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Golf Outing July 13: Registration is now open for the McKeesport Housing Corp.'s second-annual golf outing, to be held July 13 at Butler's Golf Course in Elizabeth Township.

Spokesman Jim Haughey says the outing will be "four-man scramble" style, with sign-in at 8 a.m., "shotgun start" at 9 a.m., and dinner, Chinese auction and award ceremony at 2 p.m.

Prizes will be given for the longest drive, lowest net-score, longest putt, and shot "closest to the pin," while a hole-in-one will net the lucky golfer a new car, donated by Tom Clark Chevrolet, Long Run Road.

Sponsorship starts at $110 per golfer or $400 for a foursome, while guests may attend dinner only for $30.

All donations benefit MHC, a tax-deductible corporation which provides financial assistance to low- and moderate-income homeowners in the city.

Since 1985, 700 homes have been renovated or repaired through MHC, while 33 new homes and the 26-unit Grandview Apartments complex were constructed, Haughey says.

For more information, call (412) 664-7003 or download the registration form.

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New Scholarship Money: Penn State's Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport has received $50,000 in scholarship money from the Penn State Alumni Association, a spokeswoman says.

The city campus was included in the second of seven installments first pledged by the alumni association in 2008. When complete, the pledges will amount to $2.1 million in gifts across the Penn State system.

Other gifts were made this year to Penn State campuses in Abington and Scranton, along with the College of Agricultural Sciences in University Park.

An additional $100,000 has pledged to support recruitment of Penn State undergraduates to the university's Dickinson School of Law.

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Advice for First-Time Homebuyers: Mon Valley Initiative will hold a free pre-purchase "housing workshop" from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 25th at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit Building, 475 E. Waterfront Dr., Homestead.

Part of the presentation will feature lending products available for low-to-moderate income first-time homebuyers that include down payment and closing cost assistance, spokesman Mike Mauer says.

One such program is the Targeted Areas Homebuyers Program offered through the Allegheny County Residential Finance Authority.

Designed to encourage homeownership in seven Allegheny County communities, including the city, Clairton, Duquesne, Homestead, Rankin and West Homestead, the program provides fixed-rate, 30 year mortgages with up to $5,000 in assistance for down payments and closing costs.

Homebuyers must meet Federal Housing Administration guidelines and fulfill other requirements, Mauer says.

All participants who successfully complete the course receive a certificate which enables them to obtain community development mortgage loans from local lenders. These loan programs are designed specifically for families earning less than 80 percent of the Allegheny County median, or less than $50,000 for a family of four, Mauer says.

Additional topics covered at the seminar will include budgeting, shopping for home loans, and home maintenance.

There will also be information about homes that MVI currently has available for purchase. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

To register, call Mauer at (412) 464-4000 or visit the MVI website.