Filed Under: Cartoons, Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
Category: News || By Jennifer Sopko
McKeesport Area School District will kick off a district-wide realignment that consolidates students into five buildings, creates two new magnet programs and provides kindergarten through eighth grade students with either new or like new facilities for their education.
School directors approved the redistricting plan in February, which includes the establishment of two primary and intermediate school buildings for about 1,657 kindergarten through fifth grade students and the addition of a new sixth-grade academy to Founders' Hall Middle School.
The conceptual restructuring will be in place for the 2013-14 school year, although some students will be temporarily housed in alternate buildings and transferred to their permanent schools mid-year.
The district will launch magnet programs for kindergarten through fifth-grade students in both "schools within a school." The Academy of Math and Science will be located at the new Twin Rivers Primary/Intermediate School, scheduled to open in January 2014, while the Academy of World Languages will open in August 2014 at Francis McClure Primary/Intermediate School.
"It's been a long time coming," said Timothy Gabauer, district superintendent.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Category: News || By Submitted Report
A faculty member at Penn State's campus in McKeesport has won a statewide award for excellence and been named one of the university's 2013 Teaching Fellows.
Veronica Montecinos, professor of sociology at Penn State Greater Allegheny, has been named recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Penn State Alumni Association.
The award was established in 1988 to honor distinguished teaching and provides encouragement and incentive for excellence, a spokeswoman said.
Montecinos joined the faculty in 1990. She is one three professors in the Penn State system to receive this year's honors. The others are Julia Spicher Kasdorf of the College of Liberal Arts and Jeffery Sharp of the Smeal College of Business, both in University Park.
Category: Cartoons, Commentary/Editorial || By Jason Togyer
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
If I have someone who believes in me, I can move mountains. Diana Ross (b. 3/26/1944) #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 26, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial, History || By Jason Togyer
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
You have to fight envy, the green monster, with your mind, not your fists. Matthew Broderick (b 3/21/1962) #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 21, 2013
Category: History || By Jason Togyer
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Patrick McElhinny is the new chief of police at Penn State Greater Allegheny. McElhinny comes to the McKeesport campus from Hermitage, Mercer County, where he worked on the police force for 34 years, including seven years as chief.
McElhinny earned a bachelor of science degree in administration of criminal justice and a master of science degree in strategic leadership, both from Mountain State University in Beckley, W.Va.
A graduate of the FBI National Academy, McElhinny has been president of his local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police and the Mercer County Chiefs of Police Association, and serves on the boards of a number of police-related organizations.
"I chose Penn State because I wanted the experience of a campus setting and the different challenges of policing that presents," McElhinny said. "It is an honor to be here, and I look forward to meeting and working with the campus community."
His first order of business is "to become familiar with the police officers, staff and faculty, and assess the needs of the campus," he said.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10 #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 17, 2013
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
An American is one who loves justice and believes in the dignity of man. Harold Ickes b 3/15/1874 (d 1952) #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 15, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Thirty-four people, mainly from the Mon Valley, were indicted yesterday on charges of narcotics and gun trafficking after a year-long local, state and federal investigation.
The investigation was a response to the increased violence and incidence of drug trafficking in Homestead and vicinity, "much of which was attributed to a gang ... known as the 'Uptown Crew,'" said Gary Perdue, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton announced that the charges were contained in six related indictments, returned by a federal grand jury on March 6.
The investigation included the FBI, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Attorney General's office, the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office, Allegheny County police, and Munhall, Pittsburgh and West Homestead police.
Hickton called the prosecutions part of a federal "community impact prosecution strategy" aimed at eliminating violent criminals town-by-town and to "replace despair with hope."
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
The American Cancer Society is seeking volunteers from the local area to become "champions" to participate in a historic nationwide study --- or at least help spread the word.
Sharon Stalter, health initiatives representative for the ACS branch that serves the Mon Valley, calls it "a once in a lifetime" opportunity.
"We need to recruit about 1,000 people out of the Greater Pittsburgh area, so we're looking for any opportunity to raise awareness," she says.
The ACS is beginning a 20-year research study to gather information about cancer, its causes and methods of prevention. A similar study begun in the 1950s helped establish the links between smoking and lung cancer, Stalter says, while another begun in the 1980s identified links between certain kinds of cancer with obesity and hormone replacement drugs.
The society is recruiting people between the ages of 30 and 65 with no previous history of cancer (except for certain times of skin cancer). Volunteers are asked to complete a short questionnaire and must have a blood test done.
Their personal information is kept anonymous, Stalter says. Nationwide, about 300,000 volunteers are being recruited.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Work begins next Monday to improve Glassport-Elizabeth Road between Glassport, Lincoln and Elizabeth Twp., a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation said.
Crews will improve drainage and resurface about 3.4 miles road between Wall Street in Glassport and Lovedale Road in Elizabeth Twp. Lane closures and restrictions will occur as needed in the work areas daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and overnight from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Fridays through mid-June, said district spokesman Jim Struzzi.
The project is included in a $1.6 million contract with Tresco Paving of Plum Borough for improvements on several roadways in Allegheny County.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The Teaching International program at Penn State Greater Allegheny will host James Joyce scholar William Brockman for a lecture at 12:15 p.m. March 21. The event in the Ostermayer Room of the Student Community Center is free and open to the public.
Brockman's talk will be titled "The Irish James Joyce in the 21st Century World." Brockman has been the Paterno Family Librarian for Literature at Penn State since 2001. Previously he held positions at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at Drew University.
The Teaching International program at Penn State's campus in McKeesport has been in place since 2004. Its goal is to educate students about world trends by studying different regions and issues of global importance. This year's focus is on the Celtic Nations and water.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
If you believe in a cause, you must be willing to put yourself on the line for that cause. Adam Clayton b 3/13/'60 #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 13, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Two Mon-Yough area men are among 10 people indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury in connection with heroin trafficking in Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
According to U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton, named in a 16-count indictment are Keontae Spears, 29, of North Versailles Twp.; Jamie Argyle, 24, of Duquesne; Javon Harvey, 36, of West Bloomfield, Mich.; Terrell Williams, 33, of Perrysville, Pittsburgh; Carl Thompson, 34, of Detroit; Demetrious Levy, 42, Tierone Barnes, 30, Brandon Wise, 29, and Ronald Glass, 42, all of Washington, Pa.; and Donte Newton, 28, of Monessen.
Prosecutors claim that between June 2011 and May 2012, the men named in the indictment were involved in a conspiracy to sell more than a kilogram of heroin. Additionally, Levy, Spears, Harvey and Wise are accused of firearms violations, Hickton said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara K. Swartz is prosecuting the case, Hickton said in a news release. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and state police conducted the investigation leading to the indictment.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
McKeesport Area Ministerium and Jericho People continue their non-denominational Lenten services on Wednesdays during the weeks leading to Easter.
The next service is tomorrow at Faith Lutheran Church, 1856 Lincoln Way, White Oak. The following service is March 20 at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Walnut Street at 220 Eighth Ave., Downtown.
Each service starts at 12 noon and a light luncheon follows, ending by 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend and public participation is encouraged, a spokesperson said.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
All is well, practice kindness, heaven is nigh. Jack Kerouac (b. 3/12/22) #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 12, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The Penn State Greater Allegheny Alumni Society is bringing back the Penn State Creamery Ice Cream and Ye Old College Diner Stickie Sale.
The deadline for orders is March 29, a spokeswoman said. Order forms are available online. Ice cream will be available May 4.
Please download and complete the order form and mail the form with payment to Penn State Ice Cream Sale, 4000 University Drive, McKeesport, PA 15132. Checks should be made out to "Penn State Greater Allegheny."
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
A town hall meeting for women veterans will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, the Allegheny County Division of Veteran Services announced.
The event will include information about services available such as health care, employment, education and family-related programs. Employers have also been invited to discuss potential employment opportunities in the region.
Keynote speakers include Dr. Patricia Hayes, chief consultant, patient care, for the Veterans Administration, who will speak about issues surrounding women veterans' health. Lt. Col. Michele R. Papakie, Inspector General, 171st Air Refueling Wing, also will address attendees.
Allegheny County has more than 7,200 female veterans who will be the focus of the town hall event.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Try changing your attitude from negative to positive and see how life can change for you. Franco Harris b 3/7/'50 #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 7, 2013
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
City officials hope that by this summer, they will be able to launch a new program to tear down abandoned houses using public-works employees.
Council last night by 6-0 vote authorized a $488,584 loan from First Commonwealth Bank to purchase two 10-ton dump trucks with salt spreaders, one 1-ton truck, one excavator and a trailer. The equipment will be purchased through the state's joint-purchasing program, called "COSTARS."
The excavator, trailer and one of the trucks are designed to allow city officials to move more quickly to demolished blighted homes. The city currently has 400 abandoned houses targeted for demolition, with more being added all the time, Mayor Mike Cherepko said.
"We are not going to waste time," he said. "If we can get the excavator in April and get our guys trained, we want to jump on this as soon as possible. Definitely by this summer."
Category: News || By Submitted Report
Category: Shameless Horn-Tooting || By Webmaster
Alert Reader Andrew writes:
I just wanted to relay what a pleasure it was to stumble across Tube City Online. My wife and I are part of the mass exodus of late 20's/early 30's professionals that left the city looking for better employment opportunities, currently residing in Charlotte, N.C. My wife is from Butler, I grew up in McKeesport (Christy Park) and Elizabeth Township. My mother's family (100% Italian) have lived in Christy Park for 3 generations. I'm also a Serra grad as well.
We were successful in finding better employment opportunities; however, we've been missing family and the Pittsburgh area lately for the last few months. I've been trying to reconnect with family, Italian heritage, and the Mon Valley in general via the internet, and your website was a pleasant surprise.
We've decided that we'll be moving back to the Mon Valley (work can transfer with me) for the family, affordable housing, and the fact that there's nowhere else like it. We've been in two of the shining gems of the new southeast (Nashville and Charlotte) for the last few years. While they may be newer, cleaner, etc., they can't compare with the character and people of southwestern PA.
Well, enough blabbering for now. Again, great job with the website and best wishes.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Everybody wants to be great at something. D.L. Hughley (b. 3/6/63) #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 6, 2013
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
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Two short streets will be renamed in honor of former mayors Lou Washowich and Joe Bendel.
At tonight's meeting, city council is expected to vote on proposals to rename Marshall Drive Extension for Washowich, who served from 1980 to 1995, and Water Street for Bendel, who served from 1995 to 2000.
Washowich, who worked for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission after leaving office, is now retired. Bendel died in 2003.
Both streets to be renamed have significant links to the two former mayors, Mayor Michael Cherepko said. Planning for Marshall Drive Extension, which was completed in 2009, began during Washowich's term, and the former mayor was instrumental in convincing Tom Clark Chevrolet --- which is bounded on one side by the street --- to move into the city.
As for Water Street, Cherepko said the adjacent McKees Point Marina owes its existence to Bendel. "It's no secret that was his vision," he said. "People questioned it, but now it's a destination point for the city of McKeesport."
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Believing there's no God means I have to try to treat people right the first time. Penn Jillette (born 3/5/'55) #respect #McKeesportMessage
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 5, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Reports
Road crews are preparing for a winter storm expected to dump 6 to 8 inches of what forecasters called "heavy and wet" snow on the Mon-Yough area through tomorrow.
Rain is expected to begin this evening in the McKeesport area, changing over to freezing rain, ice and then snow by midnight. The storm is part of a larger system that stretches from the upper Midwest through the Ohio Valley.
Workers are already pre-treating highways and state-owned roads with anti-icing materials, said Jim Struzzi, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
Since Sunday, the same storm has already dumped two feet of snow in Montana and several inches of snow in Illinois. The storm could produce 10 to 20 inches of snow in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia.
Locally, National Weather Service forecasters in Moon Township said 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected in the upper Mon Valley overnight, with a low of 29 degrees.
Another 1 to 3 inches of snow is possible Wednesday, forecasters said. Conditions should improve Wednesday night and Thursday. Allegheny, Washington and Westmoreland counties are under a Winter Storm Warning through 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Category: News || By Jason Togyer
Sentencing is set for May 22 in connection with a car accident involving city Solicitor J. Jason Elash.
According to court officials, Elash, 41, of Christy Park pleaded guilty Monday before Allegheny County Judge Edward Borkowski to three related counts of driving under the influence, including driving with a blood-alcohol content level between 0.10 and 0.16, and to one count of driving at an unsafe speed.
The crash happened on Route 48 early on the morning of Jan. 22, 2012.
With the plea, Elash faces the possibility of state disciplinary action ranging from a private reprimand to a suspension of his law license.
Under state law, attorneys convicted of a crime must report their convictions to the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania within 20 days. The board then decides if and how to punish the attorney.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
All of you: Have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. 1 Peter 3:8 #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 3, 2013
Category: News || By Submitted Report
A Pittsburgh man accused of a string of armed robberies --- including one at a hotel in the Waterfront --- has been sentenced to 50 years in federal prison.
Jay G. Mathis, 46, whose last listed address was on Remington Drive, East Hills, was sentenced Friday by U.S. Chief District Judge Gary L. Lancaster.
According to U.S. Attorney David J. Hickton, Mathis began a six-month-long crime spree on Jan. 8, 2009 by robbing a National City Bank office on Walnut Street in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood. It ended with the robbery of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in West Homestead on June 19, 2009.
Mathis, who prosecutors said was a former Homestead resident, was on parole at the time following a 10-year prison sentence for a previous bank robbery conviction, prosecutors said.
During the robbery of the Marriott, Mathis pointed a small black revolver at the desk clerk and took about $221 cash, prosecutors said. After leaving the hotel, Mathis led police on a high-speed car chase and shot at a Homestead police officer, forcing him off the road.
Category: Commentary/Editorial || By Webmaster
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. Dr Seuss b. 3/2/1904 #McKeesportMessage #respect
— Tube City Tiger (@tubecityonline) March 2, 2013
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
The McKeesport High School Alumni & Friends Association once again is accepting nominees for induction into the McKeesport High School Hall of Fame.
Anyone can nominate, said Linda Croushore, association president. Candidates must have attended McKeesport schools, have graduated at least 10 years ago if they completed high school here, and have gone onto lives marked by outstanding accomplishments in the public or private sectors.
Applications are being sought now for the 2013 class, to be inducted at the annual Alumni Recognition Night dinner and program on Sept. 7 at Pluma, North Huntingdon Twp.
This will be its 26th class of inductees, a spokeswoman said. To date, 170 people have been elected to the McKeesport High School Hall of Fame.
Category: Announcements || By Submitted Report
Two players from the women's basketball team at Penn State Greater Allegheny were named All-Americans by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association.
Honored from the McKeesport campus were sophomore guard Taylor Fulton of West Mifflin and sophomore forward Christina Floyd of Philadelphia. Fulton was named to the first team and Floyd was named to the second team, a spokeswoman said.
The USCAA national championships are being held this week at Penn State Eberly in Uniontown.