March 10, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 29-year-old man is critical condition following a shooting Tuesday morning on Evans Avenue in the city.
Allegheny County police Lt. Venerando Costa said in a prepared statement that the motive for the shooting is unknown.
McKeesport police were dispatched just after 2 a.m. to the 600 block of Evans for a report of “shots fired.”
At almost the same time, police were notified that a gunshot victim had just walked into the emergency room at UPMC McKeesport hospital.
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March 06, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News, McKeesport and Region News
A technician works in ShotSpotter’s incident review center. McKeesport officials are investigating whether or not the technology can be brought to the city with the help of a federal grant. (Submitted photo)
City officials are seeking a federal grant to bring gunshot detection technology to McKeesport in an effort to respond more quickly to incidents.
At Wednesday’s meeting, city council authorized Mayor Michael Cherepko’s administration to apply for a grant through the U.S. Justice Department’s Community Policing Development program to acquire “ShotSpotter” technology.
ShotSpotter, based in Newark, Calif., uses an network of electronic sensors to detect gunfire, pinpoint its exact location, and then alert police. The company says that its system depends on artificial intelligence to analyze the sounds of loud noises and that it ignores things like thunder, fireworks and trucks backfiring.
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March 05, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Steve Schonberger of McKeesport talks to state Sen. Jim Brewster before a meeting to discuss public transit on Wednesday night at the Palisades ballroom, Downtown. Officials from Port Authority of Allegheny County are collecting public comments as they prepare a long-range transportation plan. (Photo courtesy state Sen. Jim Brewster, via Facebook)
Riders who attended a meeting Wednesday evening about long-range planning for public transit questioned how the meetings were being advertised — and why electronic fare cards still remain hard to get in McKeesport and elsewhere.
At a “listening session” convened by Port Authority of Allegheny County at the Palisades ballroom, one rider said he was tired of excuses about the ConnectCard system, which is supposed to replace cash fares on buses and light-rail vehicles.
“We were promised a ConnectCard location” at the McKeesport Transportation Center, said Steve Schonberger, a city resident. “It never happened. Other elected officials are getting them — but still none in Senator (Jim) Brewster’s office. The Shop ’n Save (on Fifth Avenue) stopped selling ConnectCards, so if you live in this part of McKeesport, you’re out of luck.
“I’m tired of excuses and I’m tired of hearing that you’re ‘planning’ to do it,” he said. “I’m tired of it.”
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March 04, 2020 |
By Nick Zurawsky | Posted in: Duquesne News, McKeesport and Region News
Duquesne Mayor Nickole Nesby speaks during a town hall Feb. 26 sponsored by Take Action Mon Valley. (Nick Zurawsky photo for Tube City Almanac)
Community leaders discussed issues ranging from water quality and access to public transportation, to police accountability and merging public services during a forum hosted by Take Action Mon Valley.
The event was held Feb. 26 at the gymnasium of the Salvation Army in McKeesport. About 20 people attended.
Elected officials at the meeting included Allegheny County council members Bethany Hallam and Olivia Bennett as well as Duquesne Mayor Nickole Nesby.
Nesby was the first to speak and said her priorities in Duquesne are combatting “not only street violence and gang violence, but structural violence.”
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March 03, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Port Authority of Allegheny County will host a community discussion about public transit at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Palisades Ballroom, 100 Fifth Ave. at Water Street.
A spokesperson said the event is designed as a public forum for residents of the Mon-Yough area to learn more about long-range planning, service, fares and digital applications.
Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions of Port Authority officials, the spokesperson said.
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March 03, 2020 |
By Christy Walters | Posted in: White Oak News
White Oak Council has awarded a contract for improvements to Lincoln Way to Costa Contracting of Cheswick.
At February’s meeting, council approved Costa’s $48,325 bid, contingent upon approval from the Allegheny County Department of Economic Development. Funding is being provided by a county Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund grant.
In other business, council approved a resolution authorizing the borough to file for a $150,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County’s Gaming Economic Development Fund program.
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March 03, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Courtesy World Health Organization)
Local officials are encouraging residents to stay informed and use common-sense precautions as “coronavirus disease 2019” spreads in the United States.
There have been no confirmed cases of the virus — officially known as COVID-19 — in Pennsylvania, but with more than 100 cases reported in 15 states, experts say its entry into our area is “inevitable.”
On Friday, Steel Valley School District Superintendent Edward Wehrer reported that two staff members had traveled outside of the U.S. to areas where COVID-19 has been confirmed.
“Because the district makes the safety and overall health of all staff and students a top priority, these employees have been instructed to not report to work until the incubation period for the virus has passed and they have been cleared by a medical professional,” Wehrer said in a prepared statement.
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March 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A Duquesne woman was indicted by a state grand jury after investigators accused her of stealing more than $500,000 of a prescription drug — about 66,000 doses — from the pharmacy where she worked.
The drug, Suboxone, is commonly used to help wean addicts from narcotics, but according to public health experts, it has its own potential for abuse.
Rena L. Schleehauf, 33, was arrested Friday by the state Attorney General’s office and charged with acquisition of controlled substances by misrepresentation, possession of controlled substances, possession with intent to deliver, theft by unlawful taking and theft by deception.
She remains free on her own recognizance pending a preliminary hearing March 19 before Magisterial District Judge Richard Olasz Jr.
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March 02, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect who shot a 19-year-old man Sunday afternoon on Freemont Street near the site of the former George Washington School.
The victim, whose name has not been released, is in critical condition at an unidentified trauma hospital, police said.
Allegheny County police Lt. Venerando Costa said the incident happened at around 2:30 p.m. Police said the victim was a passenger in a gray Ford Taurus being driven by a 20-year-old man. A 13-year-old boy was in the back seat of the vehicle, Costa said.
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March 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, Duquesne News
A 17-year-old from West Mifflin has been charged as an adult in connection with a February shooting in Duquesne.
Terril Leverett was arrested Friday by Allegheny County police and charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license and possession of a firearm by a minor. He is free on $15,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing March 13 before Allegheny County Judge Kim Berkeley Clark.
According to police reports, an unidentified 19-year-old man was shot in the 600 block of West Grant Avenue at around 12:30 p.m. Feb. 16.
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