Brian C. Rittmeyer stories, Page 108
Relatives parade past loved ones at Brackenridge nursing homeVideo
The covid-19 pandemic has kept families separated from their loved ones at a Brackenridge nursing home for two months, their contact limited to video calls and window visits. That came to an end Wednesday afternoon, when relatives of residents at Platinum Ridge Center for Rehabilitation and Healing took part in...
Police seize drugs, stolen gun after drug sting in Arnold
Three Arnold residents are facing felony drug and other charges after police allege they made a controlled buy of cocaine. The arrests Tuesday resulted in the seizure of unspecified quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine, a stolen gun, and more than $5,000 in cash, police said in court documents. Arrested...
E. coli contamination prompts health alert for frozen beef ravioli made in Pennsylvania
Federal food safety authorities are concerned that some people could have beef ravioli in their freezers that is contaminated with E. Coli. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a public health alert because about 70 pounds of raw beef ravioli produced by P&S Ravioli Co....
Highlands facing $5M deficit in coming fiscal year
Highlands School District plans to use reserve money to cover a nearly $5 million budget deficit projected for the 2020-21 school year. Contributing to the sizable deficit are an anticipated sharp decline in local revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic and a proposed $3 million increase in spending. “It’s not...
New Kensington minister remembered for his concern for people
The Rev. Lovie Scott is being remembered as a man who cared about and inspired people and who worked to help them get jobs. Pastor Lovie L. Scott Jr., of New Kensington, died Friday, May 8, 2020. He was 74. His cause of death was not disclosed. Kevin Bode met...
Tarentum threatens to end longstanding water agreement with neighboring East Deer
Tarentum officials are threatening to pull the plug on a water agreement with neighboring East Deer — 12 years from now. Tarentum Council voted to notify East Deer that it will opt out of the existing agreement, scheduled to expire in 2032, because officials said it is no longer in...
Oil, gasoline prices rising on boost in demand as states reopen
Average gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area rose this week for the first time in more than two months, according to the price-tracking service GasBuddy. Demand for gasoline is rebounding across the United States as more states begin to loosen restrictions and reopen their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, said...
Week-in-review: Pa. moves some counties to yellow, Pitt researcher killed, ‘murder hornets’Video
While covid-19 and the impact of the pandemic continue to dominate lives and news, other news continued to come in the past week. A missing woman’s body was found in McKees Rocks, while the motivation behind a murder-suicide in Ross came to light. In nature news, we learned about homicidal...
Record-breaking cold prompts freeze warning
The coldest temperatures ever recorded in May in the Pittsburgh area are expected overnight Friday into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. A freeze warning is scheduled to run from midnight to 9 a.m. Saturday, with the low temperature expected to get down to 26 degrees, meteorologist Michael...
No injuries reported in Braddock house fire
Firefighters responded to a house fire overnight in Braddock. The fire in the 400 block of Fourth Avenue was reported shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. The fire went to two alarms, with flames blowing out of the second floor. The fire was determined to...
Police: Kiski woman accused of burning infant with cigarette tried to intimidate child’s mother
A Kiski Township woman accused of burning a 1-year-old with a cigarette faces more charges after allegedly trying to intimidate and harass the girl’s mother. Kiski Township Police charged Lisa Culp, 46, with intimidation, stalking and harassment on Tuesday, according to court records. Police previously charged Culp with aggravated assault,...
Summit Hose cancels Tarentum Fourth of July fireworks
Summit Hose has canceled its annual Fourth of July fireworks in Tarentum this year due to the covid-19 pandemic, fire company President Tarek Masaoud announced. The event had been scheduled for July 3. “We know the residents of Tarentum Borough and the surrounding communities look forward to this display every...
1 person hurt in 3-alarm Wilkinsburg house fire
A family of five escaped unhurt after a fire spread to their Wilkinsburg home early Thursday morning. Firefighters responded around 2:30 a.m. to a 911 call for a fire in the 1700 block of Laketon Road, according to police. Firefighters arrived and saw flames coming from an unoccupied home. The...
Limited in-store sales to resume at 77 Pennsylvania liquor stores
State liquor stores in Clarion, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties will be the closest to Pittsburgh resuming limited in-store public access on Friday, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced Wednesday. The 14 stores in the four counties north of Pittsburgh are among 77 Fine Wine & Good Spirit locations in...
Where to get takeout, delivery in the Alle-Kiski Valley
Alle-Kiski Valley residents might not be able to eat-in at their favorite local restaurants, but that doesn’t mean they have to go without their favorite foods. Many area restaurants remain open for takeout, home delivery, or both. Some use delivery services such as Door Dash. For specific information, call the...
6 more workers at Smithfield plant in Arnold test positive for coronavirus
Another six employees have tested positive for covid-19 at an Arnold meat processing plant, a union spokesman confirmed to the Tribune-Review on Wednesday. That brings the total cases at the Smithfield Foods facility to 12, said Wendell Young IV, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776. Six employees...
State police seek help investigating Cranberry man’s death in East Pittsburgh
State police are seeking the public’s help as they investigate the death of a Cranberry man. According to state police, John Betts, 37, was found dead Monday morning along train tracks below the Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh. His coat was found on the bridge above. The cause and manner...
Cold, snow and new record low in forecast for Pittsburgh area
The Pittsburgh area is poised to set a new record low temperature Friday night into Saturday morning, and some snow accumulation will be possible in the highest ridge tops, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Wednesday. The high and low temperatures through Saturday are expected to be well below the...
Arnold to resume monthly recycling collection
Arnold will resume recycling collection on May 15, the city announced. Collection had been suspended because of covid-19, administrative Assistant Amy Dziobak said. The city collects recyclables once per month. Recycling is collected on Fridays on a scheduled based on when garbage is picked up. Recycling is taken on the...
Coroner: Driver hit pedestrian in Washington, Pa.
A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in Washington, Pa. Tuesday night, according to the Washington County Coroner’s office. The name of the pedestrian, who was later pronounced deceased, was being withheld pending notification of family. It was not clear if the person was killed by the impact, or if...
Dormont Pool won’t open for 2020 amid coronavirus concerns
The 100th season of the historic Dormont Pool will go down in its history as the season that never was. Borough Council voted unanimously Monday to keep the pool closed for the 2020 season because of the complications surrounding covid-19 prevention. The virus “presents unique challenges to municipalities around the...
Police: Burglar took frozen food from Mercer County ice cream stand
Frozen food worth about $800 was stolen from an ice cream stand in Mercer County, according to state police. The burglary at Shirley’s Twin Kiss on Perry Highway in Sandy Creek Township on April 29, police said in a release issued Monday. According to police, the burglar or burglars got...
Man stable after being found shot in Beechview
A man was in stable condition after being found shot in Beechview Monday night, police said. According to Pittsburgh police, officers responded around 9:50 p.m. to a 911 call of a man shot in the 200 block of Sebring Avenue. The man had been shot in the leg. He was...
Arnold seeking information on pickup used in dumping garbage
Arnold officials are asking for the public’s help in identifying a pickup involved in illegal dumping in the city. Unknown persons dumped several bags of household garbage at an abandoned house in the 1400 block of Third Avenue, behind the house in Cherry Alley, around 2:14 p.m. on Saturday, April...
Gasoline prices expected to rise as cities, states reopen from covid-19 shutdowns
The days of 99-cent gasoline are in the rearview mirror as demand for gasoline rebounds across the country as cities and states slowly reopen, a gasoline industry analyst said. “The lowest priced stations in the country will see some upward movement, but most areas will still see declines,” said Patrick...

