July 19, 2017 |
By Mike Mauer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Thanks to two local men and West Mifflin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 914 Intrepid, a ceremonial howitzer near Kennywood Park recently received a much-needed facelift.
Ken Curcio and Garrett Tomko, both from West Mifflin, refurbished the monument earlier this month as part of a community service project. The howitzer sits in Mitchell Paige Memorial Park at the intersection of Homeville Road and Commonwealth Avenue, and is seen by thousands of motorists as well as students at nearby West Mifflin Area High School.
According to VFW Post 914 Commander Jake Bradich, the results couldn’t be better.
“Like the men and women who serve in our armed forces, you always expect a piece of military hardware to look sharp,” said Bradich, an Army combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I’m glad we’re able to help honor our veterans in this way, and I thank everybody in the VFW and in the borough who helped make this possible.”
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July 19, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, White Oak News
Motorists in White Oak, North Versailles Twp. and Monroeville can expect brief delays as crews perform repair work on area roadways, a district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation announced.
Beginning Thursday, workers will be replacing curbs and traffic light sensors on the following roads:
- Route 48 (Jacks Run Road) between Lincoln Way and Route 30;
- Route 48 (Mosside Boulevard) between Cambridge Square Drive and Route 22;
- Northern Pike between Pitcairn Road and Route 22 in Monroeville; and
- Haymaker Road between Route 22 and Beatty Road in Monroeville.
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July 18, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Pittsburgh Crime Stoppers is asking for the public's help as police try to solve the June 19 killing of 24-year-old Diaz Petty.
Petty was found at 11:07 p.m. that night lying on the ground in the 1000 block of Lysle Boulevard, suffering from a gunshot wound, police said. He was taken to the hospital but died of his injuries.
Allegheny County police homicide detectives are investigating. They say that Petty had been seen earlier in the evening with another man and a woman about a block away on Fifth Avenue. Petty and the other man were having an argument, police said, when gunshots were heard.
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July 18, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A McKeesport man is wanted by Allegheny County police in connection with the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman Sunday night.
Daniel Bizzelle, 25, is charged with homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and firearms violations, Allegheny County police said in a release.
Two people were gunned down just after 10 p.m. Sunday in the 1000 block of Fifth Avenue.
Police have said they believe that Samantha Klavora, was an innocent bystander and that a 38-year-old man whose name has not been released was the actual target of the shooter or shooters. The man was critically injured and taken to the hospital, police said. No details about his condition have been released.
Bizzelle is approximately 5-feet-9 and 160 pounds, police said, and has a tattoo of a gun on the left side of his neck, as well as tattoos on both forearms. Police said he has ties to Clairton as well as McKeesport.
Anyone who heard or saw anything surrounding the shooting is asked to call McKeesport police at (412) 675-5015 or the Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit at (412) 473-1300. Callers can remain anonymous.
Allegheny County police may also be reached on
Facebook and
Twitter.
July 17, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A fire in a large compost pile in Clairton that's been burning, on and off, since last week appears to have broken out from natural combustion, Allegheny County officials said Monday.
However, a county spokeswoman said, the pile was created by illegal dumping of debris, and the fire is having a negative impact both on the air quality in the neighborhood, as well as a nearby creek.
The property owner will be cited by the Allegheny County Health Department's Solid Waste Program for improper disposal of waste and for the conditions that led to the fire, the county said in a statement.
The Clairton Fire Department was dispatched to a site off of Worthington Avenue several times last week for what firefighters thought might be a mine fire, Allegheny County officials said.
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July 17, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Crime and Police News
One person was killed and another wounded during a shooting Sunday night on Fifth Avenue, Downtown, and Allegheny County police think they may have been victims of retaliation.
Samantha Klavora, 23, died at the hospital of gunshot wounds to the abdomen following the incident between Martin and Center streets, said a spokesperson for the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
The other victim, a 38-year-old man, was wounded and is in critical condition, Allegheny County police said. His name was not released.
Investigators believe he was the intended target and that Klavora was shot because she was standing near him, county police said in a statement.
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July 17, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Announcements
We're less than a month away from McKeesport International Village, Aug. 15, 16 and 17, and Tube City Community Media is once again planning to webcast live from the main stage (weather permitting) all three days.
Over the years we've been doing this webcast, more than 7,000 people have watched all or some of the video.
But it costs money --- especially paying for the Internet connection and the storage on the streaming server. The server charge alone is about $22 per month (otherwise, the video of past International Villages will be deleted).
I know it's not "ABC Wide World of Sports quality," but we also don't have anything like an "ABC Wide World of Sports" budget. And every year, we do try to get a little bit better. We're all amateurs and volunteers.
We would like to raise $750. Donations may be tax-deductible as allowed by law. All donors will be acknowledged on our website, in a sign on our booth at International Village, and during the broadcasts.
Any extra not spent on the International Village broadcast will go directly toward keeping our websites --- Tube City Online, McKeesportObituaries.com and WMCK.FM --- operational.
ADVERTISING:
If your business or organization would like to advertise during our International Village webcast, we need your information before Aug. 7! (Advertising does not qualify as a charitable contribution.)
Contact me at tubecitytiger@gmail.com or call me (412) 614-9659.
For $125, we will make a minimum of one 30-second announcement for your group, business or organization every hour, plus we will run a banner ad on Tube City Online for at least 30 days.
For $225, we will make a minimum of one 60-second announcement for your group, business or organization every hour, plus we will run a banner ad on Tube City Online for at least 60 days.
This year, we also intend to have a "selfie station" where people can take photos of themselves at International Village. If you would like to sponsor the "selfie station," please email me at tubecitytiger@gmail.com.
Click this button to make a secure donation using PayPal. PayPal will email you a receipt instantly:
July 10, 2017 |
By Staff Reports | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former Clairton man faces up to 40 years in prison and a half-million dollar fine after pleading guilty to robbing banks in Westmoreland County.
Raymond Zwibel, 45, pleaded guilty to two counts of bank robbery on Friday before U.S. District Judge S. David Cercone, said a spokeswoman for acting U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song.
Zwibel will be sentenced on Nov. 6, the spokeswoman said.
Zwibel pleaded guilty to robbing the First Commonwealth Bank branch in New Alexandria, Westmoreland County, on Aug. 19, and the Citizens Bank branch in Latrobe on Aug. 23, according to prosecutors.
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July 10, 2017 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Rivers of Steel Arts will hold its first-ever Community Day at the historic Carrie Furnaces site in Rankin and Swissvale from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday (July 15).
"Bring the kids and meet your neighbors at the national historic landmark Carrie Furnaces for a day filled with creative projects, outdoor fun, raffle prizes, local food and entertainment," a spokesperson said.
Visitors will get behind-the-scenes look at the exciting programming RoSA offers throughout the season including hands-on workshops, photo safaris, graffiti art projects, foundry work and much more.
Located at the end of the Rankin Bridge, just opposite from The Waterfront, the Carrie Furnaces were built in 1884 and during their peak produced 1,000 to 1,250 tons of raw iron per day.
The facility, once part of U.S. Steel's Homestead Works, closed in 1982. All that is left are furnaces No. 6 and 7, which operated from 1907 to 1978. The furnaces were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006 and are among only a few pre-World War II 20th century blast furnaces to survive.
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July 07, 2017 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(A firearms dealer is renovating the former Burt Foster American Legion Post, shown here, for use as a retail store. Residents packed this week's city council meeting, saying the location showed insensitivity in a town fighting against handgun violence. Tube City Almanac photo.)
© 2017 Tube City Community Media Inc.
Residents of McKeesport angry over a firearms dealer's planned expansion Downtown packed city council chambers this week to raise issue with what they called a lack of "transparency" and "consideration."
The store's owner, meanwhile, said Friday in an interview with Tube City Almanac that he hears their concerns, but is running a legal, responsible operation.
"I'm not here for scare tactics and I'm not here to sell guns to other people who shouldn't have one," said Jonathan Stark, owner of Pittsburgh FFL, which is renovating the former Burt Foster American Legion post to be used as a retail gun store to be known as "Legion Arms."
"I'm not a 'crazy gun guy,'" Stark said. "I'm a businessman. I think that's what allows me to understand both sides of the issue.
"We operate responsibly, but I do understand that there is a stigma," he said. "We provide a legal, lawful business and service, and I want everything we do to be positive."
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