free and open to the public --- is slated for 12:15 p.m. Tuesday in the Ostermayer Room of the campus' Student Community Center. A discussion with Adanto will follow.
For more information, call Nancy Conway at (412) 675-9143.
. . .
White Oak Baseball, Softball Signups: White Oak Athletic Association will conduct its 2012 baseball and softball registration from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the association grounds on Lower Heckman Road. For more information, call Russ at (412) 418-6624 (baseball) or Lou at (412) 477-7536 (softball).
. . .
PennDOT Driver Centers Closed: All driver's license and photo centers will be closed Saturday through Monday in observance of Presidents' Day, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation announced this week.
Motorists may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services online through PennDOT's Driver and Vehicle Services website.
Online services include driver's license and photo ID renewals; vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; and exam scheduling. There are no additional fees for using online services.
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Donora-Webster Bridge Meeting Tomorrow: PennDOT and the U.S. Coast Guard will hold a public meeting tomorrow to discuss the replacement of the Donora-Webster Bridge over the Monongahela River.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the Donora Borough Building, 603 Meldon Ave., and will include an update on the project status, results of the technical studies conducted for the project, review of alternatives considered, and information about the historic status of the bridge.
Built in 1908, the bridge connects state Route 837 on the west bank of the river with Route 906 on the east side. It was closed in July 2009 due to structural deficiencies.
About 3,300 vehicles daily used the bridge --- which had a three-ton weight limit --- before it closed.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City police have filed charges against McKeesport's solicitor in connection with a Jan. 22 traffic accident.
According to records in Allegheny County Night Court, J. Jason Elash, 40, faces a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi Jr. on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances, driving an uninsured vehicle and speeding. A hearing date has not been set.
Court records indicate the charges were filed Friday by city police Officer Joseph Stepansky.
Last month, Police Chief Bryan Washowich told the Almanac that Elash was driving a 2004 Cadillac SUV early on the morning of Jan. 22 when it went out of control on Route 48 and collided with a building at 716 Long Run Road.
Elash was taken by ambulance to UPMC Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, and his SUV was towed from the scene.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
(Editor's Note: See disclaimer at the end of this story. Updated after publication to add more details, links and clarifications.)
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
Please welcome Jenni Dangel as a new correspondent for Tube City Almanac.
A city native and White Oak resident, Jenni is a designer and public relations consultant and the co-founder of Irwin-based Indivision Studios, which creates logos, brand identities, print brochures and websites for small businesses and non-profit agencies.
She's also the executive director of WIP Arts, a non-profit art group focused on bringing together creative people in White Oak, Irwin and beyond.
. . .
Jenni will be writing about the local art scene --- meaning the communities in the McKeesport Area School District and the adjoining municipalities.
"And by art, I mean all arty things --- music, theater, painting, film, whatever creative-expressive thing you do or are a part of, that can meet a definition of art," she says. "And yes, that includes crafts. If you create or are involved with creative folks, drop me an email!"
Right now, we're calling her role "partnering" with Tube City Community Media Inc., but there has been discussion of upgrading her to "super-fly art-zone correspondent ninja," if we can get a good price on the business cards.
Jenni's email is jenni@wiparts.org.
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Category: Commentary/Editorial, So-Called Radio Humor || By Jason Togyer
The editor of Tube City Almanac is rumored to be a close, personal friend of Jay Thurber, who hosts a Saturday oldies show on Pittsburgh's WRCT-FM (88.3).
Here's some content from his lousy radio show:
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The McKeesport High School Alumni & Friends Association once again is accepting nominees for induction into the McKeesport High School Hall of Fame.
Anyone may nominate, Association President Linda Croushore said. Candidates must have attended McKeesport schools, have graduated at least 10 years ago (if they completed high school here), and have gone on to lives marked by outstanding accomplishments in the public or private sectors. Applications are being sought now for the 2012 class, to be inducted at the annual Alumni Recognition Night dinner and program on Sept. 15 at Stratigos Banquet Centre in North Huntingdon Township.
This will be the association's 25th class of inductees. To date, 163 people have been elected to the Hall of Fame. Over the years, several members have returned to the high school and shared their expertise and experiences with present-day students. Such "give-backs" are encouraged, Croushore said, adding, "The honorees are great role models for our young people."
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The old G.C. Murphy Co. store Downtown is being reinvented as a small-business incubator.
McKeesport Development Corp. purchased the building at 315-321 Fifth Ave. in January, according to county tax records. The building, which spans three separate lots, is assessed at $151,000. Included in the purchase was a parking lot that can be entered from Fifth Avenue.
Darryl Segina, city council president and chairman of the MDC, told the Almanac that officials are "in the talking stage" with one potential tenant. Space is available for both retail and office uses.
"We want to create an opportunity for an entrepreneur to come in at a low rent," Segina said. A municipal parking lot across the street on the former site of Cox's Department Store could also be used by potential tenants, he said.
The first floor of the Murphy store, located near the intersection of Fifth and Walnut, is divided into several offices and is ready for occupancy "immediately," Segina said. Potential start-up businesses could rent all or some of the building, he said.
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