September 11, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Three people from Duquesne have been sentenced to nine months in prison and three years' probation after defying a federal court order.
Shane Brooks, 30; Victoria Morgan, 32; and Bobby Rodgers, 48; all of Duquesne, and Khayri Battle, 36, of Newark, N.J., received the sentences for contempt of court last week from U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, said a spokeswoman for Soo C. Song, acting U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh.
The four had been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying against accused drug traffickers Anthony Pryor and Lance Yarbough, the spokeswoman said. But the four refused to testify at the trial.
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September 11, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
(Tube City Almanac photo)
Duquesne-based Vegely Welding Inc. is completing renovations to a building on Walnut Street in McKeesport as it expands its operations.
The nearly $1 million expansion project is being financed in part by a $300,000 Enterprise Zone loan arranged by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Duquesne.
According to a press release from the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Duquesne, Vegely has 20 employees at its present location along Route 837 and plans to add up to 15 more in McKeesport. Company president Ken Vegely did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The expansion utilizes part of a building that was begun by the now-defunct Capco Contracting Co. in 2003 on the site of the old Tube City Brewing Co., but left unfinished after Capco's owners were indicted for fraud.
Vegley’s loan is part of a $916,750 project which is also funded through private equity as well as a bank loan, according to a spokeswoman for McKeesport Mayor Mike Cherepko.
Work on the McKeesport facility began approximately four months ago, Cherepko's office said, and is expected to be complete in six to eight months.
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September 08, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
According to the calendar, it's still summer. But with Labor Day in the rear-view mirror, and a bit of a chill in the air in the Mon-Yough area these past few nights, fall is obviously just around the corner.
And even if you're not ready to put away your short-sleeved shirts yet, it's time to start thinking about winter.
That's according to LuEthel Nesbit, program administrator in the Mon Valley office of the non-profit agency ACTION-Housing. Nesbit says now is the time for residents to start thinking about winterizing their homes.
"A lot of times, people wait until it gets cold outside, and then it's too late," says Nesbit, who also serves as a McKeesport city councilwoman. "Once the money runs out, it runs out."
Last year, she says, ACTION-Housing provided weatherization assistance to 226 households through the U.S. Department of Energy and to an additional 82 households through the state's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP.
Heating and air-conditioning repairs and replacements were made for 716 households through the state Department of Public Assistance LIHEAP crisis program, Nesbit says.
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September 07, 2017 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
One man has been arrested and another suspect is wanted in connection with a shooting in lower 10th Ward that left two people dead and another seriously wounded.
Miras M. Kelly II, 19, of McKeesport is charged with criminal homicide, burglary, robbery, conspiracy and aggravated assault in connection with the deaths of Melodie Robb, 52, and Kimberly Lesko, 55, said Allegheny County police Sgt. Scott Scherer in a prepared statement.
Also wanted in connection with the shooting is Kylee S. Lankford, 19, of Monroeville. Police said Lankford (shown below) is 5-feet-9 and weighs approximately 150 pounds, and is considered armed and dangerous.
Kelly has surrendered to police and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing, Scherer said.
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September 07, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A man from Pittsburgh's West End is being held in Allegheny County Jail in lieu of $75,000 bond after police charged him in connection with a bank robbery in Homestead.
Christian Moore, 27, faces a preliminary hearing Sept. 13 before Magisterial District Judge Thomas Torkowsky in Munhall.
Allegheny County police said a man entered the First National Bank branch at 116 W. Eighth Ave. in Homestead at 1:40 p.m. Tueaday and gave a bank teller a note demanding money. The note said the man was armed.
Police said the bank robber was given "an unknown amount of money" and then fled on foot.
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September 07, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Saying "even one homicide is too many," McKeesport officials on Wednesday expressed frustration about the number of fatal shootings in the city so far this year.
There have been 10 murders in McKeesport in 2017, including the shootings last week of Kimberly Lesko, 55, and Melodie Robb, 52, in a home in lower 10th Ward.
Allegheny County police are investigating the Lesko and Robb killings, though they have released few details. The women, who were sisters, were buried Tuesday in Richland Cemetery in Dravosburg following a funeral Mass at St. Mary's Romanian Church in Christy Park.
The shootings have not officially been ruled homicides by the medical examiner's office. Lesko, of Versailles, was an overnight guest at Robb's home when she, Robb and a third person were shot just after 3 a.m. Sept. 1.
McKeesport police Chief Bryan Washowich told city council on Wednesday that he's reluctant to speculate in public on why homicides have increased this year. There were four homicides in McKeesport in 2016, including two from gun violence.
"We're making every effort possible to solve these murders," Washowich said. "If you ask me what the common denominator is, I have to be respectful of victims and their families, so my comments have to be limited."
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September 06, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Allegheny County sheriff's deputies arrested 20 people with outstanding warrants during a sweep of city neighborhoods Thursday.
Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus said the sweep was conducted with the assistance of FBI agents and McKeesport police. Suspects were wanted both on criminal charges and for failing to pay child support, Kraus said.
In addition, while executing a bench warrant at residence in the 1700 block of Abraham Street, deputies saw a firearm and suspected heroin. A search warrant was obtained, Kraus said, and deputies recovered two full loaded 9mm handguns and 75 bricks of suspected heroin from the home.
Deputies also seized a .380 caliber handgun and suspected crack cocaine while executing an arrest warrant at a home in the 1300 block of Maple Street, Kraus said.
Names of the people arrested were not released by the sheriff's office.
September 06, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Planning is underway for McKeesport's 53rd annual Salute to Santa parade, and nominations are being sought from district students who want to be nominated as the Christmas event's queen and princess.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Cherepko said the parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Nov. 18 at the McKee's Point Marina, Fifth Avenue at Water Street, Downtown, and proceed up Fifth Avenue to City Hall.
A Christmas party is held following the event at the Palisades.
"The Salute to Santa parade and children's party have established a longstanding tradition in McKeesport," Cherepko said in a statement. "Each year, thousands of spectators from across the Mon Valley line Fifth Avenue in downtown McKeesport to watch a procession of holiday floats, marching bands, dance troupes, fire trucks and more."
Participation in the parade is open to community groups, student organizations, churches, businesses and local officials, the spokeswoman said.
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September 06, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Seven bands, plus the Rankin Junior Tamburitzans, will take the stage on Sept. 16 at a concert to benefit seven local charities.
The first-ever "Mon Valley Sizzles" music and food festival is being held at the Carrie Furnaces national historic site in Rankin and Swissvale. Gates open at 3 p.m. and live music continues until 10 p.m., a spokeswoman said.
Groups scheduled to appear include Brownie Mary, The Gathering Field, Billy Price Band, House of Soul, Brass Roots, Velcro Shoes and Pillow Project.
The event is being organized by the Mon-Yough Area Chamber of Commerce as a benefit for the Carnegie Library of Homestead, McKeesport Hospital Foundation, Mifflin Township Historical Society, Rainbow Kitchen Community Services, Mon Yough Community Services and the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, which administers the Carrie Furnaces site and the Bost Building in Homestead.
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September 05, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
An "indoor picnic" and a paint-and-sip night are on the schedule at the Yukon Croatian Club during the month of September.
Barbecued lamb and tamburitza music of Stari Prijatelji will highlight the Sept. 17 indoor picnic at the Yukon Croatian Club, a spokeswoman said.
The lamb, prepared by Mike and Carol Mezick, must be pre-ordered by Sept. 10. Call (724) 872-7459 to order. Lamb may be picked up on Sept. 17 starting at 12:30 p.m. when the club doors open.
Stari Prijatelji will play songs and kolos for dancing from 2 to 6 p.m. There is a $7 cover charge.
The Paint & Sip Night will take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 under the direction of Denise Maughan. Participants will finish a canvas pre-stamped with a 12 inch by 12 inch image.
A $35 fee covers the canvas and all supplies needed to complete the painting. The event is open to the public and limited to 12 to 15 people, the spokeswoman said.
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