Filed Under: Cartoons || By Jason Togyer
Category: News || By Submitted Report
A city native and McKeesport Area High School graduate celebrated a homecoming of sorts at West Mifflin's annual Memorial Day ceremony, held Saturday.
U.S. Army Col. Craig Bollenberg delivered the keynote address before veterans, their families, local dignitaries and elected officials who gathered at Mitchell Paige Memorial Park in the borough's Duquesne Village neighborhood.
"It really is great to be back home," Bollenberg said. "I'm sure some of my school teachers would be absolutely dumbfounded to find out you have given me the honor of speaking today as we celebrate Memorial Day. And if there are any of my former teachers in the crowd, I hope I don't disappoint you."
. . .
Bollenberg, a 1978 graduate of McKeesport Area High School and a member of its alumni hall of fame, is a career U.S. Army officer who served in Iraq during the first Gulf War and the former dean of the Joint and Combined Warfighting School at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va.
He currently serves as director of the Army's Training Operations Management Agency, part of the Training and Doctrine Command, which develops educational, training and leadership development programs for soldiers and officers.
Training has rapidly evolved so that today's servicemen and women can cope with insurgent groups, terrorists and terror cells, and other non-traditional enemies, Bollenberg told his audience.
. . .
"Our soldiers today serve multiple combat tours in some of the most inhospitable places on Earth," he said. "They routinely fight in temperatures of 130 degrees and extreme altitudes in full combat gear weighing anywhere between 63 to 130 pounds.
"The enemy they fight is a non-traditional enemy --- they are not bound by the same Geneva Convention or morality of our soldiers," he said. "This enemy is one of the most ruthless enemies our nation has fought."
Bollenberg thanked his listeners for their continued support of troops serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Letters and cards, gifts and necessities, and receptions held for returning soldiers, sailors and marines make a big difference, he said.
. . .
"You make our servicemen feel they are truly fighting for a just cause," Bollenberg told the crowd. "I would like to personally thank for your support of our men and women in uniform."
Bollenberg also presented the commander of VFW Post 914, Charles Krebs, with a citation from U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.
The citation thanks the post for organizing events throughout the Mon Valley and the greater Pittsburgh area to benefit personnel both serving and returning from duty overseas.
"Your support to the Wounded Warrior and Blue Star programs is truly world class," Dempsey wrote. "Your commitment through the years in supporting Memorial Day services and other holidays to commemorate the service of our veterans demonstrates the values and qualities that make our nation great."
. . .
The event, organized by West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly, included participants from Veterans of Foreign Wars "Intrepid" Post 914, the West Mifflin Area High School Air Force Junior ROTC program, Cub Scout Pack 31, and borough police, fire and emergency medical personnel.
West Mifflin Borough Council President Regis Stephenson served as master of ceremonies, while Rev. W. David Schorr delivered the benediction and invocation. A selection of patriotic songs was performed by Eugene Staudt, a member of VFW Post 914.
Other dignitaries included state Sen. Jay Costa of Forest Hills; state Rep. Bill Kortz of Dravosburg; Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey, and Homestead Mayor Betty Esper and Munhall Mayor Ray Bodnar.
Following a wreath-laying ceremony to recognize the sacrifices of military and emergency-services personnel, a rifle salute was offered by a VFW honor squad led by Kenneth Curcio, while Chelsea Taylor of West Mifflin Area High School played taps.
. . .
Editor's Note: All information in this story was gathered, reported and submitted by Mike Mauer, quartermaster for VFW Post 914.
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Category: News || By Staff Report
A freshman from South Allegheny High School in Liberty Borough will have her artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year after winning a regional competition.
At a ceremony this month at the William Pitt student union of the University of Pittsburgh, Stephanie Taylor was awarded first prize for the 14th Congressional District by U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, Penn Hills Democrat.
Her painting, entitled "Leaves," will be displayed as part of an exhibit of student art from across the nation entered into the 2010 Congressional High School Arts Competition.
Taylor's work was selected by a panel of Allegheny County area artists out of 60 entries received from 12 schools in Doyle's district.
"I can't imagine how the judges were able to pick a winner," Doyle said. "The hard work and dedication that these students put into their work is clear, and their artistic talents are quite evident in the artwork they submitted. They all should be proud of their creativity and talent."
Runners-up from the Mon-Yough area included Victoria Donahoe of West Mifflin High School, who received a third prize for her acrylic on paper composition, "Bananas with Plastic."
Artwork by runners-up will be displayed for one year in Doyle's district and Washington, D.C., offices, said Matt Dinkel, Doyle spokesman.
The competition, sponsored by the Congressional Arts Caucus and hosted locally by Doyle, is open to all public and private high school students.
"Every year, I am amazed at the talent and creativity of the young people in our communities," Doyle said.
Twelve students received honorable mentions for their work, including Alexis Carr of South Allegheny High School for her acrylic composition "A Mother's Love," Nikki Croft of East Allegheny High School for her acrylic on canvas composition "Discovery of Colors," and Elijah Johnson of Woodland Hills for his dry-point print "Season Three."
. . .
PennDOT Suspends Road Work for Holiday: Most state road construction has been suspended through Monday for the Memorial Day holiday, but lane restrictions remain in effect, says Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Motorists will still need to slow down in work zones and use extra caution in several areas, including on the Parkway East between Churchill and Monroeville. The outbound or eastbound lanes of the highway are restricted to two lanes.
Anticipating a heavy travel weekend for the unofficial "start of summer," Struzzi says PennDOT is asking drivers to slow down and allow extra time in areas where construction work has been ongoing. To get a list of local construction zones, visit the PennDOT website.
In addition, motorists are asked to report problems with state-maintained roads by calling toll-free 1-800 FIX-ROAD.
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Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
On Sunday, I attended the final performance of "Urinetown: The Musical" at the McKeesport Little Theater. I was skeptical that MLT would be able to mount a musical on its tiny stage, and also about the receptiveness of a relatively conservative, older audience to the musical itself.
I shouldn't have worried about either issue. The MLT did its usual amazing job in adapting "Urinetown" to the venue (it helps that the musical requires only very basic sets) and there was a good, enthusiastic crowd on hand that laughed and applauded heartily throughout the show.
About halfway through the first act, my companion --- who's not from McKeesport --- grabbed my arm and whispered, "I had no idea this would be so good."
. . .
Exactly. They do a damned good job at the McKeesport Little Theater at putting on professional-quality productions with a mix of professional and amateur artists, working on a very limited budget.
The McKeesport Symphony Orchestra does a damned good job, too. I missed the final concert of the 2009-10 season because I was out of town, but regular readers of Tube City Almanac know that I'm an enthusiastic supporter, and that Tube City Community Media Inc. has been taping its concerts for broadcast on Pittsburgh's WRCT-FM (88.3).
Listeners have reacted very positively, many with the same response: "I had no idea McKeesport had a symphony orchestra, or that it was so good."
. . .
Well, how would anyone know that there were good things in McKeesport? After all, McKeesport only gets bashed. And a lot of the bashing comes from McKeesporters.
Additional bashing comes from people who should have a vested interest in boosting McKeesport, such as those of us from the adjoining communities.
For all of the people who bemoan the sorry look of Downtown's shopping district, how many of them actually shopped there?
I don't mean in the 1960s. I mean 10 or 15 years ago, when stores like Kadar's and Photographics Supply and Rubenstein's were still located on Fifth Avenue.
No, instead, we sat around and bitched and complained, and told our friends how bad Downtown was. It was a wonderfully self-fulfilling prophesy. Now it is that bad.
. . .
For that matter, how many McKeesport-area residents have attended a concert or event in the city in the last 10 years?
(I had someone from White Oak recently tell me she was "afraid" to go to Renziehausen Park. Oh, for cripes' sake. Like there are marauding gangs of horseshoe players and joggers, having rumbles at the tennis courts.)
It amazes me how much the McKeesport area has to offer, and how little residents of the McKeesport area appreciate that.
Last year, when we interviewed Ray Dougherty, manager of the McKees Point Marina, he noted that many of the slips were rented by people who drive 10 or 15 or 20 miles to get to McKeesport.
Most of the people who are attending events each week at the Palisades aren't from McKeesport, either. Ditto for people who access the Great Allegheny Passage in McKeesport, or who drive in from Pittsburgh to eat at Tillie's.
. . .
It's funny that people who weren't born and raised in the McKeesport area --- like my companion at the MLT on Sunday --- don't have all of our hangups.
Perhaps one explanation comes from the Bible. Mark's gospel notes that when Jesus returned to Nazareth to preach, He was heckled by His friends and neighbors. Christ replies: "Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house."
Maybe it's perfectly normal --- even Biblical! --- that it takes outsiders to show us how much we truly have.
. . .
But there's nothing honorable about bashing your hometown. So knock it off. Either get involved, try to change things, or shut up.
We have enough wounds to heal without inflicting new ones on ourselves.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Neighborhood Foot Patrols Added: City police will be walking beats this spring and summer as part of an effort to deter crime and improve communications.
Chief Bryan Washowich says three two-officer teams are currently on patrol and a fourth will be added when this school year ends.
"We want to try to enforce the little things to make the neighborhoods a better place to live," he says.
Besides criminal activity, police officers will be watching for public health and safety nuisances, including abandoned cars, Washowich says.
Fourteen city neighborhoods are part of the foot patrol rotation, he says.
Bicycle patrols are also being reinstituted, with the help of private contributions and donations, Washowich says. The bike officers will be added to the neighborhood patrol rotation, he says.
. . .
Curfew Warning Posted: Juveniles who are out after the city's 10 p.m. curfew face prosecution this summer, Washowich says.
"Right now, we're doing a lot of verbal warnings, but soon they'll be more arrests," he says.
Under a new strategic plan being developed by officers and Mayor Jim Brewster, police are targeting certain areas where there are "an influx of juveniles at various times of the day," he says.
. . .
Fire, Police Reports for April: City police made 170 arrests in April and issued 79 traffic citations, Washowich told city council this month.
Fire Chief Kevin Lust said his department responded to one structure fire, three kitchen fires and 21 calls for downed power lines, according to
In addition, city firefighters are helping train out-of-town members of the fire service this spring, he says.
On Saturday, firefighters are scheduled to use an abandoned house at 601 Atlantic Ave. in the lower 10th Ward for a training exercise, but Lust says the building will not be burned. Instead, firefighters will practice "breaching" the walls and roof. The property, owned by the city, is slated for demolition.
Lust also thanked Polish National Alliance Lodge No. 352 in the city's East End and First United Methodist Church in the Seventh Ward for donating positive-pressure ventilation fans to the department.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Other blighted properties appear to be victims of real-estate speculators and the subprime mortgage debacle.
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Category: Cartoons || By Jason Togyer
An anonymous blogger critical of Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett plans to challenge a grand jury subpoena ordering Twitter to reveal the blogger's identity.
"It doesn't really matter why we are criticizing him," said "Signor Ferrari," one of the two Twitter users targeted in the subpoena from Corbett, who won the Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday. "It's our First Amendment right to criticize him no matter who we are," Signor Ferrari said in a telephone interview Wednesday. Signor Ferrari uses that pen name on the CasablancaPA blog ...
The subpoena follows a string of similar efforts to unmask anonymous writers, with mixed results ... While those efforts involved civil subpoenas, Corbett is apparently treating his online critics as potential criminals, using his power as the state's top law enforcement official to issue a grand jury subpoena.
The subpoena does not state what kind of crime the grand jury is investigating. (Wired.com)
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Category: Announcements || By Wire Reports
Homebuyer Education Workshop Slated: Mon Valley Initiative will host a homebuyer education workshop from on June 19 at its offices at 305 East Eighth Ave. in Homestead.
Topics include budgeting to purchase a home, shopping for a loan, closing procedures and home maintenance, says Mike Mauer, housing counselor.
Attendees also will be taught qualification guidelines for low-to-moderate income loan products that offer down payment and closing cost assistance. Free parking as well as a light breakfast and lunch will be provided.
The workshop will last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information and to register, call Mauer at (412) 464-4000, extension 4008.
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Lovedale Road to Close: A nearly million-dollar project to replace a narrow bridge in Lincoln Borough will close Lovedale Road for much of the summer.
The bridge, which crosses a tributary of Wylie Run creek, is located along Lovedale Road near the intersection with Fuehrer Drive. It's being replaced by Lane Construction Co. of Thornburg under a $950,000 contract with the state Department of Transportation, says Jim Struzzi, District 11 spokesman.
Traffic will be detoured over Route 48 and Mill Hill Road in Elizabeth Township between June 1 and late August, Struzzi says. Work will be completed in mid-September, weather permitting.
The bridge carries nearly 8,000 cars daily, according to PennDOT traffic estimates.
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Category: News || By Wire Report
Chancellor Curtiss E. Porter conferred degrees on 35 new Penn State graduates from the city's Greater Allegheny Campus during a commencement ceremony Saturday in the Wunderley Gymnasium.
Also included were the campus' first two graduates to receive a bachelor of science degree in nursing, Heather Bolton and Robin Pratt.
The keynote speaker was Esther Bush, president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Pittsburgh.
A native of Pittsburgh, Bush has headed the city's Urban League since 1994. Bush is a graduate of Morgan State and Johns Hopkins universities and serves as an adjunct faculty member in Pitt's School of Social Work.
The nursing graduates are the first from a program jointly administered by Greater Allegheny Campus and the university's Fayette Campus outside of Uniontown.
Created in 2008, the program allows registered nurses to attend classes one night per week, completing six credits per semester toward a bachelor's degree, according to Linda Curinga, campus spokeswoman.
In January, Pratt and Bolton created a website of public health information as part of their capstone course and also held twice-monthly information sessions in the Student Community Center to provide other students with information on topics such as flu, heart disease, communicable diseases and managing stress.
Bolton, of Westmoreland County, is a graduate of Westmoreland County Community College, while Pratt, who lives in the McKeesport area, is a graduate of Community College of Allegheny County.
Photos from the university's commencement ceremony are available at the Penn State website.
. . .
In Other News: A local Penn State sophomore who maintained a 3.87 grade-point average while playing both basketball and baseball is this year's recipient of the John Egli Outstanding Student-Athlete Award.
Mike Hyland received the award Monday, according to Linda Curinga, Greater Allegheny Campus spokeswoman.
The award is annually presented by the Penn State University Athletic Conference in honor of John Egli, head basketball coach at Penn State from 1955 to 1968 and a former assistant professor. As coach, Egli's teams went to the NCAA tournament in 1955 and 1965 and to the National Invitational Tournament in 1966.
Egli was also Penn State's first coordinator of athletics for the university's regional "Commonwealth Campuses."
Hyland was chosen from more than 1,300 student-athletes at Penn State's 14 regional campuses, Curinga said.
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Category: Announcements, News || By Staff Report
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Category: Announcements, News || By Jason Togyer
It could be a slow slog through the Mon-Yough area this weekend as springtime weather causes a variety of construction projects to finally bloom.
. . .
The big news locally is tonight's closure of the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge, which was originally supposed to take place in April, but was postponed due to bad weather.
Allegheny County spokesman Kevin Evanto says public works crews will close the span at 8 tonight, and it will remain closed until 6 a.m. Monday.
The reason? Crews need to repave the approach ramps on the Duquesne side of the bridge.
Because of the ongoing work at the Rankin Bridge, the suggested detours instead take motorists down Lysle Boulevard, across the Mansfield Bridge, and then onto Camp Hollow Road, Philip Murray Road and back to Route 837. A map of the detour can be downloaded from the county's website.
(Nobody asked Tube City Almanac, but you probably know that a quicker detour would take you off the Mansfield Bridge at the first exit into Dravosburg. You'd then take the next two rights, cross the railroad tracks, and get back onto Route 837.)
. . .
Don't think you swells in the Turtle Creek Valley are immune. According to Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, motorists using the Parkway East can expect delays in the area of the Greenfield-Squirrel Hill exit on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Crews will be inspecting the canopy underneath the Greenfield Road Bridge that keeps debris from falling onto the Parkway East and will need to close both the inbound and outbound lanes from time to time, Struzzi says.
The ramp from Squirrel Hill to the inbound Parkway East also will be restricted, he says. Restrictions will occur as well on the ramp from Squirrel Hill to the inbound Parkway East.
. . .
Finally, traffic also will be restricted on the outbound lanes of the Parkway East between Churchill and Monroeville tonight and tomorrow morning while paving crews fix potholes.
. . .
Things get worse Monday morning, especially in the Steel Valley area. Beginning at 9 a.m., Browns Hill Road inbound toward Glenfield and Squirrel Hill will be reduced to a single lane for paving and signal work.
According to Evanto, construction will continue for at least two weeks and the lane restrictions will be in place 24 hours.
Downhill traffic --- toward Homestead --- will be reduced to a single lane as needed, Evanto says, but those restrictions will be removed each day before evening rush hour.
. . .
And wait until we tell you what's happening on Route 51 ... but! We've said too much already.
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Category: Events || By Staff Report
There's a lot to do this weekend in Our Fair City, so there are no excuses for not seeing what McKeesport has to offer:
. . .
'Urinetown' at MLT: McKeesport Little Theater presents "Urinetown," the Tony award-winning satire by Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis.
The musical comedy, which debuted off-Broadway in 2001, is set in a dystopian future when a severe worldwide drought has made clean water a scarce commodity. As a result, even toilet use is rationed, and the worldwide market for bathrooms is controlled by one giant corporation.
People who don't pay the company's fees are arrested and sent to a penal colony called "Urinetown."
Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. McKeesport Little Theater is located at 1614 Coursin St., off Versailles Avenue. Call (412) 673-1100 or visit the MLT website.
. . .
TL Back at Palisades: Terry Lee returns to the Palisades on Saturday night for another oldies dance. The longtime WMCK, WIXZ and Channel 11 personality, now heard Sunday nights on WJAS (1320), will be joined again by fellow DJ Rich Antoncic.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets at the door --- if available --- are $25. (The last show was a sell-out and some late arrivals were turned away.)
The Palisades is located on Fifth Avenue at Water Street, Downtown, next to the McKees Point Marina. Refreshments and food will be available and parking is free. Call (412) 672-2001 or visit the Palisades website for more information.
. . .
And Reminders: ... As we noted Tuesday, McKeesport Symphony Pops will wrap up its 2009-10 season with the concert "Rhythms on Fire" at McKeesport Area High School auditorium. The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday .... McKeesport Art Group opens its 52nd annual art show and craft sale tonight at Jacob Woll Pavilion, Renziehausen Park. The art show continues through Sunday afternoon.
The thought occurs to us that on Sunday, you could go to the art show and then --- since you're in the neighborhood --- attend the symphony concert or see "Urinetown" at the MLT. Seems like a pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The county's public transit agency is restoring bus shelters to five locations where they were removed by a billboard company.
And a spokesman for Port Authority of Allegheny County says the agency is open to exploring the idea of attracting advertising to those shelters --- and sharing the revenues with the city.
It's a somewhat positive development in an ongoing story that began several weeks ago, when Baton Rouge, La., based Lamar Advertising began removing 21 bus shelters in a dispute over the royalty paid to the city.
. . .
As first reported by the Daily News, under a 10-year contract signed in 1999, Lamar paid the city $15,000 for the right to erect the bus shelters on local streets. With annual revenues topping $1 billion, Lamar is the nation's largest operator of billboards.
The city had an option to renew the contract --- signed with a different company that was merged into Lamar --- for $25,000 per year.
When the contract expired last year, however, Lamar offered the city only $2,000, citing a national downturn in advertising that caused the company's revenues to slide.
The city rejected the payment as unrealistically low and Lamar began disassembling the shelters, leaving bus riders out in the rain.
. . .
City Administrator Dennis Pittman then asked Port Authority for help.
"Even though those shelters did serve Port Authority stops, the agreement was sort of out of our control," says Jim Ritchie, spokesman for the transit agency, "but we heard from a lot of riders when those shelters started disappearing."
Within the next two weeks, weather permitting, Port Authority will install shelters along Lysle Boulevard at Coursin Street, Evans Avenue, Market Street and one additional location yet to be decided, Ritchie says.
"Those are four or five of our more widely used stops," he says. Not all of the shelters Lamar is removing will be replaced, Ritchie says, since some stops were eliminated with Port Authority's recent realignment of Mon-Yough local bus service.
. . .
City officials also would like to explore the possibility of attracting advertising to those shelters, and Ritchie says the agency is "not at all opposed" to the idea.
"We're happy to do this much, and we want to keep working with McKeesport," he says.
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Category: Announcements, Calendar || By Jason Togyer
Art Show This Weekend: McKeesport Art Group holds its 52nd annual spring art exhibition, craft show and sale this weekend at Jacob Woll Pavilion, inside Renziehausen Park just off University Drive.
Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, 12 to 8 p.m. Saturday and 12 to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call Jan Catalogna at (412) 469-2710.
. . .
'Rhythms' Mark MSO Concert: The McKeesport Symphony Orchestra closes its 2009-10 season with a fiery, toe-tapping pops concert on Sunday afternoon.
The program, called "Rhythms on Fire," will feature music with a beat, including parts of Leonard Bernstein's passionate score for the musical West Side Story along with selections from Les Miserables and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.
The program will also include "American Salute" by Morton Gould and Khachaturian's famous Sabre Dance.
In addition, portions of the concert will include amateur musicians from the Mon-Yough area who are not members of the MSO's professional group of performers.
Maestro Bruce Lauffer will conduct.
The concert begins at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium of McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens and $8 for students.
For more information, call (412) 664-2854 or visit the symphony's website.
. . .
'Dancing Queen' Reservations Underway: The Carnegie Library of McKeesport will welcome back the disco tribute group "Dancing Queen" for a fundraiser at the Palisades, Fifth Avenue at Water Street, Downtown.
The concert and dance --- billed as "Pittsburgh's Hottest Live Disco Party" --- are slated for 8 p.m. next Saturday, May 22. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.
For reservations or more information, visit the Carnegie Library, 1507 Library Ave., check out the library's website, or call (412) 672-0625.
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Category: News || By Staff Report
According to a memo to council from police Lt. Dennis Lopretto, the intersections don't justify traffic lights under state Department of Transportation guidelines.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
In the face of complaints and a petition from residents, city officials this week defended their rehiring of a controversial animal control firm whose past practices included asphyxiating stray dogs with a gasoline engine.
They also promised to closely monitor Ferree Kennels, located in the city's East End, which was last month awarded a month-to-month contract for catching dogs and cats.
And Mayor Jim Brewster said he will ask owner Ken Ferree to turn unlicensed animals over to "no-kill shelters" such as one in White Oak.
. . .
Their reassurances rang hollow to residents who spoke out at Wednesday's council meeting.
"He has no compassion at all," Dorothy Traczynski of Grandview said of Ferree. She complained that she called several members of council to voice her objections, but that most failed to return her phone messages.
"I think if I were a councilman, I would listen to what people had to say," Traczynski said.
. . .
Ferree was not present at Wednesday's meeting to defend himself. He served as the city's animal control officer for 15 years before being replaced in 2006 because of public outcry.
James Jackson of Beech Street claimed that Ferree --- who has the discretion to issue citations to residents whose animals are running loose --- mails out tickets based on anonymous phone calls and doesn't investigate.
"I've gotten nine citations and (Ferree) has never even met me," Jackson said. "If you call him, he can't even describe the dog he says was running loose."
. . .
Police Chief Bryan Washowich told Jackson he would investigate his case and find out if a neighbor was abusing the system by filing complaints with Ferree.
But he and Brewster said the city needs an animal control officer who responds immediately when a dangerous animal is running loose or threatening police or civilians.
The city's previous provider, Triangle Pet Control Services, is located on the other side of Allegheny County in McKees Rocks. Washowich said the company sometimes needed 45 minutes or more to answer a call.
He held up his hands to demonstrate the number of complaints he has received from officers unable to serve warrants or make arrests while waiting for Triangle Pet: "I've got a file this thick."
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
A newly installed city councilor says she's going to "keep on talking" about violence because she's "tired of going to funerals."
But suggestions by Councilwoman V. Fawn Walker that the city isn't doing enough to stop teen-agers from committing gun crimes have brought sharp rebuttals from Mayor Jim Brewster.
Their latest disagreement came at Tuesday night's council work session, where Walker invited Richard Garland, director of the Pittsburgh-based One Vision, One Life project, to speak.
. . .
An ex-gang member from Philadelphia, Garland uses ex-cons to mentor and "scare straight" violent teen offenders. His street teams also act as a rapid-response unit after violent crimes, sweeping into neighborhoods to discourage retaliation and encourage witnesses to speak up.
Garland's approach would be a useful addition to the city's crime-prevention programs, Walker said. "I think we need to do more," she said. "I've been saying it all along, and I'm going to keep on saying it."
But Brewster --- who has dedicated an increasing amount of time to fighting the city's image problem --- said calling in an outside agency sends the wrong message.
. . .
"I have no problem with (Garland), but if we over-dramatize this, we send a message that this is a bad place to be, and that's wrong," Brewster said.
The mayor said he would leave the decision whether to include Garland and One Vision in the city's crime-fighting efforts up to police Chief Bryan Washowich. "He has the latitude to call him if he needs him," Brewster said.
The city's existing teen outreach programs, run in cooperation with police, the McKeesport Ministerium, the school district and several local non-profit groups, are already making a difference, the mayor said.
. . .
Walker said the current approach "has been successful," but that it's reaching only "the safe kids" who are attending school or church.
This "quiet approach" is missing the "hard cases" who are already committing crimes and are in the system, Walker said.
"Why not bring in a group that would have that rapport?" she said. "We have to acknowledge that this is an issue, because I've talked to a lot of residents, black and white, who think we're ignoring it."
. . .
One Vision is currently active in Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as Homewood, Garfield and the Hill District. Garland has been known to walk the streets after a shooting or other violent crime and use a bullhorn to ask residents to come out of their homes.
Brewster is afraid those kinds of activities will attract unwanted media attention. "I think we do ourselves a disservice with those kinds of tactics," he said. "When Channel 4 shows up, we're in a bad way."
One Vision doesn't court the media, Garland said. "We're not going to come into McKeesport to give you a bad name," he said. "The only thing I'm here for is I don't want to see (any) more young African-American kids killed. But McKeesport is going to get a bad name if killings continue to happen."
. . .
There were eight homicides in the city in 2009. Six of the victims were African-American males, according to the New Pittsburgh Courier.
Like Walker, Garland said the city's existing outreach efforts aren't bad. "I'm talking about trying to reach the five to 10 percent of kids who aren't talking to anybody," he said.
Retired basketball coach and high school teacher Gerald "Pudding" Grayson, who volunteers in Brewster's crime prevention efforts, attended Tuesday's meeting and said he found Garland's work and attitude encouraging.
. . .
"He didn't have to come here," Grayson said. "To me it was enlightening to see him."
Too many residents are unwilling to speak out, he said. "There's a lot of talking going on in McKeesport, but nobody wants to come here (to city council) or to the school board and stand up and be a representative."
That alone makes Garland unique, Grayson said: "I don't know him, but he came to my town and he wants to help."
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Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
I have occasionally made fun of some of the editorials that the Daily News picks up from its parent newspaper. Those editorials have been known to be somewhat ... er, strident.
But I've also noted that the locally written editorials about the McKeesport area are often quite good, and that Daily News' editorial page is worth your time for that reason.
Monday's editorial page was no exception.
The unsigned editorial titled "Worth the $5,500" concerns the release --- over the objections of the West Mifflin Area School Board --- of an independent investigation into former school Superintendent Patrick Risha. Risha also served as superintendent in the South Allegheny and McKeesport districts.
The report, obtained by the Post-Gazette under the terms of a "Right-to-Know" request, concludes that Risha ordered school district employees to perform personal work for him, his son and West Mifflin school director Albert Graham.
The News' editorial isn't online, but it's hard-hitting and deserves wider distribution, so I am forced to scan it in and violate all sorts of copyrights.
Take time to read it, and especially the last sentence: "With this report, Grant Street prosecutors may have a field day."
Mr. Zappala? When you're done with Ms. Orie, you have urgent business to attend to in the Mon Valley, and I'm not talking about the new regional courthouse in the Third Ward.
. . .
Opinions expressed are those of individual authors, and not those of Tube City Community Media Inc. or its board of directors. Responsible replies are welcome.
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Category: News || By Staff Report
A contractor on Thursday will begin the long-awaited reconstruction of West Fifth Avenue in the 10th Ward.
But the first phase will include only a short stretch of road between the Jerome Avenue Bridge and Rebecca Street.
Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said in a release Tuesday that crews from A. Folino Construction of Oakmont will begin removing the old pavement at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Traffic will be restricted to a single lane in each direction during the construction project. Most of the work on West Fifth will be done at night through May 13 to minimize traffic disruptions, Struzzi said. "Some minor traffic signal" work also will occur.
The construction that begins this week covers only the short section of West Fifth Avenue --- about 600 feet --- owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The remaining portion of West Fifth, between Rebecca Street and Ramp Two, is owned by the city and is being repaved under a separate contract awarded last month to Donegal Construction.
City Administrator Dennis Pittman told the Almanac that local and state officials will meet with the contractor on Monday to discuss the scope of the reconstruction project, which will finally remove from the pavement the streetcar tracks that have remained unused since 1963.
If all necessary approvals are received and the weather cooperates, Pittman said, work on the remainder of West Fifth could begin by the end of the month.
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Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The housing corporation provides financial assistance and help obtaining grants and low-interest loans for low-to-moderate income families whose houses need renovations and repairs.
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