and federal government websites often end in .gov Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address Before sharing sensitive or personal information make sure you're on an official state website The $38.6 million McKees Rocks Bridge preservation project extends between Route 51 (Island Avenue) and Route 65 (Ohio River Boulevard) and includes sidewalk replacement full-depth concrete pavement reconstruction of the road and two ramps at Helen Street approach p​avement work at intersections of Routes 65 and 51 traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction The overall project is anticipated to conclude in the fall of 2025.​   Subscribe to news alerts for this project: To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the McKees Rocks Bridge preservation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to ymanyisha@pa.gov​ Please write “Subscribe – McKees Rocks Bridge” in the subject line Route 3104 McKees Rocks Bridge in City of Pittsburgh Cost: $38.6 millionContractor: Brayman Construction Corporation and Advantage Steel and Construction It may have taken Maria Palmer 17 years to pen her first book “On the Rocks: The Primadonna Story,” but once the book was released which chronicles her family’s popular restaurant in McKees Rocks Palmer relied upon a public relations service to write and send press releases After that she began to connect with the public more directly-launching her signature “Cook and Book” events which continue to sell out across the country The next “Cook and Book” will be held on Saturday from 11 a.m “It’s a three-hour experience,” Palmer explained we enjoy lunch before launching into a book discussion the larger-than-life owner of the Primadonna restaurant-always dreamed of a book or movie chronicling his life a Carnegie Mellon University professor once approached Joe about writing his story Soon Palmer began peppering her dad with questions and his answers became part of Pennsylvania’s culinary history With the help of co-author Ruthie Dines Robbins a former English teacher and Palmer’s longtime mentor “Ruthie asked to see some of the pages in the beginning,” recalls Palmer but then reconsidered and she presented them to her writing group in Buffalo where they recognized the commercial potential,” Palmer said The next challenge was to shop the book to agents and publishers-an exercise for the thick-skinned only “The book is about an underdog and nobody wanted to touch it,” said Palmer who reached out to 265 agents who either rejected the book the health of Palmer’s father began to deteriorate “The only thing that gave him a glimmer of hope at that time was the book,” said Palmer “All we needed was one yes,” she said That yes finally came from Virginia-based Koehler Books The authors subsequently celebrated their victory at the Senator John Heinz History Center with 500 people who had purchased the pre-sold books catapulting it to the top of the culinary memoir charts alongside culinary luminaries like Stanley Tucci and the late Anthony Bourdain it’s been full-speed ahead,” said Palmer Palmer said that she has since trademarked the “Cook and Book” events which she now hosts regularly both in Pittsburgh and around the country Her father and mother often attend the get-togethers Attendees are instructed in making homemade pasta and marinara sauce and afterwards Palmer holds a Q & A session where fans of the book and the restaurant can ask questions of Palmer and her parents Attendees seem to be especially tickled to meet Constanzo when they learn about the twists and turns his life has taken over the years to running a successful restaurant in an unlikely area and ultimately spending time in jail while befriending unconventional characters with names like “Big Sexy.” While it may not be a quintessential family story it is certainly unique and helps one understand the strength of family ties Palmer also hosts Primadonna Pop-Up restaurants twice a year as well “It’s part dinner theater and part food demonstration,” Palmer said Each BYO event is limited to 50 guests who are served four courses People often come to the pop-ups for the opportunity to reminisce and share memories “One thing we’ve learned is that food nostalgia is certainly big especially in the days of fast casual and Uber Eats Enjoying a meal with that personal touch is something a lot of people miss now and it brings back positive memories,” she said And Constanzo certainly made sure that his customers were on the receiving end of a great experience greeting visitors and treating them as family “One guy we met at one of our events didn’t have a strong father figure and brought along a picture of my dad with him which was very touching,” said Palmer adding that her father instinctively knew that as a restaurant owner he was responsible for creating lasting memories He also had a knack for bringing people out of their shells The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree when it comes to Palmer This is just one reason why she shines on the Cook and Book circuit called “The Primadonna Table.” “It will be one-part recipes and one-part stories behind the dishes,” she said adding that her father was innovative when it came to marketing “People would ask for off-menu items and he would do it and name it after the person whose idea it was Next thing you know it is on the menu and they would bring their friends That’s how he amassed 32 different pasta dishes.” Palmer said that it’s been a remarkable journey so far and like her father she is looking forward to meeting more people along the way “Being able to share these experiences with fans of the restaurant and readers of the book not only keeps me incredibly busy but also ignites me and that’s a wonderful thing,” she said To purchase tickets or to find out more information about event visit Palmer’s website at https://mariacpalmer.com/ Stephanie Kalina-Metzger is a freelance writer If you have an account and are registered for online access sign in with your email address and password below Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe Copyright © Observer-Reporter | Contact | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need Thomas Laron Smith drove his black SUV past a McKees Rocks market three times one night last December before stopping to talk to Floyd Wilson a 51-year-old man sitting in his wheelchair nearby Wilson started quarrelling with someone in Smith’s vehicle “I’m shot!” Wilson shouted He had been struck multiple times in the legs and back On Tuesday, Allegheny County Police charged Smith, 44, of Stowe, in Wilson’s Dec. 6 killing receiving stolen property and two firearms counts He remained in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday with no bail Police used license-plate readers and surveillance video to track down Smith’s SUV When authorities executed a search warrant they found a stolen pistol in the SUV’s glove box Police said it tested positive for gunshot residue Wilson was arguing with Smith’s passenger Smith told police he had sold drugs to Wilson before When Wilson “began to stand up from his wheelchair,” Smith said he started firing from his driver’s seat Smith told police he didn’t think Wilson was armed that night He confirmed the gun police found in his SUV — a two-toned 9mm pistol — belonged to him The gun had been reported stolen out of Pittsburgh in 2023 A previous guilty plea on an aggravated assault charge meant Smith could not legally carry a gun No attorney for Smith was listed Thursday in the court record His preliminary hearing is set for April 9 Smith also is scheduled to appear next month in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on two different cases — one for drug charges from a 2024 arrest in McKees Rocks public drunkenness and disorderly conduct charges from a 2024 arrest in Stowe Smith’s rap sheet dates back more than 25 years He was convicted of a disorderly conduct charge in O’Hara in 1999 a judge sentenced him to up to 23 months in jail and five years of probation after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and resisting arrest An Allegheny County Common Pleas Court judge twice sentenced Smith to additional probation after he pleaded guilty to separate gun charges in 2002 and 2003 Justin Vellucci is a TribLive reporter covering crime and public safety in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. A longtime freelance journalist and former reporter for the Asbury Park (N.J.) Press, he worked as a general assignment reporter at the Trib from 2006 to 2009 and returned in 2022. 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Send your information about live jazz in an email to info@wzum.org Powered by Listener Members © 2018 Pittsburgh Public Media PO 456 South Park PA 15129 412-322-8500 Main Office | 412-322-1800 Membership Hotline A Navy veteran who founded a McKees Rocks drug rehabilitation center but was later convicted of running a large-scale heroin ring was among those whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden last week The prison term was part of a plea agreement with the U.S Francis was most recently being supervised by the Residential Reentry Management field office in New York according to the federal Bureau of Prisons His release date on the bureau’s website was listed as April 13 It is unclear whether that reflects the commutation who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War had struggled with drug addiction for much of his life said Francis had been sober for several years a three-quarter house drug rehab facility in McKees Rocks participating in 5,000 drug interventions and housing as many as 187 residents Francis funded that trade through the preparation of fraudulent tax returns though the business All Personal Matters Prosecutors said that Francis’ drug sales caused three clients at Next Step to overdose and nearly die White told the judge that his client had become a trusty of the veterans’ pod at the Allegheny County Jail and several staffers there submitted letters on his behalf White said he was happy to hear of the commutation Francis is a military veteran and of advanced age,” White said “I believe he was the right candidate to be commuted under the circumstances.” Others from Pennsylvania who were included on the commutation list were Gregory Podlucky and Michael T a former Luzerne County Common Pleas judge the former chairman and CEO of a defunct Latrobe bottling company had been ordered to serve 20 years in federal prison in 2011 for a fraud scheme that took more than $629 million from investors Conahan was convicted in 2009 in the so-called kids-for-cash scandal in which he was ordered to serve 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering accepted $2.8 million in illegal payments to send children to for-profit juvenile jail facilitiess In issuing the 1,499 commutations — the largest number ever in a single day — Biden did not provide individual explanations He said in a statement Thursday that America was built on “the promise of possibility and second chances.” I have the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for nonviolent offenders especially those convicted of drug offenses,” Biden wrote Paula Reed Ward is a TribLive reporter covering federal and Allegheny County courts. She joined the Trib in 2020 after spending nearly 17 years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, where she was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team. She is the author of "Death by Cyanide." She can be reached at pward@triblive.com Here are some of the latest news items from this morning A person was hospitalized after being hit by a car Tuesday morning near Kennywood Park in Duquesne TribLive news partner WTAE reported first responders were called to the 1000 block of Duquesne Boulevard after a sedan heading north struck a person in the road. The victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Allegheny County police are investigating. PennDOT will hold off on its closure of the McKees Rocks Bridge because of inclement weather. The department initially planned to shut down the bridge from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to install an overhead sign. A new date for the closure has not been given. The new sign is part of a $38.6 million preservation project between Island Avenue and Ohio River Boulevard and includes sidewalk repairs and replacement as well as reconstruction of the road and two ramps at Helen Street, along with several other minor improvements. Overall work is expected to finish in the fall. Jack Troy is a TribLive reporter covering the Freeport Area and Kiski Area school districts and their communities. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in January 2024 after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh. He can be reached at jtroy@triblive.com A Castle Shannon man was killed in a shooting Saturday night in McKees Rocks The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Sunday identified the victim as William Hopkins Police said they were dispatched to the 300 block of Ella Street at 10:38 p.m First responders found Hopkins suffering from multiple gunshot wounds He was rushed to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh’s North Side Anyone with information is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-255-8477 (ALL-TIPS) This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A McKees Rocks woman who was one of four people shot Oct marking the incident’s second fatality the Allegheny County Medical Examiners’ Office said Smith was shot near Meyers Street and the 800 block of Ridge Way She was taken to the hospital that night in critical condition Another victim, Shaylon Williams, 37, of McKees Rocks died at Allegheny General Hospital about 6:30 p.m. Oct. 26 A third person was treated at the scene for a bullet wound of the hand A fourth victim who was shot in the chest initially was hospitalized in stable condition County police on Monday declined to name the two surviving victims Detectives “believe they have identified everyone involved,” Madalinsky said The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office will determine if charges will be filed we’re not able to go into any additional details on the circumstances of the shooting,” Madalinsky said Police initially said the victims were shot outside They believe at least two people fired shots Billionaire Elon Musk spread debunked conspiracy theories about election fraud and encouraged Pennsylvanians to vote at an event at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks Sunday Hundreds of both Trump and Musk supporters poured in for the event They lined up for blocks before filling the 1,400-seat venue to capacity Those who didn’t make it into the theater watched on a screen outside During 30 minutes of what appeared to be mostly off-the-cuff remarks clutching a Terrible Towel and standing in front of a massive American flag repeated false information about a “massive increase in the number of illegals that are being put in swing states” such as Pennsylvania And when you have elections that are sometimes decided by 10 or 20,000 votes and then you put 200,000 illegals and legalize them in that same swing state And every swing state will be blue and will be Musk encouraged undecided voters to support Trump saying that a second term would result in “secure borders,” “safe cities,” “sensible spending” and “deregulation.” He pushed an unfounded conspiracy theory that Trump’s opponent is a “puppet of the machine” controlled by an unknown group of people and said the November election “might be the very last election that's a real election.” He also accused Democrats of “sedition,” and he said they “openly advocate overturning elements of the Constitution especially the right to bear arms and freedom of speech.” Musk stressed that Republicans “don't just need to win the presidency Musk downplayed his own desire to enter the political arena and fielded queries about government efficiency and his stance on “reshaping voter eligibility.” “If we could just make sure that only legal citizens can vote I’d say that would be quite a victory compared to where we are right now,” he said “I think we should not allow voting machines of any kind.” “We want paper ballots in-person with IDs.” According to the Brennan Center for Justice about 98% of all votes cast in the upcoming election will be made on paper ballots Musk’s speaking tour comes at a time when his investments in this election have raised ethical concerns — both about the prizes he has promised voters and about benefits he may well seek to recoup for himself Event attendees were required to be registered voters and sign an online petition that asserts "The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments." They were promised a $100 check for signing the petition and given a chance to win $1 million (Signers must also provide mailing addresses and other information and the PAC says it will "verify the accuracy of all information" before payment is made.) Campaign-finance experts say Musk may be running afoul of federal elections law by using financial incentives that benefit only registered voters. UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, an expert in the field, calls the $1 million offer "clearly illegal," citing a federal law that bars paying a voter to register But Hasen noted that the only people eligible are "Only registered voters in swing states Not everyone agrees in part because Musk's reward is given not in exchange for registering per se — it's available to those who are already registered (Voting records suggest that Kristine Fishell has been registered to vote since 2009.) And it is billed as an incentive to sign an online petition hedged on the practice's legality when asked about it on NBC's Sunday-morning public affairs show "Meet the Press." "There are real questions with how he is spending money in this race … I think it's something that law enforcement could take a look at it." ethics questions have also been raised about what Musk stands to gain from his tight allegiance to Trump Trump has reportedly offered to place Musk at the head of a commission to make recommendations on government efficiency (Musk calls it the "Department of Government Efficiency," whose acronym DOGE refers to Dogecoin a cryptocurrency he has long backed.) The move could "give the world’s richest man and a major government contractor the power to regulate the regulators who hold sway over his companies amounting to a potentially enormous conflict of interest," the Times reported Musk himself has made it clear that he regards government oversight as an obstacle to his efforts he said regulations had delayed a tunnel-drilling project by his Boring Company and at a town hall in Harrisburg Saturday evening he predicted that "deregulation actually will unleash a new wave of prosperity that is much greater than people realize.” He lamented the aggravation of trying "to build things and get things done," given "how difficult it is with permits and one agency after another getting in the way." Musk said he does see a need for some regulation A Pittsburgh Steelers game is "a better game for having referees but you don't want to have so many that the running back can't get through them,” he said “You want the right number of referees on the field but no more than that." Musk closed the event by encouraging attendees to return their mail-in ballots or vote in person on Election Day and instructed them to post “any sort of voting concerns” they encounter on his social media site “The brighter the light we shine on any voting issues but the less likely there is to be cheating And then the other thing is that it's won by such a margin that even if there is cheating the margin is so great that you beat the cheat,” he said Oct. 21 is the last day to register to vote ahead of the November election. Voters who wish to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot must do so by Oct Have a tip for the WESA newsroom? Email news@wesa.fm.