Celebrity basketball event

JULY 3—B. Marshall and the Community Empowerment Association will host the DeJuan Blair and LaMarr Woodley Independence’s Day Celebrity Basketball Extravaganza event at 12 p.m. at the Peterson Event Center, 3719 Terrace St., Oakland. The event will showcase four games, which includes City High School stars vs. WPIAL stars, media and former pro and semi-pro players. Blair and Woodley will be coaching teams in the final game. For more information, call T. Rashad Byrdsong at 412-371-3689, ext. 14 or 15.

Only 29 years old, My­lisha Jackson has experienced enough grief to last a lifetime. For her and many others living in McKeesport, the summer months are not a warm and fuzzy time, but a season when the homicide rate rises in the blink of the eye.

IN CUSTODY—Suspect Deanthony Kirk is escorted to the Alle­gheny County police headquarters.

“Every year it’s getting worse. I think it’s progressing; it’s just increasing. My family has experienced loss every year and most of them are unsolved,” Jackson said. “I place blame on everyone. I don’t think anyone’s doing their part.”

In a span of eight days, from June 10 to June 18, there were five shooting incidents, including a Mc­Kees­port man shot in Wilkinsburg, leaving six dead and three more injured. Once again, Jackson was related to one of the victims.

“I really don’t believe any of the recent acts have been random at all.

Hospital consolidates, cuts jobs

AP—Two hospitals in western Pennsylvania’s second-largest health care system will consolidate to save money and prepare for federal changes in a move that could cost 1,500 jobs.

Allegheny General Hospital will become the primary hospital of the West Penn Allegheny Health System, while West Penn Hospital, which is also in Pittsburgh, will close its emergency room and move most of its medical and surgical programs to AGH. West Penn will maintain its burn center, women’s and infants’ center, and inpatient rehabilitation programs.

The moves are expected to occur early next year. President and CEO Christopher Olivia said the decision to consolidate and cut up to 1,500 jobs was driven partly by changes in the nation’s health care system, pushed by President Barack Obama’s administration.

Almost three years after purchasing more than 50 acres of land in the Penn Hills area, the ground that is planned to be the new site for Mount Ararat Baptist Church continues to remain unbroken. Mount Ararat, one of the largest churches in the Pittsburgh and East Liberty area, continues to grow their congregation, and with several services on Sunday, a service Saturday night, Bible studies and other programs, promises that they will not abandon the community that has supported them.

FUTURE SITE—The land on Universal Road and Main Street will be the future site of Mt. Ararat’s new church.

“We are still in the preliminary phases of the building project. Even if we build a new worship facility in Penn Hills, we still plan on maintaining a strong presence in the East Liberty-Larimer community and neighborhoods,” said Rev. Benjamin Calvert, executive minister of the church and project spokesperson. “It will probably be two or three years before the new facility is built.”