Filed Under: News || By Jason Togyer
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
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Get ready for a little more road construction in McKeesport. Work begins Monday morning to repave Walnut Street between Route 48 and the 15th Avenue Bridge, said Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
About 1.6 miles of the state-maintained road are affected. The work by Westmoreland County-based Derry Construction Co. also will include some minor drainage improvements, Struzzi said, and will continue through mid-November.
Traffic will be restricted as needed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
The project is included in a $2.1 million contract with Derry Construction for improvements on several roads in Allegheny County.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Parents of students who buy their lunch in McKeesport Area schools will get earlier warnings before the money runs out.
In addition, school officials are hoping to add the ability for parents to pay for their children's lunches with a debit or credit card.
The hope is that students won't find out they're out of funds when they try to buy lunch and are turned away, said School Director Trisha Gadson, who chairs the board's legislation and policy committee. "That's humiliating, and we're trying to avoid that," she said.
McKeesport Area school directors last night by 9-0 vote approved changes designed to make the district more pro-active in identifying families who either can't or forgot to pay the bills for their children's lunches.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
A Bethel Park boy recovering from a rare illness will benefit from a fundraiser Oct. 5 and 6 at McKeesport Little Theater.
The event, which will include dinner and a mystery called "The Pajama Party Murders," costs $25 and reservations are required.
Proceeds benefit a fund for Sam Zimmerman, 10, of Bethel Park, a youth hockey player who was hospitalized earlier this year for appendicitis. His recovery was cut short when he developed an infection that spread to his brain and sinuses, said Cory Sigler, owner of McCaffery Mysteries.
Zimmerman spent 11 days in the intensive care unit of UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and another six weeks of antibiotics, and has undergone four major surgeries since April.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
A group of McKeesport-area churches will hold a "day of prayer and renewal" this Saturday morning at Auberle, 1101 Hartman St.
Sponsored by The Jericho People and the McKeesport Area Ministerium, the event is free and a continental breakfast and light lunch will be provided.
The session begins at 9 a.m. and will be followed by fellowship. Everyone is welcome, and reservations are not necessary, but are encouraged so that meals can be planned. Call (412) 672-8490 or (412) 673-5800.
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Category: Commentary/Editorial, Hardscrabble Mon Valley Watch || By Jason Togyer
Hardscrabble Mon Valley sightings are few and far between during this presidential election season.
It seems that Pennsylvania isn't a "battleground state" this year --- the Romney campaign appears to have written off our entire Commonwealth as part of the lazy 47 percent of Americans who feel they're entitled to such luxuries as food, health care and shelter.
Thomas Edsall examines the phenomenon in a post on the New York Times' website:
When I met Kevin Balzer, a Romney supporter who is a Mack Truck supervisor, I asked him why his state looks likely to back Obama. "People are stupid," he said.
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Category: News || By Staff Reports
UPDATED 2:31 p.m. Sept. 21: Pittsburgh police said the suspect surrendered peacefully shortly before 2 p.m.
. . .
The man identified as the suspect in an hostage situation at Pittsburgh's Gateway Center reportedly has a criminal record in McKeesport.
Pittsburgh police have identified Klein Michael Thaxton, 22, as the suspect accused of taking a hostage at an insurance brokerage on the 16th floor of 3 Gateway Center. The man claims to be armed with a gun and a bomb, according to Pittsburgh police, who are negotiating with him.
According to Allegheny County court records and published reports, Thaxton was arrested last year by city police and University of Pittsburgh police in connection with a carjacking on July 18, 2011 at the BP Food Mart on Lysle Boulevard.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Residents concerned about Marcellus shale gas drilling --- or interested in opportunities to lease land --- are invited to an informational workshop put on by Penn State's agricultural extension office.
The seminar, titled "Understanding Shale Gas Exploration & Development," will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, at the Allegheny County Extension Office, 400 N. Lexington St., in Pittsburgh's Point Breeze neighborhood.
A spokesperson says the goal of the program is to provide attendees with a greater understanding of the impacts of shale gas exploration on leasing, water quality and the community, as well as needs that homeowners and community members should address if they hold property in shale gas areas.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Court administrators have scheduled a Dec. 19 trial for the city's solicitor in connection with a January car crash on Route 48.
The non-jury trial for J. Jason Elash, 41, of McKeesport is slated for 8:30 a.m. before Common Pleas Court Judge Ed Borkowski.
Elash is charged by McKeesport police with three related counts of driving under the influence of alcohol as well as a moving violation. A charge of driving without insurance has been withdrawn.
Court documents indicate that following the crash, Elash had a blood-alcohol content more than twice the state's 0.08 legal limit, and that if he is convicted, it would be his second DUI offense.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
County officials will issue photo IDs to any voter who is afraid he or she will be unable to vote under a new state law.
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced today that Kane Regional Centers and Community College of Allegheny County will issue photo identification cards to people who don't have a valid U.S. passport, state driver's license or a photo ID card from an employer or university.
"I firmly believe that anyone who wants to participate in our democracy through elections should have every opportunity to do so," Fitzgerald said. "That is what we are doing today. Through our Kane Regional Centers and CCAC, we are going to provide the ability for people to get the photo identification that they need to cast their ballot this November."
Pennsylvania Act 18, passed by the state General Assembly earlier this year and signed into law by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, will require all voters to present a valid photo ID card with an expiration date before they can cast a ballot. The law, which is currently being challenged in state court, has been called one of the most restrictive in the nation by civil rights advocates.
In July, the state Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Department of State admitted that up to 758,000 people who are registered to vote lack driver's licenses that would comply with the new law, meaning they might not be allowed to vote in November.
The law does allow photo ID cards from universities and personal care facilities to be presented at the polls, as long as those cards carry an expiration date.
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Category: Announcements || By An Editor
More than 100 tote bags from McKeesport-area residents have been contributed to the Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project.
A drop-off spot for the project has been established at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Walnut Street at Eighth Avenue, Downtown. The bags should be dropped off at the church office during business hours, or on Sundays following the 8 and 10 a.m. services.
The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project is a grassroots effort to collect reusable tote bags for clients who use food pantries affiliated with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The collection will be held at the Munhall Municipal Building, 1900 West St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The effort is designed to keep unwanted medications out of the hands of children, and from contaminating drinking water.
State Rep. Bill Kortz, who announced the drop-off program, says the Pennsylvania General Assembly is considering legislation to create a standard statewide drug drop-off program.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City police and ordinance officers are making a concerted effort to target high weeds, property maintenance violations, abandoned vehicles and other neighborhood nuisances.
The stepped-up enforcement comes at the request of Mayor Michael Cherepko, police Chief Bryan Washowich says. "The mayor made it loud and clear that he expects results," he says.
Complaints can be emailed to crimeprevention@mckpd.us.
"All summer, we've been trying to target five to 10 houses a week," Washowich says. "Our feeling is that if we can target five to 10 houses a week, especially on certain blocks, we can start to see a difference."
Adds the chief: "We're going to try and turn things around, but obviously, it's a long-term project."
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Three free seminars on getting financial aid for college will be held in the Mon-Yough area, state Sen. Jim Brewster has announced.
The seminars are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on three Saturdays --- one each in October, November and December.
The McKeesport seminar is slated for Nov. 17 at Penn State Greater Allegheny's Student Community Center, in the Ostermayer Room. Students or parents planning to attend should make a reservation before Nov. 13 by calling Kathy Jo Osman at (412) 664-5200 or emailing kosman@pasenate.com.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The 180th "birthday" of McKeesport's first public school will be celebrated with a weekend-long celebration Sept. 29 and 30 at McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center.
Built in 1832 and originally located in the city's First Ward section --- now the site of U.S. Steel's McKeesport Tubular Operations plant --- the building once known as the "little red schoolhouse" was restored a decade ago and is now incorporated into the center's museum in Renziehausen Park.
Executive Director Michelle Wardle-Eggers says the center will spotlight the schoolhouse's heritage with family activities all weekend from 12 to 4 p.m. Sept. 29, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sept. 30, including a "stuffed animal sleepover" on Saturday night.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The Tony Award-winning musical "The Drowsy Chaperone" comes to the McKeesport Little Theater this weekend and continues through Sept. 23.
A parody of American Broadway musicals of the 1920s, "Chaperone" is the story of a curmudgeonly theatergoer --- the "Man in Chair" --- who spends an evening sitting at home, alone, listening to a record album of his favorite show, the fictional 1928 musical "The Drowsy Chaperone."
As the "Man in Chair" listens and comments (sometimes sarcastically) on the play, the actors and scenes appear in his apartment.
The real musical, with a book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar and music and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, debuted in 1998 in Toronto and opened on Broadway in 2006, winning Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score.
MLT's production opens tonight at 8 and continues through Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.
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Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport Symphony Orchestra celebrates the South Hills' arts scene tomorrow evening with Wine.Art.Music at the Schoolhouse Arts Gallery in Bethel Park.
A spokeswoman said there will be wine tasting featuring Erie's Heritage Wines, samples of cheeses and chocolates, a gift shop and gallery featuring local artists and craftspeople, and a silent auction of gift baskets, tickets to upcoming events, and memorabilia, including an autographed photo of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.
In addition, McKeesport Symphony musicians will perform throughout the event in a variety of ensembles and styles.
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Category: News || By Submitted Reports
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
(LISTEN:Hear public comments from this council meeting. MP3 file, 8MB)
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The practice of "canning" or "tagging" may soon be a thing of the past in McKeesport.
City council is considering an ordinance that would forbid booster groups, athletic associations and other groups from collecting donations from cars stopped at street corners.
Council President Darryl Segina, who supports such a ban, said at Tuesday's work session that it was a matter of time before someone was struck by a car and seriously injured.
"They've just got to find other ways to raise money," he said.
West Mifflin and North Huntingdon Township already forbid the practice. White Oak requires a permit from the police department to "can" or "tag" on a borough-maintained street, and requires further permission from the state Department of Transportation to "can" or "tag" on a state road.
In McKeesport, the intersection of O'Neil Boulevard and Eden Park Boulevard is particularly popular for "canning" or "tagging."
Mayor Michael Cherepko said that on his suggestion, city police have begun restricting permission to people aged 18 or older. "All of these organizations have faced funding cuts and they're struggling," he said. "I hate to see (can drives) cut altogether."
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Category: Another Viewpoint || By A Longtime Resident
Editor's Note: The following letter to the editor is from a Haler Heights resident who has asked to have their name withheld. It has been edited slightly to fit this space and for readability.
McKeesport police Chief Bryan Washowich has been invited to respond; we will publish his response when it's received.
. . .
The other night, a homeowner who lives in our neighborhood had an outdoor, all-hours-of-the-night party. Now, this was a weeknight. Late on Tuesday night.
But OK, everyone gets loud sometimes so cut him some slack ... right? I can sleep through a lot and I dozed off. So no harm, no foul.
However, at quarter to one in the morning or so, when the fireworks started going off around his home, that changed. My wife woke up abruptly, panicking that it was gunshots, and was afraid to even look out the window. Then she saw the flashes in the air and knew what it was. That's when the panic turned to being just plain mad.
If it was your average resident doing this, it would be one thing. But we later found out from surrounding neighbors that it was in fact a city police officer who owns the house and who was hosting the all night party in their driveway!
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