Filed Under: News || By Jason Togyer
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The drive from McKeesport to Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood is only about a half-hour. From the city to Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood is maybe a little less, depending on traffic.
Getting there on a bus can take at least an hour. And McKeesport to Monroeville on a bus? Try two hours, including a transfer between two different bus routes. If you've never done it, imagine how difficult it is to get anywhere on time.
Now, imagine trying to make one of those trips on a bus while recovering from cancer surgery, or while suffering the side effects of chemotherapy and other treatments.
The American Cancer Society is trying to make those kinds of trips a little bit easier for patients and caregivers. The agency's East Central Division, which serves the Mon Valley, is recruiting drivers and their vehicles for its "Road to Recovery" program.
Volunteers are asked to occasionally --- once a month, or perhaps a few times per year --- drive a cancer patient to a doctor's appointment, says Sharon Stalter, health initiatives representative.
"We have a lot of demand," she says. "The need has increased dramatically, and I think it's a result of the economy and a lack of public transportation in certain areas."
"Road to Recovery" was launched in 1981, though the cancer society has been offering similar ride programs since the 1960s. Last year, 52 volunteers provided 1,670 trips in Allegheny County alone, Stalter says, but volunteers in the Mon-Yough area are sorely lacking.
Category: News || By Submitted Report
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Work resumes Friday morning on a $5.6 million project to replace a bridge on Curry Hollow Road in Pleasant Hills, said a district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Weather permitting, crews will restrict the road to a single, 10-foot-lane in each direction between Jefferson Memorial Cemetery and the Route 51 cloverleaf, said Jim Struzzi of PennDOT District 11.
Restrictions will remain in place around-the clock through mid-November, he said.
Crews are replacing an existing three-span I-beam bridge that carries Curry Hollow Road over railroad tracks and a small valley just past the Sheetz store. The project, started in early 2012, includes widening the road, adding a turning lane, replacing traffic signals and eventually repaving Curry Hollow from Route 51 to Brownsville Road.
Overall work will conclude in late fall 2013, Struzzi said. The prime contractor is Carmen Paliotta Contracting Inc. of South Park Twp.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
As long as you hate, there will be people to hate. George Harrison (b. 2/25/1943) #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 26, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
The late Phil Musick called them "things I think I think." The late Bruce Keidan called them "loose items from a tight-leaf notebook." I call them "cluttered items from an empty mind," because if a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what's signified by an empty desk?
. . .
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Give and it will be given to you; good measure, running over, will be put into your lap. Luke 6:38 #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 24, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
You don't have to become something you're not to be better than you were. Sidney Poitier (b. 2/20/1927) #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 20, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Once you take care of people, people will respect you. George Weah, African soccer player and humanitarian#McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 19, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport Art Group will provide lessons in sketching a live person at its next meeting at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday.
A model will pose in native American garb, says Jan Catalogna, group president, who is encouraging attendees to bring "pad and paper, charcoal and pencil."
"This should be a lot of fun, as we have never before sketched from a live model at a meeting," she says.
Catalogna will show how to lay out a figure, and how to use simple shapes to achieve the correct proportions. "If you have never attempted this before, now is the time to give it a try," Catalogna says.
The group meets in the art room of McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd. There is no charge to attend and the public is welcome. For more information, visit the website or call (412) 469-2710.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The federal government will stop mailing paper checks for Social Security, Railroad Retirement, Veterans Affairs and other benefits on March 1. A reminder was issued by state Rep. Bill Kortz this week.
All recipients must switch to direct deposit or a Direct Express debit card before then, Kortz said. If you already get electronic payments from Social Security, the VA or the Railroad Retirement board, you will not be affected.
To start using direct deposit, Kortz said recipients should call the U.S. Treasury's Electronic Payment Solution Center at 1-800-333-1795.
Another option is to get a Direct Express debit card, which can be used anywhere that MasterCard is accepted. Direct Express debit cards are available at the Social Security office, 540 Fifth Ave., Downtown McKeesport, Kortz said.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Utility line relocations will cause traffic restrictions on Greensburg Pike in the West Wilmerding section of North Versailles Twp., an Allegheny County spokeswoman said.
The utility relocation work is part of the $20 million Greensburg Pike Bridge Replacement Project. The bridge itself is slated to close this summer.
The work will cause single-lane closures beginning today and continuing through April 1. Lanes will be restricted between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, weather permitting.
For the duration of the project, sidewalks on Greensburg Pike will be closed from Kline Avenue to the intersection of Penn and Airbrake avenues in Turtle Creek, including those on the bridge.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Messiah Lutheran Church in Munhall will hold a pancake and sausage breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday. Cost is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 4 to 10, and free for children under 4.
The church is located at 4300 Main St., Munhall, just north of the intersection of Brierly Lane and Interboro Avenue. Call (412) 461-6958.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life. John F. Kennedy #McKeesportMessage #PresidentsDay
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 18, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14 #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 17, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
There's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. Scott Adams #respect#McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 15, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Allegheny County Health Department today announced its upcoming schedule of food protection certification courses for food industry workers.
The two-day course will be offered on May 3 and 10 at UPMC McKeesport Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
Sessions also will be available March 4 and 11 at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh's Friendship neighborhood; March 18 and 25 at St. Valentine's Church, Bethel Park; and April 8 and 15 at the Club at Nevillewood in Collier Twp.
The course teaches the importance of food safety along with techniques designed to prevent food contamination and outbreaks of food poisoning. The Health Department requires facilities that prepare foods to have at least one certified worker on site during operating hours.
The fee is $60 for anyone who lives or works in Allegheny County. Non-residents pay $75. A three-year certification is awarded to those who complete the course and pass the exam.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Want to rebel against your parents? Outearn them, outlive them, and know more than they do. Henry Rollins (b. 2/13/1961) #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 13, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
Nobody asked me, but ...
. . .
Two popular restaurants in the Christy Park section of the city --- almost directly across Walnut Street from each other --- closed recently in a span of a few weeks. That has people, including a few city council members at last week's meeting, asking, "What does it mean?"
In my opinion? It means the restaurant business is a hard one, even if you have a good location and good food. The continued popularity of reality shows such as "Kitchen Nightmares" would seem to be proof of that.
Actually, running any business is a hard one --- even this little ol' website, which has never yet covered its own modest expenses. (It's supposed to be a non-profit corporation. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.) But the restaurant business would seem to have a few unique challenges.
In the case of Tiger Town Pizza, according to a legal notice recently printed in the Daily News, the owner has filed to liquidate the company under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. According to documents filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, the restaurant, which opened in 2007 and closed in late December, owes creditors (including other local businesses) $121,177 and has $65,700 in assets.
In the case of Chick's Grill, located across the street, the closure is apparently the result of a dispute over a new lease between the restaurant and the property's owners. No plans to reopen in a new location have been announced as yet.
Category: Pointless Digressions || By Jason Togyer
To put it simply, the comment form on Tube City Almanac sucks and blows at the same time.
It stinks. As they say in Latin, "excrementum," or in Russian, "crapski."
To paraphrase Ross Perot, "I know it, you know it, and the American people know it."
There are many reasons. Mainly, because the software that runs Tube City Almanac is almost as out-of-date as a Ross Perot joke, and like a Ross Perot joke, no one wants it. So the software is very hard to update.
The spam filter, which was already crummy when I first turned it on, is now a joke of a different kind. It blocks many, many, many legitimate comments --- for no apparent reason! --- while letting the spammers through. Yippee! It's the worst of both worlds!
I'm honestly not trying to censor comments. (There are some lively conversations happening on our Facebook wall, often with readers telling me I'm full of excrementum. You don't have to be a Facebook user to see them.)
Why don't I just fix it? Because the guy who runs our server is a one-man operation and, like me, he has a full-time job. He is updating all of his servers, but it's taking time.
He and I want to rebuild the site with new software. (Like everything else, we could use some help in that department.) When we do, I am hoping to add a plug-in, off-the-shelf, up-to-date comment system. (There are a few, like LiveFyre, that are tied to Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks.)
In the meantime, this is my promise: If you try to post a comment and it's rejected, please, email me at tube city tiger at gmail dot com, and I will make sure it appears. I would prefer you sign your name, but if you need to remain anonymous or want to use a pen name, Tube City Community Media Inc. will never, ever release your identity, short of a court order.
If you're still worried, send an anonymous letter via U.S. Mail to P.O. Box 94, McKeesport 15134. You can't get much more private than that.
Just don't bother sending me a complaint about the comment system. I know. I know. Crapski.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
The respect and esteem of your fellow citizens, once forfeited, can never be regained. A. Lincoln (b. 2-12-1809) #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 12, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Hope is a powerful weapon even when nothing else may remain. Nelson Mandela (freed from jail this date in 1990)#McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 11, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The union representing McKeesport firefighters has given the city a little more breathing room on staffing issues and insurance.
In turn, the city has approved a five-year contract extension with members of Firefighters Local Union 10.
"We care about the city we live in," says Jerry Tedesco, union president. "We live here, we work here and we don't want to put the city into a bad position."
Mayor Mike Cherepko calls the contract extension, unanimously approved last week by city council, a "win-win" and "admirable and respectable" by union members. The city expects to save "about $100,000 a year" as a result of the deal, he says.
"I'm very pleased that we had a department step up and work with the city and resolve issues that were becoming very costly for the City of McKeesport," Cherepko says.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. Matthew 7:12 #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 10, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Admire and emulate ethical behavior. If you fail, adjust your life, not your standard. Ted Koppel (b. 2/8/40) #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 8, 2013
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
MedExpress Urgent Care is coming to the city.
City council on Wednesday by 7-0 vote approved a site plan submitted on behalf of the Morgantown, W.Va.-based chain of walk-in, urgent care clinics located in eight Eastern states.
The city planning commission previously signed off on the proposal.
MedExpress Urgent Care centers offer walk-in treatment for illnesses and minor injuries seven days per week, as well as physicals, laboratory services, vaccinations and other procedures typically available from a primary-care physician.
The new clinic would be located on Walnut Street in Christy Park, next to Bottom Dollar. It would replace the building once occupied by Gilbert Lumber. Tax records indicate the property is owned by the Blairsville-based parent company of Tri-Star Ford and its related auto dealerships.
An employee of the engineering company developing the site plan said this week that no timetable has yet been set for demolition of the old building or construction of the new one.
According to its website, the privately owned company currently operates more than 50 clinics in Pennsylvania, including locations in Monroeville, Pleasant Hills and North Huntingdon Twp.
The McKeesport clinic will be MedExpress' first Mon Valley location. The company's 100th clinic opened last week in Jeannette.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Submitted Reports
Mon-Yough legislators react to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2013-14 budget:
State Sen. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport:
I am encouraged by the governor's interest in providing $90 million more state dollars to our public schools. I believe this renewed commitment is a healthy sign that he now recognizes that his previous two budgets shortchanged schools by $900 million and spurred steep property tax hikes across the state.
While I am pleased that the governor is trying to make amends and wants to more adequately fund schools, I am disappointed that he is proposing that some of the additional funding be contingent upon legislative approval of his liquor privatization and pension funding schemes. The education of our children is too important to be used as a bargaining chip.
Since the governor took office, test scores have fallen, 80 percent of school districts have raised local taxes and 15,500 jobs have been lost. Our children are our greatest resource and they deserve to receive the best education available, which is contingent upon fully-funded budgets.
While I was pleased with some of the ideas in today's budget proposal, I hope we can provide additional support to schools and make a greater investment in our infrastructure, proven economic development and job creation programs.
As we were able to do the past two years, I look forward to working with my fellow lawmakers --- both Democrats and Republicans --- in the months ahead to improve on the governor's budget proposal and restore dollars to numerous important programs and services.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Be grateful for luck. Pay thunder no mindlisten to the birds. And don't hate nobody. Eubie Blake (b. 2/7/1887) #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 7, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The Allegheny County Elections Division yesterday announced that nominating petitions for all elected offices appearing on the May 21 Municipal Primary ballot, except statewide judicial and Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas races, will be available on Feb. 12.
Nominating petitions may be obtained by visiting the Elections Division, Room 601, County Office Building, 542 Forbes Ave., downtown Pittsburgh between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For questions or additional information, call (412) 350-4528.
Candidates for statewide judicial and Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas races may obtain petitions by contacting the state Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation at (717) 787-5280 or by visiting www.dos.state.pa.us/bcel.
Due to changes in the Pennsylvania Election Code, petitions issued by the Allegheny County Elections Division in prior years cannot be used by candidates for this year's election cycle, a spokesman said.
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
(Originally published Wednesday night. Updated Thursday with additional information and quotes. Clarifies that mayor is letting the ordinance become law, but is not signing it.)
Update: Download a copy of the ordinance here.
(PDF reader required)
. . .
City council has outlawed most uses of all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes in response to complaints from residents of the Haler Heights neighborhood.
But Councilwoman Fawn Walker-Montgomery has asked other members of council to amend the new law to create special zones --- away from residential areas --- where off-road vehicles would be permitted. A special meeting could be called later this month to discuss a proposed amendment, she told the Almanac.
Following a standing-room-only public hearing Wednesday night at the public safety building, council on a split 4-3 vote passed an ordinance banning off-road use of most ATVs, "quads," dirt bikes and other motorized recreational vehicles. Councilors Dan Carr, Rich Dellapenna and Dale McCall cast "no" votes.
Vehicles used for snow removal, lawn maintenance and other non-recreational purposes are exempt. Violators face fines ranging from $50 to $200 per offense and police have been authorized to impound vehicles.
. . .
Mayor Michael Cherepko said in an interview after the meeting that he will allow the ordinance to become law with the understanding that council is going to amend it quickly.
"I want people to know that I'm against a total ban," Cherepko said, "but basically out of good faith and trusting that the council is going to amend it, I'm going to let it become law."
Cherepko said he would not veto the ordinance. "I left the decision in council's hands," he told the Almanac. "That's the decision they made, and I'll honor it."
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Allegheny County's Board of Health is seeking public comment on changes to air pollution regulations that affect U.S. Steel's Clairton Plant and other nearby facilities.
The proposed revisions (download PDF) are designed to bring air pollution in Clairton, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln and Port Vue into compliance with federal air quality standards.
Health Department data indicates that fine particles of pollution --- smaller than the width of a human hair --- can often be found in the air in the so-called Liberty-Clairton area at levels much higher than in other parts of the Pittsburgh region.
Air pollution in the Liberty, Clairton and Glassport area is a contributing factor to the Pittsburgh region's failure to meet federal air quality standards, according to the Health Department.
Public hearings will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at Clairton High School, as well as at the Health Department's offices in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood at 10 a.m. March 1. Comments also will be accepted in writing until March 6, said Guillermo Cole, department spokesman.
Health Department reports say air pollution such as that found in the Liberty-Clairton area has "a significant association" with heart and lung diseases, as well as short-term illnesses such as bronchitis and asthma attacks. Local and federal agencies say the pollution --- such as nitrates, sulfates and carbon --- can be traced to U.S. Steel's Clairton Plant as well as other Mon Valley facilities.
Clairton Plant is in the middle of a $500 million program to upgrade its coke-making facilities to generate less pollution and consume less energy.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport-area landlords who rent to students at Penn State Greater Allegheny are invited to meet with students at the university's fourth-annual Off-Campus Housing Fair on Feb. 12.
Sponsored by the McKeesport campus' Office of Student Affairs, the program will run from 12 to 2 p.m. in concourse area of the Student Community Center.
Students considering off-campus living for the 2013-14 academic year will be able to meet directly with and interview current property owners, ask for specific information about their properties and make appointments to visit properties, compare properties and see what is the most affordable option, and be certain they secure housing for the fall of 2013.
Local property owners who have housing options available can showcase their rentals and talk with students about the availability of off-campus housing.
For more information, contact Glenn J. Beech, director of student affairs, at (412) 675-9163 or gxb2@psu.edu.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Football & life require perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication, & respect for authority. Lombardi #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 6, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport Regional History and Heritage Center will host its annual Black History Month Program at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Regis Bobonis, chair of the Tuskegee Memorial Project in Sewickley, will present a program called "All the Real Heroes: Western Pennsylvania Tuskegee Airmen."
The Tuskegee Airmen were the U.S. Army Corps' first all-African-American unit. The Memorial Project in Sewickley celebrates the legacy of those 85 men who were Western Pennsylvania''s first black military aviators. This program is free and open to the public.
The Heritage Center is located in Renziehausen Park at 1832 Arboretum Drive. For more information, call (412) 678-1832.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
You demand respect and you'll get it. First of all, you give respect. Mary J. Blige #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 4, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
In support of the "McKeesport Message" project created by Mayor Mike Cherepko's Select Committee on Crime and Violence, we are tweeting and posting quotes about respect. You can suggest a quote by tweeting @tubecityonline or by emailing tubecitytiger at gmail dot com.
Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 3, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Webmaster
You can build a throne from bayonets, but you can't sit on it for long. Boris Yeltsin (born 2/1/1931) #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) February 1, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
Editor's Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are forced to dip into the Tube City Almanac archives and reprint some "classic" (?) columns this week. These articles originally appeared on Tube City Almanac (then known as Tube City: The Blog) on Thursday, March 18, 2004, and Wednesday, March 24, 2004.
Postscript: When I wrote these columns, I noted that I was getting about two dozen spam emails today. Almost a decade later, email spam has been completely eliminated.
HA! Right! And I am the czar of all the Russias. (Tube City hard-hat tip to Walter Koenig and Charlie Pierce.)
. . .
Thursday, March 18, 2004
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Orlando Soto.
Mr. Soto routinely comes home to some 150 e-mail pitches, and he loves getting them all. The 45-year-old grandfather opens most of them. He answers spam questionnaires. And he buys stuff pitched in spam e-mail -- again and again.
"Everyday people call it spam," says Mr. Soto, who prefers calling it "unsolicited" e-mail. "But I'm open to everything."
If everyone hated spam, it would disappear. But like the traditional direct-mail marketers and telemarketers who came before them, spammers survive public outrage, filters, lawsuits and regulations because innumerable times a day, somebody, somewhere responds with money.
One such somebody is Mr. Soto. He buys spam-pitched aromatherapy oils for his wife and pharmaceuticals for himself. His bookcases are lined with first-edition mystery novels he bought via spam. In a corner of his two-bedroom midtown-Manhattan apartment stands an antique pinball machine bought via spam.
He plays Internet bingo at five cents a game on a Web site pitched to him by spam a few weeks ago. He buys stuff via spam for himself and to resell on Web sites he sets up -- a business idea he got from a spam pitch.
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