December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner, 15, of Dravosburg was killed when the school van in which she was riding was struck by a car on Richland Avenue. Four other occupants of the van, including the driver, were injured. Police have charged two men in connection with Kalkbrenner’s death. (Photo courtesy Serra Catholic High School)
Two men accused by police of causing a school-bus crash on Dravosburg Hill that killed a 15-year-old student and injured four other people are scheduled for preliminary hearings this week.
In court filings, Allegheny County homicide detectives said that license-plate cameras, onboard vehicle computers and witness testimony led them to charge William R. Soliday II, 43, of Irwin, and Andrew N. Voigt, 37, of Penn Hills, in connection with the Sept. 20 death of Samantha Kalkbrenner, a sophomore at Serra Catholic High School.
“Because of the senselessness and the recklessness of the one defendant, Soliday, we think this is a murder case,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. said. “We believe they were racing.”
According to court documents, both men work at nearby Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. Investigators allege that Soliday’s high-performance Volkswagen Jetta GLI was traveling at 107 mph before it slammed into the school bus in which Kalkbrenner and three classmates were riding.
Soliday is currently being held without bond in Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing Friday before Magisterial District Judge Kim Berkeley Clark in Pittsburgh.
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December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
(File photo by Mark Dixon, licensed under CC-Attribution-2.0-Generic)
A state representative whose district includes U.S. Steel’s Irvin Plant said he was disappointed in the corporation’s decision to sell itself to Japan-based Nippon Steel for $55 per share.
“My chief concern is the future of steelmaking in the historic Steel Valley and the risk to direct and ancillary jobs that have employed generations in Allegheny County and the surrounding region,” said State Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin.
“While I hope that any future ownership of plant assets recognize that we have the best workforce on the planet ready to manufacture the next generation of high-quality steel, I am concerned that we are seeing another round of offshoring that we will look back on with regret in the near future,” he said.
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December 18, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: State & Region
Nippon Steel’s Kimitsu Steel Works, located about 20 miles from Tokyo, employs 2,600 people and produces 10 million tons of iron annually. (File photo by M. Louis via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0)
The union representing workers at U.S. Steel’s nearly two dozen American steel-making facilities on Monday criticized the announcement that the corporation has agreed to be acquired by a Japanese competitor, Nippon Steel.
“To say we’re disappointed in the announced deal between U.S. Steel and Nippon is an understatement, as it demonstrates the same greedy, shortsighted attitude that has guided U.S. Steel for far too long,” said David McCall, president of the United Steelworkers international union, located in Pittsburgh.
“We remained open throughout this process to working with U.S. Steel to keep this iconic American company domestically owned and operated, but instead it chose to push aside the concerns of its dedicated workforce and sell to a foreign-owned company,” he said.
U.S. Steel announced Monday that Tokyo-based Nippon Steel has agreed to purchase the Pittsburgh-based company in an all-cash transaction for $55 per share. The deal, valued at $14.9 billion, also includes the assumption of $800 million in debt.
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December 08, 2023 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: Duquesne News
The family of popular business and community leader Lee “Spanky” Zabelsky was on hand to receive a proclamation from Duquesne City Council. From left: Stephanie Zabelsky, Jake Zabelsky, Mayor R. Scott Adams, Lavon Zabelsky, Lenny Zabelsky and Luke Zabelksy. “Spanky” Zabelsky passed away suddenly at 53. (Tom Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)
Duquesne City Council on Tuesday altered its agenda slightly to accommodate the family of Lee “Spanky” Zabelsky, 53, who passed away suddenly in October. Council and an emotional Mayor R. Scott Adams presented Zabelsky’s family with a proclamation.
“Spanky” was the co-owner of Leo’s Service Center on Duquesne Boulevard with members of his family and was a contract tow operator for the city of Duquesne.
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December 08, 2023 |
By T.J. Martin | Posted in: North Versailles Twp. News
East Allegheny High School cheerleaders and members of the school’s athletic teams participated in the Raising Cane’s grand opening event. The chain made a $1,500 donation to the school district during Tuesday’s grand opening. (T.J. Martin photo for Tube City Almanac)
Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers opened its doors in North Versailles Twp. on Tuesday with a crowd that included more than a dozen cheerleaders from the local school district to which the restaurant chain gave a gift of $1,500.
Area leader Justin Pesicek said the donation earmarked for the school’s athletic department was in keeping with the restaurant chain’s philosophy of giving back and community involvement.
Dave Loya, athletic director of East Allegheny School District, said the district brought a total of 22 people to participate in the grand opening event, including the cheerleaders, some senior-class athletes and the school’s Wildcat-costumed mascot.
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December 08, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Politics & Elections
Speculation is rising about the future of the 45th District seat currently held by state Sen. Jim Brewster of McKeesport.
An automated text-message poll currently being conducted in the Mon-Yough area claims Brewster is “unlikely to seek re-election” and then asks recipients, “which of the following Democrats would you be most likely to support to replace him?”
The poll lists state Rep. Nick Pisciottano of West Mifflin, McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko, Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock and Brentwood social worker Makenzie White.
Brewster, who has represented the 45th District since 2010, declined comment on Thursday. White has already launched a website for her candidacy for the Democratic nomination.
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December 07, 2023 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
City council has approved a 3-mill property tax increase for 2024 that McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said is directed toward salary increases for police officers and additional personnel for the police and fire departments.
The increase from 8.26 to 11.26 mills will only impact the value of buildings, not land.
The 2024 budget otherwise holds overall spending to 2023 levels and cuts expenses in several areas, Cherepko said following Wednesday night’s 5-0 vote. Council members Tim Brown and Brian Evans were absent.
Separately, council by 5-0 vote approved a four-year contract with members of the city’s police union that includes a 15.5 percent increase for 2024 and additional 3 percent increases in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
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December 07, 2023 |
By Elizabeth Laughlin | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Kerri Bryer, English teacher at McKeesport Senior High School, works with student Brianna Mignogna of White Oak add finishing touches to their Acts of Kindness tree. (Vickie Babyak photo for Tube City Almanac)
McKeesport’s 38th annual Festival of Trees is shaping up as one of the city’s largest ever.
Almost 100 community groups, organizations and businesses are participating in the event, which opened its doors at 12 noon today and continues through Monday (Dec. 11).
Organizations throughout the McKeesport area have been anticipating this yearly event. McKeesport Community Gardens will be taking part in the festival for the first time, said Laura Bosnak Thompson, who has been involved with the group since 1996.
“We’ll be setting up a tree with decorative garden shovels, garden tools and little seed packets,” Bosnak Thompson said.
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December 06, 2023 |
By Yousuf Lachhab Ibrahim | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Searches that took place in McKeesport in 2020 after the shooting of a city police officer amounted to “martial law,” said a community activist on Monday during a press conference announcing a wide-reaching lawsuit against the city and Allegheny County.
Fawn Walker Montgomery, founder of Take Action Advocacy Group, was joined by plaintiffs and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. Together, they allege that police violated residents’ civil rights in December 2020 while searching for the suspect in the shooting of McKeesport police Officer Gerry Athans.
In the complaint filed this week in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, three McKeesport residents — Courtney Thompkins, Ezra Dixon and Kim Neal — name as defendants the city of McKeesport, Allegheny County, city and county police, and more than three dozen police officers. Most of the police officers are listed only as “John Does” and “Jane Does.”
The complaint accuses police of unfairly targeting Black and African-American residents, using excessive force, and violating constitutional provisions against unlawful search and seizure during the hunt for Athans’ shooter. The lawsuit demands both compensation and punitive damages.
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December 06, 2023 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
Founders Hall Middle School choir members perform during the MASD meeting on Dec. 4. (Adam Reinherz photo for Tube City Almanac)
McKeesport Area School District will resume streaming its meetings online, the newly reconstituted school board announced on Monday.
In addition, the board will add another meeting each month.
Both decisions should increase transparency, said newly named board President Mark Holtzman. “We think it’s advantageous to the public,” he said.
Beginning in January, district meetings will occur the first and second Thursday of each month. The first meeting will enable the public to hear proposed business; the second meeting will afford time for board members to vote.
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