Filed Under: News || By Jennifer Sopko
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
(Reprinted from July 6, 2010)
We are not going to be writing about the heat at Tube City Almanac.
We are not going to tell you that you should stay indoors, seek air-conditioned buildings if possible, avoid exertion, and drink lots of water.
If you are too stupid to understand that, you probably can't read, either.
I hate to sound like a social Darwinist or, for gawd's sake, a libertarian, but maybe events such as heat waves are nature's way of putting some much-needed chlorine into the gene pool.
. . .
Do you really need to be told that it's hot outside? Most reporters (or, more likely, their editors) seem to think so.
For instance, from the Tribune-Review, I learned that taking a bath or shower is a good way to cool off. Also, Duquesne Light recommends not using heat-generating appliances, such as ovens. Killjoys!
Down in Monessen, the Valley Independent has this valuable tip: If someone is suffering from heat exhaustion, get them out of the sun and put cool, damp towels on their head. Really? I thought you were supposed to give them hot coffee, followed by a heating pad. No wonder I failed the entrance exam at the Pittsburgh Diesel Institute School of Medicine.
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Category: News || By Submitted Reports
McKeesport police and fire departments released their activity reports for May.
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
To quote that famous poet-philosopher Will Smith, here's the situation. We need at least $500 to get this year's International Village broadcast on the air.
I'd like to have more --- any extra money goes toward funding operation of the website. As you may know, I am paying contributors about $25 per story. When I don't have donations, that comes out of my pocket.
(We're clearly not investing in luxury items --- at left, that's our broadcasting setup, with volunteer announcer Doug Goffus.)
So far, I've only got $100 committed this year, and one of my major advertisers from the last two years has just told me they're backing out.
I've just reserved the wireless access. It's $121.80 this year, so I'm already $21.80 in the hole.
. . .
I don't ask for donations very often (maybe I should), but please: If you think it's worthwhile to share International Village --- one of the positive things in the McKeesport area --- with the rest of the world, use ChipIn to donate securely using PayPal or a credit card.
In addition, we'd like to find a few sponsors to underwrite the broadcast. This is a great, low-cost opportunity to promote your church festival, volunteer fire department, labor union or other worthy cause. C'mon --- $100 for an announcement every hour for three days, plus a sign inside our booth? You can't beat that.
Thanks! (Please, don't make me beg. It's not pretty.)
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
An 11-minute student-made video featuring a fashion show of students sporting dress code-approved apparel can be viewed on the McKeesport Area School District website.
Public Relations and Communications Specialist Kristen Giran said students are actively giving constructive feedback on the new dress code, which was approved at the April board meeting. "Despite the negativity that's out there you can still see 11 minutes worth of really excited kids," she said.
The video can be viewed at http://www.mckasd.net/pages/McKeesport_ASD/Dress_Code
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
With plans for a new elementary school on indefinite hold, McKeesport Area School District is exploring ways to expand the existing Founders Hall Middle School.
Last month, the school board authorized architecture firm J.C. Pierce to submit a project description and conceptual drawings to the state Department of Education for a proposed addition and renovations to the building at the intersection of O'Neil Boulevard and Eden Park Boulevard.
Built in 1940 as McKeesport Vocational High School, the building had an original capacity of 840 students. According to state data, current enrollment is nearly 600 students in grades 7 and 8.
Through the PlanCon process, the district will seek partial reimbursement from the state for the construction project, officials said.
In lieu of the new elementary-intermediate school that the board voted to cancel at its February meeting, School Director Tom Maglicco said the district is now pursuing a two-floor addition to Founders Hall that would include two separate pods of approximately 16 classrooms total, connected to an auxiliary gym, with an science lab and life skills learning room.
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Category: News || By Submitted Reports
An emergency cooling center has been opened today and tomorrow on Lysle Boulevard for residents having difficulty coping with the current heat wave.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service says that the continued hot, humid weather may cause increased levels of air pollution near U.S. Steel's Clairton Works, and that the air may become unhealthy for people suffering from heart disease and asthma or other lung conditions.
Allegheny County spokesman Kevin Evanto said the "cooling center" will be open at LifeSpan's Mon Valley facility at 624 Lysle Blvd. from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and tomorrow, and is among 11 such centers opened around the county to provide "refuge from the heat and humidity" for the elderly and people with health conditions who don't have air conditioning.
All county residents ages 60 and older are also welcome to visit senior centers during regular hours of operation to socialize and enjoy activities while taking refuge from the heat, Evanto said.
In the Mon-Yough area, those centers are located at 3000 Locust St., Braddock Hills; 530 Miller St., Clairton; 5739 Smithfield St., Elizabeth Township; 5344 Second Ave., Hazelwood; 308 E. 8th Ave., Homestead; 4231 Shady Ave., Munhall; 519 Penn Ave., Turtle Creek; and Century III Mall, Level 3, West Mifflin. A complete list is available on the county's website. Hours of operation vary.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The seventh-annual "Blessing of Our Rivers, Boats, City and People" will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Marina at McKees Point. The event is sponsored by Jericho People, the McKeesport Area Ministerium and the City of McKeesport.
This year's speaker will be the Rev. Vincent Velas, pastor of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Parish, located in the Christy Park section of the city. He will be joined by McKeesport area pastors and lay leaders as they ask for God's blessing on the community.
Light refreshments will be served following the blessing of the rivers and boats. Those in attendance will then be encouraged to take part in a brief prayer walk through Downtown.
The Jericho People is an ecumenical group of clergy and lay persons who promote racial and denominational unity among churches in the McKeesport area.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The 12th annual McKeesport City Fair opens tonight in Renziehausen Park and continues through Saturday.
Hours are 6 to 11 p.m. and the fair includes rides from LAM Enterprises of Greenock, Elizabeth Township, plus games, food and music. Closing ceremonies on Saturday night will include a "gigantic" fireworks display.
Admission is free. The fair is sponsored by the city Recreation Board.
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Category: Shameless Horn-Tooting || By An Editor
We've got a bunch of new stuff on sale at our CafePress store. It's the first update in a couple of years.
We don't make much money on this stuff --- about $1 to $2 per item. Most of the markup goes to CafePress, unfortunately. Still, it does help fund the continued operation of the website, so if you're so inclined, hit the link and check it out. Thanks!
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport Heritage Center kicks off its Summer Speaker Series at 2 p.m. Saturday with a program on local ghost stories and suspected hauntings presented by Pittsburgh-based Hauntings Research.
The program is free and open to the public. The Heritage Center is located at 1832 Arboretum Drive in Renziehausen Park, next to the Rose Garden. Call (412) 678-1832 or visit the website.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Two economic development agencies charged with helping businesses move into the city are themselves being moved out of McKeesport's city hall.
The Mon-Yough Area Industrial Development Authority and the McKeesport Industrial Development Authority have had their lease terminated effective June 30. The agencies shared about 200 square feet on the fifth floor of city hall.
A letter to Dennis Pittman, chairman of MYAID and a board member of MIDA, from city Solicitor J. Jason Elash said that Pittman's presence in the building was damaging the morale of city employees, and the agencies were being asked to leave by Mayor Michael Cherepko.
Pittman, who has been affiliated with the city since the 1980s, was McKeesport's administrator for eight years before being replaced by Cherepko on Jan. 1. MIDA and MYAID received no warnings of any problems prior to the letter, he said.
The agencies have had the office since 2002, when the building was owned by the former Three Rivers Bank.
"It's nothing against the (MIDA and MYAID) board members," said Cherepko, adding that city hall is "at capacity" and there are better uses for the office. "There's plenty of space in town at similar rates," he said. "I want them out June 30. My decision is final."
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Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
McKeesport school directors wound down another school year by warily looking forward to the next, as financial concerns still top their agenda.
McKeesport Area School District is once again challenged to balance a budget for the upcoming school year in the midst of an unresolved state budget, probable funding cuts, a proposed moratorium on PlanCon reimbursements and upcoming debt payments for the district's ongoing construction projects.
At its regular meeting on May 23, the school board approved a $59.8 million preliminary budget for the 2012-13 school year by a vote of 6-3.
"It's been extremely difficult to balance this budget since the governor has cut the state budget in education this year and last year," School Director Tom Maglicco said.
Even with the cuts already made --- including elimination of 10 positions --- the board plans to not only raise taxes but also use $3.9 million of the
district's $5.4 million fund budget to balance the next year's budget.
The preliminary budget includes a 0.44 mill increase for district taxpayers --- the maximum tax increase that the school board can pass under the current index without a state referendum --- bringing the new tax rate to 17.49 mills.
This increase translates into an additional $20 in school taxes per year for the average assessed household, Business Manager David Seropian said.
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Category: News || By Submitted Report
Besides providing a place and project for strengthening relationships in the community, the club hopes that the garden will be a centerpiece for community leaders and organizations to develop programs that will educate families and children about the benefits of growing and eating fresh, healthy foods, said Brian Evans, president of the local Kiwanis and pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in White Oak.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
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Category: News || By Submitted Report
A $5 million project to repair and improve Lysle Boulevard begins Monday, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said today.
Work --- which also encompasses part of East Fifth Avenue and the Jerome Avenue Bridge --- will include concrete patching and resurfacing, new traffic lights and curb cuts, and other improvements on a 1.7 mile stretch of road between Hartman Street and River Road, said Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for PennDOT.
The work will continue through the summer and fall, into November, Struzzi said.
A state-maintained road, Lysle Boulevard and East Fifth Avenue carry Route 148 between the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge and Walnut Street. About 11,000 vehicles daily use that stretch of highway, and about 15,000 daily use the Jerome Avenue Bridge.
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Category: Announcements || By Jason Togyer
For the past three years, Tube City Online has provided the only live coverage of International Village. (Although there are two radio stations licensed to McKeesport, neither broadcasts from the Village any more.)
No one takes a salary from this event, and the executive director (me) winds up subsidizing any over-runs from my own pocket. (If anyone wants to see the bills from last year, email me privately. It costs us between $700 and $1,000 to pull off this event. Wireless access alone will cost us $125.)
We plan to provide the same service again this year ... but we can't lose money on it.
So ... we're once again appealing to you for help. If you can donate a few dollars, we will very gladly and graciously accept your money. Use ChipIn to donate securely using PayPal or a credit card.
In addition, we'd like to find a few sponsors to underwrite the broadcast. This is a great, low-cost opportunity to promote your church festival, volunteer fire department, labor union or other worthy cause.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Animal Friends will hold a rabies clinic for dogs and cats from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 17 at McKeesport No. 2 fire station, Eden Park Boulevard in Renziehausen Park, a spokeswoman said.
There is a $10 fee for dogs and cats. All animals must be on a leash or in a carrier and owners should bring a certificate from their animal's last rabies shots.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Scott Blasey of The Clarks returns to the McKees Point Marina on Saturday night as the riverfront facility opens this year's summer concert series.
Other concerts scheduled this year include Friends of Elvis, June 23; Tres Lads, June 30; Top Cats, July 14; Ancient Bloom, July 21; the Judy Figel Trio, Aug. 11; and Legacy, Aug. 25.
Marina concerts are held in the parking lot near the Palisades along Water Street, Downtown. They begin at 8 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
Blasey, a native of Connellsville, has been the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Clarks since the band's inception. In addition, Blasey has released three solo CDs, including his most recent, 2007's disc "Travelin' On," which mixes rock, blues, country and R&B. Blasey plays 20 to 30 solo shows per year.
Blasey and band mates Rob James and Greg Joseph also will be in McKeesport July 15 for the summer concert series at Renzie Park.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
A proposed ordinance that would have banned city employees, elected officials or their relatives from serving on certain unpaid boards and committees was tabled Wednesday night for revisions.
The suggestion to table the bill for more review was made by Councilman A.J. Tedesco Jr. "I believe it was a well-intentioned ordinance and I think it's a positive step in the right direction," said Tedesco, but added the heated discussion at Tuesday night's council work session suggested the bill needs more work.
Councilmen Dan Carr and Richard Dellapenna Jr. voted against tabling the legislation.
Council President Darryl Segina, who introduced the ordinance, apologized for the tone of Tuesday's meeting and promised to solicit more input from council and city administrators. "We will bring back a better bill," he said.
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Category: News || By Submitted Reports
River Road will remain closed through late June as workers complete a sewer line project, a spokesman has announced.
A state-maintained route, the road connects the city's lower 10th Ward with Port Vue and carries about 1,100 vehicles daily. The road was closed in December and was to reopen June 1.
Crews from Independence Excavating, Inc., under a contract with the Municipal Authority of the City of McKeesport, are performing work as part of a sanitary sewer project, said Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
The closure is between Rebecca Street and the 15th Avenue Bridge. The roadway is open for local traffic and emergency vehicles only.
The posted detour uses Walnut Street and the Jerome Avenue and 15th Avenue bridges.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City council is too focused on settling political scores and in-fighting, to the detriment of McKeesport's future, Mayor Michael Cherepko said Tuesday.
"I'm out there in the streets all of the time, and I know council is, too, because I see them," he said. "I know the concerns of the residents. The residents want to know what's being done to clean up the blight, to cut down the weeds, to bring businesses to town, to do something about the young people who are getting involved in shootings."
Bills like one proposed by Council President Darryl Segina --- to ban city employees or officials from serving on unpaid boards and commissions --- are a distraction, Cherepko said. "Residents couldn't care less who serves on a committee," he said.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
McKeesport City Council will consider an ordinance that would ban any elected official, municipal employee or their relatives from serving on a variety of volunteer, unpaid boards, commissions and authorities.
The legislation was introduced at last night's work session by Council President Darryl Segina, who said he wants to avoid repeating a situation like one that happened last year. That's when the board of directors of McKeesport's sewerage authority voted to make an early repayment of $24 million in debt owned to the city.
The authority's board included former Mayor Regis McLaughlin, Councilman Dale McCall and city Public Works Director Nick Shermenti.
McCall voted as an authority board member to make the early repayment, and then voted as a councilman to accept the repayment, Segina said. "How is that not a conflict of interest?" he said.
But the ordinance, which would affect the sewerage authority along with the zoning board, the planning commission, the McKeesport Housing Authority and the city's redevelopment authority, faces opposition from some of Segina's council colleagues. They said it's too broad in its impact, while it's too specific in what kinds of appointments are prohibited.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Reports
Chuck Blasko's Vogues open the city's 2012 summer concert series this weekend at Renziehausen Park.
In the 1960s, Blasko and three friends from Turtle Creek High School formed the singing group, which went on to major international success with hits such as "Five O'Clock World" and "Turn Around, Look at Me."
Blasko now leads a trio performing Vogues' classics in 14 counties around Pittsburgh. His group takes the stage at the Lions Bandshell at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is free and refreshments will be on sale. Attendees should bring a blanket or lawn chair.
The "Concerts in the Park Series" is managed and produced by the McKeesport Lions Club on behalf of the city. Gently-used eyeglasses are collected at all concerts. Lions' Club brooms and trash bags also are on sale.
Other concerts in June will include "Airborne with Jeff Jimerson," June 10; "Dancing Queen," June 17; Louis Zegarelli's "Big Band Memories" on June 24; and the U.S. Army Field Band and Chorus on June 27.
In all, 15 concerts are planned this summer in Renzie, including two with fireworks. For a complete list of summer concerts, visit McKeesportBands.com.
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Category: Another Viewpoint || By Letters
(The following is a submitted commentary. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the board of directors of Tube City Community Media Inc.)
On Tuesday, I came to McKeesport to see my young daughter. I took her to Renzie Park to spend the evening. I was completely appalled and disheartened at what I saw of what I thought to be a jewel for the area that held so many fond memories. Aside from "Olympic Corner," it looks like a disaster.
I decided to take her first to the softball fields and catch some baseball. As we drove up, the driveway has been recovered in extremely heavy rocks leading to a (drilling) operation. Impossible for my car to manage, we had to stop and turn around.
I then thought it would be nice to show her the Sulphur Springs where the water comes out orange. I remember how intrigued I was at this when I was young. Imagine my dismay to find it flooded, overgrown and forgotten. Apparently is it no longer considered part of the park. Perhaps it is a holding pond for the drilling above it.
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Category: General Nonsense || By Jason Togyer
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