December 06, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man is charged with bribery of a public official after city police said he tried to pay off a police officer following a traffic stop.
Montell R. Wallace, 27, is also charged by McKeesport police with driving with a suspended license and driving at unsafe speeds. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Dec. 17 before Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi.
Wallace also was among more than 30 people rounded up by city police Wednesday during a drug sweep. He faces separate charges in that incident.
McKeesport police said Officer Floyd Gault was on patrol at 7 a.m. Nov. 14 on Eden Park Boulevard when he began following a car through the school zone.
Read More
December 06, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
More than 30 people were arrested Wednesday during a sweep of suspected narcotics dealers in McKeesport, and police have arrest warrants for another 30.
The sweep was the result of a seven-month investigation and also recovered two handguns and an assault rifle, McKeesport police Chief Bryan J. Washowich said. The investigation is continuing and additional charges are pending, he said.
City police made the arrests along with the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, county police, county probation officers, state parole officers and local constables, a spokesperson said.
As of Wednesday night, 36 people had been taken into custody by police and 34 suspects remained at large, city officials said.
Read More
December 05, 2018 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
Cast members of "The Happy Elf" rehearse a scene. (Photo courtesy of McKeesport Little Theater Juniors)
If You Go:
Harry Connick Jr.’s “The Happy Elf”
Where: McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St., McKeesport, 15132
When: Dec. 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 for adults, $7 for children 12 years and younger. Reservations at (412) 673-1100.
Santa will be taking a break from all his duties at the North Pole to spend some more time in the old Tube City as he meets and greets patrons of all ages – and even has lunch with some of them – when McKeesport Little Theater Juniors present “The Happy Elf.”
A musical creation by Grammy Award-winning composer and lyricist Harry Connick Jr., “The Happy Elf” features Eubie, who has set his sights on becoming part of Santa’s sleigh team.
His extremely bubbly personality actually rubs some the wrong way, and he finds himself assigned to checking the naughty-or-nice lists instead.
Read More
December 04, 2018 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Port Vue will hold its Christmas parade and light-up night on Friday, a borough spokesperson announced.
The event was originally scheduled for Dec. 1 but was rescheduled due to rainy weather.
The parade will line up at 5:45 p.m. at the parking lot of American Legion Post 447, corner of Romine Avenue and Gumbert Street. Santa Claus will arrive via Vigilant Hose Co. fire truck at 6 p.m. and the parade will proceed down to Port Vue Municipal Fields, next to the municipal building.
Lighting of the borough holiday tree and Christmas caroling will then be held at the pavilion at the park.
December 04, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A 16-year-old male student at McKeesport Area High School is being held at Shuman Juvenile Detention Center after police said he brought a gun onto a school bus.
In a prepared statement, police said the student got onto the bus after dismissal on Monday and brandished the firearm. A video circulated on social media showed the student with the weapon, police said.
A school district spokesperson said MASD officials learned of the incident Tuesday morning and called police.
Read More
December 04, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
After an absence of three years, vintage neon holiday decorations have returned to the windows of the former McKeesport Daily News building.
The lights --- a staple of the holiday season in McKeesport for decades --- returned just in time for the planned lighting on Wednesday night of the city's official Christmas tree.
The ceremony in Kennedy Park will follow Wednesday's regular council meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. Local gospel group "Chalice" is scheduled to perform.
Read More
December 03, 2018 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
The suspect in the killing of an East End garage owner is being held without bail in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing on a charge of criminal homicide.
Eben Brown, 46, of McKeesport was denied bail following an arraignment early Saturday before Magisterial District Judge Regis C. Welsh. A hearing is slated for 11 a.m. Dec. 14 before Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning.
Allegheny County police said Brown is accused of shooting John T. Benedek Jr., 41, of Elizabeth Twp. on Friday afternoon at J&M Automotive Services, the East Fifth Avenue garage he had co-owned and operated since 2017.
Read More
December 01, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
An Elizabeth man was killed Friday afternoon in his East End auto repair shop in what police described as a dispute with a customer.
John T. Benedek Jr., 41, died in the emergency room at UPMC McKeesport hospital, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office said.
Benedek was the co-owner and operator of J&M Automotive Services on East Fifth Avenue near Hartman Street. The garage opened in 2017, according to tax records and posts on Facebook.
Read More
November 29, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Above: Crews renovate a pavilion at Renziehausen Park this summer. Photo courtesy Tom Maglicco, City of McKeesport.)
Allegheny County's 25th Regional Asset District budget includes $908,000 for capital improvements and operating expenses at McKeesport's Renziehausen Park --- an increase of $111,000 over last year.
Also included in the budget, approved Thursday, is $8,600 for the McKeesport Little Theater and $6.89 million for the Allegheny County Library Association, which provides support to the Carnegie Library of McKeesport, Braddock Carnegie Library and other member organizations.
The Regional Asset District is funded largely by Allegheny County's 1 percent sales tax, created in 1993. The first RAD budget provided just $53 million to 46 organizations.
In 2019, RAD will disperse $108.6 million to support 104 different non-profit groups and organizations. It's the first time the RAD budget has ever topped $100 million, according to a spokeswoman.
Read More
November 29, 2018 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A patient from Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport died at the emergency room Thursday after suffering respiratory distress.
Despite rumors that the patient was exposed to a hazardous chemical or other contaminant, emergency officials said there was no evidence of that, and the facility was open as normal on Thursday evening.
McKeesport police, firefighters and McKeesport Ambulance Rescue Service were dispatched to the 360-bed facility at the foot of Ninth Avenue at about 1:20 p.m. Initial reports from Allegheny County 9-1-1 were that a patient was in cardiac arrest after being exposed to a "powdery substance."
Those reports were incorrect, McKeesport fire Chief Jeff Tomovcsik said Thursday night.
Read More
