January 08, 2020 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
(File photo courtesy State Sen. Jim Brewster)
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency will hold two financial aid seminars for high school students and their families.
The sessions at Penn State Greater Allegheny in McKeesport and Community College of Allegheny County South Campus in West Mifflin are being hosted by state Sen. Jim Brewster.
“Higher education has an essential role in the lives of students preparing to enter the workforce,” Brewster said. “It is important that students are financially prepared for this step in their lives.”
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January 08, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
UPDATED with comments from McKeesport Area School District.
A 16-year-old girl is reportedly in critical condition following a crash Tuesday night near McKeesport Area High School.
Allegheny County police said the accident on Washington Street, which injured two other people, happened after someone shot at the vehicle in which the girl was a passenger.
It was the second such shooting in the city in less than a week. On Friday night, police said a 23-year-old man was shot as he was getting into his car on Soles Street. The victim crashed into a utility pole as he fled the scene.
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January 08, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport officials are urging city residents to have patience with their new trash hauler after some homeowners reported their houses were missed, and others expressed confusion over when recycling would be picked up.
The city's contract with its previous trash hauler, Big's Sanitation, expired on Dec. 31, but the new collector, County Hauling of Rostraver Twp., didn't begin service until Jan. 6.
As a result, some residents reported having almost two weeks' worth of trash that needed to be collected.
County Hauling also has not yet released a schedule for recycling collection or explained what items should be put out for recycling. Emails sent by Tube City Almanac to County Hauling spokespersons asking for clarification have not been answered.
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January 07, 2020 |
By Ann Belser | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News, Politics & Elections
County Councilman John Palmiere, Democrat from Baldwin Twp., is sworn in by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Dan Regan. Palmiere represents District 6, which also includes Clairton, Elizabeth Borough, Jefferson Hills and Pleasant Hills. Looking on is Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Hens-Greco. (Photo by Ann Belser/Print, special to Tube City Almanac)
If its first meeting was any indication, Allegheny County Council could be in for a contentious new year.
On Jan. 2, the night that all of the new and re-elected members of council were sworn in and Pat Catena of Carnegie was elected as the new council president, a dozen residents availed themselves of the public comment period to talk about the poor quality of the air and water in Allegheny County.
“Of all the issues that come before you, none is more serious than the toxic air that we breathe everyday,” John Detwiler of Squirrel Hill said. “Our county’s air is among the worst in the nation, it affects the health and the very lives of our friends and our neighbors, so all of us should care about our air.”
He called on the new council to reshape the Board of Health through its confirmation process to make the board more responsive to air quality issues.
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January 06, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County police are asking for the public's help in solving the shooting Friday night of a 23-year-old man on Soles Street.
In a prepared release, county police said McKeesport police were dispatched just after 10 p.m. to the intersection of Soles and Colfax streets when callers to 9-1-1 reported hearing shots fired, and that a car had collided with a utility pole.
The victim, whose name was not released, was taken to the hospital by private vehicle with a grazing wound to the head, county police Inspector Andrew Schurman said. The man's injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, he said.
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January 06, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News, White Oak News
White Oak police and the Allegheny County Health Department are warning residents to avoid and report any animals that appear to be unusually aggressive or lethargic.
The warnings were issued after the health department reported that a sick raccoon captured on Route 48 near White Oak Park tested positive for rabies.
Residents are reminded to watch for unusual behavior in animals, make sure their pets are up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations, and notify their local animal control service, the police or the Pennsylvania Game Commission immediately if any animal appears to be acting strange or becomes threatening, said Ryan Scarpino, a spokesman for the health department.
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January 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A driver accused of rear-ending a woman's car in Christy Park on Christmas Eve, and then fleeing the scene, has been charged by McKeesport police.
Jason Brakeall, 24, of North Versailles Twp. faces a preliminary hearing Feb. 3 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving a vehicle without valid registration and insurance.
McKeesport police said the victim was headed north on Walnut Street and had stopped in traffic near the corner of 31st Avenue just before 6 p.m. Dec. 24 when her car was struck from behind by a red Kia sedan.
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January 02, 2020 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man who was on probation is being held without bond in the Allegheny County Jail after police said they recovered suspected heroin, suspected crack cocaine and 10 firearms from his home in the Seventh Ward.
Jermaine Pawlik-Curry Sr., 35, faces formal arraignment Feb. 19 in Allegheny County Court on more than a dozen charges, including drug and weapons violations. On Monday, Pawlik-Curry waived his right to a preliminary hearing before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi in McKeesport.
According to a police report, Allegheny County probation officers asked for McKeesport police department's help on Dec. 18 to verify that Pawlik-Curry was complying with the terms of his release.
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January 01, 2020 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: History
The last time McKeesport entered the “twenties,” the boom was on — the gas boom, that is.
In August 1919, two men, Samuel J. Brendel of West Newton and David Foster of McKeesport, began drilling a well near present-day Renziehausen Park on what Brendel later called “a hunch.”
Their well, in what was then called “Snake Hollow,” struck natural gas. A lot of it — 40 million to 60 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, at first.
By the end of 1919, the famous “McKeesport Gas Boom” had begun. From across the United States, people moved to McKeesport to get jobs drilling wells. Many more people bought shares of stock in hundreds of drilling companies — most of which would turn out to be worthless.
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December 31, 2019 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
McKeesport City Council will hold its first meeting of 2020 on Monday at the public safety building, corner of Lysle Boulevard and Market Street, a city spokeswoman said.
Although council usually meets on the first Wednesday of each month, that falls on New Year’s Day.
Monday’s meeting will include the swearing-in of Mayor Michael Cherepko and re-elected city council members at 5:45 p.m., a workshop meeting at 6 p.m. and the council meeting at 6:15 p.m. All events take place on the second floor and are open to the public.
