March 13, 2025 |
By Bonnijean Cooney Adams | Posted in: Entertainment
Patrick Daniels (left) plays detective Hercule Poirot, with Mike Good as his friend and fellow investigator Monsieur Bouc. (Bonnijean Cooney Adams photo for Tube City Almanac)
If you go...
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“Murder on the Orient Express”
Adapted by Ken Ludwig
Where: McKeesport Little Theater, 1614 Coursin St., (412) 673-1100, www.mckeesportlittletheater.com
When: Fridays and Saturdays March 14, 15, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays March 16 and 23 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $15 for adults, $10 for students. Available through the theater website, by calling and leaving a message, or through https://www.onthestage.tickets.
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McKeesport Little Theater’s latest production is a return to the murder mystery genre in Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of “Murder on the Orient Express.”
The classic play is based on a novel by the same name by Agatha Christie. It features one of her favorite characters, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, and opens Friday (March 14) at 7:30 p.m.
Christie’s novel, as many of her other works, was inspired by real life experiences.
In the play, a young girl named Daisy Armstrong had been kidnapped and murdered, similar to what occurred to Charles Lindbergh’s son in a story that rocked the world in 1932. Christie also once was a passenger on the real Orient Express.
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March 12, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A former McKeesport police detective is accused of taking more than $260,000 from the department’s evidence room over a four-year period prior to his retirement.
Christopher A. Halaszynski, 54, of Haler Heights is charged by the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office with theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property. Charges were filed Wednesday with Magisterial District Judge Eugene Riazzi.
Investigators allege that money connected to 159 cases is missing, and accuse Halaszynski of using the cash to pay bills and personal expenses and finance vacation trips.
When detectives confronted Halaszynski, they said, he told them he had “nothing to show for everything I’ve (taken).”
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March 12, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
A McKeesport police officer has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the mayor, alleging discrimination in promotions and retaliation for criticizing city officials on social media.
Julian Thomas, a McKeesport police officer since 2009, is Black. His lawsuit claims that he has been passed over for promotion and faced retaliation because he has spoken out against unfair personnel policies.
Thomas this week announced his candidacy for McKeesport Area School Board.
McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko on Tuesday night called the lawsuit baseless. “Typically in these situations, the city makes no comment,” Cherepko said. “Enough is enough. The entire case is fallacy.”
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March 10, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements
Visitors and vendors talk during the 2024 Health & Resource Fair. (Submitted photo via Facebook)
Irwin Senior Activity Center will hold its 3rd Annual Health & Resource Fair March 22, a spokeswoman said. Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and admission is free.
The fair is open to the public in the surrounding communities and will host nearly 30 vendors from healthcare, insurance and other organizations.
Also on hand will be giveaways, coffee tasting, therapy dogs, basket raffles, a bake sale and reasonably priced Exercise teachers from the activity center also will be on hand to answer questions.
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March 10, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Politics & Elections
CORRECTION: This story was corrected after publication to fix Squires’ job title. We apologize for the error.
Kevin Squires has announced plans to run for re-election to the West Mifflin Area School Board. Squires, 32, is seeking his second four-year term.
A graduate of Point Park University, Squires is a laboratory manager at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a master’s degree in secondary education and currently serves as president of the West Mifflin board.
Squires said in a statement: “Four years ago, I campaigned on advancing education, fiscal responsibility, hearing the community, informing the public, and pushing for transparency.
“Since being elected, the district has changed considerably. I have supported investing millions in new technology, including new laptops for all students and touchscreen TVs for all classrooms, and curriculum materials (some of which had not been updated in over 20 years).
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March 10, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Politics & Elections
(Submitted photo courtesy of the candidate)
A longtime McKeesport police officer has announced his candidacy for the McKeesport Area School Board in the May primary election.
Julian Thomas is running on both the Republican and Democratic tickets. School director positions are officially non-partisan and cross-filing is common.
A graduate of Community College of Allegheny County, Thomas is married and a father of four children, including two attending McKeesport Senior High School.
Thomas, a member of Ebenezer Christian Worship Center in Clairton, described himself as “a passionate community organizer focusing on improving our communities rapport with the local government and school district as well as getting the services and resources to the communities most in need of them.”
He has been a police officer for 15 years.
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March 07, 2025 |
By Submitted Report | Posted in: Announcements, Politics & Elections
(Submitted photo)
White Oak resident Adam Kitta has announced his candidacy for the 35th Legislative District and is running on the Libertarian Party ticket.
Kitta, a lifelong resident of the Mon Valley, said the driving force of his candidacy has been his “passion to make a difference and determination to bring people together.”
A special election is being held March 25 to fill the vacancy left by the Jan. 19 death of State Rep. Matt Gergely of McKeesport.
The 35th District includes McKeesport, Clairton, Duquesne, Homestead, Liberty Borough, Lincoln Borough, Munhall, Port Vue, South Versailles Twp., Versailles, West Homestead, Whitaker, White Oak and portions of West Mifflin.
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March 07, 2025 |
By Adam Reinherz | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(Peter J. Vancheri updates MASD school directors. Photo by Adam Reinherz for Tube City Almanac)
An independent audit of McKeesport Area School District revealed healthy finances, according to accountant Peter J. Vancheri. The partner at Hosack, Specht, Muetzel & Wood delivered a positive outlook on the school’s budget during Thursday’s open agenda meeting and said a more substantive report will follow.
MASD possesses a “healthy fund balance” of approximately $24.5 million, of which $17.9 million is assigned and $6.5 million is unassigned,” Vancheri said on March 6.
What this means, he told school directors, is “you have money set aside for future shortfalls.”
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March 06, 2025 |
By Tom Leturgey | Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
(File photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel photo via Wikimedia Commons. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International)
Saying the city welcomes food trucks, but wants to set some guidance on their operation, McKeesport Council this week approved an ordinance setting options for daily, weekly, monthly and yearly permits.
The ordinance also prohibits food trucks from setting up operations adjacent to existing restaurants.
Permits will range from $10 per day to $1,200 for a year. “These fees are in line with nearby communities,” Mayor Michael Cherepko said.
The fees are designed to regulate trucks that stop in one place and serve food prepared ready-to-eat, and are distinct from the existing “peddler’s licenses.”
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March 06, 2025 |
By Jason Togyer | Posted in: Crime and Police News
A Downtown bar that was the site of a fatal shooting on Feb. 26 will close permanently, and its liquor license will be sold.
Tube City Cafe, in the 900 block of Fifth Avenue, will close through a mutual agreement between its owner, the city, and Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr. The deal was announced Thursday by Zappala.
The bar is one of the oldest in the city, having opened just two years after the repeal of the 18th Amendment.
“I’m appreciative that we were able to reach an agreement that puts the safety of people and first responders in McKeesport first,” Zappala said in a prepared release. “Thankfully, the Nuisance Bar Task Force and our law enforcement partners remain diligent in protecting our community from these dangers.”
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